So in the last week or so I've decided to hop back in the saddle and take up cycling again. Been a few years, stopped because of Uni, and work, and just got lazy. Taken it up again, and rediscovered my love for riding on 2 wheels. Also hoping to lose some kgs and get somewhat 'fit' again.

Anybody else on here cycle regularly, commute to work, or cycle for just fitness. Some forumers might even race and be part of a cycling group - feel free to post in here your experiences, and tips for cycling, routes, rides, and general biking.

So yeah, just taken it up myself. Currently riding a Giant Boulder 4 (2012), which I think is a bit of a mountain bike-road bike hybrid. Definitely a mountain bike, but it does alright on tarmac. Can get up to a decent clip on flat roads.

Tomorrow I'm going to be doing my first proper serious ride. Riding from my place to La Perouse & back. It's a ~40km round trip. Might be riding with a friend from work, so incorporating the trip from my place to hers, and vice versa on the return leg, I'll probably be looking at 50kms all up. If we do end up doing the whole route, the legs are going to be mighty sore on Tuesday!!! :lol:

I know there's already a cycling thread dedicated to the Tour de France, and various other races, but this thread is solely for if forumers cycle themselves.

Gotta get back in the saddle. Going to get my eldest riding to keep me motivated.

Good stuff. How far from your work do you live?

Actually made a post on here a few months back about cycling.

Don't have a bike (but I will one day when I get a chance, will go the whole hog and get some Lycra as well :d ).

So I was just using the excise bike at my gym after each workout riding about 7.5KM (Think it was taking my about 30 mins - might have been a little bit under but it was at a nice steady pace).

Was going to keep increasing the KM's but I've stopped for now though as I'm focusing on a few other things.

Anyway how long would a ride like that take you Heineken?

I was actually in K-Mart last week and noticed they had lycra shorts. Picked up 2 pairs and a couple of non-descript, non-branded dri-fit shirts. Best $35 I've spent in ages. Looked at Rebel Sport for the same 4 items, would have cost me in excess of $150.

The ride according to Google Maps takes roughly 1 hour, 20 minutes. I figured, with my fitness levels accounting for a few needed water breaks (even though I can drink water in the saddle) it'll take me between an hour and a half, and an hour and 45 minutes each way. Will be stopping for lunch and a well-earned coffee at La Perouse. If my friend from work does decide to come it could take a little longer, because she hasn't exactly cycled seriously before, and I'm not entirely sure how comfortable she is with road cycling.

The way back might be a little slower, with fatigue and tiredness bound to kick in with the legs. Also with the return route, I'll be looking to go via the CBD and over the Anzac Bridge. Either way, I'm pretty keen for this. Might make it a regular weekly ride.

About a 45 to 50 min car drive away :lol: would love to cycle to work but i would end up taking the back roads as my work is off a major freeway so itll take two hours to get to work :lol:
Gotta get me a new bike . Im liking the hybrids which ive seen on sale at a bike shop around the corner from my house

Is that in traffic?

You don't have to do it every day. 2 hours each way, that's roughly 30kms, 60kms round trip? Start off by doing it once a week, and then as your fitness levels increase and your confidence on road cycling increases, do it 2 times a week. Most people I've spoken to who commute more than 20kms to work, only do it 2-3 days a week.

Mind you, I did a 9km and a 14.5km ride last week, and tomorrow I'm looking at a 40km round trip. That's a drastic increase. :lol:

Yep traffic but thats normal traffic. If its a bad day times it by 2 . Which is every second day.

If it's bad traffic, cycling really is quicker. Here in Sydney, morning peak hour(s) traffic is nothing short of a fucking nightmare. It can take up to 45 minutes to get from Gladesville to the City. Cycling can take all of 20.

Don't expect to jump on your bike and be like Lance Armstrong into work. It will take some time to get used to it, and the sore arse and saddle sores that plague you for the first few times won't be fun, but once you start seeing the gain in terms of fitness, weight loss, and potentially even making it into work quicker, you'll be pleased for it. :)

Ill try it one day but going the back roads is hazardous :lol: . Imma go check out those hybrids during the week as i need to get my eldest a new bike as well

Hybrids are a pretty good way to start out. I'm pretty sure my Giant Boulder 4 is technically a hybrid. Although it probably is classed more on the mountain bike side of things. But like I mentioned earlier, it does alright on the road.

I'm keen on investing in a road bike next year, but those things aren't cheap and do actually take a little getting used too.

im sorry Heini but cyclists give me the shits lol

Have not been on a bike for over a year. Road cycling is boring and my mountain bike is a shit one for the tracks, where I like to ride. Its similar to yours Heineken. At the moment I've decided running and swimming is easier and more fun for me at the moment. Used to ride about 60km along highway and then back through fire trails in the national parks at least 2 to 3 times a week.

My best mate hates cyclists too. :lol: He's been giving me shit about becoming one of those yuppi cyclists that decks out in the full lycra kit on the road bike, and instagrams being at coffee shops drinking soy latte's. :lol:

Well I'm not decked out in lycra (except for the shorts) and I lack a road bike, but just to spite him, I'm going to be ducking into cafe's on my rides and taking photos of my coffee and sending them to him just to infuriate him. :lol: I'll convince him to become one of us cycling mob. (Yes, 7 days in to this whole cycling fad, and I'm referring to the activity as if I've been a member of some elite group for years. 8-[ :lol: )

My mate has a roadie. Cost him a fortune , he is also nutter who went from tralagon in gippsland were he lives and rode all the way to geelong which is a 6 hour one way trip because he could :lol:

I think there are a few cyclists that make their own rules on the road.
I almost hit a cyclist in front of me who took up the whole lane (which he is entitled to do) then decided he become a pedestrian by just riding on the zebra crossing and I slammed on the brakes.
Also I see cyclists often go through red lights when cars are stopped at traffic lights...lol

Edited by SocaWho: 23/11/2015 08:57:24 AM

You do definitely get a percentage of cyclists who are a law unto themselves, certainly. You see them often in the CBD in the morning/afternoon peak, and I can understand people's frustration when those dickheads do ride like kamikazes who think they own the road. Having said that, I lose count on a daily basis of the amount of fuckwit drivers that are somehow allowed on the road that are a law unto themselves, and simple don't understand the basic road rules like indicating when merging or giving way to the right at a round about.

As a cyclist I like to think I'm a very considerate rider. I don't generally hog a whole lane of traffic, try keeping as far left as possible, where possible. I stop at red lights (mostly because it's a good 2-3 minutes to get my breath back and a few gulps of water! :lol: ) because it's a red light. Always chuck an arm out left or right if I'm turning. I'm always mindful of making sure I don't cut in front of, or break sharply in front of another car. I'm well aware that my combined weight is around 150kgs, (me and the bike, I've never actually weighed my bike so I'm guessing here ) vs 1 tonne plus.

Cyclists are the worst, they need to build tunnels for the fuckers to wear their lycra in.

I was driving down a collector road (not busy but not quiet) the other day and they were three abreast and refused to move single file to let me pass. Felt like following them and knocking one down to remind the other two that if they want to play chicken a car will always win :lol:

don't get me wrong there are dickhead drivers that give me grief as well...some are worst than cyclists.

So yeah, rode to La Perouse and back home today. Excluding stopping off and having lunch, in LP, the ride took around 3.5 hours to cover the ~43 kilometers. Averaged about 12km/h. Seems slow, but that average would be a lot higher if cramps hadn't plagued me whilst on the return leg through the city. Literally had to get off 3 times in the space of 2.5kms to work the cramps out - at least 20 minutes each. Feeling good, though. Might meet up with Draupy next time as I think he lives that way.

Later on in the week (Thursday probably) will look at doing an even longer ride. :lol: Cooks River at Tempe to Homebush and home. Last I checked, that was just over 50kms. :lol: Bugger this whole "start off cycling slowly" nonsense. Go hard, or go home. :lol: Also keen to do Gladesville to Parramatta and Return via Homebush in the coming month.

Nice photos btw

Ta. Got myself a cycling tan too. At the moment, it's just sunburn. :lol:

:lol: figured much. My mate has a clear cycling tan on his legs. And arms. But his freaking legs are freaking huge

Before you splash out big dollars watch this.

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and this....

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and this....

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Edited by munrubenmuz: 23/11/2015 08:29:24 PM

Yeah, I've been told on another bike forum which I frequent to get a fit if/when I do decide to buy a roadie.

That blokes voice is annoying as fuck though. He's not far off Hughsey annoying. :lol:

P=MV motherfuckers. Why do they wear lycra? That really annoys the shit out of me, the only time a cyclist ever makes me happy is when I see a motorist plow through a crowd of them on YouTube.

Forget ISIS, if you really want to see the ADF unleash some violence let them fight it out over the cyclists v runners schism in the army. Both are nutbag cults but I am only able to say this in hindsight having escaped it myself. Wtf was I doing thinking that 24 hour races were fun?

So have fallen with a bit of 'summer flu' in the last 3-4 days. Was meant to follow up my 43km ride last Monday with a shorter bunch of rides during the week, but I pussied out a bit, citing too hot, and Mrs Heineken's pool. Came down with 'summer flu' on Friday and have been battling it all weekend. :x

Probably won't get out for a ride until Wednesday at the latest. Thinking Cooks River cycleway from Mine > Tempe > Homebush Bay, have lunch at The Armoury cafe, and back via Concord, Five Dock & the Bay Run. Although that's shaping up to be a 50km round trip, and I'm not quite up to that sort of fitness yet, especially given I nearly broke down last week on my 43km La Perouse & return excursion. The Parramatta Cycleway and return looks a little more promising, but once more that'll be a 40km plus ride, and I dunno If I can do another one of those without building up some serious fitness. Took 2+ days recovery from the LP ride. :lol:

Thinking perhaps a few shorter rides. Definetly will do the Bay Run course again. That's a solid 15kms. Should probably get my body used to that. If it's warm, perhaps cycle over to Coogee, or Clovelly and do a bit of snorkeling. That'll be around 25-30kms with some decent hills too.