2nd attempt

well done......that neck pain should settle down once you get used to being in the saddle for
longer....but if it doesn't you may need to play around with saddle/bars/setup to get comfortable
(others in this group have far more knowledge on this than me so I'll keep quiet

However, one simple thing that made a difference for my neck was making sure my helmet was tight
enough....this stopped it slipping forward, which meant I was tilting my neck back......only
realised this after I adjusted the helmet following a fellow triathletes comments ....and had my
first neck-pain-free ride. Worth a look if you wear a helmet.

Cheers, Hedgehog

"doobrie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 2nd attempt was a success, 15 mile in 1 hour 13 minutes, 12.5 average - felt tough though and
> my neck hurt a fair bit after i sat down for a few ... after a nice hot shower the neck pain
> went away
>
> i dont think ive ridden this distance on consecutive days before so i think that may be why it
> felt so tough ... im also planning the return leg in the morning so i think im gonna be a wreck at
> work tomorrow!
>
> i wont have the luxury of a hot shower or any shower in the morning when i get to work so im
> hoping the neck pain will just go of its own accord or more preferable, it wont be there at all!
>
> maybe i'll take a rest day mid week then and finish off with a thurs night home and fri morning
> way in ... as ive got my holiday at the end of august i dont think i'll manage to buld up to both
> ways until a few weeks after i come back off holiday but it'll be a good primer for a couple of
> weeks to get me used to it and iron out the discipline of what i need to take, etc, etc

In news:[email protected], doobrie <[email protected]> typed:
>
> i dont think ive ridden this distance on consecutive days before so i think that may be why it
> felt so tough ... im also planning the return leg in the morning so i think im gonna be a wreck at
> work tomorrow!
>

I would think about breaking in to daily cycling more gently. Overdoing it tends to put you off as
it becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. Cycle a couple of days a week only and rest between
building up over time to every day. Or alternate directions with the car - drive in, cycle home,
cycle in, drive home etc.

Tony

--
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not
dying." Woody Allen

Hedgehog & Markarina must be edykated coz e writed:

> well done......that neck pain should settle down once you get used to being in the saddle for
> longer....but if it doesn't you may need to play around with saddle/bars/setup to get comfortable
> (others in this group have far more knowledge on this than me so I'll keep quiet
>
> However, one simple thing that made a difference for my neck was making sure my helmet was tight
> enough....this stopped it slipping forward, which meant I was tilting my neck back......only
> realised this after I adjusted the helmet following a fellow triathletes comments ....and had my
> first neck-pain-free ride. Worth a look if you wear a helmet.
>
> Cheers, Hedgehog
>
> "doobrie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> 2nd attempt was a success, 15 mile in 1 hour 13 minutes, 12.5 average - felt tough though and
>> my neck hurt a fair bit after i sat down for a few ... after a nice hot shower the neck pain
>> went away
>>
We don't get neck pain on the Dark Side.

--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

> I would think about breaking in to daily cycling more gently. Overdoing
it
> tends to put you off as it becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. Cycle
a
> couple of days a week only and rest between building up over time to every day. Or alternate
> directions with the car - drive in, cycle home, cycle in, drive home etc.
>
> Tony

thats what ive started doing, the drive in, cycle home, cycle in, drive home ... ive done 15 mile
each day for the last 3 so i think i'll have me that rest day tomorrow and try for thurs/fri to
finish the week off

at the moment im struggling but it'll get easier and i'll get quicker and the mountains will flatten
out into the gentle rolling slopes they really are ... im sure! ... will they? !!

my main issue now is gearing, total idiot was I specifying a simple 6 gear bike when an 18, 21 or
27! would be good to get me up those hills ... well, im learning as i go and by the time i get my
next bike i'll have a really good idea of what i want .... and if i dont get better fairly quickly
over the next few months then that new bike purchase will be a lot sooner!

In news:[email protected], doobrie <[email protected]> typed:
>
> at the moment im struggling but it'll get easier and i'll get quicker and the mountains will
> flatten out into the gentle rolling slopes they really are ... im sure! ... will they? !!
>

I guess that's what I'm trying to say - it shouldn't become a struggle if you want to do this long
term. Don't be too ambitious and start at a level which isn't a struggle and then slowly extend your
targets, all the time making sure it remains enjoyable. That way you will find the hills become
easier and you will still enjoy it. Otherwise if it becomes a struggle you will find you stopping
looking forward to and eventually start to dread the upcoming journey - and that's when people stop
or find excuses not to.

> my main issue now is gearing, total idiot was I specifying a simple 6 gear bike when an 18, 21 or
> 27! would be good to get me up those hills ... well, im learning as i go and by the time i get my
> next bike i'll have a really good idea of what i want .... and if i dont get better fairly quickly
> over the next few months then that new bike purchase will be a lot sooner!

More gears don't make the hills easier - they just mean you have more wrong gears to ride up in ;-)

Tony

> I guess that's what I'm trying to say - it shouldn't become a struggle if you want to do this long
> term. Don't be too ambitious and start at a
level
> which isn't a struggle and then slowly extend your targets, all the time making sure it remains
> enjoyable. That way you will find the hills
become
> easier and you will still enjoy it. Otherwise if it becomes a struggle
you
> will find you stopping looking forward to and eventually start to dread
the
> upcoming journey - and that's when people stop or find excuses not to.

my test rides upto 20 miles have been fine ... my problem at the moment i think is not previously
doing those milages on consecutive days and also the route not being flat at all ... its mostly up
or down and being a heavy git im carrying an extra 100 pounds of weight that i dont need to be.

still, ive managed 3 rides of 15 mile each over the last 3 days and with a rest day tomorrow too
thrown in i should be fine ... it may be tough but its my route to weight loss, fitness and a nice
shiny new touring bike when ive lost all the weight - loadsa reasons to carry on

> More gears don't make the hills easier - they just mean you have more
wrong
> gears to ride up in ;-)
>
> Tony

so whats a right gear to ride up in? i go from my highest gears to my lowest fairly quickly on an
ascent and have no other gears to go to so just push on with the lowest gear ... as i only have 6
gears, the lowest i dont think is anywhere near the low gears of mountain bikes ... but maybe it is
and i just dont yet have the legs!

In news:[email protected], doobrie <[email protected]> typed:
>
> my test rides upto 20 miles have been fine ... my problem at the moment i think is not previously
> doing those milages on consecutive days and also the route not being flat at all ... its mostly up
> or down and being a heavy git im carrying an extra 100 pounds of weight that i dont need to be.
>
> still, ive managed 3 rides of 15 mile each over the last 3 days and with a rest day tomorrow too
> thrown in i should be fine ... it may be tough but its my route to weight loss, fitness and a nice
> shiny new touring bike when ive lost all the weight - loadsa reasons to carry on

Getting started its first getting up to the overall trip distance, which you seem to be OK with, and
then dealing with the cumulative build up of consecutive trips. Your body needs time to recover
until it is used to the repeated cycling. From your position of starting with a 20 mile test ride I
would have started with two trips at opposite ends of the week, filled in with a trip on Wednesday
when ready then slowly filled in the interim journeys as and when I felt up to it. It may take you
two or three months to work up to cycling every day but at the end you will have much more chance of
sticking with it. I've seen lots of people start off gung ho with great intentions but they almost
all last a relatively short time.

>
>
> so whats a right gear to ride up in?

The one that is lower than the lowest gear you have ;-)

Tony

doobrie wrote:

> still, ive managed 3 rides of 15 mile each over the last 3 days and with a rest day tomorrow too
> thrown in i should be fine ... it may be tough but its my route to weight loss, fitness and a nice
> shiny new touring bike when ive lost all the weight - loadsa reasons to carry on

I suspect that it is now the case that despite it being tough, you're actually enjoying yourself?
That's the best reason to be out on a bike IMHO.

> so whats a right gear to ride up in? i go from my highest gears to my lowest fairly quickly on an
> ascent and have no other gears to go to so just push on with the lowest gear ... as i only have 6
> gears, the lowest i dont think is anywhere near the low gears of mountain bikes ... but maybe it
> is and i just dont yet have the legs!

Probably both! The only way to get good at hills is ride up lots of hills, so you're doing what's
necessary to get the legs. But the lowest gears on an MTB are *very* low: we're talking walking pace
when you're spinning at quite a high cadence! "The right gear" for a hill is dependent on context to
some degree. For a racer it's the one s/he can get up the hill fastest in, for a trundly tourer like
me it's usually net comfort rather than net speed. But if you're not in a hurry then a rule of thumb
sort of guide is something you can spin without having to push really hard on individual pedal
strokes and without having to stand up, assuming you have something right for that. But it does get
easier the more your legs are used to it, whatever gears you've got.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Tony Raven wrote:

> The one that is lower than the lowest gear you have ;-)

Though often the case, it's not *necessarily* lower. But it is almost certainly one you don't have.
There are two gears on most bikes[1]: higher than you want, and lower than you want ;-/

Pete.

[1] not the case on serious racing kit, which has very close spaces between gears to solve this very
problem. From my POV these machines only have 1 gear, which is higher than I want...

--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> [1] not the case on serious racing kit, which has very close spaces between gears to solve this
> very problem. From my POV these machines only have 1 gear, which is higher than I want...

Take one normal touring bike, with a triple. Fit close ratio racing-type block (I've got 12-19 in 7
currently - 12-21 in 8 would be reasonable too). Voila - not only do you have the close spacing, but
also the ability to climb hills. (although not fully loaded, I'll admit - but with 9sp rather than
7sp it would be closer). You can also do the exercise in reverse, fitting a normal road bike with a
triple. I've got 26t rather than the normal road triple 30t though.

cheers, clive

> Getting started its first getting up to the overall trip distance, which
you
> seem to be OK with, and then dealing with the cumulative build up of consecutive trips. Your body
> needs time to recover until it is used to
the
> repeated cycling. From your position of starting with a 20 mile test ride
I
> would have started with two trips at opposite ends of the week, filled in with a trip on Wednesday
> when ready then slowly filled in the interim journeys as and when I felt up to it. It may take you
> two or three months to work up to cycling every day but at the end you will have much more chance
> of sticking with it. I've seen lots of people start off gung ho
with
> great intentions but they almost all last a relatively short time.
>

ive been slowly working upto it, several rides over the last few weeks of 10 - 12 miles and a few
before that of between 3-8 miles - i'll have me a rest tomorrow although i might go for a swim
instead ... but out of all the exercises ive started over the last 3/4 months cycling has been the
one i enjoyed the most. getting my my commute off the groun is my way of getting out on the bike
often enough for it to help with my weight loss endevour and to build me up to much longer rides in
the future - its tough now but enjoying it lots

>> so whats a right gear to ride up in?

> The one that is lower than the lowest gear you have ;-) Tony

hehe - sure is ... im building up a few rules as a go ... so far if im going over 20mph i dont pedal
and just coast until under 20mph .... also if i get below 5mph on a hill then i walk

In news:[email protected], doobrie <[email protected]> typed:
>
> hehe - sure is ... im building up a few rules as a go ... so far if im going over 20mph i dont
> pedal and just coast until under 20mph .... also if i get below 5mph on a hill then i walk

On hills slowest speed is a matter of balance - I can go up hills at less than 2mph now if needed -
and the slower you go the easier it is although it lasts proportionately longer!

One useful trick I was taught, especially when you have an up following a down, is to find out what
is a comfortable pedalling road speed in each gear (with six its easy). When you zoom down the
hill, put it in the gear for the up at the bottom, watch your speedo until you reach the
"comfortable speed" for that gear and then start pedalling. Saves all that scrunching round the
gears to find its either too low or your legs are spinning like crazy as you shift from coasting to
pedalling up the hill.

Tony

In message <[email protected]>, Clive George

>"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>> [1] not the case on serious racing kit, which has very close spaces between gears to solve this
>> very problem. From my POV these machines only have 1 gear, which is higher than I want...
>
>Take one normal touring bike, with a triple. Fit close ratio racing-type block (I've got 12-19 in 7
>currently - 12-21 in 8 would be reasonable too). Voila - not only do you have the close spacing,
>but also the ability to climb hills.

Not for me, I like low gears even when I'm not that heavily loaded, and of course it also depends on
the hill as well.

--
Chris French, Leeds

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 09:14:56 +0100, doobrie <[email protected]> wrote:
> thats what ive started doing, the drive in, cycle home, cycle in, drive home ... ive done 15 mile
> each day for the last 3 so i think i'll have me that rest day tomorrow and try for thurs/fri to
> finish the week off
>
> at the moment im struggling but it'll get easier and i'll get quicker and the mountains will
> flatten out into the gentle rolling slopes they really are ... im sure! ... will they? !!

I am sure they will - the next week the strong headwinds will start.

--
Andy Leighton => [email protected] "The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep
dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

> > at the moment im struggling but it'll get easier and i'll get quicker
and
> > the mountains will flatten out into the gentle rolling slopes they
really
> > are ... im sure! ... will they? !!
>
> I am sure they will - the next week the strong headwinds will start.
>
> --
> Andy Leighton => [email protected]

thats when im off on my holidays for a couple of weeks, maybe they'll have finished by the time i
get back!!

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 16:24:32 GMT, Andy Leighton <[email protected]> wrote:

>I am sure they will - the next week the strong headwinds will start.
>

Waddya mean, next week? They started today, at least on the route I rode this afternoon.

And it get's worse ...

The wind was straight in my face on the uphill bits and behind me on those sections where I would
usually be able to relax a little.

Such things are sent, and I was sorely tried. James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg