mbsbike2002

Jinx... B

Whosyadaddy - Mind if I call you "W"? We don't have one of those yet... The short (so to speak) story on saddles and butts and men's bits is that there are a few factors that can make the situation better or worse: 1) Get padded shorts - This is a must. The padding protects the sensitive areas, and there are no seams on the insides of your legs. If you don't want your grapes on display, you can wear a pair of shorts or sweats over them. They're expensive in the larger sizes. I have two pair of 3x and a pair of 4x that I never wore (other than to see they were too big) and that I never got around to returning. PM me - I'll send 'em to you. No sense in spending any more money than necessary on the way down in sizes... 2) Seat height and tilt - If the seat is too low, you risk damaging your knees, if it's too high, you can damage other things. Make sure that the seat is level to ever-so-slightly nose down. 3) Seat size - probably can't do much about this on an exercise bike at the gym, and most exercise bikes at the gym have a seat that is way too big. Wider is not better - it is much worse. You want to rest as much of your weight on your butt bones, not the butt cheeks... Spreading the load on the fleshy parts actually leads to more numbness and in some people pain. Focusing your weight on the boney parts may hurt a little more in the beginning, but it doesn't lead to as much numbness. 4) Ride the recumbent - A lot of gyms have them now. It may look a little funny, but you rest a portion of your weight on your back, not as much on the sensitive areas. Be careful though - if you really want to consider a tri later, don't start on a 'bent. UCI and the governing association for tris don't allow recumbent bicycles - they're considered an unfair advantage... Hope some of this helps - welcome to our little slice of LBT... B

Well, if there's ever an emergent need for a video of a fat guy unclipping from Speedplays on a recumbent bike, I've got 'em covered :eek: B

Thanks on the shoes! Not so sexy on the scarred up legs though. I wore my hi-top bike socks to hide the nasty scar from my crash the first time out on the 'bent... I think that the road from 3.5 to 4 is probably fairly short, probably within 1 month, with the proper training. Gotta get ready for work - will post more when i get to the office. B

How's this for OCD - [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A16Z0XtUSZc]Unclipping video on YouTube[/ame] For what it's worth, it looks to be about the same angle for each foot. Also felt more natural today... B

There's a book I read last spring before I started biking again called "Heft on Wheels" that basically tells the fat-ass to world-class tale. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Heft-Wheels-Field-Guide-Doing/dp/1400052416/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198751304&sr=8-1]At Amazon[/ame] My longest outdoor ride with Buttercup has been about 12 miles. I could have gone longer, but I didn't want to take a chance on over doing it, and I was getting frustrated with the pedal situation. I was a little sore the next morning, but not too bad. I've gone almost that far on the training stand since then and not been sore afterwords. My goal for this weekend is to get in 2 or 3 rides of that length and then bump it to 15-17 miles on Tuesday to get the new year started off right. From there, I'll add 2-3 miles per week. That seems to be a common training regimen for road work. During the week, I'll either take shorter rides outside (I hate this time of year when it gets dark so early), or I'll ride in the training stand. One thing that I have to keep in mind is that I'm basically starting over - I have only been able to ride once or twice since late July due to lapband and getting snipped, and I'm on a different kind of bike. So while I may be a little frustrated with my current abilities, I should see fairly rapid improvement. I just have to get out there and do it consistently. B

J / Stephanie, Here's what it boils down to (or, in proper grammar, "Here is that down to which it boils")... By August of 2011, I want to be in the condition of what is basically a world-class athlete. But, as I have written before, "Okay, so you think you might want to ride a bike from Paris to Brest and back, a distance of 1200km, which has to be covered in less than 90 hours. But - you weigh 300 pounds. WTF. You might need to work on your fitness some..." I know there are no shortcuts to getting from fatass to world-class cyclist, but there are smart and efficient ways of getting there, and there are effective, but not necessarily smart or efficient ways of getting there. I prefer the former. J - I think my 3.5 rating earlier may be optimistic. The Polar Fitness Test says that I'm in the crappiest shape I can be in and still be alive. Cute new pic, by the way! Stephanie - we do need to get together and ride soon - you have more endurance than I do at this point, so it'll need to be a shorter ride than some of your longer ones. Over the spring, though, I'll be working to build endurance, so we'll be able to ride longer. The trainer can be a little boring, but it is great that I can ride no matter if its cold, raining, dark, etc. I've ridden outside or on the trainer every day for the past week. It's good to be able to listen to some music - I don't like to do that on the road... B

Maybe a little bit... While we're on the subject of Biking and OCD, I have a question for ya... I have the sense that I can muddle my way to reaching my biking goals by plodding along a little farther a little faster over a period of time. I also completely buy into Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development" and see value in riding with others whose abilities are somewhat better than mine, but who won't be held back too much by riding with me. I also have the sense that I will develop the fitness and ability to reach my goals if I take a more methodical approach. In many respects, I see that my training should be broken into two parts - roadwork for building miles and endurance, and the trainer for being able to focus on aerobic capacity, training to lactate threshold, etc., while taking out some of the variables that go with riding on the roads. The problem, though, is how to get that structure. A personal coach is obviously the best way. One local guy charges about $100 an hour, which seems a little steep for more than the occasional check-up or treat. In short, I don't think that will yield the consistent improvements that I desire. I bought one of the training videos from Carmichael, and it seems that they were developed to address the needs of people who have reached a moderately high level of fitness and are striving for that next level. Maybe I could adapt them to my needs? I bought a polar heart rate monitor (what I should have done instead of the BB) so that I can get accurate feedback on fitness, aerobic capacity, etc. Does anyone have any thoughts, or any good books, on maximizing trainer time for aerobic/fitness enhancements? B

J - Glad to hear that you & Zoe had a good Christmas. It's the one time a year that I think that I might miss having kids. Good plan on sending all the food away. We made sure we didn't bring anything home from my folks. I'm happy - only gained 0.2 pounds yesterday - not that anybody's counting It is funny that sometimes work is more relaxing - especially the holiday weeks when most people are kind of chill... B

It may very well be a handedness thing - It seems to take much more effort to clip in on the left as well. I'll have to rig up the camcorder or something to get an objective measure on whether it really requires more heel-out to unclip or whether it just feels that way. I'll try to do that tonight & will report back on my results... B

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We just got back from my folks. It was a nice time. I wasn't going to eat any of the food - just have some protein shakes, but I ended up having a small amount of a few things that only come around this time of year. Overall, I'm pleased with myself. At the end of the day, I want to be able to eat normal portions of foods that are good for me. On the other hand, I could totally see becoming anorexic or developing some type of bulemia (most likely exercise). I wonder what the stats are for people who have had bariatric surgery who become scared to eat real food due to potential weight gain... Hmmm... Something to research once I get my papers done for school. I felt bad, though - I had planned on getting up and taking a nice hour-long ride this morning around the golf course and lake, but I didn't sleep past 2:30 this morning. I know that my outlook on life is changing because I didn't just say "fuck it" and blow it off - I debated and decided that with that little sleep on a new route, it might not be too safe. I did ride in the trainer for about an hour and 15 minutes - not too shabby. I've named the bike. It will be henceforth known as Bulboso. Sounds way more impressive than the English translation - Buttercup... I wanted to name the bike Katherine Heigl, but the wife got a little pissy when I talked about riding Katherine Heigl hard in the afternoon . Before I started my ride, I put the Speedplays on Buttercup, and they were an exact match. Thanks for finding the right color for me Stephanie! The Speedplays feel so different from the SPDs that I had on the Trek. They will take a little getting used to. With all of the float, it feels kind of like not being clipped in, so I kept yanking my foot to make sure I was really in. I need to adjust the cleats on the shoes a little, and I'm not sure why, but it seems like the left one requires almost twice as much heel-out to unclip as the right. It may be because that when slack, my left foot turns (heel in) a little more than the right. Not sure - have to figure out a way to adjust it. J - Good for you with the new jeans! That has to make you feel wonderful to go from a 30 to an 18 in one year's time! You didn't mention it, but did you get to spend the holiday with Allison? Was Santa (and Mommy) good to Zoe? It's back to the grind in the morning. I'm so glad this will be a short week. Good night everyone! B

Merry Christmas I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!! B

If you can arrange to have it done on the Friday before spring break, the nine days off should be enough to get back to work. I had my surgery on a Tuesday, and by the following Monday, I was ready to go back. Wow Rattler!!! That's amazing! You must be very happy! B

JC - Thanks for the bike compliment! I'm always looking for advice. I'm still using the platform pedals right now - wanted to get used to the bike before I put clipless on (I'll do that tomorrow). My starts at first were rather adventurous :rose: What helped me was to get past the idea that I could abandon the start, put my feet down, and try again. As soon as I decided that I had no choice but to put my foot up, start pedaling, and bring the other foot up, they got a lot better. Will be even better when I get the clipless pedals on, since I can pull back with the starter foot to get even more momentum while I'm bringing the other leg up. I also got it set up on a training stand, so I can practice some single-leg spinning. That will improve my form significantly. I got up to about 35 on a downhill the other day. It got a little squirrelly, but I think that's because I started to tense up - little micro vibrations in my muscles get magnified greatly through the bars. With the "tweener" bars on the bike, I found that I can pedal to a point where I can rest my knee on the inside of the handlebars and use my legs as a big ol' harmonic dampener. Worked like a charm. As for the bodybugg - I like mine, but I wish I would have saved my money and bought a nice Polar Heart Rate Monitor. They have some that can be worn as a wrist watch for running, walking, other activities, but that also have a handlebar mount and wireless speed and cadence sensors for bikes. Probably would have given me the data that I really need. Just my thought on it all.... Good attitude on the job - that's what I came up with, too. Funny, it seemed to get much better after I quit stressing about it so much. B

Hi Jennifer, Mistee, TXBandit, and Mellis - It's always good to see other Texans! I was banded in mid-August, and so far I've lost about 40 pounds since surgery. Good luck to all of you! B

JC - Good to see you back bro! Sorry that the job situation sucks right now - I can relate.... Hopefully, it will get better soon. Also glad to hear that things are going well with the new girlfriend. Suzzzie - That's about what our temperature was yesterday morning. It warmed up during the day - it's about 30 here now, but no wind. One thing about living in North Texas is that there's nothing between us and Kansas. It will get just as cold here, just not as often, since warm air is constantly coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. HP - Glad you got your shopping done - I finished mine last night. Also very happy for you for being able to get a pretty outfit off the rack. That has to make you feel very good! Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas Eve! B

Hey TX - Glad to hear you got out and rode today. I was out as well - it was a little chilly, but glad that the wind died down from yesterday - same temperature, wind was just 20mph slower... I rode for about an hour as well. Sounds good on the cold-weather gear. I need to get tights. I've just been wearing sweats over my regular bike shorts, and while it has kept me warm, it's not as good as tights would be. I have a head cover to go under my helmet, but not a full balaclava. I can't stand wearing it, though. I have a big head and it just doesn't fit right. I need to invest in a balaclava or a thermal cover that goes on the outside of the helmet. I also need toe covers. Of course, our friends from the North are just laughing and shaking their heads at us for calling mid-40s cold, but whatever... At least we get to be out riding almost all year In case I haven't mentioned it, I love my new bike. At the end of the hour riding today, my legs were tired from my calves all the way to my glutes, but there was no discomfort due to resting all that weight on a few silver-dollar sized bones in my huge ass... I still haven't had to use the granny chain ring, and I've only visited the largest cog once, while riding up the same hills that were barely ridable on the Trek. Anyway - enough with that. Hope everyone's ready for Christmas and that y'all are having a great weekend! Bike on- B

Hey Bycylers... Yesterday, I made it out of the office in time to avoid the second installation of "pig-out at potluck". I headed over to the toy (bike) store on the way home. I picked up a multi-tool to carry with for on-the-road adjustments and repairs, a pedal wrench to install the Speedplays, a trainer stand, and a cyclocomputer for use on the stand (I use a GPS on the road). It seems that Christmas came early at B's house :eek: I took the bike out this morning, before a cool front came through. Rode for 45 minutes or so, could have gone quite a bit longer, but the wife and dog were through with their walk. I also wanted to wrap it up while I was ahead... Today is the first time with the new bike that I have not felt like I was riding along on the ragged edge of disaster. Starts were non-eventful - didn't have to abandon a start even once. I felt comfortable in the big chain ring, was able to spin uphill without feeling like I was going to topple over. In general a very good ride. I stopped and used the handy-dandy multi-toool to adjust the riser angle, and I think that helped quite a bit. The plan is to ride on the road tomorrow through Tuesday (got to love the 4 day weekend), and then put on the Speedplays and spend Wednesday and Thursday practicing on the training stand. If all goes well, I'll ride again on the road with the Speedplays starting next Friday. I hope everybody is enjoying their weekend! Bike on, B

You're up bright and early this morning... I can't sleep - went to bed at 11:00 and was awake by 12:30... Yech... B

J - you are in complete food hell... Cookie dough, cake batter, and Icing are some of my favorite things to eat. It would be so hard to have to be around those things for my job. I am in awe that you can work with food and still be extremely successful with your weight loss. You must be one very disciplined chica. I didn't make it out the door to buy the bike toys. I should have. I wouldn't feel nearly as guilty spending several thousand $$ on toys as I do eating the Christmas lunch crap... I can see why people become bulimic.... It would suck for a few minutes, but I would feel soo much better.... Give me some time.... Gravity is very strong in me, and grace is not one of my strong suits. My wife, to this day, cannot believe that I didn't fall or otherwise hurt myself for the first six months we were dating... B

J - Congratulations on the run. That's awesome!!! It is cool that Stephanie and I live within 50 miles - we need to find a time/place to meet soon. And as soon as I'm not a danger to self and others on the new bike, I'd like to ride some with her to get ready for the MS150 in May. I think it's even cooler that we grew up within a few blocks of each other, and at different times, even lived on the same (short) street. I might consider PS - it depends entirely on how much excess skin is left on the tummy. If there's too much, i'll look at a TT. That's the one thing that put me off about losing too much weight - I may have been fat, but my skin "fit". Stupid reason to stay fat, though... We have our pot luck today - fuck me. I've been good so far - avoided the donuts, although I did pick one up. I just threw it away on the way out the door to the break room. I'm just gonna leave at lunch time and go buy bike toys... Have a good day folks! B

It's too bad we missed you - we were there around 6:20 - 6:30. Don't think you were there then - it seemed pretty empty. Was almost in a panic; they couldn't find the pedals when I got there. It was the last set of yellow they had. Fortunately, though, they did find them. I also got the coffee shop covers, but I think they gave me the wrong set - the ones they gave me are for zeros. They don't say anything about light actions, so I don't know if they'll work. It'll cost more than the $10 in petrol to drive over there, though, so if these don't work, i'll just get the right ones at RBM or plano cycling. I know you told us many pages ago, but what kind of bike do you have? B

We do suck!!! But congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! B

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolly Lollipop... I picked them up last night & ran by the folks house for a few hours. That's quite a store - I was expecting more of a hole in the wall. Dunno why. I love HEB! Dallas & suburbs are soo goddamned stuck up (I've been in 75xxx too long, that's why I thought it would be a hole-in-the-wall - I need to get back to my 76xxx roots!). I love that there is a pet store named "Pet-O-Rama" next door to the bike shop. In Dallas, we have "The Barkery" and "Canine Commissary" and crap like that. Anyway - now I need to put them on, get the cleats on my shoes, and hit the road (hopefully not too literally). B

That's great D! My semester isn't over 'til the 14th... UGH... Nothing like writing papers & preparing for finals over the Christmas break! Enjoy your time off! B