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[Christoff Yurievich]

For sure, ten miles on a road goes easy. Incidentally, I found that for weight loss it actually works best to sometimes go out before breakfast (and then have it afterwards).

Really? I've been trying to figure out why I'm not losing weight even though I do 30 miles a day commuting to work and then 30-50 mile rides on the weekend when I can. I'm even watching calories.

Went to Bend, OR over the weekend to pick up a cyclocross bike for my son. It's a 2005 Redline Conquest 24, and it'll be his first bike with drop bars. He's already a little imtimidated with it but he's been riding for years so I hope it's short.

I was working on it yesterday afternoon and two of the bolts on the chainring were seized. It doesn't help that the tool provides you with so little leverage next to those teeth. Those teeth that hunger for a blood sacrifice every time I work near them. My knuckles hate working on that part of any bike.

Bend looks like an awesome biking town from what I saw.

 

[jakonovski]

Really? I've been trying to figure out why I'm not losing weight even though I do 30 miles a day commuting to work and then 30-50 mile rides on the weekend when I can. I'm even watching calories.

I just did it because I have no appetite for an hour after waking up, but didn't want to get up earlier than usual. Turns out it's a real thing that people do.

You're like one tier above me as far as biking goes, I do 20 commuting miles a day at most and then 20-30 on the weekends. I've slimmed down quite a bit but I'm still somewhat overweight. I haven't bothered with any diets apart from cutting down on sweets and salty snacks (waste of money), as well as trying to avoid shitty ready made food.

 

[GamePnoy74]

Re-posting from FitGAF...

Unless you want to ride a God-awful eBike...don't skip leg day, yo.

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFmgUxxQ6hY

 

[Psychotext]

Are you saying 12 hours without any food intake at all?

Uhh... no. That would be beyond stupid!

We were also talking about milestones / effort.

Really? I've been trying to figure out why I'm not losing weight even though I do 30 miles a day commuting to work and then 30-50 mile rides on the weekend when I can. I'm even watching calories.

You're likely assuming that cycling is burning far more calories than it actually is. Though with that said, your intake would have to be pretty damn large to offset 2 hours of cardio a day.

What's more likely is that you're not counting the calories as well as you could. Usual reason for that with most people tends to calories they're getting via drink.

 

[thomaser]

Went on the year's first roadbike ride today! 77 km, started to rain just as I got home. Set two or three PRs along the way, so sitting on the trainer during the winter probably had its effects.

I suck at taking pictures. But the mountain in the distance looked so cool in that light.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I just did it because I have no appetite for an hour after waking up, but didn't want to get up earlier than usual. Turns out it's a real thing that people do.

You're like one tier above me as far as biking goes, I do 20 commuting miles a day at most and then 20-30 on the weekends. I've slimmed down quite a bit but I'm still somewhat overweight. I haven't bothered with any diets apart from cutting down on sweets and salty snacks (waste of money), as well as trying to avoid shitty ready made food.

I'm going to try that for two weeks and see what happens.

You're likely assuming that cycling is burning far more calories than it actually is. Though with that said, your intake would have to be pretty damn large to offset 2 hours of cardio a day.

What's more likely is that you're not counting the calories as well as you could. Usual reason for that with most people tends to calories they're getting via drink.

Maybe. I use http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and it tracks the exact items I eat, so when I say I eat safeway oatmeal with 1 tbsp of krogers brown sugar it knows exactly what I'm talking about. But it also doesn't have everything and maybe I'm not estimating servings correctly for things like dinner. But I've been counting for a month now 932 days, to be exact) and I've only lost 2-3 lbs.

It's also entirely possible that I'm losing fat and building muscle though because I also started doing some strength training during lunch.

And it's also possible I'm eating the wrong stuff. For example:

Quinoa, 2 tbsp(s) 79
Jasmine Rice - Long Grain White, 0.38 cup uncooked 308
Sriacha - Chili Sauce, 1 tsp 5
Mae Ploy - Sweet Chili Sauce, 1 tablespoons 35
Generic - Superior Soy Sauce Low Salt, 0.25 Tbsp 3

Total 430

There's more info in there but that's the main part. So maybe too much starches?

Also I drink water or tea all day and the only time I drink soda is when I'm at my mother-in-laws and that's maybe once or twice a month.

 

[Mascot]

Gorgeous here today - hot, sunny and calm, so had a good hard 25 miles around the forest. Bit boggy in places, but felt good to be out there.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

And it's also possible I'm eating the wrong stuff. For example:

There's more info in there but that's the main part. So maybe too much starches?

That's not a lot of calories, but how much is it in terms of carbs? Carbs give you energy, but if you're over supplying body with carbs it's just going to convert to fat.

As for the notion of burning more fat when riding on an empty stomach look up intermittent fasting. I'm hypothesizing here, but with cycling the idea would be akin to base miles where you teach your body to burn fat instead of always going for glycogen. I can almost guarantee you that you can ride 15 miles on an empty stomach in the morning. If I'm getting out in the morning first thing I can do 20-25 before I feel compelled to eat something.

Also throwing out there that losing pounds is fine, but at a certain point you need to start thinking about burning fat. For me I teeter between 165 and 175 no matter what time of the year, and this used to bother me, but I quickly switched to focusing on body fat. A good way to do this on a bike, as I mentioned, is getting your body to burn fat before glycogen. This might mean riding in a zone 2/3 pace instead of seeing how fast you can make it to the office.

Going to also advice looking up proper caloric burning methods instead of relying entirely on what an app is telling you. I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but a lot of people over compensate when they're on the bike. I think for me, based on my body type and pace, I burn between 350 and 450 calories per hour. Which means if I'm riding 3+ hours I need to take in 200ish calories every hour to compensate for the loss.

Uhh... no. That would be beyond stupid!

We were also talking about milestones / effort.

Oh, phew! I was talking specifically to in-taking no food before hitting the bonk. I think I can probably do 10-12 hours if I'm at the right pace with the correct food items.

 

[jakonovski]

That's one thing I probably ended up doing, swapping quite a bit of carbs for protein. I felt that my usual foods just didn't cut it as far as recovery goes, so I started plopping chicken breasts on my plate and eating protein added yogurts at breakfast (well, quark and cottage cheese at the moment, so good).

Gorgeous here today - hot, sunny and calm, so had a good hard 25 miles around the forest. Bit boggy in places, but felt good to be out there.

Seeing some of the tracks in the forest, people have been riding down muddy meltwater stream beds here. Way too technical for me, but the route looked pretty awesome.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

That's not a lot of calories, but how much is it in terms of carbs? Carbs give you energy, but if you're over supplying body with carbs it's just going to convert to fat.

As for the notion of burning more fat when riding on an empty stomach look up intermittent fasting. I'm hypothesizing here, but with cycling the idea would be akin to base miles where you teach your body to burn fat instead of always going for glycogen. I can almost guarantee you that you can ride 15 miles on an empty stomach in the morning. If I'm getting out in the morning first thing I can do 20-25 before I feel compelled to eat something.

Also throwing out there that losing pounds is fine, but at a certain point you need to start thinking about burning fat. For me I teeter between 165 and 175 no matter what time of the year, and this used to bother me, but I quickly switched to focusing on body fat. A good way to do this on a bike, as I mentioned, is getting your body to burn fat before glycogen. This might mean riding in a zone 2/3 pace instead of seeing how fast you can make it to the office.

Going to also advice looking up proper caloric burning methods instead of relying entirely on what an app is telling you. I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but a lot of people over compensate when they're on the bike. I think for me, based on my body type and pace, I burn between 350 and 450 calories per hour. Which means if I'm riding 3+ hours I need to take in 200ish calories every hour to compensate for the loss.

Says 92 carbs for that combination. Maybe drop to 1/4 cup rice and 3/4 quinoa? Just can't do pure quinoa, the texture needs to be broken up.

When I'm on a 'big' ride I just take an apple or two plus a banana. And you're saying I should start trying to take longer to get to work? I can get here in an hour if I really bust my ass so I should slow it down to maybe 1:15, 1:30 maybe? Just push but not pour it on?

 

[HTupolev]

Had an SUV not yield in a roundabout on the commute today. I was going straight across so I was sort of toward the inside of the lane and the vehicle just pulled alongside me to take a right turn. I'm guessing the motorist just didn't notice me, because it's not like they would have even been stuck behind my bike (the road we were going into has a bike lane); letting me through would have cost the vehicle maybe 2 or 3 seconds.

Definitely feeling like I should get a camera.

 

[Gray Matter]

Had an SUV not yield in a roundabout on the commute today. I was going straight across so I was sort of toward the inside of the lane and the vehicle just pulled alongside me to take a right turn. I'm guessing the motorist just didn't notice me, because it's not like they would have even been stuck behind my bike (the road we were going into has a bike lane); letting me through would have cost the vehicle maybe 2 or 3 seconds.

Definitely feeling like I should get a camera.

I hate asshole drivers.

 

[Psychotext]

That's not a lot of calories, but how much is it in terms of carbs? Carbs give you energy, but if you're over supplying body with carbs it's just going to convert to fat.

Really wouldn't obsess about that. Everything you provide the body too much of will eventually convert to fat. Anyone here that does a significant amount of cycling need not worry about having a high carb intake. Quite the opposite in fact, it can be quite advantageous at times.

Simple answer is the simplest... if you want to lose weight and you're not, eat less, or exercise more (eating less is usually the better route). On the subject of MyFitnessPal, I've compared some of the values in their DB to packaging I have for some items and it's flat out wrong (>50%) in some cases. It's not bad for rule of thumb, but it's worth checking that the values you're using have been confirmed by other users.

When I'm on a 'big' ride I just take an apple or two plus a banana. And you're saying I should start trying to take longer to get to work? I can get here in an hour if I really bust my ass so I should slow it down to maybe 1:15, 1:30 maybe? Just push but not pour it on?

Don't do this. Whilst yes, it's technically true that you burn more of your calories from fat at lower heart rates, simple maths states that if you're burning more calories at a higher heart rate it becomes irrelevant. (This before taking into consideration changes in metabolism caused by pushing harder)

Overly simple example.

Burn 100kcal, 40% fat. 40kcal fat burned.
Burn 150kcal, 30% fat. 45kcal fat burned.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Really wouldn't obsess about that. Everything you provide the body too much of will eventually convert to fat. Anyone here that does a significant amount of cycling need not worry about having a high carb intake. Quite the opposite in fact, it can be quite advantageous at times.

Simple answer is the simplest... if you want to lose weight and you're not, eat less, or exercise more (eating less is usually the better route). On the subject of MyFitnessPal, I've compared some of the values in their DB to packaging I have for some items and it's flat out wrong (>50%) in some cases. It's not bad for rule of thumb, but it's worth checking that the values you're using have been confirmed by other users.

Don't do this. Whilst yes, it's technically true that you burn more of your calories from fat at lower heart rates, simple maths states that if you're burning more calories at a higher heart rate it becomes irrelevant. (This before taking into consideration changes in metabolism caused by pushing harder)

Overly simple example.

Burn 100kcal, 40% fat. 40kcal fat burned.
Burn 150kcal, 30% fat. 45kcal fat burned.

RE: myfitnesspal - I always check before I click the submit button. The only time I'm unsure is when it comes to a fruit and home-cooked dishes and then I just approximate to the closest recipe I can find. It's usually spot on, but I've noticed what you mean. Usually it's because the serving size is so messed up (like 4 oz, 1 oz, and entire 18 oz container are the only options) so it skews from poor input.

I'm just going to have to wait it out. I guess looking at my wife who lost 20 lbs in the last two months vs. me who has lost 3 in the last month has made me question where I'm at. She wasn't nearly as active as me so comparing the two is probably a fools errand.

 

[Psychotext]

In these cases they were flat out wrong per 100g, direct comparison. I can't help wondering if people had been putting in bullshit figures to fuck with people. Internet being the internet and all.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Just try a day, or two, where you ride to work without eating anything. Best case scenario: you find out you can make it without eating anything. Worst case: you have to eat something real quick.

I'm also impressed you can eat an apple and keep riding. That would be gas/bloat city for me if I tried that.

 

[Psychotext]

Some people can eat easier than others. I'm happy to have a sandwich whilst I'm still moving.

 

[Mascot]

Totally shredded the gnar today and also my pants (Enduras). Any suggestions for indestructible mtb pants and/or shorts?

My Troy Lee shorts will outlive man.

Edit: should have clarified, TLD Moto shorts. Just like the ones below, but mine are black.
Note how they can stand up all by themselves..!
Never met a tougher short.

 

[t-ramp]

Bend looks like an awesome biking town from what I saw.

It really is. I was out there for a week last fall - only got to go biking a couple days, but there are a ton of great trails outside of town. While going through town, I even came across a little single track trail along a random sidewalk, which was a fun surprise.

There's also a great ATV trail network nearby if you're into that, too. I'd love to get out there again.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Just try a day, or two, where you ride to work without eating anything. Best case scenario: you find out you can make it without eating anything. Worst case: you have to eat something real quick.

I'm also impressed you can eat an apple and keep riding. That would be gas/bloat city for me if I tried that.

Will do. I think what I'll do is make the oatmeal like I usually do and put it in a plastic tupperware thing and just reheat it when I get to work, see how that works.

We have an all-fruit/veggie dinner every driday night so maybe that helps? Jicama, apples, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers...whatever's in season. The pickings are slim in the winter but in summer it's awesome. Plus we have a little garden in the summer so whatever we can pull from that.

 

[senahorse]

I will be in the market for a hardtail in the coming weeks and have the equivalent of about $2000US to spend, this is to replace a custom built hardtail I had stolen about 5 years ago and I haven't ridden since. I am interested in a 29er and was hoping to get some suggestions, so far I am considering a Trek Superfly 8

I will be using this mainly for exercise to begin with on hardpack/bike paths with a view to do a little single track later on. I am open to any suggestions, I have been out of the loop for a quite a few years.

 

[davidnic]

I was wondering what happened to the old Bike GAF group...found the new one.

http://www.strava.com/clubs/109390

Just Joined !

Kristoooofff!

I stayed up and watched Flanders on Sunday night here in Aus, I had a easy day on Monday so I stayed up.

That's one thing I probably ended up doing, swapping quite a bit of carbs for protein. I felt that my usual foods just didn't cut it as far as recovery goes, so I started plopping chicken breasts on my plate and eating protein added yogurts at breakfast (well, quark and cottage cheese at the moment, so good).

The sport nutritious I talk to basic says a rough guide to make sure you get 20 g of protein in your 3 main meals a day. Obliviously after hard\ long rides you should have some kind of protein and carbs in a 20 min window after your ride.

 

[Mascot]

I will be in the market for a hardtail in the coming weeks and have the equivalent of about $2000US to spend, this is to replace a custom built hardtail I had stolen about 5 years ago and I haven't ridden since. I am interested in a 29er and was hoping to get some suggestions, so far I am considering a Trek Superfly 8

I will be using this mainly for exercise to begin with on hardpack/bike paths with a view to do a little single track later on. I am open to any suggestions, I have been out of the loop for a quite a few years.

I don't know the Superfly 8 but my last two bikes have been Treks (one HT, one FS) and I love them.

 

[Psychotext]

Nothing wrong with the spec on paper. Seems to review pretty well too.

 

[senahorse]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated

edit: silly question, why do they always seem to be lacking pedals in the shop, is it to stop someone riding off easy or don't new bikes come with pedals a lot of the time and you choose your own? If the latter I was considering some Shimano clickrs, I haven't used clipless before and I want to ease into the process.

 

[Psychotext]

Most new bikes come with shitty plastic things that you really wouldn't want to keep. Some come with nothing because they know that whatever they put in will instantly be replaced with whatever the rider prefers.

I'm still hunting for my perfect MTB flats.

 

[Psychotext]

Man, it's a beautiful day here. I wish I could be out cycling.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

My knee has been beyond uncomfortable over the last 24 hours resulting in just 30 light minutes this morning. Going to try for an hour Thursday to see how things feel, but I'm thinking I finally need to see that physical therapist.

 

[jakonovski]

My Troy Lee shorts will outlive man.

Edit: should have clarified, TLD Moto shorts. Just like the ones below, but mine are black.
Note how they can stand up all by themselves..!
Never met a tougher short.

Yeah, I think I'll go with those come payday. In the meantime I'll just have to savile a bit.

 

[Psychotext]

My knee has been beyond uncomfortable over the last 24 hours resulting in just 30 light minutes this morning. Going to try for an hour Thursday to see how things feel, but I'm thinking I finally need to see that physical therapist.

Mine has been getting worse lately. I'm thinking if nothing else I need to pick up some exercises to increase knee health generally... and take it from there if it doesn't improve.

In the meantime I'll just have to savile a bit.

Only in this thread could you post that and not have people concerned.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Yeah, I think I'll go with those come payday. In the meantime I'll just have to savile a bit.

If there is one thing I learned with cycling stuff is spend right on clothing. I used to buy the cheapo stuff from Nashbar and moving to some of the better stuff was night and day.

Mine has been getting worse lately. I'm thinking if nothing else I need to pick up some exercises to increase knee health generally... and take it from there if it doesn't improve.

Yep, exactly what I've been doing. Check this out: http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1101/p2019.html

 

[Mascot]

Man, it's a beautiful day here. I wish I could be out cycling.

I will be at precisely 4:45. I even popped my bladder in the freezer at lunchtime in anticipation..!

Yeah, I think I'll go with those come payday. In the meantime I'll just have to savile a bit.

Word of warning: they are VERY stiff and heavy, designed for downhilling, I think. I won't be wearing them now summer is on the way - they'd be too hot.

 

[Psychotext]

Yep, exactly what I've been doing. Check this out: http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1101/p2019.html

Thanks buddy, I'll try and work some of those into my routine.

I will be at precisely 4:45. I even popped my bladder in the freezer at lunchtime in anticipation..!

Noice. I have tomorrow and Thursday, and then Sunday to Tuesday. EXCITE![/QUOTE]

 

[jakonovski]

Word of warning: they are VERY stiff and heavy, designed for downhilling, I think. I won't be wearing them now summer is on the way - they'd be too hot.

There's two months in the year when the average temperature is above 15C, so I think those'll do fine warmth wise. Could be unwieldy, but luckily the local store is well stocked on TLD stuff so I can try them on.

Only in this thread could you post that and not have people concerned.

Not true, I can feel Mascot shivering at the thought of road bikes.

If there is one thing I learned with cycling stuff is spend right on clothing. I used to buy the cheapo stuff from Nashbar and moving to some of the better stuff was night and day.

The worst part is that even "good" stuff sometimes sucks. Like the Enduras that ripped. They were supposed to be durable, but the stitching was...pants.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I like to think you put your sunglasses on midsentence.

 

[jakonovski]

That's why we have cycling shades.

 

[Mascot]

Not true, I can feel Mascot shivering at the thought of road bikes.

True dat.

The worst part is that even "good" stuff sometimes sucks. Like the Enduras that ripped. They were supposed to be durable, but the stitching was...pants.

Yeah, that sucks. I just bought a pair of Madison Roam three-quarters on offer for £30. I don't really want to spend more than that. I crash too much.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

On the subject of clothing I can safely say Rapha is worth every damn penny. I bought a few things from them this year for colder weather and holy crap is the stuff great. Merino wool is heavenly.

 

[Psychotext]

Just as a counter argument, I've got some merino stuff that's about a quarter of the price of my Rapha jersey that's just as good.

Probably would get me thrown out of a fashion convention though.

 

[Stryder]

The only Rapha stuff I own is merino base layers.

It is great, has performed well and kept me plenty throughout the colder months here in the UK. Went for a cycle with it on a much warmer day here yesterday and it kept me cool when usually I could have been just fine in just a jersey.

It is worth the money, but I feel that way because I bought it when it was 25% off.

They do make excellent jerseys but there is plenty else out there to choose from.

Check out www.maap.cc for instance.

 

[Psychotext]

Oh fuck me. Guy I was due to go cycling with has fallen off a ladder and is currently on his way to hospital.

=(

 

[Gray Matter]

Oh fuck me. Guy I was due to go cycling with has fallen off a ladder and is currently on his way to hospital.

=(

He could at least come up with a more believable excuse

Spoiler

hope it isn't serious b

 

[Psychotext]

Has hurt his back, didn't sound too bad, but that's all I know right now.

Best part is, I've literally just found out that I'm not going to be able to do Whistler this year as planned because all the reasonably priced flight options are gone already.

Was in a really good mood this morning. Gone now.

 

[Gray Matter]

So a new bike has to be assembled? News to me.

I thought it came in a box already assembled.

 

[Psychotext]

Usually you just have to put the wheels on and get your handlebars aligned / tightened.

 

[Gray Matter]

That makes sense, I called the shop where I bought it from and said they got a shipment today. Mine has to be one of those. I just want to start riding it already.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Just as a counter argument, I've got some merino stuff that's about a quarter of the price of my Rapha jersey that's just as good.

Probably would get me thrown out of a fashion convention though.

Their jerseys, jackets and bibs are insanely expensive but all their base layer stuff is fairly priced.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Had some Smartwool tights and I wore the seat out I used them so often. Used them bicycling, kayaking, running, I'm sure some other activities as well. Being warm even when they were wet was the best thing ever, and made me sour on other kinds of tights from then on out. Merino only for me now.

http://www.maap.cc/

Man, the weirdest sites get caught in the filter here.

 

[Psychotext]

I've seen a lot of mention of smartwool stuff in the bikepacking sites I've been visiting. I've never heard of it before.

 

[GamePnoy74]

All y'all talking about cycling clothing I can relate.

When I first started out I bought crap like Canari jerseys and basic Pearl Izumi bibs and cheap Shimano shoes...now I've moved on to higher end stuff that I could find on sale, like Castelli Gabba jerseys, Endura, Wave One Japan, Italian SIDI shoes, etc...a little pricier, but really good stuff. But not bad when you can find the good stuff on the clearance rack =)

I wish to own a Rapha jersey someday. =(

As far as bibs go Wiggle UK's DHB stuff is some high-quality bang-for-the-buck gear...the race bibs they sell that their pro team uses is a bargain at $70.

I'm still hunting for my perfect MTB flats.

I have a set of Shimano Saint PD-MX80 pedals on my commuter single-speed CX bike, pretty good, looks great for the price! Just a tad heavier than comparable boutique-brand pedals that cost an arm and a leg though.