Bike Oppo! Also, HOLY CRAP I AM OUT OF SHAPE.

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
08/24/2019 at 19:10 • Filed to: Out of shape, Bikes

I have gained several (i.e. many) pounds in the last few months. Looks like my fast metabolism has finally started to slow down. I’ve always been 120-125lbs growing up (even until earlier this year) ....I’m 154 now. Oops...

So, I pulled my ancient CCM Riptide 21-speed mountain bike out of the back of the shed a few days ago and took it apart to re-adjust the gears and put new tubes/tires on it...

It rides OK....it never had suspension, so bumps are a bit painful, but I’m OK with that. I have the rear gears adjusted MOSTLY OK...they all work fine, but 1st gear is BEFORE 1 on the shifter, lol....it has Gripshift and I have to twist the indicator to show BEFORE the 1 on the shifter to put it in first. T he pedal gears are still a bit off too...1st and 2nd shift fine, but if I go into 3rd, it won’t shift back down into first or second until I shift the rear gears, as weird as that sounds....oh well, at least I can ride it, haha!

Now, I know I am out of shape. But the last 4 days I’ve tried to go for a 10 minute ride (I know, 10 minutes is nothing... ) to work myself slowly back up into longer rides...

.....MAN I am out of shape, LOL. I’m pretty exhausted by the time I get back, but it’s already working. I went for a 20 minute ride today up a few tough hills and I was super exhausted when I got back, but I made it! I did stop for a few-minute break in the middle, but otherwise I wanted to give myself a workout.

Definitely hard getting back into shape when you’re out of it, but hopefully I can get some of these pounds back off and feel better in the end!

DISCUSSION (23)

CB > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 19:32

I feel you (my friends had a saying: “cardio is hardio”). I should go for a run soon...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > CB
08/24/2019 at 19:40

Running would probably be easier in a way as I’d only be moving the weight of me, not the weight of me plus an old mountain bike with a steel frame...lol

CB > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 19:42

But biking is way more fun!

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 19:50

Try being 50 and 235lbs. I’ve been out on my bike the past three weeks off and on. It be painful.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > CB
08/24/2019 at 19:50

I know! When I was a teenager, we routinely biked from our old house in Bridgewater with friends of ours all the way up to another friend’s place in Auburndale, which is a 11km trip one-way. Took us 45 minutes or so, but I don’t ever remember being this exhausted, haha!

My 20min trip today was around 4km....2km there, 2km back. I came back deliberately going up a side dirt road with a big hill, so that probably helped tucker me out, though I did take a breather for a few minutes at the top, lol.

My shorter 10 minute trips went the other direction and were about 3km...1.5km there, 1.5km back....which weirdly, now that I look it up is actually farther than I thought it was for only taking 10 minutes.

Stupid age...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus
08/24/2019 at 19:52

33 and 154lbs here...but I feel you, lol. Hopefully we can both work ourselves back up to a tolerance, but good on you for also getting back out there!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 20:16

The key to fitness is to never ever stop. Like every single day go for a walk/hike/ride or do planks or what ever. Just don’t ever stop.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/24/2019 at 20:19

Yup, that’s what I am hoping to do, though finding the time is the hard part :(

Boxer_4 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/24/2019 at 21:12

That’s my issue; F reshman and especially S ophomore year of college, I was in probably the best shape of my life. I would go on a ~ 3 mile walk every day except for Fridays. Some days would be longer, depending on how much I wanted to get away from everything. The campus and surrounding area had amazing walking trails; urban, but park like.

Junior and Senior years, I transferred to a different campus that did was not very good for walking. I really didn’t have the free time, either . Five years later, I never picked it back up...

nermal > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 21:34

Can’t speak to the shifting issue because my bike also shifts kinda crappy. There’s an adjustment screw that I’ve fiddled with a few times, and it always ends up that the best option is the kinda crappy one where it is now.

For fitness, work on two things - first is long, slow, steady effort. So that your legs are moving and your heart rate is up, but just a little more than normal . Second is max effort intervals. Shift up to a hard gear and smash the pedals as hard as you possibly can until you feel like you’re gonna pass out. Then slow down until your heart rate drops. Then repeat.

OPPOsaurus WRX > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 22:02

Hit it every day. It takes a week or two but eventually you will get to the point where it feels weird not to exercise for a day.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Boxer_4
08/24/2019 at 22:38

Yeah, I haven’t really done ANY daily exercising in like....10 years lol

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > nermal
08/24/2019 at 22:38

Thanks for the suggestions! Going to definitely try and keep it up...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > OPPOsaurus WRX
08/24/2019 at 22:39

Here’s hoping!

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/24/2019 at 23:08

41 now, wt has been slowly creeping up for years, about 185 now I think. I don’t have a desk job and am sorta active but I definitely don’t often exercise more than taking my son to the park 3 blocks away.

I definitely notice it when going up a set of stairs or that time I foolishly sprinted about 6 blocks to catch a train. (Was soar for days after lol)

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/26/2019 at 06:57

We’ve started riding bike again after not riding in any amount since I was 15. Sunday we rode 7.8 miles, Monday we rode 8.8 miles, Tuesday was 11.3 miles, Wednesday we walked the Levee which is 5.6 miles total, Thursday we bought ALL the critter poison, Friday we rode 12.6 miles.

I will tell you 2 things:

1. Towing one of these with a 40+ lb kid behind you sucks:

Kinja'd!!!

2. Riding a 21 speed mountain bike with only 4th/5th gear on the rear sprocket which only allows you to use 2nd/3rd on the front sprocket sucks as well.

That being said, it’s making for great family time.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
08/26/2019 at 08:40

Ouch, and I thought my slightly glitchy gears were bad, haha!

Kudos to you friend!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/26/2019 at 10:13

My bike is also 20 years old and was beat to hell by younger me, so it’s not really surprising.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
08/26/2019 at 10:40

Yup, I’ve had mine since Jr. High (I’m 33 now...lol), so I feel your pain on that one!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/26/2019 at 12:07

I’ll be searching for a replacement bike soon and getting a tow behind bike at the same time, should make our biking much easier.

Huh, we’re the same age, neato!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
08/26/2019 at 12:46

Neat!

Make sure to get a tow behind bike where the little one can pedal too...put them to work! :P

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/26/2019 at 16:08

That’s the plan, we really like this one:

Kinja'd!!!

But it’s got a hefty price tag.

functionoverfashion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/27/2019 at 12:31

This is good stuff. I took about 8 years off mountain biking, though I substituted other things in place like waterskiing, snow skiing. But it’s not the same kind of workout. I rode my ancient Cannondale until I proved that I would do it regularly, then researched, tried, and eventually bought a nicer bike. Now I go about twice a week (all I have time for) but it’s back to being one of my favorite activities, so much so that the exercise is a bonus, or a means, rather than the end in itself.