First ride

Saldawop

Picked up my Specialized Allez 24 on Friday.Unfortunately due to the crap weather and very limited time I literally just wheeled it home from the shop.
Went out this morning with the intention of riding to my brothers house (12.5 miles away)
Rode round locally for a while then started to head over to South London.Got to the Thames and it started raining.Being in my everyday clothes(trainers,jeans and thin jacket) I decided to turn round and come home.According to computer I did approx 14 miles all in which seemed a lot!!
When I got home and walked down the stairs I was very glad I didnt go further .My legs felt like they were made of jelly .My arse feels sore and my neck and shoulders ache a bit.
But I was happy with it seeing as I havent been on a bike for 30 years.Will see how I feel tomorrow morning before deciding to go out and try again.

Have just ordered some Cycling Shoes and Clipless pedals .The pedals supplied are useless.There was no way I could get both feet into the toeclips...but maybe thats just me :oops:

nochekmate

Get some padded shorts on your shopping list too - the sending begins here and now!

Enjoy.

Saldawop

Yes, I thought I would buy the bike, and maybe a pump and a tube repair kit and that would be it. Oh how wrong I was :roll:

mattward1979

Jeans + rain + new saddle = recipe for disaster around the bum/bollock region!!

Definitely sort out your contact points first, so clips+pedals you have already sorted, next is Padded shorts, and if you find your hands aching, maybe some gel padded gloves too!

The more comfortable you are, the more you will ride!!
Soon that 12.5 miles will be a warm up

Saldawop

I did wear a pair of summer motorbike gloves, and hands didnt seem to suffer at all. Have bike gloves on order :oops: .
I do have a pair of shorts.I just need to pluck up the courage to actually wear them

MattC59

Saldawop wrote:

I did wear a pair of summer motorbike gloves, and hands didnt seem to suffer at all. Have bike gloves on order :oops: .
I do have a pair of shorts.I just need to pluck up the courage to actually wear them

If you don't want to wear full on Lycra just yet, get a pair of lighteweight mountain biking baggies to wear ove the top, something like the Endura Humvees. Eventually you'll end up riding in lycra, but you can expose yourself as and when you're comfortable.

night_porter

I think I can see your problem.....you are only supposed to put one foot in each pedal not "both"!

Seriously though you can put any old thin pair of shorts over your lycra ones to save the embarassment. It won't be long before you just wear 'em proud like the rest of us do.

Comfort or pride? I like my pride to be very comfortable.

Congrats on the first ride and keep it up!

CiB

Good move on getting kitted up, but re lycra you'll be wearing it soon enough; what's going to change so much that one day you imagine everyone's pointing & laughing, the next you look like Lance, or Cav? I'd have thought the best option is to get it on & get out in it. People on road bikes not wearing lycra look odd to me, not the other way round.

Do the miles - you'll soon get used to it, and so will your backside.

Saldawop

Did just over 26 miles today.Had to get off going up one hill (sydenham Hill) and TBH I didnt think I was going to make it back home.I have learnt my lesson though.WIll take food with me next time.
Not the fastest time...2 Hours 6 minutes but I was cycling across London during the rush hour. I think for a 45 year old overweight exercise dodger I didnt do too bad, but I can feel that I am going to suffer for it.Will take a couple of days off now 8)

king_jeffers

Saldawop wrote:

Did just over 26 miles today.Had to get off going up one hill (sydenham Hill) and TBH I didnt think I was going to make it back home.I have learnt my lesson though.WIll take food with me next time.
Not the fastest time...2 Hours 6 minutes but I was cycling across London during the rush hour. I think for a 45 year old overweight exercise dodger I didnt do too bad, but I can feel that I am going to suffer for it.Will take a couple of days off now 8)

I think you've done well mate, congrats!

mattward1979

Keep it up!

Sydenham hill is a bit of a bugger when you are not used to climbing... Just try to get a little closer to the top each time, and remember to choose a nice easy gear and just keep your legs moving without slowing to a grinding crawl!

The addiction will set in soon I think

Saldawop

Cheers guys.I feel absolutely shattered, but in a good way.I am looking forward to going out for a ride and not be dreading how I feel when I finish/ the next day.
Once my body has adapted to the riding position and sitting on a virtual razor blade I can see me really enjoying it

procyclist

Walking down stairs after cycling can be painful when you've just started again - top tip - if you walk backwards down the stairs (holding the railing and looking where you are going, naturally), the stress on your muscles is less because you are effectively using the same muscles you did when cycling.

By the way, do NOT take a day off, even if its only a 5 mile gentle spin on granny gears

Saldawop

procyclist wrote:

Walking down stairs after cycling can be painful when you've just started again - top tip - if you walk backwards down the stairs (holding the railing and looking where you are going, naturally), the stress on your muscles is less because you are effectively using the same muscles you did when cycling.

By the way, do NOT take a day off, even if its only a 5 mile gentle spin on granny gears

Dont I need to give my bum a bit of a rest? The rest of me is fine.OK, the balls of my feet ache,as do my neck and shoulders....slightly . Its just painful to sit on the saddle.

mattward1979

Never underestimate the power of a rest day....

If you push it too much, it soon becomes a chore! Also where you are new to it, your body needs time to adapt, so right now time out of the saddle is as important as time in it!

If you absolutely must go out for a ride every day, then yes, a recovery ride spinning your way round a short route just to get the legs going is ideal.

procyclist

Saldawop wrote:

procyclist wrote:

Walking down stairs after cycling can be painful when you've just started again - top tip - if you walk backwards down the stairs (holding the railing and looking where you are going, naturally), the stress on your muscles is less because you are effectively using the same muscles you did when cycling.

By the way, do NOT take a day off, even if its only a 5 mile gentle spin on granny gears

Dont I need to give my bum a bit of a rest? The rest of me is fine.OK, the balls of my feet ache,as do my neck and shoulders....slightly . Its just painful to sit on the saddle.

No. Just a 5 mile spin keeps you loose, and helps break in those sore bits.

Saldawop

Did another 25 miler today.Feeling tired, but not as bad as last time.One thing though, I could not get the bike to change gear on to the big chain ring. I had only done about 40 miles since new when I tried it today.It was fine on the previous ride.