late

https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/

Labarum

Thanks

I Googled on Mercia, not mercian

TrailRider

Labarum - interesting our similarities! I began riding 2 weeks ago - 56 years of age, 6', 195 lbs, Atkins last year but still 15 lbs or so overweight, riding a new Miele Tuscana1 hybrid. Yesterday I biked 20 miles to work in 90 minutes, so averaged 13.5 mph or so, with an heart rate of 140-145 bpm on gently undulating terraine, 165 climbing out of a tunnel under a canal. But with a headwind of 10-15 mph I took 5 or 6 minutes more to get home. Although I thought my heartrate was a little high, there was no discomfort other than aching knees when I pushed hard. Overall I was tickled, actually a little elated, to have accomplished the ride in my first 2 weeks of cycling.

My problem isn't my arms or shoulders - but my tailbone and a numb seat by the end of the ride. A premium gel seat and moving the seat backward helped some - but it's still a problem that's starting to spoil bike riding. So that still needs attention.

Good luck and have fun!

Labarum

Greetings, Tailrider.

You don't say what you are riding.

I am looking longingly at a Trek 100c and a Ridgeback World Hoizon.

My Trek 800 even with city tyres is a sluggard - I can cruise on the flat at 14-15mph, but a light tourer would give me some edge.

TrailRider

[QUOTE=Labarum]Greetings, Tailrider.

You don't say waht you are riding.

Re-read my now edited posting..... Mark

Labarum

Oh, I thought they made washing machines and vacuum cleaners!

This would be more my style

https://www.mielebicycles.com/2005/en...EUBONBON,BLANC

stapfam

Both Trailrider and Laburum are at the same stage of the riding experience and both seem to be around the same level of fitness and speed. To be quite honest I wish I hade been at the same level as them 2 weeks after I started riding around 14 years ago.

Luckily I don't have a weight problem but just to give you both heart- I am in training for a big ride, and I do not follow the Atkins diet, and in fact with my training, I am on the reverse Atkins as With the extra training I am doing, I have to replace the Carbs that My training is using.
I have still lost 8 lbs in the last 5 weeks to get down to my fighting weight of 145lbs. In 5 weeks time, even with the extra training, but necessary as I will be carbo loading, I will be back up to 150/152lbs. This will be lost During the event or within a couple of days of it, and I will then start the slow progression back up to 155 again.
If you train hard enough, you will see the weight fall off you, but please ensure that you are fit before you push yourself that bit harder. I have been doing extra training since January, and I have only really been able to push myself since the end of March.

On the butt problem, when you get over it, let us know how you did it. Some of us still suffer from the problem after 12 hours in the saddle

DnvrFox

12 Hours??

TrailRider

Thanks Stapfam - many cyclists past my newbie stage have forgotten how important a little encouragement really is.

Truthfully, I'm a reformed cigarette smoker who was in terrible cardiovascular condition 7 years ago - since then I've been on an exercise program. I try to stick to 1 hour of vigorous walking daily, even in the bitterist of Canadian winter weather. And with my interest in gadgets I use a heart rate monitor to stay interested. (I finally grew too bored with the tediousness of my long country walks which just recently drew me to cycling.) My last tread mill stress test showed that rather than my level of fitness declining with age, it actually improved over a 5 year period of time, which I suppose may be saying more of the condition I had been in then my level of fitness currently. In any event, my cardiologist has okayed continued excercise within reasonable limits of course. So it's not as if I had no physical conditioning before starting to cycle.

I'm not terribly concerned with my weight and have forgotten about Aitkens. Having recently joined a bicycle touring club, I doubt my food intake will soon be of much concern.

As for the butt problem a 3rd LBS showed me last night that my tail bone irritation is due to a misfit between my month old hybrid and a combination of my comparatively long back and short legs - the problem leading to a rounded back and generalized butt pain. I was instructed I have a number of fitting problems.... In short, it was suggested I need a "longer" bike, a road bike with a distance of 60 cm between the handlebar post (if my lable is correct) and the seat post. A Canadian made "Devinci Chicane" https://www.devinci.com/english/chic.html that was 3 times the price of my entry level Miele hybrid just happened to be close at hand! Then again, 2 weeks ago I only envisaged leisurely 30 minute trundles along a parkway.

Thanks again for your interest and encouragement. Mark

Labarum

Trailrider, I did look in amazement at the hybrid you had chosen - as you say Ok for a few hundred yards to the shops, but not for anything serious.

I am looking to replace my 12 year old Track bike with a Fast Tourer - like a racing bike, but fatter tyres and a less demanding seating geometry while retaining the advantages of drop handlebars.

I have narrowed it down to two.

The first is from a UK manufacturer, so will not be a sensible choice for you

https://www.ridgebackbikes.co.uk/bike...asp?bikeID=133

The second is a Trek, and must be available to you.

https://trekbike.co.uk/2005/road_entr..._bike=1000%20C

Trek 1000c - I can get it with discount for £450.

The c is for COMFORT.

Wider tyres, higher and adjustable handlebars, shock absorher for saddle.

Disadvantage? Cannot fit standard mudguards (Fenders in USA)

But these will fit

https://www.camza.biz/item--SKS-Race-...ck--21MGSK390B

Lemond Bikes are rebadged Treks.

This is the equivalent Lemond - more expensive and with a higher specification.

https://www.lemondbikes.com/2005_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml

Well, I am just back into biking after many years, so if anyone wants to comment on my shortlist I would be happy to hear the advice.

rogaine

Like your preferences for an upgrade, the choice of fatter tyres, higher bar, gear down a bit and 8 speed rather than 9 makes sense to me.

I went for similar but flat bar - Norco Corsa - couldn't see myself on the drops too often and apart from niggling reliabilty issues have been delighted. First (9 speed) chain did around 2500K which is way short of my expectations! The alum frame is harsher than my real preference, do not know where you can find affordable steel these days - all the generic brands have gone al and steel is into the custom fields. I have an old Peugeot that still rides better than anything we are talking about here!

You will likely experience a couple of uplifts at 1 and 3 months, stay conservative and enjoy.

Labarum

Thanks rogaine

I thought I would prefer straight bars, but don't - there is only one place to put your hands. With drops you can move them constantly. I don't imagine I will get right down at all in the beginning, and will use the adjustable stem to set the bar high initially. I hope that will work for me.

The Ridgeback is steel, and I can get that for £500 with mudguards and adjustable stem. UK market only, I guess.

Another classic maker is still making steel tourers at reasonabale prices

https://www.dawescycles.com/dawes/galaxy.htm

but this is £700 - maybe with 10% off

Their cheapest in Aluminium at £400

https://www.dawescycles.com/dawes/horizon.htm

but I am 6ft 3in tall and the biggest frame in this model is 58cm - probably too small.

"Uplifts" - you mean improvements in performance?

Certainly I feel after a month I have a lot more power and endurance.

Its finding the time to test it!

DnvrFox

Lemond's were a separate company until a few years back. They have a distinct geometry IAW Lemond's beliefs about bicycling, and while made by Trek, are definitely NOt a "rebadged" Trek.

TrailRider

Eeh gads! American Treks and Giants in the UK and Canada, and Canadian Norcos in Oz - we sure aren't short on selection!

Labarum - LBS #2 does indeed sell the Trek 1000 ($849 CAD) but claims the only size with a top tube length of 60 cm (suggested by LBS #3) would be too large a frame for my 6' height. He claims American Giant models generally have longer TTs and their OCR3 ($879 CAD) might be a better choice. This retailer thinks I should start by taking the bike fit test https://www.bikefitkit.com/ ($75 CAD fee) before going further. But LBS #1 which sold me my Miele hybrid that seemed such a sensible choice just a few weeks ago is the only retailer prepared to take the bike back on some sort of trade.

This is getting too complicated, too quickly to make a good decision! My cycling goal is advancing so fast it's a moving target. Just a month ago I only wanted an entry level recreational bicycle slightly above the quality of a department store bike to ride blissfully along a paved trail. Last weekend I'm trying my damndest to pass the guy in front of me on a "leisurely paced" 35k group ride. And Tuesday I road 65k to work and back as part of this week's "Ride to Work" program. Today I'm trying to sort through highly technical variations of road bikes specifications.....

Labarum

The Trek 1000 and 1000c are different machines.

Have you noted that?

rogaine

Canadian Norco in Oz?? --- "Made in Vietnam"

TrailRider

Yes, I knew. When I asked the LBS told me the "c" in the latter refers to a blend of "comfort bike" specs while the 1000 series is all road bike, more or less.

TrailRider

WHAT********** NOT MADE IN CHINA********** Wage inflation can be the only explanation....

I don't know about products in the Land of Oz, but in North America at least, it seems everything is made "offshore", or will be next model run. So 2005 bikes made by Devinci, a company centered in Quebec, are now fabricated, welded, assembled, in other words largely made, "offshore" (I haven't been able to find out which country exactly.) LBS #2 told me the quality of the 2005s are identical with last year's 2004 Canadian made bikes. I'm sure that goes down well with the displaced French Canadian Devinci workers.....