Tips/critique for a new rider
Discussion
WhisperingWasp said:
It's a nice route around there isn't it. I'll have to knock you off your perch 
There's a decent cafe stop on that loop, Disco-licious, if you need rehydration and some cake. Around Ireland, Old Warden and Southill is nice for quiet roads. The Barn in Cardington do a mean scotch egg and sausage roll.
Edited by Mark83 on Monday 9th May 16:15
WhisperingWasp said:
- Should I stand up out of the saddle more often? On a hill I rarely stand up for the extra push, I go down the gears and stay seated. Is this the right thing to do as a beginner? In my head I think stood up = mountain biking.
- I use all my back gears (9 or so I think) but not my front one. It is on the larger cog and I've never been able to get it to change to the smaller one. This doesn't seem to affect me but of course I don't know what I'm missing here...
Stay seated as much as possible, you use more energy getting out the saddle. If you must get out the saddle keep it for short bursts only - ie sprinting or to get up a steep incline. As some have mentioned keep spinning as much as possible up hills, and use all your gears to keep cadence (ie pedalling speed) as consistent as possible.- I use all my back gears (9 or so I think) but not my front one. It is on the larger cog and I've never been able to get it to change to the smaller one. This doesn't seem to affect me but of course I don't know what I'm missing here...
You are definitely missing out not being able to change into the smaller ring on the front deraillieur, it will make climbing hills much easier for one ! Try some bike maintenance or take it to a shop to get sorted. Its not expensive to have a new cable installed.
I'd second on not using a gel cover. If it's a road bike then generally you don't want a padded saddle, you want to sort your butt out - either shorts which fit better, adjust your position on the bike (possibly move the saddle back a bit?), or grit your teeth and break it in....
And yes definitely get that front derailleur fixed so you can use the small ring!
Re. standing to climb hills - basically it gives you a lot more power, but at the expense of extra effort expended, so you will only be able to sustain it for a certain amount of time (which varies considerably by person!). For a beginner it's perhaps worth trying it out on very short but steep rises in the road, where you can stand in the pedals and power over it in 10-20 seconds. For that sort of thing it means you can maintain your speed and don't need to change down gears. If you are riding for fitness then at some point you'll probably want to try out standing at certain points while climbing hills to see how your body reacts, and at which points on a hill you think it will be worthwhile. If you ride the same hill often then you may figure out a pattern of points at which you can stand to get through a steep section, and then sit to rest on a shallower bit. Definitely only do this after you can shift into the small ring!
And yes definitely get that front derailleur fixed so you can use the small ring!
Re. standing to climb hills - basically it gives you a lot more power, but at the expense of extra effort expended, so you will only be able to sustain it for a certain amount of time (which varies considerably by person!). For a beginner it's perhaps worth trying it out on very short but steep rises in the road, where you can stand in the pedals and power over it in 10-20 seconds. For that sort of thing it means you can maintain your speed and don't need to change down gears. If you are riding for fitness then at some point you'll probably want to try out standing at certain points while climbing hills to see how your body reacts, and at which points on a hill you think it will be worthwhile. If you ride the same hill often then you may figure out a pattern of points at which you can stand to get through a steep section, and then sit to rest on a shallower bit. Definitely only do this after you can shift into the small ring!
Edited by Gareth79 on Tuesday 10th May 00:36
So I've tilted my seat forward a touch and raised it a bit ahead of a ride this evening. Will see if I notice a difference.
With regards to defblade's video on how to adjust the front derailleur I cannot move the mechanism at all. I presume it should move if I press on it? It seems completely seized. Seems I'm stuck on the "big ring" for the time being!
With regards to defblade's video on how to adjust the front derailleur I cannot move the mechanism at all. I presume it should move if I press on it? It seems completely seized. Seems I'm stuck on the "big ring" for the time being!
Just one point of clarification to add - you asked if saddles were all universal fit - I assume you meant “will any saddle fit any bike?” To which the answer is (almost always) yes. You can buy a new saddle and it will fit your bike.
The poster who said “no” was answering the question whether all saddles were the same from a user’s perspective - and they are definitely not: different designs/styles/sizes suit different people better or worse.
The poster who said “no” was answering the question whether all saddles were the same from a user’s perspective - and they are definitely not: different designs/styles/sizes suit different people better or worse.
When you say you can't move the mechanism - what happens when you click the left-hand shifter either up or down?
It should work in a mirror to the one one the right - click the small inner lever inwards to drop from the big chainring to the small. It may take slightly more force. Apologies if this is obvious and you've already tried
It should work in a mirror to the one one the right - click the small inner lever inwards to drop from the big chainring to the small. It may take slightly more force. Apologies if this is obvious and you've already tried
WhisperingWasp said:
So I've tilted my seat forward a touch and raised it a bit ahead of a ride this evening. Will see if I notice a difference.
With regards to defblade's video on how to adjust the front derailleur I cannot move the mechanism at all. I presume it should move if I press on it? It seems completely seized. Seems I'm stuck on the "big ring" for the time being!
Front derailleurs like seizing up for some reason. If it is stuck in the big ring, you'll need to change down to release the cable tension but if the cable is loose you should be able to remove.With regards to defblade's video on how to adjust the front derailleur I cannot move the mechanism at all. I presume it should move if I press on it? It seems completely seized. Seems I'm stuck on the "big ring" for the time being!
My mountain bike, which I only use to commute on when it has snowed, seized up. I took it off, sprayed it with penetrating fluid and worked it until it moved freely. I didn't want to damage the shifter by trying to shift against excess resistance.
Further thought about the front mech:
When on the big ring the mech is held in position by tension in the cable against the spring in the derailleur - when you operate the front changer the cable should go slack (the slack is then taken up by the spring).
If the cable does go slack then the problem is in the mech itself - the removal and clean advice should help.
Conversely if the cable does not go slack (or the shifter doesn’t operate) then the problem is in the shifter mech or the cable is seized somewhere.
When on the big ring the mech is held in position by tension in the cable against the spring in the derailleur - when you operate the front changer the cable should go slack (the slack is then taken up by the spring).
If the cable does go slack then the problem is in the mech itself - the removal and clean advice should help.
Conversely if the cable does not go slack (or the shifter doesn’t operate) then the problem is in the shifter mech or the cable is seized somewhere.
Thanks for all the comments re the front derailleur. I've not digested everything yet but will take my laptop out to the garage tomorrow and try some of the things mentioned 
Went out for a ride this evening...
...wow! The wind!
Genuinely taken aback by just how hard it was cycling into the wind. I take it this is a thing?! I was going along flat surfaces in first gear! It felt as hard as going up hills at times.
On a positive note my a**e hurt a bit less. Hands seemed worse though; quite a bit of pins n needles but I guess that is a consequence of raising the seat height.
I also replicated my first ride and did it ~4 minutes quicker which I was surprised with given my struggles into the wind. I must have had an equal benefit in different directions I guess.
Felt good to get out for a long ride on work night as I do struggle with motivation a bit so I am pleased with myself.
Went out for a ride this evening...
...wow! The wind!
Genuinely taken aback by just how hard it was cycling into the wind. I take it this is a thing?! I was going along flat surfaces in first gear! It felt as hard as going up hills at times.
On a positive note my a**e hurt a bit less. Hands seemed worse though; quite a bit of pins n needles but I guess that is a consequence of raising the seat height.
I also replicated my first ride and did it ~4 minutes quicker which I was surprised with given my struggles into the wind. I must have had an equal benefit in different directions I guess.
Felt good to get out for a long ride on work night as I do struggle with motivation a bit so I am pleased with myself.
Edited by WhisperingWasp on Tuesday 10th May 21:09
WhisperingWasp said:
Genuinely taken aback by just how hard it was cycling into the wind. I take it this is a thing?! I was going along flat surfaces in first gear! It felt as hard as going up hills at times.
On a positive note my a**e hurt a bit less. Hands seemed worse though; quite a bit of pins n needles but I guess that is a consequence of raising the seat height.
It's a thing. Wait until you're having to pedal just to keep moving downhillOn a positive note my a**e hurt a bit less. Hands seemed worse though; quite a bit of pins n needles but I guess that is a consequence of raising the seat height.
And also yes - the relative positions of all your bike parts do play off each other, so raising your saddle means you have slightly more forward lean to get the bars, so more weight on your hands. It is best to get your saddle position relative to the pedals right first, then sort out where you want your bars to be after that.
In the meantime, there are 3 or 4 or 5 positions available for your hands:
On the drops (which splits into right down on the last bit parallel-ish to the ground, or a bit more up on the curve, behind the brake levers) - mainly for down hill... or reducing your profile to the headwind
On the hoods - standard riding position, holding around the "horns" of the brake levers, often a finger or two curled around the brake lever.
On the tops/flats - mainly for going uphill - poor access to brakes, slightly twitchier steering, opens your chest out for breathing and gets hips/legs at a better angle for hard work.
And, slightly controversially, on the shoulders of the bars - the curve as they come from the hoods to the tops. Not really the done thing, but I do find it's good for a change, especially for my dodgy wrist.
Change between them preferably before you start to feel tingles in each position, but bear in mind the ability to safely control and brake - so the extreme positions on the tops or very bottoms may not be suitable all the time.
As a note on the downhill/headwind, a lot of people prefer to get their body low by carrying on holding the hoods, but then lower their forearms until they are level with the road so creating a tuck.
Handlebar width and shape also play a part in comfort (I've got narrow shoulders for my height, and like a much narrower bar than XL frames come with, for example), as does the exact position and angle of the brake levers because you spend so much time on the hoods... but that then gets into messing with the bar tape to change and is getting on for intermediate level set-up
Just to add to the bit about spinning up hills. In the 1970's, bikes all had big rings - the front ones - and cyclists tended to cycle with a slower cadence pushing harder for the same forward speed. Then a couple of things happened at the same time; Lance Armstrong recovered from cancer and didn't have the strength to push a big gear and so instead upped his cadence to 100-110 rpm and use his aerobic capacity when everyone else was cycling at 70 rpm. Manufacturers also developed smaller cranksets. In the 1980s you couldn't get smaller than 42 with Campag, and 52-42 was the traditional size for the chain rings. Now 53-39 or 34 is normal allowing cyclists to rely on aerobic function and spin at a higher cadence.
Each pedal stroke should be push down, pull back, pull up and push forward using all the muscles in the leg. You can practice this using only one leg at a time and try and keep it as smooth as possible to try and get way from just stomping down.
If you spin up a hill until you 'blow' - reach your limit aerobically - then change down a couple of gears and stand on the pedals with a reduced cadence until you get your breath back you will find you speed up hills increases.
The main thing is you are getting out and about which is brilliant; set yourself a mini timed section (via Strava?) with an incline and see what works for you. We are all built differently.
Each pedal stroke should be push down, pull back, pull up and push forward using all the muscles in the leg. You can practice this using only one leg at a time and try and keep it as smooth as possible to try and get way from just stomping down.
If you spin up a hill until you 'blow' - reach your limit aerobically - then change down a couple of gears and stand on the pedals with a reduced cadence until you get your breath back you will find you speed up hills increases.
The main thing is you are getting out and about which is brilliant; set yourself a mini timed section (via Strava?) with an incline and see what works for you. We are all built differently.
Julietbravo said:
Each pedal stroke should be push down, pull back, pull up and push forward using all the muscles in the leg. You can practice this using only one leg at a time and try and keep it as smooth as possible to try and get way from just stomping down.
I thought pulling up was debunked as serving no purpose? Basically pushing down is the only useful effort, and when it's not pushing, the other leg should simply let itself come up.Gareth79 said:
Julietbravo said:
Each pedal stroke should be push down, pull back, pull up and push forward using all the muscles in the leg. You can practice this using only one leg at a time and try and keep it as smooth as possible to try and get way from just stomping down.
I thought pulling up was debunked as serving no purpose? Basically pushing down is the only useful effort, and when it's not pushing, the other leg should simply let itself come up.Pulling up was part of the “pedalling circles” phenomenon which has been proven to be rubbish and potentially very harmful to certain parts of the body.
MrBarry123 said:
Gareth79 said:
Julietbravo said:
Each pedal stroke should be push down, pull back, pull up and push forward using all the muscles in the leg. You can practice this using only one leg at a time and try and keep it as smooth as possible to try and get way from just stomping down.
I thought pulling up was debunked as serving no purpose? Basically pushing down is the only useful effort, and when it's not pushing, the other leg should simply let itself come up.Pulling up was part of the “pedalling circles” phenomenon which has been proven to be rubbish and potentially very harmful to certain parts of the body.
Julietbravo said:
You are both correct, I think it is better described as 'unweighting on the upstroke' and you will never deliver massive amounts of power on the upstroke.
Not caught up on everything (still at a work thing) but just to clarify I cycle with normal pedals and trainers on, not the clip-in shoes. So guess I definitely only benefit from the downstroke. WhisperingWasp said:
Julietbravo said:
You are both correct, I think it is better described as 'unweighting on the upstroke' and you will never deliver massive amounts of power on the upstroke.
Not caught up on everything (still at a work thing) but just to clarify I cycle with normal pedals and trainers on, not the clip-in shoes. So guess I definitely only benefit from the downstroke. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff