Getting back in the saddle?

So, between the holidays and medication changes, ive put on 40lbs. 

Which makes me 5'6 255lbs

I have bad knees, scarred up lungs, and am going bald.

My goal is to get some of the weight off, hopefully lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and pipe dream is to help cardio and lungs. 

I still have the mountain bike i did downhill with in the mid to late 90s. Haven't ridden since high school. 

In particular this one. Needs serviced if i can remember how. 

The area i will be riding is residential neighborhoods and paved roads. For now. Hell, to be honest i probably wont be leaving the next block for a while...

So, how do i go about this? Anything to start with first? Bike changes? Suggestions or recommendations?

If it still fits you, just ride. Don't worry about how far or fast. Try to find that feeling that made you love riding. 

(as I sit here with a bike that I used to love riding but I like eating and drinking more - for now...)

In reply to Shadeux :

 It's been so long I'm not sure how to tell if it still fits me or not

Dusterbd13-michael said:

In reply to Shadeux :

 It's been so long I'm not sure how to tell if it still fits me or not

are you taller now?  did your arms get shorter?  etc.

it fits.  you might want a new saddle.

air up the tires and get your fat ass on the bike.  you are far too valuable a friend around here to let your health decline.  :-)

take it easy at first.  don't ride as far as you want.   don't ride as fast as you want.  just ride.

Bikes (running, lifting, whatever) are to get you in shape, not skinny. You can't outrun a fork as they say. 

But go for a ride no matter what, it's good for you. 

seth: youre absolutely right. i cannot outrun a fork. but im definately not a diet guy. everyone i know has been on that merry go round forever, with yo-yo results. so im going to try to lose weight the same way i got poor: spend more than i take in! (calories. ive learned the lesson with money, hence using this bike instead of buying something new and shiny)

angry: how far/fast should i start? how long? whats wrong with the saddle? i get short of breath very, very easy. cirrent brinchitis not helping.....

If the bike works and you haven't grown inches in height I say just go for it.

But.....the first few rides are gonna suck. No matter what shape you are in, biking uses different muscles than you are used to

I feel like a total fatty for gaining 10lbs over the holidays. I just got back in the gym for the first time in months today and while I don't particularly love working out, I love doing it with certain people. 

It's easier to lose weight if your method is something you actually enjoy doing. You can't outrun the fork but you can def choose better things to stab your fork with. 

Even at my peak fitness level, a flight of stairs always get me out of breath lol 

might want to at least lube and clean the chain.

I suggest a roid relief seat.

Something like that should do. Ask me how I know. 

After that, just ride.

In reply to wheelsmithy :

didn't know there was such a thing. but as a roid sufferer, thanks!

and i need to relearn how to service the derailleur and such. they were very funny sounding and operating on the one ride up the street i took a few weeks ago when i pulled it out of storage. 

Dusterbd13-michael said:

So, how do i go about this? Anything to start with first? Bike changes? Suggestions or recommendations?

Just go.   Get up and do it.  Its like racing, first you have to start then you have to figure out what you need.

One thing I found that helped me was tracking.  I would always take my phone with me for music, so I used MyFitnessPal or something similar to track when I started and finished a ride.  It got so that I started to try and beat my times or distances.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

First, let me start by saying I'm glad to hear that you're ready to reclaim your health!

Day 1, no more than 15 minutes, at an effort level that allows you to speak conversationally, no huffing and puffing.  You may be in the easiest gear, barely above a walking pace.  That doesn't matter.  What matters is that you don't over-do it, wake up in pain on day 3 and say berkeley riding.

Day 2: rest

Day 3: no more than 20 minutes, same effort level as Day 1.

Day 4: rest

etc etc but no more than 30 minutes for the first few weeks.

the saddle is old, so the padding is age-hardened, and your ass isn't what it was 20 years ago.  Or try it for the first ride, and see if it kills your taint.  If you need a new saddle, Go to a local bike shop and talk to the oldest guy working there.  He may try to sell you a new bike.  Don't hate.  That's how he feeds his family.  Just tell him you want a new saddle.

I'm no expert, but this was the approach I used (with running) to go from couch to full marathon in 10 months.

And don't get bummed out if life gets in the way and you need to skip a day.  You adjust the schedule and you keep plugging away. Health, and fitness, are lifetime things. So don't obsess over one day. You are going to live many thousands of days.

Derailuer:

each screw is a limiting stop.

Start with those. Front is very similar. Set innermost and outermost. The rest should fall in to place. Tighten pedals to bottom bracket. Good hand tight. Clean chain. Carburetor or brake cleaner is fine. Lube it all with a wax lube like Pedros or similar. Adjust brakes. I like to get the angles right by zip tying the lever maybe 1" out from bars. Just make sure they are parallel, and equidistant from the wheel. Ride. 

The key is going to be finding a way to enjoy it. I love bike riding so it's not a problem for me but it's even more fun when my friends or family are along. Start slow and beware after years of not riding your ass and inner thighs will likely hurt. Select a gear that works with your cadence even if it's a slow pace in first or second, getting that rhythm helps a lot. 

Best thing I can say is just get out and ride!

Yup, get out and ride it.

I got back on about 4 years ago now and I feel great.

Every Saturday morning with a couple friends. Coffee after.

Deraillerus are the bike equivalent of a carb.  Easy to adjust, but they will never work 100% correctly.

+1 to just get out and ride.  Don't go too far right off the bat or your taint will not like you.

I just put my last bike up for sale.  It makes me sad, but I just don't have the time or group to ride with anymore.

Thanks y'all. 

As soon as I'm over this bronchitis crap, its time. Bike riding just sounds way more enjoyable than gym/jogging/sweating to the oldies. 

And 20 minutes able to hold conversation without panting sounds like a good start.

Also, thanks for the music tip! Hadn't thought about it. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

Bikes (running, lifting, whatever) are to get you in shape, not skinny. You can't outrun a fork as they say. 

But go for a ride no matter what, it's good for you. 

Yes this. Also it will probably really help your knees. It has massively helped mine to where I have no pain in them anymore. I had terrible runner's knees to the point of having to wear braces to do most activities and I'd have knee pain during the day.

AngryCorvair said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

First, let me start by saying I'm glad to hear that you're ready to reclaim your health!

Day 1, no more than 15 minutes, at an effort level that allows you to speak conversationally, no huffing and puffing.  You may be in the easiest gear, barely above a walking pace.  That doesn't matter.  What matters is that you don't over-do it, wake up in pain on day 3 and say berkeley riding.

Day 2: rest

Day 3: no more than 20 minutes, same effort level as Day 1.

Day 4: rest

etc etc but no more than 30 minutes for the first few weeks.

the saddle is old, so the padding is age-hardened, and your ass isn't what it was 20 years ago.  Or try it for the first ride, and see if it kills your taint.  If you need a new saddle, Go to a local bike shop and talk to the oldest guy working there.  He may try to sell you a new bike.  Don't hate.  That's how he feeds his family.  Just tell him you want a new saddle.

I'm no expert, but this was the approach I used (with running) to go from couch to full marathon in 10 months.

And don't get bummed out if life gets in the way and you need to skip a day.  You adjust the schedule and you keep plugging away. Health, and fitness, are lifetime things. So don't obsess over one day. You are going to live many thousands of days.

^^^^ All of this.

I will say I have found that I have found heavily padded seats are comfortable for about 30 minutes (they padding tends to compress and then you are left on the hard plastic).

Make sure the wheels are spinning nicely, the fork is turning smoothly, the gears are shifting nicely, brakes are working and the tires hold air and go out and ride. Those grips may be age harden to where they aren't very comfortable but give them a go. If you are uncomfortable after giving it several rides, it may be worth considering changes to the stem/handlebars/etc. If you have any nice greenways nearby those can be nice to ride.

Also this book is a great book on cycling if you are not interested in racing. https://www.rivbike.com/collections/books/products/just-ride So much of what you will see in shops and hear from people is completely tainted by racing that if you are not interested in racing it can bad advice.

Point of order, I'd replace the tires before going on any decent ride. They are probably pretty dry-rotted.

I agree, it probably needs tubes and tires.  Nothing special for either and replace in a year or two if you keep riding to make it worth it.  I wouldn't spend much on a fancy padded seat, either, assuming it really needs one.  I like using citrus degreaser on my bike chains; scrub with an old toothbrush and rag off the remainder to get it nice and clean.  Gears as well.  For lube... I'm using leftover Royal Purple Syncromax and rag off excess with any old cloth.  I should probably thin the stuff with mineral spirits when I get back into riding (hopefully soon, Bmore city streets may not be my riding cup of tea though).

If you have issues with shifting, I would just clean the bike really well, and take it to a shop to have them adjust all aspects of the shift mechanism, assuming you have a shop that you can take it to.  I never had luck trying to adjust the rear der on my bike myself and it was much less frustrating having someone else give the bike a serious CLA for $75.  I could also then talk to them about what made sense for future repairs, possible upgrades, and if the bike was even worth throwing much money at.  

IN MY EXPERIENCE, so grains of salt and no offense and all of that, my riding a bicycle did not really help me loose weight.  I think it helped with some knee tendon issues I was having, and it was great getting out and riding and all of that, but even riding 150 to 200 miles a month this past summer did not cause me much of a shape change.  Not that I need much of that but a little would have been nice.  Probably part of the problem was that my rides weren't long enough between breaks; ride four miles to get a burrito, ride a mile to get a beer, ride five miles home.  Do over and over again pretty much from the end of May until mid-October.  My point being, you might was to consider slight changes in how you're using that fork as well.  

My 2 cents.

if your hands and/or wrists hurt or if your fingers get tingly or numb, try a set of  these grips 

i put these on my MtBike a few years ago and they made a huge difference in hand comfort. in fact, i wouldn't be the hand model i am without them.

and like 93EXcivic said, cycling can help strengthen knees and ankles, including all the stabilizing muscles and connective tissues.  i started running at age 46 after many years of cycling, and have run a few thousand miles in the 7 years since, with no knee or ankle issues.  i'm not a big dude though, 5'9" and 165 - 180 depending on season and activity level.

If you want a set of used but decent shape tires, I have a set of Schwalbe Durango in 26x1.1 I will send you for the cost of shipping. Should work well if you are sticking to the road.

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Pne i get it in the shop again I'll see if they are needed. Up until last month it had been stored in the attic at my folks. So i dunno what to expect about the rubber parts