July 26, 20241 yr On 7/15/2024 at 8:42 PM, Basil said: Hi everybody! I’m 47 and blew out part of my knee running high mileage. Surgery was in early May. I’d like to just go right back to running when I’m cleared in a couple of weeks but I’ve been highly urged to take up biking as well to reduce impact on my knees. I know very little about road biking. I’m getting a used Roubaix this weekend and got some basic kit (helmet, jersey, strobe, etc.) from Trek. I plan to jump in and start with a 15-mile ride. I’d like to do a 35 mile ride with the Trek group at the end of August and a 60-miler with my brother and friends in October. No idea how feasible that it but going to try. Any advice or words of wisdom for an older biking newb? Edit- I did get sized and a 56 or 58 should work for me. I’m 6’ 170 lbs. with a longer torso. The Roubaix is 56 cm. Try to gef as much info as you can on proper form. Dont be afraid to go ride without you kit. Just put some shorts on an do 10 to 15 miles. Ride in group for motivation. Road cycling can get boring real fast. I am 57 and started when I was 55. I do 100 to 150 miles per week at 17 to 18.8 average mph. 5'11" 190lbs.
July 26, 20241 yr I did 16 mile this morning at 15 mph. My neck and back are sore but I guess that's to be expected. Trak fitted the bike for me but didn't comment on form. I'll look that up.
July 26, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, Basil said: I did 16 mile this morning at 15 mph. My neck and back are sore but I guess that's to be expected. Trak fitted the bike for me but didn't comment on form. I'll look that up. It takes awhile before certain parts aren't sore . Also, as a runner you are aware of the tremendous benefits of hill and speed work. Those are easy 30 to 45 minute workouts that you should do during the week. As cyclists (and runners to a lesser extent), we become too infatuated with distance. Distance is great for seeing a lot of ground or prepping for a charity ride, but can be time consuming and obsesive in nature. This is supposed to be fun. The hurt doesn't need to last for hours. That is what the speed and hill work are for. I am in the process of changing my mileage I mentioned above to do just that. Most of us on this board need to realize that we are never going to average more than 20mph and should try to enjoy this sport more. I do it mostly because, for the most part, it makes me feel like a kid again. I run a simple set up and just ride. That being said, I think it would be super cool to do some cross country bike packing shit.
July 26, 20241 yr It takes awhile before certain parts aren't sore . Also, as a runner you are aware of the tremendous benefits of hill and speed work. Those are easy 30 to 45 minute workouts that you should do during the week. As cyclists (and runners to a lesser extent), we become too infatuated with distance. Distance is great for seeing a lot of ground or prepping for a charity ride, but can be time consuming and obsesive in nature. This is supposed to be fun. The hurt doesn't need to last for hours. That is what the speed and hill work are for. I am in the process of changing my mileage I mentioned above to do just that. Most of us on this board need to realize that we are never going to average more than 20mph and should try to enjoy this sport more. I do it mostly because, for the most part, it makes me feel like a kid again. I run a simple set up and just ride. That being said, I think it would be super cool to do some cross country bike packing shit.I like the B group rides out here west of Houston. They run 18 - 20 mph avg. and go roughly 30 miles. I hate going farther. I also hate riding from Katy to Brookshire on Hwy 90.
July 28, 20241 yr I like the B group rides out here west of Houston. They run 18 - 20 mph avg. and go roughly 30 miles. I hate going farther. I also hate riding from Katy to Brookshire on Hwy 90.What is “west of Houston?” I’m at Katy freeway and 8.
July 29, 20241 yr I assume he’s talking about one of the Katy/Fulshear type of groups. BW8@I10 is not west of Houston anymore.
July 29, 20241 yr Yep. I’m way out west. I’m looking to start up with Handle Bar Cycle. They are off west park. Some of the other shops around town have rides. My favorite was Bicycle World, but they sold and then they were run into the ground.
July 29, 20241 yr On 7/15/2024 at 10:43 PM, Goofyboy said: Any opinions on indoor trainers? I’m look at the Wahoo KickR Core. Thoughts? I have a Tacx Neo, which I highly recommend, but any of the top line trainers from Wahoo or Tacx won't steer you wrong.
August 12, 20241 yr Man altitude ain't no joke but views of Copper Triangle were sick. If any horns want to tackle it next year we can have a peloton.
August 12, 20241 yr 4 hours ago, EastHorn said: Man altitude ain't no joke but views of Copper Triangle were sick. If any horns want to tackle it next year we can have a peloton. User name does not check out.
August 17, 20241 yr On 8/12/2024 at 7:07 PM, EastHorn said: Man altitude ain't no joke but views of Copper Triangle were sick. If any horns want to tackle it next year we can have a peloton. It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. I huffed my way up the Furkapass yesterday myself.
August 18, 20241 yr 13 hours ago, G650 said: It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. I huffed my way up the Furkapass yesterday myself. Man you had great weather. That's awesome. It's insane how the tour riders do that multiple days in a row while racing.
August 18, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, EastHorn said: Man you had great weather. That's awesome. It's insane how the tour riders do that multiple days in a row while racing. Its funny, I was actually thinking about that as I was grinding up. How crazy is it these dudes race over 3 or 4 of these things a day for days one end. Wild. Had great weather that day for sure. It was hot as shit on Tuesday in Como when I rode the Ghisallo and Sormano, suffered my ass off. Starting raining here in Lucerne yesterday, but that's been only time this trip so feel fortunate!
August 19, 20241 yr Haven't touched my bike in months. Currently have a flat tire that I need to replace, but too damn hot to even bother with it. Looking forward to getting back out on the streets later this Fall, but gonna keep collecting dust in the garage for a few more weeks.
August 25, 20241 yr I went on my first group ride today. Didn’t crash or cause anyone else to crash which was my baseline goal. I went with the C group and started towards the back. The group got split in half at the first light a quarter mile in and that was the last time I saw the C group leader. I ended up in I guess a C minus group for about 15 miles until the rest point where I accidentally left with the B group. These guys were going about as fast as I could hack it. They dropped me and a few others with about 5 miles to go. It was fucking HOOOT by the time we finished about 11:30. But it was a good experience. Looking forward to another.
August 25, 20241 yr Glad you enjoyed the experience. Group cycling is fun. The right group with the right leadership won’t let you drop by yourself but will come back to get you and check on your wellbeing. I had this experience yesterday.
August 25, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, Basil said: I went on my first group ride today. Didn’t crash or cause anyone else to crash which was my baseline goal. I went with the C group and started towards the back. The group got split in half at the first light a quarter mile in and that was the last time I saw the C group leader. I ended up in I guess a C minus group for about 15 miles until the rest point where I accidentally left with the B group. These guys were going about as fast as I could hack it. They dropped me and a few others with about 5 miles to go. It was fucking HOOOT by the time we finished about 11:30. But it was a good experience. Looking forward to another. Sometimes it's not the effort or the miles, but the time of day. I say that even though I do hill sprints at 6pm, but that is only s 45 min workout that is about 30 minutes of lollygagging or rest.
August 25, 20241 yr My 11 year old daughter rode the Hotter n Hell yesterday in Wichita Falls. She did 25 miles at 10.3 mph. Unfortunately had a friend that rode with her or her pace/time could have been much better. Cycling is the only sport she has ever really gotten into.
August 25, 20241 yr On 8/19/2024 at 11:42 AM, Storm the Field said: Haven't touched my bike in months. Currently have a flat tire that I need to replace, but too damn hot to even bother with it. Looking forward to getting back out on the streets later this Fall, but gonna keep collecting dust in the garage for a few more weeks. User name does not check out.
August 26, 20241 yr Sometimes it's not the effort or the miles, but the time of day. I say that even though I do hill sprints at 6pm, but that is only s 45 min workout that is about 30 minutes of lollygagging or rest.Yeah, it was the best more than anything. I usually leave to run or ride longer distances at 5 or 5:30 am and it’s still decent when I’m done. I was suffering the last few miles and I knew it wasn’t going to be over when I got to the finish line because I was going to need time to cool down down. The Fanta I downed was really nice.It was really cool being able to take up space in busy-ish streets I’ve driven on for years. I’m usually alone and even a single car behind me bugs me until it’s gone past. Don’t really have to worry about that with 30-40 in a group.
October 7, 20241 yr Finally went and got new tubes in both tires on my bike Saturday. Definitely planning on getting in a couple of rides later this week with the weather starting to shift more towards tolerable. Will be my first time on the bike probably since mid-May.
October 12, 20241 yr Nice. Back on the trainer for a light 30 minutes right now, been sick since Monday and have gotten no rides this week. Not good for my mental state....
October 20, 20241 yr Get out there. The weather is nice in the am. Ive been putting in 90+ mile weekends and some sprints and hills during the week. All the stress I have been under brought me down to 177lbs from 205 in the winter. It makes a huge difference.
October 20, 20241 yr Yeah, it was the best more than anything. I usually leave to run or ride longer distances at 5 or 5:30 am and it’s still decent when I’m done. I was suffering the last few miles and I knew it wasn’t going to be over when I got to the finish line because I was going to need time to cool down down. The Fanta I downed was really nice.It was really cool being able to take up space in busy-ish streets I’ve driven on for years. I’m usually alone and even a single car behind me bugs me until it’s gone past. Don’t really have to worry about that with 30-40 in a group.Where are you located? As soon as soccer season is over, I’m looking to get back out again. I’m far west side of Houston
December 8, 20241 yr I’m at Wilcrest and Memorial. I run Piney Point and bike Terry Hershey to Bush Park.
December 9, 20241 yr Just bought a BMC w/ eTap/AXS. December's a great time to get a deal on a bike. Hadn't done a serious ride in over 5 years. New baby in the house, etc etc excuses. Won't ride for many months due to snow but when spring comes will probably throw 35 G Ones for it to do mixed road/farm track duties. Probably getting rid of the Colnago CX that almost never got touched -- goodnight sweet prince.
December 11, 20241 yr Love my Titanium Lynskey. I’ve had it 10 years now and just went through a complete drive train and shifting overhaul, including rebuilding the hubs. May step into the disc brake/electronic shifting future in a year or two. Seven or Moots was always my dream bike. Edited December 11, 20241 yr by CycleTex87
January 5Jan 5 I'm doing a ride from Lisbon to Porto this coming week (using a good quality rental touring bike) and am finalizing a route. I'm fit but not a highly experienced cyclist like many of you. So I'm looking for a route that has relatively low elevation changes, low traffic, and nice scenery. My question is which app do you like for planning routes. I have Strava, Komoot, and Google Map. While the routes they provide aren't wildly different, there are some differences. Komoot seems to suggest busier roads than Strava and Google when I do random spot looks using google map. I also don't like that Komoot doesn't seem to show the road numbers like Google and Strava which is a pain when comparing routes between the different apps. Anyways, I'm sure whichever route I end up with will be fine, but any suggestions are appreciated. I plan to do multiple longer backpacking trips this year, so I'm using this relatively short trip to test out apps, new equipment, etc.
January 5Jan 5 I don’t really ride road bikes much anymore. Every now and then when the trails are too muddy or when my son is home. I’ve resisted the urge to sell my road bikes, which both sit in the garage for the times when he wants to ride together. He’s home for the holidays for another week or so, so we’re heading out today for a couple hours. Time with him makes it worth the garage clutter. 1 hour ago, Orale said: My question is which app do you like for planning routes. It seems like most of the riders in my circle plan routes with strava. I see it used more than the others for both mountain and road routes. The strava heat map is also a good tool to see where locals ride in a given area. I haven’t used it much, but I see it recommended a lot.
January 7Jan 7 On 1/5/2025 at 7:53 AM, Orale said: I'm doing a ride from Lisbon to Porto this coming week (using a good quality rental touring bike) and am finalizing a route. I'm fit but not a highly experienced cyclist like many of you. So I'm looking for a route that has relatively low elevation changes, low traffic, and nice scenery. My question is which app do you like for planning routes. I have Strava, Komoot, and Google Map. While the routes they provide aren't wildly different, there are some differences. Komoot seems to suggest busier roads than Strava and Google when I do random spot looks using google map. I also don't like that Komoot doesn't seem to show the road numbers like Google and Strava which is a pain when comparing routes between the different apps. Anyways, I'm sure whichever route I end up with will be fine, but any suggestions are appreciated. I plan to do multiple longer backpacking trips this year, so I'm using this relatively short trip to test out apps, new equipment, etc. I don't do it often, but I use Strava heat maps to check where cyclists tend to ride, and then Ride with GPS for the actual planning.
January 7Jan 7 On 1/5/2025 at 6:53 AM, Orale said: I'm doing a ride from Lisbon to Porto this coming week (using a good quality rental touring bike) and am finalizing a route. I'm fit but not a highly experienced cyclist like many of you. So I'm looking for a route that has relatively low elevation changes, low traffic, and nice scenery. My question is which app do you like for planning routes. I have Strava, Komoot, and Google Map. While the routes they provide aren't wildly different, there are some differences. Komoot seems to suggest busier roads than Strava and Google when I do random spot looks using google map. I also don't like that Komoot doesn't seem to show the road numbers like Google and Strava which is a pain when comparing routes between the different apps. Anyways, I'm sure whichever route I end up with will be fine, but any suggestions are appreciated. I plan to do multiple longer backpacking trips this year, so I'm using this relatively short trip to test out apps, new equipment, etc. Does the rental place have any good routes you can use?
January 8Jan 8 I'm going to ask when I get there. I found what appears to be a good route on Google map that I uploaded to Strava and my Garmin. It's really only the first two days that the apps differ a bit on. The last three days are on the Eurovelo 1 so I feel solid about that.
January 8Jan 8 Closer to the ocean = more scenic and probably windier. What’s the prevailing wind direction? May be a crosswind.
January 8Jan 8 7 hours ago, CycleTex87 said: Closer to the ocean = more scenic and probably windier. What’s the prevailing wind direction? May be a crosswind. I just saw this advisory "Strong southwest wind with gusts of up to 80 km/h on the coast and up to 100 km/h in the mountains." That's lovely. It's supposed to calm down after today to closer to sub-10 mph winds along the coast. I won't embark until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.
January 9Jan 9 About to get back in the saddle. After moving back to DFW, I went through "cycling depression" in that there are no empty roads, no scenery, no hills, etc... My bike has been collecting dust. But, I've got something to plan for hence this post. I'll be in Denver for a couple of weeks this summer. I'm pretty sure west of Denver kicks the shit out of anything I saw in the Smokies. Anyone on here know the area? I've looked on Strava, YouTube, some Denver Trek site, etc... There's almost too many options. Ideally, 30-40 miles, climbs, but no cars.
January 9Jan 9 5 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said: About to get back in the saddle. After moving back to DFW, I went through "cycling depression" in that there are no empty roads, no scenery, no hills, etc... My bike has been collecting dust. But, I've got something to plan for hence this post. I'll be in Denver for a couple of weeks this summer. I'm pretty sure west of Denver kicks the shit out of anything I saw in the Smokies. Anyone on here know the area? I've looked on Strava, YouTube, some Denver Trek site, etc... There's almost too many options. Ideally, 30-40 miles, climbs, but no cars. I live in Boulder, CO and cycle frequently. Drop me a note and I’m happy to assist.
January 10Jan 10 1 hour ago, Bodhi said: I live in Boulder, CO and cycle frequently. Drop me a note and I’m happy to assist. Awesome. Thanks. I'll hit you up as the trip nears.
April 9Apr 9 Looking for something to hop around Maui a bit. Won’t be doing anything major just around town. Looking at used options and this one caught my eye https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1303054304329937/ I have no idea what I’m looking at and curious if it seems legit or any red flags about the build (can’t find shit online about that frame brand).
April 9Apr 9 Last week I was having one of the best road rides I've had in ages, with the wind at my back and just feeling locked in. I was about 13mi in (lucky 13, I guess) when I swung wide to go around a parked car, hit an uneven patch of pavement and went OTB. I skidded along the pavement and came to a stop. No broken bones, but bruised my hip and wrist and skinned up my knees really badly (and tore up my gloves, too - glad my hands were protected). Approaching 50 I'm realizing I don't heal as quickly as I used to - I've felt surprisingly stiff and achy. Went on a short ride on my MTB last night around the neighborhood last night (first time since the wreck) and didn't die, so I'm ready to ease back into it. Gotta get the road bike checked out before riding it again, as it got beat up. Edited April 9Apr 9 by sasquatch69
April 9Apr 9 7 hours ago, Hank_Hill said: Looking for something to hop around Maui a bit. Won’t be doing anything major just around town. Looking at used options and this one caught my eye https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1303054304329937/ I have no idea what I’m looking at and curious if it seems legit or any red flags about the build (can’t find shit online about that frame brand). Spitballing here, but I would bet that is about a 30 year old bike. Main thing I would be concerned about is integrity of the carbon frame at its age. The gruppo was top- and mid-tier Shimano products, at the time, if I am correct about the age. The pedals would require cleated shoes (you have to "snap-in" the cleats into the pedals), that would mean if you plan on using it for just errands and stuff you would need to carry around another pair of shoes/sandals to walk comfortably. Side note, the saddle used to be called the clit saver, as it was originally designed for women riders.
April 9Apr 9 9 hours ago, baboso said: Spitballing here, but I would bet that is about a 30 year old bike. Main thing I would be concerned about is integrity of the carbon frame at its age. The gruppo was top- and mid-tier Shimano products, at the time, if I am correct about the age. The pedals would require cleated shoes (you have to "snap-in" the cleats into the pedals), that would mean if you plan on using it for just errands and stuff you would need to carry around another pair of shoes/sandals to walk comfortably. Side note, the saddle used to be called the clit saver, as it was originally designed for women riders. Appreciate the info. Yea I would’ve never been able to tell it was that old. Any opinions on these? Edited April 9Apr 9 by Hank_Hill
April 10Apr 10 5 hours ago, Hank_Hill said: Appreciate the info. Yea I would’ve never been able to tell it was that old. Any opinions on these? I’d take a look at the specialized or the red line. The Specialized has flat bars and you may like those more than drop bars, especially if you’re just looking to tool around. The redline is a cross bike so you’ll be able to get a little bit rowdy on it if you want. Both will be able to fit wider tires than the first bike you posted, which is a good thing.
April 10Apr 10 9 hours ago, destroya said: I’d take a look at the specialized or the red line. The Specialized has flat bars and you may like those more than drop bars, especially if you’re just looking to tool around. The redline is a cross bike so you’ll be able to get a little bit rowdy on it if you want. Both will be able to fit wider tires than the first bike you posted, which is a good thing. Gagree, with the Cannondale T2000 closely trailing. Comfort-wise, the Specialized would probably win, followed by the Cannondale. Hank, if you're just looking for something to tool around on, run errands, etc., any of those 3 would be fine. If you're looking to hop on a bike and take a 50 or 60 mile ride, then the Marin above or that carbon fiber one would be your pick.
April 10Apr 10 I'd get the Specialized with a flat bar just to jack around town on. Agree on a road bike with drop bars for longer road specific rides.
April 10Apr 10 Thanks y’all. Yea at this point the absolute max I’d be doing distance wise would be a 6 mile commute to work once a week, mostly flat. Can always upgrade when I inevitably get hooked and want to go further.
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