First Bike Ride This Past Weekend

Congrat-u-mo-lations! on the Marathon

Answers (my opinion only)

1. Should I be focussing on turning a bigger gear with a lower pedal turnover or a lower gear with a higher cadence? What kind of cadence should I be looking for?

Cadence is the subject of much discussion in roadie circles (ha, sometines I kill me). Somewhere between 70 and 110 rpms is probably right. That's too wide a range to be much help for you. For right now, I would say you just need to get some miles in, worry about the details in a little while. The actual answer is that you will probably find first your own natural cadence, you could be a natural big gear masher (a la Jan Ulrich) or a rodent on a treadmill spinner like Lance. Time will tell.

2. I think my seat needs to be adjusted, I know I shouldn't be a getting a full leg extension on the downstroke, but it seemed like I was only getting to about 45 deg. or so. What kind of knee bend should I have at the bottom of the stroke?

Your knee should be ALMOST, but not quite straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Having the saddle too low is a fairly common mistake a lot of cyclists make, and correct, early on.

3. Why does my butt hurt this morning? I wore a pair of bike shorts. Do I just need to get used to riding, or maybe my seat isn't adjusted right or maybe i should get a new seat. (I have a 15 yo road bike)

Bike shorts, even good ones, are not a panacea for butt pain, time in the saddle is. The tissue in your butt needs time to toughen-up. Everyone's butt hurts when they first start riding. DO NOT make the mistake of getting a wide. soft sofa of a saddle. This is a mistake in the long run. Give your body a chance to adapt to the new demands you are placing on it, and you'll be fine in a week or two. Having a bad saddle position (see above) no doubt contributes to your pain, as you have too much weight constantly on your sit area. Get your saddle adjusted right, that will help. You may also need a new saddle. In saddles, one man's meat is another's poison, no one can tell you what's going to be comfortable for you.

Excellent answers above.

Only thing that I would add comes from personal experience:

I'm a natural "masher" which works fine for me while just cycling. However, since I need to be able to run after I get off the bike, I've found that switching to a smaller gear and increasing my cadence leaves my legs a little bit fresher for the run. I agree with the poster above though, probably the most important thing right now is to get some miles under your belt (and get that arse broken in)

1) All of the research I've done (quite a bit, really) indicates that somewhere between 90 and 100 rpms is the most efficient cadence you can use. In reality, I turn about 80-90rpm, unless I'm in the hills and then it'll drop as low as 60.

2) Your leg should ALMOST extend fully. To adjust the saddle height, sit in the saddle squarely and place your heel on the pedal. It should have your leg extended in the 6-o'clock position on both sides. If one leg is shorter than the other, use that leg to set up. You shouldn't rock in the saddle when pedaling--it means you're too high.

3) It happens to all of us. All of you body weight is supported across your sit-bones on that tiny little saddle. Yes, getting a gel saddle will likely help. I have one with a cutout to prevent "male numbness" as well. The shorts helped some, believe it or not, but this will eventually ease. [edited to add the foloowing] Saddle choice is pretty individual. Some can get away with cheapies, others spend hundreds on a saddle to find one that works. Either way, it does take a week or two to get past the soreness.



Edited by ckujawa 2004-06-07 10:49 AM