Top improvement tips for a feeble beginner?

squelch
squelch Posts: 9
edited February 2009 in Road beginners
I'm new to cycling "properly" having just bought a fitness bike after many years of crappy second hand MTBs and such.

I do a ten-mile commute each way to and from work and I'm just loving it, but I've hit a bit of a plateau. I can't get inside 30 minutes no matter how hard I try.

Not that I'm getting all competitive about this or anything but I'd really like to get stronger and faster, so what would you guys recommend? Carry less weight in my rucksack? Get SPD shoes and pedals? Get some bigger gears? Or just man up, grit my teeth and push harder?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • le_grimpeur
    le_grimpeur Posts: 135
    First of all, Plateaux are common. Even if you carry on as you are, there will come a time when you burst through that barrier, as your bike fitness will kind of creep up on you. But here's my two-penn'orth

    1. It is tougher to ride in the winter. It is colder. Objects move slower through cold air. so come the first bash of warm air, you will go faster.

    2 SPD shoes and pedals certainly made me faster, as I was able to use different options in regards of pedal stroke. the first major improvement is that you can pull on the upstroke

    3 Slick tyres - but of course, I would not recommend them in the winter, but for me, these made the greatest difference.

    4 Short bursts of say 20 - 30 second stretches. Really go for it, then resume a comfortable pedallling cadence. This is a great way of improving cycling muscles whilst on the bike.

    5 Bigger gears. Only if you find that in the highest gear, you find yourself wanting more gears.

    6. Less weight in rucksack (and bodyweight) will mean that the effort you are putting in, takes you faster.

    So, In order

    Short bursts
    Pedals
    Less weight
    bigger gears
    slick tyres (but I'd reverse the last two once the rain, hail, sleet and snow abates

    hope you find this useful
    The ultimate cruelty of love's pinions
  • 40427
    40427 Posts: 119
    spd pedals would definateley help and also try doing some small training excercises for example find a reasonably short and steep hill and cliimb it about 5 times but every time you climb it pedal in as bigger gear as you can and as hard as you can repeat this about 2-3 times a week this will build big mucles in your legs and when your done you can just ride easily home and rest. hope this helps. :D
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    40427 wrote:
    find a reasonably short and steep hill and cliimb it about 5 times but every time you climb it pedal in as bigger gear as you can and as hard as you can repeat this about 2-3 times a week this will build big mucles in your legs and when your done you can just ride easily home and rest. hope this helps. :D

    sorry, that's nonsense. building muscle bulk is not the best way to improve your aerobic fitness.

    Ride more, ride further - doesn't need to be any more complex than that...
  • simon_e
    simon_e Posts: 1,707
    le_grimpeur wrote:
    Plateaux are common. Even if you carry on as you are, there will come a time when you burst through that barrier, as your bike fitness will kind of creep up on you.
    Spot on. It's unlikely you'll get any breakthroughs at this time of year. Keep at it and the benefits will come when the weather gets a bit warmer.

    Try to put in a consistent effort through the ride, conditions allowing. Save intervals for the weekend, it's not easy to integrate that kind of thing into a commuting ride. Tyres with less rolling resistance pumped up well, SPDs and a rack or saddlebag can help a bit but TBH your fitness is the thing that will make the biggest difference. Keep plugging away, it will pay off eventually.

    The one thing I'd suggest is on days when you're feeling good try riding in the next gear up from the one you normally use (if you can remember). I use this method on one or two of the smaller climbs on my route and I'm sure I get up them slightly quicker than I used to. This forces you to push harder to maintain your normal cadence, or something near it. Don't go into the red or get out of the saddle, but concentrate on getting more effort through the pedals smoothly. Be prepared to cog down and ease off if necessary.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • on the road
    on the road Posts: 5,631
    I agree more or less with what's been said, don't worry if you find no improvement at this time of year, come the summer you'll be flying. Even I'm a couple of mph down on what I normally do during the summer.
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    As above. What I found that helped the most was doing interval training twice a week. Ride for about 5 mins at a steady pace then sprint for about 30 secs and then cruise for another five. At the start do this about 3/4 times, as you get fitter do more reps and see if you can ride at max for up to a minute. I now also do at least one tempo ride a week( riding at a higher than normal pace over a shorter length than normal). 10 mile TT time this year(my first serious year) has dropped from 36mins to 26'58".
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
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  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    squelch wrote:
    I do a ten-mile commute each way to and from work and I'm just loving it, but I've hit a bit of a plateau. I can't get inside 30 minutes no matter how hard I try.

    Not that I'm getting all competitive about this or anything but I'd really like to get stronger and faster, so what would you guys recommend? Carry less weight in my rucksack? Get SPD shoes and pedals? Get some bigger gears? Or just man up, grit my teeth and push harder?

    Thanks in advance!

    Hi, and welcome to the forum.

    30 minutes for 10 miles would be extremely quick for a "feeble begginer" (that's a 20mph avg - most begginers/newish riders float around the 12-14 mph avg mark - particularly for a loop) - if you can do 40-42 minutes for 10 miles then you're at a good starting point. Being on a "fitness bike" hybrid ???, with rucksack and work clothes, I'd say you're doing alright - you could always upgrade to a Road bike at some point? - that'd give you a boost, if you're currently on a Hybrid?
  • John C.
    John C. Posts: 2,113
    Forget the time for a while and just ride the route at a comfortable speed, A comfortable speed will increase your base fitness. Then when spring comes give it another crack . Remember to enjoy your riding, to many goals can dishearten you if you fail to achieve one or two.
    http://www.ripon-loiterers.org.uk/

    Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
    Hills are just a matter of pace
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    Keep yourself appropriately warm/cool.

    Nothing puts me off riding more than the prospect of being unbelievably cold, which doesn't do much for my fitness!
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • squelch
    squelch Posts: 9
    Wow, thanks for the replies everyone!

    I've been a climber and mountaineer for many years so I'm reasonably fit (although the pendletons of this world will probably not swoon at my cycling prowess just yet) and used to hard work, but I'm assuming that there's a whole world of subtelties in riding technique which I'll enjoy in future!

    I especially like the sprint/coast idea and the tempo ride. I love to trash my legs, rest and relax then do it all again. And if that doesn't work i can always kid myself that buying bigger, fancier, sweeter gear for me and my bike will make me faster!

    ;)
  • Slipknotjonny
    Slipknotjonny Posts: 197
    'Kid Yourself' What do you mean?

    Surely everyone knows that buying flashier, more expensive kit and owning at least 4 bikes will make you far faster, far more quickly than any amount of physical exertion.

    Some people on here will tell you any old rubbish. :wink:
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  • shane515
    shane515 Posts: 139
    Kid yourself…….NEVER :)

    I concur, buying more expensive stuff MUST make you go faster, I have just ordered my spring/summer tyres and just knowing they are in the post has me travelling a lot faster!!
  • pneumatic
    pneumatic Posts: 1,989
    Blimey, Squelch, I've been riding road bikes for 10 years and you're faster than me already. Less of the "feeble" and more pies, pints, fags and TV for you, ma boy! :evil:

    Joking aside, the biggest step changes in my performance came after I started doing long distances. Day rides and tours, although slower in terms of average speed, build the kind of endurance that allows you to go flat out for 10 miles just for the fun of it.

    Also, ditch the backpack and stick some panniers on, heavy ones. When you take them off, you go like the wind! :D

    Fast and Bulbous
    Peregrinations
    Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
  • squelch
    squelch Posts: 9
    Surely everyone knows that buying flashier, more expensive kit and owning at least 4 bikes will make you far faster, far more quickly than any amount of physical exertion.

    Terrific!

    Now if you could just explain this to my wife, I'll be a happy bear!
  • le_grimpeur
    le_grimpeur Posts: 135
    SImple.

    Darling, "I need to buy a new (insert name of product) which will have many benefits. As it helps my speed I'll be able to climb mountains/sprint faster, which will improve my performance on the bike*, which will also mean an improvement in my health, thus I will be fitter — which in general is a good thing, as being healthy reduces the possibility of heart attacks. Also being fit helps with mental health, thus I will be cheery all the time. So having these little things for the bike cannot be measure in terms of price when one considers all the health benefits"

    "Yes sweetheart, this does apply for any new purchase. Yes, each new purchase improves my physical and mental health immeasurably. And yes, because I cycle so much and am so much more healthy than before, I do need to keep the parts updated"


    * Technical point. Having upgraded to a serious sportive bike, I did find that going up the small inclines became easier. SImply, I could go further up the climb before tiring, but as I was nearing the apex, I felt that I could make the extra effort for the smaller distance,
    The ultimate cruelty of love's pinions

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