Road Cycling - please help a newbie :)

Hello all, I'm a real newbie and this is my first post on this forum.

I just had a few questions, and I'll try to keep it short :) I made a decision a few weeks back that I needed to get back in shape. I hadn't been on a bike in about 14 years, back in the day I did a lot of recreational riding (IMO). Since then nothing, so as far as I'm concerned I'm "green". I went out and bought a Trek 2200, it's a 2004 and I picked it up for $1100.00. I figured it may be over-kill for someone just starting out, but the price seemed too good to pass up. Anyway, for starters I have no idea how to start getting back in shape. My first idea is OK, just go ride around a bit, and that's my first problem. I wanted to ride near my house a few miles each day, and slowly increase either distance or speed. Problem is a live in the mountains of North West New Jersey. I have a 1 mile loop directly in front of my house, I was planning on doing laps, but the loop has an extremely steep hill on it. I can climb it, but once at the top I'm panting real bad, my legs hurt as well. I can fight the pain in my legs, but my breathing worries me. My goal has been to do 2 laps, but each time I reach the top I can't even continue. I just started this past Monday, and before I went any further I wanted to find out just how steep the hill really is. I went back with my car which can tell altitude, and I found it's a 10.7% grade for about 1/2 of the loop. I’m sure this is no biggie for an even average rider, but I'm 5'11'' 200lbs and not in good shape. I think the only thing I have going for me is I don't smoke. So finally my questions, should I continue to try and tackle this hill, or should I take my bike somewhere and start with longer more flat rides?? Is starting out on hills before I'm in shape not a good idea?? Maybe I’m climbing the hill incorrectly, I’m seated for the entire climb. I stay in 1st gear with my cadence at 85-90. Am I in too low of a gear? Should I maybe switch up a gear, or maybe I should get out of the saddle? Maybe I’m just thinking too much.

Also, can anyone recommend some reading material for someone just starting out? Any suggestions would be helpful, I really have no clue.

Thanks much
John

Man, you are lucky. That loop will, in time, be your guage for all your improvement. Keep riding it once in a while to check to see how you are doing.

In the meantime - ride or drive to another route that offers longer options and more diversity. Flats, sprints, hills, etc. Start with a short distance you feel comfortable with - say 10 or 20 miles. Keep your stats and take notice on how you ride the different parts of the course. Work on improving your base aerobic threshold and the rest will follow.

Honestly - you can get very technical about all this if you choose. Or not. Find what makes you happy and stick to it, pushing yourself a little harder and a little farther each time. Good luck.

55/Rad

Well I am also pretty new here so take my answer for what it is worth. I am in a similar place as you, 5'10" 220 and working on loosing a bunch of weight (was 250 in Jan 04). I live n central PA so I know about hills. :D For me it has been 8 yeas since I rode and personally I jumped in hip deep. My first ride was 24 miles ending in 2 pretty big climbs. I didn't think I was going to make the second one but I just kept turning my legs over. Personally if you can make it up your hill then go for it, unless you think you are seriously at risk of a heart attack it can only do good things for you. Back when I was in HS and racing mtn bikes the first ride we would do every year was a really big climb. Sort of punishing ourselves for being off the bike all winter.

I would recomend getting a heart rate monitor, especially if you are cycling to loose weight.

To your in or out of the saddle question it is all up to you. There are different kinds of riders, some stay seated just about all the time and use the gears. I am pretty sure you will hear these types called spinners and I am that type of rider since my previous riding was on a mountain bike and standing up is basically throwing away energy. Other riders will get out of the saddle and pump up a hill, do what feels best or more natural to you.

The 2200 is a nice bike, get on it and have fun.

I'm a cycling instructor and my advice to ALL new cyclists: Start slow and build up your strength. Once you have the leg and core muscles and have your breathing under control try tackling short hills. Add miles and climbs as you get stronger. Cycling is like anything else. It takes time to get to where you want to be.

BTW: I'm 59 years old and 6'-0". Weighed ~240 pounds when I started cycling in 1999/2000. I'm now in the 180s. :D

yeah, what 55/rad said. i started road riding this spring. i'm older and around 210lb. the ride back to my house has a longish steep climb thats a real ball buster. i ride that loop 1-2 times a week. on other days i drive to the park and ride from there and do some different loops around work, almost always there are some hills, i live in east tennessee. variety is the spice of life! so keep riding and soon you'll find your home loop getting easier and easier! :-)

-- michael

if that hill feels sketchy and painful (sounds pretty beastly to me) then you could get a cheap bikerack and drive to flatter places. obviously it's more convenient to just ride out your front door, but if you don't have any flat loops near you then just find someplace that's got them that you can actually manage to drive to after work or whatever.

try to ride regularly as opposed to vigorously at first - you want to have fun and you definitely don't want to hurt yourself from starting out to fast.

good luck!

oh, and nice bike - post a pic if you can!

Thanks guys:):) Looks like I should toss the bike in the Element and drive out to a good flat area and do some miles there. I will try to tame the hill in front of my house once a week (or maybe every other) to gauge my improvement. It is a great hill, it goes downhill for about 1/4 of a mile where I can hit about 35mph (probably more when I get brave), before it turns to the right (still downhill) so I can practice higher speed turns. When the curve ends it flattens out for a little over a 1/4 mile during this time I can maintain the speed I had from the downhill. Then it goes back uphill steeply, and to make matters worse it's a tight hairpin before the uphill and you can't use any of the speed you just built up before hand. There's a lot of sand there and you have to slow to like 10mph to take the turn. The hill goes all the way up to my driveway:) To give you and idea of how steep these roads are listen to the names.....I live in the "Alpine" section of Sparta. On Summit Trail, which is a small steep road off of Alpine Trail!!

Anyway, Thanks again for the tips. I plan on being a regular around here so I'll talk to you guys soon:):)

Oh, any book suggestions??

I'll post some pictures of the 2200 soon, for now here's a picture of my other road racer..
http://glasssphere.homeip.net/MyPhotos/Automobiles/Kid's%20Day%20WGI%202004/slides/Kid's%20Day0067-c.jpg

-John

I think 10.7% grade is going to be very steep for most anyone. Alot of the hills in the tour didn't average 10%.

I live in West Patterson, NJ and there were some serious hills there. Good advice so far, get a heart rate monitor and start a little slower. Build a good base by going slower and longer, then you could start tackling those monster hills! As far as climbing in or out of the saddle, I prefer to split it about 50/50, but you need really good technique to stand and climb. I feel very comfortable out of the saddle so it works for me.

Hey jadkar, didn't realize you are the same jadkar on nsxprime... small world. I go by the same screen name there also. I just ordered my new bike, I had to decide between new exhaust for my 97-T or a new bike. Best of luck in your new hobby!

Man!!! I knew your name sounded familiar.


Best of luck in your new hobby
Thanks...I'm really trying to get the mind-set that this will be a lifestyle, and the NSX will be the hobby:D:D

John,
If you'd like to get some good books on starting out cycling, try www.roadbikerider.com. They stock a few really good titles, with excerpts, table of contents etc.

Good luck.