deacon mark

So I normally ride 30-75 miles when ride and can go sometimes 60 miles and never unclip or stop. I have water but do not normally take food unless it is going to be more than 3 hour ride. Years of running and riding I have trained myself to just keep at it I have lots of endurance. One thing I notice as I get older is when I stop I can be bit off balance and stiff like you do when you ride in a car long rides and then have to get out.

So today at about mile 38 at 2 hours riding time I had to pull over because car behind was not giving me enough room and I road on the shoulder. Not any accident situation I was just being cautious and moved over. Sure enough the shoulder had some soft spots and I pull up and stopped. I manage to do this without falling and getting unclipped but I feel like age has made a maneuver like this harder. Then of course I had to get back on the road and start again it was up hill a bit too. Trying to clip back in and starting I was ok but again it sure seems like it takes more effort and concentration. I have 105 pedals and like them but I always make sure to be clipped in on the down stroke or it can hurt.

It seems the same when I pull up at the end of a long ride and simply get off the bike. I have to just be more attentive to making a landing properly. I suppose 20 years ago I would give it less thought but anyone else experience this? I am not necessarily trying to fix the situation by changing my riding style but just wonder if others experience this.

marquhar

Isn't the difference that now there are 4 of you riding? That is you and your 3 titanium friends.

When I broke my hip and gained the cannulated screws supporting my left NoF, it took a while find a new way to mount/dismount the bike.

No more swinging a leg over the saddle. Now, I raise the front axle in the air so the saddle points straight up, and notice that it will drop a few inches closer to the ground.

To dismount I push down on the rear of the saddle with one hand and pull up on the bars with the other, and in one action I slide off the saddle and off the back of the bike.

deacon mark

Wow you knew I broke a hip? That is astonishing! Frankly no my hip feels completely normal. I went back to running in 10 weeks and when not riding I run at least 30 mile weeks. I can swing leg fine I do have balance issues I believe from sudden movement in the head and neck. My running has just slowed so much I think years of running.

I find now it can take 1-2 miles to get loose to run before I stride better. So far on the bike I can hammer I will take it. I just notice stopping suddenly and dismounting is not always smooth.

OldTryGuy

So far I haven't become stiff and/or experienced being unbalanced when stopping. Can't say that about driving, the stiff part, but then there's not much moving going on behind the wheel.

Next month is my 66th so that means 132 + 2 for good luck and the first 100 will be a PUM or P ride. No stopping except to Pick Up Money or Pee. Been doing 65+ without stopping so I recon I shouldn't have an issue. What I do-do to change up the motion before stopping is to include plenty of standing pedaling in the 53/12. Pan cake flat around here so I pick a headwind to ride into when off the saddle. Sure does work other groups of muscles.

canklecat

How's the unclipping on the knees? Any stress from the twisting motion? That's what I'd be concerned about. I'm still leaning toward old style toe clips when I get a lighter road bike.

deacon mark

Been very lucky knees are fine. My years of running injuries tend to be in back and hips. On the bike sometimes my hands get a bit sore or the neck.

Rowan

Yes. I think some of it has to do with fitness and conditioning.

I was a wreck when I got off my bike after yesterday's ride, sore everywhere, including the lower back, abs, and legs. But this morning, I am feeling reasonably fine... a bit stiff in the legs, but overall not bad.

Mind you, I haven't been riding very much lately, after breaking three ribs in a workplace incident a bit over two months ago, but I was able to finish a quite tough mid-winter, hilly 200km randonne by 54 minutes within the cut-off time.

I also remember back to some 200s and longer that I was doing 10 years ago, and I do recall the same levels of aches and pains. I was commuting and riding about 16,000km a year then as a car-free cyclist. Sometimes our memories blot out the negatives...

Trace Syd

I have a 50 mile bike ride in 1 week. I have been training for a while and I am trying to figure out, at this point, if I should be:

• Training hard, doing a few long bike rides to get prepared
• Resting and taking it easy.

philbob57

If clipping/unclipping has become an issue, as it did for me, I suggest you consider pinned BMX pedals and something like Five Ten shoes.

Clips made me about 10% faster than quills/toeclips. The BMX pedals make me about 8% faster than quills/toeclips. I find starting and especially stopping are much easier than with either quills or clips, and I can place my feet on the pedals to adjust for terrain and knee pain.

berner

Yesterday I rode 54 miles with the club and simultaneously breaking in a new saddle. Actually the saddle did the breaking in of the rider. The first 2/3s of the ride went well and I began to think the saddle was a keeper and then the discomfort set in. At first just standing for a minute eased the discomfort but soon I was stopping every 15 minutes for several minutes or so. Today, looking at the bike computer I see that the ride time was about one hour less than total ride time. Nevertheless I think the ride was a success because today I feel pretty good. I'm performing some corrective surgery on the saddle that I have high hopes will solve the problem.

StanSeven

Good idea but I caution others that try this. Be careful because it only works with a very low saddle position. With a regular setup the saddle will be several inches too high. You might slip trying it if you aren't careful.

marquhar

@StanS Good idea but I caution others that try this..

I knew I should quote the exact heights.
When both wheels are grounded, the saddle height (SH) is 41-5/8 in.
When the front axle is raised the SH is 33-5/8 in.
My standover is about 33 in, so I'm able to walk over the nose of the saddle - much nicer than throwing over a leg, and less likely to cause vertigo, or loss of balance.

My bike is 59cm, my height is 6' 2", and the pants inseam is 34".

Northwestrider

Platform pedals ? I like mine .

baron von trail 

I stop for a minute or so every hour. I'll down a gel, fill my water bottle, take a leak, something. But, once every hour, I do get off the bike and feel the earth beneath my feet. I'm not sure how I would feel if I just rode and rode for 3 hours straight without a single stop. Probably not well.

Carbonfiberboy 

I notice the same. We're not 20 anymore. I'm a little stiffer, balance is off a little, I have to be more careful. Clipped in on the bike, I feel fine and strong and all that. But that's a very limited physical situation. I also ski Alpine and am still skiing hard a fast, no problems there, but again that's a limited situation. I normally have a rest stop on the bike every 30-50 miles. I take a little break, eat a little something, get water, pee, maybe have a coffee. On really long climbs on a big ride when I'm exhausted I'll sometimes stop for 1-2 minutes every hour, just stand there for a bit. But that's unusual.

In unfamiliar situations, I'm a little dicey.

hankaye

deacon mark, Howdy;

In the sentence that I painted Blue in the above quote I think you may have
put your finger right on the problem. When you get ready to get off the bike
you are moving your head around differently then while riding. Have you thought
about seeing an eye,ear nose & throat Doc? Just a thought and suggestion.

hank