Am I too chikkin?

[Eden]

a few more tips to calm a wobbly bike

RELAX your upper body - relax your neck and shoulders, elbows slightly bent and used like a shock absorber - hands always around your handlebars, but no death grip. When you are stiff in the upper body some of the motion of your legs, instead of all going into propelling the bike forward, transfers up through your body and into your handlebars, causing your front wheel to wobble back and forth. So if you relax, not only will you not wobble so much, you'll go faster too. This is probably the biggest cause of a wobbly ride that I see in new riders. It will creep in on you too - so even if you start relaxed, take mental stock occasionally - bring your shoulders down, bend your elbows, loosen your grip.

Make sure you saddle is not up a little to far - if your hips are rocking back and forth over the saddle that can cause some wobble too.

And in the spirit of #1, make sure the bike is not too long - if you cannot reach the bars without having your arms straight out, elbows locked, your top tube is too long. If its only a wee bit too long you may be able to fix it with a shorter stem, but remember that a teeny tiny stem can affect handling too, so if you are finding that you need to go to a 5cm stem, its probably time to think about a smaller bike.

[denny]

Thanks to all for your suggestions.. so I did it this morning at 9:30 am.
I did have trouble holding my line. Either I was too far over to the right or too far to the left of the white line but my friend did a great job of pushing me (literally) over the hills while I brayed like a donkey from the exertion. Eleven people turned up for the ride and all apparently had the honor of being pushed over the hills when they first started the ride. Biggest suggestion from all was to keep doing the ride and it will get easier. Got a nice round of applause for completing my 17 miles too. I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be about the cars, just holding the line. ALL in all GREAT RIDE! I don't want to see another hill right now, but definetely worth the experience.

Now to control that breathing so people won't think Shrek the donkey is in their neighborhood.

[arielmoon]

Good job denny! Way to go!!

[RoadRaven]

Well done denny
Its such a great feeling...

And now you are hooked you need to learn this mantra...

"Hi, my name's denny... and I'm a cycling addict"

[gingerale]

That is so awesome! Congratulations!!

[indysteel]

Great job! You might ask your friend if he'd mind taking you to some country roads--if any are available--in your area. I think it's far easier to learn road riding away from busy traffic, especially if you're nervous.

As others have suggested, your emphasis on the white line makes me wonder if you'r paying too much attention to it. I tend to think you might be looking down just a bit to much, rather than out. Eden and Kalidurge gave some good advice on how to hold a straight, steady line. Also, be careful about actually riding on the white line, especially if it's rainy or humid out. The paint makes for a very slippery surface.

I would also suggest going to an empty parking lot or quiet road and practicing looking over your shoulder (for traffic or other riders) without wobbling your bike. This is an important skill to have and will help you be steadier and more predictable.

Another element of holding a steady line is a good "spin." Without going into great detail (because there are many threads on this topic), you want to be in a gear that allows you maintance a cadence of about 80-100 rpm range on a flat road, i.e., at a pace that is somewhere between mashing your pedals with too hard of a gear and bouncing on your saddle with too easy a gear. And you should aim to make complete circles with your pedal stroke. When you ride the next time with your friend, watch his pedal stroke and you'll get a sense of what I mean.

[wackyjacky1]

...while I brayed like a donkey from the exertion.

Oh, man, that was FUNNY! (And very familiar. )

Way to go, denny!

[pardes]

You have some GREAT rider friends. I loved it that ALL of them "had been pushed up the hill." That is classic camaraderie!

Good job on the 17 miles. Don't worry so much about the line. Stop thinking about it and you'll start hitting it.

[malkin]

I'll think of you as I 'hee haw' up my next hill!
Way to Ride!

[Jiffer]

Now to control that breathing so people won't think Shrek the donkey is in their neighborhood.

I can so relate! I did an organized ride a couple of months ago where my friend and I hooked up with a couple of guys that were going about our pace. We quickly became friends and, as we headed up a really steep hill, one of them says, "Okay, so here's the plan." I was all excited to hear any "plan" that was going to help me get up that hill better, because I was dying. He says, "Let's all listen to Jen's breathing." That would be me, of course. I guess my agonizing breathing was supposed to be everyone else's distraction from their own pain and misery! Or something like that.

I can tell you it does get better. I have gotten so much better at hills (and everything else) just since then. A couple of things I can tell you about breathing is, try not to breath too fast. Keep it controlled. Also, keep your chest open by the way you sit. If you are hunched over too much and your shoulders are forward, your lungs can't fill with as much air.

I ditto the comments on focusing too much on the white line. It's almost impossible to stay completely on the line anyway, if that's the goal, which it doesn't need to be. And it's especially difficult when going slow, as in up a hill.

Congrats on your first group ride! Sounds like you had a great first experience and great people to ride with. Riding with a group changes everything. I love it!

[Tuckervill]

One way I control my breathing (get it back in control) is to whistle. When I'm alone, I sing. Singing is more annoying than whistling, I think, and I can whistle almost inaudibly. I started doing it when I practiced my ukulele and I couldn't keep up with the breathing of the song (that was a few years ago, when I wasn't as fit). I started it unconsciously, and I noticed last year that I was doing it on hills unconsciously. Now I use it as a tool consciously on the arc-trainer at the gym, while running, riding, or playing uke (which I hardly ever do anymore).

Karen

[denny]

Ladies- it only got better! I did my first ride by myself in our local park without the "team" escort. 3 laps for a total of 15 miles on our hilly park. Yeahh!! I did notice that my speed and the muscle grinding burn on the last few hills got better with each lap. Glad to say I could have gone for 4 laps except I was advised not to overdo it on the first time out.

Yup. So I'm addicted and planned on aiming for 20 mls today, but a belly ache took care of those lofty ambitions. It might have been for the best because my crotch is on fire and not in a romantic way either! I'll move unto the thread for First aid on the girlie parts, saddle stuff, etc.

Who knew sitting on ice cubes could feel so gooood.

[Momonbikemob]

Ha ha! This was a fun Thread to read, Thanks 'denny' for sharing with us! Great to read that you got out there! Way to go!
I've got to get out there on the road too... I get chickin. I've been doing the trainer thing, but it's just not the same as the fresh air, etc.
Keep it up! Well, when you recover... you know where.