What do you wish someone told YOU when you were starting out?
#26
HomeBrew Master!
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Don't even think about wearing that jersey with the rainbow colors...
Don't wear underwear under my riding shorts...well actually someone did tell me that. I didn't listen, and learned the hard way.
Don't wear underwear under my riding shorts...well actually someone did tell me that. I didn't listen, and learned the hard way.
#27
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Do NOT buy a thick cushy gel saddle or a gel saddle cover. Get the sitbone width measured and get a proper firm saddle. The soft tissue friction and swelling ended immediately but it took years to figure it out.
Do NOT buy loose cheap bike shorts that ride up, do not support, do not provide moisture control, and twist around.
Chamois Butter.
Change brands of toilet paper if your current brand shreds during use.
Do NOT buy loose cheap bike shorts that ride up, do not support, do not provide moisture control, and twist around.
Chamois Butter.
Change brands of toilet paper if your current brand shreds during use.
#28
Will ride anywhere
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I wish someone had explained to me (not just mentioned) that buying quality bike gear up front is cheaper than buying 2nd grade crap. That you'd be replacing it for something twice the price and thus spend more money long run for something that would last a lifetime. i.e headlights, cycling clothing, decent bike, etc. Don't cut corners even if you can't really afford to buy the good stuff.
#29
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you're gonna want drop bars
#30
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It's your bike and you're the one riding it. Get what you want instead of what everybody else thinks you should get.
#31
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Don't undervalue safety. It's easy to do when we are essentially riding for fun. Then you hear about or see someone get hit and it becomes too clear. Take every precaution you can (helmet, lights, no Ipod, decisions on where to ride and how) and ALWAYS assume the car(s) near you are going to do something negligent. Have a plan.
#32
It's got electrolytes!
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1. Avoid cycling specific accessories. They're mostly overpriced crap and you can do it better and cheaper making your own or just buying gear not "made" (really only marketed) for cycling.
2. For transportation riding, get a folding bike. You'll ride more often if it's more convenient and it's easier to build up to longer distances if you have the option of taking the train or hitching a ride (no matter how far your destination there's really nothing stopping you from riding the whole way, but it builds your confidence if you can skip the worst parts at first).
2. For transportation riding, get a folding bike. You'll ride more often if it's more convenient and it's easier to build up to longer distances if you have the option of taking the train or hitching a ride (no matter how far your destination there's really nothing stopping you from riding the whole way, but it builds your confidence if you can skip the worst parts at first).
Last edited by chucky; 04-07-11 at 11:03 AM.
#33
Peace & Grease
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spent a small fortune over the years searching for the perfect saddle. Got my first Brooks saddle last year and have to say, this is by far the best piece of cycling equipment I have ever purchased.
#37
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If you wish to ride faster, you must ride faster.
(Good training advice AND a zen koan.)
(Good training advice AND a zen koan.)
#39
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$180 was for the full caboodle, including some time on the spin-analyzer, in which I learned that I had a weak spot at the top (11-o-clock to 1-o-clock) portion of my spin, which is very common.
Nate recommended some hip-flexor exercises, and I immediately noticed a benefit. If only I'd known this stuff when I was in my 20's and living in Holland near the Belgian border, and getting my @$$ handed to me on regular basis by the Dutch & Belgians. I got discouraged and eventually quit racing over there.
The other thing I wish someone had told me about back then was YOGA! Absolutely helps in a huge way. If you can't stand the thought of stretching and breathing in a room crowded with sweaty, fit, scantily-clad, young women, check your local library for Yoga DVD's. Absolutely helps.
#40
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Old, fat, out of shape guys don't go up hills very well. (note: this can change by changing the variables)
#41
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Skip the hybrid. If you want to ride road, go road. Mountain? go mountain. Get fitted, buy shorts, shoes & get hand built wheels to avoid many walks home. Oh, yeah, and watch out for the dumbass in the orange Saturn SC2. He's having a big mac attack and is about to turn into you & your 3 week old roadbike................
#42
It's got electrolytes!
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Nein. That's precisely the mistake I made. Get the pro-fit done.
$180 was for the full caboodle, including some time on the spin-analyzer, in which I learned that I had a weak spot at the top (11-o-clock to 1-o-clock) portion of my spin, which is very common.
Nate recommended some hip-flexor exercises, and I immediately noticed a benefit. If only I'd known this stuff when I was in my 20's and living in Holland near the Belgian border, and getting my @$$ handed to me on regular basis by the Dutch & Belgians. I got discouraged and eventually quit racing over there.
The other thing I wish someone had told me about back then was YOGA! Absolutely helps in a huge way. If you can't stand the thought of stretching and breathing in a room crowded with sweaty, fit, scantily-clad, young women, check your local library for Yoga DVD's. Absolutely helps.
$180 was for the full caboodle, including some time on the spin-analyzer, in which I learned that I had a weak spot at the top (11-o-clock to 1-o-clock) portion of my spin, which is very common.
Nate recommended some hip-flexor exercises, and I immediately noticed a benefit. If only I'd known this stuff when I was in my 20's and living in Holland near the Belgian border, and getting my @$$ handed to me on regular basis by the Dutch & Belgians. I got discouraged and eventually quit racing over there.
The other thing I wish someone had told me about back then was YOGA! Absolutely helps in a huge way. If you can't stand the thought of stretching and breathing in a room crowded with sweaty, fit, scantily-clad, young women, check your local library for Yoga DVD's. Absolutely helps.
#43
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Drink before you're thirsty; eat before you're hungry; rest before you're tired.
Learn how to repair a flat on the road BEFORE you have one. This means you'll need the necessary tools with you on the bike.
Don't overdo the mileage. Start with a reasonable distance and build up from that.
Put lots of miles on your bike because you'll be WANTING a road bike before you know it.
Buy quality shorts and bibs. No cheap stuff. Your butt will thank you.
Learn how to repair a flat on the road BEFORE you have one. This means you'll need the necessary tools with you on the bike.
Don't overdo the mileage. Start with a reasonable distance and build up from that.
Put lots of miles on your bike because you'll be WANTING a road bike before you know it.
Buy quality shorts and bibs. No cheap stuff. Your butt will thank you.
The only advice I can think of that I did not get was:
Don't do your first (and only) time trial the day after a Rugby Match (and party afterwards of course). Starting a time trial still dehydrated is not a good thing.
The advice I'll add is know yuorself, your fitness and your 'goals'. By goals I don't mean a list of things, just know sort of kind of what you want to do (and the flip side be willing to change.
When I started cycling I was an active Rugby player. 2 weeks before my first double century I had never done more than 100 miles. Between that double and my next 2 I didn't get in a century. Oh an dmy second double was the first of 2 back to back. I was told I'd die on the second day. Nope, just like a weekend Rugby tournament, except every limb was still working Sunday Morning.
That was me, doing what i did would sour many. Doing what some others did would bore me.
Ride to do what you want to do. Take suggestions from others. Use what they tell you to do what you want to do.
And reread the first 2 suggestions of the post I quoted.
#44
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"Recumbents trikes are like pedaling a lawn chair."
Wish I would have just gone straight to a trike, instead of buying bike after bike and part after part just trying to find the right "fit".
Wish I would have just gone straight to a trike, instead of buying bike after bike and part after part just trying to find the right "fit".
#46
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I don't get it. There's only so many positions for the seat, handlebars, and pedals. If you try them all until you find the right combination then what is the pro fitter going to do for you? Honest question. I've just not been impressed by the general competence of folks working in the bicycle industry and would be extremely surprised if they were capable of making such precise and specific recommendations.
Find a pro-fitter near you, like Nate Loyal in Santa Monica. It took about 3 hours, took a lot of measurements, rode the spin-analyzer, got what turned out to be great advice...
I was skeptical too, feeling like I'd just paid the guy $60 an hour for a lame show of taking measurements, watching me pedal, and some interesting video display* showing my pear-shaped pedaling form. But later that week, my chronic knee pain went away (and I already had an appointment with a knee surgeon, but eventually canceled it.)
Not only did my fit session make my knee surgery unnecessary, it also transformed my riding. I was riding around on a good enough (but still moderately bad) position for decades, and the seemingly insignificant changes made all the difference. I'm stronger and faster now at 41 than I was in my 20's, and it's more fun too.
I don't get any kickbacks from Nate or any other fitter, nor is he a friend, but that $180 turned out to be the best investment for me since clipless pedals.
*
#47
It's got electrolytes!
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True, that's why you pay someone competent and reputable at least $100 to do it. It's a lot more involved than having you stand over the center tube and lifting the handlebars until the top tube comes into contact with your junk.
Find a pro-fitter near you, like Nate Loyal in Santa Monica. It took about 3 hours, took a lot of measurements, rode the spin-analyzer, got what turned out to be great advice...
I was skeptical too, feeling like I'd just paid the guy $60 an hour for a lame show of taking measurements, watching me pedal, and some interesting video display* showing my pear-shaped pedaling form. But later that week, my chronic knee pain went away (and I already had an appointment with a knee surgeon, but eventually canceled it.)
Not only did my fit session make my knee surgery unnecessary, it also transformed my riding. I was riding around on a good enough (but still moderately bad) position for decades, and the seemingly insignificant changes made all the difference. I'm stronger and faster now at 41 than I was in my 20's, and it's more fun too.
I don't get any kickbacks from Nate or any other fitter, nor is he a friend, but that $180 turned out to be the best investment for me since clipless pedals.
Find a pro-fitter near you, like Nate Loyal in Santa Monica. It took about 3 hours, took a lot of measurements, rode the spin-analyzer, got what turned out to be great advice...
I was skeptical too, feeling like I'd just paid the guy $60 an hour for a lame show of taking measurements, watching me pedal, and some interesting video display* showing my pear-shaped pedaling form. But later that week, my chronic knee pain went away (and I already had an appointment with a knee surgeon, but eventually canceled it.)
Not only did my fit session make my knee surgery unnecessary, it also transformed my riding. I was riding around on a good enough (but still moderately bad) position for decades, and the seemingly insignificant changes made all the difference. I'm stronger and faster now at 41 than I was in my 20's, and it's more fun too.
I don't get any kickbacks from Nate or any other fitter, nor is he a friend, but that $180 turned out to be the best investment for me since clipless pedals.
1. As your body changes with age. Are you going to get refit every 20 years, 10 years, 5 years?
2. If you buy a different kind of bike with different features. Do you need to pay $180 every time you want to try a new type of handlebar or pedal or a frame with different design characteristics (tire clearance, wheelbase or even more exotic things like folding bikes). Don't you have a laundry list of things you'd like to try (I know I do)?
3. As your frame expands/contracts with the seasons. I see a lot of pro fitting advocates claiming that even a few mm of difference is significant. So what time of year should you go to the fitter? Do you adjust your bike between winter and summer to compensate for expansion/contraction?
4. If your frame gets damaged or stolen and you can't get an exact replacement. Do you have to get fit again for the new (slightly different) frame? How do you keep track of your "correct fit" (table of measurements, notches on the saddle rails, etc)?
Sheldon Brown says that up until the early 80's the only difference between frame sizes was that you could use a shorter seatpost and stem on larger frames. How could it be that for the first 90 years all cyclists basically rode one size fits all frames, then in the last 30 years all of the sudden not only do you need a specific frame size, but you also need it professionally adjusted to exacting precision?
There's also an interesting thread on pro fitting going on over in the randonneuring subforum with some people arguing that, until recently, even the pros had to "count on a frame approximately the right size, and a team mechanic leaning out the car window to put the seat height more-or-less where it should be" if they needed a bike change during a race. Also argued is that even the best in the world have sometimes been the poster children of horrible bike fit (by "expert" standards):
Personally I don't have many fit issues on my bikes, but I put most of my long miles on a recumbent which is arguably that aforementioned more robust design.
Last edited by chucky; 04-08-11 at 11:57 AM.
#49
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As an engineer I have to say that if the design of your bicycle is really that sensitive to adjustment then it's probably best to seek out a more robust design. After all, what's going to happen to that very precise fit:
1. As your body changes with age. Are you going to get refit every 20 years, 10 years, 5 years?
2. If you buy a different kind of bike with different features. Do you need to pay $180 every time you want to try a new type of handlebar or pedal or a frame with different design characteristics (tire clearance, wheelbase or even more exotic things like folding bikes). Don't you have a laundry list of things you'd like to try (I know I do)?
3. As your frame expands/contracts with the seasons. I see a lot of pro fitting advocates claiming that even a few mm of difference is significant. So what time of year should you go to the fitter? Do you adjust your bike between winter and summer to compensate for expansion/contraction?
4. If your frame gets damaged or stolen and you can't get an exact replacement. Do you have to get fit again for the new (slightly different) frame? How do you keep track of your "correct fit" (table of measurements, notches on the saddle rails, etc)?
1. As your body changes with age. Are you going to get refit every 20 years, 10 years, 5 years?
2. If you buy a different kind of bike with different features. Do you need to pay $180 every time you want to try a new type of handlebar or pedal or a frame with different design characteristics (tire clearance, wheelbase or even more exotic things like folding bikes). Don't you have a laundry list of things you'd like to try (I know I do)?
3. As your frame expands/contracts with the seasons. I see a lot of pro fitting advocates claiming that even a few mm of difference is significant. So what time of year should you go to the fitter? Do you adjust your bike between winter and summer to compensate for expansion/contraction?
4. If your frame gets damaged or stolen and you can't get an exact replacement. Do you have to get fit again for the new (slightly different) frame? How do you keep track of your "correct fit" (table of measurements, notches on the saddle rails, etc)?
1. I like to get refit every time I change my shoes, saddle, insoles. Fortunately the better fitters keep your data on file, and the subsequent visits have been $30-50 and take less time. I figured I'd just adjust my seat 1mm after getting different insoles on my shoes, and that's exactly what my fitter did when I visited, BUT he also noted that I'd shifted forward on my saddle since the last visit; which made me realize I'd been slacking on my yoga, stretching, & core exercises in the gym.
After that, I started paying closer attention to those things and realized what an important difference they make. (Another reason I mentioned Yoga above.)
2. I'm still riding the same primary bike from 2005 (replaced under warranty in 2009 with a frame of identical measurements.) I've replicated that position on several other bikes, and have taken them in to the fitter for inspection each time. He's made some minor changes (such as on my new mountain bike). I'm still free to experiment, but I keep my base measurements handy, and the piece of electrician's tape on my seatpost.
3. Expansion/contraction? Not sure about that one. I live in San Diego, where the coldest winter nights seldom get below 50, and the hottest summer days seldom get above 90, so that is probably negligible.
4. Each time I've gotten a bike fitted by Nate, he's given me his business card with with the dimensions on the back.
Admittedly, you don't have to get the spin analyzer or the follow-up visits. You can get your base measurements, then just replicate them exactly on each bike afterward. Nate sheepishly charged me $30 when I took my '86 Schwinn Peloton into him to double-check my position, even though I was pretty confident I'd replicated my Felt's position within a mm; he didn't make any changes at all, but it was still reassuring. I just make too damn much money and don't have any alimony, drug habits, or child-support to throw it away on. That and I'm 42 and want to prolong my riding for as long as possible. Before my first visit with Nate, I was looking down the barrel of knee surgery and possibly never riding again.
If youth is wasted on the young, then perhaps wealth is wasted on the old.
Last edited by calamarichris; 04-08-11 at 01:23 PM.
#50
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Ah well, at least you probably had a good laugh when I mentioned my age and concern about getting older.