Help me if you can i,m feeling dow ow wn ....

[flossieteacake]

Hi , I initially joined last year when at the ripe old age of 47 I got my first bike ....unfortunately had an unrelated nasty fracture ( with complications) of my ankle which kept me off work for 6 months one week (soooo glad to be back now )

I didnt want to take the chance of falling off Bluebell ( my bike) so have purchased Rosie (my tricycle) thinking it would be easy peasy to ride. Admittedly I do live in a rather hilly part of the country ....but I am struggling more than expected.I got a 5 gear thinking it would be a doddle to peddle ....any ideas and advice on strengthening my ankle/legs etc would be fantastic. I have no plans at the moment of speeding along I just want to get safely from A to B.

 

[Arch]

Welcome Flossie!

Are we talking about an upright trike here? (as opposed to a recumbent). Whatcha got?

When you say you're struggling, you mean 'power' wise I guess - you've got the steering ok? (It's just that a lot of cyclists find tricycles tricky at first)

Anyway, if it's just strength, then to some extent the answer is just training - the more you ride, the fitter and stronger you'll get. Try and keep in a lower gear, so that your feet spin round, rather than 'honking' in a high gear - it's kinder on your knees and feels like less of a strain.

If you are running out of low gears on the hills, then you could perhaps get the gearing lowered, with a new smaller chainring (or bigger sprockets at the rear). The big advantage of a trike of course is that you can go as slowly as you like and not fall over, so having a nice low gear and just spinning the legs round is easier than on a bike where you have to be going at a certain speed to stay upright.

And if you want really hard , here's me at work on my worktrike - thank god York is flat!

 

[Banjo]

Welcome Flossie. I started cycling after years of couch potatoeing last year.I dont know anything about riding trikes but do know that riding any bike is bloody hard at first.

Good news is that if you keep it up it soon becomes easier or faster(your choice) hills that were major obstacles becoming barely noticeable.

I think little and often is best at first, dont overdo it just keep nibbling away at the mileage until you are ready for longer/harder rides.

Good Luck

 

[snorri]

I think little and often is best at first, dont overdo it just keep nibbling away at the mileage until you are ready for longer/harder rides.

Banjo talks wise words.

It might help you to consider time spent on the road rather than miles covered. For example you may feel tired after 20 minutes on a local route around your home, but soon you will cycle 30 minutes with ease, and so on.

It definitely gets easier, but a certain amount of perseverance is required.

 

[bauldbairn]

Good news is that if you keep it up it soon becomes easier or faster(your choice) hills that were major obstacles becoming barely noticeable.

I think little and often is best at first, dont overdo it just keep nibbling away at the mileage until you are ready for longer/harder rides.

It might help you to consider time spent on the road rather than miles covered. For example you may feel tired after 20 minutes on a local route around your home, but soon you will cycle 30 minutes with ease, and so on.

It definitely gets easier, but a certain amount of perseverance is required.

+1 & +1, to what they say.

Hello flossieteacake and welcome to the CC forums.

I'll add, try to do it somewhere you'll enjoy - maybe round a local(flatish) park.

Good luck!