Am I doing something wrong?

E

eowynne333

New Member
Hi!!! I wanted to ask advice about the different gears on a bike. Whenever I take my bike out, it seems like I "gas" really quickly. I usually ride my bike on level ground, either on gravel or dirt. If I don't have time to get to park land, I will ride my bike around my neighborhood, some small hills.

It seems like it doesn't take long until I'm taking a break and huffing and puffing. I think maybe I'm not setting the gears correctly on my bike and I'm working harder than I need to be. Any advice? I hate to think that I'm that out of shape 😛
 
Your probably out of "bike shape". riding a bike uses muscles that you wouldn't ever use otherwise.

If you have a decent cardio base, you should see some improvement in a relatively quick amount of time. But if not, it may take a while.

Dont sweat it though, just have fun and getting in shape will come naturally.
 
When I'm riding gears I tend to pedal in the hardest gear that's comfortable for me. If I hit a short hill or one that's not to steep I'll keep it in a gear until I start loosing momentum then switch down a gear until I'm comfortable again. If its a bigger hill I'll drop a gear, maybe two right as the grade changes so that my cadence doesn't change between the flat and hill.

The more you ride the less you'll be downshifting. IMO Finding the right gear will only help so much after that it's all fitness. The more you ride( I'm not talking race pace or epic gnar rides, just riding for fun) the easier it will all get. Whenever someone starts a training thread and asks how do I get better the answer from the guys who have been doing this for a while is almost always "ride more"!

So, ride more! 😀

Hope this helps.
 
Also experiment with your cadence (how fast you're pedaling). You may find tha a lower gear, higher cadence, might be better for you.

Most of us have a "sweet spot". Back in the day when I spent a lot of time on ergometers hooked up to 12-lead ecgs, etc., there was a cadence range (95-105 rpm back then), when my heart and respiratory rate went down compared to lower and higher cadences.

Bottom line, pedaling slower may be making it harder for you. A little counter-intuitive. Play around with gearing and see what works best for you.
 
All above very good feedback. For me, I really improved when I joined a gym. I would spend 35-45 minutes on a stationary bike or elliptical. I lost wieght (25 lbs) and also watched my cardio strength improve greatly. When I first joined I had been riding a yr and a half alrready, but the 1st time on got on a pc of cardio equipment I thought to was going to drop after just 5 minutes. Within 2 mos I was doing 35 minutes at 80% of max hear rate with no sweat. Losing the weight sure helped too.
 
Seat Height can help

I might add that some efficiency comes from a proper saddle height.

It is hard to put out much power with a low saddle position.

I have found that most new riders have their saddle at least 1-2" lower than they should.

A Google search found this:

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080214202540AAvrbZ3

Other than that, you need to build up some endurance by working on a base that you build. Each ride will become easier and you typical ride distance will increase.

Good luck.

J
 
Good info, bike fit and time in the saddle are good points. The only thing I can add is resist the temptation to go out too hard from the start of the ride. I see this happen all the time. At the beginning you are feeling good and strong and blaze out of the parking lot at break neck speed. Maybe break the ride into thirds going the first third slower than you can do the entire ride and allowing your body to warm up, second third at the tempo you feel you are capable of doing the entire ride and the last bit using whatever you have left. It may take some experimentation to find the proper pace . FWIW.
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
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All great tips! Especially with the start out slow at the beginning of the ride. If you start out screaming, you use up all your juice. I started out doing that as I was so eager and excited to be out, then I would just die. Now I realize a slow warm up keeps me out longer. Oh yeah, and riding every day helps too 😀
 
and make sure you pedal in a circle, not just pushing down with each rotation. You use different muscles when you pull up and that gives you a more even muscle use so that your quads don't tire out before everything else. And overall just pace yourself with whatever ability level you are at.
 
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