Cycling lost all confidence

jorichards2

I feel so silly, having riden a hybrid for the last 5 years and loved it I felt it was time to upgrade to a road bike. I love going fast but long hilly rides are a struggle when I’m cycling with hubby and others on their racers and i really want to join them in a 100 mile sportive this summer.

Went to get sized for a racer and once on it I couldn’t even get both feet on the pedals and pull away. I felt ridiculous as if I’d never been on a bike before. All hubby kept saying was you’ll never feel safe on it and I can’t see you mastering corners you’ll just kill yourself. I feel so disappointed and annoyed with myself.

blobby10

What was it that made you feel unsafe? Were the pedals clip-in ones? If so, yes they take practise to master but you don't HAVE to use them - start with toe cages (not the right name for them!) if you don't want the full clip thing immediately.

Was the bike frame too big for you? Or the reach?

I've only been riding a road bike for a couple of years and when I come to junctions or places I have to stop, I still chant in my head B(rake) U(nclip) G(ears) S(teer) or S(top!). I slow down for a stop much earlier than my more confident cycling buddies and always make sure I'm in the smaller chain ring to move off.

Its all about practise tbh

Machka9

I echo the poster above ... was the bicycle too big for you?

sijomial

I transitioned from hybrids to a race bike and for long rides there's a huge difference. I did one solo Century on a hybrid but it hurt and I was slow. I also tried to keep up with friends on race bikes and you just have to work so much harder you burn yourself out.

It really doesn't take long to adjust to the different steering feeling (feels twitchy at first, you tend to over-correct and steer with your hands not your eyes...).

Did you have your hands on the hoods or the drops?
(Hoods feels a lot more natural at first.)

Was the bike in a low gear to allow you to easily push off and get the stability from the wheels turning?

Did the one you tried have an extreme high seat to low bar riding position?
(My Roubaix is quite high at the front which gives me a more natural riding position.)

Keep trying! It's worth it.

jorichards2

I wasn’t prepared for it to feel so twitchy and I was very self conscious in the middle of a busy shop with a narrow short path to try and cycle through without hitting the rows of bikes on either side.

I didn’t even manage to get both feet on the pedals I kept missing with the 2nd foot and running out of space. It had flat pedals but I’m used to cages I have them on the hybrid so they weren’t the issue and the 2nd bike I tried felt like a nice position when I just balanced on it.

Beginning to think I’ll stick with the hybrid unless I can find a cheap second hand racer to practice on first. I feel like such an idiot!

raspberriliana

Don't get discouraged! Maybe you'd feel more comfortable once you're out on the street, not in that bike shop, which I'm guessing was narrow and small. It takes some time, but I'm sure you'll adjust to it.

aokoye

I'd echo what other people are saying and lso suspect your husband's commentary wasn't helping matters either. There's no reason to assume that you can't learn how to ride a road bike and do make sure that it isn't too big for you.

garystrickland357

You can do it. As everyone says it takes a bit of adjustment. Don't let a brief nervous experience deter you.

googookid

Its alrite. You should start by riding at your own pace. Choose some pitstop along the way so you can regroup again with the bunch. There bound to be fast riders. Just remember to ride safe if you are left behind and keep pedaling till you reach that pitstop. In the meantime you can start by getting a trainer or rollers at home to improve your cadence. The more you pedal the longer and faster you can hold on 😊

sijomial

jorichards2 wrote: »

I wasn’t prepared for it to feel so twitchy and I was very self conscious in the middle of a busy shop with a narrow short path to try and cycle through without hitting the rows of bikes on either side.

I didn’t even manage to get both feet on the pedals I kept missing with the 2nd foot and running out of space. It had flat pedals but I’m used to cages I have them on the hybrid so they weren’t the issue and the 2nd bike I tried felt like a nice position when I just balanced on it.

Beginning to think I’ll stick with the hybrid unless I can find a cheap second hand racer to practice on first. I feel like such an idiot!

Just go back by yourself without an unhelpful and critical audience.
I'm sure the shop would let you have a spin around the block where you would have space for an odd wobble.

The wobbly feeling goes within a single ride.
You live in a beautiful part of the country for cycling and it would be a shame to limit yourself.

JennyRATL

I concur with the posters above.

1. make you sure get the right size bike
2. leave hubby at home and tell him you appreciate him, but to hush that you can do this! do this for YOU, no one else
3. don't worry yet about keeping up. that will come with practice.
4. once you get a bike, find a nice flat parking lot and practice getting in/out of the cages, until it is second nature, then maybe move on to clips once you are comfortable. then try some small hills for practice
5. give yourself time to learn the bike and build good riding skills to get comfortable before trying to tackle any major event with lots of cyclists and roads you aren't familiar with
6. find a group of women to ride with. I don't know where you live but you should be able to find some non-competitive friendlies to learn from and go on rides with. my hubby was very pushy about trying to get me to do things i wasn't ready for so I stopped riding with him at first! i was lucky to have some experienced women friends who were great about helping me learn how to ride. i actually still don't ride with hubby much, but he's kind of a beast
7. and again, don't worry yet about keeping up. that will come with time and practice. I was never able to keep up with my husband and don't care to try anymore. It just frustrates me and makes me mad. I actually love to ride alone with my thoughts. I ride for me and for fun, fresh air and exercise. Just enjoy the ride

HelensBeads

I ride a hybrid, yes when we go out for club rides I'm generally at the back. I keep getting told I would go faster with less effort if I had a road bike (drop handlebars) but quite frankly my hybrid has similar gearing, frame geometry and weight as the road bikes so I really don't understand what the difference is.

I did a 100 mile sportive on my old hybrid (it weighed about 50 pounds, was a real sit-up-and-beg style one), the following year I did it again but also cycled the 25 miles home as hubby was working so couldn't give me a lift home. I would have done it the year after as well, on the new lighter weight hybrid bike (I was looking forward to see what my time would be like) but they cancelled it and haven't re-run it (it was an overnight one, start at midnight, cycle round London, out to Twyford and back via Windsor with a bottle of wine!), I've not found another one that I fancy.

I've just bought myself a new lighter hybrid, this one will remain 'naked' and not have the luggage racking/stand etc added to it and be kept for 'events' ('race' doesn't really describe what I do). I'll be taking it out on its first ride after work this afternoon.

One of the ladies from the tri-club got herself a new road bike and was selling her old one. I borrowed it for a couple of days with a view to buying it. I was OK riding it on the flat (around her local roads), the position was good, the steering was a bit more sensitive than I was used to, drops were OK (I rode a drop handlebar road bike back in my teens) and it felt good. So she let me take it home for a longer test drive. I rode it down my road (slight hill), then turned down the next road (steeper hill) and scared the living daylights out of myself! Up on the hoods (which seems to be where 90% of riding is) I couldn't pull the brakes hard enough to stop! On the flat it hadn't mattered. When on the drops I was fine with the brakes, getting from the hoods to the drops wasn't a problem if I had time to do it; but in an emergency situation where a car pulled out in front of me or overtook and turned across I wouldn't have time to stop. So I said thank you and returned the bike to her. However it did me an understanding of why one of the other tri-club ladies gets off her bike and walks it down hills!

jjpptt2

Seems like a bad experience start to finish... and neither your husband nor the shop (it sounds) set you up for a good time. Every shop I've ever been in will have me sit on the bike (while holding onto a railing or counter or similar) to set the seat high initially. After that, any kind of test or demo happens in the parking lot - not in a tightly confined shop. That just seems silly. Are you able to get the bike outside where you have a bit more room and will be more comfortable? Once you're moving/pedaling, the bike will become MUCH more stable, so don't let that initial feel turn you off.

jorichards2

Thanks everyone I’m going to have to try again somewhere else or just get a better lighter hybrid instead

johngsprague

One more for going for the road bike! You will get used to everything soon enough, and you'll love the difference in speed. Persevere, the results come very fast. Having the century ride as a goal is a great idea.

NorthCascades

jorichards2 wrote: »

Went to get sized for a racer and once on it I couldn’t even get both feet on the pedals and pull away. I felt ridiculous as if I’d never been on a bike before. All hubby kept saying was you’ll never feel safe on it and I can’t see you mastering corners you’ll just kill yourself. I feel so disappointed and annoyed with myself.

jorichards2 wrote: »

I wasn’t prepared for it to feel so twitchy and I was very self conscious in the middle of a busy shop with a narrow short path to try and cycle through without hitting the rows of bikes on either side.

What a supportive hubby.

Racing road bikes are meant to go fast, and it sounds like you weren't.

Racing bikes are designed to be incredibly stable and easy to control at high speed.

Hybrid bikes are made to feel stable at low speed.

The "twitchy" you felt was partly from riding it slowly inside the store. Seriously, if you take it on a test ride outside and get it when to 15 mph or thereabouts, it will feel much better, and the corners will be very easy.

But the "twitchy" is also partly from the geometry. Race bikes are exquisitely sensitive to steering input. It's a matter of taste, some people like it (I like the feeling of immediacy) and some people are more comfortable on a more ponderous bike.

You might do well to look at endurance and gravel road bikes. They have a lot of the face features (compared to a hybrid) but put you in a more comfortable position, and from the sound of it you may be more confident in that position. Also they tend to be less twitchy.

Final point, you can be fit for comfort or for speed. Looking at a race bike, they may have assumed you want to optimize your position for speed. Meaning you could feel better even on that bike.

jorichards2

Thank you feeling determined to try again. After all the comments it wasn’t surprising I couldn’t get on the bike. I had about 1.5 m push of get on and stop, I think it was a bit too slow and I was worried about other customers getting in the way, they wouldn’t let me take the bike outside so I’ll find a different shop.

Thanks for all the advice I feel calmer now!

BrianSharpe

You could also consider a road bike with flat handlebars....

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q6-yz1qJrUc

garystrickland357

@NorthCascades makes a good point to look at endurance or gravel bikes. I have been a roadie for years and just this past December bought a gravel bike. It has similar geometry to a road bike with drop bars. It is a bit more relaxed so less "twitchy" and VERY comfortable. I support the idea of going back to a bike shop alone (maybe a different one) and trying again.

Bocch

Hi, I belong to a bicycle club. Spring, Summer and Fall the club members and myself ride road bikes. What you need to stop calling racers. The road bike typically has the "tear drop" type of handle bars. Going to this type of bicycle would require going to a bike shop and getting measured for proper fit. I do suggest looking for a bicycle club that states they are a "touring" club. The pace is slower but as you become more comfortable and fit your speed will naturally increase. Stopping hint - you can see ahead of time when you need to stop so slow down before you actually have to stop and remove 1 foot from pedal before time until you feel comfortable. If you have a proper fit on the bike there should be no problem. Do not over think the stop. Cornering, with many rides this will become more natural to do.

sijomial

HelensBeads wrote: »

I ride a hybrid, yes when we go out for club rides I'm generally at the back. I keep getting told I would go faster with less effort if I had a road bike (drop handlebars) but quite frankly my hybrid has similar gearing, frame geometry and weight as the road bikes so I really don't understand what the difference is.

I did a 100 mile sportive on my old hybrid (it weighed about 50 pounds, was a real sit-up-and-beg style one), the following year I did it again but also cycled the 25 miles home as hubby was working so couldn't give me a lift home. I would have done it the year after as well, on the new lighter weight hybrid bike (I was looking forward to see what my time would be like) but they cancelled it and haven't re-run it (it was an overnight one, start at midnight, cycle round London, out to Twyford and back via Windsor with a bottle of wine!), I've not found another one that I fancy.

I've just bought myself a new lighter hybrid, this one will remain 'naked' and not have the luggage racking/stand etc added to it and be kept for 'events' ('race' doesn't really describe what I do). I'll be taking it out on its first ride after work this afternoon.

One of the ladies from the tri-club got herself a new road bike and was selling her old one. I borrowed it for a couple of days with a view to buying it. I was OK riding it on the flat (around her local roads), the position was good, the steering was a bit more sensitive than I was used to, drops were OK (I rode a drop handlebar road bike back in my teens) and it felt good. So she let me take it home for a longer test drive. I rode it down my road (slight hill), then turned down the next road (steeper hill) and scared the living daylights out of myself! Up on the hoods (which seems to be where 90% of riding is) I couldn't pull the brakes hard enough to stop! On the flat it hadn't mattered. When on the drops I was fine with the brakes, getting from the hoods to the drops wasn't a problem if I had time to do it; but in an emergency situation where a car pulled out in front of me or overtook and turned across I wouldn't have time to stop. So I said thank you and returned the bike to her. However it did me an understanding of why one of the other tri-club ladies gets off her bike and walks it down hills!

@HelensBeads

The difference between a fast road hybrid and a road bike can be subtle. My hybrid's tyres are 28's, road bikes 25's. The geometry is slightly different, the width of your hands makes a difference to the leverage you apply to the steering. At urban speeds the hybrid is lovely and drop bars a pain.

Overall the difference between my fast hybrid and my road bikes was perhaps only 1 or 2mph average on a lot of my solo rides. The difficulty comes when you ride with others and that small'ish difference means you are constantly working harder. The higher the speed the more the aero advantage of drop bars/narrow bars the wider the gulf becomes. People do love following an upright hybrid rider though - as a friend put it "it's like drafting a truck".

It could be the bike you tried simply had bad brakes or badly set up brakes, both my road bikes (one disc, one with caliper brakes) stop equally as well as my hybrid - just fingertips required to get to the point of locking up.
Conversely my first hybrid had awful brakes, if you are familiar with Leigh Hill in Surrey you would appreciate that when I found a full knuckle cracking squeeze wasn't enough to slow me down it was a bit of a brown trouser moment. (The original brake blocks appeared to have been made from plastic).

PS - Audax UK have a selection of permanent routes as well as organised rides. The Evans Cycles organised sportives are pretty good too. Nice ways to investigate new roads.