I've actually kind of a silly question. How long(generally speaking) does it take for your butt to get used to the saddle? Not that it was horrible this morning, but it definitely felt like I had received a kick to the shorts at it's worst.

If the saddle is 'right' for you, then a lot of people say 2 or 3 weeks. Whether the saddle is right or not is a long sought question that many have tried to find. Saddle comfort really just comes down to what works for you individually as one for one guy is probably going to be horrible for you. Personally, I just skipped the saddle search and went with getting more padding (one of those gel seat covers).

I assume you aren't wearing biking tailor pants/underwear/shorts?
Cycling gear that goes over your rear have some sort of Chamois padding built in.
I just find it more convenient for a commuter to have the padding vs on the clothing, but if you have a place you can change at work like a bathroom it comes down to preference. I am sure your commute would probably be more comfortable in the more formfitting lycra stuffs.

Nice choice. I think that you will find that you can grow into this one a bit before moving on. If you find yourself wanting more speed through a tucked aero position you can flip that stem and drop your handle bars (or get a multi-angle adjustable stem). You can also buy cheap bolt on drops to see if you like the road bike feel too.

Have fun!

Now that you are on the bike, be safe out there ...
 

Since you have motorcycling experience, much of that will be helpful while bicycling. Just in case you want a quick review of bicycling safely:
League of American Bicyclists video, if you like video
How To Not Get Hit By Cars if you prefer reading a web site.

Well, Day 2 commute to work is done. Definitely better today than Friday. I felt better during the ride, more confident. I left a little bit later, so there was slightly more traffic, but it was all good. I believe I'm getting used to the saddle already, my tail didn't hurt quite like it did on Friday during the ride, so I'm happy about that. The only thing I don't understand is my computer. On Friday it registered the ride being 12.7 miles. Today, 15.85. The only difference in my route today was going around an underpass instead of under it(there's a merge on the other side that's no bueno if there's a lot of cars out), but that definitely doesn't account for 3 miles. I'll see what the computer says tomorrow.

Today is also the first day I'm gonna be riding home, again, I'm dreading that huge hill. Thank God for low gears!

Is that giant your bike or the boss's? It looks like a very solid bike that you could commute on. I have a hybrid and have had it for about 5 months now. Logged over 1100mi on it since purchase date. I disagree with other posters; it is a very good bike for long distances. It has 700c wheels with (newly added) 28mm tires.

Maybe I should call the manufacturer (K2) and see if they will give me a derailleur hanger to keep in my saddle bag.

This is what it looks like:

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/x...t/IMG_1060.jpg

I am ashamed to say that it is a "big box store bike" but I've been told it is not a BSO (bike shaped object). I got it at Sports Authority on sale for $299. I believe it is still on sale. Maybe you should go check it out?

The picture is my bike. My boss has the exact same bike(as his commuter, he's got another Road Bike). I rode it in today after getting the hanger fixed on Friday, and it's a world of difference. I think it might've already been bent, cause it was shifting funny on Friday when I rode it in. I'm really pleased with my purchase so far, it's exactly what I wanted. I have a feeling I'm gonna get into this, here's another hobby to add to my list!

Nice bike! Looks like it will be a good one for commuting. It looks like it has some kind of ergonomic grips on it, which is generally something I add to all of my flat bar road bikes. If you feel like you need another place to put your hands, you may want to add bar ends at some point. I find them useful for rides over about 5 miles. They're pretty cheap & a great addition (In my opinion) to my bike setup. Also, I don't know how the pannier was attached, but if it was on a rack, you may find it useful to leave the rack on the bike (without the pannier). I find them useful for times when you have to take home more than you thought expected to & depending on what you carry on your commute, they can be great for holding a backpack instead of having it on your back the whole ride.

Well, congrats on the bike. it looks like you found a great deal.

I'm glad you brought that up, what are those bike ends used for? Does it cause you to drop down a little bit? Or is it just another area to put your hands? I don't seem to have an issue with my hands getting uncomfortable, there are a number of lights I end up stopping at that allow me to adjust my grip and stretch/flex my hands to keep them moving.

Also, I was wrong about the pannier coming along with the bike. All I got was the rack, which I took off. I kept it though, just in case I ever actually need it. As it is right now, I don't carry that much stuff, and having a backpack doesn't really affect me.

So just completed my first ride home. Good lord. I don't know how you people do this. The wind was in my face almost the entire time(which boggles my mind, no matter which way I turn I'm going into the wind????), and that huge hill I was afraid of? Made a complete mess of me. Even in first gear on both front and back(after I'd gone as far as I could in other gears), I had to hop off the bike and walk it up the hill. I know I'm new to this biking thing and all, but holy crap, I at least expected to get more than a quarter of this hill done....nope, couldn't pull it off. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to work in the mornings, took me 2 and a half to get home. That's crazy. Maybe I need to find a route that gets around that hill somewhat...cause it kicked my butt all over the place!

^^^
What is the size of your smallest front chain ring and largest rear cog? Most hybrid bikes do come with a decently low gear, so perhaps it's just a matter of conditioning. There is also a bit of strategy to tackling a hill. You do not want to go 'all out' near the bottom because it's easy to 'go into the red' that way. Instead you need to keep the pace nice and steady until you are nearing the apex of the hill. Only at that point should you give it a little more gas, and only because you can take it easy on the way down.

Either way, I'm sure after a month of so of riding the hill won't seem quite so bad.

Good job man, and welcome back home. The first week, even month is going to be pretty brutal to be honest.

I recommend trying to take it easy as much as you can since it is a long commute. Like riding on MWF, car by TH to give your body rest and a chance to build up your legs. Outside of what is linked here, I am not really seeing a route that would be less hilly. You would know the area better than I would, but it looks like no matter which direction you take towards Linda Vista, it's going up hill.

I suggest switching out to the lowest front gear as soon as you see the hill, and just about start going up it. Then you can continue lowering the gears as you yourself tiring more and more. In your situation, it would be best to keep your legs spinning the pedals than worrying about speed. Attacking the hill early on with a high gear is going to wipe you out fast.

Hey don't get discouraged. IF you are tackling some decent sized hills on your 2nd day of riding don't feel bad AT ALL for having to walk up them. You will improve in conditioning and you will also learn how an when to shift to get up them. Trying to find a better route is a good idea as well. Trust me it will get better. Keep it up man you are doing good. Also the wind being in your face the whole time...get used to it I swear for about 3 months this year every ride both ways I was going into the wind. LOL

Congratulations on your first hill-climb attempt! I know exactly what you mean, I had the same reaction the first time I went uphill. I was like this ain't gonna work and hopped off the bike and walked up.

I might attempt my commute tomorrow from College area to Pacific Beach. Much like yourself the way back is what worries me since I have that huge climb on Montezuma Rd.

You mention the missus is prego, congrats. I'd say get your cycling in now because once the baby is born -- at least in my personal experience -- the first few months you'll be too tired to cycle.

Headwinds gotta love them. Get a lot of that at the beach, makes for building your legs up. Take it easy and be safe out there.

So, I'm considering riding as far as I can, than catching the bus up that hill. Would that be considered cheating by the commuting community(look at that, I'm a poet and didn't know it!)? Really though, I think that'll be what I have to do. I'm so drained for energy today, and I'm absolutely dreading the ride home, even if I'm catching a bus.

So I rode home again today. The entire way up to the hill, I was getting mad and pissed. See, I really hate being made a fool out of, in any way shape or form. So here comes the bottom of the hill, and up I climb. I pick a spot in the distance, generally an intersection, and tell myself I'm making it that far, plain and simple. Get there, decide I can handle more, and pick another spot. I finally had to stop and get off the bike just to let my legs rest, but I'm not giving up. Back on the bike I go, and uphill I climb. I had to stop two more times(for 3 times total), but I ended up pedaling up the entire hill!! I'm so freaking ecstatic right now, it's not even funny!

I also learned that I can't keep up the same pace with the wind in my face, at least not for long. I cranked it down a couple gears and just kept a steady pace, not a fast one, but steady, and I had plenty of energy once I reached the hill, which wasn't the case yesterday.

Very good job, and excellent call on dropping down the gears when going into the wind.
Glad to see you were able to do it today, and no shame in taking breaks. It's only the second run :D

For commuting, I find it much more relaxing if you just go at your own pace and not try to stay at a certain speed. Go at whatever you feel comfortable at. Certainly not something you should be fighting against when you got a gradual hill coming up. Maybe you can go for speed later when your legs are stronger but it is more important to just keep pedaling now to build up the strength to be able to do it later.

Yup, gotta build up those legs. Good job!

Speaking of legs, my right calf cramped up on me yesterday while going up the hill, and this morning it was screaming at me the entire ride in, might have to just take the bus today. Been commuting 3 days and this makes me a very sad panda.

On a serious note, for whatever reason, my bike doesn't like shifting into the lower gears. Sometimes I'll shift from say, 4 to 3, and it's like the chain popped off, or a car in neutral. Turning the pedals doesn't do anything but make my feet move. It also happens when I shift the front up from 1, I have to go to 3 then back down to 2. Any idea what/why this is happening, and what I can do to fix it? Trying to stay out of the LBS, money is tight so I'm hoping for a home repair if something needs it. Although.....I have to go in anyways. The hand pump they sold me does NOT fit the tires I have, regardless of the guy swearing up and down and almost promising me his first born child that it did, unless I'm absolutely stupid, which I'll admit is a complete possibility.

Your pump should work you just may need to switch it so it works with your valves. They usually have a spot on the apart that goes onto the valve that screws off and their is a piece in there you flip around and then put it back together again. If you are confused by this explanation Google your pump and you should find instructions or some similar to help you figure it out.

Your gear issue...what exactly is or isn't happening when you encounter this problem?

EDIT: Ok the front it sounds like you need to adjust the front shifter cable some and tightening it may fix your problem. There should be barrel adjusters on the end of your shifter and turn it so the cable will get tighter. You might have a similar thing you need to do in the rear too, but not sure based on your description or my reading comprehension today. LOL

You might need to start stretching after your ride if your calf is sore, and take a day off if the muscle needs rest.

I can't help with the shifting problem, but does your hand pump have a reversible end that can be used for either schrader (big) or presta (small) valves? Sometimes you need to remove the end cap that fits on the valve and reverse it so it will fit the other size of valve.

When I shift down, a lot of times it hits like a neutral, or maybe drops down to the lowest gear. All of a sudden there's NO resistance and I can sit there and pedal away and not go anywhere. It usually happens when I'm going a decent speed(10-15mph for me). That's on the back gears, the front gears, everytime I go from 1 to 2, it doesn't go, it sits there and clicks like it wants to go, but it doesn't happen until I shift up to 3, which takes it up to 3, then I can shift down to 2.

Ok, so what have you done to get the rear gears from being in that neutral spinning state?

Shift down another gear, just like the front. So I have to shift 3 times to go down one gear, I have to shift down twice, and up once to get to the gear I want to be in.

Mind you, this isn't all the time, but it happens at least 2 or 3 times each morning. I spend most of the ride home in real low gears and don't shift often, so it's not quite as frequent on the ride home.

It sounds like you just need your derailers adjusted. You can Google for some help on how to do this yourself or maybe your boss will help you out. Sometimes the LBS will do this for $10-15, but I think alot of them charge more than that. Of course in your area you have other low cost options as well like the bike kitchens etc. There someone would teach you what you need to do. If you are mechanically inclined at all its not that difficult to figure it out yourself IMO.

I have the mechanical ability of a rock haha. But I can read and follow directions, so I'll google it and see what it takes.

Grats on sticking with it so far. No shame in getting off and walking when you have to -- as you get in better shape, you'll need to do so less and less. In the meantime, don't burn yourself out! Have fun! ;)

- Scott

I have encountered a similar problem on another bike of lesser quality but I think I might know what it is. If the chain is not popping off, and stays on the gears, then it might even be the freehub in the back not engaging the wheel correctly. I know the feeling when you are trying to pedal but it seems like something broke and you have almost no resistance when pedaling and you aren't going anywhere.

Since the bike that I had was doing it was a piece of crap, I just wacked it a few times and it sort of fixed the problem. Yo can read more about it here, but the idea is that something in the hub has some 'hooks' that hook onto the wheel as you pedal to make it move. If the hooks are not engaging the wheel, that is where the problem may be.

A bike is like a car IMO. Just call up a few bike shops and tell them you have a problem, but don't know what it is. Since you are in SD, I am sure there will not be a shortage of LBS'. Ask them if they will give you a free estimate on what is causing problems. You do not have to commit to having them fix it and you now have an idea of what might be wrong.

If the pump does not work, I'd bring it in with the bicycle and have them show me how it works. If they say it works, they should be able to get it to work or give you your money back. Stretching is important too, and should be something everyone does after riding. I am kind of lazy about it, and forget half the time but it should not be neglected less you wish to get cramps :D

potassium; magnesium and sodium. also soak those legs in a hot epsom bath and use a lot of it. then give them a good rub down

Unfortunately a lot of bike shops call a derailer adjustment a 'tune-up' and charge $35 for it.