dneid

Hi, All,
Well, here I am at 53 finding I missed pedaling my lil teenage arse off around New England. I finally made the decision to get my overly large back side onto a good road bike. I recently purchased a Giant 2009 Defy Advanced II. I was not especially looking for a carbon frame as that was generally out of my price range. What really sold me on the bike was the Ultegra gear. Damn, the difference between those and the 105s was STUNNING. So, Bucks Bikes, here in Austin, had several 2009 leftovers they had just received at a very good price. I just could not say no. The guys at Bucks are awesome. They were VERY patient with me and my questions and took a great deal of time to ensure the bike fit and was setup for me. I do know I will need a tweak soon.
I have about ~350 miles so far in about 2 months. I had forgotten how much I LOVE riding again. And to say the gear has changed a tad since the mid 70s is an understatement.
My main goal is to quit smoking, a good cardio work out and just plain fun. I would love to hook up with riders who can put up with a newbie and do some riding. I live in the Leander TX area, just off 183 and Crystal Falls.
I hope I am posting this in the proper area. If not, please tell me. I will be asking you all tons of questions as I grow into this wonderful hobby and lifestyle.
Thanks,
Dale N.

cranky old dude

Well hello Dale.

I do believe you have landed right smack dab in the middle of the right place to be.

Congrats. on the new bike and the change in lifestyle. Soon you'll be posting ride reports and pictures and we'll be expecting to hear about you riding your age on your birthday and eating pie and....well yes, this is the right place.

Dan Burkhart 

Hello and welcome. Yup, this is the right spot.
Sounds like you have a very nice bike for your re-intro to the wonderful world of cycling.
I'm curious, are you a guy or gal? The name Dale is one of those that goes either way.
And the smoking thing. As one who conquered the habit long ago, let me say quitting will be the best thing you have ever done for yourself.
Good luck and happy trails.

Bare Feet

Hi Dale,

Congratulations on your new bike and your rediscovered love of riding!

I just started riding again too, and I found that the more miles I rode the more determined I became to ride even more. I read and searched a lot here at Bike Forums for advice and encouragement. They're a great people here who have helped me immensely.

My area has a large bike club with rides for every level of rider. Your bike shop should be able to direct you to a club.

Your main goal of quitting smoking is certainly the one you'll get the most miles out of, in every respect, and I wish you the very best of luck with that! Post here for support when you need it.

hikeandbike

Dale, Welcome and good luck with your goals.

gtragitt

I really liked the Giant Defy Advanced. I test rode a 2010. The LBS wouldn't deal on a 2010 when it was close to 2011's coming out; so, I opted for a competitor.

I really like the Ultegra on my 2010 Roubaix Expert, but I had no complaints about the 105 on my 2009.

If you bring your bike to the Houston area, I would enjoy riding with you.

DnvrFox

Welcome.

There are regional subforums on the BFN site. You might want to also post your request for ride buddies there. Additionally, you might check local bicycle clubs.

https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?257-Texas

Wish I was 53 again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stop smoking - it is a killer.

Please feel free to join in the conversation(s).

Kurt Erlenbach

Except the one about Dancing with the Stars. That one needs to go away as soon as possible.

NOS88

Welcome. It's generally a civil group here. So, feel free to jump in.

Mojo Slim

Welcome to BF50+ from a fellow Giant rider -- '05 carbon OCR Limited, with about 36,000 miles on it. Keep your eyes on this forum for good advice and good reading.

DnvrFox

Rick@OCRR

Welcome Dale! Cycling is a wonderful sport and hobby too, glad you've decided to join us.

Yes, I wish I were 53 again . . . I'm 60 and just getting used to my Geezerhood.

Austin has lots of great places to ride and an excellent cycling community, so you are in a very good location.

Rick / OCRR

Daspydyr 

Hello Dale N., I am Dale Y. Welcome aboard, this is a great bunch of supportive and at time comical people. I bet you will enjoy your time here.

It sounds like you are off to a good start in returning to bike riding. I started the same journey 15 months ago. I like it when the nurse says something like, hey, you have the BP of a 20 year old, what have you been doing. No one was saying that last year. You will enjoy having better health and a few less pounds.

And like you, I enjoy shopping for a good deal bikes or anything. Drives my wife nuts.

JanMM

I quit smoking and took up cycling when I was 23 - it took another 2-3 years to completely and finally quit smoking. Hang in there with the cycling and working towards a smoke-free life.

The Weak Link

It's about time you decided to chug on over here to Mamby Bamby land and pick up a little self confidence. And we're kind to people over here, as long as you're not a crybaby.

cyclinfool

Come on in, put your feet up and stay awhile.

dneid

Hi, all,
Damn, you folks are awesome. And, there seem to be just a few comedians here. Guess I will fit in just fine! Now, back to Mamby Bamby land. Just call me a Jack Wagon. Oh, and I am a guy. Should have made the clear, my bad.
I will be bugging you all with tons of questions. Once I decide to do something, I generally jump in with both feet and want to learn it all. So, in that vain:
1) Pedals - using the stock pedals for now. They are ok, but they can be a bit tough to engage. They are non adjustable. Any suggestions for upgrades next year?
2) Shorts - got a basic padded pair that work for me for now. Anything to look for in the future?
3) Saddle - seems like the stock saddle is ok in conjunction with the shorts. I can do a 15-20 mile with no agony in the back side. Given that I can get some miles down the road, I assume an upgrade is a lower priority for now?
4) Tires - the Giant has stock Michellins Opti<something>. Some guidelines on wear and life would be helpful. Any one have good web sources for tires?
5) any pointers to maintenance guides? I prefer to keep my things in good shape, but, I need to learn what is a good maintenance regiment.

I think that is it for tonight. Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Later,
Dale N

DnvrFox

1) Pedals - using the stock pedals for now. They are ok, but they can be a bit tough to engage. They are non adjustable. Any suggestions for upgrades next year?

Not quite sure what you mean by non-adjustable. Are you talking about platforms or clipless? All clipless I know about have some sort of tension andjustment - but then I don't know everything!!

2) Shorts - got a basic padded pair that work for me for now. Anything to look for in the future?

Most of us use "bibs" - they seem to fit an "older" body better - and the general consensus is the more expensive the better quality and the more comfort - but I use mid range cost.

3) Saddle - seems like the stock saddle is ok in conjunction with the shorts. I can do a 15-20 mile with no agony in the back side. Given that I can get some miles down the road, I assume an upgrade is a lower priority for now?

You won't know if your saddle "really" fits until you do a century. Most folks can ride 20 miles on a piece of plywood. Saddles are very individual, and sometimes it takes several trials to find one that really fits for several hours in the saddle. Some folks have vey sersitive butts and related parts. SOme don't. I am lucky in thet I have an iron butt.

4) Tires - the Giant has stock Michellins Opti<something>. Some guidelines on wear and life would be helpful. Any one have good web sources for tires?

I will ask others to answer. Lots of folks use Continental 4000S - I use Continental Ultra Gatorskins and Specialized Armadillos in a futile attempt to avoid punctures from "Goatheads" - aka "puncture vine." A whole nother topic, depending upon where you live. Maybe 2,000 miles - it varies widely depending upon terrain, riding style, your weight, etc. Some folks claim up to 4,000+ miles. Not I. I change when I see significant wear. Helps to keep the goatheads out.

5) any pointers to maintenance guides? I prefer to keep my things in good shape, but, I need to learn what is a good maintenance regiment.

I use a great mechanic - not being mechanical. All I do is wipe and sort of clean my chain and lube the chain about every 100 miles. I am excellent at changing tires due to the goathead flats. Some folks here build their own bikes and are extremely competent mechanics, but not I. There are good resources at the Park Tool website, and several books. You may need special tools if you do much more than I do.

There is a whole nother issue - what do you carry on your bike for repairs and safety? We have had numerous threads on the topic. When you are ready to discusss, do a search or just ask. Folks here LOVE to tell you all they know (me included).

You haven't told us what kind of pie you like********************? This is critical for 50+ participation. Hope it is blueberry.

gtragitt

I bought some expensive Pearl Izumi bibs and found that Performance Ultra bibs at half the cost are as good. I still have a drawer full of shorts and am perfectly happy to ride with them. I will probably buy bibs from now on, but I can't see a big improvement over shorts. Shorts can be more convenient.

For the saddle the ideal width was important for me. Most people need a 143 mm, but I never adjusted to that width. I had the LBS measure my sitz bones with the Specialized foam tool. I am unusual and have narrow sitz bones. A 130 mm works great for me. I bought a Specialized Toupe with titanium rails. It is really light. It took several miles to adjust to the minimalist saddle. I am happy I stuck with the adjustment period. I had a $30 E3 saddle that can't be found anymore. It was also a minimalist saddle with titanium rails. It was comfortable without the adjustment period.

BigBlueToe

1) Pedals - using the stock pedals for now. They are ok, but they can be a bit tough to engage. They are non adjustable. Any suggestions for upgrades next year?

This is a controversial topic. The consensus seems to be that clipless pedals are wonderful. I'm in the middle of a two-year experiment with them on my road bike (I have platforms - no clips at all - on my touring bike and mountain bike.) I tried Look Keos first. They were nice, but tough to engage when pulling away from a stop - for me, anyway. They held my feet in the proper position. My feet tend to wander on platforms, which is okay except when they're rubbing on the crank with each revolution. I didn't really notice myself pulling up on each stroke, which is what people say is one of the benefits - increased pedaling efficiency. Was I more efficient? I don't know. I fell over twice when I couldn't get unclipped in time (Club Tombay) but no injuries, other than a bruise and a scrape. The shoes were lousy for walking in. "Click, click, click", and very slippery on slippery floors.

Now I'm trying Shimano SPD 520 pedals, which are for mountain bikes, but plenty of people use them on road bikes. I like them better than the Keos. They're double-sided so you don't have to make sure they're aligned right-side-up when you try to clip in. They're also just easier to clip in in general, and they're easier to pedal when you're not clipped in yet - like pulling away from a stop when your in the lefthand lane with impatient cars behind you. The shoes are much easier to walk in - not as comfortable as running shoes, but not bad. There's still a little click, click though.

I'm leaning more toward going back to platforms, but I'm not quite there yet.

I hate pedals with toe clips. I think they're a big pain, and more difficult to get out of than clipless.

2) Shorts - got a basic padded pair that work for me for now. Anything to look for in the future?

Padded shorts are almost mandatory for me. I've tried lots - mostly less-expensive ones from Nashbar or Performance. Different ones fit differently. While most were okay, some just felt better than others. I found a type I liked and bought several pairs.

I tried some more expensive shorts. They fit great, but not so much better; perhaps not enough to justify the higher price.

A couple of pairs of more expensive shorts came with silicone leg grippers, instead of the elastic on other pairs. They were fine for a day ride, but when I took them on tour I discovered they gave me a rash. It wasn't painful, but it was still a rash and I didn't want it. I posted a thread to see if anyone had had a similar problem. Several people said they had. Now I won't buy shorts with silicone grippers.

3) Saddle - seems like the stock saddle is ok in conjunction with the shorts. I can do a 15-20 mile with no agony in the back side. Given that I can get some miles down the road, I assume an upgrade is a lower priority for now?

If you get into road riding you'll find that a 20-mile ride is still considered fairly short. I have a large collection of saddles. Virtually all of them are okay for the first 20 miles, but that's about when they start to hurt, if they're going to. If you ride centuries, or go on tours where you ride long, successive days (like 60-80 miles a day for a week or more) you'll start searching for a comfortable saddle.

For now, if what you have is working for you, great. If you start riding longer distances and your butt starts giving you trouble, you'll start "the search." I, like many people, really like a Brooks B17. It's considered a touring saddle by many, but it worked so great on my touring bike, I put one on my road bike as well, and I'm glad I did.

If you search you'll find umpteen threads on this forum, as well as the touring and road bike forums, about comfortable saddles.

4) Tires - the Giant has stock Michellins Opti<something>. Some guidelines on wear and life would be helpful. Any one have good web sources for tires?

What do you want in a tire? Racers want light weight and good handling. I want good handling and light weight, but I'm willing to sacrifice some of that for durability and flat avoidance. Talk to the people at your local bike shop. Don't be afraid to spend some money. It will be worth it in the long run.

I bought my son some tires for his road bike. I didn't want to spend a lot of money until we found out if he was really going to take up the sport. (I also wanted him to spend his own money if he wanted really good ones.) I bought the cheapest tires in the shop (a good shop, so no real garbage.) He got his first flat after 2 months. I've ridden mine for two years, and probably 50 times the miles, and haven't had a flat yet.

5) any pointers to maintenance guides? I prefer to keep my things in good shape, but, I need to learn what is a good maintenance regiment.

I use the one by Bicycling Magazine and the one by Leonard Zinn. Park Tools also has a good one.

Two websites to know about are the Park Tool website and the one compiled by the late, great Sheldon Brown for Harris Cyclery. You can also ask questions here and on the Bicycle Mechanics forum.

The two things I do all the time are keep my tires pumped to the proper pressure and lube my chain. I pump my tires before every ride when I'm home and can use my floor pump, and every 2 or 3 days on tour when I have to use my frame pump. Get a good pump with a gauge.

I lube my chain whenever it starts to get rust spots or starts to get that dry-chain squeak when I ride. Sometimes I'll lube it just because I haven't for awhile.

Whenever my chain starts to look too gunky I'll clean it good and then re-lube.

Learn to adjust your rear derailleur with the barrel adjuster. You'll need to from time to time when the cable stretches.

Bike wrenching isn't that hard. You can start to teach yourself systematically, or you can wait until something needs fixing or adjusting and learn to do it yourself then.

Buying tools is fun! (And it's an investment, right?)

Find a good mechanic who will let you watch when he works. My guy will even tell me what he's doing and how to do it right so that I can do it myself later. Sure, teaching me will make me less likely to hire him for the same job in the future, but he's building good will, and helping create a more dedicated cyclist who will be spending lots of money on his hobby in the future. He's such a great guy that I always try to patronize his shop when I can, even if someone else has a lower price. And he always has plenty of bike repair business, so I don't think he misses me all that much when I'm home doing it myself.

stapfam

Got some new young blood on the Forum--All we requires is pics after the first Tombay of some of it while eating Pie to recover.

Welcome but Hope you know what you are letting yourself in for.

leob1

You also have to observe the N+1 rule if you want to hang with this group, it's a requirement, no exceptions.
In Texas you can ride year 'round, so you should have no problem racking up miles.
Stop smoking, it will save your life.
Isn't there some guy that lives in Austin that likes to ride?

The Weak Link

You've been getting wordy, nuanced and obfuscatory Obamaesque answers.

Allow me some W-esque responses, probably wrong but at least not painful.

1. M or A 520s.
2. PI bibshorts, ultrasensor. Assos if you're rich.
3. Brooks. WTF.
4. Conti Gatorskins. Replace 'em when you start getting lots of flats.
5. Parks Tools book and website. Avoid Zinn. He's a commie.

Hermes

Ride lots.

DnvrFox

And, as I recall, you voted for B*******.

Nuff said.