My Old Bike and Getting in Shape

[sleddriver]

Back in mid-Aug, I decided I needed to get in shape and lose some weight. "Too much gut, not enough butt" as one woman described most middle-aged men. Fair enough. I do stay pretty active working on my house, yard, car...all that stuff. But obviously it wasn't enough.

I eliminated all liquid carbo's, bread, pizza, FF's, orion rings, sandwhiches, hamburgers, tortilas, chips, cookies, potatoes, rice, donuts-on-the-weekend, etc. and no booze during the week.

So I start riding my early 90's Rockhopper around the neighborhood which has quite a few rather steep hills before you go very far. I'm immediately busted, even on a mountain bike, with my lungs & legs on fire. So I learned to warm up first on the one straight road there is that's about 1/8 mi long, maybe less as I have no bike odo.

I keep at it, gradually become able to ride up to the top of a local parking garage, into a neighboring strip center (with some rather steep pitches) and out onto a major parkway which while hilly is not near as steep as the hills I have to bike up just to get out of the neighborhood.

Getting in shape by riding a bike truly is "a steep climb" in my situation. No kidding!

One day it occurs to me to get down my 30yr old Japanese-built "Lotus" road bike, as I'd have less rolling resistance with its skinny tires and maybe a better mechanical advantage with it's larger tires & gear ratios. I'd bought this bike as an engineering undergrad to get from my dorm across campus and save time. It'd been hanging from the ceiling for nearly 20 years without a ride and I wasn't sure what state it would be in.

I air up the tires and go for a quick spin. All seems to be in working order, the brakes work, the chain & rear sprocket (cassette?)are quite dusty, so they'll need a good clean, but so far so good. The derailleurs are Shimano 600, the brakes center pull Shimano 500, the crankset is a Shimano Super-maxy. Everything is Shimano-a-mano. The frame is mild-steel. Don't see any sticker for Chro-Moly. Plain old flat pedals too.

I clean & relube both hubs, clean the rear sprockets cluster, soak the chain, then lube with T9 and let it dry hanging up in the garage while I wipe down the frame, disassemble the rear derailleur, etc. I didn't disassemble the brakes or crankset, just lubed all joints with T9 after blowing away the dust.

I put her all back together, get the bearing cones adjusted just right and start riding her instead of the Rockhopper. It's only a 12-speed and seems geared to be a flat-terrain bike. I found myself in first on the hills and it wasn't low enough for me. Also, I didn't have near the stamina either, so I'd just have to stop and catch my breath in the beginning and even just walk up the worst part of the hills.

I kept at it. The skinny tires make a huge difference. I kept pushing myself, the weight began to burn off and I slowly got into shape. I finally got to the point where my lungs and legs are no longer 'on-fire' and I have to quit. Now, I just get to the point where there's nothing left and I have to stop. That's quite a milestone for me.

More good news is that I've lost 23 pounds and maintained that loss even while going off the diet a bit around the holidays. I have splurged and eaten a burger and onion rings with a few beers a few times. But it amazes me I continue to lose weight during the holidays. I originally thought it would probably take me 6 months to lose 20 pounds...not 3-1/2. I try and ride at least twice a week for maybe an hour or an hour and a half. As I gain endurance though, I can go farther and climb more hills.

OK..so back to the bike...

I have the old style chain, as the S600 derailleurs are not click-style. A local shop checked it for stretch and said no worries. Something's not quite right with the rear derail. though. It will miss shifts, be noisy and the chain will jump when I apply too much torque in certain gears while climbing hills. Very frustrating as I lose my momentum.

One mechanic said my chain looked loose and that having more force from the rear derail. would help. Perhaps when I put it back together, I should have wound the spring an additional turn? Any ideas here?

I'm also seriously considering upgrading pedals where I can click-in to use my other muscles for hill climbing. I've come rather far 'flat-footing' it, but still. I need to exercise these other muscles as well. I dug around in my closet and found some old Specialized bike shoes I'd bought with the Rockhopper, mainly because they actually fit my big (14) feet. I noticed a center section on the bottom that pulls out where I can attach a cleat. I don't have the inner metal plate though. Any suggestion on good pedals for the money?

Currently everything else is going well. I went riding in town yesterday on a popular road that stretches across the North end. It's fairly flat and it was rather easy. I'm guessing it was maybe 20 miles or so. I'll have to check it in the car as I don't have a bike odo. That's something else I might want to add as well. Any suggestions there?

I'm really enjoying riding here in the cooler weather and the freedom of being out in the elements on a bike. I always enjoyed it as a kid. Love going fast on the downhills. Also that I'm in much better shape and only 3 pounds away from losing 10% of my original body weight.

I invite any suggestions to upgrading an old bike like this. Next time I'll take some pictures.

Riding a bike is more fun and less expensive than joining a health club, though I miss pumping iron. Less gut, more butt is now my motto!

 

[SatinSilver]

I like the thin road bike tires for speed. What a difference. I used to have an old Huffy road bike with thin tires that I could fly on. Then I bought a Hybrid Giant touring bike that had much wider tires on it. I felt like a turtle on it in comparison.

Since July of last year I've lost 40 lbs. Weigh in weekly. Much of the things you've mentioned but not cutting those things out entirely. Just limiting them to a fraction. Also researching various things. Going to the salad bar and stir fry bar at a local grocery store. Cutting out fast food even if the fast food was relatively healthy. Way too much sodium. At least 30 minute walks 5x per week and 25 push ups 5x per week. My friend started a free health website that I think is good. I think it's helped me along with a bunch of other things.

www.sparkpeople.com

Seems a little busy but I focus on the upper right side that has you pick 5 daily goals. Plus you track your weight. My goal by July of this year is 195 lbs and I'm 214 right now. My high was 254 lbs. Just another weapon in the arsenal. Good luck!

 

[bepperb]

To be honest it would cost a lot more to upgrade an old bike than to just buy a new one. Modern rear cassettes (the gears) have ramps grooved into the sides of each sprocket. A 30 year old bike wouldn't have those. That's what lifts the chain to the next gear and makes modern bikes shift so snappily. To get index shifting and a decent cassette/freewheel would be a triple digit cost. My advice would be to enjoy the bike for what it is, and shift less and in advance. It might be possible to increase the spring tension though this is not very common, and it might be bent though I would think this was obvious to the two mechanics you had look at it. You might also find another derailleur on ebay if you really think it's not working like it should. But my 30 year old road bike shifts nothing like my more modern mountain bikes for the reasons above.

Pedals, though, are one area you can upgrade and "take it with you" and even over to your mountain bike. You can probably pick up a set of crank brothers on nashbar for 40 bucks that would last a lifetime of recreational riding, and they would come with the "cleat" that goes into your shoe. Or I've seen shoe/pedal packages for well under 100 bucks. I wouldn't recommend "cages" that strap your everyday shoes to a conventional pedal. Clipless pedals will release you if you fall, a huge safety improvement.

I'm not convinced it's less expensive as a hobby. Our YMCA membership is 50 bucks a month, less per person. I don't get through a year without spending that on bicycling one way or another.

How about a metric century as a goal to shoot for (60 miles)? It should be easy to find one in your area.

 

[Rolla07]

Congrats on your accomplishments!! Keep it up and dont stop!!

 

[aquariuscsm]

I`ve found that you can still eat your favorite junk food and sweets,just eat them in moderation. Pigging out on health food will make you fat as well. A rule I live by,I eat until I`m satisfied,not until I`m full.

 

[irad]

You can try tensioning the rear derailleur by one turn. As for low gearing for the hills either get another shimano freewheel with a bigger 1st gear(the biggest one) or replace the biggest gear/cog with a bigger cog. Another approach for gearing is to change the front chainring with a smaller one. Bikes of that era were ussally 42 tooth rings, go down two teeth to a 40. If it is a 40 tooth ring go to a 38.

 

[GreeCguy]

Congratulations on dropping the weight and getting back in shape.

I used to love riding bikes and rode constantly in my younger days. (To this day, one of my favorite movies is "Breaking Away").

In addition to proper pedals for foot placement, be sure and have the seat adjusted properly and at it's proper height. One reason I can't ride anymore is I blew out my knees years ago riding so much.

Keep up the hard work and be sure and report back when you ride your first "century."

(BTW - there's a bike race here in Florida that goes from the east coast of Florida to the west coast of Florida. We have a fellow in our Church who rides it every year - he just turned 76).

 

[Hokiefyd]

I have a 1992-era 26" mountain bike that I've "converted" into road bike use with some cheap/free/simple upgrade parts. Knobby tires were swapped for 1.5" wide Michelin Citys. Rear derailleur is the OEM Shimano STX and front derailleur is a Shimano Dura-Ace from a friend's parts bin. I also swapped the front crankset from a 22/32/42 mountain bike set to a 38/52 road bike set. The shifters are still the OEM Shimano Rapidfire shifters and work well. The only thing really lacking is the frame (it's a relatively heavy chromoly frame vs. current aluminum frames), but for exercise use, this bike really does well. Total cost is about $75 in parts.

This was my first 26" bike, and I'm still using it. I broke it down and repainted the whole thing a few years ago, so it looks great and runs very well. It was set up good to start with, with all Shimano parts, so I was lucky to have something good to start with.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: irad
You can try tensioning the rear derailleur by one turn. As for low gearing for the hills either get another shimano freewheel with a bigger 1st gear(the biggest one) or replace the biggest gear/cog with a bigger cog. Another approach for gearing is to change the front chainring with a smaller one. Bikes of that era were ussally 42 tooth rings, go down two teeth to a 40. If it is a 40 tooth ring go to a 38.

I went out to do that and coupled with adjusting the pivot angle the derailleur makes with the frame, solved the shifting problems, chain jumping and excessive noise. Rode to the top of one of the hills to test it out. Worked fine.

My front chainwheels are 40/52 and the rear is 13/15/17/24/25.

 

[pair of Blazers]

Quote:
I have the old style chain, as the S600 derailleurs are not click-style. A local shop checked it for stretch and said no worries. Something's not quite right with the rear derail. though. It will miss shifts, be noisy and the chain will jump when I apply too much torque in certain gears while climbing hills.

check the individual cogs for wear it sounds like the freewheel is worn out. very common as you tend to use certain gears more than others. if you do replace the freewheel do the chain as well, they have to break in together or you will have the same problem.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
..It might be possible to increase the spring tension though this is not very common... Pedals, though, are one area you can upgrade and "take it with you" and even over to your mountain bike. You can probably pick up a set of crank brothers on nashbar for 40 bucks that would last a lifetime of recreational riding, and they would come with the "cleat" that goes into your shoe. Or I've seen shoe/pedal packages for well under 100 bucks. I wouldn't recommend "cages" that strap your everyday shoes to a conventional pedal. Clipless pedals will release you if you fall, a huge safety improvement.

Spring tension did help...see above reply.

Thanks for the tip on crank bros...I'll check them out. Pedals would make a huge difference. I removed the 'cages' and foot straps after falling over, trapped, years ago. Better to do without than suffer that, particularly in middle-age...

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Congrats on your accomplishments!! Keep it up and dont stop!!

Thanks!

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
Congratulations on dropping the weight and getting back in shape...Keep up the hard work and be sure and report back when you ride your first "century."

Thanks! My seat is pretty high due to my long legs (6'4").

Didn't realize riding a 'century' was a big milestone among bikers! Hard to know how much I've ridden since I started in Aug.

 

[GreeCguy]

Just one more bit of advice, (you might know this already). After a long hard ride, lay down on the floor or the couch and have someone roll your legs with a rolling pin, (the kind bakers use). "Firm but friendly." That way, after the "burn" your legs won't be so sore.

 

[cjcride]

Inspiring read Sled. I bet the majority of people have 'stored' fine bikes waiting for the owners to come back and free them.
Keep it up!

I'm going to dust off my bikes.

 

[miro]

Firstable the derailleur.
- The latest version of Shimano 600 works fine with 105 indexing mechanics on my Giant TCR compact. 2x8 speeds.
Secondary – the tires
- Width – is seems to be one of the funniest old wive stories. Wider tires rolls easier. http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/rolling_resistance#why.
- Independent testers showed the same results.
That can be seen even in peloton where the aerodynamics is a big concern. The starts to use wider tires
- Tire quality – There are plenty of data about rolling resistance of different tires. The German Tour magazine showed first such data. You will be shocked in difference between road race tires. Up to 30wats. Anyway I woild advice you to try those new tires – Continental 4000S is good contender. Depend on your weight and frame width you can choose 700x 23mm,25mm,or 28mm. It seems that Vectrans makes wonder in roade tires my suffer somhow in trekking and MTB segments, where is dominated by kevlar or any other leak protections
- For trekking I would suggest something from shwalbe – it depend what you want. Anti leak, Durability, comport or speed. You can’t have all in one. Schwalbe marathon plus – perfect anti leak and durability. Roll reasonable good but it has bad comfort. Racers EVO or performance are good but durability is in low side but still ok for recreational cyclist.
- MTB – it depend on what you want and what type of surface do you use it.

 

[sleddriver]

Update:

Just came back from a long ride of big hills. Total mileage I'm guessing is around 12 maybe. It's the long hills and the pitch that make it a workout. It would be hard to describe without slope figures and distance. I have a digital level..perhaps I can take some pitches and measure the distance in the car.

It turns out that my earlier estimation of 1/8 or 1/16 was waaayy off. I checked in the car...it's 9/10 of a mile...one way!! I never would have guessed it was nearly a mile.

I experienced no problems what-so-ever with the rear derailleur while climbing hills today. It shifted smoothly and much quieter than before. The chain never jumped once. So pleased this problem is solved without any extra expense. It's such a PITA when you have problems while hill climbing and lose your momentum.

I was amazed at my endurance. I didn't have to stop while hill climbing except for once. Perhaps eating sausage for breakfast makes a difference! I just seemed to have plenty of GO in the legs. BTW, I lost another pound. I'm now two pounds away from losing 10% of my original body weight when I started.

 

[sleddriver]

I forgot to add something to my update above. I noticed while going uphill that when I lift my leg moving up, thus taking its weight off the pedal, it noticeably lightens the load on the pushing-down leg....emphasis on noticeably. Being a beginner at this, without clip/click pedals that hold me in, I hadn't thought about it this way.

It's not quite as good as using that leg to pull up, helping the other pushing down. However it does lighten the load on the later, while exercising the former and getting it used to the motion.

 

[willbur]

I think you may need to rethink clipless pedals. They are great for speed but if you need to get out of them in a super hurry or from an ackward position- not so great. I fell and shattered my rt. shoulder in 5 places (now it's mostly titanium) because I could not release and throw the leg out to stop the fall. Things happen very fast. IMO, stay with platform pedals.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
I forgot to add something to my update above. I noticed while going uphill that when I lift my leg moving up, thus taking its weight off the pedal, it noticeably lightens the load on the pushing-down leg....emphasis on noticeably. Being a beginner at this, without clip/click pedals that hold me in, I hadn't thought about it this way.

It's not quite as good as using that leg to pull up, helping the other pushing down. However it does lighten the load on the later, while exercising the former and getting it used to the motion.


I must say, I'm really impressed with your powers of observation. You've figured out what a lot of exercise physiologists and cycling coaches have been arguing about for years! And you're totally right, experienced cyclists do not "pull up" on the upstroke--they unweight the leg. Because of that fact, you don't really *need* to be connected to the pedals to maximize efficiency, since you're just unweighting the leg. It's worth mentioning that some of the highest recorded powers have been by BMX athletes who aren't clipped in at all.

So, this isn't because you're a "beginner"; you've already discovered the most effective way to pedal. Experience cyclists do not actually "pull up", the just unweight the legs.

People use them more for comfort and safety more than efficiency. Standing on a steep mountain bike climb or sprinting on a road bike, you don't want to slip off a pedal. Sure, you fail to unclip--particularly when you're first getting used to them. If you ride a lot though, I think it's actually safer to be clipped in.