Cycling vs Running

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

get alot better. Is 14mph good for a rank beginner?

No.

Number 9 said:

Ok, what speed do people normally start out at?

Don't listen to him. 14mph is great for a 'rank beginner'. I rarely
exceed 14mph avg while solo. Riding with a group I commonly average
15, and once averaged 18 for a 20 mile ride.
--
Rick Onanian

Thanks, that means things are looking pretty good.

"Rick Onanian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> get alot better. Is 14mph good for a rank beginner?

No.

Number 9 said:

Ok, what speed do people normally start out at?

Don't listen to him. 14mph is great for a 'rank beginner'. I rarely
exceed 14mph avg while solo. Riding with a group I commonly average
15, and once averaged 18 for a 20 mile ride.
--
Rick Onanian

Number 9 said:

Thanks, I am a rank beginner, and your story does help, I never really rode.
Just started about 2 weeks ago, I can maintain 14mph right now, but hope to
get alot better. Is 14mph good for a rank beginner?

It depends. Is that an average, or a flat cruising speed? If the former,
what's the terrain like? Knobbly tyres suck 1-2 mph (I see you have a
hybrid, so you might have knobbly tyres) and a sit-up-and-beg position
doesn't do you any favours. Are you bimbling along, or pushing like mad?
Over what distance?
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> flcl?

Rick Onanian <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> get alot better. Is 14mph good for a rank beginner?

No.

Number 9 said:

Ok, what speed do people normally start out at?

Don't listen to him. 14mph is great for a 'rank beginner'. I rarely
exceed 14mph avg while solo. Riding with a group I commonly average
15, and once averaged 18 for a 20 mile ride.

A 14mph average over a whole ride on a hybrid is pretty good for a
beginner. 14mph as a steady speed on a flat road with no wind is not
that great, even on a hybrid, and if that's as fast as he can go
without starting to get anerobic, he's got his work cut out for him.
It's really hard to say, though. After a couple of months of hard
riding on his new bike he'll have a better idea- too few data points
now to extrapolate.

Since he says he has very little bicycling experience he might want to
spend some time this fall or winter on a fixed gear to help him make
the transition from bike rider to cyclist.

JP

The terrain is the Silver Comet trail in Georgia. The section I ride on is
slight inclines, some hills, and quite a few Stop signs. Average 14 mph on
a Trek 7300 hybrid. I think I'll just re-take, when I get the road bike,
"whenever" it comes in. Nothing like giving your hard earned money to a
bike dealer, then having to wait indefinitly after they said it would only
be up to 7 days.

"David Damerell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Number 9 said:

Thanks, I am a rank beginner, and your story does help, I never really

rode.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just started about 2 weeks ago, I can maintain 14mph right now, but hope

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

get alot better. Is 14mph good for a rank beginner?

It depends. Is that an average, or a flat cruising speed? If the former,
what's the terrain like? Knobbly tyres suck 1-2 mph (I see you have a
hybrid, so you might have knobbly tyres) and a sit-up-and-beg position
doesn't do you any favours. Are you bimbling along, or pushing like mad?
Over what distance?
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> flcl?

On 14 Jul 2004 07:08:16 -0700, [email hidden] (JP)

Quoted message said:

A 14mph average over a whole ride on a hybrid is pretty good for a
beginner. 14mph as a steady speed on a flat road with no wind is not
that great, even on a hybrid, and if that's as fast as he can go

Agreed on all of the above. I, of course, fail to believe that "flat
road with no wind" exists anywhere, since I've never ridden anything
even remotely close. I have ridden MUPs like that.

Quoted message said:

Since he says he has very little bicycling experience he might want to
spend some time this fall or winter on a fixed gear to help him make
the transition from bike rider to cyclist.

Yes, that sounds reasonable...as does "640k ought to be enough for
anybody". Give me a break. Fixed gear riding is neither a
requirement nor a guarantee of transitioning from a "rider" to a
"cyclist", whatever that may mean. I bet even Fabrizio agrees. <G>
--
Rick Onanian

"Number 9" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The terrain is the Silver Comet trail in Georgia. The section I ride on is
slight inclines, some hills, and quite a few Stop signs. Average 14 mph on
a Trek 7300 hybrid. I think I'll just re-take, when I get the road bike,
"whenever" it comes in.

14mph average is pretty darn good, then. Don't be surprised if your
average doesn't improve a lot- stop signs are hard to make up. You
might try comparing heartrate and gear between the two bikes at
various points in your ride; if you have decent insight into the way
you feel and can keep your RPMs more or less constant, you might not
even need the heartrate- just compare what gear you're able to use at
the same part of your ride.

JP

I just bought a Kestrel Talon, went from 14mph to 20mph. I love the road
bikes.

"JP" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Number 9" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The terrain is the Silver Comet trail in Georgia. The section I ride on

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

slight inclines, some hills, and quite a few Stop signs. Average 14 mph

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a Trek 7300 hybrid. I think I'll just re-take, when I get the road

bike,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"whenever" it comes in.

14mph average is pretty darn good, then. Don't be surprised if your
average doesn't improve a lot- stop signs are hard to make up. You
might try comparing heartrate and gear between the two bikes at
various points in your ride; if you have decent insight into the way
you feel and can keep your RPMs more or less constant, you might not
even need the heartrate- just compare what gear you're able to use at
the same part of your ride.

JP

RE/

Quoted message said:

I just bought a Kestrel Talon, went from 14mph to 20mph. I love the road
bikes.

Wow!...That dwarfs my own experience of going about 20% faster by changing from
WTB Mutano Raptors @35-40 psi to 1.25" slicks @90 psi for road rides.
--
PeteCresswell

Interesting... What do you ride?

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RE/

Quoted message said:

I just bought a Kestrel Talon, went from 14mph to 20mph. I love the

road

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bikes.

Wow!...That dwarfs my own experience of going about 20% faster by changing

from

Quoted message said:

WTB Mutano Raptors @35-40 psi to 1.25" slicks @90 psi for road rides.
--
PeteCresswell

RE/

Quoted message said:

Interesting... What do you ride?

FS. When I did the comparison, it was an Ellsworth ISIS with Fox air shock and
'zocci air forks on a flat, straight, macadam path along a local river.
--
PeteCresswell

Number 9 said:

The terrain is the Silver Comet trail in Georgia. The section I ride on is
slight inclines, some hills, and quite a few Stop signs. Average 14 mph on
a Trek 7300 hybrid. I think I'll just re-take, when I get the road bike,
"whenever" it comes in. Nothing like giving your hard earned money to a
bike dealer, then having to wait indefinitly after they said it would only
be up to 7 days.

Hi Number 9. I have been riding about 4 months and also ride the
Silver Comet, almost daily. I try to do a minimum of 25 miles a day.
Some days I do 40 and on weekends, I sometimes ride to Rockmart and
back (about 75 miles RT).

I have ridden with and talked to a lot of newbies on the trail. Its
hard to say what the average speed of a newbie is. They range in age
from their teens and 20's to guys older than me. I am 55 and have
ridden with guys that are in their 70's with high cholesterol, high
blood pressure and diabetes. They ride mountain bikes, old clunkers,
entry road bikes, and $5000 titanium frames with Dura-Ace components.
I myself being cheap and a crumudgeon alternate between an old Huffy
with a one-piece crank and an old schwinn ladies bike with a decent 3
piece crank (you may only laugh when you drop me lol).

I don't know how far you are riding when you average 14 mph, but if
its very far, I would say its above average for a new rider, depending
on your age.

I was about 40 pounds over weight when I started. I get on at Concord
Road (mile market 2.6). The first time I did the Rockmart round trip
(to mile marker 40 and back) it took me 7 hours, which is only about
10 mph, including stops for water and sightseeing. I had been riding
about 2 weeks at that point. I am 30 pounds lighter now. The huffy
still weighs 29 pounds without my water bottle [G].

On 25 miles rides by myself I generally try to keep my average speed
(includng stopping at all those crossings) to between 15 and 18 mph. I
have also managed to average over 20 mph for 10 miles while "racing"
with the "20+ year old newbies" on good road bikes. My highest speed
is 28.5 mph on flat ground for about half-a-mile. I get a little
faster everyday though.

By the way here are the average slopes (based on elevation and mile
markers) between trail heads on the part of the silver comet I mostly
ride.

Concord-Floyd 84 ft/mi
Floyd-Carter -17 ft/mi
Carter-Sailers 45ft/mi
Sailers-florence -17 ft/mi
Florence-Hiram 18 ft/mi
Hiram-Paulding 15 ft/mi
Paulding-Rambo -47 ft/mi
Rambo-Coots -1 ft/mi
Coots-VanWert -48 ft/mi

Its a relatively flat (mostly 1's and 2's hilliness) trail, being an
old rail bed.

Anyway good luck with that new bike. It will probably add a few mph to
your speed, but I think its mostly riding and getting in biking shape
that will help the most.

If you see and old guy pushing an old Huffy in a blue helmet and
yellow jersey on the trail say hi as you zoom past me.

Regards,

Oh, no, I'm taking it really slow. I do 16 miles each ride, and I pick up
2-4 miles a week. I started off at roughly 5 miles per ride, and am now at
16 miles. I ride every other day, as my body and endurance is very low at
this time, but I do ride close to hard as I can. I do realise that doing
too much excercise without being in shape is terrible, and can be a
tremendous set back. So I'm taking it slow. Things are improving with
each ride. If you see a man with a beard and a red Kestrel, say hi! I'm
up near the Douglasville area. I'll be up to 25 mile rides in 2-3 weeks.
I am fresh beginner with a lot of enthusiasm, and do plan to race next year,
no matter what. So I'm race planning NOW!

Good to hear from you... have a good ride!
"smyrna45" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Number 9 said:

The terrain is the Silver Comet trail in Georgia. The section I ride on

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

slight inclines, some hills, and quite a few Stop signs. Average 14 mph

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a Trek 7300 hybrid. I think I'll just re-take, when I get the road bike,
"whenever" it comes in. Nothing like giving your hard earned money to a
bike dealer, then having to wait indefinitly after they said it would

only

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

be up to 7 days.

Hi Number 9. I have been riding about 4 months and also ride the
Silver Comet, almost daily. I try to do a minimum of 25 miles a day.
Some days I do 40 and on weekends, I sometimes ride to Rockmart and
back (about 75 miles RT).

I have ridden with and talked to a lot of newbies on the trail. Its
hard to say what the average speed of a newbie is. They range in age
from their teens and 20's to guys older than me. I am 55 and have
ridden with guys that are in their 70's with high cholesterol, high
blood pressure and diabetes. They ride mountain bikes, old clunkers,
entry road bikes, and $5000 titanium frames with Dura-Ace components.
I myself being cheap and a crumudgeon alternate between an old Huffy
with a one-piece crank and an old schwinn ladies bike with a decent 3
piece crank (you may only laugh when you drop me lol).

I don't know how far you are riding when you average 14 mph, but if
its very far, I would say its above average for a new rider, depending
on your age.

I was about 40 pounds over weight when I started. I get on at Concord
Road (mile market 2.6). The first time I did the Rockmart round trip
(to mile marker 40 and back) it took me 7 hours, which is only about
10 mph, including stops for water and sightseeing. I had been riding
about 2 weeks at that point. I am 30 pounds lighter now. The huffy
still weighs 29 pounds without my water bottle [G].

On 25 miles rides by myself I generally try to keep my average speed
(includng stopping at all those crossings) to between 15 and 18 mph. I
have also managed to average over 20 mph for 10 miles while "racing"
with the "20+ year old newbies" on good road bikes. My highest speed
is 28.5 mph on flat ground for about half-a-mile. I get a little
faster everyday though.

By the way here are the average slopes (based on elevation and mile
markers) between trail heads on the part of the silver comet I mostly
ride.

Concord-Floyd 84 ft/mi
Floyd-Carter -17 ft/mi
Carter-Sailers 45ft/mi
Sailers-florence -17 ft/mi
Florence-Hiram 18 ft/mi
Hiram-Paulding 15 ft/mi
Paulding-Rambo -47 ft/mi
Rambo-Coots -1 ft/mi
Coots-VanWert -48 ft/mi

Its a relatively flat (mostly 1's and 2's hilliness) trail, being an
old rail bed.

Anyway good luck with that new bike. It will probably add a few mph to
your speed, but I think its mostly riding and getting in biking shape
that will help the most.

If you see and old guy pushing an old Huffy in a blue helmet and
yellow jersey on the trail say hi as you zoom past me.

Regards,

Number 9 said:

Can poor runners become excellent cyclists? What is the relationship
between the two sports?

Thanks ahead of time!

Number 9

I ran off and on since highschool (I am now 40). I loved the feeling
and everything was fine until..... I started getting a pain in my left
knee which I couldn't run out. The slightest twisting would cause it
too. It felt like something to do with a nerve. I suspect I twisted it
when I was installing a water heater in a very difficult location.

Anyway, I figured that it was the impact of running which was causing
the pain, not the exercise. I suppose I could have gotten a YMCA
membership and just done the stairmaster or a stationary bike, but I
am still under 60 years old. 🙂 So I bought a bike.

Since then, I have lost 15 pounds, and only once, a long time ago did
I feel the same pain on a bike ride to work. It scared me, but I
figured that my foot must have been out of position. I now use
clipless pedals.

I can't say how much cycling has improved my life. Anybody who is over
200 lbs (like I used to be) has to think about their legs and how much
impact is going into them running long distances. I loved running, but
it can be like heroin, good while you are doing it, but it will get
you in the end.