Well, I did it! (long)

[allismarie]

Incase you all didn't see my post from a couple of days ago. I've been road bike shopping with the intent to cycle.

I purchased a Trek 7.3 FX. After riding the 17" Men's and Women's bike, the men's is actually a better fit for me. So, that's what I got. The guy spent about an hour showing me how to remove tires, and work the bike. How *not* to do the gears, etc etc.

I was excited leaving the shop with the bike in my trunk, and went home. I decided to go on a short ride through my neighborhood. After taking off, I realized that my front break was undone because I had to put the tire back on for transport. Then, I turned down a street that I haven't been down before. Boy was that a mistake. It had these steep rolling hills. I haven't figured out my gears, so I was in the wrong gear going up. I wore myself out!

Next, on my way home, I went with my front gear on 1, and my back gear on 8. (What the guy at the shop told me not to do) Guess what, the chain came off the gear. So, I had to stop and fix it.

All of that adventure in 30 minutes. I was totally wiped out. I had no idea how out-of-shape I really am, and I have never felt like more of a newb than I do right now!

Today, my butt and my female parts are sore. Not too bad, but how long can I expect this hurt to continue? What is the normal soreness expected, and when should I start looking for a new saddle?

[Biciclista]

Ha, you did everything I did wrong, but all in the first ride! congrats on that.
You will surely get better with time. I still mess the chains up sometimes when i think i am on the middle chain ring and i'm NOT.

About your sit bones being sore,that is to be expected. About your girl parts being sore, that means either the bike is not fitting you properly or the saddle needs to be replaced. That is unacceptable.

enjoy your new bike but go back and complain about that saddle pain!

[redrhodie]

Yay! You did it!

All these kinks are normal at first. Soon it will be second nature, and whole new world will open up to you!

[indigoiis]

+1 - it's always a learning experience at first.

Practice your gears on a neighborhood street. Don't worry about what gear or chainring you are in/on. Just flip through the gears and get the feel for them.

[allismarie]

Thanks for the encouragement. The feminine pain isn't severe. I'm thinking of angling the seat forward a little bit to see if that makes a difference.

I'm sad that I'm not going to be able to go again today. I've got a birthday to attend, and it's going to run late. I've been cruising the website looking for good places to go ride. I need nice and flat for the first little while.

Also, what does the +1 mean?

Thanks again! I'm looking forward to growing with you all!

[Biciclista]

+1 means she really liked it

[indigoiis]

+1 I did.
And I recommend not angling the seat forward, although some folks do. But you may find yourself "scooching" all the time and that will give you worse pain.

What you may want to try is moving the saddle forward or back on the rails, depending on where you are feeling pressure. If you are feeling pressure on your front bone, you may be stretched out too far? So maybe if you move the saddle forward just a tad on the rails, it may help.

Also I think with time you do get used to the leaned over position - and Pilates or core strengthening really helps. But the best thing to do is get a good bike fit. Also read the threads on here about saddles and saddle issues. Are you wearing bicycle shorts?

And for gearing practice, look for a bike trail or a big parking lot. Works wonders to be able to practice at low speeds and in a safe place.

[CyborgQueen]

I've said it before, not sure if you read it.

Did you have your saddle replaced? Male saddles will HURT..seriously, ESPECIALLY the girly parts. Get it replaced right away.

With a new saddle (and do not try to mess around with it, it has to be pretty much level for a reason), it will feel a little soreness for a little while. It took me about 5 to 7 days of riding for it to feel comfortable and not sore at all. It does get better over time. I made my big mistake at first by just accepting the male saddle, I was sore for days because of that.

Now I have a silly question - I know people have said not to use the smallest front gear with the largest back gear...I've done it, and I haven't had problems...unless if I'm missing something. I have double crank set, I'm not sure if that makes the difference.

If you want a nice flat trail, you definitely should try MapMyRide.com and do a search for your area - "Beginners", or put a search for a number of miles you want to do, etc. Once you get the map - click on "Elevation", it will tell you how big of a climb things are. Usually flats are between -1 to +1%, occasionally 2%.

I started out at 3 miles, and i was pooped out!! After a couple weeks of solid riding, I can go to 17 miles with climbs. I'm still learning all the time! Best of luck!

[Biciclista]

I've said it before, not sure if you read it.

Did you have your saddle replaced? Male saddles will HURT..seriously, ESPECIALLY the girly parts. Get it replaced right away.

I'm sorry, this is not accurate. Some "female" saddles are going to hurt too. Many woman ride "male" saddles happily and comfortably. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

[CyborgQueen]

I'm sorry, this is not accurate. Some "female" saddles are going to hurt too. Many woman ride "male" saddles happily and comfortably. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

Oops! I didn't mean to make a generic comment...I meant to say, "SOME male saddles will hurt. You should get the saddle replaced especially if Girly parts hurt" My editor is on vacation.

Sorry about that...

[bmccasland]

Are you riding with padded cycling shorts? I made the mistake of wearing non-padded shorts to spin class last night, a mistake that will not be repeated.
Padded shorts will help with the saddle discomfort, but having the right saddle will be even better.

[allismarie]

I did buy some padded shorts. Thinking about it, I was really only on the bike for about 20 minutes yesterday. To be sore today is not boding well for a longer trip.

I'm going to start looking around for a women's seat, and I'll check the seat I've got to make sure it's good and level.

Thanks!

[sfa]

A lot of the exhaustion you feel after 30 minutes is probably NOT from being out of shape, but from doing something new. It takes a lot of mental effort when you're trying a new activity or on a new bike or even a new route, and you don't know how to expend your physical effort efficiently, so you wear out faster than you normally would. I'd expect that sort of "newness" exhaustion to go away very quickly, and then you can focus on really physically wearing yourself out!

Sarah

[tctrek]

Agree with sfa... stress and anxiety can do funny things and sounds like your first ride was a bit stressful! You can hold yourself in a tense manner or in a weird position and cause all sorts of weird aches and pains. Ride somewhere familiar to start, keep yourself as relaxed as possible.

A sore butt/sit bones is normal for a while, but a seat that hurts your soft tissue probably always will. I have found that heavier padding on seats hurt me more than a firm seat, but that isn't necessarily true for everyone.