I have a confession...starting the bike

[Catrin]

This really should not still be a problem considering my weekly mileage and the fact that I've put about 1,500 miles on my bike since June. That isn't that much for many cyclists, but I am pretty pleased with it since it is my first year Before my hamstring problem I was averaging 110-130 miles a week.

My recent hamstring injury seems to be related to my saddle height. Currently it is rather lower than it should be because of how I have to start. I KNOW it is some mental thing... I simply must start the bike with my butt on the saddle. I know this is bad, I know it isn't right. However, there you go. Every time I try to do it the other way my body just freezes and I don't get anywhere except to perhaps fall over.

I understand the concept well enough, with the bike in a gear high enough to give me some power, I simply need to stand on the ground and use my dominant leg to start the crank and lift myself up on the saddle all in one movement. I've watched people, and it looks so very easy. I've watched You Tube.

I just have been unable to actually DO it - and this is frustrating. I thought the saddle height was high enough as my knees have not bothered me.

If I can't get this figured out soon then I am considering hiring a private instructor to help me, but it would certainly be best if I don't need to go to that expense. Has anyone else had this problem and, if so, how were you able to solve it?

I know there are other threads related on how to do it, and I started one of them. I will go back and look at them - it is the whole body-freezing-when-I-try-to-do-it that I am trying to figure out. If I can just do this ONCE I think the problem will be solved

[OakLeaf]

Y'know, I thought about Knott's new kick scooter...

Probably too expensive for you to buy for the purpose, but if you know anyone with a kick scooter you could borrow, it could get you used to the feeling of rolling in standing position with your body slightly off-center ... just like you do when you start a bicycle.

[lph]

Forgive me while I bombard you with questions. But this makes the situation clearer to me, and may possibly give you tips to exercises to try too:

- do you ride clipless/with straps or with "loose feet"
- can you stand and pedal?
- if so can you stand and pedal only with a lot of opposing force (uphill, hard gear) or can you stand and pedal also when the pedals are spinning quite easily?
- can you stand and coast?
- can you stand and coast on one foot, with the other foot unweighted or completely off the pedal?
- sitting on the saddle, can you take both feet off the pedals and still feel in control?
- roughly how much percentage weight would you say you have on your hands, when riding seated normally?

Just trying to get a feel for how your balance is. Personally I have quite low handlebars, and won't put my butt on my saddle until I know I'm up to speed and well-balanced.

[Catrin]

Forgive me while I bombard you with questions. But this makes the situation clearer to me, and may possibly give you tips to exercises to try too:

- do you ride clipless/with straps or with "loose feet"
- can you stand and pedal?
- if so can you stand and pedal only with a lot of opposing force (uphill, hard gear) or can you stand and pedal also when the pedals are spinning quite easily?
- can you stand and coast?
- can you stand and coast on one foot, with the other foot unweighted or completely off the pedal?
- sitting on the saddle, can you take both feet off the pedals and still feel in control?
- roughly how much percentage weight would you say you have on your hands, when riding seated normally?

Just trying to get a feel for how your balance is. Personally I have quite low handlebars, and won't put my butt on my saddle until I know I'm up to speed and well-balanced.

Until about a month ago I rode BMX pedals with no toe clips. I now ride clipless with spd/platform pedals and clip in all the time now.

I have never tried to stand and pedal, or to stand and coast. I have started to coast from time to time with my butt raised off the saddle a bit to relieve it. I am trying to get to the point where I can stand and coast.

I have never tried to take both feet off the pedals deliberately - though I suspect that would be quite scary However, back before I got my BMX pedals, my feet bounced off my original plastic platform pedals on a regular basis so I learned how to deal with it - and was quite thankful for my BMX pedals when I got them

My riding position is quite upright, most of my weight is on my saddle. I've arthritic hands and I can't put a large amount of weight on them (hence my expensive conversion from road to mountain bars).

My fitter is reluctant to raise my saddle to where it should be until I can solve this. He is afraid that I will fall over & hurt myself if we do this too quickly - and I think he is right. So we are trying to, basically, trick my head by raising it just a few mm at a time. If I can solve this before then then hopefully it won't take quite so long to get there.

[Melalvai]

I think you need to get this solved before you go back to riding 100+ miles a week. I know you are persistent and I'm confident you'll get it figured out.

Here are my suggestions:

Straddle the bike. Put your dominant foot in the DOWN position on the pedal. Use your other foot to push yourself a long like a scooter. That might get you more comfortable with that starting sequence.

Do the same thing, only this time your dominant foot in a HALF-UP position (so that you don't go too fast), and instead of using your other foot to push you along, use the 1/4 pedal stroke to push. In other words go from the half-up position to the down position but no further. Since you have clips you can immediately get the pedal back into the half-up position for the next push. Keep your other foot down, lifting it just enough to move along a little.

I think someone else mentioned practicing standing on the pedals while you're riding. That might be challenging at your comfort level and ability but give it a try.

I saw someone do an unusual bike mount, which looks more difficult to me, but maybe it's natural to some people. He did NOT straddle the bike, but put his one foot on the pedal, pushed down and in one smooth motion while he was moving, he swung his other leg up and over the seat.

You said you know you're supposed to start off in a high enough gear to get some momentum. Try a lower gear. It'll start you off slower.

Good luck! I know you'll find something that works!

[hebe]

I've been doing some practice of this earlier today. My sticking point is worrying about my calf being hit by the pedal as it whizzes around, which of course has never actually happened. I straddle the bike in front of the saddle, with my dominant pedal at about 2 or 3 o'clock, push down hard and hope. I'm a bit wobbly when setting off but hopefully that will sort itself out with time. It's a great thing to practise in a carpark or on a cul de sac with hardly any traffic. My instructor gave me 10minutes work on it at the end of a lesson when it became clear I was struggling to set off on a short steep uphill gradient. I agree with gradually raising the saddle too, my riding is so much more comfortable and I'm sure I can go a little higher still once I'm comfortable with starting and stopping unseated.

[Catrin]

Yes Melalvai, I sadly agree that I should solve this before returning to my 70+ mile rides... my current method just works so well that I have not had an incentive to solve it. That has changed - so will stick to <50 mile rides until it is solved.

Thanks Hebe - I understand the concept - it is just that my body freezes when I try to do it... it is some kind of mental block that I have

So back to my favorite park to practice tonight... At least the 70+ temps will be nice

[Blueberry]

What about putting the bike in a trainer, do you can "practice" standing without the bike moving?

[lph]

I can understand how you're unhappy about not being seated if you normally ride in an upright position with a lot of weight on your saddle and rarely stand on your pedals. The feeling of having your weight on your pedals is quite different from sitting, especially if you have little weight on your hands.

I agree that practicing scooting along on one foot especially sounds like a good exercise. The bike will feel "swingy" and wobbly at first at low speed until you get used to steering more with your feet and hands.

I'd also suggest practicing lifting your weight up off your saddle while riding or coasting. Don't "lose" the saddle completely, keep some pressure against your thigh (this is easier if you lean the bike slightly towards one thigh instead of trying to balance it dead centre). This should force you to start balancing more with your feet and hands. When you're comfortable just standing, try moving the bike around a little, riding gentle curves while coasting downhill.

I'm not an instructor or anything though, but from rock climbing I know that complex movements involving balance have to be broken down into small steps. And the older you are, the more time you have to spend settling each step. I don't think you have a mental block, you just have no muscle memory of how to do it.

I spent forever underwater teaching myself the "back-bend" necessary to dive backwards into the pool. And then one day I just up and did it.

[Roadtrip]

Oh my gosh, I thought I was the ONLY one who had to get going with my butt already up in the saddle. I NEVER could get that power take off during my lessons with the instructor and froze every time. I discovered with my (heavy) cruiser, I had AMPLE power in my right leg to begin the setting off process while using the saddle as leverage, so I showed the instructor and he was good with it (for now) as he wanted me up and riding and feeling more confidant.

At some point I know I'll have to revisit this

My saddle height is at a normal position.. I can barely touch my toes to ground when I'm up in the saddle and have just a slight bend in my leg while crank is all the way down. Now I know this is on a cruiser and completely upright position. Totally different bikes.

Good luck!!
Shannon

[Catrin]

What about putting the bike in a trainer, do you can "practice" standing without the bike moving?

I can do this, but it is an entirely different dynamic as the bike can't fall over I could use clipless on the trainer and spinning bikes 6 months before I could on the road.

LPH, your comment about it being a lack of muscle memory seems spot-on! I hadn't thought about that being the problem, it makes sense. Lots of practice in my future...

[hebe]

Don't "lose" the saddle completely, keep some pressure against your thigh (this is easier if you lean the bike slightly towards one thigh instead of trying to balance it dead centre).

This! I did this by accident today and it gave me a much smoother set-off. I shall try it again now I know it wasn't a fluke. Thank you lph, and good luck Catrin!

[Owlie]

I am going to tell you a story that as far as I know is known to only four people.
And you may laugh.

When I first bought the bike, I had a real mental block on getting onto the saddle. The nose would get caught on my shorts and it would throw me (still happens, but not as often). My first ride, I was standing on part of the trail in my cheap shorts and borrowed jersey, all frustrated because I could.not. get. on. the. bike. I said to DBF "I think my seat's too high." He fiddled with it for a bit (I was still straddling the bike), then he told me to get on the bike and go. I got on the bike with no problems, and off we went.

In the car on the way back from the trail, DBF turned to me and said "Do you want to know what I did to your seatpost?" I looked at him confusedly. He grinned and said "Nothing." I didn't know whether I wanted to collapse in a heap laughing or smack him.

[lph]

Go dh!

[ny biker]

with the bike in a gear high enough to give me some power

I start in a low gear so it's easy to pedal with only one foot clipped in.

I start with my left foot clipped in at around 1:00-2:00. Push the left foot/pedal forward and slide back onto the saddle. Once I'm seated, I clip in with the right foot.

The benefit of having it in a low gear is that if I have trouble clipping in, I can just keep pedaling with the left foot so I have some momemtum.