Yet another newbie

[Roadrunner]

Just taken up cycling, I have been using a mountain bike but have ordered a road bike as I mainly seem to be doing road work.Today I went 16.53 miles (mostly uphill) it took 1:55.00. Is that good or is it rubbish? I'm hoping to get fitter, slimmer and of course faster. (L.A has a lot to answer for) I averaged 8.6 miles an hour but some of the gradients were 1:6. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Margaret::

[jobob]

Originally posted by Margaret
Today I went 16.53 miles (mostly uphill) it took 1:55.00. Is that good or is it rubbish?

That's very, very good! Don't sell yourself short, 16 miles is a lot. Especially uphill

I'm hoping to get fitter

you will.

slimmer

you will.

and of course faster

you most certainly will!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Just keep doing what you're doing. But don't kill yourself. A very general rule of thumb is to not exceed your weekly mileage by more than 10% each week to prevent injury. At least, that's what they say (I've been known to ignore that ) - but it does take time to build up your strength and endurance, don't rush it. And the speed will come too.

- Jo.

[Roadrunner]

Thanks that's very encouraging.
Meant to mention the bike I've ordered is a Claud Butler-San Remo. Is it a good bike. (a bit late now to ask though I guess!!)

[jobob]

Hi Margaret -

I personally tend to shy away from open-ended questions like "which bike should I buy" or "is this a good bike" - there are so many bikes out there, almost as many brands and styles of bikes as there are types of people

Not to sound facetious, but I'd say a good bike is one that you enjoy riding, that doesn't cause you any undue aches or pains (beyond those minor aches that you inevitably experience when you start using those previously-dormant muscle groups!), and that won't fall apart on you.

As you progress in your strength & ability, you might find that your abilities exceed your current bike, which is fine - if you like to go fast, you might someday want a lighter weight, racier bike; if you want to do touring, you might someday want a sturdy touring bike with wide gearing and the ability to schlep your stuff hither & yon.

But you'll figure that out as you go along, and you'll find out what works for you. We love to yap about our bikes here, and what works for us, so you can get some ideas here. But in the end it's your decision, based on the type of rider you are and what you like to get out of it.

Oh, and I'm not familiar w. the bike you mentioned - but I hope you enjoy it, that's the important thing!

Hope this helps, - Jo.

[Roadrunner]

Thanks again. I'm really looking forward to my bike arriving on Thursday. It'll be hitting the tarmac as quick as I can get the peddals attached and I'll be off.
I'll let you know how it goes.
For anyone who hasn't heard of this bike I'm including a link so you can view it over.

http://www.bikecare.co.uk/cb/cyclepages/sanremo.html


Margaret

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by Margaret
For anyone who hasn't heard of this bike I'm including a link so you can view it over.

Will your bike be coming with those specifications? The one thing that jumped out to me is that it has a 52/42 double. Are you going to be doing lots of climbing? IMHO, I would think that a beginning rider who will be riding hills a lot would get a triple.

[Roadrunner]

I don't intend to do much uphill. Not at the moment anyway, Sunday was just a bit of a longer run with hubbie. I usually do a 6 mile route that has some inclines to it. I'm using a mountain bike at the moment. I was pleased today because I managed 29 minutes at an average speed of 12.3 (up from best so far 11.9).
I've only been riding a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to improving. I only had a certain budget for a bike and this seemed the best I could find for the price (not too knowledgable on that front)
Thanks.
I appreciate all the advice you guys can give me.
Margaret:D

[Adventure Girl]

Margaret

Did you buy the bike from a bike shop? Did you get to take a test ride? Did they ask what kind of riding you will be doing and your biking experience? Road bikes come with either a "double" or a "triple" chain ring (meaning either two or three gear rings in the front). Most beginners and most people who do much climbing (except the pros, of course) use a triple.

Try using the search function of this board. The double & triple have been discussed before. There were even discussions of people who bought bikes with a double and asked about changing to a triple (pretty expensive to do). A bike with a double may be geared pretty high for a novice.

Good luck!

[Roadrunner]

Got the bike over the internet. (Guess I've a lot to learn)
As I said I'm not doing much in the way of climbing. That was just an extra outing with my husband. The route I do day to day is fairly normal roads with some incline but nothing much to talk about.
I'll have a look through the other discussion topics as you suggest though.I'm sure they'll be helpfull.
Thanks
Margaret

[Roadrunner]

[QUOTE Did you get to take a test ride]

Been asking around a bit and no-one here has heard of being able to take a test ride. I guess bike shops must be bore trusting on your side of the water.

[Roadrunner]

Will your bike be coming with those specifications?

Been looking at other bikes today. They all seem to have only two chanrings!
I found some in a brochure with three chainrings but they were out of my price-range (They were Lemond bikes)

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by Margaret
Been looking at other bikes today. They all seem to have only two chanrings!

I don't know what is available in Scotland, but that sounds rather strange... Triples are VERY common (in almost all price ranges)! Are you able to shop at a bike shop? I think that will be your best bet. Different shops will carry different lines (brands) so look around. Ask questions. Talk to them about fit! And talk to them about features like a triple chain ring.

[Roadrunner]

The bikes I looked at today were in bike shops (one only sold mtbs!!. The brochure was given to me at one of the shops I was in. The man was very helpful there. (That was the shop that sold only Lemond and Dawes bikes. The cheapest was out of our price range though)
I've got the internet ordered bike arriving tomorrow sometime.
I guess I'll have to make do. I've got my mountain bike if I want to do the hillier routes anyway. (If I'm lucky I'll soon go like L.A) and two rings will be enough (ha. ha)

[Roadrunner]

Well the new bike arrived yesterday. I left my son in charge of accepting the delivery as I was in Edinburgh visiting my sister (long story). I ended going to one of the lbs and buying a usps shirt (sad aren’t I) (Don't answer that)
Took the new baby for a run this morning and shaved five minutes of my usual time!! Even better I was a minute faster than my DH when he did the same route on his bike yesterday. I guess it'll be the old"Ahh but you've got a better/lighter bike than me, mine is old now. If I had one like yours...blah blah blah" excuse
Anyway I love the bike.

[maryellen]

Tell Hubby he has to wait for a new bike!

I'm jealous. I plan to get a new bike next year--need to move up from a hybrid to a road bike. I didn't expect to ride this much, but when you get the bug . . . .well, you grrlls know . . . . Anyhow, I figure that by the end of this season, I'll have a better sense of what I want (ha!) / need.