Long story short 6 stress fractures in 2 years going to get into cycling. Any advice?
Long story short 6 stress fractures in 2 years going to get into cycling. Any advice?
Buy a bike, probably around $1000. Get clipless pedals and shoes. Probably another $150. Always carry a spare tube and a hand pump.
Downhills are so much more fun biking than running. And uphills suck so much more.
shave your legs and wear a stupid little hat.
Use the Strava heat map to find popular local rides (google it).
In well-populated areas you can probably come across a half-decent used bike for $500-$600 on craigslist. Used bikes go for way less than MSRP since biking is a rich sport and most people want to buy new. I bought a 2012 bike that retailed for $3500 for $900. If you go that route, arrange to make the transaction at a bike shop so you can have them look it over beforehand and potentially tune it up after. Most bike shops will do this - call and ask.
Obviously wear a helmet. Definitely get clipless pedals and shoes (if not at first then eventually).
Once you get comfortable on a bike it is very fun. Different than running. Takes about twice as long to get a comparable workout, but you can venture much further.
If you post your rough location some people here could probably give you regional advice.
Crashing sucks. Take railroad crossings perpendicularly. feather both brakes on steep downhills.
Good luck
psalty dog wrote:
Buy a bike, probably around $1000. Get clipless pedals and shoes. Probably another $150. Always carry a spare tube and a hand pump.
Downhills are so much more fun biking than running. And uphills suck so much more.
handpump? try Co2 cartridges
bikerbiker wrote:
psalty dog wrote:Buy a bike, probably around $1000. Get clipless pedals and shoes. Probably another $150. Always carry a spare tube and a hand pump.
Downhills are so much more fun biking than running. And uphills suck so much more.
handpump? try Co2 cartridges
+1 for CO2.
You never use them. Though, when you have do and you realize the hand pump you've been carrying around all year wont get you near 100psi, you will lose your sh1t on the roadside.
Buy used, something that has Ultegra 6700 and full carbon. The type of ride that was 3500 two years ago and you scoop it for 1800- 2200.
Buy bib shorts. good ones.
performance bike's ultra bib shorts are cheap (for what they are) and awesome, or at least the womens ones are.
embrace cycling and don't just be mad about not running. a lot of the awesome things about running are/can also be true about cycling - seeing beautiful places, the social interactions, making it hurt, etc. things like "longest ride ever" or "biggest climb" etc are great, fun milestones.
unlike running, you can push it real hard on certain sections of a ride and take the rest easy and your body will feel fine overall. you can do multiple days in a row w/ "hard" stuff.
as someone said, strava heatmap and also segment explorer, or general strava stalking of cyclists in your area, are very useful to find out where to ride.
eating is more important. if you're going on a multi-hour ride, you should eat after your first hour of riding. bonking is horrible and especially since you are on roads.
learn how to fix a flat/patch tube/etc before you get your first one on the road by yourself...trust me
you can do an entry level aluminum road bike for your first one. somebody mentioned ultegra... that's higher level stuff and yes, it's awesome, but you don't really need it yet. shimano 105 should work.
bike stuff costs way more than running stuff does... try not to get mad about it.
also, unless you're riding only uphill (which is impossible...) it takes more time to get a good workout out of a bike ride than it does a run.
find someone to ride with who knows good routes, good bakeries to stop at, is patient w/ pace, etc. for some reason, i have much more trouble riding by myself yet i love solo runs. maybe because to get in a decent ride takes more time.
I went from running to triathlons and was surprised how much I loved the cycling portion. Great advice thus far on the thread particularly with the CO2 and getting a carbon with ultegra components. If you're serious about pursuing cycling for workouts you'll be frustrated if you go lower. Buy a HRM. They're relatively cheap and a great data point once you start going on long rides. You'll learn much more about nutrition for long endurance than just running. You can skimp on jerseys but not worth skimping on shorts. Good chamois will save you from chaffing and over multiple hours it really adds up.
If you buy a bike, get fitted by someone qualified. Fitting costs around 100, some shops it's free. Size of the bike and position on it are very important. It's an expensive hobby initially.
Ride on roads with low traffic and wear bright colors.
for gear don't drop $1800 on a bike. seriously.
get something like a giant defy 1 with 105 not ultergra that is aluminum with a carbon fork.
need c02. shorts. helmet.
and if you are going to blow $2000 total, get a power meter and train like an athlete not a gear queer instead of upgraded crap that won't actually make you better.
Handrage wrote:
You never use them. Though, when you have do and you realize the hand pump you've been carrying around all year wont get you near 100psi, you will lose your sh1t on the roadside.
Not true. WTF is it with 100psi? Do your tires turn square at < 6 bar?
It is your weak upper body that is a fail. Oooh look everyone, I'm a frail stick figure like Chris Froome...
And then there's the time where this genius WILL BE stuck on the side of the road, no cartridges left, and TWO blown tubes because Johnny's CO2 inflator blew the tire off the rim because the tube wasn't seated.
Good luck with your chicken wings for arms and no pump.
noninonono wrote: instead of upgraded crap that won't actually make you better.
Like a power meter.
Otherwise, yeah, no need for carbon and more 100% carbon. Get a bike that's a few years old off of Craigslist, Ultegra, and aluminum frame, carbon fork. Plenty of them available very lightly used as people leave the sport quite frequently.
You do not need carbon with ultegra components. I have tiagra on my alu road bike and ultegra on my carbon tt bike and it is not worth any amount of money. I would get a bike fit initially, an entry level road bike that fits, and a power meter instead. Or a cyclocross bike so you can hammer in the dirt but be able to switch tires and road race, if I could go back I would've gotten a cross bike because they're more versatile. I 10000% guarantee you are not going to get dropped on a ride because of your alu bike and shifters if you get dropped it's because you are not fit
I bought a used mountain bike for $20 and its solid steel from mid 1990s. Ived done trips as long as 250km /160miles with it and most rides are about 80km/50miles. I can really hammer it fast with this bike for a long time and its an 18 speed.
If you're looking to get good cycling workouts, you dont need an expensive bike. As long as the bike fits well and is reliable
Shimano, the biggest component manufacturer, trickles their technology down over the years. So tech that made top of the line Dura Ace awesome in 2009 is now in low-mid level Tiagra. In 2016, everything Tiagra and higher works and works great. If your paying for better components, you are buying little less weight, better finish, and maybe more durability.
modern aluminum from the major manufacturers (caad8,9,10/allez/emonda alr) are amazing frames for the price. There is nothing wrong with carbon, but I wouldn't pay a ton extra for it, especially before I had enough experience to know what I wanted in a bike.
Regarding tire repair, practicing a tube change (including finding the offending glass shard or whatever in your tire) before it's windy, cold and raining on the side of the road is important. CO2 can absolutely be an nice luxury when you are in a hurry, but it's not 100% necessary. A frame pump is fully capable of the 80ish PSI you need to get home, and the 100psi you may want. Co2 really sucks when you don't have a backup pump and your on flat #3.
I am going to give one piece of advice which I wish somebody had told me.
Before you even buy the bike buy a floor pump. Check tire pressure every time you go out before a ride and pump up as required. A hand pump just will not get you to the required pressure.
When I started I only had a hand pump. I could not realise why I was getting punctures on every second ride (literally). Once I went on a ride with two tubes....got three punctures within 30 mins and had to get a taxi home!!!
Was furious and when I looked into it, turned out my pressure was too low. This seemed counter-intuitive to me but apparently wheels need to be pumped up firm to avoid punctures.
Also, never go out without a spare tube and hand pump/CO2...you will live to regret!!!
Wow!! I was extremely tired and just wanted to at least get a few replies last night before I went to bed so that's why I had the short text in my post. All this information is GREAT!!! Thanks for all the tips and advice everyone!!
I'm really looking forward to getting into cycling =)
Expect real fractures if you get into bike racing.
I understand my bone density may lower if I get into cycling hardcore, but.....Why? It's a low ( no? ) impact exercise.
Usually a Troll wrote:
I understand my bone density may lower if I get into cycling hardcore, but.....Why? It's a low ( no? ) impact exercise.
Yup. Cycling definitely needs time in the gym to exercise muscles that don't get used much with the added benefit of better bone density.