Suck at biking
11-05-09, 01:41 PM
#26
Rides again
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SW. Sacramento Region, aka, down river
Posts: 3,282
Bikes: Giant OCR T, Trek SC
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Hills are 1- gearing, 2- physical shape, 3- nutrition, and 4-technique. The first two are critical and we don't know enough to help you.
11-08-09, 03:03 AM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Hammerville
Posts: 779
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
seems like when people first start cycling they see drastic improvements in fitness pretty quickly. just keep at it. keep trying your hill climbs and eventually you'll not only make it over but it'll be fairly easy. persistence is key here. in the beginning the bike doesn't matter if it works. the distance doesn't matter either. if you can keep a high heart rate for an hour and only go 6 miles you are still helping your body. pretty soon in that hour you will go 10 then 15 miles and so on.
11-28-09, 03:38 PM
#28
Newbie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I completely understand what you mean. Last year a friend got me started I road about 5 times and sucked. This past spring my friend and I rode a couple times and I hated it that he would just dust me on the hills. I struggled just to ride 6 miles at first. My first ride of 2009 was 3 miles and it about killed me but I wanted to ride with my friends so I just kept working on it. By the beginning of summer I bought a new Scott addict and had it fitted. MAN does a fitted bike make a world of difference. I started to pound out 20-40 mile rides on my own. It was my Sunday goal every week to go further each week. End of August I had an accident (not bike related) and torn up my knee, ACL and MCL. The week after the injury I had a scheduled ride with a friend for our first century and we did it. We road 106 miles. Now I'm 4 weeks post surgery and the DR is shocked at my leg strength. The week after surgery I was back on the bike (inside trainer) and ripping out the 40-50 min rides. at week 4 I'm already logging 30 miles rides.
For me it's all about wanting it. If I want to get better I know I had A LOT of room to improve. Set yourself goals each week. Beat those and set a new goal. Before long your running out of day light to ride.
Good luck and stay with it.
For me it's all about wanting it. If I want to get better I know I had A LOT of room to improve. Set yourself goals each week. Beat those and set a new goal. Before long your running out of day light to ride.
Good luck and stay with it.
11-28-09, 04:13 PM
#29
Banned.
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 981
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I started biking after 10 years, so maybe I'm expecting too much, but I absolutely suck. It took me one hour (!!) to do 6 miles today. 
I walked around 1.5 miles because the hills got too steep. Admittedly, there were hills and my bike is only slightly better than trash (I bought it at a garage sale). It would be nice to blame my speed (or the lack of it) on the crappy bike and the traffic lights, but I doubt they had that much of an effect.
I want to bike because it's an exercise I actually like. I want to improve my cardiovascular fitness and also lose weight (well, go from 25 BF% to around 15%, eventually). But it seems that I suck at biking. Hopefully this is something that I'll improve on in a reasonable timeframe?
Any advice? Should I attempt other methods of exercise and come back to biking after I lost the weight or should I continue biking in the hope that I'll eventually be able to go at 15MPH? My main worry is that it will take a long time to start seeing improvements; I don't want to get depressed and stop. I have no will power to speak of, I'm afraid... :-(
I walked around 1.5 miles because the hills got too steep. Admittedly, there were hills and my bike is only slightly better than trash (I bought it at a garage sale). It would be nice to blame my speed (or the lack of it) on the crappy bike and the traffic lights, but I doubt they had that much of an effect.I want to bike because it's an exercise I actually like. I want to improve my cardiovascular fitness and also lose weight (well, go from 25 BF% to around 15%, eventually). But it seems that I suck at biking. Hopefully this is something that I'll improve on in a reasonable timeframe?
Any advice? Should I attempt other methods of exercise and come back to biking after I lost the weight or should I continue biking in the hope that I'll eventually be able to go at 15MPH? My main worry is that it will take a long time to start seeing improvements; I don't want to get depressed and stop. I have no will power to speak of, I'm afraid... :-(
11-28-09, 06:36 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 298
Bikes: Cannondale CAAD9 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Everything everyone else is saying is true, but, as someone who has ridden 'trash' in the past, I know how frustrating it can be. It might be worth your while to make sure the wheels are true and the bearings aren't shot.
