Bike Help

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jespop713
jespop713 Posts: 34 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am riding my bike from home to work its about 8 miles. I feel like I am going so slow. It takes me about 45 min. I am fairly active and I know I should be able to go faster then that but I am not very good at riding a bike and I am looking for help. Any one out there good on a bike? Can you give me some tips?

I tend to like to feel the road when I pedal is that wrong? should I just let me legs go quick with out feeling the road? please HELP?!?!?!?!

Replies

  • AtomicDarling
    AtomicDarling Posts: 42
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    Might I just say that is awesome! I just got a bike and can barely handle 2 miles right now.

    I hope you find the advice you need. :)
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Pedal faster.....

    LOL
    No clue what you mean by "feel the road"

    I can do 22 miles in appros 90 minutes - that's on paved paths....And I'm moving pretty good.
  • jenniferbbb
    jenniferbbb Posts: 1
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    Slow is better then nothing!
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "feel the road" and "let your legs go quick". a few questions. what type of bike do you have? Fixed gear, mountain, hybrid, road? what surface are you riding on? Is it hilly or all flat?
  • jipper44
    jipper44 Posts: 111
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    I'm relatively new at biking on roads and I also ride to work (4 miles, takes me 20-25 min). I like to keep in mind that I have to stop for traffic signals and account for the terrain, but I'd also like to hear what others have to say about biking faster.
  • javaruck
    javaruck Posts: 47 Member
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    Feeling the road is normal. As far as your speed, that sounds pretty decent if you are riding a comfort/mountain bike. I have 3 bikes and my average speed varies a lot depending on which bike I am riding. On my comfort bike, I tend to average 12 to 14 mph, my road bike goes up to about 16 to 18 mph and my tri bike runs me 18 to 20 mph (flat courses, no wind).
  • CarlaAnn15
    CarlaAnn15 Posts: 55 Member
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    I started riding last year. Last evening we did a tad over 8 miles in 63 minutes. That was with a couple good size hills so if you have any type of hills/inclines, I think you are doing fine.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
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    Make sure you have a fairly fast pace of pedaling: an average cadence for "bicycle touring" is 80 rpm. You shift gears up and down to achieve a stable cadence, going uphill, against the wind, going downhill etc.
  • jespop713
    jespop713 Posts: 34 Member
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    I have a Hybrid tha is a 16 speed. When I mean letting my legs just go I mean like feel like they will go out of control like im trying to pedal going downhill on a low speed. when I say Feel the pavement I mean a higher gear say a 5th gear on a flat surface. The route I travel is rolling hills at the end. I just feel like its taking forever to get here.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
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    nothingtoadd.gifbetter than bump, I guess..
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
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    I ride 12 miles most morning before work and it takes me about 50 minutes. I think you pace is not too bad. I use my HRM to make sure I am working hard enough. That might be a solution for you in pacing yourself. I honestly don't know about the feeling the road thing. I generally fell the roads in my hands and bottom as I go over bumps and obstacles. 1 other suggestion I would make is clip-less mountain biking shoes. The attach your feet to the pedals and allow you to be more efficient with your pedaling. Just know that you WILL fall down at least once because you couldn't get your foot out quickly enough when coming to a stop :wink:
  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
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    Ok so I am a cyclist and a triathlete. Bike speed depends on TONS of stuff. For one, the terrain, the bike you are riding, your fitness level, etc. Wtih a hybrid doing a moderate pace, say 12 MPH your time isn't bad at all depending on terrain. You say it is rolling hills, what is your heart rate? Do you have to push your bike up hills? I personally ride a partial carbon road bike, pertty light weight. I just did a time-trial and paced at an average speed of 18mph over the distance of 16 miles. The terrain was flat. I came in 3rd overall for women. When I ride my bike on rolling hills over the distance of 18.5 miles, it takes me 1 hour and 7 minutes, about 16 mph. I'd say if you are doing 8 miles in 40 minutes, that is really quite good, especially on a hybrid. If you want to go faster, upgrade your bike, meaning get road tires for your current bike, or get an actual road bike. The skinnier your tire, the faster you go. But if you go with a skinny tire, you have to inflate it everytime before you ride. Also, try not to think of it as taking you forever to get where you want to go, think of it as enjoying the creation around you and you get a good work out in while helping the environment.
  • rgutie1
    rgutie1 Posts: 84 Member
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    If the pace is comfortable then stick with it. Its great to push yourself to pick up the pace but when you are riding to work a leisurely pace can help you build your energy for the day instead of using it up before you start.

    I like to keep a comfortable pace on my way in and push my pace on the way back.
  • jespop713
    jespop713 Posts: 34 Member
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    Thanks for all of your advice! I really appreciate all your support and help. I wont be so hard on myself and I'll keep doing it and see if I can get my time better with each ride. ill push my legs a little harder when I have the energy :) Thanks again!
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
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    Thanks for all of your advice! I really appreciate all your support and help. I wont be so hard on myself and I'll keep doing it and see if I can get my time better with each ride. ill push my legs a little harder when I have the energy :) Thanks again!

    for that to happen comfortably, just switch gears! after all, that's why they are there. in my experience most people who ride bikes with gear choose a gear that's too high. shift down and you'll do fine.
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I've started riding recently and have had some funny times, let me tell you.

    The first ride I went with some friends and took FOREVER to get anywhere.. they were constantly stopping and waiting for me to catch up. About 1km from home (after a 25km ride) we found a petrol station with one of those air thingies and I discovered that I'd been riding on 11 psi (recommended 35 on my bike) so effectively on flat tyres the ENTIRE TIME!

    My brother, who is planning on riding from Spain to Germany in September, gave me his old bike for my birthday and it is amazing... so much faster than my cheapo $150 target job. Apparently it was worth about $800 and he's upgraded the gears and the brakes (pretty AWESOME present!). I'm finding it much easier to shift through the gears and find the right levels for the trails I'm riding on, keeping my heart rate up, but not going so hard that I feel faint, or that my heart is going to jump out of my chest.

    That first day, our ride took almost 3 hours and I stopped about 8 times trying to get my breath back. Today, about three months later, I did the same ride, without stopping, in 1.5 hours. About half I attribute to the awesome new bike. The other half I attribute to my new gym membership (been going for 2 weeks now) and the 3 months of rides that I have been going on since that first day. It feels amazing!

    Anyhoo... my point was that you may find on a better bike, with a bit more fitness behind you, your time will come down.

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