Couple of questions, please.

[MamaBearCycle777]

1.) What magazine would be best for a beginner?
2.) How long will it take for me to get used to riding my bike?
3.) Should I use both gears when going up a hill?
4.) Can bike gears in older bikes be oiled?

 

[Doobiesis]

I don't read any magazines, waste of money. Google it, its got more advice and it's free.

Took me about 3 months to get used to riding and feeling confident on my bike, it doesn't ever get easier, you just get quicker.

Stay in the smaller front ring going up a hill, try to get in the right gear at the bottom even if your legs are spinning around. You lose momentum changing gear going up a hill, so stay in the right one.

Book your bike in for a service I would recommend, doesn't matter how old it is. If the gears or brakes need tweeking they can sort it out.

My strongest advice to you as a newbie is make sure your bike fits you, you can lose valuable energy if it's not, trust me, I've been there.

And good luck you'll love it

 

[mjr]

1.) Forums and blogs like Lovely Bicycle are much better than any magazine, which seem far more about selling the latest 1x13 gravel adventure cross bike.
2.) It won't take long to get used to riding but it'll be easier to build it up.
3.) When going up a very steep hill, put it in smallest cog on the front and biggest cog on the back in good time before you start climbing. If it's too easy and your legs spin, it's easier to change up gears than down.
4.) Yes, older bikes can be oiled, but don't put it directly on the gears. One drop of oil on each roller of the chain, plus one drop on each pivot of the bit at the back below the cogs that moves the chain between gears. Spin the pedals backwards a few times, then wipe any excess oil off the chain on an old cloth. That's one way to do it, anyway!

 

[T4tomo]

3.) When going up a very steep hill, put it in smallest cog on the front and biggest cog on the back in good time before you start climbing. If it's too easy and your legs spin, it's easier to change up gears than down.
!

No. No. No. very much a beginners mistake. You might want to get onto the smallest chainring (front) early, but by going into your very lowest gear very early you just lose all your speed and momentum. Get into a gear where you can peddle at a fairly high cadence (rate) but miantaining your speed from the flat and change down on the rear sprockets as the hill steepens and you slow down. You only need to ease the presssure marginally to change sprocket without crunching / stress and if you are spinning the pedals reasonably quickly you don't need to ease the pressure at all.

 

[Vantage]

The internet is your friend when it comes to getting advice on anything cycle related. YouTube can be invaluable for learning about the maintenance of your bike. You'd be advised to learn what the various components of your bike are called so you can properly get advice on how to tweak them.
Forums like this are useful for the actual riding of the bike, road laws etc.
Getting used to your bike is a difficult one to answer. How long since you last rode? Is it the right size? What kind of handlebars are fitted? A road bike with drop handlebars may take a little longer to get used to than mountain bike type.
Typically, depending on how much you ride it, you're looking at anywhere between a week and two to get the basics of handling. The best bet is learn on a field or empty car park before taking to the roads. This time will also be well spent learning how your gears work. Which gear you need obviously will depend on if you're going uphill or downhill and if there's a headwind or tailwind present. Again, a nice flat car park or grassy field is perfect for learning these things. Changing gear under pressure however, whilst possible, is bad news for the sprockets and chain no matter how fast you pedal. Don't do it.
As for oiling, buy a can of GT85. You can get one at your local bike shop or amazon etc. Clean the bike then go nuts with it all over the bike. Except the wheels and brakes. This will get you going for the time being. The intricacies of proper maintenance can be learned as you go.
Don't expect to go winning any tour de France or world downhill stages just yet.
Enjoy it. Welcome to the forum

 

[mjr]

No. No. No. very much a beginners mistake. You might want to get onto the smallest chainring (front) early, but by going into your very lowest gear very early you just lose all your speed and momentum. Get into a gear where you can peddle at a fairly high cadence (rate) but miantaining your speed from the flat and change down on the rear sprockets as the hill steepens and you slow down. You only need to ease the presssure marginally to change sprocket without crunching / stress and if you are spinning the pedals reasonably quickly you don't need to ease the pressure at all.

Nah, don't take advice from someone who says people "peddle" on a bike.

I feel it is far better to advise beginners to play it safe until they get a feel for what's a high enough cadence to change gears easily and safely. I have seen many scared into fearing losing momentum, so then they hit a hill in far too high a gear and have to dismount or if really unlucky, tangle the chain by trying to change gear under load. Just accept that new riders are not going to be that fast until they get a feeling for guessing the correct gear or slightly lower on the approach to a hill.

 

[Paulus]

As a newbie to bike riding, try to keep your cadence, ie pedal revs between the 60-90 rpm. This doesn't matter whether you are on the flat or going up a hill. This is achieved by changing down or up the gears as required to keep your leg speed up. The last thing you want to do is to be in too higher gear on a hill and either grind to a halt or hurt your knees.
Spinning your legs will help to build up some leg strength and some stamina.

 

[MichaelW2]

As a newbie to bike riding, try to keep your cadence, ie pedal revs between the 60-90 rpm. This doesn't matter whether you are on the flat or going up a hill.

Maintain your pedalling revs and your work-rate (heart rate and breathing) at a constant as much as you can and vary the gearing to suit the terrain.
Newbies tend to ride in harder / bigger gears and pedal more slowly than some experienced riders , generally your legs last longer if you spin easily rather than push hard.
It will take about 3 months for your body to adapt to cycling as a normal everyday activity. Start easy and ramp up your distance and effort gradually and it should be a pain-free exercise. People who do too much too soon can sometime give up.

If you have a triple chainring at the front, use the middle ring for normal riding. As it gets steeper, use bigger cogs at the back. When you are on the biggest cog, and still pedalling easily, switch the front to the smallest cog AND put the chain 2 or 3 cogs smaller at the back. You will find a lot of overlap in gear ratios so find one just a bit easier than the middle ring/big cog combination.

 

[cyberknight]

Without knowing what bike you have it's hard to say,does it have"normal" gears or a hub gear,number of gears front and back as you say both gears? I assume you mean the gears at the pedals and the wheel .

 

[Vantage]

Jesus Christ it's only a bike.
Don't worry about cadence and heart rates unless you plan on being a fitness freak.
Get on it. Enjoy it. It's that simple.

 

[Paulus]

Too many people mash a big gear and then wonder why cycling is hard work and then give up. If advice on cadence is given to make the ride easier and enjoyable then more bodies will keep it up.

 

[Vantage]

Too many people mash a big gear and then wonder why cycling is hard work and then give up. If advice on cadence is given to make the ride easier and enjoyable then more bodies will keep it up.

But on the other hand, if taking up cycling is made to sound more complicated than it is..."wear a helmet, check your cadence, check your heart rate, etc", then this too might put people off cycling wouldn't it?
There's nothing more complicated than mounting a bicycle, pushing off and pedalling into the distance with a smile on your face.
Most people pedal at a cadence that they are simply comfortable with and that rate varies between individuals.
The use of gears to alter cadence rate or speed or ease of pedalling will come to them in time.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Mod note:

Can I just remind everyone that the above is a first post, in the Beginners section from a new member with an unknown level of experience.

Try to be welcoming and not make it too technical for them please. (Assuming they haven't already been scared off by the bickering about cadence. )

Thanks

 

[buzzy-beans]

Hello and welcome MammaBear to this amazing place that I only discovered myself a few weeks ago.

I totally agree with what Rickshaw Phil has written immediately above, but having said that, I feel I ought to offer my observations of my most beloved on her hybrid.
There she goes totally ignoring my suggestions to change down a gear or three so as to make it easier for her, instead she keeps on struggling away in the highest but one ratio she has to hand which results in her going forever more slowly, most especially when it comes to even the slightest incline, let alone a hill.

So my advice to you MammaBear is to go out and enjoy your bike, get used to it, get used to how it feels, get to know how to find your optimum areas of balance so you feel totally confident. As for your legs, it is honestly far easier to ride both fast or slow when your legs are pumping up and down at quite a fast yet comfortable rate.

When I came back to cycling a few months ago after a stupid amount of time away, I found this website to be of enormous help when finding the best height for my saddle, the angle of the saddle etc. etc. www.http://bikedynamics.co.uk/bikesizingbd.htm who knows it could give you some help as well.

Good luck and enjoy

 

[mustang1]

I don't read any magazines, waste of money. Google it, its got more advice and it's free.

Took me about 3 months to get used to riding and feeling confident on my bike, it doesn't ever get easier, you just get quicker.

Stay in the smaller front ring going up a hill, try to get in the right gear at the bottom even if your legs are spinning around. You lose momentum changing gear going up a hill, so stay in the right one.

Book your bike in for a service I would recommend, doesn't matter how old it is. If the gears or brakes need tweeking they can sort it out.

My strongest advice to you as a newbie is make sure your bike fits you, you can lose valuable energy if it's not, trust me, I've been there.

And good luck you'll love it

Everything he said except the three month thing but only coz I've been riding from an early age.