Best way to build

[Johnnylewis]

Hi all. I finally got my wee bike. It was a steel at £20, its a mountain bike which I plan to go on the road. Plan to try and build my fitness and confidence on the road before I go big. Planning to try and change tyres to thinner ones.

What is my best way to build up. I'm actually training for the 10k in the running, so do I so. The same there. Ai. To cycle 5k one week and up it by 2k each week?

 

[Slick]

I suppose it depends on a lot of different factors, especially if you haven't actually been out on the bike yet, but 10k will soon be your warm up distance.

Road tyres will certainly help but not essential if you don't have to be anywhere at a specific time like a commute ride.

Take your time and you will be amazed at how far you can go in a short space of time, enjoy.

 

[gavroche]

5kms a week on a bike is not worth doing. I should rethink that figure if I was you.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Ride whatever mileage you can do until you get a sore backside and knackered legs, then have a day or two off the bike to recover from it. Next time you ride, try to go slightly further than last time, even if it's only 1 mile further. Gradually the distance you can cover goes up, and the amount of discomfort experienced for a given distance goes down. It's as simple as that, you build up fitness and stamina slowly and steadily at whatever pace your body is happy with.

 

[I like Skol]

Just ride, whatever distance is comfortable and doesn't put you off ever doing it again. Don't focus on thin tyres. In my experiece a fat, slick or nearly slick tyre is just as effective and also far more practial on the crappy, potholed roads we have to endure.

Just enjoy it is my advice.

 

[Johnnylewis]

5kms a week on a bike is not worth doing. I should rethink that figure if I was you.

Sorry I meant 5k each time I'm out. Tbh I'm new to this. Haven't been on a bike in years. Only trying it cause of the less impact on joints. I love the running but I just don't know distances that are a good mark for bike. Also at same time I don't want to ruin my run. Hope this makes sense

 

[tom73]

@SkipdiverJohn and @I like Skol have summed up how to do it. I’m new to this too but what I can say is it’s true just ride and enjoy build up slowly and soon you will be well away.Get to know your bike how it works on the road and how it handles. Plan a few local rides you can mix and match when you feel like a change. One thing I did which paid off was not avoiding hills. Don’t put off finding a few the sooner you make a start the better. But remember it’s ok to stop 1/2 way or get off and push or turn round and have another go another day.
Miles will come as will the smiles you will have off days we all do but the good days keep you coming back for more.

 

[Spoons47]

Sorry I meant 5k each time I'm out. Tbh I'm new to this. Haven't been on a bike in years. Only trying it cause of the less impact on joints. I love the running but I just don't know distances that are a good mark for bike. Also at same time I don't want to ruin my run. Hope this makes sense

Listen to your body, make sure you have rest days and listen to the advice on this forum, it’s served me well.

 

[gbb]

Some really basic advice.
Inflate the tyres properly, cycling with poorly inflated tyres is like riding through treacle.
Learn to use the gears, cycling in the wrong gear just makes life harder, try to get yourself pedalling at around 90 rpm, this is spinning and makes life much easier on the muscles and knees.
Make sure you have the saddle set at the correct height. You can find tutorials on YouTube. It's not hard to do but terrible on the thighs if you get it wrong.
Enjoy it. Don't try to do too much too soon, as said up post, your body will let you know when it's being pushed too far. That said, push yourself a little, that's important too.

 

[Drago]

Get out and ride. Spend a few weeks getting comfortable, developing your skills. Get used to riding, get competent at handling the bike, get used to traffic, get the bike set uo just right, let your initial fitness set in before you start getting too worried about anything else.

Read Cyclecraft - it's not perfect, but it is pretty decent and cheap, and will help your confidence.

Once you're comfy riding and your initial fitness had been consolidated, start setting yourself challenges. E.g....

Time a regular route, and try and best your time each time you go out.

Find a local hill. Try and ride it in the highest gear possible, and each time try to stay in a higher gear than the last.

Map out a few segments around quarter a mile longish, and when in a ride hammer each segment as hard and fast as you can, and dont revert back to your regular pace until you've finished it.

Stretch out thoroughly after each ride, reduce the tendency for your hams to shorten, which will slow your running.

You can get a lot more scientific than that, but those are some good general tips for you. Good luck.

 

[nickAKA]

Sorry I meant 5k each time I'm out. Tbh I'm new to this. Haven't been on a bike in years. Only trying it cause of the less impact on joints. I love the running but I just don't know distances that are a good mark for bike. Also at same time I don't want to ruin my run. Hope this makes sense

I wouldn't worry at all about the distance, if you've got half an hour to spare do half an hour, if you've got an hour do an hour.
Try to push yourself a little bit harder as you get used to it eg. by taking that route with a climb you don't really fancy, rather than focusing on the raw mileage, - that will come as a bye product of your endurance improvements.
Remember it's ok to stop and have a rest, push yourself up that hill then take 5 to catch your breath... stressing your system leads to bigger gains.
What the cycling will give you is better cardio performance which is transferable fitness for any other sport. A heart rate monitor is helpful to track your cardio improvement simply and at relatively little cost; track how your recovery times improve as you increase your fitness.

 

[MichaelW2]

To start with, ride by time. Start with a 10 min ride and add 5 mins each day until you reach about 40 mins, which is the minimum for a fitness ride. Ride at a steady pace to start with. Spin your pedals at least 60rmp and pick an easy gear that allows you to talk on the bike.
Concentrate on bike handling, safety and roadcraft at the beginning, rather than going fast. After about 3 weeks of this, you will be ready to use the bike for training.
Although fitness rides need to be long enough, any saddle time is good. Use your bike for shopping, errands, commuting whatever.

 

[Johnnylewis]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Plannng to go out tonight if u can lights on way home. Next few weeks I'll stay close to home and try and get my bum into shape lol. I hope I take to the cycling as I have to the running

 

[sleuthey]

Planning to try and change tyres to thinner ones.

In terms of tyres for your intended use, I have had success with both the Kenda Kwest and Schwalbe City Jet (1.5"). Assuming you have 26" rims.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

AS regards tyres, if you want to build up fitness, leaving the knobbly tyres on until they wear out might actually be the best thing. They are more draggy, but the drag makes you work harder than you would work when riding on slicks. I have a whole pile of ratty old knobbly MTB tyres that have come from various bikes that I have salvaged or bought. Instead of chucking them out, I'm using them on my hack bikes which are not ridden long distances and where the extra drag is not a big deal as I am not going that fast anyway.