Old 08-10-11, 04:48 PM
  #1  
JaclynMcKewan
Member
 
JaclynMcKewan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Williamsville, NY
Posts: 33

Bikes: Workcycles Oma, Giant Simple Seven

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
The spirit is willing, but the legs are weak - WorkCycles Oma

Sorry this is so long...

For a couple of years I have been riding a cruiser, as I like a comfortable ride, slow pace, and upright posture. During spring/summer/fall I had been riding it to work 2-3 times a week. Last year I started looking into getting a bike that would be more of a dedicated commuter, and fell in love with "Dutch Bikes," specifically the WorkCycles Oma. Sure, I could have just put fender/rack/basket/lights/etc on my cruiser, but I liked the idea of having a really sturdy, high-quality bike. I sometimes do errands on bicycle and felt that its heavy front rack would be more suitable for grocery shopping, etc. Also I am looking into possibly going car-free at some point, and had heard that this bike worked well in snowy environments, with the addition of studded tires.

No shop near me (Buffalo) sells this bike, and I wanted to try it before I bought it, since I had read some reviews by people who thought it was too heavy. Last month (a year after first hearing about the Oma) I was in Portland, so I found a shop that carries the Oma. I gave it a test ride (around the block a few times) and didn't think the weight was a problem, so I bought it. I had tried some lighter bikes for comparison (like Gazelle and Retrovelo) but didn't care for the fact that they weren't quite as upright.

After it was delivered to my house, I decided to start riding it to work (3 miles each way) just 3 days a week, Mon/Wed/Fri, just to let my leg muscles adjust to the weight. There are 2 moderate hills on my commute but I didn't think they'd be a problem.

The first week, I did Mon/Wed/Fri. So far, so good. I should also mention that I do weight training at the gym, also Mon/Wed/Fri, and have been doing that for about 2 years. My thighs have always been weak. I don't know what it is - maybe it's from years of having been a lazy teenager, but I have never been able to build up much strength in them. It's not unusual for me to overdo the squats or whatever, and then barely be able to walk the next day. Whereas with my arms, they are sometimes a little sore the next day, but nothing major, and I can easily see that they are stronger than they used to be.

So on the Monday starting my second week with the Oma, I was at the gym (at work) starting a new phase in my workout book. After doing some squats while holding a barbell, I tried to get up afterwards and my legs almost buckled under me. As I've mentioned, this actually isn't unusual - not that this happens every time, but usually at least once every few weeks, when I am starting a new stage, I may overestimate my abilities and use too much weight.

I didn't think much of it, but my legs were sore that day and the next. I rode my bike to work on Wednesday, and skipped my leg workouts at the gym. Friday I rode, and tried a few squats, but my legs started really burning and feeling weak again, so I stopped. I was sore all weekend, and I thought "I must have really overdone it on Monday."

By the next Monday morning I was feeling pretty good, but after riding to work, my legs felt all wobbly and weak. That's when it finally occurred to me (yeah, I'm a bit slow) that it was probably the bike ride causing the problems. Maybe those 2 moderate hills were working me harder than I thought.

I considered skipping the Wednesday ride to rest some more, but as I had a day off on Thursday (tomorrow) and wouldn't be going to work then, I didn't want to go too long between rides and risk losing whatever muscle I may have already built. So I rode today. I removed the front rack and switched to panniers to try and save some weight. I rode in a lower gear than usual, and on the hills I rode in gear 1 or 2. I went even slower than I normally go. After I arrived, I felt okay. Still a bit wobbly, but not as bad as before.

Then I rode home. After I got home, I could barely feel my legs. After getting up from the dinner table, one of my legs almost buckled under me.

I don't know what to do. I haven't done any leg exercises at the gym since Friday. I'm still only riding the bike every other day. Today even losing the rack and lowering the gears didn't help. Have I just made a very expensive mistake?

I knew the weight was an issue for some, but figured that it was only a problem if you like to go fast, which I don't. I was swayed by the blog "Let's Go Ride a Bike," where one of the bloggers rides an Oma and raves about it. And in the Copenhagenize/Amsterdamize blogs, they talk about how Dutch people ride these bikes all the time, often with heavy cargo and/or kids on the back rack. I thought, if they can do it, I can. But I guess I hadn't considered that my thighs are possibly beyond help and they just cannot take this weight, unlike most people with normal legs.

So, does anyone have any thoughts? Should I expect things to get better eventually and keep up with the Mon/Wed/Fri rides? Or should I try to sell the bike and get something lighter? (And if you have suggestions for a Dutch-style bike with fenders/internal hub/chain case/dynamo lights/etc. I'd be interested.)

I just feel like such an idiot. I've been gushing about this bike to my family and friends, posting pictures of it on Facebook, even starting a blog. Ugh. Maybe I was so caught up in the idea of having a really nice bike that I didn't fully consider the possible issues.
JaclynMcKewan is offline