New to CycleChat? Make your first post here and say HELLO :)

[stevo]

Time is more of a factor than distance, IMO. You don't say what sort of riding you were doing (on or off road) but, if you're on the road, you probably did around 45 minutes? That's a decent amount of time for any exercise / position if you aren't used to it.

If you did 10 miles without dying , you can still walk and sit, no significant muscle pains and you thought it was fun, then I don't think there's much reason to shorten your run.

As an aside, I'm 46 and around 19 stone - still, even after cycling for 8 months. I started off doing short-ish runs along the Thames, about 10 miles but it was taking me around 50-55 minutes as it was mostly off road. After a couple of months of doing that, 3 or 4 times a week, I did a 50 mile tow-path run to Kingston and back, and loved every second. So, a month later, I caught the train to the middle of Wiltshire and did a 60-odd mile run along the Kennet and Avon, again without a problem. A couple of weeks ago (before I lost my job ), I did my 40-odd mile commute on the bike, through the Chilterns, and loved it.

Don't punish yourself, keep it fun, keep it interesting (varied routes and rides) and enjoy it.

I also went from having zero working bikes in June to having 5 now. Beware the lure of N+1.

Addictive stuff, this cycling.

hi norm it was off road and it took me 60 minutes to do 10miles.
my legs did hurt like a burning feeling in them but only when i got in thick mud.
i am 13 stone and my bike has off road tyres on it.but i also have another bike which is an hard-tail with semi slick tyres on it. i found riding on the road with the off road tyres tiring.that's one reason i went off road.
bike one with off road tyres (is full suspension).
bike two with semi slick tyres(is only front suspension) .
which would you say is best for road use.just want get out there and enjoy it.
thanks Steve.

 

[bauldbairn]

hi my name is Steve,i am 46 years of age and i have just returned to cycling after a 25 year break.

Welcome to the CC Forums stevo - your just saddle sore as the others have mentioned, it'll(your bum) sort itself out in a couple of weeks.

Oh and welcome back to cycling.

 

[Norm]

hi norm it was off road and it took me 60 minutes to do 10miles.
my legs did hurt like a burning feeling in them but only when i got in thick mud.
i am 13 stone and my bike has off road tyres on it.but i also have another bike which is an hard-tail with semi slick tyres on it. i found riding on the road with the off road tyres tiring.that's one reason i went off road.
bike one with off road tyres (is full suspension).
bike two with semi slick tyres(is only front suspension) .
which would you say is best for road use.just want get out there and enjoy it.
thanks Steve.

Well, I reckon 10 miles in an hour off road in mud is pretty darned good for a first ride.

From that information, bike 2 would be much better on the road, as most rear suspension units sap pedalling power, unless you've got a pretty expensive full-suspension bike there. I only rode hard-tail (front suspension only) for about 5 months last year and did hundreds of miles on and off road. I quite like the front suspension, even on tarmac, although it does reduce efficiency and add weight, it's ruddy nice when the roads are as bad as they generally are currently.

Road tyres also make a lot of difference - when I switched from off-road to road tyres, I reduced the time to do a set course on tarmac by over 10%.

 

[stevo]

Welcome to the CC Forums stevo - your just saddle sore as the others have mentioned, it'll(your bum) sort itself out in a couple of weeks.

Oh and welcome back to cycling.

hi bauldbarin thanks for the welcome.
i have been told this so see how it goes,if not i will buy some padded shorts.
thanks Steve.

 

[stevo]

Well, I reckon 10 miles in an hour off road in mud is pretty darned good for a first ride.

From that information, bike 2 would be much better on the road, as most rear suspension units sap pedalling power, unless you've got a pretty expensive full-suspension bike there. I only rode hard-tail (front suspension only) for about 5 months last year and did hundreds of miles on and off road. I quite like the front suspension, even on tarmac, although it does reduce efficiency and add weight, it's ruddy nice when the roads are as bad as they generally are currently.

Road tyres also make a lot of difference - when I switched from off-road to road tyres, I reduced the time to do a set course on tarmac by over 10%.

hi norm forgot to mention it was along the canal side but parts of it was really muddy.
thanks for the advice on the bikes norm.
they not really expensive but i have only just come back to cycling.
one is a barracuda fusion alloy frame/ steel swing arm 24 gears.
the other is a rockrider five 21 gears all alloy frame.
thanks again Steve.

 

[Norm]

Sorry, Steve, I have no experience on either of those, but a quick look at the specs for the Rockrider 5 suggest it should be pretty decent on the road or trail, depending on the tyres. I couldn't find anything on a Barracuda Fusion, though that could be because I need my Horlicks.

 

[stevo]

Sorry, Steve, I have no experience on either of those, but a quick look at the specs for the Rockrider 5 suggest it should be pretty decent on the road or trail, depending on the tyres. I couldn't find anything on a Barracuda Fusion, though that could be because I need my Horlicks. [/QUOTE

thanks norm i bought the barracuda second hand so could be an old bike but my wife bought the rockrider 5 new as a surprise for me.
Steve.

 

[madguern]

Hi all

Had some health issues and decided to challenge myself to ride to work everyday last year. Started on a converted mountain bike, then a flat bar road bike. Come sun, rain sleet and snow rode everyday, 30 miles short of my 2000 miles.

Got the all clear this year from the specialist so treated myself to a drop bar roadie, go to work with a smile on my face and enjoy the ride home too. Just the middle bit ruins it !!!

Working toward a sportive next year, love to do the etape Caladonia for personal reasons , figured they helped me so love to payback macmillan. Just need the weather to warm up now !

 

[stevo]

Hi all

Had some health issues and decided to challenge myself to ride to work everyday last year. Started on a converted mountain bike, then a flat bar road bike. Come sun, rain sleet and snow rode everyday, 30 miles short of my 2000 miles.

Got the all clear this year from the specialist so treated myself to a drop bar roadie, go to work with a smile on my face and enjoy the ride home too. Just the middle bit ruins it !!!

Working toward a sportive next year, love to do the etape Caladonia for personal reasons , figured they helped me so love to payback macmillan. Just need the weather to warm up now !

Hi madguern welcome to cc.
glad you got better.
wow wish i had clocked up that mileage,only came back to cycling 4 days ago after a 25 year break.
only done 60 miles up to now still finding hills hard work though.

 

[briary9]

Hello there,

Okay, so you've signed-up, got your user account, now all you need to do is get posting .... ah, um, er, What do I say?

Well, it's dead easy - just say Hello - believe me, once you get that first post under your belt you'll be off!

My name's Shaun by the way, and I own and operate CycleChat.

If you need any help or advice on using the forums, or want to ask a question but don't want to do it publicly - just send me a PM (private message).

Hope you enjoy, and welcome to CycleChat

Cheers,
Shaun

Hello Shaun,
Having had my last bike stolen I have decided to join your forum for guidance in order to get a replacement.
I am a very fit 78 year old male and cycle where ever possible purely for pleasure, there are some very pleasant rides around central Somerset.
My need is for a leasure bike, I am drawn towards the obvious quality of the Giant leasure bikes. Come on you experts, what do you think of the Expression N7, and the City CRS. Is the hub gearing on the Expression a good idea?
I look forward to a deluge of replies, don't let me down.
Regards briary9.

 

[Norm]

Greetings, Briary, welcome to CC. I'm not quite 78, although I do feel it after some rides.

The first thing said to anyone considering purchase is to get a ride on them. You might find that one or the other just feels perfect, and no comparison of specifications, geometry or colour schemes will tell you that. Make sure that they are set up for you, with the right saddle height and the stem adjusted. It'll take the shop 30 seconds to do that but you are investing some cash there so make sure they invest some time.

I have no personal experience of either of those bikes, although I do have a lot of time for Giant with 3 of them in my garage. I like the look of the Expression N7, with mudguards and rack already fitted, and hub gears and roller brakes, all you need to worry about are punctures and chain tension so it should be a pretty easy bike to own.

The City CRS is more "conventional", in as much as it has derailleurs and V brakes. These things are easier to tweak if you can do it yourself, but they can, IMO, need more frequent twiddling than the stuff on the Expression.

From the sheets, I'd go with the Expression because of the ease of maintenance but go ride, see which one you think will carry you for many miles of pleasure and leisure.

 

[Nate Taylor]

HI

Hello everyone,

Very new to posting and to cycling in general...had a few rides last season and went out on my first of this year on Saturday just gone...only 17miles but it's a start i suppose.

thanks

 

[briary9]

Hello Norm,
Thanks for the info, you have confirmed my thinking on the Expression. Now I have to afford it !!!
Before going ahead I will see if any other "old codgers " have any input.
Once again thanks for your constructive reply.
Regards, briary9.

 

[Canal_Master]

Hello!

I am Graham and I am new to serious Cycling. I'm looking for others who share my view...

 

[Shaun]

Hello Norm,
Thanks for the info, you have confirmed my thinking on the Expression. Now I have to afford it !!!
Before going ahead I will see if any other "old codgers " have any input.
Once again thanks for your constructive reply.
Regards, briary9.

Hello briary9,

I've copied your's and Norm's posts into the Bikes forum where it will hopefully get more eyes ... and more replies.

Cheers,
Shaun