Help new bike no confidence!!!

[steve peat]

ive recently purchased a new mountain bike but can not find the confidence to ride it!! I'm 6 ft 1 and 24 stone and feel I'm to fat to ride help!!!!

 

[Doobiesis]

You are not the first person I've seen on here write a post like this.

When you go out, just enjoy it and take baby steps. You'll soon be posting about how many miles you have achieved and how to clean your bike!

If you worry about what others think, don't! They're prob going to be sat on their sofas - and you always lap the people sat on them.

Good luck.

 

[daisyj]

I felt similar when I bought my bike and ended up not riding it for a few months. Eventually I picked a quiet loop not far from my house and tried it. It was hard work but I was hooked. That was a year ago and I feel fitter now than I did 20 years ago. One of the best decisions I ever made was to get on that bike. I can only share my experience but give that first ride a go, you've already made the first step buying the bike. Best of luck!

 

[T4tomo]

https://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/
Have a read of the above link for inspiration.

And then just get out and ride. A little bit at a time and gradually build up the distance.

 

[User32269]

Do you have a local park? Get out when it's nice and quiet and have a little ride around.

 

[raleighnut]

On a skinny tyred road bike you might have looked a bit odd but a big guy on a MTB.

 

[The first ginger ninja]

I know exactly how you feel, 3 years ago I was 6 ft and 21 st and thought I would ditch the car and bike to wk. After each journey I was pouring with sweat and could barely breath. I felt so self conscious but went out in the quieter hours and just figured nothing would change if I didn't give it ago.

Now it's all about the seconds I can shave off and taking a longer route to add on the miles. And the 3 st I've lost. We're all different mate, just do what you can and keep at it, all of a sudden you may find yourself doing a 50 mile trip for the fun of hit pulling a kiddy trailer of 20 kg.

 

[steve peat]

Thank you people!! I've just ordered a soft gel saddle and going to give it ago

 

[EnPassant]

Pretty noob here too . You're good to go. You want to do it, you know you should do it or you wouldn't have bought the bike, and you'll feel so much better once you start doing it.

I'd hazard a guess there are 2 reasons anyone would feel they are too fat to cycle, first they won't be able to physically do it and second they're self conscious about looking like a fat twit on a bike.

The first is simply untrue, start easy, maybe only a mile but it will increase over a few weeks and don't quit, you make massive gains in a few weeks once you start (caveat: I'm not a guru and wasn't as big as you but the first mile was still hard a couple of years ago - then it got to 2 and 3 and then 5 and 10 pretty quickly).

Counter intuitive though it may seem the second is simply untrue as well, turn the thinking on its head, by which I mean, prior to buying the bike its extremely unlikely you noticed the weight of anyone you saw riding one, same rule applies, nobody is even going to notice you, never mind laugh at you.
In fact if I do notice anyone fat on a bike these days I am far more likely to think "Good for you" than anything remotely negative.

 

[coco69]

ive recently purchased a new mountain bike but can not find the confidence to ride it!! I'm 6 ft 1 and 24 stone and feel I'm to fat to ride help!!!!

Steve ask yourself why you purchased the bike....then commit to that reason.
Its hard but you will do it.

 

[Markymark]

Cyclists come in all shapes and sizes.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Cyclists come in all shapes and sizes.

I don't ...

 

[Serynia]

As everyone has said We come in all shapes and sizes, we're not just the skinny tour de France boys. Myself I am 5f 6in and 14 stone with a double curve in my spine, so I look something akin to a fat female quazimodo on a bike.... I learnt a long time ago that the outside does not count my partner is larger than you but I still adore him, you need to learn to like yourself as you are and the confidence will come Sometimes takes time for the confidence to grow and you probably will have one or two moments of idiot comments from stupid people just remember the only comments and opinons that count are from the people you love and care for.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you get out there and meet some more of your fellow cyclists we are mostly a very nice bunch of folks who don't really care what people look like, your on a bike and that's all that really counts
Good Luck with your first ride you will soon be eating sleeping and dreaming cycling i'm sure

 

[Oldfentiger]

Every journey starts with a single step.
Just get stuck in and you will soon be loving it.
As already stated, you will make rapid improvements, for two reasons.
You will get stronger and fitter, and you'll go further and faster because the weight will drop off you. It's simple - power to weight ratio.
When I see a large person on a bike, I think "good on you, you're not sat on your arse watching telly and eating crisps"

 

[steve peat]

Thanks for all the positive comments !!! I do believe there is another Steve peat who mountain bikes also