I just bought it! I am so excited! Want to go out and ride it but have to buy a helmet first, and have to check and fit it properly before I go bananas on the cyclinglanes along the river here.

I'm a beginner with this kind of thing, so any tips are welcome!

a professional bike fit and a properly fitting helmet are the two very first things to do. after that you'll need good sunglasses to protect your eyes from flying stuff- I like the sets that have interchangable lenses- clear, light, and dark so you can protect your eyes but not worry about having trouble seeing properly during a race.

the goofy shorts and jerseys will be more important the longer you ride. the shorts (and a good cream like chamois butter) will allow you to ride long hours without soreness. btw those shorts are made to be worn with no underwear. the jerseys have those built in pockets in the back which you'll need for snacks to keep energy up on rides longer than 1 hour. for shorter rides/races, you can usually do fine with water or sports drink.

if you aren't using them already, transitioning to clipless pedals will be really useful when racing or on long rides. these basically stick your foot to the pedal so you can push down AND pull up with every pedal stroke. a set of shoes and pedals can cost ~$200 US. not essential- but handy once you get into more serious riding.

ENJOY!!!

I got all my gear yesterday and finally got out there today. Did 21miles at an average speed of 15miles an hour. I am pleased. I LOVED it as much as I hoped I would. I am just amazed at how full of energy I felt afterwards. My heartrate had been up as mucha s when I run for such a long time, but I was way less tired than with running. I could have gone even further. Which I plan to do. But all building it up and such.

I don't have a road bike but I'm practicing on my old bike. I rode 6 miles. LOL. I know that's nothing but it's a start. LOL

Originally Posted by lobon:
a professional bike fit and a properly fitting helmet are the two very first things to do. after that you'll need good sunglasses to protect your eyes from flying stuff- I like the sets that have interchangable lenses- clear, light, and dark so you can protect your eyes but not worry about having trouble seeing properly during a race.

the goofy shorts and jerseys will be more important the longer you ride. the shorts (and a good cream like chamois butter) will allow you to ride long hours without soreness. btw those shorts are made to be worn with no underwear. the jerseys have those built in pockets in the back which you'll need for snacks to keep energy up on rides longer than 1 hour. for shorter rides/races, you can usually do fine with water or sports drink.

if you aren't using them already, transitioning to clipless pedals will be really useful when racing or on long rides. these basically stick your foot to the pedal so you can push down AND pull up with every pedal stroke. a set of shoes and pedals can cost ~$200 US. not essential- but handy once you get into more serious riding.

ENJOY!!!

Thanks for the info!

What target areas do you work when you cycle? I know the legs but any others? Lower Abs? ? ?

I've got a Trek off road bike, but I take it on the road. I have an 8 mile loop that I try to do a couple times a week, sometimes my 10 yr old will join me. I love bike riding. Planning to increase to 2 loops next time out. So awesome feeling the breeze in your hair (under the helmet of course) on a warm summer day!

:bike2:

Hey everyone. I"m up to 6 miles on my bike. I really want to increase to at least 12 miles. Do you think I should go straight from 6 miles to 12 miles immediately or should I do increments of 1 or 2 miles. I have only been biking for 2 weeks. This week is my 3rd week.

Any suggestions?

LAgreeneyes- if you have the fitness to ride 6 miles, you should be able to pull off 12 now if you pace yourself and drink water regularly on your ride. depending on your speed, 12 miles may be at the range where you need to replace a little carbohydrate too. you can sip a little sports drink while you ride or eat a banana right as you finish.

it depends on your personality- i would try to do a few rides of 6 then 8, 10, 12 or 6-9-12 because I love to celebrate new achievements and "PRs"-personal records. Plus that sets you up for better chance for success ;)


I rode 30 miles recently, my longest by far since back/knee injuries.

My ride! They don't make it anymore so it better not break!!!

Originally Posted by lobon:
LAgreeneyes- if you have the fitness to ride 6 miles, you should be able to pull off 12 now if you pace yourself and drink water regularly on your ride. depending on your speed, 12 miles may be at the range where you need to replace a little carbohydrate too. you can sip a little sports drink while you ride or eat a banana right as you finish.

it depends on your personality- i would try to do a few rides of 6 then 8, 10, 12 or 6-9-12 because I love to celebrate new achievements and "PRs"-personal records. Plus that sets you up for better chance for success ;)


I rode 30 miles recently, my longest by far since back/knee injuries.

My ride! They don't make it anymore so it better not break!!!

I LOVE your ride! SWEET !!!!!!! Congrats on the 30 miles. How long did it take you?

I will try increments. I will shoot for 8 miles this week, 10 miles next week, and 12 miles week after that. I think that I can do it easily because when I'm done with the 6 miles, I'm not even tired. I'm sweating like a sweat hog and legs are a burning a bit but I feel as if I can do more.

Thanks a lot for your input. Much appreciated!!!:D

How long did it take you to do 30 miles.

I can't really define myself as a cyclist but I am trying to add some cycling in to my fitness routine. I have a Marin Palisades 21 speed hard tail mountain bike (I think- I'm going off memory- and the bike is 5+ years old).

I'm not a very good cyclist, and hills have me huffin' and puffin', but it's great exercise for the legs!

Originally Posted by EagleRiverDee:
I can't really define myself as a cyclist but I am trying to add some cycling in to my fitness routine. I have a Marin Palisades 21 speed hard tail mountain bike (I think- I'm going off memory- and the bike is 5+ years old).

I'm not a very good cyclist, and hills have me huffin' and puffin', but it's great exercise for the legs!

I wish that we had hills so that I could huff and puff. We just have straight highway. You're so lucky. I am working towards building up my inner thighs. I have a very little bit of cottage cheese fat that is barely noticeable but I know it's there and it needs to be GONE. I am working on getting that outta there.

I am also noticing that my stomach fat is slowly leaving. I'm shrinking a bit in the stomach area. I am able to zip AND button pants up that I couldn't before when I wasn't cycling. I'm happy about that.

The lbs are definitely coming off since I began cycling. :carrot:

Good biking you all! Starts slow if you have to obviously. I did 34miles the other day and I loved it. Burned close to 2000 calories with it, saw some awesome scenery and just... adored it. It feels ike the easiest calorieburn in the world. LOL

I think it's pretty 'easy' for me to go long distance because here in the Netherlands we live on our bike. Our citybike takes us to our first day of school and the last day of University. When we go out with friends we cycle back home. And a lot of people are lucky enough to be able to cycle to work and back too. On holidays we'll take our bikes and cycle like 20miles to the next town or go sightseeing by bike. So being on a bike in itsself is in no way tiring mentally or physically because it's almost second nature. That makes it very easy to switch to a roadbike and endure a long distance.

Just explaining this so you guys don't think I am bragging when I say I did 34miles. Once I can say I did a 100miles I am probably trying to brag yeh. LOL.

Originally Posted by lobon:

I rode 30 miles recently, my longest by far since back/knee injuries.

My ride! They don't make it anymore so it better not break!!!

I love your bike! Nice!

Originally Posted by philana:
Good biking you all! Starts slow if you have to obviously. I did 34miles the other day and I loved it. Burned close to 2000 calories with it, saw some awesome scenery and just... adored it. It feels ike the easiest calorieburn in the world. LOL

I think it's pretty 'easy' for me to go long distance because here in the Netherlands we live on our bike. Our citybike takes us to our first day of school and the last day of University. When we go out with friends we cycle back home. And a lot of people are lucky enough to be able to cycle to work and back too. On holidays we'll take our bikes and cycle like 20miles to the next town or go sightseeing by bike. So being on a bike in itsself is in no way tiring mentally or physically because it's almost second nature. That makes it very easy to switch to a roadbike and endure a long distance.

Just explaining this so you guys don't think I am bragging when I say I did 34miles. Once I can say I did a 100miles I am probably trying to brag yeh. LOL.

Thanks for the post. We know you're not bragging. You're just telling us about your GREAT workout. I'm jealous. Keep posting your stats. I'm lovin' it. I love to hear what everyone is doing. That motivates me to get where you're at.

Good job!!!!!! :carrot: