Cycling

I have been interested in getting into recreational cycling though I have no real feedback to help me get started. I have a little experience in mountain biking, but from what I have read on the internet, the bikes are a whole lot more lighter. I remember reading somewhere in these forums that a few of you do some serious cycling, so here I shall humbly ask for your cycling advice.

I want to do this to help me improve my health, use as a practical means of transportation, and it's becoming quite big here where I live at. I would like to participate in rides and yes I know that I could ask people here, though I would like to discuss this topic with people from other regions of the world.

 

Well, if you wanna go for racing you might as well have an ultra light bike of course. Make every part of your bike lightweight as much as possible. A whole bike with lightweight parts can weigh less than a kilogram, with that weight you can lift the whole thing with your pinky.

Light bikes are also ideal for travelling although I personally like bikes that are a little heavier coz it'll be much safer, but that's just me. Also, if you want your bike to get on the highway you gotta need a license for your bike and yourself. If you go on mountain biking, buy some tires that are fit for mountain biking (I don't know exactly what they should look like but all I know is tires for mountain biking and racing are different).

Try not putting too much accesories like an extra brake (one brake will do fine), those bling-blings for the tire's rim (it's heavy and it's ugly), and a bell and a basket (well you can attach those for grocery and strolling around the park but other than that, you don't need it)

I love biking a lot but I don't know very much about it. These are just some of the tips I know that could help but I also guarantee you ask to more experienced people.

 

whoa you gotta get a license? not in australia

i havnt riden for a couple weeks cause ive been heaps busy, but i usually do 60k rides, and ive got a few mates who do a bit more or a bit less.

light weight bikes are the way to go, with slick tyres for a smoother ride.

Personally i like slightly heavier bikes, with big chunky wheels.... thats really lousy for road rides, but i do bush rides somtimes, and usually ill ride on the road for ages then go through the bush.

Heavier rougher wheels just means you put more effort into peddling, which just means you get stronger faster

make sure you have heaps of water, i know it sounds obvious,b ut i know plenty who have, and ive done in the past, just gotten messed up from not drinking aye

keep your chain oiled up, keep your tyres a good pressure, wear your helmet, obey road rules.



when i first started i could barley ride down my street without wanting to carc it.

then i started riding a few ks to the station, catch a train, then ride a few ks to where i needed to be.

then i stepped it up to 6 ks, then to 12, then to 30, 40, 50, then 60.

its taken me about 3 months to get to that, without really pushing for it hard.

its of course different for everyone, ive found that just from riding around i bumped into other riders who were really supportive

i actually had some pro riders ride beside me, slowed down and everythin just to try encourage me, was really nice.

i love cycling, i can get most places i need to be, i get home from the pub without payin for a cab, im fit from it, and since ive been fit i have more energy and im more motivated to do everything else

hope you enjoy it mate, its good stuff all round

 

Yeah, cycling is the best and most enjoyable sport and exercise of all.

Well, you could not go get a license but acquiring one is much better in case something happens.

 

Well over here I do not think a license is required, however pedestrian cycling as a means of transportation has not yet sparked debate on whether road rules should be geared more and applied to automotive traffic rather than cyclist traffic. So it might be a good idea for me to check around before doing something.

Ultra-light bikes that I have come to known are also ultra-expensive, so I am looking to get a bike that is well all around for both on-road and off-road. I just need it so that I will not have to waste gas going to and from locations that are a few miles away.

The dangers of cycling here though is the sheer amount of "boonie" dogs. All streets here have at least three groups of dogs chasing people and vehicles at any given time.

Hydration is the key to almost any strenuous exercise, but thanks for putting in the little reminder.

 

Cycling is great. I recommend you get yourself a reasonably priced road bike if you're going to do road cycling. You can find such a thing for about $700 new.

One thing you can do is get yourself signed up for a Multiple Sclerosis benefit ride. These are non-competitive events where the only imperative is that you raise a modest sum of money (usually about $300) for MS research. Then, you ride at your own pace for 50-75 miles per day on a weekend to trek between 100 and 150 miles on a fully supported course, with food and Gatorade and trucks driving the course to make sure you're OK. There will be hundreds of people doing it, so you will be very safe in the pack.

Gearing up for such an event is really going to get you in shape. I built up from barely being able to do 20 minutes on a stationary bike to doing 90 minutes or more, plus I've been weight lifting and more stuff like that.

Now, on the night before I was to do the MS ride out here in Tennessee, I fell off the treadmill. I felt fine, so I got back on and did another mile. I walked around for another few hours, did more stuff, got my jersey all together and then went to bed. Woke up an hour later in so much pain I couldn't sleep. I went to the emergency room thinking that "it's either this, now, or pain all weekend because it's probably a hairline fracture." Nope, nothing was wrong whatsoever. My ankle got steadily better over the next few hours, swelling ceased without the need to ice it, but not having had any sleep I couldn't go on the bike ride. If only I had slept through the pain, I would have been fine.

One thing to be careful of, besides stupidly falling off treadmills, is over-developing certain muscle groups. This is the only thing that's not ideal about cycling (that and the possibility of getting smacked by an idiot motorist). Cycling will develop your quads a lot and your calves to some extent, but won't do so much for the antagonist muscles. If you don't do something to balance out particularly your hamstrings, you're asking for trouble. I developed that problem a few weeks ago--got home from my bike ride, didn't stretch or cool down, and over that afternoon my back started to hurt like you wouldn't believe. The next morning I could barely stand up, and it hurt even to lie down. What was going on all along was that my quads were so stiff that they were pulling on my lower back, particularly when I sat down. In fact, the next day I braved the gym and did some walking and I felt great--sitting down again for an hour or so made the pain come back. So, do some leg curls to balance out your quad work. Also, do some lunges to develop your buttocks, and walk around on your heels with your toes raised in the air for a few minutes at a time to develop your shins. Reverse sit-ups, if you have the facility to do them properly, are great to ward off back problems. And crunches are in fact necessary to support good cycling technique.

Good luck, and here's to an aspiring cyclist! owerup: