One Month in Review

[philipgonzales3]

Hi All,

Just wanted to share my one month progress update. A lot of this info is redundant with some of my other posts, but pretty darn happy with my progress so far, so have to brag about myself a bit!

I started cycling after not cycling in pretty much 20 years (I'm 34 years old now) due to my son wanting to learn how to ride. Scooped up some used hybrid style bikes in late March and the rest is history.

My son is on the spectrum (ASD), and is a bit clumsy but he has gotten to the point of being able to pedal some going down hill, although with quite a bit of wobble side to side. Honestly we haven't had as many sessions as I would like to have had. I'm always working late (I work remotely for a company 2 hours behind my local timezone) and it's always raining etc. etc. Hope to continue to make some more progress in this regard soon!

My thought was that I could bike for 10 - 20 minutes before work every other day and that would be a lot better than sitting on my rear-end 24x7. I started out at 6'2" 284 pounds (down 12 pounds now, full disclosure also started Ozempic). I am in IT and live a pretty darn sedimentary life. When I started out, I was totally gassed from a 2 mile ride! Full disclosure, I've been a pack a day smoker since about 16 years old. I now moved on to vaping, which I know is not great, but it is what it is.

Below are some screenshots from Strava. May not be much to some but just starting being capable of >10 mile rides recently. This past Saturday I was on call, so had to get off the bike for 20 minutes and take care of something for work but basically did 14.5 miles as my PB (although technically is two rides, but still). 100 miles total for the month, count them all (actually missed recording at least one ride)! So far I am just simply going out and riding, no real strategy at this point in time until I build up some more fitness. Quickly learned that 10-20 minutes isn't enough time for all the fun I am having, so my rides have crept up in time and I'm officially addicted!

Feel free to provide any tips, goals, strategies, etc. I've seen some videos on polar training, but I don't want to start anything too rigid yet. I'm also not really a people person, so don't really plan on any group rides in the short term. Not sure how I would fit it in my schedule in the short term anyhow lol. Still plan to visit some local bike paved paths but haven't made the time yet. For now I have only cycled around the house, because I can't make any excuse not to!











Pretty exhaustive list of stuff I have bought thus far. I am a bit of a nut, but what can I say. I have just a bit of an obsessive personality. Let me know if there are any other suggestions for goodies to get?

Used Bike: Ghost Square Cross 1.8
Cheap helmet ~$30 (will likely upgrade at some point)
Basic bicycle pump (schrader and Presta value compatible)
Quad Lock Out Front Bike Mount + Phone Case
Bike Seat Gel Bicycle Saddle
ROCKBROS Small Bicycle Frame Bag
Electric Portable Bicycle Pump
50 Strong Bike Tire Levers | Set of 4 Ultra Strong Tire Spoons
Schwalbe Marathon Almotion Evo Faltreifen tires // 40-622 (28x1,5') V-Guard
Continental Tour 28 700x32-47 / 28x1.5-1.75" - 42mm Presta Valve - Pack of 2 Tubes
Hafny NEW Handlebar Bike Mirror
DURATECH 41 Pieces Bike Repair Tools
Muc-Off Dry Lube
Park Tool PolyLube 1000 Bicycle Grease
Muc Off Nano Tech Bike Cleaner
Park Tool Bike Cleaning Brush Kit
Bikehand Bike Repair Stand (Max 55 lbs)
Amazon cheap padded shorts (upgraded already lol)
The blackbib shorts x1 and 2 x bibs. Ultimate pad on 2/3
NeoPro bib
Polar Bottle Breakaway Insulated Water Bottle
Travel Kuppe Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Cycling Sports Water Bottle
Junk Headband (starting to get sweat in my eyes on my longer rides at this point, waiting for this to come in)

Regards,
Philip

 

[Sharky]

Well done, all very impressive.

Can't see you riding, but don't fall into the trap of changing up to a higher gear too soon. Keep the revs as high as you can, before changing up. A higher cadence is much more sustainable than a higher gear in a lower cadence.

 

[Emanresu]

Get a bike carrier for you car/truck and some camping gear. You'll both will appreciate the chance to cycle away from the distractions of other road users. And it's fun to be outdoors.

 

[13 rider]

Don't worry about training for now just ride your bike ,ride your bike little and often and fitness will come , well done on your lifestyle changes good luck to you and your son

 

[cyberknight]

track pump for inflating tyres at home, so much easier than a mini pump

 

[EckyH]

It's great to see your progress. Well done.

In my experience cycling gloves are a good purchase, because it's better to have some protection for the palms if the street suddenly springs up and hits you. Please don't ask how I learned that lesson.
Cycling glasses for eye protection (in particular against wind and insects) would be my second suggestion.

E.

 

[cyberknight]

Practice changing a tube at home do you know how to go it rather than struggling roadside the 1 st time

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Well done, keep it up, till it becomes a second nature habit.

 

[philipgonzales3]

Get a bike carrier for you car/truck and some camping gear. You'll both will appreciate the chance to cycle away from the distractions of other road users. And it's fun to be outdoors.

For sure. My initial thoughts is that I would just chunk it in the bed, but now I want a rack thingy that allows at least a couple bikes to be upright in the bed. I know they have hitch mounts and stuff but I don't hardly ever have everything in the bed, so I'm going to look into this when the wallet cools off a bit.

 

[philipgonzales3]

It's great to see your progress. Well done.

In my experience cycling gloves are a good purchase, because it's better to have some protection for the palms if the street suddenly springs up and hits you. Please don't ask how I learned that lesson.
Cycling glasses for eye protection (in particular against wind and insects) would be my second suggestion.

E.

For sure, adding gloves to the list. I wear prescription glasses, so not sure if I should look for something compatible or just wear what I have 🤔. Any thoughts?

 

[philipgonzales3]

Practice changing a tube at home do you know how to go it rather than struggling roadside the 1 st time

Ye, I've changed tires completely already. Def not a pro but I think I got it down. 🤞

 

[HLaB]

For sure, adding gloves to the list. I wear prescription glasses, so not sure if I should look for something compatible or just wear what I have 🤔. Any thoughts?

Do disposable contact lenses work for you? I wear my normal glasses for commuting but for leisure rides I tend to wear contact lenses and sun glasses.

 

[cyberknight]

depends on your prescription, you can get safety glasses with prescription lenses that work as cycling glasses.

 

[EckyH]

I wear prescription glasses, so not sure if I should look for something compatible or just wear what I have 🤔. Any thoughts?

What you have imho is better than nothing - did so for years: it prevents the big beasts hitting your eyes directly and reduces the wind effects. Of course bigger lenses work a better.
I have to wear prescription glasses as well. Never tried contact lenses myself but that might be an option for you. That would allow you to choose from much, much more manufacturers and models of sport glasses.

At the moment I have a very expensive solution, but it works fantastic: a Rudy Project Rydon Slim frame with automatic darkening correction lenses.
In my experience from (15 to 20 years ago) solutions with clip-in correction lenses tended to mist up significantly faster and longer than glasses with just one "lens". But probably the manufacturers addressed that issue in the meantime.

Hope that helps,

E.

 

[ColinJ]

That would allow you to choose from much, much more manufacturers and models of sport glasses.

Or what I use... Industrial safety glasses, which do the same job at a fraction of the cost! (UK) Example - £2.49 at ScrewFix.

Keep up the good work, Philip!