First commute & a few beginners questions.

[ulidia2012]

Hi folks

Made my first commute on Friday after purchasing my bike last week, 16 mile round trip along one of the main arterial roads into Belfast. Really enjoyed the ride which is a gentle slope down hill all the way in with a steep descent at the finish which took 25 minutes and the opposite on the way back which took 50 minutes.

A few things I noticed and I was wondering if this is a local thing but the amount of pot holes/ uneven road surfaces in the shared bus/cycle lanes is unreal, its not something I was previously aware of and may lead to me adding a few miles to my trip to get to a cycle path along the coast.

I had planned to do this anyway but not until I gained some fitness as it involves an even bigger hill. in terms of training preparation would it be better for me to do lots of miles on flat surfaces or as I have in my head go out on a sat/sunday and simply tackle the biggest hill in the area till I can go no further take a break and then repeat in order to raise my hill climbing ability?

One other question, on the way in, (downhill), I had a lot of pain in my wrists, this was not there on the way back, (uphill), is this common or an indication of poor riding position on my part?

 

[Andrew_Culture]

When you say pain in your wrists do you mean like yeeeearg dental pain type pain or nagging discomfort? How smooth are the roads?


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Sent from settee #2 - steel & wooden frame, deep padded seat, low profile DFS 2000 model.

 

[Andrius.B]

I was asking similar questions recently, and from what I heard, I think that it is best to just get as many easy miles as you can in the beginning. Once your performance gets to the level when the rate at which it increases becomes lower, then you can start doing more advanced training, such as intervals going up hills etc.

About the wrists... unless you have had some injuries in your wrists before, they should not hurt. If they do, it means that your position on the bike (or the bike set up) is wrong. It is quite possible that your bike is too small for you, putting your body and wrists in an unnatural position.
Cycling gloves are also good, but if your bike is too small, gloves will not help that much.
What is your height and what's your bike's frame size? It is a hybrid bike with flat handlebar, right?

 

[Cubist]

Sounds like you have a bit too much weight on your hands. Try sliding the saddle forward on the rails by half an inch, and maybe raising the bars by a spacer.
On,y hills will teach you to climb hills Grasshopper.

 

[ulidia2012]

Achy pain certainly sharp at times, I have fractured both in the past so maybe that is a factor. Thanks for the advice I will slide the saddle forward and might head out after the road race and do a few miles.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I just moved my saddle forward and tilted the front up a bit and it appears to have helped.


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Sent from settee #2 - steel & wooden frame, deep padded seat, low profile DFS 2000 model.

 

[Andrius.B]

I used to have slight pains in wrists too, but in my case, I actually moved the saddle backwards...
I guess it is different in every scenario, and the only way to know what is right is trial and error.

 

[ulidia2012]

Out for a short ride this morning with the saddle raised about half an inch, felt far more comfortable. I will try this properly tomorrow on my commute. I didn't move it forward or back yet as it is a bugger to adjust i am thinking i will have to adjust it with my cordless drill. If only i can find it.