So, my first time riding a bike in 40 years, and this is what happened....

Recently tried out riding a borrowed bike, to add to my exercise options (usually walking outdoors, or walking on a treadmill, or walking to fly and recover rockets and R/C planes).

video:

[video=youtube;2kOnLg7ggns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kOnLg7ggns[/video]


It worked out well enough. I'm not trying to ride from A to B, just ride some for the exercise. Rode about a 1/2 mile to one spot then back, then 1/2 mile another way and back, and another 1/2 mile one way and back, for over 3 miles on each day (Not going too far in case there was a problem and i needed to walk it back). Not a lot, but, having not ridden in 40 years or so, and weighing as much as 350 for a long time (now 175-180), it's good for me.

I decided it went well enough to look at getting my own. Checked out Craigslist, which had worked well when I found a good treadmill at a good price. Found a really good bike, similar type as the one I had tried, a hybrid, not a racing bike, at a good price. One issue I had with the one I borrowed (In the video above) was with the seat as high as I need for my long legs, the handlebars were a bit low so I had to lean down and that put a lot of weight onto my hands, which got numb after awhile.

Well, Friday, I checked out the bike and it was good. A Gary Fisher Solstice series Hybrid. The owner had similar reasons as I did for wanting the handlebars up more so there is an extension post and it's set as high as it can go. And that did make a lot of difference. The bike even had a rear view mirror, which is something I had realized on the other bike that I needed in order to check for cars coming up behind me.

So, I got it. Replaced the seat with one that would be more comfortable, then then tried it out. Rode two sessions, ended the first early to tweak the seat angle before going out again. Ended up riding a total of 4.7 miles. During the first session, I was coincidentally halfway near to a Target and was thinking of going there to get something small that I'd have to drive in my car to get later. But then I remembered I didn't have a lock and chain, so was not going to risk having it stolen.

So, anyway, so far, so good. And yes, I'm wearing a helmet.

- George Gassaway

Congrats! Barring injury you just can't forget how to ride a normal bicycle.

You should see me now... Tonight was the last time I'll likely ride 40 miles in a Full Moon event.

I just got home after being rained on for 7 miles... I look like a drowned rat.

Way to go George! You have a great exercise plan, have many and varying activities that you can do to keep it fun and interesting!

Congrats, and excellent choice of hardware. I recently got back into riding after a similar hiatus. The old saying is true.

Congrats George!

I picked up cycling again about five years ago after a decades long hiatus. Now we routinely ride 50-100 miles at a clip. Heading out momentarily for about 40 miles of off road trail riding. We often are conflicted about whether we want to ride or play with our toy rockets.

And if you think rockets are pricey, wait until you start ogling your first $4,000 bicycle...

K'Tesh said:

I just got home after being rained on for 7 miles...

Click to expand...

Cycling gives us a whole new set of four letter words

Rain
Wind
Hill (the worst one of all)
Snow

Good on ya! Try to keep a little bend in your elbows, and it will help with hand numbness. The big puffy seat is something all new cyclists want. The reason the seat is uncomfortable at first, is that you are working those muscles that you're sitting on. After a while, they get a little toned, and the seat isn't a problem anymore. A pillowy seat can actually cut off bloodflow to the legs, which is why you don't see them except on casual bikes.


Al, SNOW isn't a four letter word, you just need a fatbike!

Is that a Salsa?

My next will be an endurance bike. Got my eye on a Felt endurance frame w/disc & 105 mechanics.

Cut short today @ 35 - the trail ended rather abruptly. Next week about 30 then 105 for Ride Closer to Free.

H_Rocket said:

Is that a Salsa?

Click to expand...

Yep, Mukluk2. I bought the frame from a guy at Salsa, as QBP/Salsa/Surly is only about 5 miles from my house. Built it up getting parts from all over. Even laced the wheels. Wife now has a matching Mukluk2 in small

George

A few things to think about as you extend your range

• Consider a Road ID. It goes anyplace my helmet does.
• Get a pair of gloves. They help when you inevitably fall.
• If you are going out near dark, a get a headlight and taillight.

Thanks, everyone.

H_Rocket said:

George

A few things to think about as you extend your range

• Consider a Road ID. It goes anyplace my helmet does.
• Get a pair of gloves. They help when you inevitably fall.
• If you are going out near dark, a get a headlight and taillight.

Click to expand...

I almost got a road ID. Probably will.

Keep forgetting to try gloves, have a good of winter leather gloves that fit well.

Good advice about lights. But I don't plan to ride that late. If things change where I might, then defintely will add lights. For now what I have tried to do is ride before rush hour, so the rural roads I mostly ride on do not have much traffic. One day I did ride a bit later, when people were getting off work and didn't like having the extra traffic to be concerned about (but did like having the mirror on the new bike). A dedicated riding trail would be safer, but there's none close to ride the bike to, my car is too small to carry it. Plus if I had to drive my car to take it to a trail, that is opposite of my decision last year about beginning SOME kind of exercise, if I went to a gym, I plain would not go every day.

I purposely wanted to do something that I could do without driving anywhere, and just start to do at any moment I decided to do it. So, I used walking, then got a treadmill so I could either walk during poor weather (and winter), or use the treadmill while watching TV. Can't watch TV riding the bike (well, technically could, with the inevitable accidents), but riding is more of a moment by moment challenge than walking anyway. Still, when winter sets in, the bike will be parked till spring (not a slippery road thing, it's a too darned cold thing).

I can't say for sure that I'll never do much riding of a long distance. My body will determine the most important aspects of that, at least to the extent as to whether I'll get into better condition to be able to ride longer and not be totally wiped. I will say I got a lock cable today, so next time I think I could make it to Target (about a 5 mile round trip I think), for something I could carry back easily enough, now I can go for it. But for the main part, the riding is to get in another type of exercise, some limited amount to strike a balance between enough to help vs what is practical for me to maintain. Though I may see from time to time, maybe once a week or so, what I can do distance-wise. Even if it's split up into multiple shorter rides on the same day.

- George Gassaway

You might want to consider the dynotag.com (https://dynotag.hostedbywebstore.com/b/8080611011) emergency ID products.

I've found lights really help you be seen even in daylight. I saw a big difference in how quickly drivers noticed me from cross streets when I mounted a small blinky LED on my helmet. Helmet mount is nice because you can aim it at the driver if you don't think they've seen you yet. It's hard enough to get car drivers to see motorcycles, and I'm a step smaller. I'm riding the city, so YMMV of course.

H_Rocket said:

Cycling gives us a whole new set of four letter words

Rain
Wind
Hill (the worst one of all)
Snow

Click to expand...

Al, I think Wind is MUCH worse than Hill. Hill's have an end that you can (usually) see; the Wind might never stop.

A good pulsating LED light front and rear is a bikers best friend, as the helmet can only help you after the car hits you.
Additionally, there are some fantastic CREE LED lights to let you see where you are going at night.

John

An update. Wanted to drop off a letter at the post office, so decided to ride there. Turned out it was not bad, 2 miles away. Then I went a different route to continue the ride in another direction, ended up on a very long wide sidewalk meant for walking/jogging/riding. Well, it was sure nice for the very long slightly downhill part. The very long slight uphill part coming back, well, at least I found the right gear combo to do it without straining my legs, even if it was at a slow pace. Anyway, when that special wide path ended to become a simple sidewalk, I decided to turn back. Found out later that location was about 4 miles away. Since I had originally intended to just go to the post office, I had not thought about things like water. So, I stopped at a gas station for some water (need to add a water bottle holder), and later made another stop to check something out.

Not counting the time for stops, I figure total ride time of about 80 minutes for 8 miles, about 6 mph average. Not exactly a speed run but then I'm not in it for speed or shortest time (I've been passed by and "left in the dust" of several bike riders). Felt fine after getting back, fortunately the weather was not too hot, ideal temperature for riding, and I learned better choices of the gears for various grades than I had the first day.

Once I used google maps to find out what the distance had been, I was a bit disappointed, I thought maybe I'd done a total of 10-12 miles. So a couple hours later, did a simple big "lap" of about 4 miles distance in about 24 minutes, so about 10 mph. That one did not have as much variation in the terrain, only a little bit of slow uphill riding in two short spots, so that's why it was quicker.

So, as weather allows, once a week I'll try to go for some longer riding like today's was (which was about 12 miles). The rest of the week, more like 4 miles a day when I'm not walking or using the treadmill.

BTW - I did order a bright flashing light for the back of the bike. Seeing the suggestions made here, I did recall how I'd recently driven past a rider with a bright flashing light, broad daylight on a road without much traffic and that I had noticed the light sooner than I would eventually have noticed the rider. I'm never going to plan to ride at night But since I have been learning about being prepared better (no water)..... I'm going to give some more thought about some front lights in case I got delayed on a late ride.

Monday update - 4.2 miles round trip to Target & back. A few hours later, a 4.7 mile back-and forth session nearby, so nearly 9 miles. Will have to think more on what to do about possible flats. Red flasher for the rear is on the way. Checked into turn signals. Nothing ideal, I may work up my own over winter, bright yellow-amber wide enough apart to make it more apparent what they are.

- George Gassaway

Way to get out there and enjoy, George!

Sounds like you're doing great! Like anything else, you learn a lot as you go and you can get more or better stuff as you enjoy and learn. Next thing you know, you're wearing a cycling shirt with matching cycling shorts (which include a padded liner to help with the stiff seats on those nice bikes you may end up with). :wink: However there is no rush, enjoy cycling at your own pace.

Additional pieces of advice from my past as a weekend cycling group leader (who didn't lose anyone despite cycling through NYC in weekend traffic to Central Park and back to lower Manhattan...just plain nuts):
-Always wear a helmet! Your brain is the part of your body which is quite difficult to heal if you break it! It's also quite hard to look cool or have good hair if you have a bandaged head. ;-) Great of you to be doing this one already!
-Be aware of any cars with people in them...they can suddenly open a door on you.
-Be careful of any drain/sewer grates...if they have long slots, they make great instant grabs for your front wheels.
-if you find yourself trying to go over a curb, approach it perpendicularly and lift up on the handlebars as you make contact with it (also a great skill to learn for going over large cracks, uneven pavement or large potholes). At an angle can cause the curb to force the front wheel alongside it until you fall sideways.
-Be careful of large round twigs and sticks (about the size of a small broomstick or larger)...they can suddenly "catch" under the front wheel, counter-rotate against it and act like an instant brake. This has happened to me several times, but no injuries luckily.
-Enjoy being out there...even when it gets hard, sometimes that's the price of making yourself healthier and living a bit longer. :grin:

Having a headlight and a backup is always a good idea. You can never plan on when you're going to get a flat tire and find yourself stuck out after dark. Battery powered lights (and rechargeables) beat generators and generator hubs IMHO when you need to patch a tire after dark. Even a dollar store LED flashlight beats nothing.

Personally, I typically ride with three head lights. One AAA powered one as a backup for the two rechargeables (a Cygolite Expillion 800 on the handlebars, and an Expillion 850 mounted to the helmet). As I was riding on the Full Moon ride, my rechargeables both started to run low, so I used the AAA one for long quiet stretches conserving the others for busier areas. Had I thought to recharge them the night before the ride, I'd have been using them for the full trip.

Likewise I use three tail lights. I use an AAA powered PDW Danger Zone (.5 Watt) and a PDW Aether Demon (.5 Watt USB rechargeable) on the bike, and a Blackburn Central 20 (20 Lumen) USB rechargeable on the helmet.

For fun these days I'm using a set of blue Wheel Brightz (available at Walmart) on each wheel. It's fun watching cars in my mirror move out of the lane adjacent to my bike lane when they pass, only to return once past me. I have other lighting systems (proprietary) that I've built, but I haven't had the time to restore them to my new bike. Probably next week I'll get around to them (once attached to the bike, it's one less thing to pack).

Speaking of flat tires, get a flat repair kit and bring along some tools in a underseat bike bag...it may save you a lot of headache and allow you to bike rather than take your bike for a very long walk. :wink: I myself like using the flat protector strips...used to repair a LOT of flats when biking in NYC until my group started using these.

KenECoyote said:

Speaking of flat tires, get a flat repair kit and bring along some tools in a underseat bike bag...it may save you a lot of headache and allow you to bike rather than take your bike for a very long walk. :wink: I myself like using the flat protector strips...used to repair a LOT of flats when biking in NYC until my group started using these.

Click to expand...

Patch kits are useless without a pump too.
If you have a Presta valve, you can buy an adapter that will allow you to use a pump that is designed for a Schrader valve to air your tire. The adapter also allows you to put little lights or other knickknacks on your wheel.

Like anyone else in rocketry, my seat bag is way over prepared

I carry:

• 2 Tubes
• 1 CO2 Inflator
• 3 Cartridges
• 1 Patch kit
• 2 Rubber gloves
• 2 Moist towlettes
• 1 Tiny flashlight
• 1 $20 bill
• 1 Set of tire levers
• A couple of band-aids
• A universal bike tool

Yes all of that fits into a compact seat bag. Mind you If I want any one piece, I usually have to unload the whole thing.

I do so hate Presta valves...

H_Rocket said:

Like anyone else in rocketry, my seat bag is way over prepared

I carry:

• 2 Tubes
• 1 CO2 Inflator
• 3 Cartridges
• 1 Patch kit
• 2 Rubber gloves
• 2 Moist towlettes
• 1 Tiny flashlight
• 1 $20 bill
• 1 Set of tire levers
• A couple of band-aids
• A universal bike tool

Yes all of that fits into a compact seat bag. Mind you If I want any one piece, I usually have to unload the whole thing.

I do so hate Presta valves...

Click to expand...

One trick I heard of was to put a $20 inside your tire. It can be used to reinforce a cut, and also to pay for a tube if you need one. Though if you're looking at replacing a tire, perhaps a $100 would be better (my tires run ~$55 each).

I keep a Hobbyking LiPo to USB charger (and 3s LiPo) in my seat bag to keep my iPhone charged on rides over 20 miles - the GPS eats battery.
https://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto...Charging_Adapter_and_Cell_Checker_2S_6S_.html

K'Tesh said:

One trick I heard of was to put a $20 inside your tire. It can be used to reinforce a cut, and also to pay for a tube if you need one. Though if you're looking at replacing a tire, perhaps a $100 would be better (my tires run ~$55 each).

Click to expand...

So if you need an emergency beer, you need to take off your tire? Gads, that's one way to keep sober.:y:

Also I always recommend everyone learn emergency braking before you need to do it for real. :wink:

You can search the net, but for me: 1) hit rear brake; 2) lift butt off saddle and place over behind the saddle while keeping body as low as you can; 3) gradually apply front brake firmly, but not instantly and without flipping over (adjust pressure); 4) adjust braking as needed to keep control. Also practice trying some steering control while doing this. Parts 1-4 are done almost simultaneously. After a few practice sessions, you can become a street drifter if you're willing to replace your tires often.

KenECoyote said:

Also I always recommend everyone learn emergency braking before you need to do it for real. :wink:

You can search the net, but for me: 1) hit rear brake; 2) lift butt off saddle and place over behind the saddle while keeping body as low as you can; 3) gradually apply front brake firmly, but not instantly and without flipping over (adjust pressure); 4) adjust braking as needed to keep control. Also practice trying some steering control while doing this. Parts 1-4 are done almost simultaneously. After a few practice sessions, you can become a street drifter if you're willing to replace your tires often.

Click to expand...

And somewhere in there you need to remember to unclip your cleats (ask me how I know).

George, would you mind very much if I ask your age? I have known you for a while, as we used to fly at the "old HARA" site in North Alabama, and I follow some of your exploits in rocketry... but your weight-loss transformation is by far, the most impressive thing I have seen from you... next to the full shuttle stack you flew a few times at the older HARA launch site. To me the age matters, as I am trying to gauge my own transformations etc...

DRAGON64 said:

George, would you mind very much if I ask your age? I have known you for a while, as we used to fly at the "old HARA" site in North Alabama, and I follow some of your exploits in rocketry... but your weight-loss transformation is by far, the most impressive thing I have seen from you... next to the full shuttle stack you flew a few times at the older HARA launch site. To me the age matters, as I am trying to gauge my own transformations etc...

Click to expand...

Well...... I hope you don't have the kind of sudden shock reason I did to lose the weight that I have since July 2014. Here goes...

I'm 58. By the time I was 20, I had gained a lot of weight, probably over 300. For the mid-1980's thru mid 1990's I guesstimate I weighed 350-360 (Bathroom scales did not go high enough). Around 1998 or so, I began to process food a bit differently so lost some weight, down to around 280 or so. When my mother developed lung cancer and died in 2008, I lost some for awhile, briefly down to about 220, but was back up to about 270 till about 3 years ago. Then I began eating a bit better, not a lot better, but better than before, and was down to around 240-245 in July 2014. Then my left big toe got infected from a wound that had not healed, and when in the Emergency room I found out I had type 2 Diabetes. So, what I did about that (goodbye Cokes, sugary foods, and over-eating) is documented here:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?123378

EDIT - Actually, the thread below was created first, before I got up the nerve to say the "D-word" publicly, and didn't say why I had such a good reason to make changes. That thread has some pics when I was at my heaviest. In that thread, compare the 1979 pic on the Little Joe-II launcher, at age 22, with the 1972 swing wing pic below.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?121345

So, anyway, by February I reached my goal of under 175, to be half the max weight I had been. After that I've settled into a maintenance range of 175-180, which is right in the middle of deal weight for a person of my height and frame size.

An update I have not posted is that a few months ago my doctor told me to stop taking Metformin (was on insulin only for a few weeks at the beginning), so I'm controlling it by diet and exercise, no medication (Still check blood sugar levels twice a day). My last A1C test was 4.7. But that was just before I stopped taking Metformin, so I expect it to be a bit higher next time.

UPDATE: I just ran across this two-photo image from March 1972 (14 at the time, turned 15 a few weeks later, unknown weight) and 2007 (50 and about 270-280 pounds). The point of the two images was to show my first 6 foot swing wing (Great Dane series) and one I built in 2007 that used rudder-only R/C. Anyway, you can see I didn't gain a lot of weight till later. See this pic from 1979: https://i.imgur.com/jukgyUM.jpg



Back to bikes, my friend and Neutron Fusion Teammate Chan Stevens is sending me a box of goodies that include lights, repair supplies, and a biking computer. He does some sort of serious bike riding, so those are left over from upgrades he's made. Meantime, I now have a red flasher on the back of the bike, till a better one arrives from Chan. Also, I added a front basket to hold stuff when I go to stores like Target.

Since the weather has been good and I had the time, I did a lot more riding. Rode to a different grocery store, for a 9. 5mile round trip, and rode another 4 miles a few hours later. Yesterday, I found there is a jogging/bike path around a park near the post office that is 2 miles away. The path is about 3/4 mile. So Wednesday I rode to the park, did 10 laps, 3/4 mile to Target and a bit over 2 miles back. So, over 12 miles (with a couple of stops). Today, sun out and a bit hotter, a bit simpler, rode to the park, stopped. 4 laps, stopped, 4 more laps, stopped, then back. For a bit over 10 miles. Plus took a few pics and shot a video.

The path is pretty nice. Not a lot of elevation change, and mostly gradual except for one area about 500 feet long, but that area is pretty reasonable, nothing like the grades getting to and from the park.

- George Gassaway

[video=youtube;1DoghlZbGkk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DoghlZbGkk[/video]

georgegassaway said:

Rode to a different grocery store, for a 9. 5mile round trip, and rode another 4 miles a few hours later. Yesterday, I found there is a jogging/bike path around a park near the post office that is 2 miles away. The path is about 3/4 mile. So Wednesday I rode to the park, did 10 laps, 3/4 mile to Target and a bit over 2 miles back. So, over 12 miles (with a couple of stops). Today, sun out and a bit hotter, a bit simpler, rode to the park, stopped. 4 laps, stopped, 4 more laps, stopped, then back. For a bit over 10 miles.

Click to expand...

George, this is EXCELLENT progress.

When "Jedi" George Riebeshel convince me to go on the RAGBRAI (https://www.ragbrai.com) ride with him, I pulled out and serviced my old 1984 Raleigh Olympian road bike, then did a 10 mile ride. Thought that was a long way. But it turned out to be only the first step to a 4 year process that culminated in 2014 with a "century" ride of 111 miles in a single day.

Even if you don't do something like that, cycling is an excellent way to maintain your fitness and health, and it doesn't beat up your body (in my opinion) nearly as much as running or jogging. If you wear a helmet at all times (and I obviously recommend one does!) and you find a good bike path or lightly traveled road, cycling's relative safety is pretty good.

Congrats for taking the first step towards a bigger universe (grin)!

You're making great progress! I'm impressed that you're up to 10+ miles in a day so soon after getting back in the saddle. Since this kinda became a starting out bicycling thread, I thought I'd share some advice I got from a bike commuter class:

Make sure your helmet fits (shouldn't move if you shake your head with the strap unbuckled, should be able to look up and see the brim of the helmet, should feel tightness if you open your mouth wide with the strap on)

Blinking lights help you stand out day and night. I prefer slower blinking (say 1-3 Hz) and moving LEDs if possible; they seem to stand out better to our predator eyes against a background of steady lights.

I wear a construction site reflective vest when riding in commuting hours, when people are most likely to be sleepy, eating breakfast, flossing, etc. while driving. There's lots of other high-visibility gear, some for bikes and some not. A visit to a safety supply store may be helpful.

If you can shift to a lower gear ratio and maintain speed, do it. It's easier on the knees that way.

Above all, to ride safely you need to ride predictably, visibly, and defensively.

A good-size gel bike seat is so totally worth it for making your butt more comfortable.

You probably know most of this already, and it's more for riding on the street than paths, but I think all good advice.

George, carpal tunnel syndrome is extremely common in diabetics, so if the hand numbness continues even after you take measures to prevent it, it may be worth a talk with the doctor.

--from a diabetic with CTS