jamain1993

Hi GUys

Well I went for my first ride to day in 20 some years all I can say is WOW what a day lol
I had my friend come over to work on my Next bike I just got form a friend well we could not get the front
brakes adjusted on it so my friend said lets go look at new bikes I told him Bob I cant afford a new one right now
being on SSI and I have my tags up on my car this month and insurance to make a long story short he bought me a brand new all
aluminum bike made by Hyper and he bought me a soft seat I told him NO several times and he told me its Gods money Jeff him and I
go to church to gather he about put tears in my eyes when he did this he said it was a gift from Jesus so I road it home from his house LOL
I can tell I need a lot of work I'm beat and VERY out of shape at 330 one good thing is I didn't crashl: I do need some help plz I'm trying to find some more comfortable hand grip that will fit it its a Hyper spin fit 700 plz if you could help me find some that would fit I would be very greatfull I just want to Thank each and every one of you guys for being so nice and helpful surely means a lot to a newbi like me


Thank you so much for all the advice and help

Jeff Main

OldsCOOL

God is good, isnt He?? Welcome to the forums.

Darth Lefty 

Nice! Your health is worth some investment too. Just keep pedaling. Don't hurt yourself doing too much too soon, at first your legs can usually crank out more miles than your butt can handle sitting through

Bike handlebars are standard so there are a bunch of ergonomic grips at all price levels that will fit your bike, try looking at all these from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A34942...n%3A2765755011

JanMM

Look for some cycling gloves first and see if that doesn't improve the comfort of your hands. Then find some grips if the gloves aren't enough. And keep wearing the gloves.
Keep riding.

eatontkd

+1

jamain1993

Thank you Oldschool and also Thank you all for the advice

Regards
Jeff

1989Pre 

Hey, make sure the seat is at the right height. Yeah, like others say, get some good gel gloves. You might be able to find something softer to cover those grip shifters: Maybe natural cork.
Bike says weight limit (aluminum) is 300 lbs. You might want to think about steel.

dougmon 

Re: your grips. Do be aware of how you're holding the handlebars.

I'm sort of in the same boat as you; prior to a few months ago, I hadn't been on a bike in decades. One thing I found is that I kept (and sometimes still keep) a death grip on the handlebars. You aren't necessarily doing that, but be aware of how you're holding on.

Wileyrat

You may be better off buying a pair of bike gloves, rather than looking for more cushioned grips.

I've used these gloves for years, and they hold up pretty well.

Nashbar Crochet Gloves

BTW, it seems you were meant to start riding, hopefully you can make it work out.

RonH

Jeff it seems that God has blessed you with a wonderful friend. God is good.

I agree that padded gloves may help with the hand discomfort. I hope you can find some that will help.

CrankyFranky

Welcome, friend! You might have bitten off a bit too much distance at first. Easy does it - I remember that when I started (way back when), I did maybe five miles for the first two weeks of daily riding. Next step is ten miles for a couple of weeks. You can begin to sort out whether you need to make adjustments with seat, etc. The gift of the bike lets you see all the other gifts that this life brings.

qcpmsame 

Welcome aboard, the 50+ forum is chock full of good folks, like your friend that has you started on cycling. I have two spare pair of padded gloves, both in good shape, very little use at all. if you want one, or both, just leave me a note via email, through the Forum's email messaging, my email address will be used without posting it. You don't have enough posts to send and receive Personal Messages yet (50 necessary to use this feature here.) No charge including postage, you can pay it forward some day, to some one that needs something, anything.

BTW, I am a former heavyweight, too, 287lbs when I decided I didn't care to die from kidney failures that kept harshing me. Now its 172+ and its been there for over 2 years now. Cycling is the means I chose to work on my health, it worked quite well. I am riding 150 miles or so, each week, over 7200 the last 2 years. Just keep at it.

God's Peace,
Bill

jamain1993

Hi Bill

Thank you for the offer VERY kind of you but I did find some gloves I had for weight lifting I'm going to try them out
some have it wrong I didn't ride 20 miles today I haven't road a bike in over 20 yrs plus LOL

Thanks again Bill
Jeff

qcpmsame 

Good on you, just let me know if the weight gloves don't do the trick. Keep at it, regardless of your daily mileage, it will do you great, as far as your fitness.

Bill

digibud

Ergon is a well known maker of grips that widen out for more support. A shorter stem or one that would get you more upright (if you're not upright enough) might also be helpful. Biking gloves are worn by everyone. It will take a long time before you're able to ride without putting a lot of weight on your hands, assuming it's a "regular" bike and you're not sitting really upright. There is no quick fix but if you keep riding...quit eating the foods you love the pounds will begin to drop and in time it will be a different world. I've dropped 90lb myself so I can give you well deserved kudos because I could not even come close to doing 20mi my first ride back on a bike. Congrats and keep it up! (that's what she said). Couldn't resist.

jamain1993

Hi Guys

Plz read the post again I did NOT ride 20 miles my first time out Its says I haven't
road a bike in 20 plus years LOL but I feel like I went 20 miles my first time I road maybe 2 miles
and that about killed me .but I will get used to it over time I'm wanting to get a computer for my bike
but dnt know what one is good that's wireless

Take care
jeff

dougmon 

You really will get used to it. I was off the bike for over 30 years, and my first ride was 6 blocks. I was trying to figure out how to shift on a bike with more than 10 speeds, and to get over years of inactivity. I felt as if my ambition to ride well was just stupid, that I'd never get used to it. This was two to three months ago. Last week, in addition to normal stuff like commuting and riding around the neighborhood, I took a 27 mile ride just because I didn't feel like stopping. And I don't think my story here is all that unique -- you'll hear much the same from many new and returning cyclists.

As others have said, take it easy at first and work up to longer distances. You went two miles? That's a big deal for your first time on the bike in twenty-plus years. I would bet that in a month (or less) that two mile ride will be nothing. But also you should know -- not every day on the bike will be good. I've had several awful commutes, and I wiped out once. And there are days when I have to talk myself into getting on the bike -- but I'm always happy I did.

There are other benefits as well. Your cardiovascular health will get better. And you will lose weight -- I didn't lose a great deal, only 10 pounds, but I also gained muscle.

And the biggest plus -- it's fun. And you'll see more stuff than you would from a car.

10 Wheels

Ride one day and then walk the next day.

Drop down from the 330.

Rick@OCRR

Good luck on your return to cycling! Yes, this forum is great for advice and encouragement and usually with a sense of humor too so it's all good.

As noted above, it's important to progress slowly at first so you don't do any physical damage but just as important, so that you maintain your enthusiasm / motivation to keep getting on the bike (even for a short ride) pretty much every day.

Don't know how you managed to stay away from cycling for 20 years but hey, I'm a life-long cycling addict so what do I know (he asked rhetorically)?

Rick / OCRR

John_V 

Congrats on your decision to take up cycling for your health. I think many of us here were in the same boat you are in and we all came out of it for the best. Just start slowly. Don't push yourself - the bike and the roads will still be there tomorrow. When you are comfortable riding a certain distance, increase the distance and likewise for speed. Before you know it, you'll be spending more and more time on your bike.

NABodie

+1 Try some gel gloves they work wonders!

OldsCOOL

I have those, too.

AlexCyclistRoch

Funny thing about cheap cycling gloves: weightlifting gloves are almost exactly the same, but cost about half as much....

BlazingPedals

Hey, I use weightlifting gloves! I don't like a lot of padding, and like you say they're much cheaper than cycling gloves. My advice to Jamain1993 is to stick to shorter rides for now - half hour or so is fine. Increase when your body says you're ready; you'll know when that is.

jamain1993

Thanks guys for the advice