Back to Biking...again...Lots to lose too!
08-08-14, 11:56 AM
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Back to Biking...again...Lots to lose too!
Hello, my name is Shawn, and I live just north of Pittsburgh. I am getting back into bike riding for the exercise and weight loss. Let me tell you how its going.
I started this crazy idea in March of losing weight. I was topping the chart at 382 lbs, at 49 years old.
I was, and sometimes still am, ashamed to go anywhere or do anything at all. Something had to be done... I decided to simply lose the soda pop, and cut back on my portions, oh, and that little thing called exercise, add a little of that too.
Jump to today, I am now at 331, and dropping... I am very happy about that. When I decided to go back to cycling, a friend wanted to look at my mountain bike as I was whining about how the bike trail at Moraine State Park just about killed me. He told me to look for a comfort bike, without the big shock in the center. I found this for $50 bucks...It's a 2000 Schwinn Sierra.
I added a few things, like double drink holders, phone holder, lights, (in the rare case I want to ride the trail at night) but its still not easy to do Moraine Bike trail. I think I need to find a FLATTER rail trail and use that for a while.
All I can say, is if you all want to lose the weight, you can. I didn't think it was possible for me, but now, to be perfectly honest, I am enjoying it.
Looking forward to being a member of this group!
Shawn
My Weight Loss blog
I started this crazy idea in March of losing weight. I was topping the chart at 382 lbs, at 49 years old.
I was, and sometimes still am, ashamed to go anywhere or do anything at all. Something had to be done... I decided to simply lose the soda pop, and cut back on my portions, oh, and that little thing called exercise, add a little of that too. Jump to today, I am now at 331, and dropping... I am very happy about that. When I decided to go back to cycling, a friend wanted to look at my mountain bike as I was whining about how the bike trail at Moraine State Park just about killed me. He told me to look for a comfort bike, without the big shock in the center. I found this for $50 bucks...It's a 2000 Schwinn Sierra.
I added a few things, like double drink holders, phone holder, lights, (in the rare case I want to ride the trail at night) but its still not easy to do Moraine Bike trail. I think I need to find a FLATTER rail trail and use that for a while.
All I can say, is if you all want to lose the weight, you can. I didn't think it was possible for me, but now, to be perfectly honest, I am enjoying it.
Looking forward to being a member of this group!
Shawn
My Weight Loss blog
Last edited by Sierrarider; 08-10-14 at 08:41 AM.
08-08-14, 12:02 PM
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Hey Shawn,
Welcome to Bike Forums.
Thanks for the bike pic.
Welcome to Bike Forums.
Thanks for the bike pic.
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Fred "The Real Fred"
Fred "The Real Fred"
08-08-14, 03:05 PM
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Being heavy and new to cycling, I love rail trails. Or other multi-use trails. And if you don't plan on going up and down a lot of hills, changing out the cassette might be a good idea. It's very cheap to do and having the gears closer together makes it easier to find a comfortable gear to pedal in. It's made such a huge difference to me on my rides.
08-08-14, 03:40 PM
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Welcome Shawn. Congrats on your weight loss! That is a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Enjoy the ride.
08-08-14, 07:48 PM
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Shawn welcome to bike forums - clydesdales forum. You will find the group here helpful for any questions you have and will provide inspiration too.
Congrats on your weight lose. You have found one of the secrets to weight loss find something you enjoy doing.
Best of luck
Congrats on your weight lose. You have found one of the secrets to weight loss find something you enjoy doing.
Best of luck
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"I've been dropped a lot of times, but it's never been because of my bike." DXchulo
"I've been dropped a lot of times, but it's never been because of my bike." DXchulo
08-08-14, 08:40 PM
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Welcome Shawn, congrats on the weight loss. Embrace those hills however they come they will make you weigh less and be stronger. Your story is an inspiration to others, keep it up.
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Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
08-09-14, 06:06 AM
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Hello Shawn. Congrats on decision to start losing the weight. I like your bike and it is a good start. Weight loss is a long term project and remember that it can be put back on. For me the carbs have been my nemesis. If I can keep my carbs to less than 20 per day I can loose weight. I have set different goals to keep encouraged such as shooting for 300 lbs [I am now 315]. When I get to 250 I want to reward myself with a new bike. Keep up the good work. 
08-09-14, 06:24 AM
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Hey Shawn that is stupendous :-).
Looking at your bike the position of the seat clamp has me puzzled ? I have a similar clamp and when it is clamped it is not in that position ?
Bill
Looking at your bike the position of the seat clamp has me puzzled ? I have a similar clamp and when it is clamped it is not in that position ?
Bill
08-09-14, 08:42 PM
#14
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Welcome Shawn, you're very close to my neck of the woods. I'm near Emlenton, or to be more exact, Eau Claire up Rt. 38. Howdy neighbor. I know Moraine very well. That is a tough one for us clydes with all the little hills. Beautiful ride though.
Give google a search for Sandy Creek trail. It starts out near Sandy Lake and crosses over the Alleghheny on the Belmar bridge. It is ever so slightly uphill for 12 miles, almost imperceptible uphill, like 0.5% grade. I love that trail because of coming back and you feel like you are flat but gaining about 4-5 mph over the ride up.
The Allegheny River trail starts out in Emlenton. You can't get less flat than that. I rode it almost every day last year when I started in August. It runs 30ish miles flat the whole way to Franklin. Or there is a short section paved between Foxburg and Parker. It just isn't open the other way between Foxburg and Emlenton. If you ride from Emlenton and make your way up to a 12 mile ride, make sure you have a light. There's a tunnel 5.5 miles from Emlenton. I love going through the tunnel. There's a 2nd tunnel in Kennerdale at the 12 mile mark from Emlenton.
I work in East Butler so lately I've just been going up Bonniebrook at the light on 422 and jumping on the Butler-Freeport Community trail and riding my daily ride (when I get a chance this year.) There is no trailhead in Butler yet. I think the plan is to start in Father Marinara Park. It runs clear to Freeport. Starting at Bonniebrook towards Freeport it has some very slight up and down like 0.5 to 1% grade. I ride 5-10 miles down the trail and back, which is Cabot where I turn arounf. After Cabot it starts heading down hill a bit steeper the rest of the way to Freeport. The trail crosses over Rt 28. I haven't ridden the whole thing, but want to start out in Freeport and ride to Butler some time so I'm going uphill to start and finish downhill.
So, check out some of these trails. We have quite a few around the area. Maybe we'll see each other out there some time. I'd like to invite you to ride with me but I never know when I have time as my wife works just about every weekend. Maybe we can get together though some time. And congrats on the loss so far.
Oh, adding this since I checked out a bit of your blog in your signature. First, though perhaps we knew each other as I work with a Shawn who is of fair size. Nope, not you after seeing your picture. Interesting job, is it the BART bus you drive? Anyway, the reason for this addition, you mention the amount of people you see at Moraine. I know,it can get very busy there. On the trails I outlay here, I hardly see any one. The Butler-Freeport I'll see someone about every 3 miles on a 10 mile ride. Sandy Creek will get a little busy on the weekend, but nothing like Moraine. The Allegheny River trail, I rode 30 miles, 15 out and back and only saw 2 other people.I hardly ever see folks on that trail.
Give google a search for Sandy Creek trail. It starts out near Sandy Lake and crosses over the Alleghheny on the Belmar bridge. It is ever so slightly uphill for 12 miles, almost imperceptible uphill, like 0.5% grade. I love that trail because of coming back and you feel like you are flat but gaining about 4-5 mph over the ride up.
The Allegheny River trail starts out in Emlenton. You can't get less flat than that. I rode it almost every day last year when I started in August. It runs 30ish miles flat the whole way to Franklin. Or there is a short section paved between Foxburg and Parker. It just isn't open the other way between Foxburg and Emlenton. If you ride from Emlenton and make your way up to a 12 mile ride, make sure you have a light. There's a tunnel 5.5 miles from Emlenton. I love going through the tunnel. There's a 2nd tunnel in Kennerdale at the 12 mile mark from Emlenton.
I work in East Butler so lately I've just been going up Bonniebrook at the light on 422 and jumping on the Butler-Freeport Community trail and riding my daily ride (when I get a chance this year.) There is no trailhead in Butler yet. I think the plan is to start in Father Marinara Park. It runs clear to Freeport. Starting at Bonniebrook towards Freeport it has some very slight up and down like 0.5 to 1% grade. I ride 5-10 miles down the trail and back, which is Cabot where I turn arounf. After Cabot it starts heading down hill a bit steeper the rest of the way to Freeport. The trail crosses over Rt 28. I haven't ridden the whole thing, but want to start out in Freeport and ride to Butler some time so I'm going uphill to start and finish downhill.
So, check out some of these trails. We have quite a few around the area. Maybe we'll see each other out there some time. I'd like to invite you to ride with me but I never know when I have time as my wife works just about every weekend. Maybe we can get together though some time. And congrats on the loss so far.
Oh, adding this since I checked out a bit of your blog in your signature. First, though perhaps we knew each other as I work with a Shawn who is of fair size. Nope, not you after seeing your picture. Interesting job, is it the BART bus you drive? Anyway, the reason for this addition, you mention the amount of people you see at Moraine. I know,it can get very busy there. On the trails I outlay here, I hardly see any one. The Butler-Freeport I'll see someone about every 3 miles on a 10 mile ride. Sandy Creek will get a little busy on the weekend, but nothing like Moraine. The Allegheny River trail, I rode 30 miles, 15 out and back and only saw 2 other people.I hardly ever see folks on that trail.
Last edited by mrodgers; 08-09-14 at 09:03 PM.
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Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
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