Rich22

Man im so out of shape, in a cycling perspective atleast. Ive never done it before and i just started it recently. Look at my nickname im a noob. But i always see people talking about there 30 + mile rides . I can do 11miles in about 1 hour on a fairly easy trail, mostly flat, with some minor hills. When I do cycle and i hit larger hills its like my muscles start burning right away, and i want to do the hill stuff but its like im so bad at it after a 2 mile ride going up and down hills im wasted. Anyone got tips for me? Im 5"8 150lb, so im not obese or anything, lol.

TheKillerPenguin

Just keep doing em, that's the only way to get better. And, hills will help increase your avg. speed on the flats.

cryogenic

My suggestion? Keep riding... don't push yourself too hard, but your body will come around. I don't know of anyone that just starts out doing 30 miles at a time. I can do 30 miles now, but there's no way I could have 6 months ago.

Rich22

Also im still not used to being on my bike either, in general its not super comfortable. I have the stock saddle on the trek 1200 and my gooch area is usually sore as soon as i sit down. I guess i just gotta get used to it all!

Mojo GoGo

Just go out and have fun. I got back into biking 4 years ago and my first ride was just a 4 miler (didn't want to get a sore arse). My legs felt like they were the size of 55 gallon drums. Every week I'd increase my miles a bit or take a longer weekend ride and by the end of the year I did my first century. Endurance takes time...

vpascal

How well fitted is the bike to you? A badly fitted bike will only cause pain and discourage you.

Have you had someone knowledgeable check how the bike size and adjustment is suited to your particular size, shape, and needs?

Pascal

TheKillerPenguin

Word. When I started riding around on my mtn. bike, 2 miles would tear me apart and spit me out, and that was on flat land. It just takes time. Enjoy yourself, you'll get better!

As for your soreness, that was happening to me earlier this year. I still have my stock seat, and while it's not super comfortable, it doesn't make me want to cry like a little school girl anymore. Your area gets used to it. Props for using "gooch"

Rich22

I mean the local LBS, had me stand over the top tube to see the gap. They had me sit on the saddle and put my arms on the drops. They adjusted my seat, and made sure my legs and arms fit. However, no one really showed me a proper posture so i wonder if that plays into it.

kevinmcdade

Keep riding and having fun. I started riding in September of 2004 and remember when my goal for the ride was to make it 5 miles without stopping. I now do 10 miles for my warm-up and 20 miles of hard riding as my workout. I do this 5 times per week.

It sounds like you may need some tweaking done to your bike setup. I would take it back to shop where you bought it or find a reputable shop that will take the time to make sure everything fits as it should. As you gain more experience and knowledge you will be able to do most of the tweaking yourself.

cryogenic

Try getting some cycling shorts? Perhaps a saddle with a channel down the center or a cutout (Specialized Body Geometry, for one) might relieve some of your pain.

Rich22

I have the lycra from pearl izumi, im hairy as chubacca, so even with lycra i get some chaffing, lol.


Can someone post pictures of a good cycling posture? Im not sure what a good posture is.

patrick07

https://www.bikesportmichigan.com/

I think there's pictures of positions here, they might be triathalon style so be careful. The website states that they're supposed to be different from regular riding positions.

Also, Trek was kind enough to see that you got 3 chainrings and 9 rear cogs to choose from. I feel that its in your best interest to show your appreciation for this by trying them all out!

Spin, brother, just spin!

SpongeDad

1. make sure your bike is fit for you properly

2. don't sweat it - At 42 and about your size, I've gone from 10 mile rides to up to 50 in about a year (and I'm not a super dedicated fanatic). Enjoy the rides and progress will come naturally.

Barese Rider

You can probably go alot further than you give yourself credit for.. Take it easy while learning, learn your gears and to pace yourself.. Time in the saddle will give you endurance.. Unlike many of us you dont have to lose weight, so you're way ahead of the game to start with..Increase your mileage and speed slowly...Be consistent in your use of the bike and about 6 months from now my bet is that youll have no trouble doing 25 to 30 miles at a better speed.. Good luck.. ps get yourself a couple of books on cycling..

cryogenic

As I recall, with your hands on the tops (or the hoods?), you're supposed to be able to remove your hands from the bars and not feel as though you're going to fall forward. Basically that keeps you from having too much weight on your hands, but takes enough off your butt such that it isn't overly painful.

Rich22

How often do you ride?



Do you mean sitting up and letting go of the hoods, or when im down in the hoods taking my hands off and seing if i fall forward?

Can anyone recommend good newbie cycling books?

Thanks,
Rich

zing28

I am new to going longer distances this year. I used to only go between 10 and 15 miles at a time and my legs burned quite a bit like yours do. Then, after talking with a few buddies and listening to the input in this forum, I started spinning at a higher cadence and wow, what a difference it makes!

As soon as I start to feel my legs straining (grinding) during my ride because of a slight uphill grade, or wind, I've learned to downshift immediately and spin faster. The burn and fatigue disappears. I'm to the point now that 30 miles is no sweat. Make a conscious effort not to grind in a higher gear and you should feel great over longer rides! It helped me a lot!

Rich22

But when i spin faster, my legs also get tired that way too, lol.

zing28

lol.... Ya, mine too after a while... but you'll be way better off at a higher spin. It's too bad I can't find a route thats downhill both ways!!!!

cryogenic

I may be wrong about all this and I wish someone would come in and confirm or deny what I'm saying, but I recall that in fact you should be able to rest your hands on the hoods... then pull your hands off the hoods and put them by your side and hold said position without straining. You want to be just before the point where you have to strain to hold yourself up. If you're leaning too far forward (stem too long/saddle too far back), you won't be able to hold that position (hands-free) without some serious effort, thus you're putting too much weight on the hands, which can cause numbness and pain. If you're too upright (saddle too far forward/stem too short), you're putting too much pressure on your sit bones which will cause numbness and pain. Personally, from what you've said, it doesn't sound as though your bike shop did a very thorough fitting.

cycleprincess

As long as you are having fun...that's the main objective. I mean, if it's not fun it's not worth it. Don't worry too much about your speed, it will come with more riding time. Challenge yourself with the hills from time to time, it's just like they say, practice makes perfect.

SpongeDad

I started out riding 2-3 times a week and now ride 3-4 times a week. Things got a little easier when I learned to be a gear lower than I thought I should be in.

Clipless pedals are best, but at a minimum, you should have toeclips. You basically can't spin without some form of foot restraint. It took me several months to migrate to clipless pedals.

Books - Greg Lemond's Complete Book of Cycling
The Lance Armstrong Performance Program by Chris Carmichael and L.A.

These helped me get started thinking about how to get in shape more effectively and about how to make sure the bike fit me properly (which has a HUGE impact on performance).

daytonian

Just keep at it like everyone has said. I bought my road bike last fall and my legs would burn up fast. I have been riding 12 miles every morning 5 days a week for last 2 months and did it right at 37 minutes/18.5 mph avg. Wednesday. I'm addicted totally. If you like pushing yourself physically this is the sport. There is nothing cooler than seeing your avg. mph go up week after week on your bike computer. If you don't have a computer, get one so you can see progress. I ride the same 12 mile route everyday just so I can judge my progress. I rode 30 miles 2 Saturdays ago and it was fun. But last fall 30k would've been a big deal and it would've wrecked my day.

lilHinault

Yeah you sound like me, I'm just getting back into it myself, and 2 miles of hills kick my butt too. In fact just a headwind burns me up pretty good. And home to Palo Alto, about 10 miles, takes me about an hour, and yeah, there's the agony of de-seat too. Just stay with it and have fun!

veneer

wow.. u did better than me. i've been an online cyclist since last nov. and today decided to go ride and climb this hill by my house. it's tough.. but just gotta keep it going i guess.

so tomorrow.. i'm going back out again and ride that hill again! just think.. if it don't kill ya.. it'll make u stronger! let's keep on pedaling!