Ride tracking

[vickster]

Clearer an quicker to read. Have been using mine for over a month now. Its never sent me the wrong way. The garmin has to much detail. So a longer glance is needed. I would rather spend less time looking at the Wahoo and more time looking at the road.

Fair enough. Not much good though if it's misleading and tries to take you somewhere unpassable or non existent

 

[Elysian_Roads]

Be prepared for your nether regions to hurt, decent padded shorts can help

+1 on this, Stuart.

Appreciate this isn't quite on topic, but would suggest you might also want to check out Decathlon. When I started riding again I knew I didn't want to shell out a fortune for kit that I would hopefully not need in that size in the long term so bought the in house b'twin kit. I opted for the mid range "500 " series padded shorts and padded bib tights, as a suitable compromise between price and comfort (better padding).

Lots of threads on kit here, and always worth following the found a bargain one.

 

[stuarttunstall]

+1 on this, Stuart.

Appreciate this isn't quite on topic, but would suggest you might also want to check out Decathlon. When I started riding again I knew I didn't want to shell out a fortune for kit that I would hopefully not need in that size in the long term so bought the in house b'twin kit. I opted for the mid range "500 " series padded shorts and padded bib tights, as a suitable compromise between price and comfort (better padding).

Lots of threads on kit here, and always worth following the found a bargain one.

Oh I am expecting it lol .... I will take a look at those thank you

 

[Alan O]

I will go into the store and see what they have, don't think I would pay £90 for anything lol ... I may just get some better training shoes with stiffer and thicker soles.. Not going to pay a fortune just yet

Yep, I'd suggest a cheap pair of trainers with reasonably stiff soles. When you've got a bit of experience you can decide exactly what pedals and shoes will best suit you for the long term, but I reckon trainers on flat pedals is a great way to start.

(I'm fortunate to have the same size feet as my nephew, who's far more fashion-conscious than I ever was. It means I've got several nice pairs of handed-down trainers that he's stopped liking, with very little wear on them - and they're great with my Mountain Bike.)

 

[stuarttunstall]

Thanks for all the replies, I do appreciate them..

I did start a new thread for advice on clothing earlier https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/clothing.234019/ thought I better keep it on the right place lol

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I will go into the store and see what they have, don't think I would pay £90 for anything lol ... I may just get some better training shoes with stiffer and thicker soles.. Not going to pay a fortune just yet

People seem to think you need all sorts of dedicated (and expensive) "cycling" gear in order to be able to go out and enjoy a ride on a bike. It's utter nonsense. When I first got back on a bike last year (after doing very little riding for a good few years), the thing that suffered the most was my backside. Rather than go and get special shorts etc, what I did is simply keep my daily mileage down to my backside's discomfort threshold. Every time I went out, I found that discomfort threshold moved up by a mile or so as I got more accustomed to it. The same went for the mileage before my legs would get tired. You don't need special clothing, you just need to build up your mileage and hours in the saddle gradually.
I went out and did 25 miles on my old Raleigh Pioneer earlier today. I was wearing a pair of workmen's safety ankle boots, a pair of polycotton cargo trousers (leg pockets with Velcro flap ideal for carrying phone safely), and a long-sleeve sweatshirt. Not a cycling-specific item among them. The boots might seem an odd choice but for some reason I find them very comfortable, and the sturdy soles mean I don't feel any foot discomfort from the edges of the pedals, which I probably would do if I rode in flimsy footwear.

 

[C R]

I second @SkipdiverJohn's comment. I use general purpose walking shoes with my flat pedals, some shorts with leg pockets and a tightish t-shirt. Have never used padded shorts, and for my rides of up to 25 miles I have done so far I can't say I have needed them.

 

[stuarttunstall]

Before I start spending a fortune I do intend to see how I go, not going far to start with and build up.. If I need to buy some then I will

I am due to collect the bike this week and Sports Direct is over the road, plus the bike shop do stuff so I will see what they have... Sports DIrect may be better for cheap, thick sole footware

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The other thing is, from your posting, you appear to be shall we say a rather "large" chap who needs to lose quite a bit of weight. If you go and kit yourself out in expensive gear you can get into now at your current size, in a few months time you might well find the stuff becomes grossly oversized and hangs off you. That could mean a lot of money down the drain if the stuff was costly. Assuming you keep up your activity regime, you will eventually get to a stable body size, once you've lost the superfluous weight - but that could take you quite some time, maybe a whole year or even longer. Until you reach the point where you aren't going to shrink any further, I really wouldn't do anything more than use the most comfortable low-cost casual wear you can find.

 

[stuarttunstall]

The other thing is, from your posting, you appear to be shall we say a rather "large" chap who needs to lose quite a bit of weight. If you go and kit yourself out in expensive gear you can get into now at your current size, in a few months time you might well find the stuff becomes grossly oversized and hangs off you. That could mean a lot of money down the drain if the stuff was costly. Assuming you keep up your activity regime, you will eventually get to a stable body size, once you've lost the superfluous weight - but that could take you quite some time, maybe a whole year or even longer. Until you reach the point where you aren't going to shrink any further, I really wouldn't do anything more than use the most comfortable low-cost casual wear you can find.

I agree, I have lost quite a bit over time and so far an extra half a stone in the last 6 weeks going to the gym, the bike is to help a bit more... I could already do with a size smaller trousers lol

I was 27 stone at one time, lost about 7 stone so far, just need to get rid of a couple more stone...

 

[Alan O]

I was 27 stone at one time, lost about 7 stone so far, just need to get rid of a couple more stone...

Wow, that's a brilliant achievement

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Losing 7 stone is a massive achievement, very impressive to have got rid of over 25% of your body weight. 350,000 surplus fat calories is a hell of a lot to burn off!
I'm only looking to lose a stone or so, and even losing the odd pound is taking time - but then I find gyms boring plus I like beer!

 

[stuarttunstall]

I went for a medical for my HGV renewal about 8 years ago, and failed on very high blood pressure, in fact the lowest out of all the readings was 190/140 I am now on tablets for that and it's normal...

I had tried diets many times as I have been big all my life, 53 now and failed, Doctor put it in words I understood.... you need to lose weight or die, take your pick... at 45 I was close to a heart attack, at the very least a stroke and it sort of terrified me... Must say I do feel better lol ... stayed around the same weight for a couple of years now, but I want to finish what I started and get the other couple off...

Oh and then he said.... by the way your type 2 diabetic as well.... lol.... Just what I needed lol But again that is controlled by diet and excercise

 

[Katherine]

Hi Stus

Hi

I am looking at getting suggestions what people use to track there rides, I was thinking of a bike computer but speaking to the sale chap he suggested Strava and my mobile phone is a good option...

What are your more experienced thoughts and recommendations?

Stuart

Hi Stuart
Good luck with the new bike.
As long as you don't have the screen on, or take loads of photos, a phone will keep recording strava etc all day long.

 

[stuarttunstall]

Losing 7 stone is a massive achievement, very impressive to have got rid of over 25% of your body weight. 350,000 surplus fat calories is a hell of a lot to burn off!
I'm only looking to lose a stone or so, and even losing the odd pound is taking time - but then I find gyms boring plus I like beer!

I'm lucky really I don't drink and do enjoy the gym once I get there... which is why I go straight from work, if I came home that would be different lol