• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

Cycling

MajorlyRagerly

Trevor Allan (34)
MR, what Gagger said - without being set up "properly" you will not really use all the muscles properly - end up with big quads, weak hammies and glutes, and wasted adductors and abductors, thus stuffing lateral movement (like you need in footy). As for fitness - need to do intervals, just banging along the flat does not a lot. It's like any exercise, there is a right way, and many wrong ways.

Well that's that sorted. Clip ins here we come.

The ride I do home from work is quite good for intervals. the first 4k is barrelling along the flat stopping only at traffic lights (warm up), then it's 1k up a hill (guess elevation of about 50metres), then 1k flat, 500m hills for about another 10kms. The heart rate goes up and down like a yoyo.

The flat rides I do on the weekends, which is basically 50k on practically dead flat roads I think is better for weight loss than anything, as it's a a constant 140-150 HR for about 2 hours.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
MR - sounds a good mix. I think with the right pedals it will help.
I was "badly" set up on my bike about 8 yrs ago - developed very big quads, but my hammies were terrible, only saved by naturally having big glutes. Even with proper pedals I was all wrong. Once readjusted, I struggled until I developed the posterior compartments again, then I suddenly was going about 10-15% better than I had before with the same effort. Amazing difference. There is a lot to do with seat height, arm length to bars etc as well as just pedals, but that will be a good start.
 

Gagger

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Staff member
The flat rides I do on the weekends, which is basically 50k on practically dead flat roads I think is better for weight loss than anything, as it's a a constant 140-150 HR for about 2 hours.

That'll burn 2000-2500 calories right there, a normal human man's daily intake!

There are vids on YouTube taking you through how to set up a bike, or take it to a good shop. Worth it.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I went and calculated what my daily commute (38km round-trip) burns in calories and was a little surprised that it was around 1400. No wonder I'm lighter and thinner than I've been in a long time!
 

Gagger

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Staff member
It blows my mind what you burn on the bike. Still having trouble believing it.
 

Gagger

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Staff member
Anyone done or heard about the Tour of Flanders? It's the sportive they hold before the 'Ronde' at the beginning of April.

A bunch of mates doing it and I'm tempted but it's 250km in a day. Sheez....
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I can't quite believe it either. It could all be wrong, but what isn't in dispute in my mind is how much better I feel for it.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Having done 210km in a day once, it is bloody hard yakka, but very satisfying. You need to be able to do 100-120km before hand on a semi-regular basis I reckon, but the big thing is food, food, food while you go - bag of snakes in the back pocket, some of that energy "goo" is good. Worst thing is the sudden "bonk" (I don't know why people call it that either) where you literally completely clag up in about a minute flat. Constant intake of small amounts of energy, ride as a proper team, share the lead, everyone stops if one gets a puncture and so on.
And yeah, I have heard of it but don't know anyone who has done it.
 

MajorlyRagerly

Trevor Allan (34)
That'll burn 2000-2500 calories right there, a normal human man's daily intake!

There are vids on YouTube taking you through how to set up a bike, or take it to a good shop. Worth it.

My Cateye comes in at about 850 calories for the trip? Although, it's teh base one so it doesn't have my weight in it (about 90 kg sucking it in).
 

MajorlyRagerly

Trevor Allan (34)
bought some clip in pedals over the weekend. Proceeded to rain then all weekend long so not tried out yet. Post work today is the first attempt

Have been warned by all 'n sundry that I WILL stack! Not looking forward to that!!! Bloke in the shop told me to lean against a wall for 15 mins practicing getting in and out of them before doing any riding - I may just take him up on that idea!
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
That's what I use ILTW, but the guy at the bike shop says the clip ins give you more value for every rotation of the crank (pulling as well as pushing). I'm not ready spend north of $400 to get decked out in that yet,
 

Moses

Simon Poidevin (60)
Staff member
I'm running out of excuses to not get back on the bike. It's just too convenient.

+ About 500m from my house to Epping Road, then a cycleway for the remaining 10ks to work
+ Pretty spectacular ride over the Harbour Bridge
+ Great facilities at work (bike rack in secure garage, showers, lockers)
+ At $35 per week for my bus ticket it'll pay for itself in a few months
+ Fitness

I've signed up for this in 6 weeks so need to get the fitness regardless. I'm pretty serious about getting a road bike now... will keep an eye out for something around $300 second hand.
 

stoff

Bill McLean (32)
bought some clip in pedals over the weekend. Proceeded to rain then all weekend long so not tried out yet. Post work today is the first attempt

Have been warned by all 'n sundry that I WILL stack! Not looking forward to that!!! Bloke in the shop told me to lean against a wall for 15 mins practicing getting in and out of them before doing any riding - I may just take him up on that idea!

It doesn't take too long to get the hang of it - carpet is your friend whilst you practice clipping in and out. I ride with cleats on my downhill mountain bike - road is a piece of piss. Really it is quick to get the hang of, but just remember when you pull up to a stop that you are clipped in. That embarassment will be worse than the pain from that fall (trust me!!)
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I'm running out of excuses to not get back on the bike. It's just too convenient.

+ About 500m from my house to Epping Road, then a cycleway for the remaining 10ks to work
+ Pretty spectacular ride over the Harbour Bridge
+ Great facilities at work (bike rack in secure garage, showers, lockers)
+ At $35 per week for my bus ticket it'll pay for itself in a few months
+ Fitness

I've signed up for this in 6 weeks so need to get the fitness regardless. I'm pretty serious about getting a road bike now... will keep an eye out for something around $300 second hand.

Moses, just do it fella. Your commute sounds just like mine (without the Harbour bridge of course) and I love it. Shall I send you PM's every day for the next couple of weeks? :)
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
bought some clip in pedals over the weekend. Proceeded to rain then all weekend long so not tried out yet. Post work today is the first attempt

Have been warned by all 'n sundry that I WILL stack! Not looking forward to that!!! Bloke in the shop told me to lean against a wall for 15 mins practicing getting in and out of them before doing any riding - I may just take him up on that idea!

Good advice. The first time you fall, it hurts more than the lost skin. Don't do it on a major highway in the middle of an intersection as the lights change...bad for the soul.
Practice some where you can ride in a straight line slowly clipping in and out repeatedly as you go along, and work out which is your "go to" foot that you will automatically pull out if needs be.
 

MajorlyRagerly

Trevor Allan (34)
First ride, no stacks!

To quote airplane! "it's a totally different kind of riding"

Can feel the efficiency improve by 15 to 20 perc straight off the bat. New muscles were hurting, so proof that I was using them. On holiday shortly but aiming for 500kms over October combined with detox!

Never been this excited about exercise.
 

Moses

Simon Poidevin (60)
Staff member
Well I've done it!
Bought some hybrid tyres for my mates mountain bike and rode in last Wednesday.
I bought the runkeeper app for my phone for $10, here's my ride home. Surely I'm going the wrong way, can't seem to find the track between Milsons Point and Narremburn so rode through the bloody CBD of North Sydney. Hairy stuff.

Did a 4.8km run followed by a 16km ride on Saturday in Narrabeen, that was fantastic and felt so good after it. We were planning on doing Narrowneck near Katoomba this weekend but the weather looks a bit shite.
 
Top