gearhead82

I moved from Northern CA to central OH about a month ago for work. I've been working on getting in shape all year and since I don't know anybody here I started riding my mountain bike on some of the nice paved trails here. I noticed my Trek 6500 wasn't too comfortable on longer paved rides. I started thinking about getting a road bike. I almost bought a cheapo $250 department store bike but they had to order it and it was "lost in transit" when I called to find out what was taking so long last Friday.

I ended up at a LBS and walked out with a 2008 model 60cm Trek 1.2. Growing up in the mountains I never thought I would end up on a "sissy" road bike with those skinny tires. But I absolutely love it! I hit 30.07 mph on a flat trail today and got an adrenaline rush I didn't think I could get on a bike! I'm a big guy (6', 265lbs). I'm pretty muscular and in maybe somewhat decent shape for my size since I've been a gym addict since the beginning of the year and I've lost nearly 60lbs through hard work and exercise.

Here are my issues. My neck is sore. My butt is sore, and my hands are sore. I've put about 35 miles on the bike since Saturday but I have no idea how everything is supposed to feel. I think my stem might be a little too long. The guy at the LBS said my handlebars should be pretty much inline with the front axle when I'm in my riding position. I'm using a 100mm right now and the handlebars seem to be out in front of the axle quite a bit. It also seems like I'm putting a lot of pressure on my hands, but I don't know what's normal. The bike itself might be a little too big for me being that I have a pretty small inseam of about 32". But I'm stuck with it now.

Does anyone have any recommendations/tips/pointers for me?

Thanks,
Brandon

wanders

Who would like start?

RacerOne

Sounds about right...

beetz12

I just recently started cycling too, but here are my 2 cents:

Pick up a good pair of cycling shorts if you haven't already. They are made from a sweat-wicking fabric and feature a chamois pad that cushions your bottom. You will be amazed how comfortable you still feel at the end of a long ride.

As for your hand and neck pains, it could be due to several factors. What is your saddle relative to your handlebar? And do you keep your hands on the straight portion of the handle bar during the ride?

ridethecliche

Go back to the shop and have them fit you. Should have come with the purchase!

gearhead82

My seat is an inch or two higher than my handlebars. I'm riding probably 70% in the hoods and 30% in the drop position. Before I left the shop they threw the bike up in the trainer and adjusted the seat for both height and for the forward/back position. They also swapped the 110 stem for a 100, but I'm thinking I might need to go back for a 90. I will also check out some cycling shorts.

Should my handlebars ideally be close to even with my saddle if I'm having neck pain? I'm sure some of it will just be getting used to a road bike in general.

Brandon

J.Lockdown

You have not been riding that long on the road bike so it will take time to get use to. All those pains are normal and will go away the more you ride. Cycling shorts will help a lot cause they will give some padding on your sit bones which are causing the pain. It took me a couple weeks for mine to get use to being on the saddle so give it some time.

Well your seat should not really be moved up or down cause your handle bars. You want ur seat to fit based on your leg length and how they extend when your pedel is all the way down. Your bars can be adjusted to be up or down more from the stem you uses and its angel. Their are different angels you can get that might help.

That said the pains you are feeling are normal. You need to get more miles in I think before you start changing things to much. Make sure things fit, but at the same time give your body a little time to adjust to everything.

bakerjw

Like you, I recently started riding. 6' and 245 when I started. down to 233 the last I checked but my legs bulked up a lot so I have slimmed down quite a bit. I had a spare large area seat laying around that helped with the back side pain at first. When my waist size dropped sufficiently, I picked up a narrower seat and padded bibs. That made all of the difference in the world. I didn't want to spend money on bibs that would be too big for me after I lost weight.

I also rotated the handlebars up a little higher. This alleviated me needing to bend over quite as far and helped with the neck cramping. It mainly helped with my wrists that were injured a few years back in a over the handlebars dismount. I had a lot of arm damage and my wrists and elbow are my weakest joints.

As others have said, there will be some pains. Keep the seat where it is and ride it out.

Shayne

Brandon,

Welcome to the world of roadbikes, your going to love it.

With only 35 miles on the bike, I think you need to back off making any adjustments. Get a few hundred miles on it, that way you get into "roadbike shape". Also, make sure your not locking your elbows, they should have a slight bend to them. A lot of those pains in your neck and hands will get better as you put on a few more miles.

Just my $.02

stapfam

After 16 years of Mountain biking I changed to road bikes. 2 1/2 years later I still get a sore neck if I ride in the drops for too long- Butt aches if I am on the hoods for more than an hour and the hands need exercise every couple of hours.

Best advice is to get a Pair of Cycling shorts- A pair of Padded gloves with padding in the right place and just keep riding. Should be OK for a 6 hour ride in about a years time.

patentcad

Well of course, that all depends.

caloso

Define "love."

Copperhed51

HAHAHAHAHAHA. I'm sorry but that is absolutely hilarious.

Shayne

Ok, you will learn to love it in a self loathing, painful sort of way.

gearhead82

Update: I went back to the bike shop today. They swapped my 100 stem out for a 90. I purchased some padded shorts, gloves, helmet, and a few other things. HUGE improvement in ride comfort. I have claustrophobic feet that refuse to be attached to pedals by any means right now, but I did also swap my pedals for a more grippy set that are double-sided. I did a 50 minute ride (same as yesterday) and felt like I could have eaten something and done it again. $200 completely changed my ride. Thanks for all the help!

Brandon

Hickeydog

Now that you have the right stuff, just remember: It doesn't get easier. You just go faster.