Very fat bloke needs advice

[Cyberdad]

Thanks Graham, have PM'd you

John, thanks for the link, the only problem with them is they tend to have limited sizes. The two they have in budget, they don't have in size Most of my clothes come from http://www.bigozzy.com/ but they don't have anything suitable. My SWMBO has just told me she has ordered me a waterproof fleece from eBay, which rather sounds a contradiction in terms, but we will see when it arrives.

LLB - I will check the wheels carefully.

 

[palinurus]

Nice work. My commute was originally about five miles. I also started on a cheap bike (a Peugeot "10 speed from Marshall Ward), just wore my work clothes to cycle in those days. Nearly gave up several times, sometimes laid off a bit during the winter.

Just passed my 20-year anniversary of starting cycle commuting, certainly don't intend to stop now.

 

[swee'pea99]

I had one of those 'ah' moments when someone expplained to me that gears aren't about 'making it harder or less hard', or even about going up hills or going faster; they're about maintaining your ideal cadence. Cadence being the speed at which your legs go round.

For most people, a cadence of, say, 20 per minute is really hard to maintain, whereas 200 per minute is impossible - no-one can spin their legs that fast. Somewhere between those numbers is the cadence that works for you - maybe 70 'go-rounds' a minute. Once you've found out what your ideal cadence is, you use your gears to maintain it whatever speed you're doing. Which is why you need low gears when you're going uphill - because you're going slower - and high gears when you're going fast.

A lot of newbies pedal too slow in too high a gear. Look at guys on the Tour de France and their legs are whizzing round. Aim nearer the latter than the former and you'll find you get there faster and easier - and you'll get fitter just as fast.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I can't resist sticking my oar in on the cadence thing. As another newbie, like you, I found I could gradually run higher and higher gears. But then I noticed that on days when I thought "take it easy" (read: lower gear) I was often getting home earlier than my "work hard" (higher gear) days.

Then I googled "pedal speed" and found out about cadence and realised what was going on. The ideal I've often seen quoted is 90-100 rpm, which is more or less what I do I think: I work it out by counting revolutions for 10 seconds and timesing by 6. Course, you need a way to get an accurate 10 second time to do that ..

I suppose it's a bit like driving a car: you wouldn't make your car try to pull its highest gear up a steep hill at 10mph. Why do it to your legs??

Seemingly, "spinning" a lower gear is better for your knees and I've also heard it said that it burns fat better as well. Not sure about that, but you are obviously doing well enough there anyway: much respect!!

 

[punkypossum]

Lidl have just had their winter cycling gear offers, so suspect that is it till next spring, but the aldi ones should be due in the next couple of weeks. You just have to make sure you get there for 9 am, the stuff tends to fly off the shelves!

 

[LLB]

One important thing is that you said it was a cheap and cheerful bike Cyberdad.

Have you ever sized it up properly for your frame as this will make a huge difference in the amount of effort you expend and comfort as you ride ?

1" in saddle height can mean the difference in aching knees, back, shoulders etc etc so it is a worthwhile exercise to get it all fitting well.

 

[Cyberdad]

One important thing is that you said it was a cheap and cheerful bike Cyberdad.

Have you ever sized it up properly for your frame as this will make a huge difference in the amount of effort you expend and comfort as you ride ?

1" in saddle height can mean the difference in aching knees, back, shoulders etc etc so it is a worthwhile exercise to get it all fitting well.

Luckily I think I have got it right, or almost. The first few days I noticed that everyone who was whizzing past me seemed to have their saddle much higher than mine (unless they were under 20, in which case it was as low as it could go!! - why is that?). At the next crossing I asked the chap who stopped next to me why his saddle was so high, and he said the correct height should mean your leg is almost straight with the peddle at the bottom. I adjusted it that evening, and have set it as high as it will go (leg nearly straight) but will have to get a longer seat post for the last half inch. It did make an immediate difference

 

[GrahamG]

You don't want it any higher - nearly straight is about right, or the 'rule of thumb' is leg straight with your heel on the pedal (you should be pedalling with the ball of your foot on the pedal ideally).

 

[ChrisKH]

Consider substituting a poncho for a jacket in wet weather. They would usually cover most sizes and can be obtained relatively cheaply. The fact they're not being done up like a jacket improves airflow and you may sweat less underneath. Just a thought until you can get into a conventional jacket. Which you will.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Luckily I think I have got it right, or almost. The first few days I noticed that everyone who was whizzing past me seemed to have their saddle much higher than mine (unless they were under 20, in which case it was as low as it could go!! - why is that?).

If they're very young, it's probably so they can touch the ground for confidence. That's the case for the Little-LCs anyway.

Older than that, it's probably 'cos they're too young to have aches and pains in their joints .. unlike us!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Hi,

Well done for making the change. I know what you are about to go through and believe me it's worth it, every single bloody turn of the cranks gets you nearer your aim.
Just keep at it...erm...the bike thing I mean.

 

[Cyberdad]

Thanks for all the advice yesterday, especially about cadence.

Whe I got home yesterday I swapped the tyre and tube from the old wheel to the new wheel, and think I might have discovered the reason for the blow out. The tyre on the old wheel had a recommended inflation of 40-65 psi, and I had inflated to 55. The tyre on the wheel from my wife's bike had a recommended inflation of 35-50 psi, and I hadn't checked before putting nearly 60 psi into it.

As well swapping the tyre, I watched some of the videos on http://bicycletutor.com/ (what a good site) and made some adjustments to the brakes and gears; things seems to work just a bit better now. This morning I tried to "spin not grind" and shaved a whole two minutes of my journey time and to top it all it didn't rain.

 

[Globalti]

I'm sure somebody else has said this but a good investment would be a pair of road slicks or commuter tyres in about 1.6" width. These will be much easier-rolling on tarmac and will make your riding a lot more efficient. Knobbly MTB tyres are fine on loose surfaces but on tarmac the knobbles just squirm under the bike, make noise and slow you down. In fact the noise you hear is your energy being dissipated!

The answer to your saddle height question is that younger cyclists or casual cyclists don't appreciate the importance of correct positioning.

 

[Cyberdad]

Thanks Rigid, I think that road tyres will be the way I go.

I think I might have found the answer to the saddle height question from an unexpected source - my daughter (aged 15). Her exact words were "Oh, you mean those new jump bike things - most of the boys only get them coz they reckon it makes them look cool, whatever"

 

[LLB]

Thanks Rigid, I think that road tyres will be the way I go.

I think I might have found the answer to the saddle height question from an unexpected source - my daughter (aged 15). Her exact words were "Oh, you mean those new jump bike things - most of the boys only get them coz they reckon it makes them look cool, whatever"

I've got a 15 year old as well - The most important bit of the info is the 'whatever' bit at the end