Walking/riding question

[12345Michael543]

Okay, I'm an overweight (working on it), out-of-shape (working on it), 45 year old man.

Lately, in addition to eating right, I've been trying to be more physically active. So among other things, on occasion I'll walk for 60-90 minutes along the NCR trail (in Baltimore County, MD). Usually it's 30-45 minutes at a decent pace, then sit and rest for a few minutes minutes, then back. Nice trail, weather's comfortable this time of year, and I enjoy it.

While walking the NCR trail, I see lots of people riding their bikes. And I got to thinking, "If walking the trail is nice, I bet riding it would be even better." So the other day, I stopped by a bike shop right on the trail (it's the one at Paper Mill Rd., for those of you who know the area), and rented a bike. (Yeah, yeah, in the long run it makes much more financial sense to buy a bike of my own. I know. But this once, I rented a bike.)

First time I've been on a bicycle since a fair number of years and a good many pounds ago.

Anyway, I found that I couldn't manage even 10 minutes of riding, before I had to stop and take a break, and I was forced to stop and rest every few minutes thereafter. I had the bike out for around an hour, and covered maybe 4 miles - which utterly exhausted me. Whereas, on foot, I could cover about as much ground in the same time, and not be completely exhausted as a result.

Now, I totally get that I'm just starting out, and if I keep at it I'll see improvement. And I also get that riding uses different muscles than does walking and all that. But is it unusual that I could go longer, and probably cover as much (if not more) distance on foot, than I could on a bicycle? Because it just seems sort of counter-intuitive to me. But if several of you assure me that it's not so strange for someone like me, just starting out, I'll take your word for it.

[10 Wheels]

Thats a Normal First Ride. 5 months ago I couldn't ride 2 miles. Last week 385 miles, 101 miles of hills in 8 hours.
I am 66 y/o. Lost 20 lbs of stomach.
Get a used mountain type bike and ride till you see what you want or need.
Took 500 miles for my legs to get strong.
Stay in touch.

[gcottay]

Speed is the difference. I am a reasonably fit rider for whom thirty miles is just a nice average ride. If I push hard enough, though, I can be dead tired in just a few miles.

As you build some condition, be sure to favor lower gears over higher and ride at a pace that is comfortable for you. If it turns out that eight or ten MPH is your pace, no worries. Just relax, enjoy, pile on the miles, and let nothing stop you from riding.

As you gain strength, but your speed and distance will increase and you will likely begin wanting to push yourself just a bit now and then for increasingly long durations.

Oh, and make sure you get expert help in making sure you get on a bike that fits you. At this stage bike quality isn't a big deal, but right fit is always important.

[st0ut]

Before I had a bycycle and not a motorcycle which i wanted badly. Every time i would see a motorcycle I wold think to my self I can ride your bike 5 miles you cant ride mine 1.

I got a motor cycle got off my bicycle.

2 year later i said let me take the roadie for a spin. i almost died I could barly keep it upright.

deplated the motorcycles and got back on the road bike. that was 30 lbs and 1 year ago.

[flip18436572]

Try to increase the cadence of your pedals and not try to mash. Shift to easier gears and spin the pedals at a higher rate. That will help some. That and keep doing it and you will be able to go forever.

[StephenH]

There could be several things going on.
If you try to ride in too high of a gear, it will unduly tire your leg muscles.
If you ride with the seat too low, it will kill your legs. You want your leg to be almost fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You'll see kids riding with a very low seat on BMX bikes and the like- but they just stand up when there's any signficant pedaling to be done. And you'll see older people sometimes riding with the seat down very low, but you'll never see them go far or fast or up a hill that way.
If you had a single-speed bike and it was hilly at all, the "too high of a gear" syndrome will kick in.
You can have mechanical issues with the bike, or tires too low, and stuff like that, but you wouldn't expect that on a rental bike.

[deraltekluge]

When I first started riding (after 30 years without riding), I had been walking, too. I found that I rode nearly 3 times as fast as I walked and rode about 3 times as far with about the same level of effort. Note: That was with NO HILLS! Perhaps you're trying too hard...too high a gear, too steep hills, too fast??? Try finding a gear that feels like walking. If it's a very low gear, and you go very slowly, that's OK. Shift up and go faster as you get used to it. Here are the speeds in gears (at a crank cadence of 60 rpm) for my bike. I was using the middle chain ring and the 4th gear of the cassette, for a speed of only 7.1 mph at that pedal rate. I'd ride for about 25 minutes, and then rest for about 5 minutes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/deraltekluge/dakGearTable.gif

[DieselDan]

While you may be a good and fit walker, you use your leg muscles in a different motion when you pedal. However, you seem to already have a good fitness base, you just need to train up for cycling. You may just want to spin in a lower gear and enjoy the view with emphasis on the amount of time you ride, not your speed and distance.

Go out and ride for 90 minutes. See how far and how fast you go in a time frame rather then a focused speed and distance goal.