Jocee Haha, yes, I've done 25 or so before this 32 miler, but never with already very sore legs! I'm a glutton for punishment. It is funny how 5 miles used to seem like forever and now 5 miles is a warm up. lol
My bike is relatively new and we moved my old saddle over to my new bike and forgot the tools to adjust it when we went for our ride. Road/performance saddles are already so narrow the slightest error results in a sore tushy. At least for me anyhow! Needless to say, we adjusted as soon as we got home.
What beach do you ride on? What kind of bike? I have a road/performance bike and can't take it on sand. When we go to the beach (Hilton Head) we take our road bikes for the streets but rent cruisers/comfort bikes for the beach. It's such a different type of ride!
Jocee
What beach do you ride on? What kind of bike? I have a road/performance bike and can't take it on sand. When we go to the beach (Hilton Head) we take our road bikes for the streets but rent cruisers/comfort bikes for the beach. It's such a different type of ride!
Oh.... I don't ride on the beach, but rather I ride to the beach.
I currently have two bikes... I bought a Raleigh Roadster when I moved back to Boston last March so that I didn't have to buy a car and now use that to commute and shop. A great city bike, and the first one that I have owned in 35 years. When I plateaued on Weightwatchers for a few months, I decided to increase my exercise levels dramatically and not falling into the trap of eating my activity points. I started walking everywhere, and quickly got really bored with it. I started riding my Raleigh instead, however discovered that it was not well suited for the increasing distances and open road. Talk about sore tushie.
So I bought a Jamis Satellite a few months ago and immediately put a new seat on it.... I also busted through my plateau.
As to beaches...... I use commuter trains to get out of Boston, then ride to the beach, spend a few hours, then ride to another station to get back to Boston. These tend to be 15 to 35 mile jaunts. My favorite is Plum Island Wildlife Refuge (no people, beautiful ride), but also Good Harbor and Cranes Beach on Cape Ann, as well as Race Point (no people, ah, clothing optional) and Coast Guard Beach on outer Cape Cod (where you take a fast ferry boat out to P-town for a day trip).
Jocee - Ohhhhh! That makes sense! haha! Is it relatively flat around there? I lived in Vermont for a few years and I cannot imagine half of those hills. LOL
You have a very pretty bike.
Here's my road bike!
This is my seat that I just moved over to my bike, but mine has pink accents. It's still a ridiculously tiny seat for my big ol booty, but I've gotten use to it. I didn't like the seat the Cannondale came with.
I did my second metric century today. A beautiful ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, plus a bunch -- cranberry bogs, kettle ponds, scrub oak and pine forests, and salt marshes. Just gorgeous!
I also had a crash, or more like someone crashed into me. Pulled out into oncoming bike traffic, and plowed into me. My face and legs are a mess, and I'm sure tomorrow will be worse.
Is this what they mean by "no pain, no gain"? If so, I'll be done dieting on Monday......
PS.... Please always wear a helmet..... Both me and the young man who hit me were both scraped up, but if we weren't wearing helmets I think things would have been much worse. (Poor kid, he truly didn't know how to handle my complete and total injuried b*tch - his parents were aghast as well...
Last edited by Jocee; 09-04-2012 at 02:47 PM.
Reason: spelling
Hi! I really want to get into cycling. Currently I use the stationary bike at the gym with increased resistance and go about 20 mi/hr for a 20 min ride. (This is after I run) I want to get a bike so I can ride to my parents house and back, around neighborhoods and possibly even get into the paved trails. I have been told that I should go for a hybrid bike, but I don't really know what I am doing and I don't have enough money to get a new bike from a bike shop. Any advice? How different is riding outside compared to at the gym? I really think I will love it, but how can I invest SO much money without any idea if I will really use it?
gatorgirl6 - I 100% understand what you're saying. Bikes can be SO expensive. I bought a hybrid bike initally, for the same reason. What if I don't ride it? Looking back, I wish I hadn't. I wish I had just forked up the money and bought the read deal. I only say that though because I fell in love with cycling. lol.
I spent about $250 on my hybrid at Dick's and then one year later I spent $700'ish on my road bike at REI.
Now is actually the time to buy a bike. They are clearing out the 2012 models to make room for the 2013. You can go to REI's website and see what they've got going on.
You can also check craigslist and see if they have anything good. A lot of people get great deals on bikes there.
Riding inside is 100% different than riding outside, in my opinion. Do you ride a spin (up right bike) or a recumbent bike at the gym? That also makes a difference. The gears/shifting is also something you don't have to deal with in the gym.
I'm assuming you're from FL? If so, you're lucky with pretty flat roads there compared to a lot of places. FL is also a bike friendly place with lots of bike shops. The cycling community is pretty friendly. If you walked into a bike shop, most people would take the time to talk to you about it all and answer your questions and also help you decide the type of bike that'd be best for you!
Hi! I really want to get into cycling. Currently I use the stationary bike at the gym with increased resistance and go about 20 mi/hr for a 20 min ride. (This is after I run) I want to get a bike so I can ride to my parents house and back, around neighborhoods and possibly even get into the paved trails. I have been told that I should go for a hybrid bike, but I don't really know what I am doing and I don't have enough money to get a new bike from a bike shop. Any advice? How different is riding outside compared to at the gym? I really think I will love it, but how can I invest SO much money without any idea if I will really use it?
Thanks!
Yes, it is different!
I spin and I cycle, both. In fact, I have a hybrid and a road bike.
So, this is my experience. Spinning -- especially spinning class -- is similar, but it has nothing to do with outside riding. In a class, or even just on a stationary bike, you manage how hard or how difficult you want to ride.
In cycling, the road (or conditions) does that for you. The gears in the bicycle can help you make things easier or harder, for sure, just like in a spinning bike, but you're less aware of the gears as a way to make things harder or easier, because you've got a road, with traffic or lights or hills. I thought I lived in a pretty flat neighborhood until I started riding my bike. Then I realized there are slight elevations and dips that make me ride harder or easier, without changing my gears.
In my spinning class, we ride in the dark-ish. I can close my eyes and pedal and listen to the instructor and zone out.
When I'm on my bike, I have to be aware of the road (is that tree branch?), other cars, other cyclists, stop signs, lights, potholes, street signs (where am I going?!), the wind, the sun, the rain, the humidity, because ALL of that affects my riding, my tiredness, my stress levels, etc.
Yes, I can zone out in the bike, but it took a while to feel comfortable on the road -- and I can do that more in the rural places, where there is less traffic, less lights or stop signs, etc.
As for buying a hybrid or a road bike, if you're still unsure, I would go for the hybrid. This is why -- if you just do it around the neighborhood, a hybrid is great because it'll be faster than a mountain bike or one of those beach cruisers/vintage ones. You'll get gears that you can play around with. You can add a basket to it, to carry your purse or snacks to your parents house. You can then use it to go to the gym or other small errands. It's a versatile bike.
And if you start going on those paved trails and you really like it, you can start to go faster by changing the tires (or you can just buy a hybrid with thin tired). These bikes can be less than $500 and there are some GREAT sales now as SoMuchFattitude was saying. It is true, they are clearing out their inventory, so you can go to a bike shop and not only get a great deal on 2012, they may even have 2011 bikes available. You can get a better deal then, if you are not too short (short short people usually never find good sales on bikes from what I've heard).
I eventually did get a road bike too. I love them both, but now my hybrid is to run errands and my roadie is to go fast and far.
Go to a bike shop to look around, even if you don't buy. Get to know the salespeople. Find a shop that gives you a good vibe. Even if you don't buy from them, they may be the shop that you take your bike to get fixed or to buy accessories, so find one. Your bike will need maintenance unless you plan to do it yourself (I don't).
PS.... Please always wear a helmet..... Both me and the young man who hit me were both scraped up, but if we weren't wearing helmets I think things would have been much worse. (Poor kid, he truly didn't know how to handle my complete and total injuried b*tch - his parents were aghast as well...
I went to all the bike shops in town and definitely found one that I plan on using for maintenance, but only 1 of them sold used bikes and the only used hybrid they had was too small of a frame for me. I have been looking on craigslist and only found 1 hybrid in my price range in the last 2 weeks. It seemed great. The frame was the right size, I liked the looks, the price was right. I asked the girl selling it if she would be willing to take it to a bike shop with me since I don't know enough about bikes yet to know if it needed a ton of repairs or not and she said she wouldn't do that. It seemed way too risky if she wasn't willing to get it seen with me. After all of that, I still really wanted a bike. Yesterday, after I posted here, I started looking at non-bike shop bikes. I know they are less quality bikes, but I need to start somewhere and I can only afford what I can afford. Plus I can't make a used bike appear out of thin air. I actually decided on a Jeep Compass Women's Hybrid. You can click on that link to see it's specifications. To me, a not bike savvy buyer, it seemed to be the best bang for my buck. I stretched a little more than I would have liked to on the cost, but it is a safe buy. I got it from Sam's Club for $180 and I know Sam's has an amazing return policy so I can easily return it if it's not right. It is expected to arrive between Friday and next Wednesday. My dad and I will have to put it together, but he knows how. I am so excited. What do you guys think? Good buy? Any tips for a new rider?
gatorgirl6 - Good call on not buying someone that won't take it to the bike shop with you to have it checked out!
Congrats on your new bike! That is very exciting! I hope you fall in love with cycling like so many of us have.
Tips? Just remember to wear your helmet at all times and start on quiet roads/neighborhoods until you feel really safe and confident. Most importantly, have fun!
I asked the girl selling it if she would be willing to take it to a bike shop with me since I don't know enough about bikes yet to know if it needed a ton of repairs or not and she said she wouldn't do that.
Really good call.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorgirl6
Any tips for a new rider?
Thanks!
Enjoy. I started with short rides. Maybe 5 miles or less and worked my way up to 50+ miles after 6 months. If you own an iPhone, there a ton of apps out there that will figure out your distance, elevation change, and MPH/KPH
Please get front and rear flashers, even for daylight riding. And please wear a helmet It's been a week since my crash I was able to finally put on some makeup today, without looking like a ghoul. Thank god I was wearing a helmet.
I do! The only thing is that the brakes didn't come fully assembled. My dad and I couldn't adjust them perfectly, so today i am taking it to a bike store - just to be safe. Then I will start riding and getting used to it. I think the thing that will take the most time to adjust to is that it has lever shifters and I have never used those before.
It's still a ridiculously tiny seat for my big ol booty, but I've gotten use to it. I didn't like the seat the Cannondale came with.
