nawoj

About a week or so ago i got my first bike since i was probably a pre-teen. As i said in the intro post, i weight too damn much (345Lbsish) as a result of a mostly sedentary lifestyle, and a love of food. my brother is a avid biker (dude has 4 bikes he rides, and like 3 "project" bikes) and had been pushing me to get a bike, going so far as buying me a super cheap GT hybrid bike off craigslist, that ultimately wasnt worth getting back on the road.

So when i was able to, i bought a Motobecane 527HT from bikesdirect. i chose this bike because its performance per dollar ratio seemed rather high, according to my brother at least, and having a front shock lockout, WTB wheelset and hydro disk brakes gave me comfort that this was going to withstand my super-clyde stature. After riding it a few times, some obvious things were obvious (indeed my brother mentioned them before i even pulled the trigger), i needed better pedals, the bars on the thing are not quite right for me, and the seat, while it seems properly sized for my sit bones, isn't very comfortable.

i got some wellgo V8 pedals, and MAN what a difference from the super cheap beartraps that came from bikesdirect. while before i felt like i couldnt get my feet in a comfortable position, i step on these suckers and it feels locked in. so now i need to sort out the seat and the bars. i think i want something with a touch more rise, a touch longer, and a bit more swept back. as far as the seat... i have no idea.

as far as actual riding goes, ive done a bit of road riding, a bit of rail-trail riding, and this past weekend my brother and me went out and rode around some easy single track, and it was super fun, but holy hell is it painful. my legs burn, im constantly breathing hard, and hills are my worst enemy. but i just want to ride.

i just got back from a short ride on the rail trail, and the whole time i wished i could be going faster, wished i could stop less, wished i could go further. but i cant, yet... so in the mean time, i guess i will keep going out there, and riding as much as i can, as long as i can, until i can ride as long as i want, as far as i want, and stop only when i want.

2manybikes

Go for it !! You're off to a good start.

LGHT

Sounds like a great start. Just remember to keep having fun. It's really hard for the first few months, but it does get easier and you will go faster!

ChrisZog

The breathing hard probably doesn't stop for a while. It is less that it gets easy and more that you naturally get faster. I started at about 7-8mph. Any faster hurt. One day I realized that I was averaging closer to 10 mph. Riding never really got any easier. I was just able to ride on a higher gear and/or higher cadence. It is not really a conscious choice. My legs are used to feeling a certain level of resistance. As they get stronger they do more work for the same resistance. I look down at my computer and suddenly see bigger numbers.

Feeling muscle fatigue is fine. I love the content and tired feeling after a hard workout. Outright pain not so much. You are better off with numerous short rides rather than 1 long ride. So riding until you hurt for days means you have to rest for days which is not doing any favors. Having a fast riding partner should help motivate you to constantly push yourself. Just don't push too hard. Chances are your brother can simply match your speed. If you go faster, he can go faster. He can probably still dust you if you go full out. The difference is he'll be ready to ride the next day and you may be out of commission. Ride at your pace and maybe just slightly above it. For example... I ride with my wife. She can ride at a comfortable pace for hours and hours and probably be fine. Right now I am probably capped at 3-4 hours. Any longer than that and too many muscles hurt and I also probably need more nutrition to keep properly fueled than what I brought with me. BUT I can ride about 2-5mph faster than her. On a flat area with no wind she is comfortable around 13.5-15mph. I am fine with 15-18mph. So the best way for me to get faster (and ride with her) is to build my stamina and help her build her speed. We both focus on our weaknesses (wind and speed for her, climbing and stamina for me). If she tried to sprint with me, she'd be in too much pain to fast to get in a good ride. If I tried to keep up with her up a hill, we'd be done way too fast. So I set a pace on the flats that's just a bit beyond her comfort zone and she probably holds back on elevation (or I just take a head start and hope we meet at the top).

For me I try and add 5-10% at a time when doing something new. So when going for speed I aim for 5-10% more. When going for daily distance, 5-10% more. Monthly distance 5-10% more. Sometimes I feel good and add more than that (added 17% to my long distance last week). Another rule I have for myself... my last mile will always be faster than my first mile. That alone has probably increased my lactic tolerance more than any other single thing. It is 1 mile so it is probably not going to hurt enough to sideline me for days. But pedaling through the pain for just a few minutes when I'm tired has helped me learn how to pedal past my normal comfort zone when I'm less tired. Most of the time I average 12.5-15mph moving speed when riding with my wife. But that last mile, I spend most of my time above 20mph. It hurts like hell. But I'll feel better in an hour and it is similar to do a small round of interval training but tagged on to the end of every ride. My only complaint is I still haven't finished a 3 minute mile. Too many darned stop signs near my house

SammyJ 

Empire State Building was built 1 bolt at a time!
Keep the positive attitude and keep riding.

You will get better and faster.

nawoj

yeah, i've not ridden myself into the ground yet. im pushing through the lactic acid burn a little, but eventually stop, catch my breath, and stretching again if need be.

thanks all for the kind words of encouragement... i spent good money on this bike, i dont plan on stopping anytime soon. need my moneys worth.

quicktrigger

As stated, numerous short rides are best to begin with. push yourself, but not super hard. IMHO 3X rides a week is a good place to start. Gives you a chance to recover the days in between. The first couple weeks are the hardest, but by about 3 weeks, you should begin to see some improvements. At the end of two months, you will be amazed at how far you have come. Again, push yourself some, but make sure you still have fun. If you go to bed at night and your heart is still pounding well above the norm, then you trained too hard.

QT

ColaJacket

You say that the seat is uncomfortable. If it doesn't feel like it has enough padding, are you using biking shorts (either road or mtb shorts)?

Try getting some biking shorts if you don't already have some.

And some biking gloves may help with sore hands.

I've been biking for about a month. I still feel the burn, and breathing very hard most of the time.

GH

nawoj

i dont have padded biking shorts, but have been thinking about getting some.

i just got some gloves, and they are quite nice, i still think i need a different set of bars, but the gloves helped.

As for breathing hard, i consider that the whole point... well, that and having fun.

Cheese Head

I find that compression garments like under armour help me keep the lactic acid build up at bay. That and plenty of hydration. YMMV

Just keep pedaling and it will all get easier!

obed7

hang in there, you are having fun and will have more as you progress....ride just below the "burn" in the legs...when you feel the burn start, back off one gear. Hydrate before the ride as well as during...

ColaJacket

It never gets easier, you just faster and farther.

GH

Null66

Congrats!

It will take a while to figure out if the discomfort is a fit issue or just getting used to riding.
But in my opinion, a lot of the pedals and seats on bikes sold are really just place holders for test rides...

I hope you'll turn this into your first ride log!

Null66

ps.
Pictures please...

New bikes deserve to have their pictures posted!