Haven't even started cycling yet

[Tgirlsmammy]

Hi all, new to this forum and cycling in general. I haven't even bought a bike yet.
I am hoping to lose weight and wondering what your best tips are for someone rusty in the exercise dept.... or your experience of similar??
I was holding out for my tax return to get a half decent bike but I am hating having to wait. My problem is I probably have to get one online as most shops are sold out of everything due to Covid.
I am not sure what to go for and am thinking I need a hybrid L-XL male bike as I'm 186cm tall. Also wondering about budget car rack to fit a small SUV... DOES car type even make a difference?

[hiflange]

Welcome outside! Bike size is super important, for comfort, efficiency and injury prevention. The size you've suggested sounds right however it might be worth running through the measuring process on a bike fit site to double check. This one has been around for years and is pretty popular. I've never had a professional bike fit but lots of folk wouldn't buy a bike without one.

Hybrids can be heavy, great for exercise I suppose but they can be unrewarding to ride any distance. Anyway if you pick up a cheapy you can always upgrade when the tax return comes in.

Like any exercise start small, keep it regular and increase your distance every few days or week.

Regarding the rack - there are three main mounting types; trailer hitch, tailgate and roof rack. I reckon cheapest would probably be a Pacific hitch mount or similar.

[Mike Ayling]

Hybrids are usually heavy, have a look at flat bar road bikes but ensure that the handlebar is at the same height as the saddle. Bum up head down is not recommended for beginner riders.

Mike

[queequeg]

With many of the mid-range bikes sold out due to Covid, your better option might be to look on Bicycle Market on Facebook, or gumtree.
You can get some bikes that have hardly been ridden for great discounts, and stretch your dollar further.

Based on your height, an Large or XL sounds about right. I am 185cm and ride a Hybrid for my first 3 years of commuting. Then I moved house and the distance just became too much on that bike, combined with some brutal hills.
I ended up going to a drop bar road bike which is way more comfortable for distance and much faster. If you think that might end up being you, the 2nd hand option at the start is worth considering.

[Shred11]

Buy a good set of padded bike shorts or nicks and some decent gloves with padding on the palms. The bike shorts can be worn under regular shorts if you're not in to the lycra look and help a lot with saddle soreness and chafing. Likewise, the gloves help protect your hands from getting sore and if you take a spill, it's better to hack up the gloves than rip your skin to shreds.

Second hand bikes can be a good way to start and get to know what sort of bike suits you before you commit to spending lots of money. It's quite common for people to start an "I'll get fit" campaign, buy a new bike and then hardly use it. When I took up the sport again, I bought a two year old road bike that had traveled less than 200km for one third of the new price.

[zebee]

When it was me, I bought a recumbent! I friend had bought a 2 wheel 'bent (which I didn't know existed) and was riding 30km to work each way on it.

The most important thing I learned was that you have to have a reason to ride and "lose weight" isn't enough. That's because if it's a bit cold out or a bit hot out or you are a bit lazy today then you won't. Motivation is one of those things that seems easy but ends up being hard. I decided that I had to make the ride impossible to skip so I started commuting.

With a 17km each way commute as the goal I started with short rides around the local area. Which is where I discovered that a few seconds of riding and I was stuffed! But each day I rode more and was less stuffed. I was so unfit I was walking up speed bumps... But I did a few more minutes each day and eventually a local hill (which these days I mostly don't even think about) was one I could ride up instead of walking up and I was ready to start.

However I wouldn't have stuck with it I think if it hadn't been for the recumbent. Two reasons: one was the thing was expensive! I had to feel I hadn't wasted the money. The other was it was much more comfortable than any upright bike I had ever ridden. So I found I was enjoying the ride in a way I hadn't on my previous bicycles. Comfort matters! (As I found when I rode a loaner Brompton when mine was in for service. I had forgotten how nasty the stock seat is. Was so happy to get my wide sprung Brooks back!)

First day from Campsie to North Sydney I gave myself 2 hours to do it and needed damn near all of that! I had asked around as to routes and the one I took was by no means the shortest. (Took ages to find the best one). That night I left the bike at work and took the train home. Train back in the morning and ride home. Rode part way home, realised home appeared to be all uphill.... Knackered when I got back, wondered why I was doing this stupid thing, took the train to work next morning, but rode the following one, train back. Did ride/train for the next couple of weeks then both ways 3 days a week and finally both ways 5 days a week.

Once I was riding both ways every day I felt happier and fitter and looked better. But...I didn't really lose a lot of weight until I also looked at what I was eating. You'll get fitter and have more energy and be healthier with exercise but you won't lose weight without eating differently.

[foo on patrol]

What sort of riding , do you intend/want too do?

Foo

[AdelaidePeter]

Hi all, new to this forum and cycling in general. I haven't even bought a bike yet...

If at all possible, I would suggest borrowing one to try out.

When I got back into cycling, I started out doing a short ride in the suburbs; I found a relatively quiet route and it was just under 4km out and 4km back. It might not sound like much, but doing it regularly was very good for me.

And if you can find a route close to home, you don't need to invest in a bike rack straight away. You also don't need special gear for that length ride, other than a helmet. Gloves are very handy in cold weather, but I find cheap K-mart gloves do the job. I would also advise lights if riding on roads; and set them on blink to increase your visibility. But you need just that (bike, helmet, maybe cheap gloves and lights) for short rides.

When it comes to eventually buying, I am very happy with the (roughly) $600 hybrid I bought.

[g-boaf]

Hi all, new to this forum and cycling in general. I haven't even bought a bike yet.
I am hoping to lose weight and wondering what your best tips are for someone rusty in the exercise dept.... or your experience of similar??
I was holding out for my tax return to get a half decent bike but I am hating having to wait. My problem is I probably have to get one online as most shops are sold out of everything due to Covid.
I am not sure what to go for and am thinking I need a hybrid L-XL male bike as I'm 186cm tall. Also wondering about budget car rack to fit a small SUV... DOES car type even make a difference?

Would recommend a flat bar road bike or even just a normal conventional road bike as they are probably a bit quicker and not so heavy.

Most bikes you can usually take off the front wheel and they should fit inside a car so you don't have to buy any racks for the car.

I would recommend padded cycling shorts, they'll make things more comfortable over longer distances.

I started out on a Trek Madone 4.5 all the way back in 2012 having not ridden anything in ages. I still have that bike.