Archives

I normally only ride 1-2 times per week, usually on my mountain bike. While I have certainly made strides in speed, longevity and technique over the last 2 years I've always had difficulty climbing, falling behind the lead group early on and having to rest several times while others rest only once, maybe twice.

3 weeks ago a buddy climbing behind me noticed that my knees were coming up quite high. At that moment it dawned on me that while I've helped dozens of others fit their bikes that I have not looked at my own. I have been riding on the setup that the shop I bought it from did for me.

At the next pull-out I measured my seat height and found that I needed to raise it a little over 3 inches (!) in order to make my leg slightly bent at full extension. After doing this I immediately had an extra 20-25% torque, but more importantly it was much easier on my knees. To think that I've done epic rides like Hole in the Ground and several in Moab, Utah with a seat so low...

The next trail segment that day is one that always flattened me but thanks to my better body position I nailed it in my middle chain ring and had enough wind at the summit to laugh and converse. Since then I've had to build up my upper quads which weren't seeing much use with the low seat but after two years of tiny increments in climbing prowess I am now making big strides.

The moral of the story is that if you're not letting your legs extend to almost straight at the bottom of the pedal travel you are hurting yourself. It may feel odd to be higher off the ground when you first raise your seat but you will quickly get used to it, and the payoff is huge.

Now for stamina. I have a friend that has gotten heavily into road riding this year after not doing much more than commuting by bicycle in the past. Things were difficult for him at first but he quickly ramped up and has done two 100+ mile races in the last month (he isn't competing, but mentally it's an organized challenge). He has been droning on and on lately about the difference between "weekend warriors" and athletes and over the last few days I've begun to realize how right he is.

I made a promise to myself that I would ride 3 times each week this season and with the exception of some horrible weather two weeks ago I've kept it. For example, last Saturday I rode my favorite conditioning trail which is a 6.5 mile singletrack loop with 1,000 feet of climbing. Then on Monday of this week I participated in what was supposed to be a 14 mile downhill with 800 feet of climbing, but we took a wrong turn and ended up doing 24 miles with over 3,000 feet of climbing.

Then came yesterday's (Tuesday) weekly group ride. After Monday's ride my legs were feeling worn out but I pushed myself to attend this one as much for the social aspect as for the fitness. As I pulled away from the trail head I was expecting to have a hard slog of a ride. That was an incorrect assumption.

While my speed was a little off of where I've been lately (about a 5% reduction) my stamina was through the roof. I did not rest until the summit of the first trail system when that's normally my 3rd rest point, and even then it wasn't a physical issue but a social one as I wanted some buddies to catch up to me for the next trail segment.

I have never felt that good on that trail. I kept expecting to bonk or to lose my cardio and have my heart pounding in my ears but it never happened. It was my strongest mountain bike ride yet.

As I write this on Wednesday morning I feel like I could go out and do it all again but I want to rest my legs for a day. I'll head back out on Thursday for another conditioning ride.

My point is that riding often and challenging yourself does indeed bring you from the weekend warrior realm into that of athletes. It takes a mental game of getting over the "I can't do that" mantra, or at least leaving yourself open for discovery, but it is certainly achievable. So if you want to go faster and further ride more often and push yourself. It will come. :)

On a side note, if you love food riding like this is a wonderful thing. I've eaten in the neighborhood of 8,000 calories in the last 2 days and not gained an ounce. ;)

I am going to have to apply more patience to pace myself. I rode 8.4 miles two days ago, 11.8 miles yesterday and 17.2 miles this morning. I had not ridden any in several years and today I am starting to feel a little pain here and there. This was on a bike trail and is nothing like the grueling paths you take.

Hi,

Been off the boards for a while - sorry.

Have been riding a bike quite a bit though which helped my lose 90lb over the last year. Started with only 2-3 miles which gave me some pains. Stick with it though (3-4x week) and your butt, legs, knees and hands should be okay. After a year, have built up enough to complete the TOSRV in Ohio this Spring - 226 mi in two days. Not bragging - just saying that you can get in pretty good shape biking if you stick with it. The post about saddle height and pushing for stamina are right on and yep, you can have a beer or two at the end of an hour ride (600 calories) and still lose weight :)

Next challenge is doing situps/pushups daily as you dont get those muscles working much on a bike (maybe in single track...).

Still driving my 07 HCH2 and getting 50-55mpg after 76k miles. Need some new tires though. And will be asking for some mileage tips for my Dads 99 Merc Grand Marquis (4.6l V8) - besides selling it.

Best,
Sparty

Have been riding a bike quite a bit though which helped my lose 90lb over the last year.
Congratulations! That is no easy feat.

After a year, have built up enough to complete the TOSRV in Ohio this Spring - 226 mi in two days.
That's awesome! Well done!

Next challenge is doing situps/pushups daily as you dont get those muscles working much on a bike (maybe in single track...).
Your abs (actually, your whole core) do indeed get quite a workout when climbing on singletrack due to both your body position and the need to navigate around/over/through things. By the end of last summer my abdominal muscles were showing. However, while my arms and chest get a little workout on the downhills I could certainly benefit from some push-ups. Great idea!

Wow, I'm jealous.

I have 3 bikes now(well really four), but I never actually mountain ride.There aren't even any hills in south Louisiana.

I pretty much ride daily.
Ride one mile-city/suburban streets to the levee.
Then I ride up and down the levee for about 14-18 minutes.In general this is 9-14 climbs of about 25 feet evevation gain.
Ride one mile home. It takes maybe 36 minutes.

Once every year or so we drive to Flagstaff AZ- stay at the La Quinta for 6 days(La Quinta allows dogs-Phoebe-greyhound- travels with us.). I get to ride real hills in Flagstaff. Occasionally actually find a trail. Folks in the SW have these horrible little burrs- goat heads- nasty little suckers.

My bikes
1) NRS Air full suspension-waaay overkill for riding the levee- but the full suspension is easy on my 59yo body.
2) Trek 950 lugged frame-DB OX True Temper Made in USA tubing-1993 vintage I think.. Rigid both ends-nice bike. 14" frame-selling it soon-need the $$ and 4 bikes is too many.
3)Trek 730- straight gauge Chromo frame- 700c wheels-Michelin 40mm tires.Currently my favorite bike. I'm short, but slightly too tall bikes always "feel" better. I like the upright riding position you get with the all the way down seatpost on a too tall bike.

I started the levee climbing when I realized that I just couldn't push myself riding on the top of the levee. It is really hard to loaf while climbing(I've tried!)

Charlie

PS I emphasize with the way you fell into a routine and didn't realize that your bike was poorly adjusted. The cobbler's kids go barefoot. You ride everyday, so you didn't notice your bike was "OFF"- it felt exactly the way it had felt for months. Left to your own devices, it might have been years before you noticed to too low seatpost, and too little extension to knees.

Used to be a dedicated bicyclist but have come back to cycling lately. I'm a rower now, and bicycling to workouts on the water or in the gym is a great way to warm up for workouts and save gas. For example it takes 15 minutes to drive to the gym and then I have to do a 15 minute warmup on one of the aerobic machines (boring!). Cycling takes roughly 30 minutes and then I skip the warmup. Plus cycling home is a great cooldown after a workout.

In Boston, cycling to the boathouse avoids parking problems AND traffic hassles.

I'm using lower-end bicycles: an older Raleigh Sport (steel frame, heavy!!) and a 2009 Raleigh Grand Sport. The road to the river at home is dirt, so I borrowed a friend's Trek mountain bike for that. In exchange for my Dahon folding bike for her to use in NYC.

It's very very true that a too-low seat is a problem, but also beware of a too-high one. I got a chronic knee problem (which is FINALLY gone) from a seat that was just a tad too high.

Another wonderful thing about bicycles is that you can get them cheaply used: I got the Raleigh Sport used for only $250, from a bike shop so it had been fully serviced.

One thing to keep in mind is that most people train too hard. You will gain more power and stamina from training for longer times at a conversational pace (heart rate up but not maxed to the point where you can't speak). Working your body in the aerobic range trains it to process oxygen better so that it adapts to put out higher levels of power before you go anaerobic.

Some harder workouts are OK but spread them out with lighter ones in between: rest is also important, to enable your body to recuperate and adapt rather than just wear it out (and possibly injure yourself).

I started the levee climbing when I realized that I just couldn't push myself riding on the top of the levee. It is really hard to loaf while climbing(I've tried!)
What a wonderful improvisation! It's like an endless set of rolling hills. :)


I'm a rower now, and bicycling to workouts on the water or in the gym is a great way to warm up for workouts and save gas. For example it takes 15 minutes to drive to the gym and then I have to do a 15 minute warmup on one of the aerobic machines (boring!). Cycling takes roughly 30 minutes and then I skip the warmup. Plus cycling home is a great cooldown after a workout.
Woot! That quells one of my biggest pet peeves which is gym parking lots full of cars! Seriously, why spend 20 minutes spinning in place and watching a television channel you can't change while breathing treated air in an enclosed space when you can just ride or run to the gym and get a changing view and fresher air?

In Boston, cycling to the boathouse avoids parking problems AND traffic hassles.
Bonus! I enjoy on-curb parking at both my usual grocery stores. :)

Stamina as discussed here is often expressed as VO2 Max (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vo2_max). This is the absolute capacity of one's heart/lung capacity - efforts beyond that are anaerobic and unsustainable after about two minutes. Typically, training to around 80-85% of one's maximum heartbeat is the edge of aerobic activity and a good way to build VO2 Max. Climbing mountains is about as effective as you can get to do this.

There's an old formula that works perfectly for setting seat height on a conventional diamond frame bike for best biomechanical advantage. Measure your inseam by standing in bare or sock feet against a door or wall, putting a horizontal ruler through your legs and pulling it up to contact your crotch, and measure the height of the top of the stick to the floor. Put the crank arms in alignment with the seat post. Set the height from the top of the seat to the top of the lower pedal to 107% of the inseam you just measured, along the line of the seat post.

Stamina as discussed here is often expressed as VO2 Max (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vo2_max). This is the absolute capacity of one's heart/lung capacity - efforts beyond that are anaerobic and unsustainable after about two minutes. Typically, training to around 80-85% of one's maximum heartbeat is the edge of aerobic activity and a good way to build VO2 Max. Climbing mountains is about as effective as you can get to do this.
VO2 max is one measure, but doesn't tell the whole story. The biggest problem with it is that it measures the maximum flow of oxygen your body can consume, not how efficiently your body uses that oxygen. Sort of like measuring max gph versus mpg... Other problems are that to some extent it is genetically determined, so that training can improve it only to a point. And individuals vary as to how much their VO2 max will respond to training.

The coach I work with uses lactate testing, which isn't perfect either but gets closer. At one's anaerobic threshold (AT), the lactate concentration in one's blood is reliably at 4mM. One trains to increase the power one can produce without going into the anaerobic zone. Heartrate (HR) is used as a convenient way to see where one is in relation to this boundary. HR isn't perfect either because HR is affected by factors such as temperature, which muscle groups one is using, and one's condition. The idea of working at a %age of max HR is problematic because individuals vary (220-age doesn't work very well) and because measuring max HR is tricky.

A lot of our training is well below AT, because this improves the body's efficiency even at AT. It's often called building an aerobic base. IOW, pushing oneself all the time isn't as productive as a carefully engineered program of heavier and lighter workouts.

If one isn't going to the lengths of getting testing and a training program, one can simply vary workouts: climbing steep grades some days, gentler hills others, rolling terrain others, and making sure to get lots of long easy rides as well. Wearing a HR monitor to keep track of where you are. As an example, my max HR is probably somewhere around 170-175, but the bulk of my training is in the lowest range at 107-117.

Rest days are essential too: your body needs to recuperate and incorporate improvements.

And it's important to keep it fun, so you'll stick with it.

I am going to have to apply more patience to pace myself. I rode 8.4 miles two days ago, 11.8 miles yesterday and 17.2 miles this morning. I had not ridden any in several years and today I am starting to feel a little pain here and there. This was on a bike trail and is nothing like the grueling paths you take.

Ah, I did the same foolish thing earlier this year.

Google Maps had added cycling to their choice of transportation and I looked at the route from home to work. One fine spring Saturday my wife had gone somewhere for the day so I used the time to go for a long ride. My original aim was to ride to a point on the route 10 miles away, but after the 10 miles I decided to push on further. I ended up riding 15 miles, which took me a little under 1 1/2 hours. The ride back was uncomfortable and my legs were so tired that I got off my bike on any significant incline and I coasted on a lot of the declines. I was also saddle sore so often stood up on my pedals for a break.

Now I'm riding most days, a week last Thursday I had an opportunity to ride home from work. It's about 22 miles and took me just under 2 hours. By using the gears to maintain a consistent effort and pace my legs were fine at the end. It was only discomfort with the saddle that made the ride uncomfortable towards the end.

My next challenge will be to ride to and from work. I'll do that on a Friday after my wife is on vacation.

After that I'll have met my goal and have earned myself the right to buy an electric bike. :D

The lessons learned:
1) Don't push too hard too early.
2) Consistent riding will build up the muscles and your stamina
3) I need to get some lights so I can ride more earlier and later in the year
4) I need to buy a more comfortable saddle

My "daily" ride is 5.3 miles, broken up into:
3.1 miles
If my wife is there* stop and walk with her on a track until she's finished* (so 0 to 1200 yards)
2.2 miles

My "weekend" ride is about 10 miles. I ride 1/2 hour out and then ride back, sometimes stopping at a health food store to pick up groceries.

* She's walking almost every day, currently doing about 1.5 miles, building up to 2 miles.

....
3 weeks ago a buddy climbing behind me noticed that my knees were coming up quite high. At that moment it dawned on me that while I've helped dozens of others fit their bikes that I have not looked at my own. I have been riding on the setup that the shop I bought it from did for me.

At the next pull-out I measured my seat height and found that I needed to raise it a little over 3 inches (!) in order to make my leg slightly bent at full extension. After doing this I immediately had an extra 20-25% torque, but more importantly it was much easier on my knees. To think that I've done epic rides like Hole in the Ground and several in Moab, Utah with a seat so low...


I don't know if I adjusted my saddle height either. I'll check it.


I made a promise to myself that I would ride 3 times each week this season and with the exception of some horrible weather two weeks ago I've kept it. For example, last Saturday I rode my favorite conditioning trail which is a 6.5 mile singletrack loop with 1,000 feet of climbing. Then on Monday of this week I participated in what was supposed to be a 14 mile downhill with 800 feet of climbing, but we took a wrong turn and ended up doing 24 miles with over 3,000 feet of climbing.


While I'm now riding regularly I'm not pushing it as much as I was last year. I'm trying more to maintain rhythm and using the gears more than I did: I'm using DWL on my bike!

Now that I'm confident I can cycle steadily for a longer time I guess I should now start pushing harder.

My final aim is regularly to commute 22 miles each way in summer with the help of an electric bike.