Returning after a long time

It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be picking
up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of using it to
commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around the local woods,
I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I currently live in
Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20 minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling), anything
else to be aware off.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?


--

Tony Wright

Tony Wright wrote:
It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be picking
up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of using it to
commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around the local woods,
I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I currently live in
Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20 minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling), anything
else to be aware off.

You'll probably be using some of the other emergency services if you
don't wear some sort of padded cycling shorts - they get more important
with weight of rider IME. Wear lycra ones instead of underwear if you
find them embarrassing on their own. Don't wear cotton next to the skin.
Stock up on savlon/petroleum jelly type stuff, as you will need to get
used to a saddle again. Most of all, just enjoy.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?

All that sort of stuff fits in a wedge pack under the saddle. You may
need to get a towel upgrade to achieve that, and you didn't mention the
pump.

JimP

--
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to
grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after
all. - DNA

Jim Price wrote:

Tony Wright wrote:
It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this
has been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking
(recently given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this
(being weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will
be picking up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention
of using it to commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle
around the local woods, I work in S****horpe so no major hills,
however I currently live in Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20
minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested
for wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling),
anything else to be aware off.

You'll probably be using some of the other emergency services if you
don't wear some sort of padded cycling shorts - they get more
important with weight of rider IME. Wear lycra ones instead of
underwear if you find them embarrassing on their own. Don't wear
cotton next to the skin. Stock up on savlon/petroleum jelly type
stuff, as you will need to get used to a saddle again. Most of all,
just enjoy.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a
saddle bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and
glucose tablets and now I imagine mobile phone)?

All that sort of stuff fits in a wedge pack under the saddle. You may
need to get a towel upgrade to achieve that, and you didn't mention
the pump.

JimP

Thanks Jim
This is the sort of advice I was looking for. Pump! How could I have
forgotten a pump.

--

Tony Wright

Tony Wright wrote:
Thanks Jim
This is the sort of advice I was looking for. Pump! How could I have
forgotten a pump.

What bike did you get? If you've got one with road tyres, you'll need a
pump which will work up to quite a high pressure as tyres seem to have
got somewhat smaller in the last 20 years, but some pumps haven't.

And what did you do with the Carlton Corsair?

JimP

--
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to
grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after
all. - DNA

"Tony Wright" wrote in message
...
It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be picking
up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of using it to
commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around the local woods,
I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I currently live in
Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20 minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling), anything
else to be aware off.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?


Basically -- chill.

Fit some tyres with a Kevlar belt -- virtually unpuncturable (things have
moved on since we were lads!!)

Pick a route that keeps you close to home or where you left the car. Stuff
a few basics in a seat wedge or in the back pocket of a cycling shirt.
Remember to take a bottle of water (in a bottle cage). Get on the bike and
have a blast. If the puncture fairy visits -- curse -- then decide if you
want to play bicycle repair man there or walk back and do it in comfort.

Once your mileage gets up a bit higher you will need to reconsider these
things but you will have some experience of what type of cycling you are
into.

T

PS -- for my standard 20 mile blast round the lanes I carry very little more
than a phone, some money (cash & plastic), a spare tube, pump & tyre levers,
water and -- err -- that's it. For cycling in town I dispense with
everything except the phone & money -- plus the stuff I need at the other
end of the journey.

"Tony W" wrote in message
...
PS -- for my standard 20 mile blast round the lanes I carry very little
more
than a phone, some money (cash & plastic), a spare tube, pump & tyre
levers,
water and -- err -- that's it.

That's pretty much what I carry, even on longer rides, plus a few minor
tools such as allen keys, screwdrivers, spoke key, chaintool & SRAM
Powerlink 1.
TBH on 1000's of miles of local road rides ranging from 15 to 70 miles the
only tool I've used is the pump! And even then the amount of punctures I've
had could be counted on one hand.
If you venture onto rougher tracks and canal tow paths punctures can become
more common, especially if there're hedges.
Do periodically check your spare tube, they can suffer saddle pack rash
which you don't need to find out about at the wrong time (writing from
experience :-(
One other thing, if you've been sedentary for a long time take it easy!
Oh, one other thing...enjoy!

1 A Powerlink: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...px?ModelID=871

Pete

in message , Tony Wright
') wrote:

It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be picking
up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of using it to
commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around the local woods,
I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I currently live in
Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20 minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling), anything
else to be aware off.

Well, first, don't be upset if your arse hurts during/after the first few
rides, it does take time to harden up. And DON'T be tempted by squishy
saddles - contrary to what you'd expect, they are the ones that do
damage. If your arse keeps hurting after the first few rides then the
saddle doesn't fit (or is at the wrong angle) and you need to start
thinking about it.

Secondly, cycling shorts (with pad) really do help. These days you can
get baggy shorts, intended for mountain bikers, which have a loose and
durable outer layer and a padded lycra liner. These baggy shorts are, in
my opinion, a complete style free zone - I bought myself a pair but
could not bring myself to wear them in public - but they do have the
advantage that they're not (even remotely) skin tight, while still being
comfortable to ride in.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?

Back pockets of a cycling jersey, and smaller under-seat bag. Some people
use a Camelback with some extra cargo space, but personally I don't like
riding with something on my back. In the underseat bags on my bikes is
spare tube, basic toolkit, antiseptic wipes and plasters. Back pockets
of my cycling jersey usually have my phone, my keys, a buff and a couple
of cereal bars. I used to use a bar bag a lot but although really handy
it isn't really practical for energetic mountain biking, and if you have
too much storage space you accumulate junk.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; how did we conclude that a ****ing cartoon mouse is deserving
;; of 90+ years of protection, but a cure for cancer, only 14?
-- user 'Tackhead', in /. discussion of copyright law, 22/05/02

Tony Wright wrote:
It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be
picking up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of
using it to commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around
the local woods, I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I
currently live in Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20
minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling),
anything else to be aware off.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?

This happened to me at the age of 40 when my wife decided to get me a bike
for Christmas, quite unbidden. I was knackered within 5 minutes, when I
tried to climb a mountain near my house. Couldn't get up, so turned off a
side road, but encountered other mountains which were now between me & home.
I could feel my head expanding with each 180bpm beat of my heart. I wondered
why I was not being stopped for disturbing the peace, as the pounding was so
loud. You may need a few weeks gentle riding around before tackling the
commute, but it will come.
That was 11 years ago now. I gave up the smoking a few months after I
started cycling. Those mountains are barely noticeable gentle slopes in
actual fact, I now realise. My dreams of one day maybe cycling down to the
canal 4 miles away have come true, and now I cycle further than that to meet
up with other ancients for longer rides into the countryside - 78 miles
yesterday. You don't have to do this, but I'm just telling you how it went
for me.
Wife hasn't seen much of me though, but at least I can cut the grass without
stopping for a rest after each stripe.
--


Martin Bulmer

"Tony Wright" wrote in message
...
It's been twenty years since I last used my Carlton Corsair, this has
been replaced with pie eating, beer drinking and smoking (recently
given up). I've decided the time has come to rectify this (being
weighed at 17 stone with a height of 5' 11" helps) , so will be picking
up a new bike from my LBS on Saturday with the intention of using it to
commute to work (10 miles round trip) and cycle around the local woods,
I work in S****horpe so no major hills, however I currently live in
Burnley so lots of big hills.

I'm expecting to get on and be totally worn out after about 20 minutes.

What I'd like to know is anything to be aware of when first starting
(body related), suggestions for sensible clothing (I'd be arrested for
wearing some of things I've seen people wearing while cyling), anything
else to be aware off.

Also how do people now carry all the bits I used to carry in a saddle
bag (spare tube/repair kit, small tool kit, towel and glucose tablets
and now I imagine mobile phone)?

Tony,

I am 25% heavier than you and am several stones lighter than the weight at
which I recommenced cycling. At first you might find it tiring. I certainly
found the 2-3 mile circuits that I did at first, an ordeal but within three
and a half months I had gained sufficient fitness to cycle camp and complete
the Coast to Coast cycle route. Your commuting will quickly get some miles
under your belt and if you can get some weekend rides in, your ability to do
longer rides will rapidly improve. I'm not a great hill climber. Gravity
sees to that but I have taken on some pretty hilly terrain in the North
Yorkshire Moors, Yorkshire Dales and on the Land's End John O'Groats route.
I rarely have to get off and push on hills with my fully laden touring bike
and last got off to push unladen on last year's Ron Kitching memorial ride
in June.

Most of my cycling tops are from Aldi and Lidl. I use cheap shorts from a
local 'fat git' shop with Marks and Sparks best underwear as a foundation
layer. Never used padded shorts because a) I haven't found any big enough
and b) I have enough natural padding. Some fingerless gloves for the summer
and full gloves for the winter are helpful. Once again Aldi and Lidl are
the sources.

For local shortish rides I use a Camelback Mule. It's a wonderful bit of
kit - carries up to three litres of fluid and has room for phone, camera,
waterproof shell and munchies plus pump, spare tubes and multitool. If I am
doing an Audax ride, 100km or more, I just carry fluid in the Mule and put
everything else in a pannier along with a supply of bananas, malt loaf and
flap jack.

You'll quickly get fit. I'm curious to know how my performance would
improve if I weighed as little as you ;-)

Have fun

Vernon

Martin Bulmer wrote:

snip
Wife hasn't seen much of me though,

Are you sure this wasnt the plan

Stan Cox