AlexG wrote: >Scott, > >If you're serious about dropping 30 lbs by end of summer, I'd like to >hop on your bandwagon. I'm being told I look good (over two years went >from 240lbs to 195. Big change, but I'm still not happy. Still a BFF >(big fat f***). I wanna hit 150, that way my muscles will actually >show instead of being concealed in a layer of lard. > >I think we can all motivate each other by posting progress pics and >info, as well as tips and info on workout programs and all that stuff. >I'm into road biking myself. Bike cost ~1.6K, but that's only because >I splurged on the frame.... www.habcycles.com. The rest is stuff I >bought from different spots. Saved tons of money and got much better >hear for the price. > >If I were doing it all again, I'd have gone friction shifting all the >way. To hell with indexing. I HATE it. It stinks. requires constant >adjustments and the benefits are not worth it, especially cost >factored in, not to mention friction era parts last longer..... > >My advice as far as buying a bike, piece it together. 60-130 bucks for >a nice Al frame and you're good to go. Gear 'too heavy'? Drink less >beer and drop poundage for free! It'll make a bigger difference than >shaving a few grams off something stupid, like a "lightweight race >chain" or "magnesium race-light derailleur limit screws!!11" > >Anyway, I hope we can all sign on for this, (set goal, set plan, and >stick to it by reporting progress). Who's in? > > >
I'm working on the weight loss too. Currently approx 280lb (I'm a BIG guy) and my goal is 250 by the end of september. Doing about 90km of commuting a week along with distance rides on the weekend, mostly on a singlespeed. Note that piecing together a bike is only a good idea if you know exactly what you're doing. Generally the big companies get better breaks on parts than you do, so a decent bike normally costs less than a pieced together one unless you are an eBay wiz. Generally the low-end race spec is the best compromise between weight, performance and durability ( Shimano 105 or Campy Veloce on road bikes, Shimano LX or SRAM x.9 on MTB's), upgrading from there only gets lower weights and occasionally a few nifty features. Never, ever, ever buy the top-end cassettes though(XTR, Dura-Ace, Record), they are very low-mileage lightweight designs for race use only. And Indexing shouldn't require constant attention with good parts. It's fiddly while the cables stretch but once everything's broken it you're good for a while. If your bike needs constant tuning, you've got either a parts mismatch or another issue (chainline, bent derailleur or some such) -Adam -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
