So yesterday I ended up riding home from work. It was a fairly chilled out ride with the most difficult part trying to get from my office near Muthana Complex in Kuwait City to Souq Sharq. There are no bike paths and the sidewalks aren’t consistent but once I got to Souq Sharq it was pretty straight forward from there on.
It took me just over an hour to complete the journey and I was mostly cruising at a moderate pace since I didn’t know how long the journey would be and if I would run out of energy before I got back home. The weather was great and I had good music playing so it was pretty much enjoyable and I think I’m going to do this a few more times before it gets really hot. I did have some problems with my bikes gear shifting by itself and I noticed my brakes weren’t performing that well so I’m going back to Extreme Sports to get these 2 issues fixed before I go riding again.
Now tomorrow on the other hand I’m going to attempt to walk back home from work. I’m estimating it should take me around 3 hours but hopefully not more than that. I need to burn as much fat as I can before Saturday since that’s when I’m going to be checking my stats and hopefully I’ll hit my target of 12% body fat. This also means no cheat meal this Friday, it’s been pushed back till Saturday night instead.
31 replies on “My Bike Ride”
can we have before and after ‘body shots’?
Nothing like riding a bicycle in good weather and listening to music
Good luck with your target of 12% you seem to be working hard so hopefully you’ll get to it
Good work Mark
I guess walking home is pretty much a little over the top, but kudos, I guess. Can’t you work out on a treadmill at home or something? It gets pretty humid and exhausting, but I wish you all the best man 🙂
You can probably do it once. But to do it on a regular basis is going to take herculean commitment. I used to cycle alot regularly. Then one day me and an my friend decided to push it and we cycled about 60km.
That little adventure completely totalled the bike. Havent cycled after that.
All the best with you goal.
12%,, that’s lame,, lol
for you bike shifting itself, it might have to do with the fact that it was mothballed for a while, once you start using the cables the tension changes so you always have to readjust after a long run.
if you want, use the jig they have at extreme sports to learn how to do it yourself, it’s quite easy to do gearshift set ups, but it requires practice. some shops never change the setup as they don’t really know what they are doing, I worked at Maxime Chaya’s shop and he was really strict on gearshift setup.
We’d do it when we first assemble the bike, and request the owner to bring it back after riding for fortnight to re tune it as the cable lax a bit.
there is nothing that ruins your rhythm like a miss tuned gear shifts, and rhythm on a bike is essential to getting the proper workout.
The brakes however are rather easy to fix, especially the new set ups.
actually my issue is the fact that there is one gear that keeps slipping Not sure if its a damage gear or whatever, not even sure if its slippage but basically what happens is when I am riding in that gear after a few rotations you hear and feel the chain slipping a bit and then grabbing the same gear again.
You need to calibrate, Align the gear. better take it to the service but try to remember which gear its the one giving you this problem so the guys works that one specifically.
already took mental note of it, it’s the gear before the highest
I had this issue with my bike, turned out it was the axle adjuster on one side of the swing-arm was a couple of turns more than the other side. The chain kept slipping up the gears and then sliding down again.
yeah is it the front or rear sprocket? the think is that depending on which gear you’re in on the back and at the front the chain is at inadequate twisted angle (duraflex shimano chains solve that issue but they cost a fortune.)
usually if you’re in the biggest gear up front, refrain from using the the smallest ones out back, once you hit the middle in the back move to the middle on up front, and so on and so forth, keep your chain as aligned as possible.
it might be a tune up issue but it might be as simple as that. so try it, if your chain is slipping when you put pressure on the pedals it might be that…
let me kow
Ronman you are right.
Actually gears should be use as the highest with the lowest or Viceversa.
Ex, from inside to outside always keep the chain aligned.
Lets say the biggest Chainring (In the Pedal) should be used with the lower Sprockets (In the wheel)
but in practice all possible combinations could be use as you need them.
I agree, but to achieve all possible combinations with a mid range chain and gear shifting kit is not very reliable unless you tune it perfectly, which is also quite hard to do…
i usually ride,in a progress and upshift on both axles in order it feels orderly, keeps a steady rythm and gradually increases the torque needed to keep at the same pedaling rythm…
however, i’ve been away from riding for some time now, can’t wait to throw a leg over when time permits
I noticed that my bike gear slips after 20-30 min of riding, propably because the heat build up in the chain causes this.
Kuwaity, I doubt it gets hot enough to flex even in Kuwait, check my comment above, try to shift in an orderly fashion transitioning between mid and rear axle by keeping the chain aligned if it still slips then you have a tuning issue…
you just gave me a motivation kick..
i walk every day from home to work and walk back work to home. I live about 5 mins away from my work thats why 🙂 lolzz
good luck to you buddy
While you are walking home I’ll be smoking sheesha, and eating ice cream while watching TV.
I have 30% body fat. I smoke like a chimney. I eat whatever I want. I drink like a fish. The most exercise I get is working the gas and brake pedals. I’m so happy with my lifestyle choice, not having to do crazy things like walking home to achieve a target.
The thing is I don’t “have to” do any of this. I don’t “have to” hit 12%, I don’t “have to” walk home or bike home. These are choices I made because “I want to”. It’s a lifestyle choice I’ve chosen.
…and just like other lifestyle choices you make because “want to,” they soon become because you “like to”– and people looking in keep wondering why etc. but life in general just feels so much better once you’re healthier!
Awesome to hear that you’re biking around Kuwait!
Cheers
Ok, THIS time for sure I’ll have a convoy behind you with banners cheering you on while you walk.
Excellent job Mark, u make me wanna go and buy myself a bike right now, keep it up… Do u know how many Kilometers from your work to your home..? what your doing is really motivating, and when i reach a 12% body fat i will let u know… 😛
I know from the Kuwait Towers to my home its around 8km. From Muthana to Kuwait towers should be less than that. But let’s say its 16km from my office to my home. It takes me around 1 hour 50 minutes to walk 11km. So I’m hopping maybe with a bit of faster walking and even a bit of running I can get home in under 3 hours.
Hi Mark.
There is another bike path rather than the sea side that beside the aquarium ? just reached me to it Please Mark !
what?
are you walking yet can we see you …
congrats. well done. hope you meet the kuwaiti marathon runner on your walk back home. enjoy your weekend.
I always thought you were extremely busy with your various activities. I feel walking home from work is a bit on the insane side. Not from an exersize point of view but the amount of time you would waste. 3 hours!!! … seriously? you have a lof of time in your hands.
How do you sit on that small chair!
Do you feel comfortable?
It’s not as comfy as a lazy boy but it serves the purpose