I have a confession...starting the bike

[lph]

I kind of sort of did it

W00t! That is so cool Congratulations! Now you do have a place to practice from.

[Loraura]

I know you will probably want to immediately skip this suggestion I'm about to make. But really, there is no harm in trying it, and it just might work.

Go get your bike.
Take the seat post and saddle off.


Yes, you read that correctly.

Stand over your seatless bike, and clip in on one side.
Bring that clipped in foot up so your crank arms are parallel to the ground.
With both hands on the handlebars, and brakes in reach, now push that pedal down.

Your bike will have no choice but to go forward, and you will have no choice but to raise your other foot off the ground, so all your weight is on the clipped in peddal.

Then coast there, with your clipped in foot down and your other foot free momentarilly.

Don't worry about clipping the other foot in yet.

Now brake and put your unclipped in foot back down on the ground.

Repeat a zillion times.

Getting started isn't about continuing to pedal. It's about pedalling ONCE hard enough to be able to coast for a few seconds.

When you can do that a few times in a row, just push, coast, stop. Push, coast, stop, then put your seat post and saddle back on, and put it on at the proper height.

Don't worry about sitting on it. You won't be sitting yet.

Just do the same exersize again, without worrying about sitting on the saddle.

Push, coast, stop. Push, coast, stop.

Now you can add in the last step:

Push, coast, sit down, stop whenever you want.

[smittykitty]

I've got no advice. Thought the trainer idea might help. Yoga has really helped me regain balance I lost somewhere through the years, plus Yoga is great for flexibility and relaxation. But I do want to say You Go Girl. You've made great strides in such a short time. Remember most of us learned to do all these so called simple things when we were 5 yrs old and were fearless. Gone are the days of "look ma no hands". You'll get there. Sounds like your getting real close.

[featuretile]

First, I want to say how amazing your riding has gone from nothing to so many miles, Catrin.

Then I have a question about this standing and starting thing. I also start with my butt on the saddle. But my bike is tilted over to the side and my left toe is barely touching the ground. My legs seem to be in the right amount of extension when I am riding. I don't have any (hamstring) leg problems. It seems to me that if I raised the saddle any more, I would be too extended. I have gradually raised the height to this point. I ride with half toe clips and flat pedals. Is my body so different that I am in the right amount of extension when I can still barely touch the ground? It's also easier for me to get off this way.

[OakLeaf]

It's not possible for your body to be "different" in that way.

Your bottom bracket is a fixed height from the ground. Your crankarm is a fixed length. Therefore, when your bike is upright, there is a minimum distance that your foot can be from the ground, and remain on the pedal.

On most bikes it's over three inches. I wear size 11 shoes, and my feet aren't THAT big.

[Catrin]

BTW, it is unclear what caused the hamstring problem - while it is healing rather more slowly than I would like, it is improving. If I could force myself to become a slug for a full week then it would likely take care of itself. I am not doing that so I must accept that it just takes time.

I know several people who can, barely, touch their tip-toes to the ground from the saddle, but most people I have spoken to cannot do so. My fitter thinks that I will be able to still just touch the ground when we have it raised the additional inch that will be required.

While my ride today was much shorter than desired or planned, I was able to start in my new way I am not actually sure how I am doing it, but it is a much faster way of starting the bike. I think that it might even be correct, but we will see as the saddle height starts to creep up further.

[chicagogal]

First, I want to say how amazing your riding has gone from nothing to so many miles, Catrin.

Then I have a question about this standing and starting thing. I also start with my butt on the saddle. But my bike is tilted over to the side and my left toe is barely touching the ground. My legs seem to be in the right amount of extension when I am riding. I don't have any (hamstring) leg problems. It seems to me that if I raised the saddle any more, I would be too extended. I have gradually raised the height to this point. I ride with half toe clips and flat pedals. Is my body so different that I am in the right amount of extension when I can still barely touch the ground? It's also easier for me to get off this way.

I also often start off in the saddle. With the bike leaned over enough, I can get a toe down onto the ground. My saddle is definitely at the right height. It has been adjusted by a pro-fitter and my position is optimized for power output. Sitting in the saddle and having a foot down only works on flat ground, and even then can be a little unstable, but I have gotten used to it.

Catrin, here is something you can try, to help you get used to pushing off before getting in the saddle: Push off while sitting on your top tube instead. This will help give you the feel of using your bike as a "scooter" since you will just push off and glide (you won't be able to pedal in that position). Once you master that, push off and glide while standing. If you feel unstable at any point, you can just sit down on your top tube. Then push off, glide while standing, and slide your butt back over your saddle!

[DarcyInOregon]

Catrin, the only thing I can add, because you got great advice, is that perhaps the problem is in your core strength or body strength relative to the body's weight. I know you have lost weight and you work out at the gym, but I've noticed in heavier cyclists that they struggle to start the bike and get on the saddle, and when they lose weight and gain strength they are up on the saddle in one easy movement.

Another suggestion, use a spin bike at the gym to practice some skills, when there are no spin classes going on, like standing up and pedaling.

[Catrin]

Thanks again for all of the advice and encouragement. I do not think that my core strength is the problem - I can stand and pedal on the spinning bike for long time periods - I've gone as long as 10-15 minutes outside of class. I always get extra spinning time before class to help build endurance.

It was a little easier yesterday - my body seems to be starting to sort this all out. My hamstring is a little cranky this morning so should probably not ride today as I tend to over-do things and I don't want to reinjure...but will head to the club and check out the elliptical and see if I can do that without hands.

My new "intermediate" starting method doesn't have me gliding more than a nanosecond - left foot on the ground, right foot clipped to the pedal at between 12-1:00 - I push down and somehow my saddle slides under my butt and my left foot winds up on the pedal and off I go - this all happens really fast once I force myself to move. If I think TOO much about what my feet and legs are doing then I freeze...

Part of the thing complicating my recovery that is keeping me off the bike more than I like (and giving me less practice time) is my tendency to ignore pain when I am in the middle of an activity that I enjoy. The hamstring is probably back to 90% but I do NOT want to make matters worse and staff off the bike even longer. As much as I hate to skip days between rides right now... sigh ...I must be addicted to cycling