What to expect?

Teece

I'm bored at my desk at work...

I'm relatively new to road cycling, having only owned a bike for three months.

I've gone out for a ride with the Solihull cycling club's E run but found it a bit too slow [we did 33 miles at 11.1mph]. This Sunday I'll be riding with the D run which is 60 miles at 14mph. Trouble is, my average speed on my daily commute is 13.2mph. Will it be too much for me?

Also, I'm a keen martial artist. I am aware that martial arts kicks and hundreds of road miles are going to be terrible for my knees but I'm not prepared to give up my karate or my cycling.

Comments, suggestions welcome. Please share your stories and let me know what to expect in the future!

Thanks

Duffer65

As far as I am aware, as long as your bike is set-up correctly, cycling shouldn't damage your knees. It's often recommended as a good form of exercise for those that have had knee problems.

Pross

The speed should be fine as you will get shelter for much of the ride. The bigger question will be the distance if you haven't ridden those sorts of distances previously.

If you have any concerns about your knees get a proper bike fit done. If you are going further and faster than usual you may well get various aches and pains including your knees but these are likely to be short term from the sudden increase in intensity providing your bike fits properly.

Teece

Thanks, both.

I always assumed that cycling would eventually wear the knees out! I'm glad to know I was wrong.

I've cycled 36 miles on my own and the only thing that hurt was my ass.

Monty Dog

If you get sore knees from cycling, then there's usually something wrong because it is non-load bearing. You should find the slight increase in speed no problem because for the vast amount of time you'll benefi from the slipstream effect of a group of cyclists, in fact you could expend less energy going faster.[/i]

esspeebee

One of the nice things about cycling is that, until you crash, there's no impact involved. Your knees do a lot of moving, but it's all smooth with no sudden forces. That makes it much easier on your joints than most comparable forms of exercise.

As for the speed and distance, riding in a group shelters you from the wind, which makes a huge difference. Even if there's no noticeable wind, the drafting effect makes it a lot easier to ride at speed. Make sure you've got enough energy on board and you should be fine.

Teece

Monty Dog wrote:

If you get sore knees from cycling, then there's usually something wrong because it is non-load bearing. You should find the slight increase in speed no problem because for the vast amount of time you'll benefi from the slipstream effect of a group of cyclists, in fact you could expend less energy going faster.[/i]

Less energy going faster sounds great! I do have slight problems with my knees but I think this is down to karate more than cycling. Having said that, getting out of the saddle on climbs does sometimes make the knees start to hurt...

pdstsp

One of the reasons I took up cycling (back in the day) was that I had knackered one knee playing rugby. I've found that my knees have actually improved with the cycling as the development of muscles around them has stabilised the joint more. (I would recommend a bike fit though.)

markos1963

Our club is full of ex runners and footy players with dodgy knees that have turned to cycling. As others have said a properly set up bike position will be the important factor here. The fact you've already gone out with the club and felt strong should give you the confidence to up the pace. Just don't spend too much time on the front until you get used to the new group.

Teece

pdstsp
markos1963


Thanks guys. Just got back to my desk from the college gym. Am looking forward to my ride home without worrying about my knees!

buy_my_cookies

how did you get on?