Listen up new riders... learn how to spin... and save your knees!

OK... it has taken 120 miles (I have 520 miles logged on my bike)... but this spinning thing and how to use my gears... finally CLICKED!

Mind you, I mashed through about 400 miles on my bike... thus, I ended up wtih acute knee pain.

Also, I didn't have a clue about how to use my gears, what spinning, or cadence meant.

So, I slowed things down... backed off... kept at 10 MPH, just spinning my legs as fast as I could on my lowest gear.

Then, last weekend, I got up to 13 MPH average... but the spinning didn't click.

Finally... TONIGHT... I was averaging 16-18 MPH... and so fearful of hurting my knees... but I was spinning on the lowest gear... then when my butt would start to bounce in the seat I would go up a gear... amazingly enough, I wasn't mashing... but still spinning.

I also learned when to downshift to keep my spinning constant and to keep my cadence the same (I don't have a monitor but when by *feel*).

Moral of the story... don't mash on the pedals... start out right... learn how to spin... and you WILL get down the road FAST... but PAIN FREE!

Best of luck to everyone!

I'm glad it's finally clickin' for you! Good job! I was sure you would end up spinning and lovin' it! :) Now ride!

interesting.. thank you!

KSH... after all the discussion around leg/knee pains you have had, its great to hear it seems to be sorted...


As Grog said.... RIDE!!!! :p

Yay! So glad to hear you are having a better time of it! Thats great!

*Beams with pride*

Thanks for the all congrats ladies... and I am so proud... because this past weekend, I was riding with my local group, and this seasoned rider was watching my friend and I riding side-by-side... and he said to his friend...

"There you have 2 examples of how to pedal... one is spinning (that was ME!)... and the other one is mashing her pedals (my poor friend hasn't caught on yet)."

She then asked what that meant... and he pulled up beside her and had a conversation with her about it.

way to go!.........and didn't ya just love that it got noticed!!!?? How is your knee doing lately btw?

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Originally Posted by CorsairMac

way to go!.........and didn't ya just love that it got noticed!!!?? How is your knee doing lately btw?

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Yea... I can't believe that I was the *model* of spinning!

As for my knees... they are doing much better. I still have some knee pain, but it is minor, and if my knees have some pain... I back off on riding/running/swimming (yes, swimming makes my knees hurt, due to my flip turns).

Overall though, backing off on the bike, slowing down, and learning how to spin... and working back up... helped my knees A LOT!

Thanks for asking!

Hmmmm...learning to spin has been my #1 priority...it's so hard to learn. I don't know why, but I seem to be able to spin so much better on the new Fuji than the Redline (cross bike). I was out at the track running around and came up next to this guy-I didn't have my monitor working yet, so didn't know my cadence. I asked and he said he was doing 86 I think...vast improvement for me from 60 or so. I guess the weight of the bike or maybe the angles make the difference in ability to spin? Plus, it seems I do so many hills...how the #@$#$# are you supposed to spin up a hill?? LOL

what is spinning? i may already be doing it, unbeknownst. i have a schwinn 10 speed roadbike that's pretty fast when i ride my usual 8 mile straight stretch. (fast as far as i know.)
jen

Actually you can spin up a hill - make the upstroke of the pedal on the back count as much or more than the downstroke (the mash) on the front...

A guy I know told me to practice spinning by pedaling with one foot unlipped and off the pedal - meaning only one foot and leg doing ANY work - the other hanging in mid-air out to the side. Do this on both sides until you are feeling the full rotation of the pedal, not just the mash or downstroke at the front of the pedal.

Then spin with both feet! AMAZING how much easier the hills are!!!!!! I can go up them almost twice as fast as I could!

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Originally Posted by Technotart

Actually you can spin up a hill - make the upstroke of the pedal on the back count as much or more than the downstroke (the mash) on the front...

A guy I know told me to practice spinning by pedaling with one foot unlipped and off the pedal - meaning only one foot and leg doing ANY work - the other hanging in mid-air out to the side. Do this on both sides until you are feeling the full rotation of the pedal, not just the mash or downstroke at the front of the pedal.

Then spin with both feet! AMAZING how much easier the hills are!!!!!! I can go up them almost twice as fast as I could!

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Don't forget to add that you were spinning at around 22 MPH this past weekend!!!!


But... what she said... you CAN spin up hills. I personally LOVE hills... and I spin all the way up... dropping people (OK, the really slow people!) in my dust! HA!

Despite the really rough chip seal road - the ride was a BLAST! SO much more fun to ride with someone!

Do you think the Plano group would mind if I/we joined in on a couple of the no drop rides sometime soon?

Lara and I are doing a Thurs pm 30 miler if you want to join us over in Las Colinas

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Originally Posted by Technotart

Despite the really rough chip seal road - the ride was a BLAST! SO much more fun to ride with someone!

Do you think the Plano group would mind if I/we joined in on a couple of the no drop rides sometime soon?

Lara and I are doing a Thurs pm 30 miler if you want to join us over in Las Colinas

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Hey... ANYONE is welcome to join the PBA to ride! They don't "check your membership"! You and I can ride together... it will be fun!

I won't be riding this Saturday (triathlon)... but I will be back on the following Saturday!

Thanks for the invite on Thursday... but that is my "date night" with my boyfriend... and I have to save my legs for my Saturday triathlon!

I bet Lara is going to be in "awe" when you sprint off on her! HA!

I'm with blue heaven ... I'm not sure I really understand what spinning is. From this thread I'm getting an idea of what you mean but not sure I fully understand. And definitely don't know HOW to learn to do it. Any more detailed explanations would be greatly appreciated. I won't be doing it off the bat anyway since I'm a BRAND NEWBIE--having only ridden twice and still on platform pedals. Still, want to do what to do when I'm ready to clip in.

You cant spin on platform pedals - it just isnt possible - you can sort of do it with toe cages, but that would be hard, until you get clipless spinning is a hard concept to conceive - try out the one legged method on a friends bike or at the LBS on something clipless and see if you can sort of get a feel for it! Once you see how different it is, you will never mash the pedals again unless you are standing on them!

the easiest way to explain it is: spinning is pedalling with little resistance. If you feel resistance or even seem to be "pushing" against the pedals as you turn them - you're mashing your pedals. Think of the kids on the Big Wheels turning their feet reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal fast - thats spinning.
The hardest thing for new people to understand (or even this old person!) is that you Can go Fast while spinning without pushing so hard against the gears. If visuals help, think of Lance when he rides, ever notice how fast he turns his legs without seeming to work so hard? That's spinning.
I found the best way for me to learn aside from the "one-legged spin" was to drop to a very low gear and pedal until I was bouncing on the saddle, then to up the gears 1 gear at a time while maintaining that fast spin until I wasn't bouncing anymore. (make sense?) You'll notice you'll be riding about the same speed or faster without tiring out your legs.
I've also noticed I coast a lot less when I'm spinning (unless I'm at the end of a century! :rolleyes: ) coz I just don't need to "rest" my legs by coasting.

What is spinning:

Essentially, spinning is turning your legs rapidly in lower gears (larger rings in the back, smaller in front), rather than using higher gears (smaller rings in back) and "pumping" (mashing) or straining against the pedals. Think of using your gears like driving a car with a stick shift. The engine (your legs) keep a fairly constant "spin", like pistons in a car, while you use the gears to adjust to the grade and speed. That way, your legs are not overworked - you just keep your legs going the same speed. Spinning means using a rapid cadence. Find a gear where your legs are turning rapidly without straining, and then pedal as fast as you can without bouncing in the saddle. When you start to bounce, shift into a higher gear (smaller sprocket in the back). Think of your body as a machine. keep steady in the saddle; don't rock your body or the bike back and forth, concentrate on traveling in a straight line with your legs acting like rapid pistons, moving up and down, with no strain, like a machine.

I hope this helps.

Nina

Thanks, everyone, for the explanations. It makes sense to me now. So when I'm ready to go clipless I'll know what I'm aiming for. :) It's a beautiful day in southern Indiana and I hope to get out for a ride in the hills (just the little ones for now :)) after work today.