Newbie update week two

I've been cycling again for a week and a day now - every day except
Saturday when I was teaching all day after a disturbed night (Best
Beloved snores fit to rattle the window panes) and it was raining
steadily when I got home - but I did do twice the distance on Thursday
to get to and from parents' evening at school (downhill all the way
there, but uphill all the way home, and I only had to push up the
steepest bit). I've not only increased the distance to 1.5 miles per
day, but I can still chat while I'm cycling up the hills I had to walk
up before, so I must be getting fitter. Saddle soreness had pretty
well gone as well. Youngest son came along with me today, and was
quite impressed, a contrast to laughing like a drain when I first
floated the idea of resurrecting the bike. And I not only got into,
but was able to sit down comfortably in all day, a pair of jeans that
I had given up as too small.

Tomorrow I'm upping the distance again. I'm getting the hang of
pacing it so that it's a steady effort but not exhausting going up
hills. The newer bike with real gears is now sitting in the garage
awaiting attention. It occurs to me that as I've never ridden one
with all those cog thingys attached to the wheel and the pedals, I
have another steep learning curve coming up. Even the *car* only has
one gear shift to twiddle, and this has two. The main thing that
needs doing, as far as I can see, is to move my saddle on to the new
bike - the one it has in place looks like the blade of a carving knife
turned on its side, which can't be much fun. I suppose it would miss
the sit bones entirely, but I could end up with an unplanned
episiotomy if I go over a bump in the road.

However, BB has to go away for a couple of days this week, and I have
a book chapter to write so I don't expect it'll be in use in the
immediate future anyway. And the better I get on the old bike, the
more I shall appreciate the new one.

--

Debbie
Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield
Views expressed in this email are my own and are not
necessarily those of the University of Sheffield or UTU.

Way to go girl! Keep up the good work and keep us posted. Make
interesting reading ;-


-

Debbie wrote in message . ..

I've not only increased the distance to 1.5 miles per
day, but I can still chat while I'm cycling up the hills I had to walk
up before, so I must be getting fitter.

Sounds as though you're making excellent progress. It's still early
days though. Look for a sudden leap forward in your aerobic capacity
at around 6 weeks as your body actually grows a network of new
capillaries to increase the blood supply to your muscles. You need to
keep gradually extending that distance. I would hope that by the end
of April you will be happy doing a longish weekend ride of 15 - 20
miles (don't panic).

Youngest son came along with me today, and was
quite impressed, a contrast to laughing like a drain when I first
floated the idea of resurrecting the bike. And I not only got into,
but was able to sit down comfortably in all day, a pair of jeans that
I had given up as too small.

It's just the start. As your time on the bike increases the weight
will continue to fall off, and your body shape will change even more
as long as you also eat sensibly. Conventional dieting should not be
necessary and in my non-medically qualified opinion is rarely a good
idea anyway.

Tomorrow I'm upping the distance again. I'm getting the hang of
pacing it so that it's a steady effort but not exhausting going up
hills. The newer bike with real gears is now sitting in the garage
awaiting attention. It occurs to me that as I've never ridden one
with all those cog thingys attached to the wheel and the pedals, I
have another steep learning curve coming up. Even the *car* only has
one gear shift to twiddle, and this has two.

So you have 6 sprockets on the rear wheel. The cogs the chain runs
over at the front are called the chainwheels. Do you have 2 or 3 of
these? Can you count the teeth on each sprocket and chainwheel (the
chainwheel will probably have the number stamped on it somewhere)?
Your tyres will also have their size moulded into the sidewall. Post
all this information and we'll work out your gear ratios. If we still
feel they're not suitable Helen can give Patrick another slabbing.

The main thing that
needs doing, as far as I can see, is to move my saddle on to the new
bike - the one it has in place looks like the blade of a carving knife
turned on its side, which can't be much fun. I suppose it would miss
the sit bones entirely, but I could end up with an unplanned
episiotomy if I go over a bump in the road.

If your position on the new bike is more forward leaning than on the
old one you may need a narrower saddle. Narrow does not necessarily
equate to uncomfortable. However, saddles are a very individual thing
and of course there are gender differences in what constitutes a good
saddle. There are some very good woman-specific saddles available now.
The women in the group will obviously be able to advise you much
better than I can.

Keep at it.

--
Dave...

"Debbie" wrote ...
snip
Tomorrow I'm upping the distance again. I'm getting the hang of
pacing it so that it's a steady effort but not exhausting going up
hills. The newer bike with real gears is now sitting in the garage
awaiting attention. It occurs to me that as I've never ridden one
with all those cog thingys attached to the wheel and the pedals, I
have another steep learning curve coming up. Even the *car* only has
one gear shift to twiddle, and this has two. The main thing that
needs doing, as far as I can see, is to move my saddle on to the new
bike - the one it has in place looks like the blade of a carving knife
turned on its side, which can't be much fun. I suppose it would miss
the sit bones entirely, but I could end up with an unplanned
episiotomy if I go over a bump in the road.

snip
--

Debbie

Have a look at this:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

Mr. Brown's website has a lot of good information on it for cyclists of all
abilities/experience levels, but this is a good place to start.

Don't be too put off by the appearance of the saddle on the new bike. Narrow
saddles are actually much more comfortable on bikes with drop handlebars,
since the arms end up supporting more of the body's weight. The narrowness
actually makes it easier to pedal, as the thigh muscles are no longer
constricted as they are by a wide saddle.
HTH,
--
mark
Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield
Views expressed in this email are my own and are not
necessarily those of the University of Sheffield or UTU.

On 17 Feb 2004 05:10:50 -0800, (Dave Kahn) wrote:


Sounds as though you're making excellent progress. It's still early
days though. Look for a sudden leap forward in your aerobic capacity
at around 6 weeks as your body actually grows a network of new
capillaries to increase the blood supply to your muscles. You need to
keep gradually extending that distance. I would hope that by the end
of April you will be happy doing a longish weekend ride of 15 - 20
miles (don't panic).

Scary! I did 1.9 miles today. I'm hoping to increase every day or
two now by a small amount - as long as I can still talk at the end of
the previous day's ride. That seems to be a good guide as to how I'm
coping - if I get too breathless to talk as I'm riding, I'm pushing it
too hard.

It's just the start. As your time on the bike increases the weight
will continue to fall off, and your body shape will change even more
as long as you also eat sensibly. Conventional dieting should not be
necessary and in my non-medically qualified opinion is rarely a good
idea anyway.

I don't do diets - I've always eaten much the same. The gradual
change in shape (OK, OK, middle age spread) is down to increasingly
sedentary occupations over the years. When I had 5 small kids,a four
storey house, and a holiday home with two acres of gardening regular
building maintenance to do, I had built in step aerobics and the
equivalent of a full gym's worth of exercise for free. Now I work
just across the road from home in a sedentary job - the heaviest thing
I lift is a whiteboard pen. The only significant difference now is
the bike, and it sure does make a difference!

So you have 6 sprockets on the rear wheel. The cogs the chain runs
over at the front are called the chainwheels. Do you have 2 or 3 of
these? Can you count the teeth on each sprocket and chainwheel (the
chainwheel will probably have the number stamped on it somewhere)?
Your tyres will also have their size moulded into the sidewall. Post
all this information and we'll work out your gear ratios. If we still
feel they're not suitable Helen can give Patrick another slabbing.

There are three chainwheels at the front - the numbers on them are 48,
38 and 28, I think - I didn't have my reading glasses on :-( There
are 6 sprockets on the back, as you say: the smallest has 14 teeth and
the biggest has 28. I didn't count all the ones in between, because
by that time I had my hands covered in black grease.

The wheels are 26 inches.

If your position on the new bike is more forward leaning than on the
old one you may need a narrower saddle. Narrow does not necessarily
equate to uncomfortable. However, saddles are a very individual thing
and of course there are gender differences in what constitutes a good
saddle. There are some very good woman-specific saddles available now.
The women in the group will obviously be able to advise you much
better than I can.

I'm hoping to try out the new bike tomorrow, with its saddle in place.
If I don't like it, I can move the one from my old bike for the time
being.

I do appreciate all this advice. I'll be building my own wheels and
wearing lycra before you know it! (No, no, only kidding)

Debbie

--

Debbie
Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield
Views expressed in this email are my own and are not
necessarily those of the University of Sheffield or UTU.

On 18/2/04 10:45 pm, in article ,
"Debbie" wrote:

On 17 Feb 2004 05:10:50 -0800, (Dave Kahn) wrote:


Sounds as though you're making excellent progress. It's still early
days though. Look for a sudden leap forward in your aerobic capacity
at around 6 weeks as your body actually grows a network of new
capillaries to increase the blood supply to your muscles. You need to
keep gradually extending that distance. I would hope that by the end
of April you will be happy doing a longish weekend ride of 15 - 20
miles (don't panic).

Scary! I did 1.9 miles today. I'm hoping to increase every day or
two now by a small amount - as long as I can still talk at the end of
the previous day's ride. That seems to be a good guide as to how I'm
coping - if I get too breathless to talk as I'm riding, I'm pushing it
too hard.

As you get better you'll know by feel how hard you can push. The key factor
will become not whether you are out of breath at the time but how quickly
you get your breath back. It will build up bit by bit. I remember the first
time I rode around Richmond Park. It felt like doing a marathon as it was so
far (just under 12 miles including getting to and from home. A few months
later once round the park was what I'd do if I was feeling abit under the
weather.


I don't do diets - I've always eaten much the same. The gradual
change in shape (OK, OK, middle age spread) is down to increasingly
sedentary occupations over the years. When I had 5 small kids,a four
storey house, and a holiday home with two acres of gardening regular
building maintenance to do, I had built in step aerobics and the
equivalent of a full gym's worth of exercise for free. Now I work
just across the road from home in a sedentary job - the heaviest thing
I lift is a whiteboard pen. The only significant difference now is
the bike, and it sure does make a difference!

I moved from having between a 8-16 mile commute with hills to being less
than 20 mins walk. My commute in the morning is almost 'take the brake off
and roll'. I am currently doing the diet thing as well as getting more
exercise and it is working. Sufficient that people comment on it. (more than
2 stone in the last 8 months).


I didn't count all the ones in between, because
by that time I had my hands covered in black grease.

The swarfega hand wipes are really good for bike grease. The less expensive
version is to take a knob of butter, a teaspoonful of sugar and rub in well,
then wash off with soap and water.

I do appreciate all this advice. I'll be building my own wheels and
wearing lycra before you know it!

Now there's something to look forward too ;-) The best thing is the comments
people start to make. 'Oh, you're looking well. Have you been losing
weight?' and so on. You feel better which then makes you look better. You
look better and feel better so you really do feel better. It's a virtuous
circle.

...d

David Martin of The University, Dundee, DD1 4HN,
Scotland, UK. wrote:
On 18/2/04 10:45 pm, in article ,
"Debbie" wrote:
I didn't count all the ones in between, because
by that time I had my hands covered in black grease.

The swarfega hand wipes are really good for bike grease. The less expensive
version is to take a knob of butter, a teaspoonful of sugar and rub in well,
then wash off with soap and water.

When not at home, I find that standard issue "Wet Ones" are good at removing
bike grease, better than soap and water. There's always a little pouch of
them in my pannier for post roadside repair use. At home I like the Palms
coconut cleaner, failing that washing up liquid.
--
A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 09:39:13 +0000, David Martin
wrote:

I moved from having between a 8-16 mile commute with hills to being less
than 20 mins walk. My commute in the morning is almost 'take the brake off
and roll'. I am currently doing the diet thing as well as getting more
exercise and it is working. Sufficient that people comment on it. (more than
2 stone in the last 8 months).


Now there's something to look forward too ;-) The best thing is the comments
people start to make. 'Oh, you're looking well. Have you been losing
weight?' and so on. You feel better which then makes you look better. You
look better and feel better so you really do feel better. It's a virtuous
circle.

People say to me "you're looking well, when's it due ?" I struggle to
use "weight" and "down" in the same sentence !
--
Comm again, Mike.