Lifetime competitive athlete, but new to this sport

Al Shaw

My wife and I have been interested in touring for a few years now, but havent sat on a bike for over a decade. We have been bodybuilding for a lot of years, and are physically and mentally ready for a change. Its August of 2005, and we would like to do our first tour in the summer of 2006..... about 1000 miles south thru the Canadian rockies into Washington USA

If you were to give a few bits of advice to a middle aged athletic couple looking to get into the sport..... what would it be?

Thanks.

nun

My wife and I have been interested in touring for a few years now, but havent sat on a bike for over a decade. We have been bodybuilding for a lot of years, and are physically and mentally ready for a change. Its August of 2005, and we would like to do our first tour in the summer of 2006..... about 1000 miles south thru the Canadian rockies into Washington USA

If you were to give a few bits of advice to a middle aged athletic couple looking to get into the sport..... what would it be?

Thanks.
My advice would be to read through the posts on this forum. Your questions have been asked before and you'll get lots of answers simply by going back through the threads.

Basic advice would be to go to a good local bike shop and talk to the folks there, get yourselves some relatively inexpensive steel touring bikes and get well fitted from them. Get a bike computer so you can log time and distance. Then start riding slowly, but often, say 5 or 10 miles every other day, and work up to riding 20 to 30 miles everyday with longer rides at then weekend. If you like the sport you can then upgrade your equipment and plan your trip in detail.

Al Shaw

Thanks for the reply Nun.

We have been doing alot of searching on the internet, and have found a plethora of information here.
It can be a tad overwelming for a rookie, I had no idea how in depth this is. The average joe thinks of a bike as being two wheels pedals and a chain.

Coming from a sport (bodybuilding) that takes years to reach goals, I by no means expect to learn everything there is to know about cycling over night.

Thanks for your time.
Al.

nun

Thanks for the reply Nun.

We have been doing alot of searching on the internet, and have found a plethora of information here.
It can be a tad overwelming for a rookie, I had no idea how in depth this is. The average joe thinks of a bike as being two wheels pedals and a chain.

Coming from a sport (bodybuilding) that takes years to reach goals, I by no means expect to learn everything there is to know about cycling over night.

Thanks for your time.
Al.
As you are new to cycling/touring I'd get yourselves some mid range steel bikes suitable for touring, a Bianchi Volpe or Trek 520 would be good. You'll be able to train on these and use them for some tours. If you continue and really get into it you can invest in one of the nicer touring bikes.

huhenio

I will quote a rather unknown explorer ... myself!!

"If you where not physically and mentally ready for the trip, with the backpacks, the heat, the cold, the inconvinience, the long dull hours, the setbacks, and all other unforseen adversities .... you will be fit and ready at the END of the trip for sure!!!"

From my epic hiking years.:D

philso

as nun says, most any and all questions can be found in other threads.

one point however, is that touring is much more like jogging than racing. hopping on your bike for an hour or so every day is nice, but in my opinion, you'll need to start putting in some full days in the saddle well in advance of your first big trip. do some 2 or 3 nighters, learn how to do basic repairs and you'll be all set

another point is more financial. getting a decent mid-level touring bike will set you back roughly $1000 give or take. upgrading to a "nicer" bike a few years down the line can set you back again about $2000 to infinity $'s.

if you know what size frame you need, and don't know how seriously you'll be getting into touring, consider keeping an eye on ebay and getting something that will serve for about 1/2 the price or less. however, you do need to know what size frame fits you or you'll end up with unnecessary back, wrist and knee problems.

if you're torn between a new mid-range vs. new high-end bike, consider getting a nice frame and building it up with mid-level components. most of your components will eventually need to be replaced anyway, so you can upgrade little by little.

what a touring frame should have at a minimum would be:
- long wheelbase (~ 104 cm or so)
- longer chainstays (~ 44 cm or so)
- bottom bracket would be lower than most road bikes
- seat tube, head tube and forks at more "relaxed" (not so vertical) angles

"nice" would be:
- double-butted chro-moly steel (will last your lifetime and then some)
- lugged frame (aesthetically nice anyway ; performance-wise is less clear)
- plenty of eyelets and braze-ons for carriers, fenders, water bottles, maybe pump, etc.

- doodads are personal calls. doodads include chain hanger, spoke holder, and yes, there's even a frame out there with a brazed on bottle opener

i'm sure that as long as the weather is mostly good, you'll have a wonderful trip. good luck

Al Shaw

Wow. Thanks for the detailed replies. I truly appreciate your time and effort.
One can search the internet and find tons of info, but the above direct "experienced" responses are invaluable.

Our current plan is to wait until december or january to buy the bikes as winter time prices in Canada will be easier to negotiate, or get a great sale price.
I have looked extensively at the Trek 520. It seems to be a great all-round bike and priced at $1500cdn.

The largest and most respected shop in town has given me an idea to play with, maybe you guys could offer an opinion.

I expect we will do the 15 to 20 miles per weekday and 40+ mile weekend riding, as that is what works best with our business time schedule. (In the past we would typically spend an hour to 1 1/2 hours per day at the gym with bodybuilding). The salesmen said we may want to get "road bikes" rather than touring bikes as the bulk of our riding (other than the potential one tour per year) will not be "tour" rides. When we do tour, we could tow a trailer rather than load up the bikes.
That to me seems to be sound advice.
Thoughts or opinions?

nun

Wow. Thanks for the detailed replies. I truly appreciate your time and effort.
One can search the internet and find tons of info, but the above direct "experienced" responses are invaluable.

Our current plan is to wait until december or january to buy the bikes as winter time prices in Canada will be easier to negotiate, or get a great sale price.
I have looked extensively at the Trek 520. It seems to be a great all-round bike and priced at $1500cdn.

The largest and most respected shop in town has given me an idea to play with, maybe you guys could offer an opinion.

I expect we will do the 15 to 20 miles per weekday and 40+ mile weekend riding, as that is what works best with our business time schedule. (In the past we would typically spend an hour to 1 1/2 hours per day at the gym with bodybuilding). The salesmen said we may want to get "road bikes" rather than touring bikes as the bulk of our riding (other than the potential one tour per year) will not be "tour" rides. When we do tour, we could tow a trailer rather than load up the bikes.
That to me seems to be sound advice.
Thoughts or opinions? If you are serious about touring GET A TOURING BIKE. A racing road bike just isn't up to the abuse and amount of riding you'll put it through. The road bike won't have the correct gears, won't have clearance for fenders and the bigger tires you'll need for touring and the wheels will be too whimpy. Also your body will appreciate the more relaxed geometry of the tourer. A touring bike is a great all purpose machine. The whole trailer/pannier argument is a whole other area, but to suggest that you can tour on a road bike by simply fitting it with a trailer just isn't correct. I think your salesperson isn't a touring fan and is trying to sell you a road bike rather than listening to what you want.

The Trek 520 sounds like an excellent way to go. I've heard good things about, except for the gearing it comes with which is a bit high for touring.

philso

if you see youself weaving in and out of the pack in a high speed finish, go with a racing frame; otherwise definitely go with a touring bike. you can race with a tourer( don't expect to finish 1st, or even 10th;they aren't as nimble or light as a racer) but with a normal road frame, you'll have stability, heel clearance and possibly limited gearing problems every day of your tours.

as nun says, bob trailers are a personal call. my own take is this. i used to own one but quickly gave up using it. the basic cons are these: a lot of weight to haul around in themselves; lead to the tendancy to bring too much cr_p --> even more weight to lug; awkward handling; not good in tight traffic situations.

however, many swear by them. i suppose it comes down to whether you want to enjoy the ride or have all the creature comforts to enjoy the end of the day.

just to compare, check out fuji's touring bike:

http://www.fujibikes.com/2005/bikes.asp?id=22#

good luck

geoffs

Hi Al

Get a Tandem!!
We have just come back from touring in France and Austria on ours and had a blast. It's a wonderful experience to be a traveller and be a part of things rather than a tourist. We met up with quiet a few couples on singles who were admiring our Co-motion. (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/sydneytandems/) You both get to the top of the hills at the same time. When riding in traffic, its easier to stick together, talk to one another. Twice the fun. If one of you is feeling off colour when you are on a trip, the other one can power on. Here (http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/whyride.html) a ahole lot more reasons why tandeming is great
The tandemlink (http://www.thetandemlink.com/) is a great resource as is tandem@bobbes usenet list.
I've cycled through the Canadian Rockies and had a great time. One day we'll get back there but perhaps Italy will be next :)

Cheers

Geoff and Marian
Sydney, Australia
Co-Motion Mocha Co-pilot
Santana Sovereign

Nick H.

A tandem can be quite a test of a relationship. The lighter person always has to sit behind, where they have no forward view, and no control over steering, brakes or gears. Can your wife put up with that all day? Try to get a long test ride on a tandem before you commit yourself. I speak from bitter experience!

I have always toured on a racer, but it means you need to pack ultralight, probably with no camping gear and hardly any clothes. But in my opinion ultralight is the best way to go because I like mountains. If you climb a mountain you will want to shed every surplus ounce. (By the way, if you DO like mountains, how do you descend at 50 mph with a trailer? I've never tried it, but it sounds unthinkable. Anyone have any experience? Not that I would ever buy a trailer - I'm just curious.)

If you've watched the Tour de France on the TV you'll have noticed that the ideal cycling physique is somewhat pigeon-chested. So you might want to quit the body building. Your present physique will incur a lot of drag on the flat and a big weight penalty when climbing. (Please don't take this personally - I am at least 30 lbs overweight!)

Al Shaw

If you've watched the Tour de France on the TV you'll have noticed that the ideal cycling physique is somewhat pigeon-chested. So you might want to quit the body building. Your present physique will incur a lot of drag on the flat and a big weight penalty when climbing. (Please don't take this personally - I am at least 30 lbs overweight!)
Yes, being 240 pounds and climbing hills is never fun:o
Since my last post, my wife and I went out to the local stores and recieved a number of different opinions on "what to spend our $$ on".
Well, we went a little different path.
We spent a little under $400cdn. This provided us with 2 somewhat entry level new mountain bikes and helmets. We wanted to find out if "riding" was what we wanted to do before we invested $3 to $6K. We have only toured around the paved city bike paths. In the last 3 weeks we have been doing about 7 hours per week, and have loved it. I realize that at this stage of our riding capabilities, a $150 bike or a $2K bike would feel the same to me for the most part.
We both are happy with the decision of buying the cheap bikes first, and learning to ride all over again. I believe it will make us appreciate a new up-grade in the spring.
Thanks to everyone for your advice and helpful insight.

geoffs

Good luck with the cycling!
The bikes that you bought will most probably be fine until you start doing more kms and things start going wrong. Enjoy in the meantime.
I was at 220lbs and am now a svelt 200 after increasing the amount of kms a week that I am doing.
The main thing to watch out for when you are a clydesdale is sufficient tire pressure to avoid puctures. Better tires take higher pressures and provide an amazing amount more grip.
Strong cyclists also have a tendency to break things when they start going harder such as frames, spokes, handlebars and seatposts. I dont worry about haveing an ultralight bike as I know that it wont last for me.
There are plenty of heavy people that are fine going up hills. Thats what gears are for. Gravity means that descending is a blast and extra weight doesn't really matter on the flat.

Cheers

Geoff