Any Bicyclers here?

[garnettrules21]

My GF & some of our friends all got some new mountain bikes and plan on riding them alot. We took them out for a spin around our park yesterday, it has quite a few nice hills so it was a way bigger workout then I imagined. I hadn't rode a bike in years so it was really fun.

I was really surprised at the overall workout I got, we rode about 3.5-4 miles and I nearly died lol.

Any fellow OSer's here regular bike riders?? Any tips or suggestions?? I did notice that I should have probably stretched before, as my legs were burning big time.

[pk500]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Avid cyclist -- off-road and on the road -- for the last 20 years.

What do you need to know? I'm more than happy to help, under one condition: If you don't wear a helmet when you ride, I won't offer you a f*cking syllable of help until you get one and wear it on EVERY ride.

If you wear a helmet, then I'm all ears. Lay your questions on me!

Take care,
PK

[Herbsinator]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Avid cyclist -- off-road and on the road -- for the last 20 years.

What do you need to know? I'm more than happy to help, under one condition: If you don't wear a helmet when you ride, I won't offer you a f*cking syllable of help until you get one and wear it on EVERY ride.

If you wear a helmet, then I'm all ears. Lay your questions on me!

Take care,
PK

True that. The one day I didn't wear a helmet was the day I crashed pretty bad, true story. My mom almost killed me when she heard that story. You are never too cool to wear a helmet. I haven't been riding a lot lately, but at one point I was riding a lot. I guess, I don't know exactly what you are looking for help wise.

[garnettrules21]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Well basically things like how long & far a beginner should start out riding without getting overly tired like I did lol. Is it good to switch up the settings on your bike, like ride higher gears one day, lower the other....things like that. Just any tips or things you think beginners should know. And I'm already ahead of you on the helmet pk .

[Herbsinator]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Distance: I'd say just go as far as you feel like your body can take you. There really isn't a set guideline....just keep on going till it isn't fun anymore and then stop. That's my advice.

Gears: Basically you want to have your cadence (the rate at which you pedal) stay the same time all through out the ride. So if you are going up hill you go into a lower gear so its easier to pedal so you can keep your cadence up and when you are going on flat section or downhill you want to be in a higher gear so you can get more out of each pedal.

Here's a piece of advice for you....
Riding shorts. Trust me, if you ride at all you are going to want a pair of these bad boys. These shorts have a pad in the "taint" area and well....

Anyway, these things come in two styles: the spandex kind that you see guys like Lance Armstrong wearing and shorts that basically look like regular shorts, but they have the pad in them.



these are like $50 bucks, but they are totally worth it if you are going to do any sort of riding.

[garnettrules21]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Thanks for the info Herb, I'll look into those shorts. I replaced the seat right away and got a bigger softer seat, but after I got done riding my butt still hurt. It almost feels like the bottom tip bones of my butt are bruised or something. This picture pretty much shows the location of where it hurts except the middle arrow. I guess I just got a bony butt.

[garnettrules21]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Well today/tonight we all rode our asses off, well to us anyways. About 9-10 miles worth in about 1hr & 30mins or so. I stretched before hand to avoid hip cramps like last time. Things went by way smoother this go around.

My gf and my buddy's gf are trying to find a calorie "calculator" to see how many calories they burned. I've looked for some but haven't found any good ones. Most want speed, but I have no clue how fast we were going just distance and a rough estimate of how long it took. I guess going by the time and miles we went we were going about 10mph. Any help on this would be great.

[Jimplication]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

I used to have an electronice device that determined speed and distance. You basically put the sensor on one of the spokes of the bike, and attach the base to the fork, and from there a wire runs up to the display unit on the handlebars that provides information such as speed, distance travelled, etc.

I don't bike much anymore, as I prefer running, but if I did get back into biking I'd want to try street riding, as I had been riding mountain bikes previously. I often see cyclists on the roads in and around the places I go hiking, and also mountain bikers on the trails. It's a fun activity, and also a good workout.

[GenoG]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

I recently dug my old Trek mountain bike out of storage in my parents garage. I had not been riding for probably 10 years or so. The bike is a bit small, and the handle bars are all the way extended, so I am kind of slumped forward trying to ride. Last summer I rode my bike probably 4 times a week for my regular workout. I lost a good deal of weight, felt great and got plenty of sunshine.

Now this summer, my wife wants to get a bike to ride with me. Any good suggestions on where to get a nice bike, without breaking the bank account? We don't need anything amazing, just a nice beginner bike that can get some nice mileage on it.

[pk500]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Now this summer, my wife wants to get a bike to ride with me. Any good suggestions on where to get a nice bike, without breaking the bank account? We don't need anything amazing, just a nice beginner bike that can get some nice mileage on it.

Your local bike shop. All major brands -- Trek, Cannondale, etc. -- sell entry-level bikes for around $250-300. If you buy a bike from Wal-Mart or a sporting goods retailer, you're going to get a heavy frame with unreliable parts and no service.

With bikes, you almost always get what you pay for.

Make sure you bring your wife and let her test-ride any bike. If the shop doesn't let her do it, walk out immediately and find another shop.

Test rides are a must. Can you imagine buying a car from a dealer that wouldn't allow a test drive? Of course not. So you shouldn't buy a bike without a test ride, either.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Garnett:

Glad you're wearing a helmet. Essential move.

Herbs is right: Cycling shorts are important. The padding provides some comfort, and the padding also prevents your crotch from looking like cube steak due to chafing.

As for your saddle, bigger often is not better. Thick, chunky saddles usually cause more pain than smaller ones. If thick saddles offered more comfort, don't you think Tour de France riders -- who sometimes spend seven hours per day in the saddle -- would use them?

A smaller-profile saddle with a cutout in front for prostate relief and adequate padding in the sit bone area is much better than a big, chunky, gel saddle.

As for sit bone pain, it's a given for the first few rides. Regardless of how well your saddle fits or how experienced you are, it takes a few rides for your sit bones and rear to get accustomed to the saddle. The pain will disappear.

Another reason for sit bone pain is improper saddle height, which also can lead to knee and hamstring injuries. I have my saddle height figured to the damn millimeter through a mathematical formula and measuring with tape measures, but there is an easier way that will deliver satisfactory results.

Sit on your saddle. Put the cranks (pedal arms) into the 12 and 6 position (completely vertical). Place the HEEL of your foot while wearing the shoes you use for riding on the 6 o'clock (down) pedal. Your leg should be fully extended. Not locked into a vise-like clench, but fully straight. If that's the case, your saddle is at the proper height because when you put the ball of your foot on the pedal, which is where you foot should be located when pedaling properly, your leg will have a slight bend at full extension.

Another reason behind saddle pain is improper fit. If you have a bike with more of an upright seating position, your butt is going to hurt more than a bike with more of a racing or lay-forward position. An ideal fit puts equal weight on your hands, feet and butt.

Now for pedaling stroke and cadence. As kids, we usually pedaled our bikes thinking our legs were pistons. Up and down. Up and down. Furiously up and down.

That's the absolute worst pedaling stroke possible.

You must think about pedaling in circles. Pedals aren't on vertical planes; they move in a circular fashion. So when the pedal gets to the bottom of the stroke, think about pulling your foot back to help bring the pedal through the rear of the stroke. The action is almost the same as when you scrape your foot on tall grass to remove dog crap from your shoe.

It's not easy to do without practice. And it's almost impossible to do if your bike doesn't have clipless pedals or at least plastic toe cages and toe straps. You should invest $25 in toe cages and straps for your pedals if you don't have them. No need in investing in clipless pedals and shoes -- the best single investment you can make as a rider -- until you get more serious about riding.

As for cadence, again, you must unlearn bad habits from childhood. When we were kids, you were a wimp if you didn't put the bike in the biggest gear possibly and awkwardly pump the pedals at a ridiculously slow pace to muscle the bike up hills.

Again, the worst thing you can do.

You want to spin at higher cadences, not pump the pedals at fewer revolutions per minute. Adjust your gearing up or down BEFORE a climb or descent to get into the proper gear. Nothing destroys chains or drivetrains worse than changing gears in the middle of a climb when you've discovered that you're WAY overgeared for the climb. You hear the sickening "BOOM" of a chain popping from one cog to another when you change mid-climb.

Hope this helps. Keep asking questions, and I'll keep trying to provide answers!

Good luck, and keep spinning!

Take care,
PK

[garnettrules21]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Wow, PK...thanks for the great response, lots of great info. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I keep riding. Anyone know of a calculator that can give a rough estimate of calories burned, my gf keeps bugging me about it.

[Herbsinator]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Also, learn to fix a tire and always, I repeat ALWAYS bring a spare tube. As you ride more you are going to find that you are going to eventually get a flat and it is absolutely essential that you bring a spare tube so you don't find yourself 10 miles from home and having to walk back.

I guess to echo PK's comments a little bit. If you are looking to get into cycling you should definitely go to an actual bike shop and not to just a large sporting good store. At an actual bike shop you will get a bike that actually fits you and you can always take it back to the bike shop if you need to get it serviced. At a large sporting good store you aren't going to get that. Plus you get a chance to buy local.

[pk500]

Re: Any Bicyclers here?

Wow, PK...thanks for the great response, lots of great info. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I keep riding. Anyone know of a calculator that can give a rough estimate of calories burned, my gf keeps bugging me about it.

It's impossible to calculate accurately. Too many variables -- speed, pedal cadence, time in saddle, difficulty of route. Someone who rides 20 miles on a hilly route at 20 mph is going to burn a hell of a lot more calories than someone who rides 20 miles on the flats at 10 mph.

Tell her not to worry about it. Just ride regularly, and the pounds will melt away if your food intake doesn't change.

Take care,
PK