Getting into Biking

[HU4coke]

I want to start serious bike riding. The only experience I have on a bike was riding my huffy until I was 14 or so. So I know absolutely nothing about it. My long term goal is to do an Ironman, so obviously I need to be able to bike. So here are a few questions for seasoned bike riders.

-Are those hard narrow seat standard? I did a spinning class one time with my GF and could hardly finish because my ass hurt so bad.

-What's a good bike for a beginner? I want to spend less than 1k.

-What are some good starting programs? I want to be able to do 20 miles easilly.

I'm sure Im overlooking alot of stuff, any help is aprreciated.

[Victor]

for a triathlon you want a road bike. heres a thread with cheap ones http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=268941

as for the seats, you may have to experiment. ride on the stock seat a few times and if you dont like it buy another. i prefer the narrow and firm seats. also, lycra shorts with padding is absolutely necessary. i usually i apply vaseline to my grundle to eliminate friction too. saddle sores really suck.

as far as programs go, get on your bike and ride as far as you can. then come back. the nice thing about biking, as opposed to running, is that bc of the lesser impact you dont need as many rest days and such a limited schedule. its much harder to overdo it on a bike .

[Alobar]

The harder and skinnier the seat, the better you are in the long run. Yes it defies logic, Yes your ass is going to be sore for a while, so Im sure you wont believe me, but you are just going to have to trust me on this one. IMO Selle italia makes the best saddles, but a saddle is a very personal preference. Just find one thats rock hard and skinny and go from there.

I'll give you the same advice I give everyone looking to get into cycling, go to a bike shop, find out what size frame you need, ride a few models around, then scour ebay, craigslist and bike classified sites and buy a used one. Much better bang for the buck, and a much cheaper initial investment. If you start putting in a ton of miles, then upgrade to a nicer bike.

20 miles isnt all that far, just go out and put some time in the saddle, youll be able to do that distance easily in a very short time. don't start out with some training regime at the start, just go out and do some rides and see how far you can ride and what kinda shape you are in. Then get more into it.

If you want a book on training check out the "cyclists training bible" its pretty much what the name suggests.

[Neko]

I bought this bike early this year.

It's really sweet and is light years ahead in performance of the pos I'd been riding around. When I first got it I was just using it as transportation/grocery getter in the city, and it's pretty great for that, but now I'm using it primarily as an excercise tool, and I really wish I had bought a real road bike instead. So I guess, if you're going to be using the bike for triatholons don't let a sales person talk you into buying a hybrid would be my advice. Just get two purpose driven bikes rather than one do-it all if you can afford it.

If you haven't ridden anything since your bmx when you were a kid, you will likely be very impressed with how well these things ride shift/brake now and you will be busting out 20 mile rides no problem.

I also got disc brakes which I love but Alobar and Victor maybe would suggest otherwise, cuz they're probably a couple oz's heavier [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I also got a 24 speed, which Alobar and Victor will mock me for. Meh, I used the lowest 8 speeds quite a bit when I got the bike but now only use them on big effin hills. If you're in reasonable shape and have some leg strength you can probably live with just a 10 or 12 speed or whatever. It will be lighter and ride/shift better than a triple I'd imagine.

You will get used to the seat after a bit. JUst get the padded bicycle shorts and don't wear gitch under neath them.

ok now I have a q. Would it be retarded/is it possible to put a set of road bike bars instead of the flat bars on my bike or would that just be compounding my mistake of buying a hybrid?

[Rootabager]

All the big brands giant/specialized/trek etc are going to have good entry level 1000 dollar bikes. they are all pretty much the same IMO so go with whatever your local bike shop sells. That way they can help you with sizing and you get things like free tune ups for a year.

Your butt will get sore for awhile but you will get over it.

Do not save money on the lycra padded shorts. I had cheap ones for along time and didnt know what I was missing out on until i bought some really nice ones. It makes a huge difference.

I personally dont like biking jerseys either. I like to get sleeveless dry fit nike shirts. they are looser and look less gay.


I am also paranoid about going impotent so I got one of those seats that is split to relieve pressure.

[BreakfastBurrito]

[ QUOTE ]
for a triathlon you want a road bike.

[/ QUOTE ]

If your goal is to do an iron man you're actually probably going to want to seriously consider a triathlon bike.

short article on the differences between tri and road bikes

[HU4coke]

I just dont get the seat thing. Is there some reason I cant put a big soft beach cruiser seat on a road bike? What's the purpose of having that hard thing up in your ass.

Another question I have is does being hunched over for long periods of time hurt your back? It looks super uncomfortable. Also, do I need to get some sort of GPS. How do most people log miles?

[shemp]

Your enemies are weight and friction down there, minimal seat helps with both I would guess. Hardness is not an issue for me, so I can't really empathize. Good biking shorts are important.

[Rootabager]

I am sorta with you. The tiny tiny racing seats I cant handle. They are too uncomfortable for me. It's not like I am racing so I dont care as much about the weight to the gram.

Throw a big one on there. There isnt anything stopping you.

I am pulling this out of my ass but it might have something to do with the angle of how you ride.

The bikes with the big seats sit you up at a very upright angle. That is more comfortable if you are just putting around town. but when you get a bike where you are trying to go fast you are sitting lower on the bike to cut through the wind.

just a thought. but it prolly has something to do with that.

[kerowo]

Here goes the brain dump:

Padded seats are worse for you than the skinny seats. Too much contact or something. If you are starting from scratch do a half hour or 45 minutes on the saddle then take a day off and do it again. It doesn't take long for your sit bones to adjust and to be able to ride for hours pain free. The down side is that if you stop riding for a couple of months you get to go through it all again.

Don't wear anything under your lycra. Don't wear cotton shirts, they tend to chafe your nipply region. Make sure whatever bike you get fits, a poorly fitting bike can cause you serious pain. Once you get used to the sadle the only pain you should feel riding a bike is from pushing the peddles, not from joint pain or pain in your feet or hands. If something is hurting your bike isn't set up right.

If you have the 1000 in cash check and see if there is a veloswap in your area, you will be able to get more bike for less if you go used.

All helmets meet the same standards the more expensive ones have better air flow.

I much preferred using a Camelbak for water and the bottle for an energy drink like Cytomax when I'm riding. You only need to worry about taking in calories when you are riding when you start to ride for more than around 2 hours or so. When you are just starting out try to not increase your milage more than 10% a week unless you aren't feeling very tired at all.

Practice changing tubes at home a couple of times before you go out, you never know when you'll have to figure out how to do it. I go with Gatorskin tires and thorn resistant tubes and haven't had a flat since.