577 replies to this topic

[THE ANORAK]

well i might not be now, got to wait 5 days for a cheque to clear.

cant belive it takes that long for them to give you money when they can take it away from you in seconds


sorted, its on order picking it up friday afternoon

Edited by THE ANORAK, 14 October 2008 - 03:56 PM.

[joe_m]

(Y) very good!
just a silly idea.
but do you think we should have a tmf ride weekend.
all meet up some where and ride!
be fun!?

[THE ANORAK]

yeah sounds good, but just let me back up to speed first

[joe_m]

well you are neer ish to me,
so thats good ish (Y)

but would be fun.

and dont worrie, think i need to get abit better.
you would probs out do me as it is !

[THE ANORAK]

I'll see you on next years London to Brighton bike ride then ?????

Edited by THE ANORAK, 19 October 2008 - 10:25 AM.

[Mark@IR]

Not done full road riding myself, only on a hybrid (a manly style one though, not a Dawes fully mud guarded pannier rack jobby!)

However, a few weeks back a did have a play with one of these;



Much fun, highly recommend it!

(To those not in the know, thats a cyclocross bike, kinda mix between light duty MTB and a road bike)

[THE ANORAK]

got the bike today been tinkering all afternoon to get it the way i want it. (the way the shop fitted the computer was awful )

first ride tomorrow

[THE ANORAK]

well Ive been out on the bike twice now, 19miles with moderate hills, average speed 16.5mph because I'm still struggling with the hills.
also my right foot us getting uncomfortable in the tight shoes but I'm putting this down to the fact it may be my "strong" foot and doing more work than the other. got to get the hang of pedaling correctly again

in general my breathing is doing OK but my legs are a still on the weak side. doing more miles will sort this out

also tried this out today, a home made sports drink i found on the Internet...

1/2 cup orange juice
9 tbs. Sugar
3/8 tsp Salt
Water to 2 litres

dissolve the salt and sugar in a small amount of boiled/warm water and pour into a two litre pop bottle. add the orange juice (amount can vary depending on how you like it to taste). fill with water and shake well. chill in fridge.

Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):

14.4 grams carb (6.1%)
104 mg sodium
28.4 mg Potassium

i was expecting this to taste foul but its actually rather nice, a bit like the lucozade sports drink !!!!! it went down well today with no sickly feeling. I'm hoping it will absorb into the body better than plain water, which makes you pee a lot and actually helps you to dehydrate.

and thoughts or comments on this ????

[Brawlyrox]

I ride a little bit. Sports drink seems ok. If I am doing a long ride 60+ miles I will use SIS PSP22. I ride a Specialized Allez as a winter bike, I sold my old Carbon Time. Will build another bike over the winter for next season.

[Rhyd]

The salt will aid absorption. 9 tablespoons of sugar sounds like an awful lot. Some caffeine would help too. You'd be much better off with something along the lines of High5 over a longer ride. Bananas are your friend, Mars bars are your enemy.

Sounds like your shoes are too small, I've never had any problems despite wearing some that are very tight. Don't forget to pull up on the pedal as well as pushing down, and use a circular motion if that makes sense. Check what your right knee's doing as you pedal and also that you're sat straight on the bike - the number of people that twist to one side is surprising. Check your saddle height - lots of people set it far too low which makes life a lot more difficult.

[THE ANORAK]

Sounds like your shoes are too small, I've never had any problems despite wearing some that are very tight. Don't forget to pull up on the pedal as well as pushing down, and use a circular motion if that makes sense. Check what your right knee's doing as you pedal and also that you're sat straight on the bike - the number of people that twist to one side is surprising. Check your saddle height - lots of people set it far too low which makes life a lot more difficult.

yeah, I've just been through all the measurements again and I'm well within the limits of "accepted position"

i'm also beginning to think the shoe is too tight (not too small as in length). its a lace up (with one velcro strap) and its very easy to pull it too tight around the foot. i tried them a bit looser today and it was much better. hopefully the shoe will soften with a bit of riding, otherwise I'll be trying some different ones.
strange how its just one foot, must be a fat foot !!!!

and I'll try less sugar in the next batch of drink, I've certainly been peeing less today

what do you suggest for the caffeine ???? coke ????

EDIT: found this today... click. very helpful for "understanding" the ingredients of the drinks

Edited by THE ANORAK, 19 October 2008 - 04:48 PM.

[Rhyd]

Sports drinks have huge amounts of caffeine but apparently not as a stimulant. IIRC it helps speed up metabolism. While cyclists have been known to drink flat coke, there's still a huge amount of sugar in it unless you go diet (don't do that, it's got Aspartame in it, as PSP2 and Lucozade incidentally), try something like this. Sugar is bad if taken early on as you'll eventually "crash" as the sugar runs out and your body's not producing enough energy. I'm pretty sure I remember hearing about endurance cyclists downing a few shots of espresso before a day's ride.

Most people have feet of different sizes - I think my right foot's about half a shoe size bigger.

[joe_m]

thats brill Anorack !

glad you got into it again!

you only just got a hybrid didnt you ?

[THE ANORAK]

you only just got a hybrid didnt you ?

yeah, but it wont go to waste, I'll use it for naff weather and family rides

back on the subject of nutrition, I'm also starting to eat a bit better as well, so whats the dos and don'ts on food in general ???

so far we know....bananas good, mars bars not good.

I've read that fruit and veg are good, also pasta and rice, potatoes and wholemeal bread. oily fish is also on the list but all i can stomach on the fish side is tuna.

anything else ???? especially things to avoid

Edited by THE ANORAK, 19 October 2008 - 06:07 PM.

[joe_m]

ahh, good good !

so did this thread make you want a road bike again or have you been throwing the idea about ?