Clod_King

Hey, just got a bike in the begining of June. I sold my project truck, and put my car on "pleasure insurance" and have been riding it to work and back. I've checked a couple other forums, but they don't seem as well attended as this one, so I decided to join. I have no questions yet, but will eventually after more reading, so be prepared.

Thanks.

10 Wheels

Welcome to Bike Forums.

How far is your commute?

BikeMech

Welcome. I'm interested in what your project truck was?

Clod_King

My commute is about 40 Km's total, but I'm at the bottom of the escarpment, and work is at the top. The hill isn't that long, just really steep. But I'm in wine country, so there are a lot of beautiful places to ride through, and a lot of organized rides to attend as well. I am just trying build up my stamina so I can maybe attend some rides before the summer is out... maybe fall.

I've had a few project cars... but my last one was a 1985 Chevy 3/4 ton prerunner style pickup. It used all the good parts from the project truck before that, which was 1989 3/4 ton suburban. I chopped in half, and welded it back together again. It kinda looked more like an Avalanche, but not entirely. I just couldn't afford the last project truck, and I wanted my summers back. I've had project vehicles for the last ten summers in a row, and I just wanted to do something else this summer. Plus the riding is dirt cheap once you get the magority of stuff bought. Or so it's been so far.

Clod_King

I can't post pictures yet can I? I would post a picture of my burb if I could.

Is it bad to hang your bike by the wheel? It's the only way I can keep it in my basement. And how do you figure out if your a climber, or a flat ground kind of rider?

LowCel 

Hanging your bike by the wheels will be just fine. To figure out if you are a climber do some climbs and see how you feel / compare to others. Same goes with other types of riding. It takes a while to figure out your niche.

You should be able to post pics via photobucket.com but I could be wrong.

Last but not least, welcome to the forum.

rjones28 

Welcome.

BikeMech

Oh... i was picturing a different kinda project truck. Welcome to the forum though. And once you start riding regular,you will notice wether you are climber,sprinter,or whatever. Generally if you're small like i am you tend to be more of a climber. Now that's not to say i climb like a pro or anything but still. That's my strong point. Don't worry right now about that though. Just ride

Clod_King

I'm in the 5'9" area and 187 lbs. And thanks for the quick answer about the wheels. It had me concerned.

I have a bunch more questions now...

Do squats and dead lifts help with cycling, or is that overkill.

Also I just got my first set of cycling shoes, and they have "self aligning" clips that allow for some swivling while riding. Should I get the clips that don't allow for movement?

I have a very standard cycling computer. Do I need to know the cadence, and the wattage, and all that jazz that I read so much about. My step dad told me to just count my pedals every one in while. He's an old schooler, and has a bunch of good usable knowledge.

Clod_King

What kind of project were you thinking of Bikemech?

BikeMech

I just pictured a bagged truck of some kind. That workout will help. Those cleats will be fine just make sure they are positioned right on the shoe. And no,you really don't need to know the cadence. I have cadence but usually don't pull it up until after my ride. Every once in a while i will switch to it just to see what i'm doing. I know what my desired cadence feels like for the most part and i can just tell if i'm higher or lower.

Clod_King

I was gonna bag the truck, but decided to go up again, instead of down. I am gonna lower my car though, and putting an LS7 in it, mid ship.

Okay, thanks. I think I have the shoes setup correctly. I'll get my step dad to double check them.