StickyMicky

Well it has been a little while now, after not doing any cardio type exercise for 16 years and getting a proper gaffers belly (i was 21 stone at xmas) from running the car wash for the past 6-7 years i picked up a decent MTB on the cycle2work scheme.

I picked up a nice 2011 Boardman Pro Hardtail with the thinking that if i bought a cheap bike, i would only just end up modding it and/or breaking it

Anyway, the bike is an absolute dream, i really love it, and while i have came flying off it twice i have had a right blast on it.

I usually punish myself, then have a night off, with a minimum of 2 eggs every day to help my body recover the broken muscles

Here is some progress on my logged rides so far, i am really quite impressed with the results so far.

Routes by myself actually trying hard are in bold, the rest are with mates/the missus and the pace is a lot slower.

Wed 18 May (1st ever ride) 4.3mile - 28 mins (this utterly destroyed me, i could not climb the front door step afterwards lmfao!)

Fri 20 May - 4.2 mile - 22mins
Sun 22 May - 6.6 mile - 42mins
Tues 24 May - 8.2 mile - 43mins (sore **** is going!)
Thurs 26 May - 4.7mile - 22mins
Sat 28 May - 8.2 mile - 41mins (2 mins off the previous best for this route)
Sun 29 May - 4.4mile - 32mins (some mates gave up after 4.4?!?)
Sun 29 May - 15.7mile - 112mins (the rest of the trip, not a fast pace)
Tues 31 May - 10.8mile - 54mins (this is my new personal test route)
Thurs 2 June - 10.8mile - 52mins (beaten by 2 mins)
Sun 5 June - 20.7mile 130mins (slow pace route with the lads)
Tues 7 June - 11mile - 52 mins (personal route with slight detour)
Thurs 9 June - 10.8mile 53 mins (i tried my best to beat my time, loads of wind)
Sun 12 June - 13.9mile 95mins (slow pace with the lads, disappointed with length) so....
Sun 12 June - 10.9mile 68mins (dragged the missus out in the afternoon for another slow pace ride )
Wed 15 June -10.9mile - 48mins (smashed my personal route time by 4mins )
Fri 17 June - 10.8mile - 48mins (and its a little more windy today )


The app i use on my phone thinks i have logged 167.6 mile and burned around 12,373 calories so far, weight is dropping off really quite fast! (18.9 stones a few seconds ago)

The Zohan

Get yourself a heart rate monitor to make sure you are not overdoing it or under doing it.

Jamescsti

Good work fella, I bought a mountain bike after not doing any cycling for around 14 years and been cycling for around 6 weeks, do amin 10 milesa day now and have lost around 1 1/2 stone so far.
I'm joining the cycle to work scheme next month and planning on geting a Bordman Hybrid

GC8

My FB is full of your mountain bike exploits. I keep expecting to see a photo of you with loads of wires and tubes... 'Mick Owens has checked-in to Newcastle Royal Infirmary' etc...

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I'd recommend a drop bar rather than a hybrid... you'll thank me if you do.

StickyMicky

This is a distinct possibility as i am hoping to get myself over to Hamsterly Forrest in the 2 weeks summer holiday (just over a month away) i`m told the "Black Route" is the scariest, so i`m gonna tackle that one with a bit of luck

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

How have you managed to fall off twice ?

mickywrx

iTrader: (29)

Re-enacting his Yoof, innit.

Leslie

Its not difficult!

Les

dpb

I thought these were pretty modest times until i noted the 18stone and mountain bike

StickyMicky

One was while racing a mate and attempting a quick 90 degree left turn at speed with a decent camber, while imediatly doing a quick 90degree turn right after it, which was then off camber, on wet grass the front end slid away and the bike went down, i landed on the fecking tarmac walkway with some of my knee missing and a decent gash in the seat

The second was a total Frank Spencer moment and i flew over the handlebars outside my kitchen window, lmfao!

GC8

I read that as 'how have you only managed to fall off twice?'

vindaloo

IMO....

Good going, keep it up. Try to keep upgrading yourself, not the bike, unless the bike becomes a major limiting factor (i.e. you want to be competitive on "events").

Not wanting to tempt fate but.... http://www.evanscycles.com/ride-it

J.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Golden rule to remember:

It never gets easier, it just gets faster.


(I've cycled with a mate who was off his bike for 3 months - he got his biked nicked when he off after he'd been left hooked and broken both wrists... don't ask - I've never considered myself particuarly quick, but he was struggling to keep up at speeds I was struggling to slow down to! The speed just happens and you'd be amazed at how much easier some bits get, you'll find that you're not shifting down gears as often and then looking to shift UP. It's a very weird and rewarding feeling)

StickyMicky

I have noticed the difference a LOT, when i go out with my mates/the missus, i have to keep stopping to let them catch up, i`m just a speed freak, the missus even said today "slow down man, i cant keep up"

Been out again today, 1st with the lads in the morning.

23.1miles - 2hours 26 mins. This also included going down, and then carrying the fecking bike back up 200 bloody stairs at the River Tyne pedestrian crossing, ouch.

This knackered my mates, so i came home, and dragged the missus out this afternoon for another ride round the coast.

17.0mile - 1 hour 41mins

Total for today - 40 miles and an estimated 2983 calories burned

I`m fooking knackered now though, so i`m having a pint of snakebite

Jamescsti

I did consider that however most of my cycling is done in traffic and I was told a fla handle bar is beter for moving through traffic than a drop bar, not sure if this is correct or not?

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I haven't seen this myself, plus the flat bars tend to be wider (unless you retro-fit narrower ones yourself)

Personally I find the greater choice of hand positions to favour my style of riding and never have a problem stopping the bike when I ride with my hands on the hoods.

bish667

iTrader: (1)

That explains a lot, it does feel like that, i must just be getting faster