Road Cycling - Another thread about someone buying their first road bike

Expression of excitement. Boasting about great deal rider thinks he got. Admission of rider's now obvious lack of aerobic conditioning and pedaling technique. :D

Seriously, I just picked up a de Bernardi Zona '01 frame built up with 105 stuff and sensible wheels. I went for my first ride yesterday (only 17 miles but thunderstorms were on their way) and realized a few things. First, I am not in as good a shape as I thought I was. Second, my pedaling technique sucks. I need to learn how to spin. Third, a road bike is a completely different animal from a mountain bike. I am still fidgeting around on the bars a lot trying to find the most comfortable position. I'm also sore in places I didn't know I had places:o My body needs to get used to being hunched over like that and my hands and wrists have to get used to the bars. Any tips for avoiding a stiff back? I did try to sit up on the bike a few times but I never learned how to ride with no hands :p

Oh, and as they say, steel is real! :thumbup:

I was the same way, but then when I got back on my mtb I found I was in better shape than when I started. Cycling is definitely a beautiful thing.

I find that my glutes and back just above them take it the worst. I am in love with cycling though. The level of workout you can get without beating your body to death is outstanding.

Congrats on the new bike. :)

Congrats on the new bike. :beer:


Originally posted by live311
I am still fidgeting around on the bars a lot trying to find the most comfortable position.
I ride with my hands on the hoods more than any other position. Try moving your hands to different positions on the bar to avoid hand cramping or tried muscles. If you watch other roadies you'll see them change positions every so often to give their hands and arms and back a "rest".
Remember not to ride hunched over with tense shoulders and back. That will tire you out in a hurry.

Originally posted by live311
Any tips for avoiding a stiff back? I did try to sit up on the bike a few times but I never learned how to ride with no hands :p The reason your back getssore is you are using the muscles in your back to hold yourself up. As your legs get stronger you will find that it take much less effort to hold yourself in that position. In the meantime your bars are too low, although later on you will want them where they are now. The easiest compensation you can make is to ride with your hands on the top of the bars. You can also modify your training to get more leg strength, by going shorter distances faster.

You can also get a short, steep stem to ease the transistion. A flat back is the goal, but it's both easier, and less painful, to reach if you do it in small steps.
I got back on a road bike this year, and I put on a longer stem last week.
Before you get too impressed, the new stem is a 80, and while it's not as steep as the 60, it's still more a MTB stem than a roadie stem. But hopefully sometime in July I'll swap it out for a 100. There are some other things you can do to increase comfort a little. One is to get a bigger tire, I recently fell in love
with the Vredstein Fortezza 25c. Great tire, smoooth ride. You can also double wrap the handlebars. I just ordered some Lazer VDT tape from gripstore.com.
Right now I have a thin layer of foam under the tape, hoping the elastomer tape works a little better. Lastly, you can do exercises like crunches, seated rowing, and Roman Chair to make your back and abs stronger.

I agree with FOG. I experienced discomfort for a time when I dramatically increased my weekly riding time. I had to switch hand positions often to ease the burden on my arms/wrists. The more I rode, however, the less often I had to employ this practice. Now, I can ride indefinitely on the hoods without worry.

Originally posted by live311
I did try to sit up on the bike a few times but I never learned how to ride with no hands :p


There is not that much to learn. If wheel are straigh and bike is not trying to go any certain side way, when you are riding, your hands only help to carry some of the body weights, so when you keep pedaling, just seat straight and keep pedaling... here you go, now you are riding without hands.

Seat should be tight, though. :)