Question for the cyclists...

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R6 - Welcome to the wonderful world of MTB!!

A couple notes -

Don't go out and buy a wide, soft, spongy saddle. It will just take you that much longer to aclimate to the bike, and it's also a great way to get saddle sores. Think your crotch hurts now?? :eek:

The soreness in the nether regions goes away in a few rides. This time next week, you won't even notice it.

Good cycling shorts can help ALOT. If you're self-concious about the whole skintight spandex thing, they make shorts that have a spandex liner with a light cotton or nylon outer layer. Try here - http://www.performancebike.com/shop/subcategory.html?Cat_ID=5&Sub_ID=1122

Above all, take it easy! Don't kill yourself trying to get all ripped overnight. It won't happen, and you'll end up using your bike as a towel rack. Remember, bicycling is fun! Almost as much as shooting!

So you have 60 acres of land to ride on? Gawd, I'm jealous.

dZ - Yeah, with my clipless pedals on. Loading docks? Not me.

Later all,
Chris
 
I bought my MTB last year and it's the first bike I've had since childhood. It's also the first bike I've ridden that has gears. Needless to say, I was foolhardy enough to go on a 12 mile ride on the first day out. Well, as I was still learning how to use the gears, even relatively minor hills became mountains. I was so exhausted by the end of the day that I was walking the bicycle on any upward incline. Now, over a year later and a lot more savvy, it's no problem.

I've got a miserable seat and until you find a better, more comfortable seat, my best advice is to stand on the pedals.
 
Chris,

I now what you mean about the stock seats on bikes. I picked up a bicycle a year or so ago so I could ride a bit with my son and the first time out I thought the seat was going to kill me. Who invented this torture device anyhow? Well, next trip to Wal-Mart I picked up the widest non-gel seat they sold. It's not great but it's sure a lot better than it was.

I don't ride the bike much anymore. I can't keep up with my son and, to be honest, it's been too damn hot lately to bring it out.

Besides, my favorite bike to ride has a throttle on the right handlebar and a wide, comfortable seat. :D

Joe/Ga
 
Rainbow Six,
Believe it or not, I used to be a pro cyclist and after that I even did some coaching for a couple of cycling teams. If I recall right you're in New England, right?
If you need help with any thing cycling related I'd be glad to help a fellow TFLer.
I'm still in the fitness industry and have a lot of resources that I would be happy to share.
Patrick
 
Great topic... I have this super-wide Schwinn seat on my mountain bike. Those seats that come with the bike really are terrible. I must have a bony ass or something, but the replacement I got is the most comfortable one I could find. It's got springs in the rear part of the seat like a car's suspension.

It weighs about 5 pounds MORE than a normal seat, but I'm on my bike every day to go TO and FROM class & just to run erands in Atlanta, but it's great. It may even be a girls seat. I admit it may look a bit cheesy, but who cares. It's MY ASS...

Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
Rainbow..start very slowly and don't worry about that pain in the rear. Eventually your hind quarters acclimates to it. Also, those widers seats some have mentioned are actually less comfortable over longer rides that the narrower seats. Used to spend 5-6 hours in the saddle training and racing and they are far more comfortable than wider seats.

Coinneach..Don't worry about the shaved leg thing. Before I started racing I looked sideways at that too. After seeing what one looks like with a severe road rash after not shaving I quickly came around. Besides, it's great for ease of massage and my wife likes the way it looks. :)

Chris..
 
Joe, I hear ya on the HOT thing!! :o Man, it has been terrible!!

Patrick, I live near Atlanta, Georgia. :)


Ok, I think the seat is getting more bearable. I rode yesterday and I'm not really sore today. I think I'll go out for more punishment today. After a ride, I feel really good once the feeling comes back to the muscles in my legs. :D

I think time will help with my current seat and maybe I won't have to buy another one right now. I'll see how it goes. I may look into that BG Comfort though. It does look more like what I "think" I want/need.

Thanks again for all the help. I will probably drop some of you an e-mail in regards to your comments. :)

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The Glock freak formerly known as Chris...
 
R6
Regarding the heat Remember, drink before [\B]you are thirsty. Later, when you ride for longer times : eat before you are hungry. Bananas are G_d's food, for cycling.
Good luck, have FUN, and for now, SPIN at 60 - 90


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Rob
From the Committee to Use Proffesional Politicians as Lab Animals
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She doesn't have bad dreams because she's made of plastic...
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bad Kiki! No karaoke in the house!
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Larry Flynt is right. You guys stink!!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Christopher II:

Good cycling shorts can help ALOT. If you're self-concious about the whole skintight spandex thing, they make shorts that have a spandex liner with a light cotton or nylon outer layer. Try here - http://www.performancebike.com/shop/subcategory.html?Cat_ID=5&Sub_ID=1122 B][/quote]

Thanks for the tip, chris. I've been looking for shorts like those that don't cost REI prices :). I just got me a K2 4000 full suspension MTB, and I'm looking forward to learning the Boise trails. I had a Liberator saddle that had promise, but ended up cutting into my ass. I'm back with the stock seat, which is more comfortable. I'm hoping the shorts will help.
 
Another bike question:
I've been riding around town over the past few weeks, and my shoulders and wrists get tired pretty quickly. I suspect the bike geometry (seat and handlebar position) are not quite correct, and it's throwing my weight too far forward. I can relieve it by sitting up a bit more, so I think I need to raise the handlebars a bit. Any comments?
 
Well, my ride didn't go quite as planned... :mad:

I was about ohhhhhh, twenty feet into it when I took my right hand off the handle bars for a second. *BAD* move! I dropped the bike, not quite sure exactly what happened. Anyway, the blacktop surface of my driveway done an excellent job of breaking my fall. Other than a short skid, I didn't go far once I hit it. :)

The asphalt chewed up and bruised the heel of my right hand (nice open oozer) and scraped up my right forearm nicely. (Note to self- GET RIDING GLOVES TODAY!!!) Also, the right handle bar grip end tried to embed into my chest and left a nice 10" bruise/gouge mark across my chest. OUCH!!! (Another note to self- Consider wearing PD issue body armor to protect against grip ends. ;))

Strange thing, though. What bothers me more than the personal injury is the fact that evidently the front wheel is bent and I can't ride until it's fixed, DAMMIT! The front wheel binds with the brakes during a certain portion of it's rotation.

I guess, like motorcycle riders, there are also two kinds of bicycle riders. Those who have been down and those who will go down. Guess it was just a matter of time. I guess whatever doesn't kill us only makes us suffer.....errrrrrrrr, stronger! :D

Oh well, I guess now's as good a time as any to have those road tires installed. I mean, I assume that I'll have to buy a dang wheel (That'll probably leave a mark!). Might as well get it done now and save having to mess with it again later to do the tires.


R6 down...
 
Dang Rainbow, I'll bet you did one of those "look around and see if anyone saw that" deals. Sorry about the fall. I know that had to hurt cause I've done ie myself.

Let my share mine real quick it might make you laugh enough to forget about it.

In the Army I used to ride my bike to work and then I'd ride it to home and back for lunch. Well I was going along the street and I was gonna hop up to the sidewalk while I was going along-side it...Didn't quite get the back tire up there and I bit it hard. Dragged my BDU pant leg and the tip of my boot on the sidewalk and went down hard. Looked up and there was a line of cars to the intersection I was going towards and all the drivers had one of those 'damn that musta hurt" looks. Followed by laughter. Well trying to play it off as soon as possible I scooped the bike up and jumped back on. I hadn't noticed that the chain had fallen off and when I tried to peddle off all my legs did was spin real fast and then I lost my balance and fell over sideways. Once agin I got the same look and laughter from the drivers. I finally recovered AGAIN and got the chain put back on. :o

It was a nice slow ride the rest of the way home.
 
you do not learn to fly until you learn to fall

lesson 1 complete (buy gloves)

The most embarassing fall is to tip over while track standing at a red light and your feet won't come out of the clips

The wheel can prolly be re trued quickly by an expert

1/2 the spokes pull from one side of the hub

the basic idea is you loose the spoke on the side that touches the brake 1/2 a turn
and tighten the adjacent spokes 1/2 a turn

(wheel reflectors will disrupt the harmony of a wheel by holding 3 spokes together as a unit)

dZ
 
DZ has a good point. De-Gomer your mountain bike! Take the reflexors off.

And, your not going hard enough till you crash, so get groves and a helmet.

Robert
 
Huke,

Sorry, but that is funny. :D

FWIW, I had it coming. I was on patrol one day a few years back, sitting in front of some apartments running radar when this guy rode past on his bicycle. The guy "wasn't all there" and I had seen him around town a lot. He always waved and had this big, innocent grin on his face when he saw us officers. Just a nice guy.

Well, he comes back by with a grocery bag on the front of his bike. As he turned loose to wave, he hit a pothole in the apartment driveway and over the handlebars he goes! The bike done a complete front flip and so did he! Well, it became obvious that the bag *HAD* contained two gallons of milk. They exited the bag in mid air and both jugs exploded when they hit the asphalt.

Here's what earned me the fall today... I busted out laughing and couldn't stop! I guess it caught me off guard. The aerial show he put on combined with the look on his face after he landed was too much. I did get out and help him up to make sure he was ok, but he just jumped up, remounted and took off.

Maybe if I hadn't laughed so hard that day I wouldn't have hit so hard today. Man, I'm getting sore all over now.

dZ,

Actually, the #1 lesson I learned today was I AIN'T 15 ANY MORE!! "Buy gloves" was lesson #2!! :D

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The Glock freak formerly known as Chris...

[This message has been edited by Rainbow Six (edited June 22, 2000).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I AIN'T 15 ANY MORE!![/quote]

yep! back in College i used to manage the repair part of a bike shop & we used to go out on rides on the old rail line. Some of the kids that went along were 9 or 10.

They had never seriously hurt themselves and had NO FEAR. I remember them sliding their bikes sideways down the face of a hill in a full skid so they were lined up for the turn at the bottom.
dZ
 
In my old neighborhood there were a bunch of tennis courts. They were sort-of dug into a slope, and I wanted to be cool and shoot down one of those slopes. I did just fine until i got both of my wheels in one of those ereosion ruts that the rain carves out. It was all over from that point. The rut made a sudden turn and I didn't. The wheel twists & I flipped head over heals and screwed up my front wheel royally... and my pride even worse. Of course the tennis courts were full that day as I slammed into the fence after rolling downhill a few times. Those words will stick with me forever, "Damn dude, you ok?" The handlebar had knocked the wind out of me and I was sore in a few other places as well. I think I nodded that I was fine as everyone watched me leave.

Lesson # 3: avoid getting into those RUTS
;) You should hear some of my skater stories!
Either way, welcome to the MTB kaboom club.
Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
More important than the feel of the seat on your behind is bike fit. I've seen too many people with the seat either too high or too low, bar stems that make them crunch on the bike or makes them stretch too much, and bars that are either too wide or too narrow. Get fitted on your bike by a pro. Ideally on a MTB with the pedal at its lowest point your leg should be nearly straight. You can lower it for downhills or rough terrain. Your body should be omfortably placed over the bike with the stem providing sufficient length to keep just behind the mid-portion of the front wheel. The bars should be shouldder width, you can cut them later if you get into technical riding. Make sure you invest in a good pair of shoes. Don't get the clip ones yet, instead some touring shoes will do just right for now. As you gain confidence add tie clips and ties to your pedals. Only later, once you've mastered the art of balance completely, get some special clip shoes and pedals. Spend some money on quality riding shorts, with a leather chamois. These will make riding loads of fun. Get some quality gloves, nothing fancy just some padded leather riding gloves. These will dampen the road shock and will protect your hands when you decide to pull a superman.

Remember to always take along at the very least one water bottle, and in the summer two. drink water often, even when you're not thirsty, but just to keep up your hydration.

Of course I'm sure you bought a quality light weight helmet already. I used to scoff at helmets as being for girly men. The the state where I lived started requiring them for adult riders so I caved. I bought the best one I could afford. I took a nasty spill some weeks later. I got major road rash and my head skidded on the pavement. The helmet split in two, I got a mild concussion but nothing else. The doctor told that wihtout the helmet I would've left some nice brain jelly all over the road. Always wear a helmet, even if you're jst going around the block.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
Helmet, gloves, goggles, and real riding shorts are no-brainers. People who ride bikes without helmets are about as smart as catchers who don't wear cups. I like Bolle optics cuz they were about the first to offer prescription inserts, but most of the eyewear companies do that now. Good quality riding shorts aren't cheap, but they'll last a really long time, so get a good name brand (I have a pair of Descente over a decade old, who knows how many 1000s of miles, and they're just like new). When I got my 1st mountain bike I started riding it to work, about 12 miles. I didn't want to go with the "Euroweenie" look so I wore cotton gym stuff. Bad, bad, BAD mistake. Got a near-terminal case of chafing. Walked like a constipated cowboy for about two weeks. Grit your teeth and get the spandex.

I've done the "stoplight capsize" once, fortunately it was pitch dark in a rural area on a sandy shoulder. I laid there laughing for some time. Huke, I believe I'd have to give you a 9.7 on that performance! After that, I think I'd move to a new town... ;)

Dittos on putting some cross or road tires on your bike. make sure there's some tread, though, in case you get caught out in the rain. Slicks work on narrow wheels like 725s but not on mountain wheels. I'm using an IRC Metro tire up front and an Avocet Cross aft. I don't think you can go wrong with Avocet seats, even their road racing saddles are pretty comfy. Narrower *can be* better, but only if the seat fits yer bone structure and has padding that works well for you.

As for hands & wrists, I suggest you get "bar ends" which are little forward-pointing grips about 6" long that clamp themselves to the ends of your handlebar. Gives you a second grip position to switch to (the hand/wrist problems are reduced by changing your grip spot), plus they are great for grunting up hills. Also, stand up on the pedals every so often to get some circulation in your taint region.

Be careful with seat height. Two issues involved. The first is to ensure you've got enough seatpost in the frame; there should be a line cut into the seat stem which is the "no further than this line" line. Secondly, if your seat is too high and your knees go to full extension, you can do some damage to your joints, so make sure your knees are at least slightly bent on the bottom of the pedaling stroke.

Do both walking and riding. Different set of muscles. One big advantage of riding is that the flying bugs can't keep up with you (though you'll ingest your fair share of "nature's pure protein"). As already said, 60+ rpm is the ticket, as lower rpms can put wear-n-tear on the ol' knees.
 
80% of mt biking is falling off. Road bike I can't tell you the last time I fell off it. it is true it's between those who have and those who haven't yet! helmet, small first aid kit, plenty of water, gloves and good shorts are a must!!!out door life has a show called gear guide and Bob rool does not like the split saddles either. see it you can try one first I am sure somebody has one they don't use/like. Toe clips are a must . the first time the pedals slap you on the calf and leave a mark. Keep them loose but get them.
 
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