I rode my bike to work today

[hpdrifter]

It was further than I thought it would be, the route I took (a trail) ended up being 10.5 miles and it took a solid hour to get in.

I have never really commuted on a bike before so 10.5 miles is a lot for me. I am already sore and I still have to get home.

My question for the bicyclists out there is is starting out doing 21 miles 3 times a week too much? Can I keep doing it until my body builds up or should I start with a shorter distance? Unfortunately this is just how far it is from home to work so it will be difficult to shorten it but I could take the bus for part or something.

[TurdBerglar]

it's really simple

just tide till you get tired. over time that distance will drastically increase.

[hpdrifter]

Well that's the thing, I sort of am already tired and I have to get myself home.

Am I going to hurt myself or overdo it starting out at 21 miles 3 times a week?

[TurdBerglar]

21 miles to start off with seems pretty substantial for someone that doesn't ride.

but if you have to ride that distance then i guess you have to. raise your seat as high as you can so you get near full leg extension when you press the pedal all the way down. this allows your legs to stretch and get full power from your legs. you're also better off spinning the pedals real fast in a low gear rather than cranking down with hard pumps. the hard cranking and pumping will strain something and will fuck your knees up.

[hpdrifter]

Okay, I will try a lower gear on the way home. I did notice some pain in my knees this morning. My legs felt like jelly when I got off the bike, they sort of buckled when I was coming down the stairs. Maybe I'll start by doing it 2 times a week then build up to 3 and so on. Hopefully I can build up some strength before the end of summer.

Do you ride year-round? Lots of people do that around here unless the weather is really extreme (snow).

[TurdBerglar]

i don't ride at all during the winter. it's to damn cold. i ride normally from early sring to late fall.

[hpdrifter]

I will probably be able to ride until mid-Sept, maybe early Oct and probably won't be able to start up again until April.

Oh well, I guess that leaves me about 2 months to really do this thing.

[Dorothy Wood]

it seems like sometimes it's actually easier to ride home because you know you're going home. and for whatever reason, even if I'm tired, I'm not usually feeling too bad in the evening. I think because my body is warmed up and has been moving around all day, unlike the morning where I feel kinda stiff and not in the mood to be exerting myself.

last week I agreed to meet up with a friend after work who recently moved and planned on riding over, but didn't realize that it was 14 miles away from my work and about 10 miles from my house. I was already exhausted and had a tough ride into work, so I was dreading it. but then I just got on my bike and went and it wasn't really too bad at all. once you get the endorphins running, there's less pain.


what kind of bike to do you have?

[hpdrifter]

It's a hybrid. I guess that means mostly a street bike but with flat handbars and slightly fatter tires.

I think I fucked something up yesterday. On the way in I rode almost the whole way in the highest gear because I wanted to go fast. I now know that that is very bad. But I think it's too late and I have already fucked something up. Trying to ride home last night my knees were screaming at me. Seriously, every push of the pedal sent shooting pains up my leg. I went about 4 miles and then got on the bus. I hope it's only soreness that will pass in a couple of days.

Also, my ass hurts.

[YoungRemy]

I been doing 14- 20 mile rides and I plan to start riding to work some more this summer.(y) riding 25 miles to me feels like 50...

maybe even take the LA subway system :confused:

[Dorothy Wood]

It's a hybrid. I guess that means mostly a street bike but with flat handbars and slightly fatter tires.

I think I fucked something up yesterday. On the way in I rode almost the whole way in the highest gear because I wanted to go fast. I now know that that is very bad. But I think it's too late and I have already fucked something up. Trying to ride home last night my knees were screaming at me. Seriously, every push of the pedal sent shooting pains up my leg. I went about 4 miles and then got on the bus. I hope it's only soreness that will pass in a couple of days.

Also, my ass hurts.


hmm, sounds like your seat is too low, there should never be that much pressure on your knees...especially if you're already in shape (right? you work out regularly, yeah?)

you might need to reposition your feet too, and concentrate on using your whole leg to pedal rather than just the front of your thighs/knees. I think hybrids are kinda hard to ride. my mom has one and when I was visiting her, I tried to ride it around her neighborhood and I was absolutely breathless and uncomfortable the whole time because the proportions just didn't work for me.

anyway, you might just need to make some adjustments. make sure your tires are filled up all the way, and wear appropriate shoes. keep riding, but maybe only do it every other day to start so you have recovery time.


oh yeah, annnd, take breaks as you're riding. it's amazing what taking a minute to stop and get off the bike will do. you can go from feeling like you're going to die to feeling like you want to take a nap instead. ha.

[hpdrifter]

Yeah, the next time I ride I'll definitely do some things differently. It'll be a couple of days, though. I really hope I didn't do serious damage to my knees, they are incredibly sore. I have to use my hand on my desk to push me up out of my chair when I stand up.

[Dorothy Wood]

eek, take some advil!

[hpdrifter]

I also need padded bike shorts, apparently. My ass feels like one giant bruise. Every tiny bump I went over on the truncated trip home yesterday felt like I was being beaten over the ass with a stick.

[mickill]

Hopefully you haven't done any permanent damage to your ass.

I've been thinking about getting a bike myself. Just for recreational use, not as actual transportation. I'm a little intimidated by the idea since the last time I rode a bike was over 12 years ago. I'm sure I still know how to, it's probably just like playing a piano.

[HEIRESS]

I haven't owned a bike in about 15 years. I really want one though, I've been practicing by using the upright bike at the gym but yeah, my ass always hurts like a sunuvabitch after a biking session.

[rirv]

mtfu

[hpdrifter]

mikey and heiress, you both should get bikes.

I ended up spending more than I wanted but it was worth it. The ride which resulted in all of this pain was actually quite pleasant while I was doing it. When the weather is nice in our neck of the woods (a relatively small window of time) it is nice to have one.

[jabumbo]

i have a hybrid bike as well, i really like the way it rides.



i have considered riding to work, it's only about 6 miles. however, i'd have to go through a tunnel, which i am leary about. i mean, the one benefit is that traffic is slow enough that i don't think i'd have cars whizzing by me at 45-50 mph through that part. but i would really love to be able to do that....

[mikizee]

Why do they make bike seats so fricken uncomfortable??

[Dorothy Wood]

you just have to get one that fits.

the one I have sucks, but I just adjusted it recently and it's a million times better.


as for the soreness, that goes away the more you ride. usually. the seat's just there to balance you, you're actually supposed to be carrying most of your weight in your legs and arms. so as those areas get stronger, you put less pressure on your crotch.

[monkey]

back when i was riding more, i had a pair of bike shorts with butt pads cause i hurt my butt bad. i am much too scared to commute in the bike though. it's more than 20 miles each way, and none of it is easy.

[silence7]

hmm, sounds like your seat is too low (y)(y)

Dorothy is correct. Knee pain is usually a sign that your seat is too low. While sitting, your leg should barely be bent when the pedal is at the bottom of a rotation.

[hpdrifter]

Knee pain has subsided, I am going to try again tomorrow, I'll see about the seat.

[hpdrifter]

I have now managed to do this 3 times round trip. I am going to do it again tomorrow.

I got padded bike shorts :(. I feel like I'm wearing a diaper but it helps with the ass soreness.

Corrected which gear I'm using and raised the seat. No more knee pain but I'm not really pushing myself yet (no steep hills) because I don't want to do any damage. I'll build up a little and then see how it goes.

[Freebasser]

Bikes are for whiney, liberal pussies and terrorists.

Get a hovercraft and grow some chest hair.

[mickill]

I like to drive an H2 if I'm going a short distance. That way I can still take up two parking spaces when I get there.

[mickill]

I got padded bike shorts :(. I feel like I'm wearing a diaper but it helps with the ass soreness.

I didn't actually notice this until just now.

I was just wondering if you keep them on while you're at work or if you de-pad once you're there.

[hpdrifter]

Well that's a mighty personal question, Mr. but if you must know I de-pad.

[jabumbo]

you should leave them on to see which guys in the office are ass-men


i finally got my bike fixed, but i havent attempted my ride yet. the mountain inbetween is a bit intimidating

[hpdrifter]

Rode in again today, I'm getting a little faster. And the ride is always enjoyable. I am actually disappointed now on the days when I drive my car.

Thing about the padded shorts is the padding is all between the legs. So I could wear it around the office to impress people... if I were a dude.

[DandyFop]

I have been thinking about riding my bike to work at least one day a week. I looked up the calories on gmap pedometer and round-trip burns like 2300! |
Half or more of it would be through Griffith Park so I wouldn't have to worry much about traffic and that. Going to drive the route today to see if it's doable.

Yay bykessz

[na§tee]

i've been riding my bike to work and back for a few months now - it's only about 4.5 miles each way but it has made a difference to my fitness, for sure. at the beginning i was like hoo boy, going slightly uphill on the way home is touuuggghhh. but no more.

i keep on getting overtaken by someone on a unicycle though, so it's not as if i'm racing home. god. asshole.

[hpdrifter]

i keep on getting overtaken by someone on a unicycle though, so it's not as if i'm racing home. god. asshole.

OMG LOL

[hpdrifter]

I did that ped calculator thing and my commute burns over 2000 calories round trip! Milkshakes for lunch here I come!

[mickill]

i keep on getting overtaken by someone on a unicycle though, so it's not as if i'm racing home. god. asshole.

And um...is this a common mode of transportation where you live?

[na§tee]

And um...is this a common mode of transportation where you live?
yes, we're a town of circus performers.

but seriously.. i've seen two unicyclists. two! that's two more than any other city i've lived in, ever. the guy who uses my cycle path is pretty damned nifty. you have to be able to weave around other cyclists/pedestrians. it's weird.

[mickill]

yes, we're a town of circus performers.


Funny you should mention all this...

About ten years ago, my parents had some friends and relatives over for a little get together at their place. One of my mom's cousins had recently married this Scottish fellow. The guy was in his late forties, I think. We were all in the backyard having a nice little bbq and whatever when the guy - who hadn't really been all too talkative up to that point - decided he needed to either liven things up or, I guess, do something to try and win people over. I really don't know what his motives were. But all I remember is me grilling some skewers and turning around to hear some ooohs and hmmms and seeing quiet Scottish guy on a unicycle. Nobody seemed to know where the unicycle came from.

He did little loops and hopped around on it while people clapped and cheered in a circle around him. I could just be remembering it this way, but I think he started juggling some bean bags in the air too. It was cool, I guess. But then he kept going for what seemed like an hour, but was probably only 15 minutes. At this point it started getting a little awkward, especially since nobody was really watching anymore. Then he went back to being quiet Scottish guy.

I never saw him again.