So i bought a new bike today.... I was sick of using up so much petrol, and twice a week having to shell out £12 a day for car parking space in the middle of town. Anyways, i havent rode since i was a teen, and bloody hell is it hard. Two hills later im puffing and wheezing and my Quads are trying to pull away from my legs. This will be my main cardio since boxing is off the cards again until March. Anyways the point is, im extremely interested to see what this does to my leg workouts. I can squat 120kgs on a regular basis yet a short hill rips my leg to pieces. Its not hard to see most professional cyclists have big legs. Anybody further on in the cycling game then?
Glad to hear you joined us cyclists,although I must admit I haven't been out much on mine recently Thing is as with anything, just keep going at it and you will notice improvements pretty quickly .Just remember not to push too hard a gear, keep the cadence nice and easy (though not too slack) so you manage to keep going at a reasonable pace, then work up from there. Happy cycling
ohhhh a bicycle, I thought you meant motorbike Make sure you stress your legs well before and after cycling.
Aye with that. Try to find a nice little route (preferably out of the way of traffic and pedestrians) that has some nice gentle slopes, some tougher bits and some decent level ground where you can get some speed and use that as a workout in the same way as you would with anything else. Start off in a low gear and don't worry if you can't take a big hill straight off then, when you can manage the route happily, knock it up a gear or two. If you are riding off-road, mp3 player loaded with whatever music you listen to is always good for getting you going. If you ride anywhere near pedestrians or traffic (ie through town) remember to leave one earphone out. Might mean you only get half the tune, but it also means you can listen out for traffic, sirens or anything else that might hit you rather hard. I cycle to Uni every day (1.5 miles through town). Back in September it was taking 15 minutes through the traffic and pedestrians. Last week of term I was doing it in around 10, including taking kerbs at high speed and racing through the uni campus. Always good to get on the bike after a lecture, put something like Wolfmother or Odd Shaped Head on the mp3 player and ride like a nutter A couple of tips though if you are going to be cycling a lot. Get a decent water bottle or two, or even a hydration pack (Camelbak), and pick up some cycling gloves from Halfords or elsewhere (Chain Reaction or Stif for example). When you come off (and don't try to kid yourself that you won't because it'll only hurt more when you do!), your reaction will be to put your hands down and thus loose half the flesh to the road. A decent pair of gloves (Kona Cowans and 661 MTX from Halfords I can say are bloody good) will keep you riding. You will still end up with decent calluses on your hands, but thats simple conditioning for you! You might want to pick up some winter gloves too. They'll offer a bit more protection but will keep your hands warmer (you don't want to try riding in winter with summer gloves - your hands turn blue very quickly, as I found out the week before Christmas!). A recommendation for those would be 661 Storms. Welcome to the cycling world
Glad to hear you have got into it Anth I would say if you are going more than a couple of miles some padded shorts too! (Of a non neon colour ) ! I would also say get some decent spd pedals and shoes- especially if you are going to be doing some off road stuff. I find my knees hurt horribly using normal pedals as spds tend to keep your legs straighter and let you get more power into the pedalling.Also I would spend a while getting the set up of your saddle/handlebars correct- worth doing if you don't want to feel crippled every time you head out! Personally I don't listen to music when out on my mtb- out in the lakes you need to keep an ear out for mentalist xc'ers and annoying ramblers! And my boyfriend shouting at me to go faster and quit being such a girl.
About the shorts, I'd disagree at the moment. If you are going to be riding cross-country or street style (read: stupid speeds, taking steps and jumping things) you need as much protection as you can get, especially when you are just getting into it. A decent pair of tracksuit bottoms should do it though I ride wearing my jeans with going into lectures or labs when I get to uni. Again, if you are riding XC (cross country, trails) then SPD's might be better replaced with some decent trainers or skate shoes (plenty of grip) and simply some studded pedals. No chance of your feet slipping, you can ride with any footware (including safety boots, as I've done) and its better if you have to keep stopping at lights etc. Less cost in a lot of cases too! I agree with the saddle and handlebar setup though. Bad setup will cause a fair bit of pain and wont let you get as much power as you can through the bike. It all depends on how you intend on riding. If you are more of a roady (and I feel sorry if you are ) then Lou will be right. However, if you simply want to ride like a nutter using the rule that the quickest route is a straight line, then it'll be me! (first time for everything, I know.)
Oi! Watch it young man! I am both a roadie and an MTB'er! With regard to the off road pedal thing- it all depends what you want to do. To get some serious xc work in , then spds are really the best thing, if you want to pull more tricks and do any dh stuff then yes,flats and some grippy shoes may be for you. Just round town though then you may not need spds. Horses for courses etc
Agreed on the tough clothes and gloves. I came off my bike last April, doing around 25-30mph resulting in a nice long slide/roll into a metal railing. Jeans saved the skin on my legs, coat and t-shirt were ripped through and part of my shoulder skin was gone too, broke both wrists, and have an operation in a few months to correct the damage. Damn stupid pedestrians jumping out of no where.
Ouch! Cycling round town can be a nerve wracking experience, especially dealing with drivers sometimes, cutting you up,not seeing you etc. Then yes, there are the pedestrians who also often decide not to see you! Grrrr!
Indeed! Oh, and it probably will ache if you are off the bike for too long after a period of riding constantly. My approach - don't give the DOMS time to kick in, and ride constantly! If your bike is your main mode of transport, get a decent lock too! The Magnum Plus locks from Halfords are bloody good. Always get a key one though, never a code lock. In one lecture 4 bikes went missing, then half an our later my mates lock was tampered with (code was set in a way he doesn't leave his). Our next stop was Halfords to pick up one of those. Woohooo! 9 days until I get my bike back! Shouldn't have left it in Huddersfield
Uh oh! I never leave mine anywhere ,either of them . Annoyingly though once we had gone off cycling,left all our clothes and stuff in the car and it got broken into! Would rather my clothes got nicked than my bikes though! I find cycling to be a good break from either ma training or running- if you are doing road stuff even though you can push yourself you tend to be using different muscles which is good. Pushing yourself is important though as you won't benefit otherwise! Going to have to go out this weekend now. Think I'll play at roadie this weekend Anth
Bloody hell Sarge! I was took off my bike a couple of weeks before Christmas by a car, in an incident which was entirely my fault. Got used to nobody pulling out of a certain junction near Uni. This particular morning someone did, as I was about to go across it. Only damage to me was a hole in my knee from my pedal, and damage to bike was a banana-shaped front wheel. If the traffic on the road the guy was pulling onto wasn't so bad I'd have taken a heck of a lot more damage. Still made the lecture on time like! Pedestrians are a pain. Those who don't see you, I don't mind. Those who see you then walk on as if they hadn't though are complete and utter gits (for want of a better word that wont see me ban myself). Pedestrians on their mobiles are even worse, and add an umbrella and you have hell on two legs! Why is it that, once a mobile phone rings, the person looses all control over where they are walking? Idiot drivers who don't know what a stop line at a pedestrian crossing is need to be shot too :woo:
Indeed, which is why Jamo is baffled as to why he is knackered after riding when he can lift (woohoo! I got back to the OP's topic!) I remember a few years back when I was riding decent distances regularly I surprised one of our instructors at karate when we were doing bag work. He didn't expect my front kick to be so powerful, then I pointed out that I'd rode 50 mile on my bike that day
I wasnt baffled, just rather amused at the fact that some things are not as applicable as we think. Glad to see we have such enthusiasts here.
I returned to biking many years after taking flight from the hood of a woman's car when she broad sided me. I'm seasonal now due to Michigan weather. Due to my previous unintentional aviation experience, I'm a bit leery of headphones. I like to be able to hear everything going on around me. Everyone has had some good comments, so I'd just stress the importance of stretching your legs before and after. Also, if you see a female driver talking on a cell phone, you should assume she's oblivious to everything aound her. That assumption has probably prevented more flight time than I could count.
I used to run 1.5 miles in under 11.5 minutes in combat boots when I was your age Anth. I used to cycle to my old job 5 miles away 25 to 30 minutes depending on various factors - traffic, buses (buses get to use the bike lanes to stop in them and let blind deaf muppets off when you are coming up behind them). My job now is 16 miles away maybe I will do it when the weather is better.
I have been sidelined for the past 2 months dus to a knee injury ... I generally cycle for 40 -45 mins each morning to get to work and hop on the train on the way home with a 15 min ride at the other end.. No special shorts ....loads of crappy drivers ...especially bus drivers !! I am getting back in the saddle next week and cant wait ....its very therapeutic ... Go for it Smurf
