Cycling, bikes, indoor, outdoor etc.

Yeah I have to drive to find roads that are both flat and don't have sections that are more or less death traps. The flat death traps being two very narrow bike bridges along a 4 lane not quite highway with a speed limit of 45mph. The bridges are at sections where there is no bike lane and I've been seeing more and more homeless people walking on them which scares the crap out of me as both a driver and a cyclist. If a cyclist were to one of the pedestrians at least one person would fall into traffic and die. When traffic is light most people just ride in the road because it's just such a mess. Note, by narrow I mean, these are probably the width of my rollers. I I've been on said bridges twice and even with light traffic and no pedestrians I'm afraid that I'll fall into the road.

Today one of my friends was teasing me about not taking the bus or riding my bike to school and I had to explain just how out of the question both of those options were. All of my friends who commute by bike get it because they both understand how hilly it is and how dangerous the route that I would need to take that has the least amount of climbing is. The hillier route would be ok if it didn't involve a series of very blind corners that people drive rather quickly around.

I like your method of figuring out if you can handle a ride. I might have to figure out something similar.

@awinner_au Unfortunately in the instances I'm talking about driverless cars wouldn't be much of a help because they have to be able to see the cyclist/pedestrian in front of them. The dangerous bike bridge thing is more an issue of really horrible infrastructure than anything else. If it were wide enough for two cyclists, two pedestrians, or a cyclist and a pedestrian to be two abreast then it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous.

The blind corner thing - I don't think driverless cars would be of much help. Sure they could be programed to go the prescribed speed limit of that section which is 15mph, but I almost hit a cyclist while going around that same corner and I was going 10 mph. It was dark, there were no lights other than my car's headlights, and the cyclist didn't have any lights.

Yeah - I

awinner_au wrote: »

aokoye wrote: »

Two things - 1. there have been numerous people who have gotten hit by driverless cars and 2. the issue isn't only that there are no lights but that even on a sunny day you wouldn't see a cyclist until right after you've rounded the bend. I don't see how a driverless car would help in this case unless I just don't understand how that radar works (which is a possibility.

Wouldn't trust driverless cars just as yet, its early days still. I don't think driverless cars will eliminate all road deaths, just greatly reduce them.

Yeah - now that I have the fitness to actually bike the hills that I would need to in order to get to school I'm realizing that it's just not safe enough. My route options either involve the narrow bridges that I'm afraid of falling off of, blind corners, or roads with no shoulders and rather steep drop offs. There's a single route that would be okayish during the middle of the day (as opposed to rush hour) so I might take it to school when I have to be there in the summer but honestly it's just so much safer to drive.

Yeah I mean I live in a city where a lot of people commute by bike (for the US). I've done so as well when I lived elsewhere within the city. Heck it's even bike month right now! It's really where with in the city I live that is the issue. I mean even my friends who use their bikes as their sole or nearly their sole method of transportation realize how unrealistic it would be to commute from my house.

Same I use my Garmin with a HR belt to calculate and when I get different readings like when Garmin sync with MFP or Strava I validate the one with the fewer calories because I'm here to lose weight so if I want more calories I'll just have to work harder ^^

I have 3 bikes. A road racer, a track bike ( as in Velodrome ) and my husband is building me a TT one as a reward for winning my local TT League. And my club owns a wattbike which I use to do my Zwifting.

I pretty excited about my new ride. Picked it up today.

awinner_au wrote: »

Id like to try Zwift, but not knowing whether id stick with it makes me reluctant to stump up for a smart trainer. Haven't found a studio nearby that lets you try Zwift.

I'm assuming you looked on Zwift's website for dealers (bike shops) that allow you to try it on a smart trainer, as opposed to a studio. If not the link to that information is here. I agree with @Ardael though - all you need is a not smart trainer and a speed sensor that either transmits bluetooth and/or ANT+ (assuming you have an ANT+ dongle). It won't be, as all around of an experience but it will definitely give you a good idea of what it's like.

Also if you're connecting through bluetooth on on iOS device you don't need an ANT+ dongle.

garystrickland357 wrote: »

I pretty excited about my new ride. Picked it up today.

Nice!

I have two bikes a hybrid and a mountain bike. And I am finally getting back out on them again. Went for a 12 mile ride yesterday for the first time in over a year. My husband is threatening to sell them if I don't use them lol. I want to bike in the mornings before my kids get up and then later in the day strength train or yoga depending on the day. I ride my hybrid on the local paved trail which is nice. I need to get my mountain bike out on the mountain bike trail nearby again too. Not sure yet how this will help with my weight issues, but I am hoping for some lost fat and gained muscle.

Hi. I am a beginner cyclist and have a few questions I’m hoping I might be able to get some advice on?

First, some background: I’m mid-40’s, haven’t really ridden a bike since I was a kid. Had spinal surgery a few years ago because I developed cauda equine syndrome. I have nerve damage (permanent) from my waist down and because of that, I deal with balance issues and weakness in my ankles, calves and to a lesser extent, knees. I’m overweight and out of shape, especially since my surgery in 2015. I also suffered a knee injury last winter during a snowshoe hike that’s better, but not completely healed. Wanting to get more fit and just generally be able to do more (hiking, biking, cross country skiing, backpacking, etc).

I chose the bike because I thought it would be low impact and easy on my knees and lower back. Mine is a hybrid, and also step through because my range of motion for hips/legs is still not the best. Lots of residual scar tissue and stiffness in my lower back. I also had my bike set up for me at a bike shop so that my handle bars are high and I’m sitting upright, with a straight spine (at the advice of my neurosurgeon).

I live in the mountains in Vermont, and all of the roads are extremely hilly, and dirt/gravel. My house is on the side of a mountain on a dirt road.

It’s been much tougher than I expected starting out. I come out of my driveway directly into a long, tough climb. I still have to walk most of the way up the first hill (it’s a mountain, really), because it is so long and steep. At the top of the hill, there is a flat spot where I get on and start riding, but there are still hills, constant up and down hills, in every direction. Nowhere near me has much flat ground. Closest gym is at least 45 minutes away, and I hate working out indoors anyway.

I started out with a goal of just doing the same loop as I usually walk, which is 3 miles of up and down hills on dirt roads. Everyone I’ve read or talked to is starting with 5, 10, 15 mile rides to start? I’ve been working on completing this same 3-mile ride without having to stop, get off and walk up the steep hills for a month now, and realistically it’s going to be at least another month before I can do it without walking. And I’m not even counting coming out of my driveway and having to climb to the top of the mountain. I’m just assuming I’m going to have to get a lot stronger before I do that.

My questions:

Is it normal to take this long to be able to do a simple, three mile ride? I feel like I’m doing something wrong because I’ve been out there, every other day without cheating, and although I’m making very small improvements, I’m nowhere near able to cycle this three mile loop yet (it’s been 5 weeks of riding it every other day)? I just keep shifting down until there is nowhere else to go, and then I push hard until I just get so slow I come to a standstill, and then I have to get off and walk to the top of the next hill. I do upshift so that I continue to cycle and build momentum on the downhills but I’m physically unable to maintain revolutions on the steep hills.

Also - I’ve been reading a lot that hills are hard on your knees? Am I not giving my knees as much of a break as I think I am by adopting a no impact activity? I really enjoy cycling - it’s so beautiful here and I love getting out under the open sky - but I’m now a little scared of the potential impact on my knees. I really really can’t afford another injury. I did get a basic bike fitting when I bought my bike, and I also brought the recommendations from my neurosurgeon and I think he set it up based on those recommendations. I am only 5’1”, I already feel like the bike is way too tall and scary to get on, I can barely reach the ground on one tiptoe when I’m on the seat (and only on one side, my other foot doesn’t reach at all.) With my weak ankles and messed up balance, this is really scary, especially when it comes time to stop. My legs are already weak, and then they’re shaky and exhausted from trying to push so hard to get up all of the hills... I do sometimes lose my balance upon stopping and have to let my bike kind of fall out from under me so I can steady my foot on the ground. I guess my big question: is it ok for me to start out on this terrain, which is probably nowhere near “beginner” terrain, but it’s all that I’ve got?

Also, when I bike in the rain, it is much, much more difficult. The roads liquify and get squelchy, and trying to go uphill through mud is really exhausting. The downhills are slippery and scary. I’m extra scared because of the seriousness a fall could mean because of my previous surgery. I had bones removed from my spinal column and now a hard fall or jar could re-injure my spine more easily. I usually cut those days even shorter, and although I feel like I’m working a lot harder in the rain, I don’t know if there is even any benefit from only biking for a mile or two? Am I wasting my time altogether by doing such short rides? I feel ridiculous doing a two-mile ride and calling it exercise, but up a mountain in the mud, it’s exhausting for me still. I come home, my legs are shaky and weak, sometimes I feel dizzy and like I’m going to vomit, and the next day I’m stiff and sore.

I also don’t know if my short, exhausting rides are enough to help with fitness or weight loss? Map my ride says I burn an extra couple of hundred calories. I never really eat them back, mostly because I’m skeptical about whether such short rides can make any difference, and since I eat pretty healthy and don’t really have any problems staying within my calorie goal, it feels counter-intuitive to eat back any possible exercise calories. A 3-mile loop takes me right around 23 minutes, and I do that every other day. The intensity (for me at least) is high though.

Thanks for any advice, I’ve looked all over for answers in cycling forums and such and haven’t come across much on starting out as a raw beginner on tougher terrain. Vermont is all mountains, so it’s a long drive to anywhere that could be considered flat or easy cycling. At least a couple of hours drive probably.

smsquash wrote: »

Hi. I am a beginner cyclist and have a few questions I’m hoping I might be able to get some advice on?

I'm newly returned to cycling after 30+ years. This site has many folks who are really more deeply capable than I to share their experiences or point out one or another relevant points of gear and training, and tips. I, OTOH, am able to share my fresh newbie perspectives, so I hope this helps.

I'm older (60+), male, very overweight, and without muscular-skeletal problems impacting my cycling, such as you indicate, but with other issues, including cardiovascular. Comes with the territory of sitting at a computer for 40+ yrs without tending to physical conditioning.

My family bought me a Christmas/Retirement gift this past December of a nice bike. I'm newly retired, but my "new job" is to "get fit." So I'm working on it. Living in coastal NJ, my local terrain is pancake-flat relative to Vermont, and aside from some landscape undulations, my local bridges supply many of the "hills." Except, of course, for the hill about 1/4mile from my house that sits on my preferred route to the beach. More on that in a moment.

First, the above poster, @chunkytfg, is exactly right. You're on your own journey now, and cannot judge your progress against others. We're all different. In my routesheet case (handlebar bag top), I carry a couple of inspirational pictures. One says, "No matter how slowly you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch." So, congrats to you for getting out. Let your doctor's advice be your guide as to your limits and approaches, and keep on plugging.

When I first rode in the week before New Year's, going a mile was a big deal. Literally hard. On faith, I did my usual written New Year's resolutions, and included 750+ miles riding for this year, and 25lbs lost. At 300+ miles so far, I'm on track, with the summer season just beginning. I have a planning spreadsheet that projects 900+ with gradually-increasing range in my rides through late Autumn, then tailing off. This week, I'm 28lbs down from Jan 1st, so I've hit my initial weight target, and hope for another 15+ before Thanksgiving. Weight loss isn't all from riding (outside) - there's also some winter/spring recumbent cycling in the gym, and good dietary management using MFP. More important than the numbers is that I'm feeling better than I have in some years, and family/friends are really noticing the changes. But enough on me, I'm just establishing some bona fides.

* * * * *

1. Bike.

I had flexibility troubles throwing my leg over my bike when I first got it, and relied on either the curb-step-up method or lower-the-bike-drastically method to mount and dismount. I've been doing nearly-daily bodyweight and resistance band exercises and stretches, and no longer have that concern. Step-through frame was my second choice, and it was an act of faith to pick a bike with a regular top tube.

When in Florida earlier this year, I rented a recumbent tricycle to try one out. I'm looking down the road when I might have age-related balance issues, but still have some ability to cycle. I had also thought through this option before choosing my current bike. If you already didn't have a new bike, I might suggest giving these types a look.

Lastly, e-bikes offer a solution when the spirit is willing and the flesh is lagging a bit. Especially when trying to work with a lot of hills. There are e-bike conversion kits available, but I don't have any particular knowledge of how good, compatible or effective they are.


2. Starting out on a hill.

"... I come out of my driveway directly into a long, tough climb. I still have to walk most of the way up the first hill (it’s a mountain, really), because it is so long and steep ... and I hate working out indoors anyway."

This is a tough one.

As I mentioned above, there's a hilly section on my preferred road to the beach within 1/4 mile of the house. I started a couple of months ago taking a longer, busier, but more level road, but am now able to ride the hill OK. This doesn't mean I like it; as a "clydesdale" (big rider), hills will never be my friends, and I have to gradually work up to them. I have found that being warmed up to the ride exercise makes them easier. A 1/4 mile head start isn't really enough, but the same hill (it's symmetrical along the road coming and going) at the end of a ride is almost a snap. Maybe try some warmups before you set out to get you readier to face your hill.

It takes time and practice, and we're all going to have difference paces. There are bridges and ramps and such in my area (see picture below) that challenge me. This particular ramp took several weeks of retries (I do this destination about 1x/wk) before I got all the way up riding rather than walking. It's not much compared to an actual mountain, but it is one of my local challenges. Now I "own it."

There's a guy I've been following on youtube from the UK. He's prepping for a vacation later this year in Mallorca, which means a lot of hills. He posts vids weekly on his training progress. He's a bit younger than I, a bit less heavy than I, and in better cycling shape than I. However, his experiences resonate with me. See ... leonardmlee ... at youtube.


3. Distance and Progress.

" ...I started out with a goal of just doing the same loop as I usually walk, which is 3 miles of up and down hills on dirt roads. Everyone I’ve read or talked to is starting with 5, 10, 15 mile rides to start? I’ve been working on completing this same 3-mile ride without having to stop ... I’m just assuming I’m going to have to get a lot stronger before I do that."

I'd say yes. Strength and capability come with time. 1 mile was tough when I first started. Now I'm doing in the 20+ range fairly easily. On a mountain bike outfitted with "most surfaces" smoother-tread tires, not a road bike.

You'd be right to point out that I'm mostly in the flats. Hilly terrain is much different. Much harder. Just before we got married (many yrs ago), my wife and I took a weeklong inn-to-inn tour in Maine. The tour directors told us to be prepared for 20-30 miles in hills each day. I trained for the ride when living in northern NJ with access to the "Palisades" (a granite escarpment lining the western shore of the Hudson River north of NYC). I rode up the incline to the top, which was pretty tough, thinking that was great. It was. But the tops of the Palisades are fairly uniformly level. Maine has hills. And hills. And more hills. About like Vermont, I think, LOL. You've got it harder. So, don't think less of your progress than it has been by comparing it to some abstract ideal which is irrelevant to your riding conditions.

[YOUR] questions:

a. "Is it normal to take this long to be able to do a simple, three mile ride?"

You're on your own pace for progress.

re: gearing - when I rode many yrs ago, I had a proper touring bike that had higher high gears and lower lows (including a "granny gear" - 28-tooth front cog) than my current bike. You might be able to make some replacements to your hybrid to help out in this area.

b. "Also - I’ve been reading a lot that hills are hard on your knees?"

Generally speaking, cycling should be better on your knees than running. Certainly, as someone older and heavier, I wouldn't want to be running to lose weight. That would be too jarring to my system. Do ensure your bike is fitted correctly - proper saddle height can alleviate some leg problems, etc., and keep on improvements in gear shifting techniques. From your "tiptoe" comment, it sounds like you might have to have another look at bike fit, but I'm not qualified to speak to this on any detail (note that your local bike shop might do a good range of fit checks, but there are also specialized lab-grade fitters around, and might be appropriate for special needs - but also, that any given bike has a range of adjustments and options that can be made to it before another bike altogether is indicated). I can say, BTW, I've got 5 doctors cheering me on - as well as my family - that cycling is a great way to fitness for me, with my preconditions. Supplementing swimming, and my other sport, sailing. I am loving cycling now, it was a major act of faith to take it on, and it's having very positive effects. But, I had to be prepared to walk away or make major alterations (ebike, recumbent trike, etc.) if it was not going to be so. Not everything is appropriate for everybody.

* * * * *

I don't feel competent enough to share more of my experiences or talk through your other questions. All I can say is good luck, in this, if this is your path, and in life. It sounds as if you've got motivation to do something even if cycling isn't going to be your way. I used to teach scuba diving as an adjunct to my primary career in IT. I had 100s of students over the years. In a few cases, very few, I had to say to them, "this isn't for you" due to varying circumstances. This, by the way, applies to me. I love scuba diving. But I've developed conditions as I've aged that bars me from this activity. I was pretty distraught when I found out. We took a 30th wedding anniversary trip to the BVIs last spring, chartering a sailboat. I would have loved to dive some of the sites we visited. But made do with snorkeling. And enjoyed myself and the trip.