jamesdak 

5 days post surgery and already on the indoor recumbent. I may just be easy pedalling on a road bike in no time. I figured the snows would get here before I could get out on a road bike. Now I'm hoping I can ride the new one coming in at least once before snows hit and keep me from taking any of the good bikes out.

Kabuki12

Great news! Pedal on , carefully . Joe

bironi

May try this product.
I use it for sore joints and post-crash soreness.

https://www.verdelux.com/mercy-cbd-t...l-cream-lotion

Sounds like you may be a new taller man soon.
Good luck!
Byron

squirtdad

the opus shows the feel of the ride and size of the smile measurement importance when adjusting the flock is more important than logic and measurements

jamesdak 

The "motivation" bike arrived today very well packed and took no real effort to slap back together. Not C&V but should be a sweet ride. Compact, and relaxed setup on this one so curious to see how it rides. This was built by Kelly Bedford in 2015.

Will easily be under 19 lbs even after I add bottle cages and pedals.

jamesdak 

Oh yeah! Tried riding the Azor yesterday after my PT session but with all the painful work I was too tight. Got about 20 yards in on the Azor before I got off and walked home. Today I did 15 minutes inside on the stationary recumbent then went back out and got on the Azor. Made it around the block today, about .7 miles. Small gains but I'll take them. Still ahead of schedule compared to this spring's recovery. Maybe I can get out on some real steel before the new year!


Today's ride

If the snow's don't hold off until after I can get on a real bike it will leave me with just the Team USA or Holdsworth to ride. Don't want to expose any of the good steel to winter road chemicals.

jamesdak 

And it looks like I lost the race this time. Still not back on the good bikes yet and the first major snowstorm moved in yesterday. Still waiting for the sun to come up but there's got to be around a foot out there already. Storm is forecasted to dump until midday tomorrow. I guess the Raleigh Prestige and Pacenti bikes will get their first rides in the spring. Bummer.

Kabuki12

I’m sorry you missed the window , for now. After my hip repair surgery in September, I was in so much pain all I could do was look at my bikes . I think it was week 6 or 7 when I decided to wheel my wife’s Townie out and have a go. I rode around the industrial area for about 1/2 hour and it was great . I have since done short blasts around on one of my vintage racers . Sunday I am going for my first “ride” , going to try a 15 miler on my Mondia. It has been about 10 or so weeks . Seeing your step through reminded me of what a great benefit these type of bikes are when you can’t quite get the leg over a gents bike. My wife’s Townie has the Shimano internally geared hub and Bosch e-assist which helped me build up strength slowly over 2-3 weeks.

jamesdak 

Well this second knee replacement is coming along slower than the one in April. And I had another little med issue that took me out for a week or so. But I realized I was close to exceeding last years total miles despite all the issues. So yesterday I got out on a real road bike and did a 21 mile ride. Then back out today for another 26 miles to put me 2 whooping miles over last year's total. I think the fact that I could do that with so few months of riding this years means I will have an excellent year of riding coming up. I'll be fully recovered and able to get back to my normal mileage. Curious to see if the speed (my modest form of speed anyway, LOL) comes back too.

repechage

Nice to read your persistence.

things should improve with that mind set.

this last year I have dropped “oomph” the best way to describe it. Not happy but more miles will help.

AdventureManCO 

Great job, James!

jamesdak 

Well this morning I noticed that a Bianchi Giro listed locally had been lowered to a crazy low price. So I went and grabbed it to use this winter instead of the 5200 I've been out on. Figured it the Bianchi was in halfway decent shape I could abuse it over the winter and then decide if it was a keeper or not. The bike isn't perfect as it has it's share of honest wear. Shimano 105 triple setup with some hodgepodge parts. Never heard of the Profile Design wheels it came with but they seem pretty true. Anyway, got it home and sorted it out while watching the early football game. New tires, swapped saddles an swapped in a slightly shorter stem. Otherwise just wiped it down. Took it out for a short 12 mile shakedown and things worked pretty much ok. The FD was rubbing some when I shifted into the middle chainring. Should be easy to sort out.

Anyway, I'm hoping the knee get's working better soon. I'm having a fair amount of pain in the hip and hip flexor area and the back. Sure it's just because I'm compensating for the flexibility being off still.


How I got it with a wireless Sigma computer and saddle bag loaded with Co2 inflator and cartridges as well as tools, extra lights, tire levers and he gave me his shoes.


Threw on new tires, used Fizik Kurve saddle, and the stem. I did put some flat pedals on for use right now, still not clipping in yet. Bike was 20 lbs 3 ozs as above. The front wheel bare was 908 grams. So just a switch to the spare Zonda's I have on hand would get this under 19 lbs I bet.

repechage

Maybe lower the saddle 5mm? Raise it incrementally as time goes on?

georges1

Very nice bike, does it ride better than your cannondale caad8 optimo ?

georges1

Very nice bike, does it ride better than your cannondale caad8 optimo ?

jamesdak 

I honestly couldn't say right now. I'm riding slow and heavy in the saddle right now as well as not being clipped it. Still, I did take it back out today for a 25 mile ride and was quite comfortable on it. So that is a good sign. Late in the ride my legs came around a bit and I did some faster miles in the 18-19 mph range. It felt pretty racy under me then. Once I get back healed and to full speed I should be able to judge it better.

jamesdak 

Just thought I'd throw a little update out there, probably more to vent my frustration. Past 5 months now on the second knee replacement and it's just not getting back to normal. Hurts throughout each ride and just won't seem to stay loose. Lots of resistance to flexing. I've done so much more PT both on my own and at the clinic this time compared to the other knee. It's like I can work and work it each session and get to a certain degree of flexibility and then the next session I'm starting all over again. No matter if were talking an hour between sessions or a day. Heck I was working it loose for 10-15 minutes before my PT appointments, drive not even 10 minutes to the appointment, get back on a bike there, and it was stiff again. The last two day's bike rides have been about taking pictures along the way. Each time I started back up from a short stop to take pictures I'd have serious pain for a few strokes and a serious hitch as I pedalled, crazy. Day to day I can function so much better now but going down stairs and bike riding are still painful. Can't put my pants on normal or cross my right leg over my left to put my shoe on. Hopefully all of this does clear up because riding is my life. Even if I can't get back the speed I was riding I'd life to do it relatively pain free. Riding is my mental release and I just can't stop doing it.

Anyway vent over time to go work on the Sancineto project some more.

1989Pre 

Have you experimented with heat? A knee brace can supply the needed heat. So can a ginger, mustard or cayenne plaster help. What is your basal oral temperature and your diurnal maximum temperature? Some of us, like me, just run a bit on the cool side.

ascherer 

Can't speak to replacement but my left meniscus repair took longer to resolve than the right - I overdid it too early and have been doing virtual PT for what seems like forever. Patience and stamina, hope your path continues to improve.

AdventureManCO 

Wishing you only the best in your healing and continued improvement in range of motion and flexibilty. Keep at it. You WILL get it back!

plonz 

I hear tell ‘84 Prestige’s have magical healing powers. Rumored to be a mystical quality of the 555 SL tubeset. Mount up and heal thyself soon!

Kabuki12

Don’t give up , I’m in much the same situation with my hip. My recovery hit a plateau. I am at 7 months since I broke it . I saw the doctor a couple of weeks ago and he said it would be a full year before I would feel much better. I went on a decent ride last weekend and it was ok . Sometimes there is still quite a bit of pain but the stretching I learned in PT is helping. I hope your recovery continues and when you hit the plateau just continue to move as you can. I was told that the only way back is persistence.

Polaris OBark

I "liked" post #42 in solidarity, not because I like what you are having to go through. However, you are still an inspiration to many of us, and especially my wife who just had a hip replacement. You will get through this.

jamesdak 

A month later and things really aren't any better. This may be the best it's going to be. Each ride it takes me a few hundred yards before the knee bends enough to allow me to stay fully seated in the saddle. Then around 2 miles before I'm pedaling fairly smooth without hitching up the right hip to go over the saddle. No matter how many miles I go there is just constant resistance to bend as I go over the top of the pedal. And each time I stop for a minute or so or even if I just coast I am guaranteed to have a lot of pain for the first couple of pedal strokes, so weird. So the VA doc again last week and he was not sure why it's turned out like this. He did go back and checked my records and then came and told me it was a different knee put in this time but was the right size.

There's a lot of burning sensation in this one too but I know that's just nerve stuff so I don't worry about that.

It really is effecting the riding though. I am trying to get back to consistent riding but the weather keeps being bad. Did a 32 miler today on the Coppi, normally one of my faster bikes. Gave an honest effort the whole ride doing it with a avg HR of 142. Normally this would have given me a low 18 mph avg on this route but today it was only 16.5 mph. That's normally my goof off rest day pace. Cadence is so off due to the knee resistance. I'm just muscling more than spinning and that's not a good thing. If I take out one of my compact doubles I keep finding myself way down on the block just to carry any kind of speed. Hoping to start hitting the mountains this week or next, maybe that will get something working...

On a positive note, I am working my way through all the bikes. Tomorrow should be the first test ride of the now completed Sancineto.