Some Body Part Needs Strengthening

[wurkit_gurl]

You don't need a gym membership to build the muscles you need for riding. Your "core" is the base for your extremities, that should be your greatest strength training effort. This does NOT mean sit ups, it means working your transverse abdominus which is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles (hence the "core")
Planks and push ups are good for this but go to http://www.about.com for more
core exercises. Also a good site for cycling info. Actually a pretty good site for almost everything.

Yoga and especially Pilates- great for core strength. Which is VERY important for any activity that requires balance- like riding a bike. I used to dance, and it really makes you feel like you can do just about anything when you have a solid core. Especially lower abs, since a woman's center of gravity is centered there. My core has weakened some in the past year or so (grad school), and I really feel a difference in just about everything I do.

And yoga is also good for your arms- I rock-climb, which can really crank your forearms. But yoga works your triceps/biceps- endurance as well as strength, and it really improved my climbing as I don't grip as much with my forearms. And triceps are hard (and often annoying) to train, but if you do yoga properly, it's a great workout for them without having to do those annoying tricep extensions with hand-weights, etc.

[velogirl]

Karen, I wouldn't recommend changes to your bike fit without seeing you and your bike. While a shorter and/or higher stem might be appropriate, I would recommend having a bike fit before making that decision. A shorter/higher stem can also have a negative impact on your bike handling (especially descending) since it moves weight off the front of the bike.

My sense is that your discomfort is from riding in a new position. And, as anyone who rides a road bike knows, this position puts your body in a very static position that's not completely natural and doesn't silmulate much else that we do in life. Because of this, it takes time to build strength (core, along with arms, hands, shoulders, neck, etc) and to become comfortable.

Are you descending in your drops? You should be. Really try to focus on keeping your elbows soft/bent and your shoulders relaxed/down. Write yourself a little note for your stem if that will help you remember.

What type of brake levers do you have? Can you place at least one knuckle of your first two fingers around the lever while you're in the drops? If not, you might want to consider having the levers shimmed. This will bring them closer to you and make it easier to depress them.

I personally keep my brakes adjusted very soupy (ie soft). I can depress my brakes almost all the way to the bar before they fully activate. I recently switched to a new mechanic and he adjusted my brakes very tight/responsive! I hated it and it made my hands hurt!

Eventually, you want to strive to ride in the drops on your descents while spending less time touching the brakes. This will take time -- be patient -- however, once you can do this you can move your hands to a lower position on the drops which will be more comfortable for you.

You will build strength as you ride your bike. Try to stay relaxed and you'll have less discomfort.

It sounds like you don't like the switchbacky descents even though you're comfortable with the fast straight descents. That's natural for a newer rider. I recommend learning how to counter-steer (it's a cornering skill and it's been discussed at length elsewhere on the forum). You should use counter-steering to be stable on switchbacky descents.

[Kano]

Karen, I wouldn't recommend changes to your bike fit without seeing you and your bike. ...

My sense is that your discomfort is from riding in a new position. ...

This has been my feeling, Velo, since I have "problems" mostly when I'm doing downhill on this particular hill even -- I'm very comfortable on the bike otherwise! I've needed only very minor adjustments to the bike to get rid of the discomforts I started with, and didn't even notice this issue until I decided to do this hill twice instead of my usual once. (one change that cleared up several things at once was actually a new pair of gloves!)

Are you descending in your drops? You should be. Really try to focus on keeping your elbows soft/bent and your shoulders relaxed/down. Write yourself a little note for your stem if that will help you remember.

No WAY am I descending in the drops! I can work on focusing -- that will be like thinking "uncurl your toes, silly" the first few weekends we ski each year! But the drops for descents? Oh, I don't think I'm ready for THAT! (maybe I'll try on the straight-away one of these days...)

What type of brake levers do you have? Can you place at least one knuckle of your first two fingers around the lever while you're in the drops? If not, you might want to consider having the levers shimmed. This will bring them closer to you and make it easier to depress them.

They do need shimming. I figured that out the other night while playing in a new, empty area in our subdivision. They're Shimano 105's, and they work the shifting too. Last time my bike and I were in the shop, one of the guys suggested that we may need to do that. They've been encouraging me to get used to the new position before making too many changes to the bike.

You mentioned making the brakes "sensitive" instead of "soupy." I might like something somewhere in between there, and I think mine may be more on the "soupy" end of things.

It sounds like you don't like the switchbacky descents even though you're comfortable with the fast straight descents. That's natural for a newer rider. I recommend learning how to counter-steer (it's a cornering skill and it's been discussed at length elsewhere on the forum). You should use counter-steering to be stable on switchbacky descents.

You got it, girl! I want to see what's ahead of me, and know I can do it! It's really good to know that I'm "normal" in that, too!

I will go searching for the counter-steering stuff, read, experiment, and see if I can't find someone nearby in the real world who can help me out a bit with these techniques too. I figured a lot of my problem was my own -- body strength and my head. The reason I asked about strengthening my body off the bike was cuz I figured if there's something I can do that will make my body more apt to hold a "good" body position, I want to take advantage of that!


Thank you Velogirl, for sharing your wisdom and experience!

Karen in Boise

[Kano]

Liza and WurkitGurl -- Thanks to you ladies too! It's good to know of things I can work on, and that I'm not the only one who forgets to keep my body relaxed! It's also good to know that it will all get easier with time, too! (now if I could just go buy myself a can of patience...)

Karen in Boise

[RoadRaven]

I'm with Velogirl too, I think that its your body getting used to the new demands.

I remember my hands used to ache after every ride, because at the start of leaving there is alot of downhill (600' to sealevel) and I used the brakes alot.
It took a while until my hands didn't ache so much. And that was merely because I was holding them so tight and didn't use that muscle-action anywhere else in my life.

Likewise when I got my TT bike, new position and my shoulders and neck ached. They still do when I haven't been on it for a few weeks.

Just suss that out before you alter your bike too much.

[Grog]

No WAY am I descending in the drops! I can work on focusing -- that will be like thinking "uncurl your toes, silly" the first few weekends we ski each year! But the drops for descents? Oh, I don't think I'm ready for THAT! (maybe I'll try on the straight-away one of these days...)

This is one strong reaction against a piece of advice that's very important in terms of safety. The point of descending in the drops is not to go faster (at least not at your stage) but to give you better access to the brakes (more braking power) and to allow you to push yourself back on your saddle with more strength, AND to brace your arms more efficiently in case you need to stop suddenly. You will be much more stable and in MUCH better control of your bike. I cannot strongly enough join my voice to Velogirl's in suggesting you practice this very important skill.

[RoadRaven]

The point of descending in the drops is not to go faster (at least not at your stage) but to give you better access to the brakes (more braking power) and to allow you to push yourself back on your saddle with more strength, AND to brace your arms more efficiently in case you need to stop suddenly. You will be much more stable and in MUCH better control of your bike. I cannot strongly enough join my voice to Velogirl's in suggesting you practice this very important skill.

And adding my voice to theirs...

It may feel strange to begin with, but it gives you a much safer centre of gravity, you are less likely to get into an "out of control" situation.

Practice on less steep grades... and build up to the descents you are talking about.

It is so much safer. Yes, it is much faster - but only if you want it to be... I sit on the brakes alot still, but I always descend on the drops - (at the risk of repeating myself) it is safer for downhill, and for downhill cornering.

Have a go, relax and enjoy

[SheFly]

+1!

Practically the only time I do ride in my drops (outside of sprinting) is on downhills. As RoadRaven and Grog have both stated, this is a MUCH safter position for you than on your hoods trying to reach the brakes.

Give it a try!

SheFly

[Kano]

Okay ladies, I will work on this drops thing on the hills, but not until I get the brakes shimmed so that I can reach them better while in the drops! Right now, it's not the place to be if I want to get my hands on the brakes, I swear!

I agree, I did make a strong statement to say "no way" but it's the way I've been working, and am likely to continue at least part of the time for now. I know there's stuff to learn, but the "hoods position" is something I'm still adjusting to some over the comfort-beast upright position, remember, and it feels hugely scary on my hill! Grog, you talked about the reasoning behind descending in the drops, which Velogirl left out. Now I know that it's a safety feature and that I really do need to learn it, so I will practice drops on wee bitty hills and build up confidence, so that I can do it on bigger hills too! (after I get those shims, though, so I can get to the brakes while in the drops!)

I promise, I will!

Karen in Boise