Liz33

Yes, thank you MieleMan yesterday when I out I tried what caloso recommended, to get low and aero, first, I had to Google and go on YouTube to see what that meant lol when I tried I realized I'm going to need more practice and time to figure out how to ride my bike lol I wish I had someone next to me to show me what I'm doing wrong or right. I just learned yesterday too how to sit on my saddle that I won't hurt more than necessary (will need a different saddle too) but anyway, I didn't get to feel a good workout on my core, maybe it's supposed to be subtle, or maybe I didn't do it right, I did feel however less pressure on my wrist like jefvnk mentioned. I guess I'll stick with planks and I guess it's just matter on time and riding more to learn. I found out that watching that video that fiestbob shared helped alot, and another one I saw on YouTube. When I was outhere I would remember their style and how they looked to me riding and I would start to unconsciously copy them.

caloso

Pretend there is a string attached from your belly button to the top tube. Lean forward trying to keep your back relatively straight. A little bend is okay (see Eddy, above) but don't hunch.

Liz33

ohhhh I can do that. Well, I'll try anyway lol but now I understand. Thank youuuu

SkunkWerX

FYI-That picture above is also a good one to show proper seat height adjustment.
His left leg is near the bottom of the revolution, it is almost straight, but not quite, still has a slight bend to it.
Try to attain a seat height similar to this. not only will you be able to deliver the most power on the down stroke, its healthier.
Incorrect seat height can cause myriad joint issues, especially knees.

wolfchild

No.... Riding a bicycle is not enough to build a strong core. You need to do a separate workouts and train your core with other exercises besides cycling.

PaulRivers

Tom Danielson's Core Advantage is a book on strengthening your core for cycling that was helpful for me ($15):
https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Danielson...core+advantage

Liz33

Oh, thank you

TKJava

After getting back into riding after 2.5 decades of not, I did spin classes in addition to road riding etc. Then after returning to the gym daily I started to work on my core. What I think is that a stronger core helps with posture on the bike which helps your back and neck. Also when you are pedaling hard like climbing a hill and your holding the hoods a stronger core helps you to take a lot of weight off your hands and let your legs lift your upper body off the handlebars so to speak and drive even harder. It's easier to relax parts of your upper body like arms etc. No scientific research to back this up just a IMHO post.

Booger1

Depends on what type of bike you ride......The more you lower the handlebars,the stronger your core needs to be to prevent issues....(hands hurt,lower back hurts ect.)

Aero bellies work just fine on beach cruisers.....