Northumberland

[Nik]

No worries Nika,

Amble to Ashington is about 12.5 miles each way and still impressive - you brave the A1068!! and probably a very cold headwind all the way home over the last two weeks!!

As to distances travelled - it's all relative.
Some of us are young, fit and have the time to cycle outside of work/home/kids/DIY, and others like me don't (46 and too much work/home/kids/DIY).
I still love the commute I do of 5 miles each way and try - when I can get a chance - to get out for an hour at weekends.
I have lost bulk but gained muscle and feel much better for it (apart from Wednesdays when it always seems harder - even on my road bike).

Anyhoo - I have to do some work now

Happy hunting

TonyEnjoyD

TonyEnjoyD

Oh, no i am not that brave to go on A1068 i cycle along the coast, its when you pass drurudge bay and cresswell , a bit messy but safer route

 

[Nik]

to be honest since i ttrated cycling i developed really big muscles on my legs, i've heard that racing bikes are better for the woman's body as they help to burn the muscle. Is it right ?

flippin' heck, wish yu tell me the secret, lol ...
I'm beggared if mine react like that [/quote]

I guess i know the secret by now what you have to do is
grinding along in high gear, then you're going to end up with more muscle mass than you might like and i have to switch to an easier gear and spin at higher RPMs according to the advise of one person

 

[Iainj837]

Hi, thanks for welcoming, its Nika actually
I am already registered with 3 forums, always wrong ones, but i think club- northumberland sounds right thanx !
I am just beginner, and my first bike was mountain bike, i've just got meself another one for me birthday, but to be honest since i ttrated cycling i developed really big muscles on my legs, i've heard that racing bikes are better for the woman's body as they help to burn the muscle. Is it right ?

I am registered with a few but I only use this one now.
nice bike Nika

 

[Ravenz]

I guess i know the secret by now what you have to do is
grinding along in high gear, then you're going to end up with more muscle mass than you might like

sadly, if only it t'were true.. propensity to building muscle mass is to a high degree due to inherited genes and not any specific wonder program of pushing a big gear....
I don't particularly push myself on the gym floor at the moment... but as an example, a little while back, after 12 months of weight training where my barbell bench press went from a weedy 30 kg up to a 100kg and 1rm of 110/112kg...I put on in chest size .. exactly .... wait for it... zip , null, nada.. I was a 40 b4 and a 40 after.. ok I was nicely 'cut' up there and obviously a lot stronger... oh the woes of being an ectomorph......

(I stay completely detached from overpriced and overhyped supplements.!! )

 

[Nik]

I am registered with a few but I only use this one now.
nice bike Nika

Thank you this is actually my first byke , i've got another newer one, at first i liked it a lot , and it was half price, but now it seems to me that it look kinda cheap and also its really slow, i tried it first time yeserday for longr distance and it took me one hour more then usual time to get to the place, my bf says it has something to do with the breaks . Could be right as this new bike has breaks on both wheels. I'll make a photo of it asap and update it on the forum to ask opinions, maybe it is not that bad , so i could cycle on new one and not be ashamed

 

[Nik]

I guess i know the secret by now what you have to do is
grinding along in high gear, then you're going to end up with more muscle mass than you might like

sadly, if only it t'were true.. propensity to building muscle mass is to a high degree due to inherited genes and not any specific wonder program of pushing a big gear....
I don't particularly push myself on the gym floor at the moment... but as an example, a little while back, after 12 months of weight training where my barbell bench press went from a weedy 30 kg up to a 100kg and 1rm of 110/112kg...I put on in chest size .. exactly .... wait for it... zip , null, nada.. I was a 40 b4 and a 40 after.. ok I was nicely 'cut' up there and obviously a lot stronger... oh the woes of being an ectomorph......

(I stay completely detached from overpriced and overhyped supplements.!! )

It does make sense what you saying, as my dad is athletic coach and always stays in shape, i probably inherited his genes to have strong legs, and since he got me involved in sport my muscles particularly on the legs become so strong within no time and was keep on growing bigger, so i stopped training and went for swimming, which was no problem at all with growing muscle mass. Now i really fond of bike and it really effects the shape of my legs
well my bf fins it really attractive and i'm getting looks of the guys,
but i would really prefer to have skinny feminine legs...

 

[Iainj837]

There is nothing to be ashamed of, if you haven't ridden for a long time your bound to be slow @ first. Keep up the good work
When I started commuting it was about a 8 to 10 miles depending which way I went, it took my over an hour after a few weeks I got it down to 30 to 40 mins

 

[Iainj837]

the ride to work the other day was around 9 miles and it took me about 50 mins, and the route I took there was quite a few steep hills.
My work mates think I am nuts to cycle that kind of distance

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Please don't take it the wrong way, but I hate full suspension - ONLY for road/commuting (It still looks nice tho ).

If I was in the habit (like some workmates) of zooming around forests and over hills at weekends it would be great, but for road work and commuting I found the weight alone was bad enough (bike that is) as well as rolling resistance added to the loss of torque thrugh the suspension when pedalling.

That's why I got a road bike and a hybrid on the Cycle to Work scheme.

Looks like your bike also has knobbly tyres! - Changing to road tyres (no knobbles) would reduce rolling resistance and i possibly torquing the suspension up a bit to reduce power loss.

Anyway, that's just my opinion

regards

TonyEnjoyD

 

[Nik]

There is nothing to be ashamed of, if you haven't ridden for a long time your bound to be slow @ first. Keep up the good work
When I started commuting it was about a 8 to 10 miles depending which way I went, it took my over an hour after a few weeks I got it down to 30 to 40 mins

Oh, no , you got me wrong, on my old bicycle which is red one, it takes me 3,5 hours to get from Amble to Ashington and back, but one new one which is lilac (i'm going to enclosethe photo) it takes me one hour more for the same distance. i actually asked today the advise of one man who repair bikes as a hobby and what he said was that new bike will be slow because of the tight breaks and i have to ride it for about 30 miles till it gets loose.

 

[Nik]

the ride to work the other day was around 9 miles and it took me about 50 mins, and the route I took there was quite a few steep hills.
My work mates think I am nuts to cycle that kind of distance

He he the same here, everyone i know thinks i am crazy to go to Ashington and even further on the bike

 

[Nik]

So, here is this new wonder i've got .
I am not professional but anyway it seems to me that this bike looks kinda not right. Dunno.
Please tell me what you think about it.

 

[bikie]

There are some good cycling lanes if you head inland towards Belsay and Cambo, alot of the local clubs use these roads heading towards Elsdon.

 

[Iainj837]

for road work and commuting I found the weight alone was bad enough (bike that is)
TonyEnjoyD

I used a mtb for commuting and I found it hard work

 

[Iainj837]

i actually asked today the advise of one man who repair bikes as a hobby and what he said was that new bike will be slow because of the tight breaks and i have to ride it for about 30 miles till it gets loose.

I am not sure on that 1, I would ask a professional for the advices but that is IMO.
Where do you buy it from ?
For commuting I would used either a road or hybrid