Getting back on a bike

[Dragging Drifter]

Hello from Denmark,

I'm boldly setting the goal of biking 10.000 kilometres this year mostly from doing a 2x40 km daily commute when it gets a little warmer. My old bike has mostly been collecting dust for the past 10 years so I'm starting almost from scratch in terms of getting back in shape. Just ordered a new road bike and a pair of bibs for the project. Signing in here to find tips and motivation.

Happy 2019 everyone.

 

[Slick]

All the best in your endeavours, 10k seems quite adventurous in your first year but it depends on your existing level of fitness. My commutes are around 45k in total but I only do that twice in winter and three times in summer which is tough enough for me. To do that in Scotland requires good gloves, a good jacket and quality overshoes even on the odd dry morning.

 

[Spiderweb]

Welcome and good luck with your 2019 challenge.

 

[HLaB]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Welcome

 

[johnnyb47]

Yes as the other post says 10k does seem a little adventurous for your first year, but if you do it, i take my hat off to you..When i got back into cycling a few years back i had no idea as to what miles or achievements i would make and just took every day as it comes. My advice is you is to just take every day as it comes and enjoy the freedom and escapism cycling offers and give yourself a pat on the back as the miles rack up. If you set a milage goal for yourself, cycling can well become a bind, and when this happens many a new cyclist will throw in the towel and relegate the bike to the garden shed. At the moment im doing around 6k miles (somewhere new 10,000k) a year and in all honesty feels like its my limit. I never set a limit but if I did, i think I may not of achieved it due to feeling pressurised
. For me cycling these many miles have saved me lots of money in car fuel costs, better health (mentally and physical) and seeing the outdoors in its beauty..One the main things its offered though is the great community of new friends i have met , here on Cycle chat and meeting random friends on the road and strava has been a social life line to my otherwise lonely life..All the very best to you
and treat cycling as a joy and not a commitment and im sure your cycling miles will surpass your greatest expectations
All the best
Johnny

 

[raleighnut]

 

[I like Skol]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your endeavours to get fitter and more active.

Just ordered a new road bike and a pair of bibs for the project. Signing in here to find tips and motivation.

What was your old bike? If it was a decent bike that suited you 10yrs ago then perhaps there is no need to replace it with an unknown quantity that a new bike always is. It is very easy to buy the wrong bike, especially when you might not really know what you want or need until the journey has begun.
It might be better to get the old bike freshened up cheaply and ride that for a couple of months before splashing good money on a new bike (unless the old bike really is a cheap pile of junk that will deter you from riding and achieving your aim!). This way you will have formed a good idea of what you need, based on the experience of reality rather than an often skewed vision based on rose tinted memories from the past and glossy advertising from the bike industry.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself.

 

[DCBassman]

 

[Dragging Drifter]

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome and friendly advice everyone. Seems like I've come to the right place.

@johnnyb47: I really like your approach to cycling. Makes a lot of sense. My reason for setting an ambitious goal is mainly to give me some extra motivation to get out the door on days where the car seems more appealing. If it becomes an obligation that kills my zeal I will adjust. Besides, I will certainly remember to enjoy the ride once I'm in the saddle. I guess planning and dressing right will play an important role in making every ride enjoyable. So while I will be saving on fuel I'm starting to realize that this will most likely only partially cover my exepenses when it comes to clothing and equipment this year. I'm pretty sure that I will also be spending more on food. But that's ok, saving money is not the primary goal here. Getting fitter and avoiding becoming a couch potato is. Especially now that I'm in my 40's.
Apparently lycra and latex is quite a thing for middle-aged men. Maybe I'm just trying to follow the norm.

@I like Skol: My old bike is a modified Fuji Aloha 1.0. It's an aluminium tri bike from 2007. Definitely not a bad bike but the frame is a bit too small for me and not that comfortable. I'm lavishly treating myself with a new Vitus ZX1 Aero Disc 105. Not the most financially justifiable decision I've ever made but so far I'm feeling good about it and I can't wait until it arrives.

@Slick: The climate where I live is perhaps slightly less wet but otherwise very close to what you have in Scotland. Thanks for the tips.

 

[I like Skol]

@I like Skol: My old bike is a modified Fuji Aloha 1.0. It's an aluminium tri bike from 2007. Definitely not a bad bike but the frame is a bit too small for me and not that comfortable. I'm lavishly treating myself with a new Vitus ZX1 Aero Disc 105. Not the most financially justifiable decision I've ever made but so far I'm feeling good about it and I can't wait until it arrives.

Your old bike was a serious piece of kit and the new one looks equally as serious! A very nice bike with an excellent spec but, I do wonder about its suitability for clocking up lots of miles and commuting duties..... I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm but you are 10yrs older and commuting often needs a different machine to racing (It could be tricky fitting a pannier rack and mudguards to the Vitus, you will understand once you have been commuting for a few months!).

"the ZX1 Road Bike is back in the game and it's lighter, faster, and better than ever..... the ZX1 is a fast racing bike. Featuring a complete Shimano 105 11-speed transmission...…., the ZX1 Aero Disc Road Bike is a ready to race, straight from the box.
The ZX1 is built for speed. It’s ready to race."

Not necessarily the optimum bike for a returning cyclist going on MAMIL who wants to commute and clock up lots of miles? I'm not suggesting a sedate tourer but perhaps something a bit more sportive oriented with a more suitable geometry for comfort on longer fast rides? I'm reckon the Vitus will put a smile on your face, I'm sure it would on mine, but when you are 30-40km into a long ride with another 20-30 to go I wonder if it will still seem so enjoyable?

 

[Tigerbiten]

Another +1 to maybe rethink your new bike.
It's probably a very nice road bike designed to be ridden a speed.
This means the gears will be heavily biased to the top end for fast speeds.
Which will be great if you want to do a lot of +40 km/h downhill runs.
But they will also make it very hard work if your tired and slogging into a headwind.
As you will be riding every day them mudguards are probably a must.
Unless you like a stripe of muck down your back every time you ride in the wet.
If it's for a commute into work and back then you'll probably need someway to carry a change of clothes, etc, etc.
So a good saddlebag/pannier is probably needed rather than trying to carry everything in a backpack.
You probably don't need a true touring bike.
But something light biased more towards touring rather than racing may suit you better.
Remember the more not "fun" it is, the more likely you are to quit.

Luck ............

 

[Dragging Drifter]

Thanks for the advice but to me being able to ride fast is part of the fun. Mudguards would be a sensible choice for most people but I'm probably not that sensible so an ass saver and a good washing machine is what I'll rely on for now. A small backpack is all I need for what I have to carry. I'll be getting mtb shoes/pedals (and shoe covers so they're not getting dirty). That way I can wear the shoes at work if necessary (I have a desk job so I don't walk much at work). I'm also planning on getting slightly wider tyres and to raise the handlebar a little by reversing the stem. If that is not enough to get comfortable I might upgrade the stem/handlebar at some point.
I don't think the gearing will be a problem since we don't have mountains where I live. I do encounter a few steep hills but they are not super long so 36 front and 28 rear should be low enough to overcome those even with a bit of headwind. If not I can always make changes to the chainset and/or cassette later on.