First bike ride in 27 years but need advice

[BAtoo]

Well done for starting,that's the hardest part. Now just keep going, little and often and you will soon feel the benefits.
I started seriously 6-weeks ago, having ridden occasionally for the past 2 years, as I've been persuaded to do a long-distance charity ride next May/June...... The first ride was 4 miles and I hurt like hell at the end. Yesterday 30 miles and felt OK at the end of it.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Well done that man

If you ever need some inspiration just Google '39 stone cyclist' and read his blog.

The guy is @gb155 of this parish, and seeing what he's acheived could really help you keep going.

As others have said, just keep giving it a go, balance will come, fitness will improve and distances will increase.

Remember, a walk of 1000 miles starts with just one step, and you've already done that

 

[Twotter]

First time I rode my bike was in August and it felt as though the nuts and bolts were loose as I was all over the place, so I know what you mean about the balance issue! As the others say the answer is to relax and practice. In a short while you feel a lot more stable....even standing up on the pedals to get up the hills

 

[Cycleops]

Well done Andy, you will find things become a lot easier the more you do. You will find the saddle uncomfortable until you get used to it, padded shorts may help here. If you do decide to get a different saddle don't make the mistake of thinking a padded one will be more comfortable. Don't bother about cycling shoes just at the moment, it will just complicate things for you. If you are using cycling to loose weight you will need to adopt a diet strategy as well. Good luck.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Well Done Andy.

As others have already wrote, a mile is more than the vast majority of the UK population will ever do.

Moving on, take people's advice and build up slowly. Your bum will become hardened off to miles in the saddle, trust me. Gears-wise - take @User13710 's advice, keep the front derailleur in the middle, and use the rear derailleur to change gear as required, it should give you enough gears for now for climbing hills and making reasonable speedy progress.

Most of all, just ride. Don't be put off about the weight issue, it'll sort itself out in time - besides there are quite a few 'larger' cyclists on here that are very strong riders who can cover large distances in the saddle day in day out. Not all cyclists are built like Lester Piggot's whip......

Maybe team up with someone local to you, and do short rides together? A ride buddy is good for motivation.

BTW - Welcome to CC

 

[Bryony]

Well done on your first mile of many!

I started cycling again after a break of 11 years mainly for health reasons (I have a heart condition). I was very nervous about getting back on a bike and I struggled! I went to the tarmac cycle track at my local country park, it's a 2 mile circuit with a few tiny hills which at that time felt like mountains!! But now 5 months on I don't struggle up the little hills any more and have even clocked up 14 miles round there! You will find that cycling little and often improvement will happen surprisingly quickly after my first bike ride in April I never thought I'd be doing a 25 mile charity ride in June and I was so proud of myself when I finished!!

As everyone else has said keep practising the wobbles will soon disappear. If you do have a nice quiet road to ride on that could help with the wobbles when I first got my road bike I was very wobbly on it to start with ( used to big chunky mountain bikes) but I went on an organised ride only a few days after getting it and because I was so busy concentrating on the road I didn't realise I actually stopped wobbling!!

 

[Andy1974]

Thanks for all the advice and words of encouragement as it means a lot. I won't reply to everyone but I'm glad to see it's not just me that couldn't cycle straight at the first attempt. Don't worry about the river as the path is probably the width of a pavement then about 6 ft high grass with the river about 8 metres from that so worst that could happen I will end up in nettles.

Could advise re car park there's actually one en route so will practice on that. Reading up I may be holding the handlebars too tight so next time maybe less grip as I seemed to have all the weight on my arms rather than body. I did plan to go out Sunday but was aching like mad but now I'm getting an urge to get back on and by the time I get home from work it's dark. May have to try and get up before work and even if I just do half an hour it's better than nothing.

Thanks again.

Andy

 

[Saluki]

Hi Andy
Well done on your first ride. I can only echo what the others have said. Just keep cycling and it will come. Padded shorts will really really help, if you feel self conscious in them just wear them under trousers or shorts - depending on what the weather is doing - and they will make life a lot more comfy for you.
Welcome to the club

 

[lukesdad]

With the Hardrock I'd go to a park rather than a car park. Check you have your saddle at the right height and try not to grip the bars as hard. Have a look at some DMR V8 pedals they'll do the job.

 

[Bryony]

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[michaelcycle]

If you find you are having problem with balancing an easy way to correct this is to find somewhere with a gentle slope which you can coast down without needing to pedal. If needs be lower your seat right down temporarily so you can put both your feet on the ground easily.

Practice going down it a few times with the only thing to have to consider is your balance. Once you are comfortable doing that just start pedaling at the end of the slope. You will find the momentum helps with your stability.

30 minutes to an hour and you will wonder what all the fuss was about...

 

[Andy1974]

Right an update went out on the bike over the weekend and took all the advice on board. Look up few hundred yards in front guess what no wobbling and no problems even managed to turn on the way there a couple of 90 degree angles without falling off. At the end of the bath down to a quiet estate well it was until a car came and theres a couple of parked cars on the road what should I do. I decided to stop just before the parked cars and let the moving car go past me.

On the way back there's a cyclist and a dog walker heading towards me what to I do, should I get off and walk past them . Ive got do do it some time I've got Public Liability Insurance stuff it if I take them out i'm covered and im only going slow!!! Managed to pass them without any problems then another dog walker so I thought lets just go for it again no problems.

At this point im full of confidence and getting a bit cocky so I start changing to different gears but then heard quite a nasty change went to pedal nothing looked down the chain has come off the cog. Managed to get it back on and back off I go Im approaching the turn where I fell off last week near home but I thought I m enjoying this so carried on along the path down to the bridge and back. Then approached the turn where I fell off last week down into first gear and no problems and then home. So last week was about a mile this week about 3 so getting better and considering I couldn't ride a bike last week then im pretty pleased.

So this weeks questions as simple as possible please what the correct range of gears is it 1 st gear on left 1-3 on the right 2nd gear on left 3-6 on right and 3rd gear on left 6-9 on right or is it something completely different. Also my arms and bottom of my back were quite sore after now this could be the saddle height which is right down at the bottom but if I don't have it there my feet cant touch the floor.

Thanks Again Andy

 

[Bryony]

Well done!! The saying you never forget how to ride a bike is very true! Don't worry too much about passing people or cars passing you the more you think about it the more likely you are to have a wobble!! With the gears I just fiddle with them til I feel comfortable. The aching could be your muscles getting used to cycling or it could be how your bike is set up I'd let your muscles get used to the cycling first and if you still ache then have a look at how your bike is set up. Keep up the good work!

 

[sreten]

Hi,

Padded shorts won't help on a saddle that is really uncomfortable after a short distance.
If you can't get used to the saddle after a while for short distances, it doesn't fit properly.

(I do 15 miles a day on my folder no shorts with no issues, though I notice 20+ miles.
Padded shorts on my road bike which has a harder saddle 35+ miles a day.)

You can leave the front in 2nd and use 2/3 to 7/8 though the exact details depend
on the chainline, 1 front 1 to 4/5 back and 3 front 5/6 to 9 back shouldn't be an issue.

Your feet should not be able to touch the floor with a good saddle height. However
when starting off set the saddle so your non starting foot can get ball and toe
down from the saddle at a bike angle and you have to dismount the saddle to
plant your non-starting foot flat on the ground. Once dismounting is second
nature lift up the saddle so your leg locks around heel/instep but doesn't
using the ball off your foot over the pedal. Then adjust the bars.

rgds, sreten.

 

[MikeW-71]

Good progress Andy

Some aches and pains are normal as your body gets used to this new form of torture, you'll be using muscles that you weren't before and it should settle down.

However, having the bike set up properly will help that a lot. On most bikes you should only just be able to touch the ground with the saddle at the right height. To find that, put your heel on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke. If your leg is not locked straight, the saddle needs to be higher. On my road bikes I can just get my tiptoes on the ground unless I lean the bike. It's a common mistake for beginners to have the saddle far too low.

Find that point and then lower it a little while you are still gaining confidence.

As for the gears, just try not to cross-chain. When on the smallest front ring, avoid using the smallest 1 or 2 at the back. The middle front ring can use the whole cassette. On the large front ring, avoid using the biggest 1 or 2 at the back. You'll find that the same gear can be found with different combinations of front and rear. It also sounds like your gears may need some adjustment, particularly if it dropped the chain.