Any runners out there that started biking

shmulyeng

I'm a fairly new runner (long run is 10K) and I want to get into biking. Based on advice from friends and bike shop, I will be starting with a road bike (I live in the city). I plan on riding 3 times a week, not counting my 2 mile commute to work. Any advice on how to get started would be appreciated.

Specifically:
How many miles should I be starting with per ride?
What android apps will help me with my training?
Which accessories are important for a beginner (I bought a bottle cage and phone holder)?

fknlardarse

I've just downloaded 'map my ride' it's a GPS tracking app and you can link it to myfitnesspal to directly record calories burned if that's relevant to you but even if not, it's a cool app, it will track all your rides and on the main website you can break down each mile for speed and elevation etc. it's easy to use, free and it can talk to you at each mile to tell you your stats.

As for the rest I'm not very fit so wouldn't presume to offer any advice other than do a small ride first to see how you feel the next day, expect your bum to hurt for the first few rides (hence short ride to start) but that goes after a few rides. I only ever take water, my phone, helmet and reflective jacket. Gloves if it's chilly. Lots of people will give you better advice on carrying repair kits (I don't go too far so if I get a puncture I'd walk home and fix it in the garage I can't be doing with changing inner tubes etc out on a ride but I guess it's essential if you're planning on doing big miles).

Just one other thing, don't underestimate the importance if getting your riding position right (like making sure your saddle is high enough) otherwise you won't be using your bigger muscles and will tire easily. I used to tootle about on a 'sit up and beg' style bike but when I changed to my MTB with a better position I could go so much further and faster. Enjoy!

ToughMudderAddict

Hi there. I'm certainly no expert on this topic as my bike training started roughly a month or two ago but.. I'll chime in where I can. My first ride was 10 miles.. and then I jumped up to 20 for the next few. That's just what I felt good with.. I'm not saying that's what you need to do or anything like that - just what I did. As it gets easier I bump up the miles. The terrain is going to play a huge part in how fatigued you get and how quickly.. Keep in mind if you're doing an out and back route that when you turn around you still have that far to go so don't get all tired and then turn around lol

I have used mapmyride in the past. I currently use runtastic road bike - I love it. It is a $4.99 app in the android store. There is an associated website you can check out too at www.runtastic.com This is the only app I use. I also have a HRM that I use to tell me my calories burned.

Buy front and back lights - I don't care if you're riding in the dark or not you need them. If you plan to ride in the dark at any time a light equal to or over 650 lumens but not less as you can't see **** with less Helmet - probably have that already but you didn't mention it so I will. If you're going to do any distance riding you may find you want some riding gloves to help pad your palms (make sure they have good padding and that the padding is where your hands will be making contact with the handlebars). City roads (and even bike trails) tend to get debris where most bikers are biking and for that reason alone you should pick up an extra tube and a way to inflate it. Depending on your bike and how far/long you want to ride you may find you want some extra padding - shorts with a chamois and/or a nicer seat (expensive say around 70 plus dollars) ought to do. Dress appropriately and brightly. As time goes by you may want to try the clip-less pedals and shoes (I still don't know why they call them clip-less).

This post got a little long, sorry about that. That is pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head, good luck!

rileysowner

I have used Maymyride and Endomondo. At the moment I use Endomondo since it will use my bluetooth HRM which Mapmyride will not. When I upgrade my phone and HRM to stuff that supports bluetooth 4.0, I may go to Mapmyride again although there are things i really like about Endomondo.