Yen

I've been riding my new bike every day since Hubby brought it home last Tuesday (except on Tuesday when we had high winds). Now I don't want to stop riding. I am having a blast!! It's fun greeting the people I pass with a smile on my face in my comfortable, upright position. I learn more each day about how and when to change the gears and I am willing to venture a little further on each ride.

Today we went back to the LBS where I bought all the goodies: helmet, gloves, headlight (includes flashing option), taillight (includes flashing option), bike sack, tire-changing levers, multi-tool kit, spare tube, liners to wear under regular pants, and a pump. They gave us a free bottle and cage and mounted it for free when we bought the bike. Actually, the helmet is on special order because they didn't have my favorite color in stock.

My wrist did just fine. The only unexpected pain was/is my left thumb. Late last year, I severed the tendon and other tissues down to between the bones. It is still healing from surgery (weekly PT is helping) and there is still a little swelling and a lot of scar tissue beneath the skin, though strength and range-of-motion are almost back to normal. (This is the same hand that has the carpal prosthesis in the wrist.) It has been throbbing since I finished riding tonight, which it has not done for several weeks. I guess I need to be more aware of how/where I am holding it while I am riding.

I have just one question.... how long will it take for my leg muscles to come out of dormancy???

My new helmet........... A Bell Vela. I plan to remove the visor.


NOTE!!! The date of the original post is 3/30/07.
I've been riding now for almost a year.

Digital Gee

It won't take long!

My first rides were five miles, and I thought I was gonna die! Within a few days, a week or two at the most, that was old hat. You'll surprise yourself at how quickly you can ride further.

Just keep focused on having fun, and the miles will come.

Ain't it great?

Yen

Yes, it is great! But my first rides aren't anywhere near 5 miles... unless what I've done isn't really a ride. I'm just riding around the neighborhood blocks, in and out of the streets, learning to ride and change the gears and get comfortable in the saddle, test how my wrist (and now my thumb) feels, pay attention to traffic.......... and avoid falling. Fortunately we live in an area with lots of streets with a slight incline as well as streets that are level, so there's a good balance. And very few cars as long as I avoid the busy streets.

Oh and the best thing about my experience at the store was when the young sales guy estimated that I wear a medium when I was looking at liners. 30 lbs. ago, he would have said "large".

Jen

CrossChain

I hope you're not keeping the bike out in the garage. It might get cold out there. Glad after all the soul searching that everything has worked out so joyfully. DG's right......if the fun factor is there, then the longer rides and the increased comfort will come. As you continue riding, your body will discover how seemingly small changes in position on saddle, bars, angle of your arms, etc. will bring increases in comfort. Bodies sort of wrap around and adapt to that rigid piece of metal. Shifting and braking will become increasingly intuitive. I almost envy you the freshness and pleasure of discovering a new passion and a new place for yourself. And your body is a few days stronger than it used to be! Besides, it will be light in a few hours and you get to go out again!

Mojo Slim

Welcome to the Dark Side, Young Yen.

Nermal

Like DG says, it won't take long. Like Greg LeMond says, it never gets easy; you just go faster.

SaiKaiTai

I remember it like it was yesterday... you have a wonderful time ahead of you. There ain't nothin' like getting back up on two wheels. The most amazing thing is it just gets easier and -early one, in my case- noticably easier almost on a weely basis. The ride I took tonight was unimaginable last year.

Sci-Fi

Congrats Glad you are enjoying your new bike. Suggest trying your helmet with and without the visor. Might find the visor comes in handy when you need a bit of shade on your face.

stapfam

took up riding 17 years ago and still waiting for the legs.

Riding every day- Take a day off and clean the bike. Although you are not doing great milage on your rides, you may need a rest day to help them recover.


Looks like we have another OCP. Special orders going in for particular colour clothing.

JRD

Yen,

I know the feeling. I too am just getting back into it. I can't wait for my ride time to get here each day. I live close to Lake Michigan and the Windpoint Lighthouse. There is a paved bike path near the lake front, what a relaxing ride. By the way, nice helmet, not my choice of colors, but nice none the less!

Enjoy!
John

Red Baron

I get this feeling every day. Ain't it Grand!!!!!!!!
Word of Caution - Don't overdo it.

CTYankee

My wife and I are also new to biking and we love it. I never thought exercising could be this much fun. Sure beats the treadmill. We are doing 5 to 10 miles most evenings along a bike path on Long Island Sound. There are walkers, joggers, people rollerblading, other bikers, birds, sunsets.........Life is Good.

Cheers

Floyd

Y E S.. continue to enjoy your rides and don't worry about how far you are going. Your distance is far enough if that be 2 miles or 20+ miles as long as you are enjoying and getting your health.. I agree with Sci-fi, the visor might come in handy when the sun shines.......................peace

Jet Travis

+1 to all above, except Stapfam, who could ride the legs off of most anyone.

Speaking of bringing your legs out of dormancy here's a true inspirational tale: I had a buddy a number of years ago who wanted to start cycling. On our first few rides, his legs weren't up to the challenge of even a rolling hill, so we walked them together. Within a couple of months, he was riding everything with confidence and authority. A year or two later, we were taking self-supported bike tours through the mountains of West Virginia.

The great thing about cycling is that it's a lifelong activity that you can enjoy at any level.

PS--Love your helmet. Want to see how you coordinate that with the bike, the jersey, the shoes and shorts. And don't forget to get some cool socks. May I reccomend these from www.sockguy.com/

bcoppola

Yen -- before you get too enamored of all this, take a good look at DnvrFox's 50+ "Rogues Gallery". Then ask yourself: do I really want to be one of THEM!?!

If the answer is yes, send him your picture and bio ASAP. And welcome -- abandon all hope of ever being normal again! (I'm on page 8, btw.)

P.S. I started out with a Trek hybrid a few years ago, thinking I'd just tootle around a bit. Now I have a fancy schmancy road bike, a fixed gear conversion, more Lycra clothing than I ever thought I would own, and am contemplating my first century. It could happen to you.

Digital Gee

Yen, you may surprise yourself. I know I was shocked. As I've said earlier, my first rides were about 5 miles and they were killers. But I just rode while it was fun, and stopped when it wasn't.

Flash forward just 21 months. I've moved on from my original mountain bike with slick tires (to ride on pavement), purchased a used flat-bar road-bike hybrid, added two coasters for rides with my daughters, and now have a "new" vintage road bike being modified to fit me perfectly.

But my real shock is this: in those 21 months or so, I've ridden close to 4,000 miles. AND THAT'S NOT MUCH compared to many on this forum. It's probably an average result. I would have bet a ton of money against that kind of result two years ago.

But it was all fun, most of it was fairly short trips, and I've had a ball. I can so clearly remember the feelings you are articulating here -- the joy of rediscovering cycling. I STILL have moments of pure, child-like wonder at it all. It's all good.

Anyway, enjoy the hell out of your bike and all the accessories and keep us involved in your journey of discovery. All of us -- no matter how many years we've been cycling, love to be involved with someone who's just getting started or finally returning to the herd.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ride downtown and past the harbor waiting for me...

George

Yen, my wife and I started riding about 8 months ago and she said I don't know how people can ride 10 miles. That's not fun to me and all that other stuff. Now she's up to 20 and loves it. When she talks to her friends on the phone, riding always comes up and how far she can go now. Anyhow if you like it half as much as we do, you'll love it, have fun and enjoy yourself.

Yen

Good morning everyone! (It's still morning here in SoCal.) Hubby and I took a long walk through the neighborhoods this morning and I can feel my legs this morning, it seems more than before so my legs muscles are beginning to perk up.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and words of advice, and also your personal stories of improvement since you started riding. I too can't wait to get home and ride in the evenings.

I believe I am restricted in the type of bike I can ride due to my wrist issue. The prosthetic carpal in my left wrist is my main concern and I have had to baby it a little since the surgery 29 years ago. This probably leaves out a road bike, unless I get it fitted with a tall, adjustable stem to move the bars closer to me so I don't lean on them. I'll see how I feel and what my needs are in a couple of years. I asked the folks in the Recreation & Fitness forum about long rides on a comfort bike, and I got quite a few positive responses that surprised me, so I intend to get as much out of this bike as possible as often as I can.

I do plan to extend my riding way outside of our neighborhood streets. Yesterday we learned of some neat bike paths around here, including in the hills and also around a lake, and we plan to go there as soon as we get a chance (maybe today???).

I'll check out the Rogues Gallery, I haven't even seen it yet. (I'm beginning to wonder if this is the funniest forum at this site.) And I need to get familiar with the pie thing you guys do. I am so thankful for this forum. Though I'm just almost 51, it's nice to have a hangout for the older kids on the block.

OCP? I thought all girls were like this. I'm thinking maybe a turquoise jersey will look good with the shocking pink helmet and black bike.

And Jet, yes, I love those socks!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jen

radioflier

Yen - just remember: You're never too old to have a happy childhood! Congrats on finding the joys of cycling!

Terrierman

It really is like being a kid again. And the best part is id doesn't wear off, it's not illegal and it's actually good for you. Congratulations. As another recent convert, I can testify that it won't take long for your legs to come along nicely. Time is now my major obstacle, the legs are just not at issue much anymore (except when there's hills involved).

Deanster04

Sounds like you are having fun. Your conditioning will come with time on the bike. Energy begets energy and you will find as you ride more you will feel better. Better to ride a little bit every day...clears the mind (cyclotheraphy).

Louis

Cycling is one of the few things I've done that is fun, AND legal.

Jet Travis

Louis, I'm looking forward to seeing you in Ohio. Is it true that what happens in GOBA stays in GOBA?

Little Darwin

A few comments.

1) Welcome to the obsession! You will continue to love it as long as you don't worry about comparing yourself to others. My first ride was around the block in a flat neighborhood and I thought it was going to be the death of me. Now it isn't even a good warm-up. Even if you never make it to 5 miles (and you will probably have to restrain yourself or you'll be riding 10 miles before you know it) as long as you are active and having fun, you are doing great.

2) Go to the local big hardware store and get some of the paint that sticks on plastic (I think it is by Rustoleum) and paint the visor a better color for the helmet (probably white) and use it. For an upright position I prefer using a visor. The only time they are problematic is when you are in the drops. I think the visor would look nice with some aesthetic changes.

3) Drop bars aren't in my repertoire yet due to my gut being in the way, but I am looking forward to it for the additional hand positions. Drop bars may actually be better for you in the long run due to additional hand positions available. I haven't ridden drop bars since about the time you had your surgery but it is my understanding that if a bike is fitted well to you, even drop bars should be set up so that while riding you can hover with your hands over the bar... there shouldn't be a lot of weight on them. And with nice tall setup, I think it will be fine, as long as you have fun, do it with whatever bars you like.

4) You should ask the LBS about attaching some bar ends... This will give you an alternate hand position and help you to be able to be comfortable for longer.

Again, welcome to the obsession!

Yen

Thank you for the additional cheers and suggestions. After a long walk yesterday and really feeling it in my legs, I decided to not ride at all yesterday (didn't have a chance anyway) and rest again today until later this evening when I'll take an easy ride around the neighborhood. As Red Baron cautioned, I don't want to overdo it and I need to let my muscles recover today.

Little Darwin - Actually, I kinda like the black visor... it matches my bike. The only reason I considered removing it is because of the reading I did about bicycle helmet safey and "snag points" on helmets. The article said that a helmet should have as few snag points as possible to allow the helmet to slide on pavement after a fall, rather than catch on something which could pull the neck. However.... I agree that in a more upright position the visor will be handy for sun protection. I'm wondering if a regular visor can be worn under the snug-fitting helmet.

About drop bars... no way, no can do. In addition to my wrist, I also have problems in my neck with compressed vertebrae and bone spurs. If I tilt my head back (or raise it if I were using drop bars), it will seem to "lock" and be very painful to move. Even if I put my head back while riding in a car, especially if I fall asleep and leave it that way, it feels like it catches on something somewhere in there. There's just no way I would be able to ride for hours, or even 1/2 hour, with my head tilted back with drop bars. But thanks anyway for suggesting them. However........ I will definitely ask the LBS about attaching some bar ends.... that's a great idea.

Jen