Starting out (again)

[kmlacroix]

Unfortunately it has been many years and many more pounds since my racing (riding really hard in last place) days. Riding will be part of my recover from a major (all ligaments) ankle sprain and the first of possible two operations. I am fortunate to live just miles from the Rampart Range and 60 miles of lightly trafficed, but well maintained dirt roads and 3 very nice (good challenge) dirt roads to get there.

My mountain bike is a pretty good Tiwanese frame with ok parts. My bike trainer and I will be best buds this winter. I am not worried about bike weight as I need to loose 60 lbs.

Any good advice is welcome. I am always in the market for a good saddle. My front fork is pretty low end I think (Rockshox Tora) no rear. Not looking for a critique of my bike it is was I can justify for now. I am looking for advice on outfitting, weight balance, etc. Planning ahead so I can shop deals, used.

 

[balexander87]

From what you describe, it sounds like you have an excellent ride for what you're looking to do. I'm not super familiar with the Tora, but for dirt roads and such, I'd guess it will serve you fine. In any case, I'd put together a day pack and start putting on miles and learn what is going to work and what isn't.

Only other suggestion would be to keep it interesting. Not sure what the camping options are in the area you're looking at, but S24Os (Sub-24hr Overnights) would be a simple way to spice it up. Dont need much more than a backpack or some basic panniers for that.

Whatever you do, avoid what I have a tendency to do - over-analyze. Just get out and start exploring!

 

[Christophe Noel]

My best advice is also zero cost. It's also ridiculously obvious.

Go. Slow.

Even for a seasoned rider like me with tens of thousands of miles under my belt, any time off comes with a steep penalty in lost fitness. That means, those first rides back on the bike, REALLY do suck. They will not be a ton of fun. My best advice is to grab a calendar, pick out ten days within a month, and commit to riding those ten days come hell or high water. Go into it knowing day one will suck. Day five, not nearly as bad. By day ten, you will be stoked with your newfound momentum.

Don't commit to a lifestyle of cycling and fitness. Just commit to those ten days. If by day ten you pack it in and set your bike on fire, well, you at least gave it a go, right?

And don't worry about how far you go, how fast you go, or anything other than just going out for a ride. If you shoot for an hour ride and get pooped at 30 minutes, go home. The next day try harder but don't ever get discouraged.

As said above, if you make it about fun, and less about losing weight, getting fit, or anything else, you'll be fine.

Those first ten rides, though. They are critical.

 

[kmlacroix]

I enjoy bike riding. I enjoy the solitude of riding. I enjoy pushing myself to surmount obstacles. Dropping the weight is a nessecity.

 

[Klierslc]

You might look into a cross bike or a gravel grinder also--you can extend your range quite a bit and take advantage of the pavement as well...

As far as your bike goes, I'd also advise to ride it as is--only look elsewhere when you feel held back by the machine.

 

[Co-opski]

Like others said saddle time. Maybe practice some trail side repairs so you get good at them for when they will happen. Carry a spare tube, patch kit, quick link for the chain and a small multi tool to tighten things up that may get loose on you.

 

[squatch]

Take it slow. Check out SQ Labs saddles and have them send you a fit kit. Happy trails.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I've helped a number of people get started in cycling for the purpose of getting more fit. If that is an end goal, I would suggest you record each ride. Write down on a calendar when you rode, how far you went, what your weight was that day. Before long you will have a record of your progress which I guarantee you, will make it that much easier to stay on track.

As an elite level competitive cyclist, those little record logs were the only thing getting me out of bed some days. When you flip open your ride log and see a big fat zero on a day you should have been riding, it hurts. On the flip side, when you look back a few months, see that you were heavier, slower, and less fit, you feel empowered to keep adding entries to your record book. They're fun to keep. I have recorded virtually every bike ride I've ever done since the mid 1980s. Now I do it electronically.

 

[p nut]

One suggestion: Get rid of the Tora fork and get a (cheap) rigid fork on there. You can find them for pretty cheap. I think that would mate better with the type of riding you'll be doing.

 

[Sisyphus]

I'm a big fan of using Strava to record a lot of my rides, which is an app available on your smart phone which will mark your route, speed, time, etc. At the least, it'll be a fun and easy to record your improvements. If you decide to keep riding after a full recovery and you happen to live around a lot of other riders, you'll find just how competitive and fun it will be 'racing' against other riders.

Every time I travel and have the chance to bring my road bike, I always check out the area for previously ridden routes and see if I can beat the record time.

I live in the Seattle area which is bicycle mecca so I don't set too many records, and if I do, they don't last very long.

 

[Klierslc]

I'm a big fan of using Strava to record a lot of my rides, which is an app available on your smart phone which will mark your route, speed, time, etc. At the least, it'll be a fun and easy to record your improvements. If you decide to keep riding after a full recovery and you happen to live around a lot of other riders, you'll find just how competitive and fun it will be 'racing' against other riders.

Every time I travel and have the chance to bring my road bike, I always check out the area for previously ridden routes and see if I can beat the record time.

I live in the Seattle area which is bicycle mecca so I don't set too many records, and if I do, they don't last very long.

I agree with this except I use Map my ride--it has less users and it is easier to be a big fish in a smaller pond! Not that I go any faster, there just isn't as much competition.