The biking thread

[W3H5]

Man, night rides are brutal. I jut came home from a day out and for 50% of the ride it was pitch black. I carry lights but only so I'm visible, they don't actually light up anything.

At the exact moment I left the heavens opened which was amazing and yet awful at the same time. I had rain in my eyes but my god did it sooth the sun burn I got riding with just a vest!

Made my first recording on Strava there but was too drunk to remember to record the way back.

All in all, a good day with my bike... Which due to some roadworks got a bit of a cyclocross hammering on gravel roads.

 

[Carlos]

I agree! Normally I wear glasses when driving a car, in the night especially because then I have problems seeing height differences... And I don't wear my glasses on the bike... But my buddy has this huge LED light with battery that lights everything up so hard you would see us driving from the Moon.

Yesterday we went to the recently build track. We were there last week too for the first time and it's pretty cool! Some technical stuff like a small wooden track, but there are only two. Also a rock garden: only 2.. It's just another cross country track. But I must not complain because this one is closer to home.

No sun burns here, wish we had some less clouds so I could get a bit of a tan. Compared to my buddy I'm a cycling milk bottle

 

[turbolefty78]

Awesome thread! Glad I found it.
I've just picked up a 29'er mtn bike and have made a couple upgrades to it for comfort. It's a 6061 frame, front shocks, 21 gear with linear pull style brakes. I raised the handle bar with a stem riser adapter and then fitted a new much more comfy Trek saddle. The original that came with the bike was just too hard. I'm just starting out and am not in the greatest of shape to say the least, so I'm not pushing myself yet at all. I ride very casually for the moment until I build up more stamina to stay on it for longer periods. Currently I hop on in the morning and go to work which is a 2 mile ride in, and about 4 back when I take the trail. So not so bad for beginner.
I've made as many adjustments as I can think of to the bike for comfort, but still feel as though something's off. The original configuration of the mtn bike style was too raked forward and bent over, too aggressive. Too rough on my lower back. Which is why I raised the handle bar. Now I sit upright much more, but still feel as though I'm sitting too much directly over the crankset. Need to shove the saddle back a bit more and go for longer ride to see how that pans out. But for the most part, I'm coming along good.

Now for questions.
1) I know I need to keep at it, but what can I do to help overcome thigh pain while riding? Especially those uphill bursts that are unavoidable. Man, they get to burning like crazy. Is it just a miles thing and once I do it enough it will ease off?
I did find a carb suppliment called GU that seemed to help a bit. I thoroughly stretch before riding so hopefully it's not that. PerformanceBike's learning section has some interesting information available on the subject.

2) Tires! The bike still has the original agressive mtn bike tires on it, cheapos with big tread blocks. Since I'm on both pavement and gravel, but mostly paved, does anyone have a suggestion for a nice tire that will offer a bit lower rolling resistance? I can hear mine sing on the tar they're so aggressive. They're adding an unnecessary amount of exertion to my rides.

3) Bike carrier. I have a PU truck, so want a hitch mounted bike carrier. I've been warned to get the kind that cradles the tires and clamps down onto the top frame bar, locking the whole bike in and keeping it all stationary. I've looked all over and those kind are a bit pricey. Anyone know of one for a decent price or where to look? I've been to Amazon, PerformanceBike, Nashbar. Or another suitable option? I may in the near future be taking bikes along when traveling, so want something decent and lockable.

And here's a pic of the beast in case anyone's interested.
Great fun being back in the saddle after so many years. Glad I invested a little in it. Thanks in advance to any and all who respond to this. I'm open to any suggestions you all may have for me. Any tips/pointers as well to help me on my way to get more fit.

 

[W3H5]

About the pain/ ache in your legs when going up hill, I can say that it should ease as you do more often. There will always be some about of burn when pushing hard but the more you ride the better you can climb without feeling so much ache.

Warming ip is something I've never done off the bike. I usually spend the first couple of km at a moderate pace so that my muscles warm up a bit. I do stretch when I finish riding though. I'll take a few minutes to walk around a do a few gentle squats.

@TB just bought a bike trailer so maybe check out his purchase a few pages back and see off that's what you're after.

 

[turbolefty78]

About the pain/ ache in your legs when going up hill, I can say that it should ease as you do more often. There will always be some about of burn when pushing hard but the more you ride the better you can climb without feeling so much ache.

Warming ip is something I've never done off the bike. I usually spend the first couple of km at a moderate pace so that my muscles warm up a bit. I do stretch when I finish riding though. I'll take a few minutes to walk around a do a few gentle squats.

@TB just bought a bike trailer so maybe check out his purchase a few pages back and see off that's what you're after.

Good to know that I've got a chance at this without tearing myself apart in the process!
Warming up is critical at my age and fitness level (51 and out of shape).
I stopped smoking a couple years ago and my wind is slowly coming back. I can now exert and not feel like I'm going to pass out.
Those platform type bike racks aren't what I'm after, but thanks for the tip. I'll keep searching.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[Shaun]

@turbolefty78 also check up on cadence (pedal rpm), higher will probably help you. I'll go into more detail later for you as I'm at work on my phone at the moment.

 

[W3H5]

If you're a smoker then it'll be a bit harder. I guess since you've quit you'll get fitter quicker on the bike.
I smoke but admittedly do it much less when I'm on the bike daily; I go all day (until 6pm) without a ciggy if I'm riding.

Don't worry about your age being a disadvantage, @turbolefty78, I'm sure @Shaun will attest to the benefits of cycling at your current stage in life (I think he's almost about 90 years old or something).

 

[Shaun]

@turbolefty78 firstly for the thigh pain.
To add to what shem has said and I quickly mentioned earlier cadence could be a help here.

I'll try and keep all the tech talk out of it to avoid any confusion. Basically cadence is how quick you spin the pedals around in rpm.
For arguments sake lets just say you wanted to ride along at 15mph on the flat ground and going up slight hills. You have many gears to choose from so adjusting your cadence to suit can be beneficial.

Generally a higher cadence somewhere in the order of 90 (rpm) is seen as being the best trade off between pounding your legs in a harder gear at with a very low cadence and trying to spin the pedals ridiculously quick.

Back to the 15mph, as I don't know the gear ratios and wheel circumference you have I'll use examples from my bike.

Low cadence: 50 (front chainring teeth)/13 (rear cassette teeth) @ 50 (cadence) = 15mph.
Mid cadence: 36/17 @ 90=15mph.
High Cadence: 36/23 @ 120=15mph.

So as you can see from the above three different cadences (50,90 and 120) will all give you the same 15mph. This is especially important going up a hill if you want to keep the same speed and save your legs. Mashing a gear at a low cadence of 50 uphill is going to hurt.
The trick is to find the cadence you are comfortable at, 90 works for me but you may like it a bit higher or lower. Just try not to go too low. Mashing low gears is good for building strength but not so good for endurance and pain free legs.
I'll assume you don't have a cadence sensor so don't fuss too much over the exact numbers but try to keep your cadence a little higher than you think feels normal. After a while you'll find you will start to naturally feel the cadence you are spinning and don't need a sensor to tell you anyway. Just keep it a bit higher that what feels normal and it will quite possibly help you out a fair bit.
Keep in mind it will take a bit to get used to and no matter what you do cycling is going to hurt, especially in the beginning. If it's not hurting a little it's not doing you much good. 👍

Now for your tyres, yes most definitely if you can hear them humming they are making life harder for you. If you let us know the size we may be able to help out with some different choices that are better suited to hard surface type riding.

As for the age as @W3HS so rudely put it () it's never too late to start. I've ridden a few times with guys I've just happened to come across on the road who were in their 60's and when they were pushing there's no way I could keep up for long.
As for me you have about a decade on me (40) and I only started riding again 16 months ago. I lost 32kgs in the first 7 months and now I'm trying to improve my cycling. It's a long and hard but very enjoyable road. I'll be the first to admit I'm never going to be a super fast cyclist but I don't care, I just enjoy it.
You'll be surprised how many roads there are in your local area that you haven't really taken any notice of before, ride down them, let them take you to where they lead you. Get out explore, breath in the fresh air and enjoy. 👍

 

[turbolefty78]

@turbolefty78
Keep in mind it will take a bit to get used to and no matter what you do cycling is going to hurt, especially in the beginning. If it's not hurting a little it's not doing you much good. 👍

Now for your tyres, yes most definitely if you can hear them humming they are making life harder for you. If you let us know the size we may be able to help out with some different choices that are better suited to hard surface type riding.

As for the age as @W3HS so rudely put it () it's never too late to start. I've ridden a few times with guys I've just happened to come across on the road who were in their 60's and when they were pushing there's no way I could keep up for long.
As for me you have about a decade on me (40) and I only started riding again 16 months ago. I lost 32kgs in the first 7 months and now I'm trying to improve my cycling. It's a long and hard but very enjoyable road. I'll be the first to admit I'm never going to be a super fast cyclist but I don't care, I just enjoy it.
You'll be surprised how many roads there are in your local area that you haven't really taken any notice of before, ride down them, let them take you to where they lead you. Get out explore, breath in the fresh air and enjoy. 👍

Thanks for replying Shaun!
I understand what you're saying about cadence and will give that a go. Seems pretty straight forward to do.

Tires are what they are calling 29's, which are actually 700c if I've read up on them correctly. I will have to read side of tire to get actual width then get back to you. They're big mtn bike tires, but not as big as those new snow bike fatties, those things are HUGE!
Anyway, yes, I really do need to change the tires soon. They're pretty cheap now and are wearing fast. I am not quite set up for roadside flat repairs just yet, so I need to get them swapped out to something more durable and that rolls easier.
I'm amazed that I've been able to ride as far as I have actually. I may have mentioned this, but I had a heart attack a couple years ago and had a stent put in. I quit smoking that very same day and haven't looked back. That was Feb of 2012.
I've got better lung power again, and will only improve with time from here. My heart is good to go and cleared by the doc. There was no damage to it from the attack. I got help super fast and avoided any heart tissue damage.
So off I go to work. I'll get the rest of the info on the bike to you in a bit.
Thanks again for replying!

 

[W3H5]

Yep, 29'ers are the same 700c type but width is usually measured in inches rather than mm. You might have something like 2 inch tyres compared to the 23mm tyres on a road bike.

 

[turbolefty78]

Ok, the tire size is 29 x 2.10. And I just learned that they are directional tires and that the front was factory mounted BACKWARD. There's an arrow with the word "Drive" before it and the front tire points backwards, while the back tire points forward direction. Just another reason to get new ones I guess.

 

[TB]

Ok, the tire size is 29 x 2.10. And I just learned that they are directional tires and that the front was factory mounted BACKWARD. There's an arrow with the word "Drive" before it and the front tire points backwards, while the back tire points forward direction. Just another reason to get new ones I guess.

They are direction BOTH ways, are they? The Velociraptors (awesome name, BTW ) I had on my GT could be mounted one way for dirt and the other way for mud. Fantastic tires for what they're made for, terrible as street tires. As I never use them off road, I bought a set of tires similar to these (picked them up from either Walmart of Mills Fleet Farm, can't remember which). The difference is amazing. I didn't want a set of full slicks so I was looking for a tire with a solid center bead and tread on the outside, and these fit the bill nicely.

 

[turbolefty78]

They are direction BOTH ways, are they? The Velociraptors (awesome name, BTW ) I had on my GT could be mounted one way for dirt and the other way for mud. Fantastic tires for what they're made for, terrible as street tires. As I never use them off road, I bought a set of tires similar to these (picked them up from either Walmart of Mills Fleet Farm, can't remember which). The difference is amazing. I didn't want a set of full slicks so I was looking for a tire with a solid center bead and tread on the outside, and these fit the bill nicely.

Nope. The front tire's arrow is aiming in the wrong direction, and after taking a closer look at the tread block shape, it's most definitely mounted wrong. It's a wonder I don't crash right away with both tires aiming at each other like that.

I'm looking at these from Amazon at the moment:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VQ6XEW/?tag=gtplanet-20

Oh, and how the heck do you rename a link like that? Right clicking on it doesn't give me that option. Must be some secret moderator scorcery or something.

 

[W3H5]

Highlight a word you've typed, find the little 'add link' button on the tool bar above the post box, click it and paste your link. It should embed the link into to word you highlighted. (Add link button looks like a little chain)

This weekend I'm tempted to try what I haven't done for many years. I want to ride a proper mountain. I think I might be ready to do it without injuring myself, I'm even taking a rest day the day before so I won't tire myself out. Bit nervous about it but I need to get it out of my system.

I rode Doi Suthep a few years ago and thought I was going to kill me. It's so steep.

I shall have to prepare well.

 

[TB]

I'm looking at these from Amazon at the moment:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VQ6XEW/?tag=gtplanet-20

If you're anything like me, you don't need spectacular, just very good for a good price. These look like they fit squarely in both categories. 👍

@W3HS - I've never had any desire to bike downhill like that but have a hell of a time, dude.

 

[turbolefty78]

It's so steep. I shall have to prepare well.

Please do! I want you back here in one piece so you can fill us all in on the ride details!
And thank you for the how-to-add-a-link info. Works as described, as is evident below.
Tires

And @TB, I am a lot like you in that regard. They look like they will do exactly what I need them to do. I just need to wait for them to restock.

 

[Submerged]

Just to add with the high cadence talk, I used to swim for a long time so I had good lung capacity and good strength for the road bike. However, my form and technique for the bike wasn't great at all.

I did find that going uphill, after a while, I would get quite a bit of pain as I always kept the gearing high to use the strength and stamina down, rather than just keeping the gearing relatively low and focus on the cadence. Once I figured out what was going wrong and kept the cadence quite high, I was astounded at the difference!

It didn't hurt as much and it was actually much easier to keep doing the miles (apart from the seat)! Additionally, it turns out that keeping the legs spinning a little bit on the flat after the hills helps the legs to recover quite a bit faster and it felt like I was able to recover some energy back.

Practice certainly helps.

 

[turbolefty78]

kept the cadence quite high, I was astounded at the difference!Practice certainly helps.

Keep the cadence on the high side by selecting gears that lend to that. If I'm reading everything I've been given so far correctly. I'm taking the bike to work in the morning so I'll work on this very thing and see how it goes.
Thanks for the tips everyone! Keep them coming.

 

[W3H5]

[quote="TB, post: 9880653, member: 32907"@W3HS - I've never had any desire to bike downhill like that but have a hell of a time, dude.[/quote]


Up, TB. I'm going up it.

From teh webz:

The Doi Suthep is 18.3 km long, with its highest point at 1575 m and a total of 18.3 km climbing. The average climbing on this Doi Suthep is 6.7%.

Last (first) time took me several hours including stops for photography.

I think I may have to get a taxi back down depending on how critical my situation is.

 

[Submerged]

A taxi back down?

Just freewheel it down and set speed records.

 

[Shaun]

I did find that going uphill, after a while, I would get quite a bit of pain as I always kept the gearing high to use the strength and stamina down, rather than just keeping the gearing relatively low and focus on the cadence. Once I figured out what was going wrong and kept the cadence quite high, I was astounded at the difference!

Yep it's a huge help for most.
Have a look at the pro riders, the majority do it with the occasional guy here and there that prefer to mash a hard gear. High cadences in particular help with the legs the next day meaning you can get back on the bike again.
Don't get me wrong it's not a fix for everything, cycling still hurts if you push hard no matter what cadence you use.
To quote a pro I can't remember "Cycling doesn't get easier you just get faster."
One good thing about mashing a hard gear though is that it's good for training and helps to build up strength.

Keep the cadence on the high side by selecting gears that lend to that. If I'm reading everything I've been given so far correctly. I'm taking the bike to work in the morning so I'll work on this very thing and see how it goes.
Thanks for the tips everyone! Keep them coming.

I'll be interested to see how it goes for you turbo, give a few days at least to see if you notice a difference for the better.
Oh and the tyres you linked are the sort of thing you want 👍, you'll be amazed how much easier it will be for you.
No need to spend a fortune, they should do the trick fine.

@W3HS I'll keep an eye out on Strava to see how you get on. 👍
Oh and no matter how knackered I was from going up I'd be riding down, that's the reason for going up hills in my book.

 

[W3H5]

This will be my first proper ride on Strava because it mostly records my commutes so far so this will be my big ride of the month. It's not difficult distance wise, just the hight of the climb which throws up the pain level a few notches.

 

[Submerged]

@Shaun yeah I hear you about the cycling bit still going to hurt.

I'm used to things requiring a bit of "tenision" pain as I know that's the way it goes. Part of my job as a swimming teacher is "encouraging" people to experience a bit of discomfort and keeping them in that zone to get them to improve their stamina and endurance while keeping the technique high.

Its amazing how many people think that once they just focus on the technique and do very little distance work, that they would suddenly do world record times after a month....! Always made me laugh inside.

The one thing that I found surprising during my cycles is the recovery bit that you could actually feel yourself regaining some energy with a relatively high cadance on a flat after a tough hill climb. And also the ability to "cheat" by using the geography to help you to expend less energy, but then that also meant going longer and longer distances or attaining a faster average speed.... But still, it was fun.

I've not been able to do any cycling as currently in Shanghai its as flat as a pancake. I've not been to a place where it has been as flat as this. I do have a cheap fixie bike, but the gearing is way too low. Off the lights, I'm instantly the first one to get moving, after 100 metres I've topped out at 16 kph. Its just not funny. I kinda of want to get a road bike, but I am uncertain whether I would be here after Christmas. Its likely I would be, but the length of time isn't really fixed. Choices.....

 

[Carlos]

After all this cadence talk I kept concentrated on it while driving. I kept it high and played with gears throughout the whole ride but it's really excellent. I feel I could do that trip twice easily. Many thanks @Shaun I didn't thought it would make such a difference.

And tires, I have Continental Mountain King II (2.2 and 2.4mm). It's a pretty round tire so if you pump it up hard you have minimal contact with the road. Just did an asphalt ride with them, they roll out pretty well too 👍

I've not been able to do any cycling as currently in Shanghai its as flat as a pancake. I've not been to a place where it has been as flat as this. I do have a cheap fixie bike, but the gearing is way too low. Off the lights, I'm instantly the first one to get moving, after 100 metres I've topped out at 16 kph. Its just not funny. I kinda of want to get a road bike, but I am uncertain whether I would be here after Christmas. Its likely I would be, but the length of time isn't really fixed. Choices.....

Can't you put a higher gear in or would that be a disaster for normal use?

 

[Submerged]

@Carlos, I have been thinking about whacking a higher gear in it, although I need to find somewhere that would give me what I would be looking for. Also, this bike has a back brake that you pedal backwards to activate. I'm not entirely sure if I change the gear, whether that would also change the braking system.

 

[Carlos]

@Carlos, I have been thinking about whacking a higher gear in it, although I need to find somewhere that would give me what I would be looking for. Also, this bike has a back brake that you pedal backwards to activate. I'm not entirely sure if I change the gear, whether that would also change the braking system.

Really no idea, I haven't had those since I was a kid

Going to look for a race bike.... My colleagues have talked into me over and over again...

 

[Shaun]

After all this cadence talk I kept concentrated on it while driving. I kept it high and played with gears throughout the whole ride but it's really excellent. I feel I could do that trip twice easily. Many thanks @Shaun I didn't thought it would make such a difference.

Glad it helped you out mate. 👍

@Submerged tbh I'm not sure if you could change out the back cog on your bike. May be easier to swap to a larger front chainring if you really wanted to do it, probably would also require a longer chain also.

That's when you have to weigh up is it worth doing.

 

[Submerged]

@Shaun, I was talking about the front gear, but it kinda feels like the front gear influences the brake at the back (That's the only brakes on that bike, so I'm not that keen to do high speed work!) when I go backwards, as there's a definate *stop* when pressing back on the pedals.

I'm sure it won't cost a lot to swap out the front gear to a bigger gear and a longer chain. Although you are quite correct that I have to wonder if it is worth doing.

Glad to hear the higher cadance is making a real difference for you @Carlos!

 

[W3H5]

@Submerged, last year I made some modifications to a mountain bike I had and was able to find a new crank (not with pedals) on Taobao for about 50 Yuan with delivery. I'm sure if you investigate a few bike shops they may be able to get one and install it for less that 100yuan.

 

[Submerged]

Fab!

@W3HS