New to Cycling Legs are complaining.

[Banjo]

Hello Everyone. I have recently bought a cheap secondhand hybrid byke to improve my fitness and have an alternative to the car.If I am still keen in 6 months time I will provbably get a better bike through the bike to work scheme.

Its hilly here and for about a week I did between 5 and 10 miles/day and felt great.Then my upper thighs started to really ache.Last two days I have just done a mile or two.

Should I carry on and ignore the ache or stop for a while.PS I am an active but not very fit slightly overweight 50 yr old male.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Speaking as an active-ish, not very fit, slightly overweight 40yo male, I found that what worked for me was little and often, gradually increasing distance and speed (to a lesser extent), trying to make sure that I stopped just short of what would make me ache.

Two other tips that aren't immediately obvious (they weren't to me, anyway):
1. make sure your seat height is set right: there's plenty of tips on the site here but basically it's good to have your legs not quite straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke when the balls of your feet are on the pedal. This probably means - it definitely does for me - that you won't be able to touch the ground whilst sitting on the seat.

2. don't struggle trying to push a high gear. Drop a gear or two and give your legs an easy time of it. Keep your speed up by pedalling faster: a pedal speed (cadence) of 90-ish rpm is often recommended, although I think most would agree you should go with what feels comfortable. 95 or so seems to work for me.

It's definitely a lot hillier where you are than where I am, so you'll need to not kill your legs too much at first, I guess. Good luck, have fun with it and ....

 

[ChrisKH]

Speaking as an active-ish, not very fit, slightly overweight 40yo male, I found that what worked for me was little and often, gradually increasing distance and speed (to a lesser extent), trying to make sure that I stopped just short of what would make me ache.

Two other tips that aren't immediately obvious (they weren't to me, anyway):
1. make sure your seat height is set right: there's plenty of tips on the site here but basically it's good to have your legs not quite straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke when the balls of your feet are on the pedal. This probably means - it definitely does for me - that you won't be able to touch the ground whilst sitting on the seat.
2. don't struggle trying to push a high gear. Drop a gear or two and give your legs an easy time of it. Keep your speed up by pedalling faster: a pedal speed (cadence) of 90-ish rpm is often recommended, although I think most would agree you should go with what feels comfortable. 95 or so seems to work for me.

It's definitely a lot hillier where you are than where I am, so you'll need to not kill your legs too much at first, I guess. Good luck, have fun with it and ....

As LC says. I have suffered with upper thighs and then realised the seat post had slipped.

 

[John the Monkey]

Don't feel like you *have* to turn out every day. I started out doing 3 days a week, then went to four, then five. See how you feel, and try to increase your mileage gradually.

I remember the first 5 day week I did when my legs didn't ache at the weekend as something of a milestone

 

[Banjo]

Cheers. I think the seat may be better an inch higher and I will keep in lower gears until it gets more comfortable.Trouble is my brain thinks Im 25 and super fit.My legs know the truth :-)

 

[D-Rider]

Welcome!

Stick at it but consider building it up with rest days. I started a 13 mile round trip commute towards the end of January. Wasn't physically up to it every day so started doing two days a week and gradually increased from there. I'm now able to cycle every day and feel a lot better while I'm doing it.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Cheers. I think the seat may be better an inch higher and I will keep in lower gears until it gets more comfortable.Trouble is my brain thinks Im 25 and super fit.My legs know the truth :-)

No worries.

There is a technique involving sitting on the bike with it supported - a friend holding you, hand against a wall, something like that - with your heel on the pedal; your leg should just about be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Hopefully someone will come along and say if that's wrong.

All I did was keep putting the seat up a quarter of an inch or so every few rides. It always felt better and then suddenly I started feeling "stretched" and getting pain behind my knee cap. At that point I dropped it back down that last quarter of an inch and left it be.

If you google "Sheldon Brown", he has loads of tips on all this stuff, how to get on and off the bike when you can't touch the ground, good use of gears, all those things.

 

[ChrisKH]

Cheers. I think the seat may be better an inch higher and I will keep in lower gears until it gets more comfortable.Trouble is my brain thinks Im 25 and super fit.My legs know the truth :-)

So your brain is writing cheques that your legs can't cash?

 

[swee'pea99]

It gets easier!

Little & often.

And do NB: saddle high enough so your leg just 'breaks' when your heel is on the pedal.

 

[tyred]

Keep at it and it will become easier. Don't ignore your body when it says it's tired. You'll end up doing yourself an injury if you don't rest. Follow the advice you'll find on this forum about seat height, etc or as mentioned, Sheldon Brown's website has an answer to virtually everything you need to know about cycling. If making adjustments to saddle height, handlebar height or whatever, small changes at a time work best and carry the spanner or allen key you need to make those adjustments in your pocket when you take a test ride. If you've overdone it, stop and make further adjustments. Use whatever cadence suits you best but try not to push the very high gears or you will be killing yourself needlessly. Your bike probably has a triple chainring on the front so stick to the middle chainring for normal riding for now and you shouldn't be too far away. On steep hills, don't be afraid to use the small "granny" chainring. That's what it's there for. Just always keep an eye on chainline and don't use the small/small or big/big sprocket combinations as you are running the chain at a poor angle in those gears.

 

[Downward]

When I started again I did 14 miles on Friday (Commute) at a nice pace then on Sunday just went for a pootle just to get some miles in (Usually 10-15). After about 1 month I started 2 days commute and Sunday out and now 7 months later I am doing 4 days commute.

 

[Greenbread]

The best thing about grinding up those tough hills is that you get to fly down the other end after you reach the top

 

[Banjo]

Thanks for all the advice / encouragement.Did about 6 miles in the rain this afternoon .With the seat raised as suggested it feels a LOT easier.Am giving it a complete rest tommorow then play it by ear see how it goes.

Also its great to have found a forum where people take the time to answer beginners questions . Cheers People .

 

[Fab Foodie]

Welcome Banjo

Little and often and build-up gradually as stated. Rest is still part of training!
Use your gears and pedal comfotably.
OK, my biggest tip for hills climbing on a bike...
RELAX.
Sit back on the seat, completely relax your upper body, (tension and effort here wastes energy for no value) relax your grip on the bars, finger-tip control is all that's required, drive the bike-up the hill using legs and lower back.

Regarding bike set-up, best info I've seen is here...
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Mostly, enjoy your cycling!

 

[Randochap]

The thing is, if you are doing it right, it'll always hurt.

Yesterday, nearing the end of my first hundred mile ride of the year, it felt like I'd never ridden that distance before.

In a month or two, I'll be contemplating distances of 200 to 600 miles and you can bet there will be times my quads (and, in fact, every muscle and joint in my body) will complain.

One milestone reached is the viewpoint for the possibility of achieving the next.

Welcome to the masochists club!