holy hell i'm overwhelmed! PLEASE HELP!

[Kano]

Earthgirl, the slightly bent knee thing when your foot is on the pedal is the best thing -- I always have to get off my saddle when I stop in order to reach the ground.

I know it takes a while to get there, and each in her own time, but the lycra on our big butts isn't such a bad thing -- if people don't like it, well, tough: you're USING that butt of yours, they're probably just sitting on theirs!

Karen in Boise (who's still 5'4" but not 236 anymore!)

[wildhawk]

I was hesitant to wear cycling shorts too, but believe me when I say they make a huge difference in your comfort. I ordered mine right off TE and they were inexpensive - $29.95 Cannondale. Glad that you decided on the Trek - sounds like it will fit you. Happy riding!

[OakLeaf]

Just to add one thing no one else has said:

You're wearing a helmet, RIGHT?

Really. Please. You can fall at 0 miles an hour and have a serious brain injury. Don't mean to scare you, but that's $30 you definitely should NOT skimp on, nor EVER get on a bicycle without one.

Hopefully you're already wearing a helmet every ride and didn't need this lecture, but just adding it because no one else has... and because I'm alive and functioning because of a helmet I was wearing on *two* occasions.

and... welcome!!! Have fun!!!

[earthgirl]

ahhhh i just got back from my first ride!

it only lasted 20 minutes though, not because I was really tired - but because my BUTT HURTS! Also, my wrist started to go numb (this is not really the bike's fault, 8 years of writing research papers and 16 years of writing in general, have given me carpel tunnel like conditions... not fun).

So I think 1) I'll have to buy a new seat, and 2) I will have to def take the advice on the bike shorts. I though I could get away with it today in track pants... but yeah, it's not happening.

and yes, I'm wearing a helmet :-). After this @$$hole made a rolling stop and almost ran into me as I was making a left turn (I SIGNALED AND SLOWED DOWN AND EVERYTHING!) - I realized the helmet is definitely necessary.

And I was only riding around in my freakin neighborhood!!

[celerystalksme]

ahhhh i just got back from my first ride!

it only lasted 20 minutes though, not because I was really tired - but because my BUTT HURTS! Also, my wrist started to go numb (this is not really the bike's fault, 8 years of writing research papers and 16 years of writing in general, have given me carpel tunnel like conditions... not fun).

So I think 1) I'll have to buy a new seat, and 2) I will have to def take the advice on the bike shorts. I though I could get away with it today in track pants... but yeah, it's not happening.

and yes, I'm wearing a helmet :-). After this @$$hole made a rolling stop and almost ran into me as I was making a left turn (I SIGNALED AND SLOWED DOWN AND EVERYTHING!) - I realized the helmet is definitely necessary.

And I was only riding around in my freakin neighborhood!!

always be wary of the automobiles!!!!! thems is scary creatures!!!!

the right seat, right seat height, and eventually a pair of cycling shorts should take care of the butt pain. the search for the right seat for you can take long...hopefully your LBS has a good policy about trying out and returning bike seats! with the right seat...you can actually ride in comfort even without cycling shorts! when i'm on my specialized alias or specialized toupe (143mm)...i can go 25-50 miles with very minimal discomfort!

the wrist numbness/pain...make sure the fit is right. the reach has to be right. putting too much weight on your hands is probably what is causing the discomfort. down the road, increasing your core strength will help with that. i forget...is this a bike with straight bars or drop bars? drop bars or bull-horn type bars are nice because you can periodically change hand position, which aids in comfort. you can also use a shock absorbant bar tape. you may also want to look into a good pair of cycling gloves.

[tulip]

Good for you on the helmet. It does not matter how far you are from home--you can fall off your bike anywhere. I don't understand why some folks (not you, just in general) feel that they don't need a helmet because they are just going on a short ride. It's like thinking that you only need to where a seatbelt when you go for long drives. When I had my bike accident and had to be airlifted to the trauma center, I was only a mile or so into my ride.

Your wrist might be aggravated by a couple of things:

1. putting all your weight on your arms and hands. This is common mistake that beginners (and others) make. You'll want to do some core strengthening exercises so that you can support your body with your core and not only with your hands and arms. In the meantime, make sure that your elbows aren't locked. They should be slightly bent to absorb the bumps.

2. your bike's top tube might be too long. Do you feel like you are too stretched out? You can do some adjustments to the stem (new shorter stem) and to the seat to compensate a bit.

Have fun riding!

EDIT: celery musta posted the same time as me. she already hit all the points.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

If you don't want to do lycra you can always get bike short liners that will fit (well sometimes) under 'regular' shorts or capris. You can get them at REI or anywhere that sells Pearl Izumi stuff. After riding for a couple of years, I don't wear padded shorts all the time, only when I mountain bike where it's really rocky.

The thing where people are saying your feet should be flat is the standover height, where your butt is off the seat, how you would be standing at a stop sign. Your feet should be flat on the floor and you should be able to stand comfortably over the tube of the bike without having to tilt to one side to compensate for the bike being too tall. Hope that makes sense!

[Kano]

Earthgirl --

now starts the fun with the saddle thing. You said the bike is a Trek, and my understanding is that "everyone hates those saddles." I figure someone has to like them, or the company would go out of business cuz they sell bikes that are uncomfortable.... (and the saddle company would be in deep poo too!) Anyway, when DH and I decided on the "comfort bikes" a couple of years ago, they came with "comfort saddles" -- wide, cushy things that he actually rode on for quite some time. (he bent his, and adopted mine for a while before getting something more "serious") On the other hand, I couldn't sit for a week after riding that saddle. Perhaps I was lucky, I picked up a Specialized Dolce saddle (not gel) and have been very happy with it on my hybrid (not the comfort beast anymore, I ride an older Trek hybrid, as mentioned back a page or two!)

I had found this forum already, and been reading a bit -- the suggestion was to not go too padded, because that's actually LESS comfy than the firmest saddles.

The comfort beast has a Specialized Milano on it now, I've never actually ridden on that saddle. I put the Dolce on my newest bike, a road bike, and didn't like it there. Replaced it with an Ariel, also Specialized. That's been a pretty happy choice too. Either I've been lucky, or I just have a specialized butt!

(and speaking of my specialized butt, I really ought to shift it into high gear and go for a ride!)

Karen in Boise