I'm slowly dying with this cycling lark.

[jdtate101]

Congrats, going from a bad to a good bike setup is a bit of a revelation isn't it?

 

[heppy]

Great news! Chuffed to bits for you, well done and nice choice of ride!

 

[SoonToBeSkinny]

Congrats, going from a bad to a good bike setup is a bit of a revelation isn't it?

Unbelievable. The last 3/4 of a mile home is a hill that gets progressively steeper. Usually I hit the front door after work and the wife is worried I need oxygen. Today I just cruised up it - it is obviously still tough but I was able to keep my speed much higher. Arrived at the front door feeling like I could do another few miles.

Started to get the cycling bug .....

 

[defy-one]

Yesterday I did a leisurely 9.4 miles into Slough and back, and today the Mrs wanted some bread from M & S, she just looked at me when I said I'm going by bike ...... 10.75 miles today, and the bread wasn't crushed in the rucksack!
I havn't driven the car for 2 days and it feels great. I'm getting exercise and saving money

 

[Peteaud]

Unbelievable. The last 3/4 of a mile home is a hill that gets progressively steeper. Usually I hit the front door after work and the wife is worried I need oxygen. Today I just cruised up it - it is obviously still tough but I was able to keep my speed much higher. Arrived at the front door feeling like I could do another few miles.

Started to get the cycling bug .....

And the thing is, in a few months time you wont even feel you have done anything. Then you will start taking detours to make the rides longer.....

Well done for sticking with it as well.

 

[stephen.rooke]

And the thing is, in a few months time you wont even feel you have done anything. Then you will start taking detours to make the rides longer.....

Well done for sticking with it as well.

definately gets easier, gone from struggling at 10-12 mph to riding at around 20mph on the flat, and hills now easier after only a few months, went from mine to my dads, usually 2 miles but took a 10mile detour to make it more interesting.

still hate the wind though

 

[KateK]

It is fun isn't it! And you will look back in a few months and realise how far you've come.. I started about 6 months ago after being in hospital for most of 7 years and I went to a bike shop on Saturday and took a couple of spins out to try a saddle out and realised that the last time I took that route it was my whole ride, and I got to catch up a tired triathlon cyclist on the way back into town - well he did say Ready Steady Go to me as he went past.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Good news, well done .... now keep it up! The Boardman Hybrid is a great all-rounder and sprightly ride - enjoy.

Due to a lot of work and famiuly stuff, I've barely ridden for weeks. Me and a pal went out and did 35 miles at about 16/17 ave this breezy afternoon and now I feel like I've done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I'll need to re-read this thread
As you get older, a few weeks off the bike makes a big difference, it's like back to square 1. This time last year I was cracking-off 100+ milers and feeling in better shape at the end.
It'll hurt in a nice way tomorrow>

 

[Francesca]

DO NOT GIVE UP!!

 

[CopperCyclist]

It'll definitely get easier. The first time I picked up my borrowed first bike from the father-in-law, cycling it home I nearly died on one hill. Bottom gear on a triple ring MTB (so a very low gear) didnt help, I had to stop halfway up and I nearly died! Seriously, I couldn't even stand let alone walk the rest of the way, I had to have a sit down for a while until I felt better!

Now, I can fly up that same hill in the 50 ring with no problem at all! It gets easier, a lot easier - soon you'll be actively searching for longer routes with better hills to challenge yourself. Yes, a better bike helps, but you'll still notice the improvement even on your old MTB, you'll just get faster with the new one!

 

[GrasB]

Going to stick with it. Can already notice the difference in my legs. Strange thing though, my stomach is already noticeably smaller, but the scales are telling me I'm getting heavier. On a diet too (which I'm sticking with). Anyone know why this would be happening? I had hopes to drop some lbs during this adventure.

Okay you see those scales?.. throw them in the loft for a year or so! Seriously, you'll do a` lot better with a tailors tape to measure your waist, chest & thighs. What you want to see is a consistent reduction in all 3 sizes along with an increasing thigh to waist ratio. But keep at it.

 

[Jdratcliffe]

Started to get the cycling bug .....

​

 

[byegad]

Yes riding a few days then a day off the bike will make things easier. As has been said before 0 to anything regular will get you. Give your legs a rest once or twice a week for now, in a month or two you'll find 3.6 miles to work, or home are nothing. I used to commute 12 miles each way then changed job to 16 miles away. The first few weeks i gave myself a day off in the middle of the week, soon 32 miles a day was easy.

 

[Randochap]

Good idea to take a rest day. Adaptation can only happen with rest, otherwise you'll burn out.

A full suspension mountain bike is certainly not the best way to endear yourself to bike commuting. Suggest you look for a good hybrid or used tourer-type bike. Make sure you can attach racks and mudguards.

Gears are a personal thing, but beginners often make the mistake of pushing too big a gear. The rest is practice and conditioning.

Check out the Commuting Bikes and Readers' Commuter Bikes pages on VeloWeb for some ideas.