General Questions
04-05-08, 07:23 PM
#1
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General Questions
Hello all,
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
2. How fast do most people ride? I haven't found this anywhere. Today I went on a 14 mile ride and it came in just under an hour. I know some people talk about riding at 20mph or faster, but I just wanted to see if I was really slow because I am new to riding. I kind of just want a target speed to work towards. Nothing concrete. It is also pretty hilly where I am. I tend to ride about 25 down hill, 16-18 on the flats, and 7-10 on the hills.
3. I know I am a real beginner and I was wondering if someone could refer me to some good sites about doing maintenance and upkeep on your bike.
4. I have no clue when you are suppose to use the drop bars. Is it just a personal preference or do you get in the on down hills to be more aerodynamic or what?
5. I currently run a few times a week and have added my riding into my routine. I was wondering if this looks like a common or unusual routine for those who run and ride.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
2. How fast do most people ride? I haven't found this anywhere. Today I went on a 14 mile ride and it came in just under an hour. I know some people talk about riding at 20mph or faster, but I just wanted to see if I was really slow because I am new to riding. I kind of just want a target speed to work towards. Nothing concrete. It is also pretty hilly where I am. I tend to ride about 25 down hill, 16-18 on the flats, and 7-10 on the hills.
3. I know I am a real beginner and I was wondering if someone could refer me to some good sites about doing maintenance and upkeep on your bike.
4. I have no clue when you are suppose to use the drop bars. Is it just a personal preference or do you get in the on down hills to be more aerodynamic or what?
5. I currently run a few times a week and have added my riding into my routine. I was wondering if this looks like a common or unusual routine for those who run and ride.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
04-05-08, 07:36 PM
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Laguna Hills California
Posts: 478
Bikes: Cannondale R3000, Specialized Enduro SL
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Hello all,
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
If you have a bike stand where you can get the bike up in the air it might make things a little easier to do it.
Watch this youtube vid for a general idea of what's going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coI1T2XYkok
2. How fast do most people ride? I haven't found this anywhere. Today I went on a 14 mile ride and it came in just under an hour. I know some people talk about riding at 20mph or faster, but I just wanted to see if I was really slow because I am new to riding. I kind of just want a target speed to work towards. Nothing concrete. It is also pretty hilly where I am. I tend to ride about 25 down hill, 16-18 on the flats, and 7-10 on the hills.
Go whatever speed you are comfortable with, but try to keep your heart rate up for a cardiovascular workout
3. I know I am a real beginner and I was wondering if someone could refer me to some good sites about doing maintenance and upkeep on your bike.
4. I have no clue when you are suppose to use the drop bars. Is it just a personal preference or do you get in the on down hills to be more aerodynamic or what?
5. I currently run a few times a week and have added my riding into my routine. I was wondering if this looks like a common or unusual routine for those who run and ride.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
Also, riding to work can help out too.
04-05-08, 07:49 PM
#3
Senior Member
Welcome. I'll try to give some guidance
1) You may need to adjust the rear derailleur, or the shift cable might be sticking under the bottom bracket so a dab of grease might help. If you recently bought the bike why not just go back to REI and as them to take a look at it shops will often do this for free if its a new purchase.
2) In touring speed isn't important, its just being outside and going places. Having said that your speeds are just fine. The road guys zip along the flat at 20mph plus, but a lot of us only get up to those speed with the help of gravity.
3) Check out the following sites
www.sheldonbrown.com
www.parktool.com
4) 95% of the time I ride on the hoods or with my hands on the top of the bars close to the stem. Only in severe head winds do I get down on the drops, but this is a very personal thing.
5) If you are doing 5 mile runs I can see you doing far longer rides than you are planning. If you feel good on 2 days rest out of 7 the schedule looks ok, I'd slowly increase your cycling miles until you are doing 20 to 30 mile rides during the week, these are still very short rides to most cyclists. At the weekend work up to 50 mile rides and then go on form there. A goal many people set themselves is to do 100 miles in a day
1) You may need to adjust the rear derailleur, or the shift cable might be sticking under the bottom bracket so a dab of grease might help. If you recently bought the bike why not just go back to REI and as them to take a look at it shops will often do this for free if its a new purchase.
2) In touring speed isn't important, its just being outside and going places. Having said that your speeds are just fine. The road guys zip along the flat at 20mph plus, but a lot of us only get up to those speed with the help of gravity.
3) Check out the following sites
www.sheldonbrown.com
www.parktool.com
4) 95% of the time I ride on the hoods or with my hands on the top of the bars close to the stem. Only in severe head winds do I get down on the drops, but this is a very personal thing.
5) If you are doing 5 mile runs I can see you doing far longer rides than you are planning. If you feel good on 2 days rest out of 7 the schedule looks ok, I'd slowly increase your cycling miles until you are doing 20 to 30 mile rides during the week, these are still very short rides to most cyclists. At the weekend work up to 50 mile rides and then go on form there. A goal many people set themselves is to do 100 miles in a day
04-06-08, 10:12 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Central Coast, CA
Posts: 3,392
Bikes: Surly LHT, Specialized Rockhopper, Nashbar Touring (old), Specialized Stumpjumper (older), Nishiki Tourer (model unknown)
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2 Posts
Hello all,
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
It sounds like you're a perfect candidate for touring. The Randonee is a solid touring bike, from everything I've heard.
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
I think you need to learn how to set and adjust your derailleurs. This is pretty easy and once you see how it all works it's very straightforward. Cables stretch, so periodic adjustments are a part of regular riding. I don't want to explain it all here. It would take longer to write than to do. Get a basic book - Zinn or Bicycling Magazine's - and familiarize yourself with Sheldon Brown's and Park Tools's websites.
2. How fast do most people ride? I haven't found this anywhere. Today I went on a 14 mile ride and it came in just under an hour. I know some people talk about riding at 20mph or faster, but I just wanted to see if I was really slow because I am new to riding. I kind of just want a target speed to work towards. Nothing concrete. It is also pretty hilly where I am. I tend to ride about 25 down hill, 16-18 on the flats, and 7-10 on the hills.
I think most tourists think most about riding at a pace that they can sustain all day, and one which won't tire them out too much, because they have to get up and ride all day the next day, and the next, etc. I go by the feeling in my legs, heart, and lungs. If I feel like I'm wearing myself out I slow down a bit. I usually ride faster after awhile in the saddle - after I get warmed up. I seem to go the fastest at the end of the day when I'm closing in on the night's destination. However, I never check my computer to see if I'm going fast enough.
3. I know I am a real beginner and I was wondering if someone could refer me to some good sites about doing maintenance and upkeep on your bike.
www.sheldonbrown.com and Park Tool's. You can also go to the Bicycle Mechanics forum and ask questions there (as well as here.)
4. I have no clue when you are suppose to use the drop bars. Is it just a personal preference or do you get in the on down hills to be more aerodynamic or what?
Go to the drops when you want to be more aerodynamic (like into a headwind), or when you want to cover your brakes (like down a hill, in traffic), or when you just want to put your hands into a new position because they're getting tired of the last one.
5. I currently run a few times a week and have added my riding into my routine. I was wondering if this looks like a common or unusual routine for those who run and ride.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
I have no comment, other than to say that the more riding you do, the better shape you'll be in when you start your tour. However, nothing prepares me adequately. I always suffer a bit for the first three days. For that reason I usually plan short days for the first three, and work up to longer mileages after that.
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
No problem. People here like to help, especially newbies. I've found most bicycle tourers share a kinship. You'll probably discover this if you're ever in a campground with other tourers. I've only come across one unfriendly bike tourer in all my years, and he wasn't all that bad.
I stumbled onto this site and fell in love with the idea of going on a tour after I graduate. I love camping and being outdoors. I used to ride a BMX bike all day when I was young and loved it, so the idea of riding for days sounds amazing. I recently bought a new Novara Rondonee from REI. I do have a few questions though:
It sounds like you're a perfect candidate for touring. The Randonee is a solid touring bike, from everything I've heard.
1. The gears seems to be a little off. I obviously don't know a lot about them so I will try to explain what I mean. They kind of slip sometimes when I am on the second gear in the front and on a few of the middle gears on the back. I pedal easy when I shift, and when i feel it connect i begin pedaling harder. Sometimes if i am going up a hill or just pedaling harder, it feels as if the chain is changing gears. Kind of like its in between 2 gears and goes back and forth. Do I need to make an adjustment or is something like this semi-normal and I just need to be careful with it. I guess I feel like I am going to break something when it happens. When it does I again pedal slowly and let it re-seat and then shift out to another gear.
I think you need to learn how to set and adjust your derailleurs. This is pretty easy and once you see how it all works it's very straightforward. Cables stretch, so periodic adjustments are a part of regular riding. I don't want to explain it all here. It would take longer to write than to do. Get a basic book - Zinn or Bicycling Magazine's - and familiarize yourself with Sheldon Brown's and Park Tools's websites.
2. How fast do most people ride? I haven't found this anywhere. Today I went on a 14 mile ride and it came in just under an hour. I know some people talk about riding at 20mph or faster, but I just wanted to see if I was really slow because I am new to riding. I kind of just want a target speed to work towards. Nothing concrete. It is also pretty hilly where I am. I tend to ride about 25 down hill, 16-18 on the flats, and 7-10 on the hills.
I think most tourists think most about riding at a pace that they can sustain all day, and one which won't tire them out too much, because they have to get up and ride all day the next day, and the next, etc. I go by the feeling in my legs, heart, and lungs. If I feel like I'm wearing myself out I slow down a bit. I usually ride faster after awhile in the saddle - after I get warmed up. I seem to go the fastest at the end of the day when I'm closing in on the night's destination. However, I never check my computer to see if I'm going fast enough.
3. I know I am a real beginner and I was wondering if someone could refer me to some good sites about doing maintenance and upkeep on your bike.
www.sheldonbrown.com and Park Tool's. You can also go to the Bicycle Mechanics forum and ask questions there (as well as here.)
4. I have no clue when you are suppose to use the drop bars. Is it just a personal preference or do you get in the on down hills to be more aerodynamic or what?
Go to the drops when you want to be more aerodynamic (like into a headwind), or when you want to cover your brakes (like down a hill, in traffic), or when you just want to put your hands into a new position because they're getting tired of the last one.
5. I currently run a few times a week and have added my riding into my routine. I was wondering if this looks like a common or unusual routine for those who run and ride.
Mon - Run 3-4 mi
Tues - bike 8-10 mi
Wed - Run 3-5 mi
Thurs - Rest
Fri - Run 3-5 mi
Sat - Long Ride 15-20 mi
Sun - Rest
I have no comment, other than to say that the more riding you do, the better shape you'll be in when you start your tour. However, nothing prepares me adequately. I always suffer a bit for the first three days. For that reason I usually plan short days for the first three, and work up to longer mileages after that.
Again thanks for the help. If there is a better place to ask these beginner question just tell me. I guess since I am going towards touring I am asking it in here.
No problem. People here like to help, especially newbies. I've found most bicycle tourers share a kinship. You'll probably discover this if you're ever in a campground with other tourers. I've only come across one unfriendly bike tourer in all my years, and he wasn't all that bad.
