Can I Really Do This?

[lee]

Okay - I am greener than the newest newbie!! I'm 52, overweight, have bad knees - so why have I suddenly decided to ride a bike?

Since I have no idea what I'm doing, I bought FOUR bikes at Wally's before I found one I liked. I ended up with a Schwinn Skyliner and took the other three back. The first one I returned and said it was broken, cuz it wouldn't go uphill!!

Anyway, I have my bike. I had a bigger gel padded seat put on, so that helps. Now I need to learn to ride the darn thing!! I wobble like crazy. Hold the handlebars so tight my hands turn numb. Hold myself so rigid - barely dare to breathe. And what the heck do you do with all those gears?

Oh boy - do I have a lot to learn!! I sure would welcome any hints to get me going. Thanks.

lee

[BadgerGirl]

Congrats on your new bike Lee! I am excited for you! Of course you can do it and the more you ride, the more comfortable you will get with it. I would find a big parking lot (that isn't busy) and start riding there. That way, you have less to worry about and you can concentrate on riding the bike. Good luck and I hope to hear about your progress!

[madscot13]

Riding a bike is a great thing. Every now and then I want to shout for joy because I am still amazed at the sensation of flying.

I'm sorry I do not have much advice to give about bike riding other than trust yourself and trust your bike. Your body has already taken you this far in life, your new bike will take you further. Well with the gears I guess I will say avoid using the gears that make you stomp down. I think that may be a natural reaction to use them because it may feel better and you think you are going faster but you will hurt your knees. Also I don't know if this helps but try to avoid thinking about that impending fall. Think of the scenery, how close you are to the next stoplight, etc, just to relax a bit.

Congradulations on the new bike!

[mimitabby]

hi Lee, welcome to TE!

Good for you for taking baack the bikes that didn't work out. Most people don't have the courage to do that.
Try to relax your hands while you ride. And take deep breaths.

Find safe places to ride and start changing gears a little when you don't need them at first.
rread here and ask lots of questions. I hope you didn't throw away that other seat (it's called a saddle) because you might want to change back to it because the big saddles tend to rub your thighs raw.

mimi

[shadon]

the advice to go ride in a parking lot is really great. While you're riding...remember to breathe. Lift your chin...I find that that helps me to drop my shoulders. Just try to relax....this is FUN! remember?

I got on a bike last year after 20 some years and did the AIDSLifeCycle last June...so you can certainly learn to ride you're bike! It'll change your life!

[Zen]

You came to the right place.
Ask, ask, ask, and ask some more. I know everything

[wannaduacentury]

The first one I returned and said it was broken, cuz it wouldn't go uphill!!

lee

I LOVE That- most clever line I've seen

Welcome to TE. Just get out and ride- you'll get the hang of it and become addicted like the rest of us. Jennifer

[Bklynmom]

I just got my first real road bike in February. I'm 48 years old, and could stand to loose 20 lbs - a regular gym goer, but no athlete!

The first time I road it my hands froze and I could hardly break on the down-hill - really really scary, especially after buying a good bike and coming home from the first ride terrified. Well somehow I did my first century (very flat, but still) at the end of May and I am doing a 111 charity ride in August.

You can so do this! There are a million little milestones - standing up in the pedals, your first group ride - all scary the first time, and natural by the 3 rd or 4th time.

There are also so many women just like us it's amazing and inspiring.

[gingergin]

Just have fun! I started biking last year as an out-of-shape 44 yr old because I lost some of my knee range of motion. It has taken some time but I have gone from only going 4 miles to going 15 miles, from numb fingers all the time to hugely improved, down 2 pant sizes and better knee range of motion. You will love being outside creating your own breeze!

And all the ladies here have so much amazing advice yuo would never find any place else!

Good Luck.

[Jolt]

As far as the issue with holding the handlebars so tight your hands are numb, cycling gloves may help here. I started out without gloves and found that I was developing the "death grip" when my hands started to sweat and slide around on the bars a bit. It was rather uncomfortable. The gloves prevent this because you always have a good grip on the bars even if you're sweaty.

[onimity]

Congrats on getting a bike!

I have bad knees too and my advice there would be to shift down until you don't feel pressure on them. Many people ride in too hard a gear when they are starting out and it can be torture on the knees. It *seems* more efficient, but it is really hard on you.

The best thing that you can do IMO is train your body to be able to keep a consistent cadence at a reasonable fast rate, then downshift to maintain that. Push yourself, but not to the point of knee pain. Taking things slowly and steadily will allow you to gain strength without hurting yourself. Trust me, I just had to take a couple of days off riding because I pushed too hard and re-injured my knee.

As far as hands, the death grip is a natural reaction to fear but I think but it doesn't help you keep control of the bike. It took me overriding my body's instinct to grip the handlebars less tightly but it helps you have better control and you won't be nearly as sore. I think about it this way: the handlebars help you guide the bike, they don't keep you on it. Your body should be keeping itself upright, the hands shouldn't support you.

Keep at it and most of all have fun. I'm sure you'll have it all mastered in no time.

Anne

[Kris]

I was doing physical therapy for knee pain when I starting riding my bike. That was about 18 months ago. The doctor and the physical therapist said that biking was a great idea. My knees are arthritic, but building up the muscles around them helps a lot. I also wobbled at first, and had to get off and walk the bike to get up the little hill my house is on. Now I can get up the same hill without being in low gear! I feel a lot better, and my knees thank me every day. Last month we went on a bike trip in Europe, and I rode 30 miles every day for a week, and I wasn't exhausted or the slowest in the group! Yay!
I think you've already gotten some great advice from the ladies here. I just want to encourage you to keep getting on the bike and doing what you can, whatever that is. Some days it's hard to get started, and I'd rather make up excuses, but once I get out there, I'm always glad I did.

Kris

[Kano]

When I got to work the other day, a lady was pulling her bike up to the badly placed rack outside our door. She rides a recumbent trike, which, as it turns out has to be a mighty fine choice for her at least for now! On the back, she had a crutch and a kick board, along with her purse and such.

No one -- doctor, PT's -- had suggested this as a way to get strength back, but up until a week ago, she was in a wheel chair after a bad break skiing this past winter. (DH's comment: all this time? will she be ready for ski season? My guess is YES!)

Yup, we can do this!

Karen in Boise

[Starfish]

I forgot to mention in my first reply that I, too, have a bad knee. Had to quit running a LONG time ago, and the knee still bothers me on hikes and stuff. But, I can bike! I ditto all the advice about using low gears to spin easy and really build up slowly. Now, I can handle muscle tension workouts with hard gears, but a couple years ago, they hurt and I couldn't do them.

And, I also ditto what someone said about just grinning, still, on a good ride. Yesterday, I had a great ride, and people driving by must have thought I was nuts, because I just kept breaking out laughing I felt so good, and so happy, to be out there.

[amyelice]

Funny, I was riding my bike yesterday and I must have been smiling because a woman who was parked on the side of the road asked me if I was enjoying myself! I am hooked!!