Thank you. So far, as I have only driven in inside the city for just a little bit so it looks like new, save for some dust. For the first cleaning, I am going to just use a general purpose ecological cleaning cream, warm water, a bucket and sponge.
As far as lubing the chain goes, since I don't know much about it, how to do it and what product to use, I am going to just let the bike shop owner next door take a look at it next week. Considering the use of the bike so far, it probably doesn't need much.

In a city I wouldn't spend much on a light, because it's just going to get stolen. I have a $15 led light mounted on my handlebar.

Also, I use prolink. A lot of grime comes off when you wipe of the chain. It's no substitute for removing the chain and immersing it in a degresser once in a while.

Every once in a while the brakes need to be tightened. When the brake is used, the brake pad wears down, and you'll have to compensate by tightening the cable,

I am not a fan of removing the chain for degreasing; chains with 'slip links' for quick removal are fine, but those requiring a tool only stress the links (and the rider!). The only time you need to remove the chain is at the 1% wear point: discard and replace to extend the service life of the transmission. I have never removed the chain from either my MTB or road bike, nor have my riding companions: all clean in-situ, some with the mechanical 'top and bottom' chain scrubbers. Citrus degreasers kill lawns and can stain concrete, so imagine what happens to unprotected aluminium!! :o

Does your rear light flash? If not, get one that does and clip it to your belt or pack. Anyone riding a bike at night without any rear light is asking to become a statistic - and that goes quadruple in even a light rain.

The flashing type is so much easier to see from the point of view of a car driver - they can see the cyclist from much further away. I would not be without one. I also have a lightweight reflective vest that is even better than the flashing lamp...

Like they say here in Public Information advertising: "Be safe, be seen!"...

I am not a fan of removing the chain for degreasing; chains with 'slip links' for quick removal are fine, but those requiring a tool only stress the links (and the rider!). The only time you need to remove the chain is at the 1% wear point: discard and replace to extend the service life of the transmission. I have never removed the chain from either my MTB or road bike, nor have my riding companions: all clean in-situ, some with the mechanical 'top and bottom' chain scrubbers. Citrus degreasers kill lawns and can stain concrete, so imagine what happens to unprotected aluminium!! :oI've done it once in the one year that I've owned my bike. Yeah it's a pain to remove and get back on the bike. But for a little while after cleaning it my cloths didn't stain. The components of the chain are made out of steel, not alumnium.

Thank you. So far, as I have only driven in inside the city for just a little bit so it looks like new, save for some dust. For the first cleaning, I am going to just use a general purpose ecological cleaning cream, warm water, a bucket and sponge.
As far as lubing the chain goes, since I don't know much about it, how to do it and what product to use, I am going to just let the bike shop owner next door take a look at it next week. Considering the use of the bike so far, it probably doesn't need much.Lubricant should be applied whenever you hear noise coming from the drive train. A bike should be silent. Generally every couple of weeks to once a month depending on use. If you get caught in the rain let the bike dry off, and then lubricate before riding again

Does your rear light flash? If not, get one that does and clip it to your belt or pack. Anyone riding a bike at night without any rear light is asking to become a statistic - and that goes quadruple in even a light rain.I have a flashing red one attached to my seatpost.

I've done it once in the one year that I've owned my bike. Yeah it's a pain to remove and get back on the bike. But for a little while after cleaning it my cloths didn't stain. The components of the chain are made out of steel, not alumnium.

The reference to aluminium was in regard to frames made of such.

True the chain is crying for a lube if it squeaks, but if you're as deaf as a doorknob, as I am, you rely on good old-fashioned touchy-feely! :D

The reference to aluminium was in regard to frames made of such.

True the chain is crying for a lube if it squeaks, but if you're as deaf as a doorknob, as I am, you rely on good old-fashioned touchy-feely! :D

Alumnium would be the least of my worries. I'd be much more worried about the plastic components on the bike.

Have you adjusted your diet when you started cycling?
One of the reasons I wanted to get a bicycle is to help me with exercise and nutrition.
I am slowly fixing my eating habits.
I've also read a couple of books on healthy diets and nutrition.
Silly as it is, I got the bicycle also to help me reach a pretty good gym that is too close for a motor vehicle and a bit too far to do the distance on foot. I might start one of these days.
My biggest trouble at the moment is my endurance. A slight slope while on the bicycle and I will be panting and breathing hard by the end of it. I haven't ridden the bicycle for long distances yet but I plan to this weekend, to see how far I can go.
The problem is that I live right at the center of the city where everything's ten seconds away on foot so I am not "forced" to ride the way a commuter would.
Anyway.
So, I got some isotonic powder for my bicycle water bottle which I read is important when riding for long and I also got a couple of protein bars and even an energy gel to try them out. I am not an athlete nor training to be one, but my general energy is at a very low level and maybe they could help me get in better shape. Not planning to make them a habit or anything, but I thought of giving them a try.
Btw, I got a pair of half-finger gloves and my butt stopped bothering me. So, its getting better!

I generally eat 1 cliff bar every 10 miles. Eating foods with a lot of carbs while riding will prevent you from getting tired, but they won't prevent you from getting out of breath. You're going to have to train some more. Cliff bars are good. You can also bring along cookies or candy, as those will also provide carbs. One of my favorites is putting about 4 fig newtons in a baggie. Most of these foods contain some type of salt, aka electrolytes, so you can put down the "isotonic powder".

BTW, none of this will help you get in shape. Biking always increases my appetite, and I always end up regaining whatever calories I lost.

You'll burn roughly 400 - 600 calories an hour cycling, depending on how fast you ride, and your weight. All of that energy comes from carbohydrates one way or another. If your diet contains a lot of protein you can deplete your muscles storehouse of sugar molecules when you exercise. You body can and does convert protein if necessary, but it's a much more involved process than converting carbs. You may need to increase your calorie intake some, or adjust what you eat some depending on how much more energy you may be burning compared to what you did before taking up cycling. If you you've only substituted cycling for walking, however, there's probably not too much difference.

Your endurance will improve, the method is to keep bumping into those limits, then take some time to recover. You'll start to notice that the hill will be easier to negotiate.

The gels are good for a quick boost if you exhausted your energy, but I'd avoid them for routine energy maintenance. They deliver quite a dose of simple sugars on one shot. You should always drink a fair bit of water along with the gel, probably at least 250 - 500 CCs, more would be better. I sometimes carry one on long rides (40+ miles / 65+km), just in case, but hardly ever actually use it. Energy bars are good to help maintain you for longer periods, say 1 hour+.

This site, and their newsletter has a lot of good information on sports nutrition, especially relating to cycling. http://www.roadbikerider.com/index.htm
The focus is more to towards folks who compete, or routinely do very long rides, like 100 km+, but the principles still apply.

Barry

You'll burn roughly 400 - 600 calories an hour cycling.


I thought this sounded a bit optimistic when I first saw it but doing a bit of a search I found: Walking 300 calories/hour, cycling 530 calories/hour and running 590 calories/hour.


You should always drink a fair bit of water along with the gel, probably at least 250 - 500 CCs, more would be better.

My father (a very keen cyclist) was always telling us that we need to drink water regularly whilst cycling. He would say that if you wait until you are thirsty, you have left it too late.


Energy bars are good to help maintain you for longer periods, say 1 hour+.

I make my own 'energy bars' now. Warm up some condensed milk in a pan, add equal amounts of rolled oats and mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and linseed) until a stiff mixture is made. Spread out on a greased flat tin and cook at 150 degrees centigrade for forty minutes.
These are a type of flapjack without the syrup or sugar. I have a diabetic friend who really likes these.
Another good food I take on long walks is christmas pudding (cold, without the cream, custard or brandy sauce!).


Steve.

As your father says, it's necessary to stay hydrated, but a gel is best taken with additional water. The sports gels are about the same as drinking a couple of ounces of straight honey. Your body can't process that much concentrated sugar well. Diluting it with water helps get it into your system more effectively.

Chris Carmichael's site has a lot of good sports nutrition information; http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=1964

I like the idea of roll your own energy bars, I have yet to find a commercial one I really like.

Do you have any recommended recipes for Christmas pudding?

As you get fitter bike riding will "keep you in shape" i.e. lose weight. There come a point where the increase in calorie expenditure is greater than the increase in appetite. The extreme case is the Tour de France where riders use so many calories per day they cannot make up for it by eating. If the tour went on for long enough they would starve to death and what would save them would be their inability to cover the high mileage at high speed due to a weakened body caused by lack of calories so a self correction system leading to salvation ans self preservation takes over.

Don't worry, the weight loss starts at an exercise level that is way short of that required to be a professional cyclist.

If you want to get inside the head of a professional cyclist in a race, try and get hold of "The Rider" by the Dutch author Tim Krabbe. I have just read the book translated into English.

pentaxuser

pentax: You've never seen me eat a whole frozen pizza when I come back from something like critical mass.

I have a hard time believing that Tour de France participants aren't scarfing down the same amount of calories that they burn up. If they didn't, then there would be no way that they could complete the race.

pentax: You've never seen me eat a whole frozen pizza when I come back from something like critical mass.


I understand they're better if you heat them up.:D

Do you have any recommended recipes for Christmas pudding?

Perhaps in a couple of months!


Steve.

Just riding for fun is ... fun.
AS you ride more, the more you will ride.
AND your diet quickly changes as your appetite changes,
it is typical to crave low fat, healthy food. On top of that,
you'll have less anxiety, and your unpleasant habits (if there are any ) will tend to diminish.

This isn't talking about actually race training, which is as unnatural a lifestyle as may be imagined.

Just be active, and enjoy yourself. (btw, if you even think about crap like 'gel', you've become obsessive.)
Just have fun.

I have seriously "bonked" a few times -- hard exercise without sufficient food energy. It is no fun...two times stand out -- once biking and another time hiking/photographing. In both cases, not drinking enough water probably made it worse by reducing my body's capability to burn its store of fat.

The time on the bike was Christmas Eve -- touring in NZ. Camping by myself, poor planning left me with only enough granola for a small bowl for dinner and a small bowl for breakfast...and a handful of raisins and nuts for my 70 mile ride to Te Anu. Towards the end I was riding for 15 minutes, sitting on the side of the road for 10 minutes, then getting back on the bike for another 15 minutes, etc.

The hike was from the road to Tioga Pass down to Yosemite Valley via Indian Rock, Snow Creek and Mirror Lake (with my 8x10.) A bowl of cereal for breakfast, a heafty store-bought sandwich for lunch, and not enough water (I carry a water filter now!). By the time I got down to Mirror Lake it was dark and I tried to keep myself moving -- it was too painful to start moving after stopping. made it to the big hotel (Awannee..at about 10pm) and called my friend to pick me up...walking the mile or so more to his place was just too much.

Not exactly something one has to worry about while biking around town, but comes into play if one takes an all-day ride where there are no stores.

Vaughn

Thank you for your opinions, not only for me, but for anyone who reads this thread.

I haven't been able to ride much these couple of days, but its mostly due to my mood. I never thought that it could affect so much a physical act (save for sex that is). Maybe I should drop the power bars and get some Zoloft before cycling.

I've found this online magazine .citycycling is called and is very much oriented towards cycling in the cities and especially in the UK. Just stared browsing it but it seems to be interesting. And its free!
http://www.citycycling.co.uk/backissues.html

I am not sure if its good to get much into the theory of a physical act, but not unlike photography, I like to learn, read and think about a subject as much as doing it. Maybe not as much. So, I've scoured the internet looking for any kind of information regarding cycling. My zen teacher wouldn't agree, but he would have been happy to know that I try to practice thinking as less as possible when cycling or photographing or drawing or even writing.

Generally riding will improve my mood when it's low, but sometimes I force myself to get out on the bike. Othertimes there's nothing that woud keep me off it. Such as, the other day when it was pouring rain out, at least I didn't need a shower when I got back.

I don't know of anything wrong with gettng into theory, at least as long as it doesn't get in the way of doing. There are many facets to cycling, and beyond the fact that they deal with human powered, mostly two wheel vehicles, there isn't much commonality. But that's part of what makes it so interesting.

You've found Sheldon Brown's site, which is has a wealth of information. Here are a couple of more, they are dealer sites, but both have an old-school approach to bicycles and some good information;
www.branfordbike.com and
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

I like citycycling, thanks for posting that link, it does look interesting.

pentax: You've never seen me eat a whole frozen pizza when I come back from something like critical mass.

I have a hard time believing that Tour de France participants aren't scarfing down the same amount of calories that they burn up. If they didn't, then there would be no way that they could complete the race.

Well they all lose a considerable amount of weight, relatively speaking, over the 3 weeks of the race, simply because calories in are less than calories out.

I am not saying that a determined effort to put back the calories each night would be impossible but might well involve overloading the stomach to an extent that would ruin their chances of competing at the intensity required.

Remember that the evening meal is their one and only chance to replenish calories lost. Their consumption of food while on the bike is limited as it has to be and they are in the saddle for up to 7 hours per day, from mid morning to late afternoon.

It has to be the most sustained effort of all sporting events that I am aware of.

pentaxuser

pentaxuser

Do you have any advice regarding breathing?
I am out of breath long before my body gets tired.
I have yet to run into an article regarding maybe the most important thing.
I've encountered breathing techniques for any sort of physical act, but not for cycling.
I have tried most of the time to breath deeply through my nose. I soon though can't do any other breathing than shallow through the mouth which I thought was bad. Talking to a tenor friend of mine he reassured me by telling me than one can't always breath through the nose and if the body requires switching to the mouth, then accept it.

I apologize for asking all these questions but I don't know anybody around here to advice me in regards these little matters.

Plus, I think I am caving in and getting a cyclo-computer. I know I was going to resist the consumerist temptation but I am not planning to spend more then 20 euros in one. I want the most basic of all. I would like to know how fast I am going and what sort of distances I am covering as a means to "train" myself and get better. I don't need cadence and altimeter and wireless stuff, just basic information.
Plus, I must admit. Getting stuff for your bike is kinda fun. I somewhat do understand know the people obsessed with "pimping their rides" whether they are cars or motorcycles. I mean with cameras is different: all accessories have a creative impact and you get them only if you need them, right? Ok, maybe not, but in any case, I don't have GAS, really I don't!

I am having a hard time finding some cycling pants though. Right now the weather is really hot in Crete and even a short ride means buckets of sweat and borderline painful chafing. I thought of investing on a pair of buggy cycling pants or underwear but I can't find them in stores in town and am concerned about ordering online (size, aesthetics). Anyway, I'll find a pair.

Well they all lose a considerable amount of weight, relatively speaking, over the 3 weeks of the race, simply because calories in are less than calories out.

I am not saying that a determined effort to put back the calories each night would be impossible but might well involve overloading the stomach to an extent that would ruin their chances of competing at the intensity required.

Remember that the evening meal is their one and only chance to replenish calories lost. Their consumption of food while on the bike is limited as it has to be and they are in the saddle for up to 7 hours per day, from mid morning to late afternoon.

It has to be the most sustained effort of all sporting events that I am aware of.

pentaxuser

pentaxuserYou'd think that it would be possible to eat too much, but looking at the diet of Phelps, some people can ingest considerable quantities of food. I'd assume that each day they wake up and eat a ton of carbs, (Pancakes submerged in syrup anyone?) with a really substantial dinner after the ride. Don't forget their days off. I guess we're going to have to find a Tour particpant and ask them what they eat.

Do you have any advice regarding breathing?
I am out of breath long before my body gets tired.
I have yet to run into an article regarding maybe the most important thing.
I've encountered breathing techniques for any sort of physical act, but not for cycling.
I have tried most of the time to breath deeply through my nose. I soon though can't do any other breathing than shallow through the mouth which I thought was bad. Talking to a tenor friend of mine he reassured me by telling me than one can't always breath through the nose and if the body requires switching to the mouth, then accept it.

I apologize for asking all these questions but I don't know anybody around here to advice me in regards these little matters.

Plus, I think I am caving in and getting a cyclo-computer. I know I was going to resist the consumerist temptation but I am not planning to spend more then 20 euros in one. I want the most basic of all. I would like to know how fast I am going and what sort of distances I am covering as a means to "train" myself and get better. I don't need cadence and altimeter and wireless stuff, just basic information.
Plus, I must admit. Getting stuff for your bike is kinda fun. I somewhat do understand know the people obsessed with "pimping their rides" whether they are cars or motorcycles. I mean with cameras is different: all accessories have a creative impact and you get them only if you need them, right? Ok, maybe not, but in any case, I don't have GAS, really I don't!

I am having a hard time finding some cycling pants though. Right now the weather is really hot in Crete and even a short ride means buckets of sweat and borderline painful chafing. I thought of investing on a pair of buggy cycling pants or underwear but I can't find them in stores in town and am concerned about ordering online (size, aesthetics). Anyway, I'll find a pair.If your out of breath slow down, or pull to the side. This isn't a race.

If it's too hot, then just get a pair of Lycra shorts. With baggy shorts, your going to have 2 layers creating insulation.

Do you have any advice regarding breathing?
I am out of breath long before my body gets tired.
I have yet to run into an article regarding maybe the most important thing.
I've encountered breathing techniques for any sort of physical act, but not for cycling.
I have tried most of the time to breath deeply through my nose. I soon though can't do any other breathing than shallow through the mouth which I thought was bad. Talking to a tenor friend of mine he reassured me by telling me than one can't always breath through the nose and if the body requires switching to the mouth, then accept it.
Ari that's a really significant question regarding breathing. The thing is, if you work hard enough to cause heavy breathing you'll go into the anaerobic condition of exercise which causes lactic acid formation in the muscles. This is when your lungs can't process oxygen as quickly as the muscles need so the body starts using stored energy. With cycling especially, this will cause pain/fatigue pretty quickly and sore muscles for a few days afterwards. Generally considered to actually be detrimental to the muscles. If you were to continue to cycle through this fatigue, you'll eventually go into anaerobic glycolysis, then you really 'hit the wall'.

So, what to do? Excercise aerobically. That is if you find yourself puffing for more than a 20-40 secs at a time, then button back the effort quickly. To obtain the best results a good trining session involves a warm-up period, then about 20 minutes of moderate to intense cycling, and a cool-down period at the end. If there's a flat area at the start and end of the route, that's ideal.

Training this way will actually improve the capacity for oxygen consumption and endurance surprisingly quickly and you'll be able to get a much higher work rate before puffing. Within a few months you'll be knocking off 100 milers all over Crete :). I've done a lot of them now and found aerobic training always gave much (much) quicker endurance gains.

Don't skimp on buying a good pair of shorts and shirt, drink tons ideally a 'sports drink'. Don't forget to eat as well. Got to keep the glucose levels up.

Have fun, john.

Ride slowly. Relax. If you can't carry on a conversation, you're working too hard. Gears: you're like an old Volkswagen,
it is better to ride smoothly in an easy gear than to muscle through a hard gear. If you are riding easily, you will progress naturally. This is supposed to be fun.

Lycra shorts with padding are very good.

Cycling theory: just ride. 30 minutes a day is the minimum dose for anxiety relief. An hour a day build aerobic and anaerobic fitness. It is better to ride 30 minutes a day than 4 hours once a week. Ride a little every day, and you will get better and better, and fitter, and happier. No amount of thinking will do any good whatsoever, although your quality of thought will improve whilst riding.