Beginner 10 miles 815 ft Ascent

cooldad

lowflying1357 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Brakes.

brilliant spelling there

Thank you.

ps. Brilliant with a big B. And one of these at the end.

lowflying1357

Mad_Malx wrote:

There is definitely differences between blocks, but depends a lot on your rims and conditions.

Usual recommendation is Swisstop or Kool Stop.
I use Swisstop Green on alloy rims. Lot more expensive than ordinaries but come in packs of 4 (ie two sets).
I'm sure there are cheaper that work well too but, having found ones that work, I'm not experimenting.

The rims look in ok condition , they are miche excite if that helps I'll have a look now

Mad_Malx

I meant weather conditions. cheapos are usually ok in bone dry conditions.
Type of rim affects the type of pad - you will have aluminium rims which mean if you buy Swisstop then you need green or blue. I've never tried blue, greens work for me and they are much better than cheapos in damp. They also have better modulation - i.e. not just off or locked.

n733lk

10 miles is still 10 miles. Your speed will improve to the extent you want to push yourself. BUT! It's about Saddle Time. Work up your miles gradually as well as your ascents. Otherwise, you may become discouraged.
Also, I can't stress enough the importance of a reputable, professional BIKE FITTING. Many shops offer fittings, but ask around before you spend the money. They are NOT all equal. I just started riding this year and spent my first 3 months in unbelievable pain. I thought it was because I was new. Well, that was certainly part of it, but I had a bike fitting, ended up purchasing a new bike (appropriately sized for me), had two or three fitting adjustments, and now I ride virtually pain free!!!
Since then, I've completed my first Century and the MS150 in Houston. Many more rides on my calendar!
Good luck and have fun!!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

In fairness, 815 feet climbing over 10 miles is quite intensive, that's the sort of ratio of climbing to distance I was doing in Feb/March (as someone who had become rather unfit since my Xmas 2013 RTA).

A few months on from doing local training loops like that, I can now do rides like yesterday, where I did ~25 miles with ~800 feet climbing in ~1hr25mins, despite losing a few minutes by losing my bearings and getting stuck in a traffic queue at a roundabout.

jrich

Are you in the UK? If so just find your local cycling club that runs weekly club time trials and go and do that. They are usually 10 miles, or thereabouts, and then you can compare yourself to others and see your fitness improve over time. You can get Strava too and then you will be able to see how fast other people in your area are riding.

Whereabouts do you live? Someone might be able to recommend a club.

lowflying1357

jrich wrote:

Are you in the UK? If so just find your local cycling club that runs weekly club time trials and go and do that. They are usually 10 miles, or thereabouts, and then you can compare yourself to others and see your fitness improve over time. You can get Strava too and then you will be able to see how fast other people in your area are riding.

Whereabouts do you live? Someone might be able to recommend a club.

yes i'm from Halifax in the Uk if any one knows of any club ? how do people carry there phone with bib shorts on ?

thanks

lowflying1357

Hi Guys, so around 5 weeks into this new game , ive been out 3 times a week just did this in 1 hour 30 mins

distance
23.09 km

ascent
438 m

descent
442 m

feeling happy with the progress, just looking for some indication of what an bog basic guys and what a pro would do something like this in ?

don't want to get dropped if i join a club

thanks

simon_e

lowflying1357 wrote:

don't want to get dropped if i join a club

thanks

Just make sure you are on a 'no-drop' ride. Simples.

Try BC's clubfinder - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder

These 2 are very local and affiliated to BC and Cycling UK group finder:
http://condorroadclub.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.halifax-imps.org.uk/
There are others nearby.

To compare your fitness you could ride some local Strava segments or, as already said, take part in some 10 mile TTs. This is a real world indicator and you don't need fancy gear, just a bike and be willing to ride hard for 10 miles without stopping.

dinyull

lowflying1357 wrote:

Hi Guys, so around 5 weeks into this new game , ive been out 3 times a week just did this in 1 hour 30 mins

distance
23.09 km

ascent
438 m

descent
442 m

feeling happy with the progress, just looking for some indication of what an bog basic guys and what a pro would do something like this in ?

don't want to get dropped if i join a club

thanks

This is from someone with no experience of clubs whatsoever, but I'd say the slowest of slow club runs will start at 10mph and you might even struggle to find one that slow. And then you have to consider distance too - you won't find many club runs of only 14 miles.

Don't want to appear harsh but I'd say your a way off a club. Fwiw, I'd contact the clubs above and have a word mentioning you speed, distance, ability etc and see if you fit in. But if I were you I'd be adding 5 miles each week and trying to up the speeds a little bit till I was happy to tag along on a club run.

As for a pro, they'd knock that out in under half an hour...

davesnothere

OP you are doing great. I wouldn't get too hung up on how you compare to other cyclists, as long as you are getting fitter and enjoying it then you are on the right track.

Sounds like you're doing pretty good to me after 5 weeks

svetty

Any reasonable club will welcome beginners and show you the ropes. Don't be put off - we all had to start somewhere - just go for it

lowflying1357

Thanks for all the comments,

its been fun

ok so i'm now 6 weeks in, my last ride was yesterday - 7 miles with 642 ft elevation with a time of 32 minutes

how many miles do club rides go ?

the only thing is my my teardrop muscles are in lots of pain for the first few miles any reason why ?

thanks

davesnothere

lowflying1357 wrote:

Thanks for all the comments,

its been fun

ok so i'm now 6 weeks in, my last ride was yesterday - 7 miles with 642 ft elevation with a time of 32 minutes

how many miles do club rides go ?

the only thing is my my teardrop muscles are in lots of pain for the first few miles any reason why ?

thanks

Worth doing a few basic leg stretches before you ride I would think. I always do and then try and ease in at low cadence for the first mile or so

Our local club has an Easyriders ride every saturday, they ride 20ish miles at average 10mph and avoid any major climbs i believe. No one left behind

simon_e

Stretching before exercise won't help. You need to stretch afterwards - if stretching is what is required.

By "teardrop" do you mean the quads? If so then you're possibly using them instead of your glutes. Try to pedal from your bum instead of pressing with your knee, if that makes sense.

lowflying1357 wrote:

how many miles do club rides go ?

Anything from 25 miles at 11 mph to 70 miles at 19 mph. Find a club that accomodates you, then you'll be fine.