chaapa 

As I mentioned above, I got a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle this week. I have taken two rides on it and I think it is going to work for me...with some reservations. It feels marvelous when I first get on, like it was designed just for me. It feels like it supports just where it is supposed to without having to adjust my weight to find the sweet spot. The problem I was having was after 10 miles it began to chafe. It was bothering me at the top of my thighs, just were panty elastic would have hit. It felt as if I was wearing something with a seam right there. Yesterday when I got off my bike I took a good look at the inside of my shorts. I discovered that the chamois (supposedly female specific) ended near the spot that was bothering me and I could feel that inside there is a hard ridge that feels like plastic that is probably pinching me. Now, these are expensive Terry shorts. I would think that a company that specializes in women's biking gear would have designed something better. I have a pair of much cheaper Sugoi shorts that I got on sale really cheap. The pad in them seems to cover that spot. I will try them out today and let you all know how it goes.

EmSV650

hey all.... I'm having a hard time on hills. Funny thing is I live in a relatively flat state (FL) however, my favorite ride takes me downhill a couple of miles to the river and then I wander around on those nice shady streets. But climbing my way back out is just killin' me. A real eye-opener as far as being out of shape. I have one 90 second climb, I call "the *****" and after that I just never recover. Last night I almost fell off the bike when I got home. My fault partly - I didn't hydrate carefully. Got a bit of heat stroke I think.
Anyway, I adore my bike (Giant Sedona ST) even the seat. And for just tooling around the bar position is GREAT. (high and close) However, when I have to do these climbs I really wish I had a much lower bar, so I could do the stand up and pull thing.
Some little boys (lol) were riding up the ***** at the same time on their BMX bikes, and they all stood up to ride up the hill. In my forced sit-down position, by the time I get to the top, I'm going so slow I almost topple over.
And it's not even that tall of a hill. sigh.....

So I'm wondering if I even need to address the seat/bar relationship issue at all, or just shut up and keep "doing it". Like if I suffer through these little hilly sections now, will I eventually be able to go up uphill positions more easily?

Anyway, I'm just moaning and groaning - nothing really to say. I may just do a weight bench work out today - my legs are just killing me.

I'm using this iPhone GPS Tracker app and when I ride this hilly area, I'm only averaging 7-8 mph. Am tending to go between 5 and 6 miles (which I know is pitifully little) in about 40-45 mins. But you know on some of these hilly parts I could get off and WALK the bike up more easily and faster than I'm peddling.

Having a great time with this, but I really messed myself up yesterday.

Hope you're all having a good one.
thx for listening,
Em


PS: sorry about using the bleeped-out "B" female dog word.

jyossarian

Drop down to the granny gear and spin up the hill. Otherwise, stand up and lean over the bars so you can get the leverage needed to power up the climbs. If the stem is adjustable, go ahead and experiment w/ angle/height combos to find a good compromise.

EmSV650

I think I'm going to see about getting an adjustable stem/riser combo, so I can mess with it. I believe this one that came with the bike can't be moved up or down. I can't really stand up over the bars and pedal - like what when we were kids we used to call "pumping". The bars are just relatively too high, or I'm just relatively too heavy (or btoh). I can do it a little if my legs are fresh, but once I'm wiped out - that's all she wrote.
thanks for the response..

BikinPotter

Short hill, stand & pump. Long hill, sit & spin. It could be that as your fitness level improves you'll be able to stand & lean over the bars to get more leverage to power up hills with more speed. For now, why not use your granny gear? That's what it's there for. Push too hard & you're in danger of hurting your knees. I've learned on hills to watch my breathing. If I'm really sucking wind, I back off & spin the pedals more slowly, until my breathing gets more regular. Sometimes people pass me. So? It's not a flippin' race. There's a bit of discomfort which happens as your body adapts to doing this new thing you're asking it to do, but if your legs are really hurting, you may be pushing too hard. One thing which will help your legs recover is to take short, easy, really spinny training rides in between the rides where you've been really pushing. Get rolling along in a gear which feels comfortable, where you're not pushing hard but can feel a little resistance, then go down a gear or two and spin the pedals. Not super fast or anything...just fast enough to keep the bike moving. You can experiment also with raising your seat a bit. I find if my seat is too low my knees start talking to me.

BikinPotter

How did it go?

mprelaw

I'm chaapa's husband. She's working late tonight, so I'll answer for her. It's a big improvement. I think after a few more rides, she'll be all set. The chafing issue was solved by the Sugoi shorts.

EmSV650

re: granny gear. I was just out looking at my rear gears and realized the biggest one (inner most one) is HUGE and says Super-low on it. I never realized that! I'd thought that biggest rear cog would be just a bit of a diff....so I never went for it. But now i think the granny gear might be something to try while on the middle front sprocket. So thanks for pointing that out. I never realized I had that huge innermost rear sprocket, the "Super-Low".

jyossarian

Use the smallest front chainring and the largest rear cog ("Super Low") and you can spin up almost anything.

goldfinch

My husband rides casually a seven speed bike with a big granny gear. He also only just shifted down to it in the last few days. I think that he is getting the idea that it is easier to spin than to mash. His bike also isn't well suited to standing and pumping up a hill, but in the easiest gear he is now able to do some hills he wasn't able to do before.

Keep in mind it takes a while to build fitness. Some hills that I could go up only in my easiest gear but very slowly are now almost irrelevant to me. Of course, there still are hills where I use my easiest gear and still can barely stay upright as I pedal up slowly.

Penny4

When you guys stand on hills, what kind of gear are you in? I've only tried to stand a few times on hills, and i think the gear was way too low (easy). I was too jerky and couldn't get a good rhythm. Should you be in a bit higher of a gear?

What determines if you stand vs just dropping down to a lower gear?

Rhodabike

Standing usually means being one or two gears higher than if you're sitting. For long hills that aren't too steep, sitting is better. Standing can be hard on the knees, so is usually used for short steep efforts.

EmSV650

just wanted to say: I'm really appreciating all this input on hills.

BikinPotter

Practice. I've had to learn how to do hills. It's not really intuitive, at first. Most often I would anticipate too soon, dropping down into a lower gear sooner than I needed to so I'd be spinning wildly to maintain speed, or too late, whereby I would run out of "oomph" somewhere in the steepest part of the hill. There's a learning curve, for sure. But once you figure it out you can ride up just about anything. I think what happens also is you get more fit, so you're stronger and/or pushing less weight, so the hills get easier. I don't love hills, but I don't dread them anymore, either. They're just what I have to do to get where I need to go.

leona88

Just remember the weight did not come on in a day and it will not go off in a day. sadly.. Just take one day at a time just like I do .. most of the time anyway. It will goes off before you know it.just week working one day at a time

chaapa 

As my husband said a few posts back, the new saddle is working out fine. The Selle Italia Diva feels great-- I have no complaints and am going to keep using it. I am sad to retire my Terry shorts because their chamois doesn't have "wings". The shorts fit well and are otherwise comfortable, but apparently that company is more focused on the urban rider on a comfort bike than a road rider who wants to ride long distance..

I am still having issues after about 15 miles, but now that my saddle problems are diminished I am aware that my back is simply getting tired after awhile. When my back gets tired my posture gets bad, and my upper back and shoulders begin to ache. I'll admit that I've been pretty sedentary for the last few years and my back is probably pretty weak as a result. I need to start doing some off-bike exercises to build up strength.

mprelaw

The length of the hill is the biggest criterion for me. On longer hills, I'll sit and spin up them if at all possible. Sometimes you just have to get out of the saddle and mash, though. Hills take practice, and I admit that what works for me at 6'2" and 160 pounds isn't what's going to work for you in all likelihood. You also have to be comfortable while standing. Tension and fear of falling, or of stalling before the top, is going to make it harder. If you're having a lot of trouble getting up hills, and it's affecting your enjoyment of the ride, one thing you can do is ask your LBS about a different cassette on the rear, that has a bigger bail-out, or "granny" gear. How big you can go might be restricted by your shifters and rear derailleur, though.

I like standing and attacking short climbs, or rolling hills. Rolling hills are a lot of fun, and here's where momentum is your best friend. Too many people coast down after reaching the top. The best way to ride a series of rollers is to shift to a higher gear as you crest it, and pedal down the hill. Carry as much speed and momentum as you can into the next uphill, and you'll be a good part of the way up it before you know it.

Penny4

Thanks. I generally just spin my way up. I've learned to drop the shoulders, relax, and spin away. I never really consider standing because I am usually in such a low gear, and I also worry that I'll lose what little momentum I have if i try to stand. I have some short hills in my neighborhood, maybe i'll try practicing on them. i just think it could be a useful skill when I need a little extra kick.

goldfinch

I like this set of core exercises and use most of them: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047

Generally, I like Terry shorts, at least the ones with the "flex" chamois.Their tights are my favorite tights by far. That is one frustration with bike gear, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

Rhodabike

I got a pair of Louis Garneau Athena Fit Sensor shorts recently. Really comfortable for long rides, but the short legs make me self-conscious. I've written to them to suggest they add about 4" to the leg length.

chaapa 

Thank you for the link. I like them and will try most of them. I like that they don't require any special equipment.

chaapa 

I rode with DH today and while he cranked up those hills standing up on his bike I struggled with gears on my large front ring. I haven't been able to use any of the gears on my smaller ring because most of them slip badly--so no spinning up hills for me. In fact, I walked up the last one when I turned a corner and saw that hill, I was hot, thirsty, my legs were screaming and my heart was pounding and I just couldn't face it-- so I got off and walked.
We stopped at my LBS on the way home to have them look at my gears and adjust if necessary. What they discovered is that I had a bent derailleur that can't be repaired. It needs to be replaced. So I'm back on the hybrid for a few days...

EmSV650

Just popping in here to say hi. Still just doing neighborhood rides and concentrating on keeping spinning instead of pedal/cruise, pedal/cruise. Hope you're all doing well.

vntgdrms

Very cool thing to do! I am glad I am not the only one

Name: Lisa

Age: 41

Marital Status: Married

Height/weight: 5'10/251

What bike do you currently ride: Cervelo rs

How long have you been riding?: On the road - 3 years. I was a spin instructor for 8 years as well. Yup - as an Athena!

Are you currently trying to lose weight: Yes, though not actively "dieting". I lost 130 pounds in 2003 on ww and have re-gained 60 of it. I am a 2x thyroid cancer survivor and that makes things challenging for me in this dept. I am a clean eater tho. I cook all whole foods except for 1 meal out a week. I feel better and healthier that way - but it didn't help with the weight!


How often do you ride and for how long?: I ride every other day but when I am in the heart of training sometimes up to 6 days a week. I get a little burned out if I do that too much.

What is your goal?: To ride the levi leipheimer gran fondo full 100 mile route. Its on the nor cal coast and wine country where I grew up and its just a phenomenal ride. I did the metric last year and am doing the metric this year. But realistically I need to get under 200 to do the 100 without killing myself. Also I am working on opening a women's specific bike apparel shop that caters to ALL women-especially athenas.

What is your favorite thing about riding?: I love slowing down and seeing the beauty of nature around me. I have more pictures of sunsets and bunnies than any one rider should have.

cycle4health

Hi! I'm new and will hopefully be starting when my brother moves in this following weekend and I can't wait. So thought I'd introduce myself to everyone.

Name: Nora

Age: 24

Marital Status: Single, two fur babies

Height/weight: 6'2"/274 lbs

What bike do you currently ride: My brother's Cannondale when he's not on it.

How long have you been riding?: I used to ride all the time when I was younger, just going to be getting back into it this weekend when my brother moves in.

Are you currently trying to lose weight, and how are you going about it?: I am currently trying to lose weight. So far my eating habits that I've changed has allowed me to maintain my obese-ness at 274 for about the past year. Haven't gained but haven't lost either. So now I'm hoping moving more will shred some weight. I'm going to start by using my brothers bike on the trainer he has. Has some cycling DVD's so I'll see if I like those, if not I'm going to use the beginner rider's training to a first century.

What is your ultimate goal?: To feel pretty again. To gain self esteem... to have great legs in a little black dress.
How often do you ride and for how long?: I'm going to just start out riding as much as I can for as long as I can. If I like the DVD's, I'm hoping one day I can complete them and still have some left in me

What is your favorite thing about riding?: I'm better at it then running!