Cycling UK Forum

hello, newbie bike rider here, last time i actually rode a bike must have been round 40+ yrs ago, and they have certainly changed a bit.

i was advised by my cardio dude to take up some gentle exercise, so, as ya do, i got myself a bike, my intention is to ride to some local ponds a couple of miles away on a daily basis, feed the ducks, take in some fresh air and help my health, the ride will be a mix of road and dirt tracks.

now i must also add that i have a few discs in both neck and lower back that are pretty much knackered(technical term )

so onto my bike, i did not do any homework i just asked about and a local chap had a whistle for sale, he informed me that the gears were not working properly but i could have it for £40, which seemed reasonable to me.

a quick clean has brought it up really good and it is now in my local shop having the drive train sorted, a couple of new tyres fitted and a new comfortable seat fitted.

so, apart from taking it easy to start, can anybody offer me any advice on my journey to reverse heart disease.

thanks.

I came back to cycling this year after 9 years away, I bought this for a spare Saracen I had, £39, I use it a lot and it is a bargain. It is also variable resistance at the price amazing

I am not a cyclist like most here, I just go out for a ride in the country, yesterday 10 miles, around Aberystwith I have never felt and been better, I have even cancelled an operation on my right knee and stopped the steroid injection I was to have because cycling has almost (955) eliminated any problems I had with the arthritis.

I have also gone from 16st to 13.8 stone ( I was once 21)

Welcome, and that's a good start.

The most important single thing is to discover what makes you enjoy cycling. That might be areas, types of route, cycling with or meeting other people... Then you'll keep cycling and looking forward to the next ride, and that's what's good for your heart.

Jonathan

oldgit wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 5:47am ...
now i must also add that i have a few discs in both neck and lower back that are pretty much knackered(technical term)
...

I'd encourage you to become familiar with a few adjustments that affect the riding position so that you can do them yourself with confidence and see what works best. There's lots of very helpful and very knowledgeable people here.

Jonathan

It will cost a lot more than £40 to set the bike up

oldgit wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 5:47am hello, newbie bike rider here, last time i actually rode a bike must have been round 40+ yrs ago, and they have certainly changed a bit.

i was advised by my cardio dude to take up some gentle exercise, so, as ya do, i got myself a bike, my intention is to ride to some local ponds a couple of miles away on a daily basis, feed the ducks, take in some fresh air and help my health, the ride will be a mix of road and dirt tracks.

now i must also add that i have a few discs in both neck and lower back that are pretty much knackered(technical term )

so onto my bike, i did not do any homework i just asked about and a local chap had a whistle for sale, he informed me that the gears were not working properly but i could have it for £40, which seemed reasonable to me.

a quick clean has brought it up really good and it is now in my local shop having the drive train sorted, a couple of new tyres fitted and a new comfortable seat fitted.

so, apart from taking it easy to start, can anybody offer me any advice on my journey to reverse heart disease.

thanks.

I’d encourage you to walk quite a bit before you start cycling and to really moderate how hard and far you cycle. Reversing heart disease and other ailments needs a lot of care and expert advice - folk can inadvertently injure themselves.

Quite a few people I know use electric bikes, they’re arguably a device of the devil - I used to be more of a purist - but they do keep folk cycling and that in turn is good for them. Maybe an electric bike is something to consider for the future.

The NHS advice on taking up exercise is very simple:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/e ... er-adults/

Jonathan

thank you for the replies, i am going to spend a bit of time reading the forums tonight and then hopefully i will be ready to go once my bike is sorted.

the pedal pro gadget looks really good, definitely something for the future i think.

Jdsk wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 9:06am Welcome, and that's a good start.

The most important single thing is to discover what makes you enjoy cycling. That might be areas, types of route, cycling with or meeting other people... Then you'll keep cycling and looking forward to the next ride, and that's what's good for your heart.

Jonathan

+1
A bicycle should never become an instrument of torture -- I see some chaps here beating the life out of themselves on road bikes. They don't look happy to me.

Carlton green wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 2:15pm
Quite a few people I know use electric bikes, they’re arguably a device of the devil - I used to be more of a purist - but they do keep folk cycling and that in turn is good for them. Maybe an electric bike is something to consider for the future.

Absolutely -- I have one I converted myself with a kit which is better than an off the peg ebike. It took about 2 hours to fit. I use it for commuting and shopping which leaves my other "good" bikes for leisure rides. I'm fitter with it than without cos it keeps me from using the car. It's more fun than a car and easier parked.

Cowsham wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 4:40pm

Carlton green wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 2:15pm
Quite a few people I know use electric bikes, they’re arguably a device of the devil - I used to be more of a purist - but they do keep folk cycling and that in turn is good for them. Maybe an electric bike is something to consider for the future.

Absolutely -- I have one I converted myself with a kit which is better than an off the peg ebike. It took about 2 hours to fit. I use it for commuting and shopping which leaves my other "good" bikes for leisure rides. I'm fitter with it than without cos it keeps me from using the car. It's more fun than a car and easier parked.

Those or rather similar are just the type of comments that I hear elsewhere. I’m not sure how long a kit would take others to fit and which would be the better ones to use, but those are topics for a separate thread. An important thing here to note is that using an electric bike doesn’t necessarily make you less fit and, because you’re out riding instead of driving, you’re actually helping yourself to be fitter. For me the electric bike concept, I called it cheating, was counterintuitive but your comments reflect the reality of what actually happens.

Cowsham wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 4:33pm I see some chaps here beating the life out of themselves on road bikes. They don't look happy to me.

When riding I used to ask myself "am I enjoying this right now?" every so often, and the answer would invariably be "no". Then I'd get to the finish and think "that was a great ride". Since then I've realized that I'd only ask myself that when I wasn't enjoying it.

@oldgit, it might be an idea to get a cheap heart-rate monitor and stay well within the bounds suggested by your cardiobloke, at least until you've got an idea of what you can do. And maybe stay in the easier gears for the first few outings, or until your legs stop hurting. I remember when I started cycling again, on a dead flat cycle path 40 years ago: I was out of breath in a few hundred yards and sore for the rest of the day. I'm a hell of a lot fitter these days.

Good luck!

Carlton green wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 5:19pm

Cowsham wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 4:40pm

Carlton green wrote: ↑21 Jul 2023, 2:15pm
Quite a few people I know use electric bikes, they’re arguably a device of the devil - I used to be more of a purist - but they do keep folk cycling and that in turn is good for them. Maybe an electric bike is something to consider for the future.

Absolutely -- I have one I converted myself with a kit which is better than an off the peg ebike. It took about 2 hours to fit. I use it for commuting and shopping which leaves my other "good" bikes for leisure rides. I'm fitter with it than without cos it keeps me from using the car. It's more fun than a car and easier parked.

Those or rather similar are just the type of comments that I hear elsewhere. I’m not sure how long a kit would take others to fit and which would be the better ones to use, but those are topics for a separate thread. An important thing here to note is that using an electric bike doesn’t necessarily make you less fit and, because you’re out riding instead of driving, you’re actually helping yourself to be fitter. For me the electric bike concept, I called it cheating, was counterintuitive but your comments reflect the reality of what actually happens.

I was going to wait till I was older to start using an ebike but when I saw how my brothers worked ie after we'd fitted his kit I immediately saw how I could put it to good use.

So I bought a cheap bike and fitted a rear hub kit -- very simple -- they even supply the tools to do it in the kit. Everything is plug an play.

Getting to work without being drenched in sweat was the first objective but I use it for more things now -- when I've been out on the mtb or road bike the day before and legs are tired -- etc etc

It's a lot of fun and smooth as silk. I made it a comfortable thing too.

My road bike is faster and my mtb is still my favorite bike but the ebike certainly is a useful fun machine.

Like many I revisited cycling during Covid, using my son's abandoned old MTB after an absense of 50-plus years. Having discovered that I could actually still balance ( ) I started to get a bit more adventurous than the 3 mile jaunt around the local park.
I used to have a Claud Butler "racer" in my youth and yearned to have it back. Instead I bought a vintage CB 531st touring bike with dreams of taking off with a tent for days on end. That's when I discovered how unfit my 70-year old body was! As well as being seriously out of breath, "stretching out" over drop bars was distinctly uncomfortable, so I bought a little-used hybrid which I found more comfortable. Having caught the cycling bug I then bought an old (1992) Giant MTB to use in the winter.
After a bout of feeling distinctly unwell in January I found any cycling over even a small distance was exhausting. I had previously regarded e-bikes as "cheating", but bought two conversion kits (one battery) for the hybrid and MTB. They have been an absolute revelation! Now I can enjoy riding reasonable distances ( longest to date is 48 miles) without feeling knackered and I feel better than I have for years. I've also lost a stone in weight.
As a result my vintage tourer is now much easier to ride, but to my surprise I actually like riding the two converted bikes more and any old excuse gets me out on one or the other. The cycle-camping will probably remain a dream though!

the ebike's really interest me, have been looking at them for quite a while whilst i have been out and about, but at the end of the day it comes down to cost, and until i started reading this site, i did not know that there was a conversion kit available, that is definitely something i will be looking into in the future.

it might be an idea to get a cheap heart-rate monitor and stay well within the bounds suggested by your cardiobloke, at least until you've got an idea of what you can do. And maybe stay in the easier gears for the first few outings, or until your legs stop hurting.

ya know i might just get myself one, i have been told a couple of time i should have one so maybe now is the time to sort it.

as for the gears, my last bike only had 3 anyway so i simply intend to find a comfortable one and maybe just go up or down one if needed, obviously that will probably change as i get a bit more experience but i really cant see myself using anywhere near the amount it has got.