Getting into biking and need some advice
03-01-24, 02:38 PM
#26
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If you just like sitting and lightly poking at the pedals, that’s okay. It’s also okay to eat soup with a fork if you want.
03-01-24, 10:59 PM
#27
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A hybrid bike is a great choice for what you describe. They’re not efficient, so you won’t go very fast, but still a ton faster than walking and a lot more rewarding, I think.
Re. butt pain, there are three steps:
1) Get padded biker shorts. If you don’t like the look of them, you can wear regular loser shorts on top of them. It cannot be overstated how much of a difference they make.
2) Ride more. Take a break now and then, but keep at it. Half of it is you getting acclimated to riding again. (Of course being heavy exacerbates this problem, but hopefully, that will be addressed in time)
3) Once you’ve done 1 and 2 for a bit and it’s still bad, experiment with other saddles. The more upright the bike, the wider the saddle should be at the back. I’ve found the cutout in the prostate area really helps too.
Re. riding position: Forward leaned gets more comfortable as your body adjusts to it. The neck hurts at first from looking up all the time, and the hands and wrists give problems too. … However, in your case, the belly may be an issue.
I’m not fat-shaming, it’s just a fact of life. I’m only 30 lbs. overweight myself, and even this means my belly is in the way of I want to go down in the drops.
Last thing: You CANNOT out-exercise a bad diet. I quit drinking and started riding last year, lost 13 lbs and got stronger. But as soon as I started drinking again (and the munchies that go with it) I gained it back. So now I’m a stronger rider, but still need to lose those 30# to really make a big improvement.
Re. butt pain, there are three steps:
1) Get padded biker shorts. If you don’t like the look of them, you can wear regular loser shorts on top of them. It cannot be overstated how much of a difference they make.
2) Ride more. Take a break now and then, but keep at it. Half of it is you getting acclimated to riding again. (Of course being heavy exacerbates this problem, but hopefully, that will be addressed in time)
3) Once you’ve done 1 and 2 for a bit and it’s still bad, experiment with other saddles. The more upright the bike, the wider the saddle should be at the back. I’ve found the cutout in the prostate area really helps too.
Re. riding position: Forward leaned gets more comfortable as your body adjusts to it. The neck hurts at first from looking up all the time, and the hands and wrists give problems too. … However, in your case, the belly may be an issue.
I’m not fat-shaming, it’s just a fact of life. I’m only 30 lbs. overweight myself, and even this means my belly is in the way of I want to go down in the drops.
Last thing: You CANNOT out-exercise a bad diet. I quit drinking and started riding last year, lost 13 lbs and got stronger. But as soon as I started drinking again (and the munchies that go with it) I gained it back. So now I’m a stronger rider, but still need to lose those 30# to really make a big improvement.
03-02-24, 06:09 AM
#28
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03-02-24, 06:19 AM
#29
Junior Member
In broad terms, that’s usually true, but it is definitely possible to do. It’s quite possible to get and stay very fit and maintain a pretty low body fat percentage while eating a very poor diet. With a high volume of exercise, those calories get burned off and your body doesn’t care what food they came from. Most people think an hour or two of exercise per day is a tremendous amount, and for that you’d have a very hard time cancelling out poor eating habits, but if you’re combining strength training, intense cardio and being active/walking throughout the day, it’s very possible to improve your body composition in spite of maintaining poor eating habits. It’s much faster and more effective with a good diet, but definitely still quite possible, despite the catch phrase being so easy to repeat.
03-02-24, 07:38 AM
#31
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something is wrong with your bikes or your technique and you’re making it harder for yourself to bike. That’s fine.
My bikes aren’t broken and riding isn’t any harder for me than walking. I’m sorry that you’re so doubtful. Good luck learning to ride bike.
03-02-24, 07:51 AM
#32
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Ride consistently...at least several days per week
Eat a healthy diet...
A ss pain will diminish but a good saddle and padded bike shorts helps.
You are suspending all your weight on a very small area of your body...it's gonna hurt for a bit but will diminish over time.
Don't give up...it took a lot of time to get where you are now and it's going to take a lot of time to get where you want to be...take it one day at a time and enjoy the ride...you will live a longer, healthier and more enjoyable life.
Keep a gallon jug of water handy...every time you see a 9ish pound weight loss pick up the jug of water and imagine not carrying that around with you anymore...it's a simple trick that works...
Eat a healthy diet...
A ss pain will diminish but a good saddle and padded bike shorts helps.
You are suspending all your weight on a very small area of your body...it's gonna hurt for a bit but will diminish over time.
Don't give up...it took a lot of time to get where you are now and it's going to take a lot of time to get where you want to be...take it one day at a time and enjoy the ride...you will live a longer, healthier and more enjoyable life.
Keep a gallon jug of water handy...every time you see a 9ish pound weight loss pick up the jug of water and imagine not carrying that around with you anymore...it's a simple trick that works...
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03-04-24, 09:33 AM
#33
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Good advice above. The only thing I can add is (for me) your weight should be somewhat evenly divided between your hands, feet and butt. Possibly a little more on your hands would help your butt. If you wonder whether your seat height is correct you can get it pretty close by sitting on your bike while it's supported by you leaning against something, then put the backs of your heels on the pedals and pedal backwards. If your knee is straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your seat height is close to where it should be.
03-05-24, 04:52 PM
#34
Senior Member
Last year I bought a bike off Craigslist and took it into a bike shop to get fixed up. I think it's a hybrid bike, but there are so many kinds of bikes I'm not sure. It has shocks in the front and I try to sit up while I ride it. I tried to add a picture of my bike but the forum won't let me, so I put the URL in my profile.
My thought was a hybrid would be good for anything I could want to do. I mainly use my bike to get in shape, I'm pretty overweight. I bike on roads and sidewalks and trails. Most of the trails are gravel but a few are dirt.
My first question, should I get a different bike? Is this a good one for what I'm doing? Would a different bike provide any noticable benefits?
Second, my butt really hurts after I bike. Last night I rode for an hour and it hurt to sit in a chair after. I bought the biggest seat at the bike shop but it doesn't seem to help. I want to bike for longer stretches but my butt hurts so much after I can't. How do I fix that?
My thought was a hybrid would be good for anything I could want to do. I mainly use my bike to get in shape, I'm pretty overweight. I bike on roads and sidewalks and trails. Most of the trails are gravel but a few are dirt.
My first question, should I get a different bike? Is this a good one for what I'm doing? Would a different bike provide any noticable benefits?
Second, my butt really hurts after I bike. Last night I rode for an hour and it hurt to sit in a chair after. I bought the biggest seat at the bike shop but it doesn't seem to help. I want to bike for longer stretches but my butt hurts so much after I can't. How do I fix that?
I think bike fitting is the most confusing and difficult part for new cyclist, so buying from a bike shop would be good idea. Or at least have them try to adjust your current bike to you.
