3 simple bike questions



B

billy d.

Guest
Hi, I am somewhat of a beginner in biking, and I have 3 simple
questions that hopefully someone can help me with. I have a Trek 1000
and have put about 500 miles on it so far.

1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get
a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is
only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against
the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in,
so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous
easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct
to me.

I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too
much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or
what?

2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some
new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy
clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that
clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information
about what would go best with a Trek 1000?

3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?

Thank you very much for any input you can provide.
 
billy d. said:
1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get
a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is
only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against
the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in,
so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous
easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct
to me.
There is definitally something wrong. I have the same components and can shift to all rear gears from all front rings although with some occational chain rubbing. You should get the LBS to fix this.

I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too
much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or
what?
Never call your ride cheap. As long as it works right you should never feel that your riding a "cheap" bike. Always remember "It's not about the bike".


2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some
new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy
clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that
clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information
about what would go best with a Trek 1000?
Clipless pedals are very nice and should help you ride better. It's not what's best for your bike but what your personal preferance is and budget, all pedal will work on your bike. Some pedals are easier to clip in/out of so you should talk to your LBS to get some advise when you take your bike back to get those gears fixed.

3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?
Sounds like you just need to work on building a base, you probably are trying too much too soon. I would just stay below 40 miles for a while and gradually increase your distance. As for eating while on the ride I like to carry water, gel packs, and on longer rides a Cliff Bar. Be sure to drink around 1 liter of water every hour and around 1 ounce of gel evry 30 minutes or so. I only use the enery bar when I've ridden really hard for over an hour or if I've ridden a moderate pace for over 2 hours.

Hope this helps.
Dan
 
BanditManDan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> billy d. Wrote:
> >
> > 1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get
> > a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is
> > only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against
> > the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in,
> > so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous
> > easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct
> > to me.

> There is definitally something wrong. I have the same components and
> can shift to all rear gears from all front rings although with some
> occational chain rubbing. You should get the LBS to fix this.
>
> > I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too
> > much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or
> > what?

> Never call your ride cheap. As long as it works right you should never
> feel that your riding a "cheap" bike. Always remember "It's not about
> the bike".
>
>
> > 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some
> > new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy
> > clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that
> > clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information
> > about what would go best with a Trek 1000?

> Clipless pedals are very nice and should help you ride better. It's
> not what's best for your bike but what your personal preferance is and
> budget, all pedal will work on your bike. Some pedals are easier to
> clip in/out of so you should talk to your LBS to get some advise when
> you take your bike back to get those gears fixed.
>
> > 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
> > have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
> > refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
> > provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
> > brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
> > is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?

> Sounds like you just need to work on building a base, you probably are
> trying too much too soon. I would just stay below 40 miles for a while
> and gradually increase your distance. As for eating while on the ride I
> like to carry water, gel packs, and on longer rides a Cliff Bar. Be
> sure to drink around 1 liter of water every hour and around 1 ounce of
> gel evry 30 minutes or so. I only use the enery bar when I've ridden
> really hard for over an hour or if I've ridden a moderate pace for over
> 2 hours.
>
> Hope this helps.
> Dan


Hi Dan,

thank you very much for your advice, it was exactly what I was looking
for. I took the bike in today, and it feels brand new. Its the first
time I have had the full spectrum of gears to use instead of just 5 or
6.
 
"billy d." wrote:
> 1. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is
> only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against
> the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in,
> so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous
> easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct
> to me.


Normally, you will shift the rear gears much more often than the front, and
the changes in pedaling difficulty when shifting rear cogs will be small.

The gears on the front are called chainrings. When approaching a steep
uphill, you will shift into the small chainring, and you may also have to
shift the rear a cog or two to get a comfortable gear ratio.

Most of your riding should be on the middle chainring, and the chain
shouldn't rub. You may have a "trim" feature on your front shifter to tweak
the front derailleur so it doesn't rub the chain. You say the chain rubs
against the REAR derailleur. That definitely shouldn't happen. Take the bike
to the shop you got it from and have them either fix it or show you what
you're doing wrong. It doesn't matter if the bike is inexpensive, this
shouldn't happen.

Also, you shouldn't use the small/small and large/large front/rear
combinations because that puts the chain at an extreme angle. Use the small
front ring with the three largest rear cogs. Use the middle front ring with
the middle three rear cogs. And use the big front ring with the smaller rear
cogs.

> 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some
> new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy
> clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that
> clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information
> about what would go best with a Trek 1000?


Get Shimano SPD pedals such as the Model PD-M520. Those are double sided
pedals and are pretty easy to use. The cleats will come with the pedals.
Then get cycling shoes that will work with those pedals (i.e., drilled and
recessed for those cleats) such as the Lake MX-101.

> 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
> have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
> refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
> provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
> brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
> is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?


Snack every 15 miles or so, and drink even more often. Bring a sandwich
(peanut butter & jelly is popular), packs of Fig Newtons, bananas, granola
bars, etc. Eat before you get hungry. Or stop at a deli an buy a sandwich or
muffin. Drink plenty of liquids too. If you're not racing, you don't need to
eat while you ride. Pull over and take a rest break.

Art Harris
 
On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:56:29 +0000, Arthur Harris wrote:

>
> Get Shimano SPD pedals such as the Model PD-M520. Those are double sided
> pedals and are pretty easy to use. The cleats will come with the pedals.
> Then get cycling shoes that will work with those pedals (i.e., drilled and
> recessed for those cleats) such as the Lake MX-101.


As I posted before in this group--if you want to try out clipless on the
cheap then the Nashbar Road shoes + ATB pedal is a great bet. SPD
compatible.

Shoes made by Lake and rebranded. Comfy and Classic.
Pedals made by Wellgo and also rebranded--same as one of the Ritchey
models.They work and if you hate them--you're only out twenty bucks. LOL.

Total cost: $53 USD

If you get the same shoes, but with the Lake logo and similar entry level
Shimano pedals, you'll pay well over $100.
 
[email protected] (billy d.) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

1 and 2 have been addressed adequately -- I'll go to 3:

> 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
> have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
> refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
> provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
> brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
> is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?


For me, 50 miles is the knee in the curve for long rides. If I can do
50 miles, I can do a century. So this is worth exploring. If you can
get past that 40 mile mark, you could probably do a day-long ride.

The most important thing is to experiment. You'll hear different
things from different people here in terms of food, but it's your
body, and it may work a little differently. So try things people
suggest, and see how they work.

First off, what are you eating before you ride? We all have different
notions of what constitutes a solid cycling breakfast. A range of
simple to complex carbohydrates often works for people -- whole wheat
pancakes with syrup; oatmeal with brown sugar.

Once the ride is underway, then there's two types of food -- snacks
and lunch. My idea of the perfect cycling lunch is a brown rice salad:
steamed brown rice mixed with steamed veggies, a little olive oil,
lemon juice, garlic and herbs for flavor. My husband likes turkey
sandwiches on whole wheat. Fruit -- bananas are traditional, but I
think cherries are a classic, probably because they come into season
just as I am ready to be riding those longer rides.

Snacks: you can eat things like clif bars, but if they seem heavy,
break them up into smaller pieces and eat them over a period of time
-- a quarter of a clif bar every 15 minutes rather than the whole
thing over an hour. I take trail mix sometimes -- you can keep that
for quite a while in your bike bag. One of my favorite types of energy
bars is a Hershey's with Almonds -- a great combo of sugar, caffiene,
fat, and protein to fuel your ride. On very long rides, a sports gel
(Power Gel, Gu, Clif Shot etc.) can relieve tired legs syndrome or
pull you out of a bonk. If you use these, drink lots of water with
them.

Hydration: be sure to drink lots of water. A water bottle an hour
would be a minimum. If it's hot, you'll obviously need more water. I
recommend carrying two bottles: one with water, another with some sort
of dilute fruit juice or sports drink. Or use a hydration pack like a
camelbak. It is possible that your lack of endurance might be
dehydration. How to know if you've had enough water during your ride?
My sign is if I have to get up in the middle of the night to pee that
night -- if not, then I didn't drink enough on the ride.

Finally, if you're doing these longer rides, I suggest you find other
people to ride with and find out what they're eating. They can also
help you with other questions that arise as you get better at cycling.
I learned *so much* from other riders in my cycling club -- and
continue to do so now.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
STP photos at: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/STP2004.html
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Claire Petersky) writes in part:

> Fruit -- bananas are traditional, but I
> think cherries are a classic, probably because they come into season
> just as I am ready to be riding those longer rides.
>
> Snacks: you can eat things like clif bars, but if they seem heavy,
> break them up into smaller pieces and eat them over a period of time
> -- a quarter of a clif bar every 15 minutes rather than the whole
> thing over an hour.


I almost became inspired to invent the cherry newton.

But I don't have all the resources conveniently at hand right
now (I'm especially out of Crisco), so I had to chase my muse
outa the house with a broom.

Maybe later.

And maybe I'll try to design something cherry-filled, with
filo pastry.


cheers,
Tom


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In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Claire Petersky) writes:

> http://www2.csr.com.au/SUGAR/wwwrsg.nsf/0/746d75dfe02ffbb84a256471008081c9?OpenDocument
>
> or http://tinyurl.com/6lr5l


Boy, that sounds good. I like that it calls for real cherries
rather than that heavily sugared, canned pie filling stuff.

I got into this train of thought by trying to figure out a
convenient cherry delivery system for riding -- one that
obviates having to deal with the pits. I know if I just
spat the pits out, sooner or later I'd accidentally shoot
one, with split-second precision, through somebody's open
car window.


cheers,
Tom

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"Claire Petersky" wrote ...

> For me, 50 miles is the knee in the curve for long rides. If I can do
> 50 miles, I can do a century. So this is worth exploring. If you can
> get past that 40 mile mark, you could probably do a day-long ride.


The only time I tried a century I made it to a Metric Century (about 66
miles) before totally bonking ... but then I was on a "department store
bike" at the time (and using that to commute to work 4 or 5 times a week)
Could not pedal a single foot further ... SAG car finally picked me up and
when we got back I could NOT get out of the car without help ... but a quick
massage worked wonders.

Maybe one of these days (when I have a real "road" bike) I'll try it again.

Richard in Boston, MA, USA