Question on Gearing

[Bethany1]

I thought about it some more yesterday and yeah, I'm nervous on the bike and any sudden movement does make the bike even more twitchy. It also doesn't help if you have semi trucks blowing by you at 60 mph and trying to dodge rocks. I feel like I spend more time trying to keep control of the bike instead of enjoying it. I love her, I just don't now to ride her properly.

What doesn't help is having different LBS give all sorts of advice and your head ends up spinning. I hate being a newbie. One guy got going on cadence and said I should be at 90 so my feet wouldn't hurt so much from "mashing". So now my feet don't hurt, but I can't keep up that kind of cadence. I settled for 80 but that still wipes me out. I also run out of gears to get uphill and end up mashing my feet until I have to stop.

Stupid love/hate relationship with clipless pedals. Trying to get started with the stupid pedals on a hill after you've had to stop makes you even more unstable. I love that my feet are "one" with the pedal but getting them on/off is a giant pain. I'm about ready to dump the pedals but keep the shoes on. Or get a different kind of clipless pedal.

I also realized that on the start of the trip I'm doing 15-17 mph so by the time I hit the hill, I've used up some of my energy. The Madone just begs to go faster despite what my body says..LOL. I noticed my MTB is just happy plowing along at a steady 10 mph and the lower gears really help. I don't have a cadence sensor so I just went along with what felt right. I should probably do the same with the Madone.

I'm not sure I fit right on the Madone or my upper body just protests from hanging on to keep control. My wrists, shoulders and arms just ache. On my MTB I'm upright and nothing hurts. I feel like I could go for hours on it despite being on a road as the fit is perfect. I may need to get a proper fitting for the Madone as I haven't found the "sweet spot" for comfort.

Also, bent over makes the sweat run into your eyes more. Between dodging rocks, being blown over by the wind/semi and wiping sweat out of your eyes, I'm a wreck..LOL. I did read online that guys that do BMX put maxi pads or panty liners 2b n3inside their helmets to absorb sweat. After falling over in laughter, I tried it and it does wonders for visibility.

[Owlie]

Do what feels right. A cadence of 90 rpm may work for some people, but it may not work for you. Take the sensor off and listen to your body. Try not to attack hills--it'll still be there when you get there, and you won't have blown up on the way. (I still have problems with this.)

On the Madone: Get a fitting with the Madone if you can swing it. What kind of pedals do you have? If you can adjust the tension to a close-to-loosest setting, it'll be easier to get in and out. (Of course, I've had mine for a year and they still don't want to engage on the first go-round sometimes.)

Relax. Even on flat ground, if you're tense, the light bike will magnify every twitch. It'll also help keep the arm/shoulder/neck pain under control. Can you get out early in the morning on weekends? Are there rail-trails nearby where you won't have to worry about semis?

Keep riding. Your handling skills will improve and you'll start to feel more comfortable--it took me a few months to get used to the road bike. She still can be a little twitchy, but she's behaving much better.

[ny biker]

I found this article to be very helpful for clipping in:

http://outside.away.com/outside/body...-20070330.html

It really does help if you sit right away. However I still struggle with clipping in while going uphill. I need to be in my lowest gear.

[pll]

Do what feels right. A cadence of 90 rpm may work for some people, but it may not work for you. Take the sensor off and listen to your body. Try not to attack hills--it'll still be there when you get there, and you won't have blown up on the way. (I still have problems with this.)

On the Madone: Get a fitting with the Madone if you can swing it. What kind of pedals do you have? If you can adjust the tension to a close-to-loosest setting, it'll be easier to get in and out. (Of course, I've had mine for a year and they still don't want to engage on the first go-round sometimes.)

Relax. Even on flat ground, if you're tense, the light bike will magnify every twitch. It'll also help keep the arm/shoulder/neck pain under control. Can you get out early in the morning on weekends? Are there rail-trails nearby where you won't have to worry about semis?

Keep riding. Your handling skills will improve and you'll start to feel more comfortable--it took me a few months to get used to the road bike. She still can be a little twitchy, but she's behaving much better.

Big +1

Relax and ride with the cadence that feels right to you at this point. As you gain experience, your body is also adapting to the exercise. Your cadence may go up gradually (or you may chose to work on it, perhaps with some intervals during your rides), but I would think being more comfortable riding in traffic and handling your bike have precedence over cadence.