Please advise me!

[ReeceAlqo]

Good afternoon everyone!

I am currently in the process of joining the army, although my fitness is sub-standard at the moment.
One of the ways I have decided to combat this is to start cycling to work. (8 miles there, 8 miles back)

However, I know absolutely nothing about bikes. I do not need something sublimely, fantastically amazing. I would just like a budget bike that will get me from A to Z.

I have been looking at this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROAD-RACI...156?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27ec1288ac

Could someone please tell me if this would be any good, just to cycle to work and back?

As I know nothing about bikes, any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading,
Reece

 

[Cyclist33]

What is your height n weight?

Where are you based?

What is your absolute max budget?

Road bikes flatter your fitness but a heavier bike will get you well fit if you push yourself on it.

 

[ReeceAlqo]

What is your height n weight?

Where are you based?

What is your absolute max budget?

Road bikes flatter your fitness but a heavier bike will get you well fit if you push yourself on it.

I'm 5ft 8, I weigh in around 130lb. As I said, I am not looking for something amazing, I'm only looking to spend around £250 at a maximum. Preferrably I'd like something new also.

I am based in a small village called Sutton upon Derwent, in North Yorkshire.

Thanks for replying.

 

[Drago]

What's the current fitness test for the green machine?

 

[HarryTheDog]

Hi @ReeceAlqo . A 58cm frame may be a bit large for you, try this site to get a more of a idea http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp . You are young and fairly light you could probably commute 8 miles each way on anything. I mostly buy secondhand but I know mostly what to look for. To make your basic training easier make sure you get loads of running in but I guess you already know this.

 

[HarryTheDog]

What's the current fitness test for the green machine?

It varies now apparently. Only 1.5 miles. 9.40 for a para down to 14.00 mins for a REMF. though I
was talking to a tank gun loader a couple of days ago and he has to do it under 9:30, regimental rules apparently.
http://www.army.mod.uk/join/Getting-yourself-ready.aspx

 

[paul2015]

Seriously you need to aim for 7-8:00 or be put onto remedial PT.

This is my opinion but cycling won't get you fit enough for the army alone it will help but you need to run, you need to do circuit training, change your diet and train hard.

What's your current 1.5 mile run time? What corps do you want to join?

How many pressups can you do in 90 secs? Sit-ups?

How many heaves can you do? (Not chin ups but full on proper heaves)

What sort of weight can you lift? How high?

How far can you run? How fast?

I know it's hard from experience and you don't want to be unfit and more importantly you don't want your corporal to know your unfit,

And you don't want to be the fittest SUT either as they'll expect you to get better and better and better,

 

[Saluki]

I ride a 53cm frame and I'm 5'71/2 and think that a 58cm bike would be mahoosive for you. Too big for my OH (5'11" and rides a 55cm frame).

Would it be worth trying to see if there is a Decathlon in your neck of the woods. Nice roadie for £300, much nicer than the one you've posted and will probably last you a lot longer too. The B'Twin range are excellent value for money. They are a smidge over your budget but it might be £50 over budget, well spent.

+1 on getting some running and weight training in.

 

[Tin Pot]

Have a look at others who've been through the same thing

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/beginners/improving-15-mile/24km-run/116216.html

Run frequently and slowly to build up strength and endurance.

 

[J1888]

Seriously you need to aim for 7-8:00 or be put onto remedial PT.

This is my opinion but cycling won't get you fit enough for the army alone it will help but you need to run, you need to do circuit training, change your diet and train hard.

What's your current 1.5 mile run time? What corps do you want to join?

How many pressups can you do in 90 secs? Sit-ups?

How many heaves can you do? (Not chin ups but full on proper heaves)

What sort of weight can you lift? How high?

How far can you run? How fast?

I know it's hard from experience and you don't want to be unfit and more importantly you don't want your corporal to know your unfit,

And you don't want to be the fittest SUT either as they'll expect you to get better and better and better,

This alone would put me off the army

 

[ReeceAlqo]

Hi @ReeceAlqo . A 58cm frame may be a bit large for you, try this site to get a more of a idea http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp . You are young and fairly light you could probably commute 8 miles each way on anything. I mostly buy secondhand but I know mostly what to look for. To make your basic training easier make sure you get loads of running in but I guess you already know this.

Thanks for the advice with the frame size, I never would have taken that into consideration.

Seriously you need to aim for 7-8:00 or be put onto remedial PT.

This is my opinion but cycling won't get you fit enough for the army alone it will help but you need to run, you need to do circuit training, change your diet and train hard.

What's your current 1.5 mile run time? What corps do you want to join?

How many pressups can you do in 90 secs? Sit-ups?

How many heaves can you do? (Not chin ups but full on proper heaves)

What sort of weight can you lift? How high?

How far can you run? How fast?

I know it's hard from experience and you don't want to be unfit and more importantly you don't want your corporal to know your unfit,

And you don't want to be the fittest SUT either as they'll expect you to get better and better and better,

Thanks for your opinion, although some of your questions no longer apply, although I will answer them anyway.

Firstly, in my original post, I said cycling is one of the things to increase my fitness. I have already started running more.

What's your current 1.5 mile run time? What corps do you want to join?
My 1.5 run time is 13:00 flat, the requirment is 13:15, I want to be able to do 11:00, at the very maximum.
The Royal Armoured Corp - The Light Dragoons.

How many pressups can you do in 90 secs? Sit-ups?
I have no idea for either of them, they are both irrelevant as they are not in the recruitment/selection process.

How many heaves can you do? (Not chin ups but full on proper heaves)
Again, irrelevant as this is not part of the recruitment/selection process.
However, one of the current requirements is to lift a 40kg powerbag onto a height of 1.45m, I can achieve this multiple times with relative ease.

How far can you run? How fast?
This is not the easiest question to answer. Theoretically I could run for a very long time, but obviously this depends on my speed. I admit, I am unfit at the moment, thus the reason why I am wanting to do multiple activites to contribute to this.

 

[paul2015]

Hi,

You've done a lot of research but your aiming for a very low base at the moment.

At 13:00 for the royal armoured corp, which I was involved with through the royal Wessex yeomanry, you would be put onto remedial pt. There's nothing wrong as such with this other than 6 weeks of training prior to basic training phase 1.

Like I said when I did the run me and the other guys were getting 7-8:00 I got 7:16.

For heaves and press ups and sit ups your right they aren't included in selection you will be doing them in selection and you will be marked down for not being able to do them unofficially.

You'll be on a base for 2 days. You won't just be running trust me on that. ( having your bollocks groped, running some more, circuit training, interviews, dummy grenade throwing, rolling in the mud and saying yes corporal, sorry corporal a lot) and again if you can't get at least 30 per minute of each basic phase 1 will be very hard for you

I'm not trying to knock you down or anything but trying to prepare you for what its really like and not what the afco tells you its like.

There's nothing more entertaining to these guys than a SUT struggling.

Another tip if your interested is to practise 3 mile runs sub 25:00 as you'll be tested on that at phase 1.

Like I said you've obviously done some research, but the requirements have and haven't changed if you get what I mean and its a good idea to train for basic and not selection.

Feel free to message me if you need any help in private

 

[paul2015]

O and practise heaves. There just plain evil. Seriously practise them now!! You thank me when a sergeant says heaves now lads and everyone else is sat there saying wtf???

 

[MichaelW2]

A commuter bike needs to accept mudguards for rainy days and winter. Bolt-on ones are best so look for a bike with threaded eyelets.
If you carry stuff, a rear rack is useful. If you don't fit rack and mudguards, the fittings have no disadvantage.
Commuter bikes for winter should have generous clearance, min 28mm tyres + mudguards. You can fit narrower tyres if you want.

Note that cycling is great for aerobic fitness, and squeezing some training hours out of the commute, but it is no substitute for running. You need to condition yourself to running in a gradual and progressive manner.