Newbie weekly achievement thread

[Tillybug]

Tonight was my first group ride ever. Had a blast, can't wait to do it again.

I think I'm hooked

[Munch]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to cycling. I picked up a rather old road bike off of craigslist last week for $20. Once I got it home I realised the brakes didn't work and it didn't have any shifters. I took it to a LBS for a tune up, fix any issues, and add shifters. I just got it back yesterday and while it obviously isn't the best or prettiest thing on the road, it's introducing me to cycling which is exactly what I wanted. The price of repairs was $68, then I had to buy a helmet, gloves, bar tape, a new seat, and some padded shorts. I'd say I'm in at around $147 for everything. If I end up falling in love with cycling (I'm swooning now!) I'll invest in a better bike fitted for me, but at the moment, money is a little tight and this is all I can do.

Anyways, I took a short ride yesterday and today when I hopped on my sit bones hurt really bad. I did almost a 5 mile ride and by the end the pain had somewhat subsided. (I just ordered the bike shorts today as I had wanted to give my seat a try before ordering them. I know just starting out the butt pain is common so I'm not too worried. I was pretty proud of doing almost 5 miles today, it felt great and was really fun. I'm suffering from runners knee at the moment and trying to build strength in my quads. I'll eventually start running again, though not sure when. My doctor says I can now, but I guess I'm a little afraid. So I decided picking up cycling in the mean time would be a good way to stay active and help my knee.

Sorry if I blabbed on too long!

[murielalex]

Congrats! Don't just be pleased with your five miles, be very pleased for getting yourself up and pedaling for under $150!

[Munch]

Yes, I'm definitely very happy about that!

[Catrin]

Welcome to TE Munch, and congratulations on your new bike and cycling explorations!

[lovelygamer]

Munch, welcome and congrats on your new bike and accomplishments. Your bike sounds cool for the cost! I hope you work out the seat pain.

I've started calling myself a yearling. I started occasional cycling last summer but when I exchanged my rusted out Walmart bike and bought a nice Raleigh Hybrid that changed things for me.

This year I joined the national bike challenge to get myself into a more regular habit of cycling and I track my rides through gps. This gives me insight to my abilities and ride durations which is something I had never thought about before. I love the incentive prizes and camaraderie in the challenge.

I'm still dealing with soreness as I continue to struggle to find the balance between resting and challenging myself to do more. I have a left hip replacement and get right knee pain because of the years of disability before the surgery.

Actually, this sport has taught me that I CAN set my own goals and meet them, even in something that seemed so hard at first. Normally I am not competitive at all so that is a revelation for me.

[Owlie]

Welcome, Munch! Good for you--both for riding 5 miles, and for doing it for not a whole lot of money!

I broke my 50-mile mental barrier last weekend. (I'm going for a shorter ride this weekend, though. I wasn't exhausted at the end, but it took a toll on my week!) I've done some goal setting: metric century by the end of June--if I can get in a couple more rides in the 50-60 mile range, I'll be fine--and a full century in October. Let's see how this goes.

[Munch]

Thanks everyone and yes, lovelygamer, I did sort out my saddle issues. Took the one I bought at ****'s Sporting goods back on Saturday and exchanged it for one that was a little bit wider. It was $6 more than the previous one, but I felt a good investment. Took my first ride with it that night and it was great. Much more comfortable for me. I rode about a mile and then headed home to raise the height of my seat after noticing my knees starting to hurt. It's quite a bit higher now, but I have good leg extension and my knees weren't bothering me a mile into the ride.

I think this week I'm going to shoot for trying to ride simply as much as possible. The sore butt has gone away and I think I really push myself some this week. Of course I've got quite a bit of wedding planning to do. I'm getting married on the 9th and there are just so many things I've got to get squared away! I'll have a week off from cycling during the honeymoon, so I want to get in as many miles as possible now!