Biking!

CincyNeid wrote: »

And welcome to the sport of Cycling, It's more expensive that cocaine and just as additive.

So true.....

If you're looking for some motivation, come along and join us on the August 2016 Biking Cycling Bicycling Challenge thread

berolcolour wrote: »

Forgot to say - I get sore hands when I don't wear gloves. I have cycling gloves with padded bits and cut off fingers for warm weather. They make a big difference to me.

How are any new(ish) cyclists getting on with clip in pedals? I'm still a bit nervous clipping in and out. Which is why my road cycling is more off road (traffic free track or indoor)

At first, clips suck but will be worth it.

Expect to fall a couple times before you get somewhat steady. And, expect that to be 30 miles+ before you're comfortable. Practice 20 minutes or more just clipping in and unclipping, resting against something. Then, be WAY conservative stopping (unclip one foot 20 feet before you stop, then lean over more than you normally do in normal shoes). I rode 2 months on my mountain bike with no clips, no falls at all. 1 month with road bike/clips, i've fallen over 3-4 times. But, it'll be worth the bruises. Starting with clips is still awkward for me.

I still need to get gloves. I'm hoping the cut out blisters from using the stops.

I'd suggest that ( if you don't already have a pair ) you get gel cushioned gloves or mitts, I think the gel cushioning is superior to foam padding and lasts longer. Read the advice in a magazine and it's worked for me.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

In regards to your back, it's most likely your riding form. Cyclist tend to start slouching and rolling their shoulders forward instead of keeping a solid core, especially as a ride progresses and tiredness creeps in. Ideally, you want your core to be doing the work, not your back.

I'd recommend regular core work to supplement your cycling, it helps. Things like planks are great because they are static just like you are on your bike.

I second the recommendation to do regular core work.

I find core work and upper body weights allows me to ride comfortably for longer.

1. 30mi, you are my hero? What is the terrain - hilly or flat.

2. I'm new too, been on the bike for about 2 week in the morning. I just posted some questions and one was about the hand numbness - so it's not just me. That makes me feel better.

Some of your complaint I had. I made a few adjustments. As silly as this is, I went to my chiropractor and told him what I started doing and that my back was wonky in a new area. He made an adjustment and I've been fine since - but he said form will affect my back till I get to that sweet spot.

I also started walking about .25mi (5-7min) at a face pace, then stretch my ham strings, my quads, and I put both hands on my truck bed drop my head and lean back into my butt to pull on my back. The whole warm up takes maybe 15 minutes, but I am an old fart at 41 and am going cold straight out of bed. But with the routine I seem to be feeling better and going further.

As @kcjchang pointed out not everyone can do a bike fitting right, so it is important that you know what to look for in a proper fit. It is important to know how to assess how well your bike fits you. The initial bike fit might be close, but after you ride some you might need some adjustments and as you ride more and become better conditioned or if you swap out parts you might need to do some adjustments again. Unless your LBS offers bike fitting as a free ongoing service for people that bought bikes there, it would be a good idea to learn to do the adjustments yourself.

I started typing my own explanation of how to gauge your bike fit, but then I found this article ( http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm ), which I am sure does a better job explaining it than I could.

As others have said improving conditioning, core strength, and flexibility will also help with back pain and numbness. For example if you have drop handle bars then while riding in the drop position you should be able to release all of the weight off your hands while still maintaining the tuck position.

Personally I like to do yoga because it helps with core strength, flexibility, and recovery.

@berolcolour if you are still having trouble drinking from a water bottle while riding I would reconsider using clips. One thing to consider is that if you need to make an emergency stop then you need to brake hard (without locking up the tires), shift your weight back (so you don't go over the handlebars), be ready to unclip so that you can put your foot down in that moment between stopping and falling over.

Full disclosure, when I first started using clipless pedals I fell over several times at stops. Including once at a stop light that I tried to time so that I would not have to stop. I reached the stop line and it was still red, so I had to come to a complete stop and I fell over. The worst thing is at that time I always unclipped my right foot first and it was on bottom making it hard to unclip. Oh and there was also the school bus that was stopped behind at what was now a green light waiting for me to get out of the way.

NorthCascades wrote: »

Cycling is great for you and so much fun. I hope you get a lot of joy from it.

Agree.