Sloth
Senior Member
Hi everyone, it's good to be here and I hope I can both give and take to and from this community as the time goes by. 
I confess to perhaps being a little premature in as much as not having a bike yet, actually that's not strictly true as I do have a MTB. It's a 2003 (I think) Claude Butler Cape Wrath 18" frame. I don't really use it as I find it uncomfortable on my shoulders and hands for road use (which is what I plan).
Looking at it as a cup half full though, it's in superb condition!
Anyway, let me rewind a little. I am 57 (13st 5'8") and have been running for over 20 years (not without a rest obviously) but I've never really been a 'serious' runner and only ran for fitness and escaping hordes of lusty woman after my body....ok I may be exaggerating slightly about the women....or perhaps a lot....and...perhaps even to the point of it being a complete lie
So, back to the point, as I get older I am finding that running is putting too much stress on my joints and specifically my hips and Achilles, not so much my knees although they do play up sometimes but mainly when my shoes are on their way out.
However, before I commit myself to the Derbyshire home for the old, wobbly, creaky and delusional I thought I'd look at maintaining my fitness (or at the moment getting it back) by way of cycling?
Now as I said my previous experience of cycling was not particularly good s I found it painful and uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I expect different muscle groups to play up but I'm talking about serious shoulder burn/cramp and tingling/numb hands. I also felt violated by the saddle after even short rides of around 2 miles or so, at one point it was so bad I almost needed counselling.
I understand that these issues may be due, at least in part to poor set up or configuration of my riding position (although it was set up for me by the shop after the last service) but either way, I think also that a MTB is not ideal for long rides on the road.
So, I'm looking at getting a road bike, second hand and perhaps after Christmas.
I don't know much at all about this hobby/sport so after Googling I think that perhaps an 'endurance' or 'sportive' road bike may suit me as they are apparently configured more for comfort and long distance, mainly by flex in the frame and frame shape angles etc. The downside is that they do seem awfully expensive so unless there are (much) cheaper options or great used deals I may have to re-think.
I'm not after breaking any records or even joining a club, certainly not at this point but I do want to cover some distance in relative comfort.
I am a bloke though so like all us blokes I like my toys and want something that looks decent and isn't too bottom of the range.
So there you are, I'm hoping to annoy you all with stupid questions but don't despair, I fully expect a few stupid answers so we're going to get along just fine
I confess to perhaps being a little premature in as much as not having a bike yet, actually that's not strictly true as I do have a MTB. It's a 2003 (I think) Claude Butler Cape Wrath 18" frame. I don't really use it as I find it uncomfortable on my shoulders and hands for road use (which is what I plan).
Looking at it as a cup half full though, it's in superb condition!
Anyway, let me rewind a little. I am 57 (13st 5'8") and have been running for over 20 years (not without a rest obviously) but I've never really been a 'serious' runner and only ran for fitness and escaping hordes of lusty woman after my body....ok I may be exaggerating slightly about the women....or perhaps a lot....and...perhaps even to the point of it being a complete lie
So, back to the point, as I get older I am finding that running is putting too much stress on my joints and specifically my hips and Achilles, not so much my knees although they do play up sometimes but mainly when my shoes are on their way out.
However, before I commit myself to the Derbyshire home for the old, wobbly, creaky and delusional I thought I'd look at maintaining my fitness (or at the moment getting it back) by way of cycling?
Now as I said my previous experience of cycling was not particularly good s I found it painful and uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I expect different muscle groups to play up but I'm talking about serious shoulder burn/cramp and tingling/numb hands. I also felt violated by the saddle after even short rides of around 2 miles or so, at one point it was so bad I almost needed counselling.
I understand that these issues may be due, at least in part to poor set up or configuration of my riding position (although it was set up for me by the shop after the last service) but either way, I think also that a MTB is not ideal for long rides on the road.
So, I'm looking at getting a road bike, second hand and perhaps after Christmas.
I don't know much at all about this hobby/sport so after Googling I think that perhaps an 'endurance' or 'sportive' road bike may suit me as they are apparently configured more for comfort and long distance, mainly by flex in the frame and frame shape angles etc. The downside is that they do seem awfully expensive so unless there are (much) cheaper options or great used deals I may have to re-think.
I'm not after breaking any records or even joining a club, certainly not at this point but I do want to cover some distance in relative comfort.
I am a bloke though so like all us blokes I like my toys and want something that looks decent and isn't too bottom of the range.
So there you are, I'm hoping to annoy you all with stupid questions but don't despair, I fully expect a few stupid answers so we're going to get along just fine
.... but intrigued .....
