the next step

N31LM

Good Evening All
This is my first post in any forum to do with cycling.
i Need a bit of advise on what to do next . My Bike is a Carrera Kraken which i bought off a friend at work, as you know it's MTB, i was hoping to go off road but i spend more time on the road. i do 15 miles every 2nd day and the route i take has flat and hilly area in Sheffield. My questions are

1.how do i improve my fitness to tackle hills, I'm 47 yr old asthmatic
2.what should i buy to improve No 1, should i buy a road bike or bike computer.
3.how do i best warm up for my 15 mile trips, i always struggling a first with my legs and my breathing.
4.do better wheels make alot of different for the money.
Things i bought so far are
Slick tires for the MTB, cycling clothes and helmet not expense.

Any help you can give me will be most welcome .

Monty Dog

1. Ride more, you will get fitter over time.
2. See 1
3. Start-off easier for 5-10 minutes to give yourself time to warm up rather than blasting from the off
4. Probably better trying to find a used road bike

N31LM

Thanks Monty

crannman

been back on a bike for around a year now im 54 i started slowly on flat roads gradualy built up my distance and a few hills as well most sundays now i do a 25 mile ride and shorter rides in the week .dont rush it take your time and enjoy it

StillGoing

N31LM wrote:

Good Evening All
This is my first post in any forum to do with cycling.
i Need a bit of advise on what to do next . My Bike is a Carrera Kraken which i bought off a friend at work, as you know it's MTB, i was hoping to go off road but i spend more time on the road. i do 15 miles every 2nd day and the route i take has flat and hilly area in Sheffield. My questions are

1.how do i improve my fitness to tackle hills, I'm 47 yr old asthmatic
2.what should i buy to improve No 1, should i buy a road bike or bike computer.
3.how do i best warm up for my 15 mile trips, i always struggling a first with my legs and my breathing.
4.do better wheels make alot of different for the money.
Things i bought so far are
Slick tires for the MTB, cycling clothes and helmet not expense.

Any help you can give me will be most welcome .

1. Lose weight, ride more and learn how to ride hills. I'm in my 50's and struggled with hills when I started cycling around 3/4 years ago because my injuries had left me leading a sedentary lifestyle and the weight had piled on. I'm still no grimpeur but I get up them a lot quicker than I used to having done the 3 things I suggest.
2. A road bike. Best advice given to me was buy the best frame you can afford. You can upgrade the components as you go along, but the frame is the expensive bit.
3. When some of us first start cycling, we're amazed that we did 5 miles. As your ride length builds, your speed quickens as does your warm up so your pace at the start is unique to you. Using heart rate (HR) training zones is useful but without a device to monitor your HR you need to rely on rough guides. Somewhere out there in interweb land or the cycling magazines there'll be a chart showing the feeling for each zone i.e. zone 1 for warm up - able to hold a conversation without getting breathless.
4. Lighter wheels make climbing quicker (it never gets easier, you just go quicker) but as long as they roll well and aren't excessively heavy, basic wheels that come with the bike will do for starters. Once you get yourself in the best shape you can, you can start looking at the marginal gains of expensive wheels, lighter groupsets etc.