beginning again

[shovelhd]

Something caused you to abandon the bike 3.5 years ago. If anything was bike related, fix those first. Riding your bike can be your sanctuary through rough times. It certainly has been for me. The weight loss will come as long as you enjoy riding your bike.

[R3awak3n]

I agree with everyone that says weight of the bike does not matter. Ride the Tommaso, maybe do a few easy simple upgrades. Maybe some compact bars, new saddle, pedals, some nice confy tires. Ride that for a while, get the hang of it again.

[jlwdm]

Lionel in your area is very knowledgeable but in your price range stay away from him as far possible or he will have you on a great looking, fantastic, but expensive, bike.

Jef

[picstloup]

So much good, reasonable advice. Thanks.

I don't have photos of the bike, but I will post. It is currently in our storage unit. We moved over a year ago to a new place and I wasn't home about 8 months during 2016, so it stayed there. It'll be a few weeks before I get to it.

I like the idea of bringing it to my local bike shop, getting re-fit on it, maybe upgrading some parts. It could use a new headset. I think the fit is the most important now.

Tempted to maybe go new group, wheels, etc. Just make me feel more secure on it. All the parts are really old now. I even have some fear that the frame/fork might not be 100% after all these years. It's based on nothing but my own fear, but I do like feeling 'secure' on the road. Gotta think about this. Maybe just upgrade and not buy a new bike.

The suggestion to put off a new bike purchase to June 2018 instead of this June makes sense too. I'll play that on feel. Maybe Fall 2017 for price reductions?

Or maybe upgrade parts now. Add a new frame in a year? Things to ponder.

I've got to take it slow. The reprise. I have cardiac problems. 4 stents. So. Gym. Stationary bike. Treadmill. Then on the bike in about 8 to 12 weeks. Wait for the form to come back even a little. Wait for the sun and warmer temps to make riding that pleasure, joy I remember.

I've also got a stress test coming up in March sometime. I'm followed by a cardiologist religiously. I was 45 when the cardiac problems started.

The reason for the break. Multiple deaths on my side and wife's side of family over the last 3 years or so. And this last year dealing with my mother who is ill, has dementia. It has all been a major distraction emotionally from anything 'joyful',...and I kept telling myself the physical work would keep me sane and healthy but to no avail.

I started taking my rivendell to the park and running/walking those dirt trails. When in Miami helping mother I used an indoor gym and the pool when I could.

Now things back, sort of, to a state where I'm looking to pick up the thread I lost so long ago. I used to ride 3-4 times a week. Six to nine hours on the bike per week. The longer rides with a group...saturday mornings, 2.5 to 4.5 hours depending on season. I miss that, though now I am thinking to ride solo for a while and see how I feel.

I have to re-read all your posts. Have it sink in a bit. Again, thank you.

Morris

[picstloup]

Weisan. Thanks for this.

I wish sometimes I could buy from the ads listed on this site, but living in France makes it a bit difficult. But dang. Over the years I've seen some lust worthy bikes and kit.

"Just ride." That could be my mantra going forward.

m

Originally Posted by weisan

>>
something that will last
comfort - easy on my 62 year old bones

Loup pal, I applaud your efforts and desire to get back to cycling.

If you have been keeping up with the old vintage bike appeal thread, then you know - some things have changed for the better, many things haven't really in terms of experiencing joy, comfort and efficiency on a bike.

Here's what I would say first: Trust your instincts. You are far from being a novice, you have ridden a bike before, just because you have taken a long break and coming back now doesn't mean you are starting all over. Far from the truth, you can draw on your past experience, you know what you like and what you prefer, those things don't change. What changed is your 62-yr-old body. And this happened to us all, our bodies go through changes as we age, some cyclists are able to accept that and make the necessary adjustments, others are stuck in their old mindset, still insisting on certain setup or position on their bikes as if they were still in their youths, some still expect to climb or sprint or time trial like they were young and strong. I can appreciate those desires but at the end, making the necessary adjustments will not eliminate the joy of cycling, only seek to prolong our ability to continue enjoying what we do on the bike.

We all have to start somewhere. Don't worry about you being out of shape. It's just a matter of time and getting more miles in your legs. The fitness will come in due time if you ride consistently. Maybe when you are ready, find a group of like minded and similarly fit cyclists to ride with as a way to get yourself motivated and ride regularly.

On looking for a bike, this is what I will focus on. Look for a bike that gives you the necessary comfort, and sometimes that means getting a bike that has a longer headtube that allows your handlebar to go higher, or get an older bike that still uses quill stem for that easy adjustability etc. Resist the temptation to follow the crowd or the trends. The goal is to get you on the bike and ride regularly. Kinda like someone on a weight loss program who needs to get down to a smaller size t shirt as they lose weight, it's possible that as you get fitter and stronger, you might upgrade to something different. But do this in incremental changes and progress, not trying to reach your goals in one fell swoop, don't be too ambitious or idealistic, take a more realistic and pragmatic approach to this whole thing.

Focus on the ride.

Trust what you already know, which is substantial.

Ask the folks here, they will help.

Look out for deals on our classifieds.

Bottomline: just ride!

Good luck pal.

P.S. post a picture of your current bike, that will give us some ideas....

[picstloup]

Aki, thanks for this. My fears descending have to do with speed, possible dirt/pebbles/sand on the turns,...

I just remember trying to stay with the group on descents and always trailing, not wanting to fall, get hurt. I mean I don't do this for money so why take any risks.

But over the years I've read posts, reviews, where people talk about certain bikes being great for fast descents. I know I have to practice. It could just be my stinking ability.

One was about the cannondale super six evo. Reviews praise it's sure-footedness. Is that a word?

I figure anything that helps me is a plus.

I was never afraid of anything while cycling except while descending. Years ago, no problems hanging with the group on the flats, the rolling hills. Climbing, no way. Just too heavy and not a great climber until I got down to about 74 kilos which wasn't often.

Cars and descending were the two things that caused 'fear'.

I will try, eventually, what you illustrate. See if that can inspire some confidence. But on some turns the view doesn't allow me to cut that way across without risking an intimate moment with oncoming cars.

M

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

Not sure what you mean by "suck at long fast hairpin turn descents" but generally speaking what I've seen (not that I've *cough cough* observed this in myself) is that riders tend to turn in too early in a turn and then compromise the rest of the corner in order not to go flying off the road (and off a cliff etc). That sets up a downward spiral of lower and lower confidence for each successive corner, slower and earlier turn ins (to make up for the wide exits an earlier turn it forces), etc. Suddenly the hairpin turn descent is really slow and definitely no fun.

My first thought whenever I see something like the above phrase is "play driving video games" or "do some go-karts" or "buy a matchbox car and play with it on the table. The goal is to learn to turn in late, or at least how to map out a good line through a given turn.

I did a short post on the turn onto my road. It's a classic late apex turn that took me a few experimental tries to get the turn in point correct. It ends up that for this turn the turn in point is probably 15 feet after the curb turns right. The drivers waiting to turn left look a bit surprised because I come pretty close to them when I do my turn in. However I don't encroach on the other side of the road.

In the post there are pictures from the dashcam point of view as well as a helmet cam (with shots of where my head is pointing, i.e. looking ahead). I understand that on a mountain descent you may not have the option of looking across the hairpin because of a rock wall or the ground or something, but the post below explains my thoughts a bit better albeit not completely.

http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...-pictures.html

For bikes a normal front end allows you to turn in "normally" and still have a stable front end at speed. For me it's 73 deg HTA and 43mm rake. A longer stem helps put weight on the front end, and if you're able to mentally commit to the turns being on the drops shouldn't be a problem, even in steep downhill hairpins. If you're unsure and trying to "get back up" then your neck/shoulders will be under a lot of stress. Don't ask me how I know.

Wheelbase is a red herring. I actually have such a long front center (56.5 cm TT with 75.5 deg STA) that my wheelbase is over 100 cm for the equivalent height of a size S Giant TCR seat tube of 40 cm (sloping top tube style). Due to the short 39 cm stays though the bike feels extremely nimble out of the saddle, but the bike feels very normal when I'm seated.

I learned about hairpin descents the hard way doing the 33-38 minute descent (for me) down the full length of Palomar Mountain. The first bit, maybe 15-20 minutes?, is chock full of hairpins. The first time I did it I was scared of going off cliffs, sliding under guardrails/cars, etc. I'd be crawling out of the hairpins with zero speed, zero momentum. Doing the descent involved riding 35-45 miles just to get to the base of the climb so a 95-115 mile ride to do the descent so I only had one chance to do the descent per day and usually 1-2 times per year. By the third time I did the descent I was fine on the hairpins on the drops, I was turning in moderately late, and I had some semblance of momentum exiting most of the turns. There were a couple blind hairpins where I never managed to commit 100% but those were blind so I felt uncomfortable going in too hot because I literally could not see anything around the corner.

Hope this helps.

[picstloup]

Originally Posted by stien

If the Tomasso fits, why not upgrade that bike? You should be able to outfit it with a new group and wheels and stay well within budget. It will be a game changer. Even just good wheels will be if you kept the group.

I'm gonna bring the bike to local bike shop. Talk to them about upgrades to make sure I'm safe on bike. Not sure what I might need besides to have a new check on fit to make sure all is good.

Late 80's, bought the bike with ultegra. Updated with Chorus eventually and have used only that since. I like the campy stuff, but haven't used recent campy. The last group I bought was around year 2000. A new chorus group which I liked.

Maybe 6, 7 years ago I tried a friends Trek with Shimano kit and it was smooth and good. That Madone also rode real well. We just switched bikes for a few miles. At the time I had a colnago c40 with the chorus group. Sold that a long time ago. When I bought it it fit great, but with age the low profile/position became too uncomfortable. Bought that frame used from a local shop here. Had it about ten years.

M

[picstloup]

141129_tommaso.red_009187 by Morris, on Flickr

Wanted to update this thread. I still haven't gone to get my bike from storage. I found this old photo of my Tommaso. This is from 2014. It's still like this. In storage. Campy 8 speed from 1994 still works. Mavic open pros I think.

Despite my plans to 'begin again', I had to put things on hold. First it was hard starting up at the gym to try and get the body moving again. Then, heart attack on 1 April 2017. That set me back big time.

I'm now about to finish a re-education program at a clinic where I've been walking (fast walks on rolling rocky terrain), doing core work, and aqua bike. So, recovering, slowly. Still. Now I'm told no more major efforts. Everything, walking, running, cycling, endurance. Endurance.

Feeling much better these days. When done, I'm thinking to take my city bike, the Rivendell, to the park, lock it up, and walk the dirt trails there. Bike home. The physical educators tell me to try and keep my heart rate at about 80 percent when walking, etc. They do push us, lots of folks there with cardiac problems, to 90, even 100 percent to work the heart muscle.

Bought myself a Polar m430 to track heart rate.

I'm not sure I'll ever ride the roads like I used to. It'll be less stressful to just go to the park and walk/run the trails traffic free.

Any plans for a new road bike are on hold. If anything I'll follow the advice already given about updating the Tommaso. Thank you all once again.

So it goes. Happy to be here. Not too much to complain about. But the doctors are saying, 'don't ride with your buddies who might push you to compete with them'...ride alone, or find a ride with older people who will all take it easy...it kinda depresses me to think that, but it's the new reality for me...

kind regards to all
M

Ps. I'm thinking I might deserve a bit of a treat. Dreaming of recovery and a simple, pedestrian Specialized Tarmac Comp with ultegra 8000. Or a Trek emonda with ultegra and carbon wheels, about 3500 euros here in France. Went looking around a bit. Asked about Look frames and bicycles. Like the new 785 Huez. But damn. These french bicycle salesman are pushing american firms. Say they are more responsive in case of a problem than Look. I'm thinking I might deserve a bit of a treat if the body continues to recover

Just something light, nimble, solid, and not too esoteric. Want to buy local if i buy anything, and use service here...I've also been thinking to buy a model with standard wheels like mavic aksiums and add a second pair of campy eurus or something like that...

Honest. All the reading about disc brakes, tubeless rims/tires, so many changes, I wonder how relevant they are. How easy is it to adjust disc brakes at home? Is the liquid I see squirted into tubeless tires easy and a blessing, or a silly crazy mess for flats on the road. I know I can change a tube. I know how to adjust standard caliper brakes. Isn't this older technology good enough?...

The dreaming is keeping me going but honest, just getting back to the park on my rivendell and starting to walk the trails is the first step and will keep me happy for a good long while

[weisan]

loup pal, thanks for the update. I still feel the same way when you first posted your inquiry. You may as well label your thread more appropriately as "falling in love again"....The key is to rediscover the joy of cycling and you can do that with any bike, anywhere, with anyone. The point is: just do it!

[picstloup]

Originally Posted by weisan

loup pal, thanks for the update. I still feel the same way when you first posted your inquiry. You may as well label your thread more appropriately as "falling in love again"....The key is to rediscover the joy of cycling and you can do that with any bike, anywhere, with anyone. The point is: just do it!

Yes. Yes.

At the clinic we do a bit of stationary bike, about 35 minutes after our long walks, about 6km in an hour. Also 45 minute aqua bike sessions that are really intense. I am loving spinning my legs again. The shock and pleasure of beginning again outside is something I'm looking forward to.

[paredown]

Originally Posted by picstloup

Yes. Yes.

At the clinic we do a bit of stationary bike, about 35 minutes after our long walks, about 6km in an hour. Also 45 minute aqua bike sessions that are really intense. I am loving spinning my legs again. The shock and pleasure of beginning again outside is something I'm looking forward to.

Missed this thread first time by, but just wanted to wish the best in recovering some form. (I'm a born again cyclist myself)

When I was younger and still racing, some physios and kinesiologists set up a 'Center for Preventative Medicine'--and because it was still early in the study of performance and heart functioning etc, they let us racers use their facility in return for volunteering for testing.

Long story short, they made their money doing rehab with people (men) who had suffered heart attacks or had other heart issues--fully supervised and carefully monitored. What is seared into my brain though is the memory of these guys starting in after an incident, shaky, bad color, having to have help to get on the exercise bikes, the nurses watching the monitors like hawks... Then watching the improvement--three months later, these guys breezing into the gym, good color, able to get themselves into their routines, joking with the nurses--you get the picture...

As one of my docs says, bodies want to heal. Good luck in your journey.

[oldpotatoe]

Honest. All the reading about disc brakes, tubeless rims/tires, so many changes, I wonder how relevant they are. How easy is it to adjust disc brakes at home? Is the liquid I see squirted into tubeless tires easy and a blessing, or a silly crazy mess for flats on the road. I know I can change a tube. I know how to adjust standard caliper brakes. Isn't this older technology good enough?...

Great to hear you are recovering..YES IT IS good enough, it's really, really good.....All you need is a bike, any bike that fits you and you love to ride. There are some specific places things like hydro disc brakes 'may' be a good idea (carbon wheels, big descents, in the rain), but for you,no need..just a good bike, like your Tomasso, beautiful bike.

Lots of new gear driven by marketeers these days, 'gotta have this or that', but just need a bike..

[soulspinner]

Keep up the good work. Peter is right above. What you have is plenty good enough. All the best as you work on your physical being.