New Gal! Excited about cycling!

[RoadRaven]

Thanks everyone for the very warm welcomes. I am really excited about becoming more serious about cycling and really getting into it more.

It starts as a wondering... a vague wish... as you see a cyclist pass your window you wonder what the air is like and think it would be nice to be out there...

...slowly it builds until... arrrgh... you're addicted... obsessed...

all you can do is talk about deraileurs, cogs, shifters, sit bones and quads... every time someone mentions the number 100, you want to know is that a century.... is it a metric? is it a double? you begin, at a glance to be able to tell the difference between a giant, an emc, a trek and an avanti... you know that de rosa has nothing to do with flower gardens and that scott is not the cute boy down the road...

... then, when you look out the window and see that cyclist slogging through the rain into a head wind you are suddenly incredibly envious and begin considering resigning from your warm air-con job because you just want to be on a bike...

Adding my welcome to the other voices here, Craic

And a warning... there is no turning back now!

[Denise223]

Hi Kerry!

Welcome to the TE forum & the wonderful world of cycling
My husband and I just started riding earlier this month. I'm extremely happy that I found this forum as well . There are lots of wonderful women here.

Like you, I am also fearful of riding in traffic. It is getting a tiny bit better though. (progress !) I wrote about my fears in this forum & one of these wonderful women here sent me a PM and included the following link.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=7394


Here's a link to "Maryland bicycle laws & regulations" as well.

www.cpabc.org/mdlaws.htm

(PHEW.....I almost gave up on putting those links in here.... )

Originally posted by Grog: Riding through traffic, you have to behave like you belong there. It was suggested somewhere else to mentally divide the lane in three and to ride on the virtual line separating the right from the middle third of the road. Unless the shoulder is really significant (4 feet or more), I usually ride on the road, if only because of hedges and trees hiding driveways (and hiding me from drivers coming out of their driveways).

Always remember >> The road is yours too -- You DO belong there!
Just the other day when I was riding in traffic, a bit of fear kicked in and I started riding towards the right. There is no sidewalk in this area, just a few bushes & then the reservoir. A lightbulb went off & I thought to myself, "this is MY road, too - I'm going to take what I need to be safe".

The cars were fine & I felt a lot more comfortable, too! Being timid was only going to land me in the water. I know it will take continued practice...but, that's okay!

One piece of advice, "PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING!" (everyone knows that, but...it's just a reminder). I already had one crash because I heard some noise & saw flashing fire engine lights out of the corner of my eye.
I was curious, took my eyes off the road, & ended up on the ground with my bike on top of me. Thankfully, no one was behind me - and, I wasn't hurt badly - just some bumps & bruises. It's a reminder to me to 'mind my own business!!!'

In closing, Congratulations on your weight loss . It takes a lot of hard work & determination, I know. But, it is well worth it!!! I changed my eating habits & increased my physical activity back in March, 2001 & am happy to say that I have lost 102 pounds! I still have more weight to lose, but I'm very happy where I'm at now.
I know that biking will help. And, what I love about cycling is that it doesn't feel like exercise !!

Have a great evening!

Denise

[Craicgirl]

Tonight Mrs Norris (what I call my lovely new bike) and I went out for a spin. We hit the open road and ventured out amongst the cars. I used all of your advice and stayed in the road and traffic flowed pretty smoothly around me. The area I was riding didn't have a bike lane or even a paved shoulder so I basically had to stay in the road with the cars.

The more I ride the more I fall madly in love with this sport. Tonight riding I was amazed at how much of life we miss when traveling to and fro in a car. I love the smells you encounter. Passing homes I could smell various meals cooking, someone was having a cookout and I smelled fabric softner from dryers full of clothes. I caught whiffs of honeysuckle and magnolia trees, fresh pine when I zipped through a batch of trees near a local park. I encountered various wildlife. A half dozen or so squirrels scurrying up trees as I passed by, a rabbit who wanted to run me off the road and one maniacal chihuahua who once again chased me for half a block along with a very fat squatty dog who took off away from it's human companion to "race" me up the street and a squashed snake.

I am a bit of an amateur photographer (feel free to check out my photoblog at http://www.emotionaltoaster.net...I am always looking for constructive feedback). I need to start taking my camera with me on my rides. The things you see just blow you away. On my early morning rides I have seen misty sunrises over crisp green cornfields, brilliant colored morning glories stretching to greet the day and amazing cloud formations. And I never can capture the moment because the camera sits home. I think I need to find a handy, lightweight carrying case that I can strap it on my back so I never miss these things again.

[withm]

Kerry

Don't know exactly where on eastern shore you are, but you ought to take a look at Sussex Cyclists - a group in lower Sussex Cty, DE. We run small group rides almost every day mornings and evenings, and larger group rides every weekend. Our website has a good listing of all the organized rides on Delmarva peninsula, which covers a lot of ground.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sussexcyclists/

It's a Yahoo group. You may have to "join" the group to see the calendar but it's easy to do and if you don't like what you see, you can "un-join" just as easily. Follow the prompts to see the calendar and ride descriptions. We have a nice ride tomorrow and if I could ever shake this bronchitis I'd be doing it myself, but I'm trying to get well so I can do the CAM ride.

The CAM (Cycle Across Maryland) ride is July 13-16. It's based in Princess Anne, MD and has 4 rides each day to different places varying from 17 miles to 75 (or more?) miles each day. See the website for more info. You can stay in the dormitory, sign up for a meal plan and there are lots of activities for the afternoon and evening hours. You can camp for free but the dorms have real beds, showers, and are air conditioned 3 nights for $125.

www.onelesscar.org

If you want to join up with us for any of these rides let me know. I'm in the Bethany area.

Martha

[madisongrrl]

I looked at the instructions for the computer and it says attach to front wheel. How does everyone who has a trainer track their miles and speed? Can I attach it to the back wheel? Will it give me accurate readings from there?

Kerry

Unfortunately you can't attach a front mounting computer to your back wheel because the cord will not be long enough to mount the computer on your handlebars. They do have rear wheel computers. Check into Cateye Astrale 8. It also has cadence.

[bikerz]

I second the vote for the Astrale 8 - easy to install yourself (if you are a little bit "handy"), cheap ($40), and totally (so far) reliable. I find having cadence as the primary display and speed as the second display really helps me stay focussed on steady spinning and form.

Also, the link earler about changing a tire without levers is great - I followed and and changed a couple of tires for practice in the comfort of my living room, and then once I had to during a ride - thanks to the practice, it was very easy to do.

Congrats on the riding and weight loss, and welcome!

[Craicgirl]

Martha...I am in Parsonsburg Maryland (just outside of Salisbury). I will definately check out the group and the local rides you mentioned. The one is starting at the University Of Maryland Eastern Shore (which is the school I will be attending in the fall. I am going back to college at the tender age of 43 to finally get a degree..majoring in Dietitics/Nutrition, I can't wait!)

Thanks for the advice everyone on computers. I think I will probably just focus on time when I am using the trainer, at least for now.

Tonight I did my longest ride to date (11 miles...not very long I know, but I have only been at this for a few weeks). Anyway, I noticed that my butt was a bit sore and my "girlybits" were kind of numb during the last few miles. I had raised the seat somewhat today and I may have put it up to high. When sitting on the bike only the tip of my toe touches the ground, is this to high? The LBS guy told me I should only have a slight bend in the leg when the leg is completely down, so I adjusted it to that advice. But when I stop I basically have to hop off the bike.

I got a book from the Library called Cycling For Health and Fitness by Bicycling Magazine. In it it talks about for optimum workout don't ride in the highest gear, go lighter and increase the cadence. So today I rode in a lower gear (I had been riding in the highest gear the bike went to) and I felt like I got a better workout and was able to go farther with less fatigue. Am I on the right track with this? Unfortunately we don't have any hills here so I will never be able to get that kind of workout unless I leave the area. I want to get the most from my rides that I can but I don't want to kill myself just yet.

Kerry

[Grog]

So today I rode in a lower gear (I had been riding in the highest gear the bike went to) and I felt like I got a better workout and was able to go farther with less fatigue. Am I on the right track with this?

Yes!!

Good job.

And that's a nice book too, although I found the Q&A format annoying. I much prefer The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling (same author).

[Kano]

Kerry, I'm new too, and have been enjoying your threads. Congratulations on going back to college -- enjoy!

Your seat -- being new, I'm not an expert in anything and I'm still doing a lot of playing with mine, but I have to hop off the bike too, when it's time to put a foot down. If I don't have the seat up that high, I don't seem to get as much power from my pedaling, and besides, my knees grumble at me if I don't stretch 'em out enough. Maybe because that also means they get scrunched tighter on the other end of the circle?

I've peeked at your bike online -- you have bigger wheels, but many of the features of yours look very similar to mine. Do you have that comfort saddle on yours? I had to get rid of the "comfort saddle" that came with my bike, it just wasn't comfortable! (hubbie has one too, and he seems to like the seat, at least for the first 23 miles!) I think that the first 10+ mile ride was the point where my butt decided it hated that seat and I couldn't make ANY sort of adjustment that would make my bottom happy, so the seat went.

I read about "spinning" here -- riding in lower gears -- too, and I agree, I feel like I get a better work out from that too! I get going, and once my body warms up, I feel a lot like I could go on forever, at least until I come to a hill!

Congratulations on your first "long" ride too! We did 26+ today, our longest of the season so far, and even though my body would likely complain a lot, I'm feeling like I wouldn't mind another ride this evening, just a leisurely tootle around the neighborhood. Suppose that's how we know when we're hooked?

Karen in Boise

[Craicgirl]

I still have the seat on the bike that it came with. It isn't a very wide seat, but it is a little cushy (gel filled I am guessing). It is made by Avenir. It doesn't appear as wide as some comfort seats I have seen. It felt pretty good up until yesterday when my crotch went numb (mainly towards the front).

I also have had some hand numbness, but I have had this since I started riding (even on the Walmart bike). I wear gloves and the handlebar is padded, maybe I am just gripping to hard (probably out of fear every time a car whizzes past me at a high rate of speed). The numbness in the hands does go away if I wiggle them a lot, but it is still annoying.

[withm]

Kerry,
Sounds like you need some fine tuning on the fit of your bike. Might try adjusting the seat just a hair, so to bring the front down a smidge. Remember to always make tiny, tiny adjustments, and only make one at a time. Moving it forward a bit (1/32") may help as well to relieve the pressure on your hands. If you "search" these forums for bike fit, you will find lots of information. When you start making adjustments, it helps to have a knowledgeable friend help, so they can look at you on the bike and make sure your knees are in correct position and in alignment with the pedal spindle, and saddle height looks good. If your frame size is good, you can make the bike fit well. If you have a good rapport with your LBS, they may put you and your bike on the trainer and help you to make adjustments, but not all shops can or will do this.

But if your frame is too small, while you may be able to improve the fit slightly, it may never deliver a good ride. I rode for years on a bike that was way too small and while spending a few hundred $ might have solved the problem (new fork, stem & seatpost) I did not want to put so much money into something that old and heavy. When I got my new bike last year, the difference was incredible. I could never have imagined a ride could be so good.

You DO have bike shorts, right? If not, get some, keeping in mind that they are all different. You can take 10 different pairs into the fitting room all marked the same size but from different manufacturers and styles, and you will find 2 that are way too big, 2 way too small, a couple lthat might be OK, and a couple you are indifferent to, and 2 that you think will be good. When you get them on the bike you may even reject one of them. More panels is better (and more expensive). Fabric that is super lightweight may not hold up to fingernails, much less road rash. Labels that are printed right on the fabric get my vote.

Everyone's hands are different, hence the myriad of choices for gloves. Different gloves may help. Look at your gloves and note where the padding lies. Where does your hand hurt? You will need gloves with less or more padding in that area. All these tricks will help: changing hand positions on your bars periodically, stretching your arm behind your back, and as you already know, wriggling the fingers. The rest is TITS - time in the saddle. (or tob? time on bars?)

Hope this helps. It took me about 500 miles before I quit changing stuff. Now I can really enjoy the rides. But don't despair - the first half of that I was still searching for a good seat. Once I found that I could move on to the other adjustments.

[Kano]

Kerry, I had some hand issues too as I started out this spring. I was thinking about trying different gloves, but never did that to solve things. The hand grips on my bike aren't "round" exactly, and one of the guys at the shop suggested I check to make sure they were "installed" correctly and showed me how they SHOULD be on the bike. That wasn't it, darn it, they were fine. I had some other little thing I was having checked at the bike shop a couple of days later, and the tech there had me sit on the bike a moment, said, hmmm, let's raise the handlebars a bit, adjust the seat position, and you're going to bend your elbows and use your body to hold your body up while you ride instead of leaning on your hands. I hadn't realized I was doing this, but son of a gun if that didn't solve the whole problem! (this took thought for a while, keeping my own position in mind. I think the "hardware" adjustments were probably done to facilitate my "software" adjustments) My body's stronger now, and I bet I could have him put the handlebars back where they were when I got the bike with no problems, which might be good for my recent quest for speed! The seat, having been changed out completely, is in a different place entirely already.

I agree about moving your hands around a bit too -- we don't have drops and hoods and such to move between, no not quite the same options as roadies, but you can't hold on too tightly if your fingers are resting on the brake levers, or if your thumbs aren't wrapped around the bar but resting on top instead.

Karen in Boise

[Craicgirl]

I do think I need new gloves, the ones I have are older (Walmart) and tend to be a bit tight. Also I am going to get a multi-tool tomorrow and make some adjustments to the seat. I raised it the other day and I think that may be the issue. I just got back from taking a quick after dark ride around the neighborhood (Had to try out the new headlight and rear lights) and I only went about 5 miles but still experienced the numbness in the girly bits, so I will play with it a bit and see what happens. How do I know what size frame I have? How would one measure it?

I am tall (5'11 and 155ish pounds) and the fellow at the LBS that sold it to me said it was perfect for me, but he may have just wanted to sell me a bike (can't trust a salesman ).

Tonights ride was pretty cool. It was the first time I have ridden after dark. Everything smells so cool on a summers evening. The only issues I had were of course the numb bits and bugs in the face and the ocassional frog crossing my path (which I swerved to miss just as I do in my car...God help me..one of these days I will end up in a ditch from dodging the darn things).

[madisongrrl]

I second the vote for the Astrale 8 - easy to install yourself (if you are a little bit "handy"), cheap ($40), and totally (so far) reliable.

I actually got mine for $25. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/bikes/index.html

[withm]

Kerry - I Just looked at the map and 'm not very far from you. We rode from Frankford to Trap Pond today, and our route took us just a few miles from you. All the traffic must have been at the beach cause we hardly had any cars in 35 miles.

if you have not ridden on Rt. 54 thru the cypress swamp, it's beautiful through there with a fabulous canopy of trees over the road - nice and cool. I would recommend it. No shoulder, but no cars either.

Anyway, if you want to meet in the middle somewhere I'd be happy to ride with you and if there's anything I can help with, I will. Sunday would be good, and then Thurs-Sun the following week, I'll be on the CAM ride at Princess Anne. Maybe we can get together then?

Martha