Commuting - First commute - and only one wrong turning

I've finally done it (well assuming one way counts - I haven't decided about tonight).

I set off this morning 15 minutes later than normal rather than the 15 minutes earlier I'd planned on and only got to work 45 minutes late (I had warned the boss, and I'm owed a lot more than 45 mins).

I chose the longest of three or four possible routes purely because it passed three railway stations giving me an escape route if necessary. So what I think could be down to only a little over 10 miles turned out to be 14.7 (.2 of which was due to a wrong turning). It took me longer than expected (1 hr 50 min, but a fair bit of that was getting off and walking short sharp hills - my legs seem to have a problem with them, and I'm too nervous when the road dips up and down to keep my hands free of the break and build up momentum). I think with a little practise I should be able to get it down to 1hr 30 (6 of the last 7miles are on a flat main A road where I was getting an average of 14 mph).

I'll probably look at some of the other routes, and maybe try fine tuning this one. Once I was out of Faversham it was a really pretty run through farmland until I got to the main road, and I didn't find cycling along the main road too unpleasant (it's single carriageway and pretty straight). Apart from feeling a little squeezed on a bridge it was a completely uneventful ride traffic wise.

Legs are surprisingly pretty good - they killed me for the first three miles though (any ideas?). Backside not too bad...

Thanks for everyones advice and support

Richard :D

Richard, you have already done the hardest part, getting started! Good for you!

Don't feel too bad about walking up hills, we all had to start somewhere! And, as you get more experience, you will be flying over them in nothing flat! As I said before, there is nothing like the feeling of topping a hill under pedal power that has beaten you before!

You might want to take it a little easier on your legs at the beginning of your ride. I am sure that others will have something to say about this, but I think you actually need to ride a couple of miles before the old legs really get warmed up, then you can push them to bigger and better things!

Glad you have gotten started commuting, it is really a blast! Sounds to me like you picked a good route to start with!

yeh Richard!

Good man!
The legs thing will soon improve , a few morning and evening commutes will soon have your leg muscles strengthening,
It just takes time for your body to re-adjust.
then you will wonder how your legs "conked out" that first trip.

Mixing up tour routes certainly adds to the journeys "variety is the spice of life" and all that.
stick with it and enjoy.

God bless

Willi`c

Richard,
Excellent start! When you get home, which you may be by now, actually, have a celebratory taste of your favorite beverage!
Regards,
Raymond

Richard,

I feel funny giving you advice, but I was in your situation 2 months ago. I have started commuting (9 miles each way) and had the same problems you are experiencing. I was out of shape (Cardio), and far too heavy (never mind! :) )..

The one thing that saved me was spinning. On the advice of a friend, I started using lower gears, and faster spin rate. I got me a computer that had a pickup on the crank, and gives me the pedaling cadence. At the beginning I could not sustain a rate of more the 65-75 rpm, today, only 2 months later (commuting 3 times a week), I am at a sustained rate of 95-100rpm and getting better by the day. This gives me the ability to pull all this weight up a hill at high spin rate, lower gear, and an acceptable speed.

So for me it was the spinning that helped. Now, I find my self riding without thinking about the ride. I suddenly I fine my self at the office, and "wow, how did I get here?"... two months ago I was constantly mindful of the road "oh crap, another hill.." or, "oh please let it turn red please so I could rest.. " :) :)


My advice (from a novice) is to get spinning, and it'll get better in no time.. Good luck..


A.

Don't worry about walking hills, you'll get better at those soon. There was a time when I truly sucked at riding hills, but now I love them and think of them as my friends. In fact, I now ride better on hills than on flat areas :eek:

Originally posted by Chris L
Don't worry about walking hills, you'll get better at those soon. There was a time when I truly sucked at riding hills, but now I love them and think of them as my friends. In fact, I now ride better on hills than on flat areas :eek:

I had the same experience with hills. Now my friends think I'm crazy on the hills, I love them. I think it's that "I came, I saw, I conquered" thing. I love cresting the hill knowing it (gravity and incline) was trying to do me in but couldn't. I also like getting to the top before the waif like riders that believe a clydesdale like me shouldn't be able to climb. Another plus is that with my mass I can usually smoke them on the downhills too.

Originally posted by Chris L

Don't worry about walking hills, you'll get better at those soon. There was a time when I truly sucked at riding hills, but now I love them and think of them as my friends. In fact, I now ride better on hills than on flat areas :eek:



Hills build character. And really nice quads. :D



I was going to respond to this post with, "Walking? Klingon warriors do not WALK hills! They brutally attack them until all that remains is a small mound of quivering earth," but decided against it. :O



Congrats on your new-found commute; it gets much easier the more you spin those pedals! I've only been cycling for about two weeks, and I've gone from being winded at three miles to cruising along happily at fifteen -- and I'm not really that gifted with great Adonis-like athletic genes.



Make sure to use the gearing in your favor, and to take advantage of downhill slopes; you get a great workout on the way up the hill, and if you shift to a low gear on the way down, you can really pick up some speed -- I've hit just short of 30 MPH without even trying, and not only is it fun, it's faster, and it gives you some extra oomph for the next hill.



One word of caution: People will start asking you why you look so good, how you've lost the extra weight, why you are so happy and relaxed, and why your SO has insisted that you go nowhere without a bodyguard/chaperone named Vinny the Neck... :D

It's so wonderful to see someone else entering the joy of what lies ahead. :thumbup:

Originally posted by sorebutt
Richard,

I feel funny giving you advice, but I was in your situation 2 months ago. I have started commuting (9 miles each way) and had the same problems you are experiencing. I was out of shape (Cardio), and far too heavy (never mind! :) )..


I think advice from seasoned veterans as well as relative newbies like us are both valuable. The vets really know the ropes, and the newbies have just been through things and can really offer different insights and encouragement. The great thing is to have a place like BikeForums to share the experiences since there aren't many close at hand with whom to share them and get pumped up to keep going.

Just last week my wife asked if I still enjoyed riding my bike to work (about 22 miles round trip) or was I getting tired of it. I said "Are you kidding? I enjoy it more every day!" It has been made that much more enjoyable by being part of this group.
Regards,
Raymond

I was out of shape (Cardio), and far too heavy (never mind! )..

Hey that sounds just like me : blush :

Richard

You might want to take it a little easier on your legs at the beginning of your ride. I am sure that others will have something to say about this, but I think you actually need to ride a couple of miles before the old legs really get warmed up, then you can push them to bigger and better things!

I think part of the problem is that the first two miles are uphill and half of the next three. It's taking me as long to do the first 6 miles as the last 8. I think I'll try and find a route with a gentler start to get my legs going.


Thanks

Richard

Make sure to use the gearing in your favor, and to take advantage of downhill slopes; you get a great workout on the way up the hill, and if you shift to a low gear on the way down, you can really pick up some speed -- I've hit just short of 30 MPH without even trying, and not only is it fun, it's faster, and it gives you some extra oomph for the next hill.


I think my use of gears leaves a lot to be desired... :o

Almost as much as my pedaling technique :blush:....

The books I've looked at suggest starting off in a low gear, then shifting up - but I seem to find it easier to push off using the largest front gear - am I abnormal?? :confused:

I assume going up hills I should shift to the smallest front gear and fine tune with the rear gears, but this seems to get me pedalling faster without gaining any extra ground ... :confused:


Speed on the flat doesn't seem to be a problem using the big front gear I can pedal along at 15 mph without feeling any undue strain, 19-20 with a gentle down slope. :cool:

Maintaining momentum going down hills is a little harder, they're quite twisty lanes, and I'm probably being over cautious about meeting with a farm vehicle coming the other way, or hitting a patch of mud off a tractor at over 20 mph... :eek: I suppose you're confidence grows pretty quickly...


Richard

When you get home, which you may be by now, actually, have a celebratory taste of your favorite beverage!

Like a mad fool rather than catching the train from Canterbury last night, I followed a fellow commuter to Whitstable. Only 9 miles, seven of which are off road, largely along an old Railway line (the line George Stephenson built after the Stockton & Darlington). The only problem was the first three miles of which one is in unpleasant traffic, then two are up a hill that only someone like Chris L would enjoy (I walked much of it). Still once you join the railway line section it's a lovely run through fields and woodland.

Call me a coward but I caught the train for the bit between Whitstable and Faversham, still 24 miles for my first days commuting wasn't bad I didn't think.

:beer: I was fortunate enough to have a minature of a 20 year old Single Malt a colleague had brought back from a trip round the scottish islands a few weeks back. I'm not keen on the 10yr old Jura, but the 20 yr old's not bad... :beer:

Richard

p.s. cycled in this morning, shaving five minutes off yesterdays time and half a mile. Butt and lower back are pleading with me to catch the train tonight though :D

Originally posted by latakiahaze



I think my use of gears leaves a lot to be desired... :o

Almost as much as my pedaling technique :blush:....

The books I've looked at suggest starting off in a low gear, then shifting up - but I seem to find it easier to push off using the largest front gear - am I abnormal?? :confused:

I assume going up hills I should shift to the smallest front gear and fine tune with the rear gears, but this seems to get me pedalling faster without gaining any extra ground ... :confused:


Speed on the flat doesn't seem to be a problem using the big front gear I can pedal along at 15 mph without feeling any undue strain, 19-20 with a gentle down slope. :cool:

Maintaining momentum going down hills is a little harder, they're quite twisty lanes, and I'm probably being over cautious about meeting with a farm vehicle coming the other way, or hitting a patch of mud off a tractor at over 20 mph... :eek: I suppose you're confidence grows pretty quickly...


Richard

All the things that you have listed are as much a matter of personal preference as they are a matter correct technique. If you ask 20 people about them you will get 20 different answers reflecting their personal bias.

There are basic principals such 'spinning' instead of pressing down on the pedals. Helps to maintain consistent power throughout the complete crank rotation.

Not going big-to-big or small-to-small on the gear selection. This is a mechanical issue not a gear selection choice issue. The above scenario puts much greater binding forces on your drivetrain which has a tendency to wear components much quicker.

When is all said and done you will get a feel for what's right for you. Ride the style that is comfortable for you. Ride the bike that is comfortable for you. Ride the terrain that is comfortable for you. Ride the gears that are comfortable for you. Etc, etc, etc... Is there a pattern here? HAVE FUN with it and don't too caught up with the science. It really is as much art, as science. You have plenty of time for that science stuff later, which usually happens as you go without you really realizing it is happening.

And the most important thing is to HAVE FUN and don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever be concerned what other people think about you, your bike, or your style. Oh, and by the way did I mention to HAVE FUN.

Oh, and by the way did I mention to HAVE FUN.

You mean the manic grin when I finally get to work, and the enthusing about cycling until people fall comatose is allowed? :D

Richard

One of the most frustrating experiences I have had recently was desiring to talk about cycling and what it's done for me while realizing I was guilty of violating the federal regulations for inducing mass boredom.

Then again, when people say they can't lose ANY weight, I'm not confused.
(Say, climbing the stairs is not an ancient fertility rite, you know.)