Hi from Dartmoor

[Daddy Pig]

Hi everyone!

Having hit 40 earlier this year I made the decision to use of my bike to fight that flab!

I decided to get a bkool trainer, which has been a godsend so far to keep me motivated thanks to the video's and my competitive nature, and also saved other road users from seeing me out on the roads in lycra - not a pretty sight at present!

I still look back to the good old days (in my early 20's) when I used to be fit and healthy and want to get back my fitness (and weight!) and would love to start to ride some TT's next year whilst being competitive.

What I really want to do is to get fitter to be able to ride longer rides (outside rather than on the trainer) - I used to be able to ride 20 miles flat out quickly but longer rides used to pretty much kill me off! I have got up to around 50 miles on the trainer but I'm really exhausted afterwards.

Are there any good training tips from anyone to be get me fit to ride long distances and also are there any good tips for riding the hills (there are many around where I live). I have tried high cadence but I just run out of gears!

Looking forward to getting fit and slim on my bike and to get to know you all on cyclechat!

 

[steve50]

Hello and welcome, the best way to build up your distance / speed / endurance is to get out there on your bike and do it.
What anyone else thinks of you in your lycra is irrelevant, you are doing this for YOU nobody else, I have no idea how big or heavy you are but there are some members on this forum that I can pretty much guarantee were bigger than you when they started out on the fitness trail. Regards riding the hills, what gearing do you have on your bike, a few of us , myself included have "modified" our gearing by replacing the the cassette for a more hill friendly set up, ie; I had 11-28 which I have swapped for 11-32, the majority of the hills local to me I can now ride fairly easily.

 

[raleighnut]

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Hello. My brother often rides on Dartmoor. He loves it up there walking, riding and camping. I try to fish the Avon reservoir when I visit my family down there.

 

[Daddy Pig]

Hi Steve

It's a very personal battle at the moment! I'm 108kg and 185cm and have been losing around 1kg per week. My target is to get to 80kg and get my Watts up to 400 (currently from 350) over a hour long ride. As you can probably guess from my weight, uphill's are a struggle at the moment!

I have been using a 11-28 cassette which is ok for the smaller hills - but not for getting onto the moor itself! I used to have a 11 - 25 and tried that on Dartmoor 3 1/2 years ago on a cold winter day - I spent the night in A&E with a severe asthma attack! That was the last time I'd ridden outside since 2 weeks ago when I was dragged out by a visiting friend and I managed 40km. I think my problem is that I attack anything and everything and using up all my energy too quickly - too much enthusiasm!

I realise that the trainer is not a replacement for getting out on the roads but it is very easy time wise to use, and I have managed to average 100 miles per week for the last 2 months. If I was riding outdoors I'd probably only manage half that as I am usually tight for time due to family demands!

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Hi Daddy Pig. I saw an episode once where you went like stink down a hill on a red bike, then struggled going up. That was you wasn't it?
Swap the cassette as Steve says, that'll make life in the hilly south west a bit more manageable! Welcome to CC, and have fun.

(Psst, most of the group I ride with are middle aged and a little bit on the chunky side and we all wear lycra, it's not limited to racing snakes).

 

[Daddy Pig]

Dartmoor has a lot to offer. I've even been thinking about resurrecting my old mtb, but not sure there are many replacement parts for it!

 

[Daddy Pig]

Ho Ho Ho!

Yes, that was pretty much like me, only fortunately my bike fits a little bit better!
I have been thinking of buying a cheap rear wheel for the trainer and get a new cassette for outdoors. Otherwise I have to change tyre/cassette each time I go outside which is a pain!

 

[Mrs M]

 

[the_mikey]

Hello and Welcome to CycleChat, and good luck!

 

[welsh dragon]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[r04DiE]

Hello Daddy Pig!

Heh, heh, heh; you're probably an expert at cycling.

Anyway, welcome, and do be sure to check out this bit of the forum. There are group rides that you can get involved with. I'm new to Bkool and somehow managed to get a puncture (yes, that's right) on my first indoor group ride! Also, I have just recovered from a bit of a back injury (nothing serious), I'll be back on there soon though!

EDIT: Hang on, apparently you're no expert. My daughter just told me that you had a go on Peppa's bike once and ended up faffing with the brakes and coming to a halt in the duckpond...

 

[Daddy Pig]

Hi Ro4die

I've already done the BKool summer cup which was great fun and am looking for some more great challenges. I have made sure that I have a specific trainer tyre on the trainer as I found that the outdoor tyre was shedding rubber far too quickly, probably heled against punctures as well due to not getting too hot.

I have gone through two ultegra chains though - they kept snapping when high torque was put through them - the problem of being too heavy! I'm now using a KMC chain now with zero problems and actually get better gear shift.

That's what happens when you get a fatty on a bike with dodgy brakes... I should have kept the stabilizers on!

I have looked at the idea of group rides as they look a lot of fun... do you use the system to chat to other riders whilst riding?