Which gears should I be using?
GSJ
Posts: 150
Okay so I've been biking properly, for around 2 weeks now, and when I mean properly I mean going everyday or every other day.
I'm fairly fit, but haven't done much cardio in the last 2 years (weightlifting)
For a few of my rides I chose a harder gear and kept pounding at that gear for around 10miles, today I done 15 miles with a lower gear and higher pedal ratio. Not sure how exact mapmyride is but it's telling me I done an average of 14.6mph and I get 15mph on the 10miler using harder gear. Oh and I forgot to add this is same route, just went a little further. So my question is which is best for me?
Also after todays ride my throat and chest were feeling cold! when I took a deep breathe or to cough it would feel like the center of my chest is tight and hurt a little, any suggestions on what that could be?
I'm fairly fit, but haven't done much cardio in the last 2 years (weightlifting)
For a few of my rides I chose a harder gear and kept pounding at that gear for around 10miles, today I done 15 miles with a lower gear and higher pedal ratio. Not sure how exact mapmyride is but it's telling me I done an average of 14.6mph and I get 15mph on the 10miler using harder gear. Oh and I forgot to add this is same route, just went a little further. So my question is which is best for me?
Also after todays ride my throat and chest were feeling cold! when I took a deep breathe or to cough it would feel like the center of my chest is tight and hurt a little, any suggestions on what that could be?
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Comments
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Sounds like you have some kind of bug. Nothing to do with the cycling.
As to the gears you're using - check out the Tour highlights tomorrow and see how fast they turn the pedals. You want to be riding around 80 revs per minute - give or take. Most beginners tend to ride about 60 rpm.
With a bad chest you may be better off taking a couple of days off the bike.0 -
cougie wrote:Sounds like you have some kind of bug. Nothing to do with the cycling.
As to the gears you're using - check out the Tour highlights tomorrow and see how fast they turn the pedals. You want to be riding around 80 revs per minute - give or take. Most beginners tend to ride about 60 rpm.
With a bad chest you may be better off taking a couple of days off the bike.
My chest is fine, I have had a cough for a while, but this only happened after my ride for about 15 minutes then went..0 -
As above, just forget about distance and average time. Work on your cadence and get used to pedalling at 80ish. Drop gears when your body says you need to to but that doesn't mean take it easy. If things are getting easy, go up a gear until you find your sustainable effort level. Most important of all, just keep cycling, the rest will come...but it may take a while yet.0
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Bobbinogs wrote:As above, just forget about distance and average time. Work on your cadence and get used to pedalling at 80ish. Drop gears when your body says you need to to but that doesn't mean take it easy. If things are getting easy, go up a gear until you find your sustainable effort level. Most important of all, just keep cycling, the rest will come...but it may take a while yet.
Thanks! I will follow your advice.
I changed my front tyre today and the brake seems to sound difference, more of a hollow type sound when I press the brakes, it's a different type of tyre with a higher PSI so I'm guessing it's nothing? I checked to make sure the brake wasn't hitting the tyre and it wasn't! the type of noise may have been there from before but every ride I go out on I seem to pick up something new everytime.. hah0 -
when you say 80 I assume you mean 95
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why?DavidJB wrote:when you say 80 I assume you mean 950
