best fitness spin bike parts image
smiley
I'm very new to cycling and plan on getting a fuji absolute 3.0 for fun and fitness. I will most likely be using the bike 4-5 times a week mainly on roads. How often do I get a tune-up? How do I clean it? (I heard some parts get bad if water gets on it). If anyone recommends any specific items I should get, like a good chain lubricant, that would be great. Thanks!
Answer
If I could give Julian's answer 10 thumbs-down, I would! lol. Please don't follow that advice. At all.
Bike maintenance can be a simple thing, but of course bike mechanics is a complex thing...and they go together a little bit. The basics are to try and keep your bike dry...if it gets wet, just dry it off as soon as you can and you might want to wipe it off with a damp sponge or towel. Don't use a hose or a car wash/pressure nozzle...that can force water into places you don't want it to go, and can totally ruin bearings causing them to rust or fail. If you want to use waxes or polishes, have at it, but that's something I've never felt the need to do and today's bike paints/coatings are really durable.
Your biggest maintenance area will be cleaning and lubing the chain. Use a good quality bike lube. If you're in a wet and rainy area, the "wet" lubes will last longer and protect better, but they're oily and dirty and cleaning your chain will be necessary more often. "Dry" lubes are the favorite choice...resistant to picking up sand, last a long time, and with some you can just reapply lube without needing to clean the chain so frequently. There's no way to tell you how often to lube the chain, but before it gets dry and squeaky...or after it gets wet so it doesn't rust. My favorite by far is the ProLink Pro Gold lube, but there are several good ones available. Ask your bike shop and see what the locals prefer...sometimes your local environment dictates what's best. Don't balk at the higher price of bike lubes compared to other stuff. If you use it properly and don't waste it, it's not that expensive and it does the job the best.
Other than that, most "tune-ups" will be very infrequent. If your gears and brakes and all the other bolts and bits are set up properly, then they'll often go a long time without needing anything at all. The cables will need to be replaced occasionally (every year or two, give or take, depending on how much you use them). When you first get your bike, it's more than likely that the cable adjustments will need some attention once or twice during the first 100 miles or so...that's normal, but after that they should be mostly attention-free. At some point you'll start wearing out the chain and gear teeth, but that will take a long time.
Other parts of maintenance get more complex and you can either learn to do them and buy some tools, or have a shop take care of it for you....things like changing the grease in the wheel bearings and/or headseat bearings, adjusting those same bearings, replacing brake pads and/or adjusting them as they wear. Your wheels should spin nice and smooth, without wobbling. Hopefully your new bike comes that way. lol. If that changes over time, have the bike shop "true" them for a few bucks.
Best new bike accessories include: helmet, bike pump, spare inner tube, patch kit, and chain lube.
If I could give Julian's answer 10 thumbs-down, I would! lol. Please don't follow that advice. At all.
Bike maintenance can be a simple thing, but of course bike mechanics is a complex thing...and they go together a little bit. The basics are to try and keep your bike dry...if it gets wet, just dry it off as soon as you can and you might want to wipe it off with a damp sponge or towel. Don't use a hose or a car wash/pressure nozzle...that can force water into places you don't want it to go, and can totally ruin bearings causing them to rust or fail. If you want to use waxes or polishes, have at it, but that's something I've never felt the need to do and today's bike paints/coatings are really durable.
Your biggest maintenance area will be cleaning and lubing the chain. Use a good quality bike lube. If you're in a wet and rainy area, the "wet" lubes will last longer and protect better, but they're oily and dirty and cleaning your chain will be necessary more often. "Dry" lubes are the favorite choice...resistant to picking up sand, last a long time, and with some you can just reapply lube without needing to clean the chain so frequently. There's no way to tell you how often to lube the chain, but before it gets dry and squeaky...or after it gets wet so it doesn't rust. My favorite by far is the ProLink Pro Gold lube, but there are several good ones available. Ask your bike shop and see what the locals prefer...sometimes your local environment dictates what's best. Don't balk at the higher price of bike lubes compared to other stuff. If you use it properly and don't waste it, it's not that expensive and it does the job the best.
Other than that, most "tune-ups" will be very infrequent. If your gears and brakes and all the other bolts and bits are set up properly, then they'll often go a long time without needing anything at all. The cables will need to be replaced occasionally (every year or two, give or take, depending on how much you use them). When you first get your bike, it's more than likely that the cable adjustments will need some attention once or twice during the first 100 miles or so...that's normal, but after that they should be mostly attention-free. At some point you'll start wearing out the chain and gear teeth, but that will take a long time.
Other parts of maintenance get more complex and you can either learn to do them and buy some tools, or have a shop take care of it for you....things like changing the grease in the wheel bearings and/or headseat bearings, adjusting those same bearings, replacing brake pads and/or adjusting them as they wear. Your wheels should spin nice and smooth, without wobbling. Hopefully your new bike comes that way. lol. If that changes over time, have the bike shop "true" them for a few bucks.
Best new bike accessories include: helmet, bike pump, spare inner tube, patch kit, and chain lube.
How to get rid of a beer belly?
llesmeirio
I have a beer belly - it's actually probably more like a chocolate belly.
Can someone give me simple tips on how to get rid of it and be fit for a bikini by the summer?
Answer
I lost 90 pounds from Feb. 2006-November 2006 and have kept it off. I am still working on toning up my muscles and probably will be for the rest of my life.
I don't know how much you have to lose, but what it takes is commitment from you to yourself to eat more healthy. I do not recommend extremely low carb diets, but limit your carbs to healthy ones: only 5 small (small!!!) servings a day, and whole grain EVERY time. Look for the highest fiber cereals, crunchiest breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of SKIM milk (a serving is a cup...yes, you need to measure), as many veggies as you want. Limit protein to 2-3 3oz servings a day (about the size of a deck of cards). You will be amazed at how GOOD you feel when you eat healthy. Don't look at it as self-denial. You are treating your body with kindness and making it feel wonderful.
The other part is exercise. I started out only being able to handle 20 minutes on a recumbent (leaning back) bike. Then, I added an eliptical trainer. After I'd lost 40 pounds, I started in on spin class, which is now my favorite cardio. I am in my late 40s and have issues with my knees, so I can't do a lot of jumping and spinning around, so that leaves out most aerobics classes and step. But if you don't have those issues, you can try those. Or walk! Or ride your bike outside. Do cardio at least 3 times a week for AT LEAST 30 minutes at a time (raise your heart rate to 70 per cent of its maximum for 30 minutes). It helps to interval train; incorporate a burst of speed into your workout and then recover. Don't do this till you're more fit, however. Start out slowly and then as you feel stronger, add more challenges to your workout. I also had a personal trainer show me (in just 1 session) how to work out with weights and establish a strength training routine. NOw I go to a strength training/toning class, but occasionally use the weight machines.
There was an article in our local paper (Ogden Standard Examiner, April 22, Body Wise section) on how doing just ab work doesn't flatten your abs. You need to strengthen all the surrounding muscles as well, or your situps/crunches do absolutely no good. One of the fitness trainers at the club I go to does "hip hop" (standing up) abs. This incorporates our backs, our obliques (side) and our abs. Crunches alone are not enough. Work out your entire core, and you'll see results. I know I have! When I sit, my tummy no longer "sits" on my legs! LOL!!!
I do cardio 3 x a week (most weeks) and weight training 3 x a week.
I lost 90 pounds from Feb. 2006-November 2006 and have kept it off. I am still working on toning up my muscles and probably will be for the rest of my life.
I don't know how much you have to lose, but what it takes is commitment from you to yourself to eat more healthy. I do not recommend extremely low carb diets, but limit your carbs to healthy ones: only 5 small (small!!!) servings a day, and whole grain EVERY time. Look for the highest fiber cereals, crunchiest breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of SKIM milk (a serving is a cup...yes, you need to measure), as many veggies as you want. Limit protein to 2-3 3oz servings a day (about the size of a deck of cards). You will be amazed at how GOOD you feel when you eat healthy. Don't look at it as self-denial. You are treating your body with kindness and making it feel wonderful.
The other part is exercise. I started out only being able to handle 20 minutes on a recumbent (leaning back) bike. Then, I added an eliptical trainer. After I'd lost 40 pounds, I started in on spin class, which is now my favorite cardio. I am in my late 40s and have issues with my knees, so I can't do a lot of jumping and spinning around, so that leaves out most aerobics classes and step. But if you don't have those issues, you can try those. Or walk! Or ride your bike outside. Do cardio at least 3 times a week for AT LEAST 30 minutes at a time (raise your heart rate to 70 per cent of its maximum for 30 minutes). It helps to interval train; incorporate a burst of speed into your workout and then recover. Don't do this till you're more fit, however. Start out slowly and then as you feel stronger, add more challenges to your workout. I also had a personal trainer show me (in just 1 session) how to work out with weights and establish a strength training routine. NOw I go to a strength training/toning class, but occasionally use the weight machines.
There was an article in our local paper (Ogden Standard Examiner, April 22, Body Wise section) on how doing just ab work doesn't flatten your abs. You need to strengthen all the surrounding muscles as well, or your situps/crunches do absolutely no good. One of the fitness trainers at the club I go to does "hip hop" (standing up) abs. This incorporates our backs, our obliques (side) and our abs. Crunches alone are not enough. Work out your entire core, and you'll see results. I know I have! When I sit, my tummy no longer "sits" on my legs! LOL!!!
I do cardio 3 x a week (most weeks) and weight training 3 x a week.
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