How do you ride a "racing" bicycle?

[screenman]

Did someone spike my energy drink earlier or did I actually read this?

Read what I cannot see anything.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I think it needs pedals. That'll be the problem.

Other than that, sling a leg over it, start pedalling and find a cadence (the number of times the pedals go round in a given time) that you find comfortable and then use the gears to maintain that cadence.

 

[MikeW-71]

I think my biggest problem is leaning over more; riding near-upright is easy, but being in a bent over position is unnatural and I'm either taking the weight of my body in my spine or on my wrists & forearms. At the moment it's not about further or faster, I have to learn how to sit on the bike without doing myself an injury.

Ah, OK. There will be a certain element of letting your body adjust to the new position. You will need to use the core muscles to support the body more, which your body hasn't been used to doing, as you ride, it will get better. As long as everything else fits right, the aches will go away.

I would probably feel the same if I was to try and ride Rob3rt's TT bike for instance. The position would be so different, I would probably have aches and pains until I'd done a good few rides to get used to it.

Set the saddle height, but don't be tempted to move it forward to get more upright, that would put even more weight on your hands. Also start with the saddle level, if it's tilted down too much (and that could only be 5 degrees or so) it will throw the weight onto your hands again. Once you're in that ballpark, ride the bike as much as you can for a while without changing anything for a bit so you can see what aches come and go. Then adjust one thing at a time to address them.

 

[Brand X]

Ah, OK. There will be a certain element of letting your body adjust to the new position. You will need to use the core muscles to support the body more, which your body hasn't been used to doing, as you ride, it will get better. As long as everything else fits right, the aches will go away.

I would probably feel the same if I was to try and ride Rob3rt's TT bike for instance. The position would be so different, I would probably have aches and pains until I'd done a good few rides to get used to it.

Set the saddle height, but don't be tempted to move it forward to get more upright, that would put even more weight on your hands. Also start with the saddle level, if it's tilted down too much (and that could only be 5 degrees or so) it will throw the weight onto your hands again. Once you're in that ballpark, ride the bike as much as you can for a while without changing anything for a bit so you can see what aches come and go. Then adjust one thing at a time to address them.

Thanks Mike, okay yes I will give it a try. I was tempted to move the saddle forward, but perhaps you're right. Perhaps it's the same as how everyone gets a bruised butt when they start riding? I hadn't really thought about it before.

 

[mjr]

Perhaps it's the same as how everyone gets a bruised butt when they start riding? I hadn't really thought about it before.

What, they have an ill-fitting saddle? That's the only times I've had bruised nethers

Other than that, I agree with the comments about core strength but I do caution that some racers sacrifice some comfort for speed.

 

[Mummy3monkeys]

The more you ride, the more you get used to the feel and positioning of each bike and the more you will love it!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

A rising stem will make your position more sitty-uppy with a shorter reach. This seems to be closer to the riding position you have become accustomed to. However, this will put more weight on your saddle/butt interface. A bit more forward-leaning will put some of the weight on your hands/arms/wrists and some off the hind quarters. It will also slightly reduce your wind resistance. Usually, you will quickly grow used to the added weight on your hands. I'd try to settle into the new position and see whether it continues to throw up problems.

 

[ayceejay]

See, you are coming at this all wrong. I guess you want to ride a 'racing' bike so that you look like a racing cyclist riding a racing bike and not - well, like something else. The answer has one word LYCRA.
If you look at it this way it is not "how do I ride my bike?" but "how do I look cool when riding my bike?" see the difference?
A racing bike without LYCRA is like LYCRA without a bike: it just all looks wrong all wrong, looks all wrong.
Did you know that you can get tyres to match your skin tone?
I hope you see now that there is more to "How to ride a bike" than let's say riding a bike and with a little more time spent on this forum will bring you up to speed and since you mention speed there's this computer that ............

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

Did someone spike my energy drink earlier or did I actually read this?

Not sure. You'd best ask your sponsor.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I did try a drop-handlebar tourer once, but it was probably too big for me and I am of the firm opinion that the brake levers are in the wrong place; it is not humanly possible to squeeze the brake levers without either (a) contorting your wrists to a strange angle and trying to press the levers without the aid of your thumbs, or (b) letting go of the handlebars. What I think of this design I shall refrain from typing due to forum rules restrictions.

I just don't understand the OP but I really don't get this. 95%+ of the time I brake with my hands on the hoods. I'm a small old bloke, with small hands, not particularly strong, and I have bikes with Tektro, Campag, old and new shape Shimano hoods, and I haven't had problems with any of them. Thumbs around the back of the hood, fingers on the lever. These things are adjustable you know. But then drop bar road bikes with clipless* pedals are the 'normal' bikes for me.
*Brand X has strong views on clips and straps too.

 

[Brand X]

I just don't understand the OP but I really don't get this. 95%+ of the time I brake with my hands on the hoods. I'm a small old bloke, with small hands, not particularly strong, and I have bikes with Tektro, Campag, old and new shape Shimano hoods, and I haven't had problems with any of them. Thumbs around the back of the hood, fingers on the lever. These things are adjustable you know. But then drop bar road bikes with clipless* pedals are the 'normal' bikes for me.
*Brand X has strong views on clips and straps too.

I'm sure they work, but I just don't "get" them. If I sit on a drop-handle road bike and try to squeeze the brake levers, I'm squeezing with my little finger and ring finger only. On a normal bike with normal brake levers, I can apply pressure with my index finger too - three fingers instead of two, or even all four. Do road bike cyclists all have huge hands or really long fingers or something?

I've got nothing against cleats (although a man did die last year when he couldn't pull his foot out and was crushed to death when he fell into the road) but straps are a bit awkward. Every time you stop you have to flip the pedal over to put your foot back in.

 

[winjim]

If I sit on a drop-handle road bike and try to squeeze the brake levers, I'm squeezing with my little finger and ring finger only.

Where are you putting your hands?

 

[Profpointy]

I'm sure they work, but I just don't "get" them. If I sit on a drop-handle road bike and try to squeeze the brake levers, I'm squeezing with my little finger and ring finger only. On a normal bike with normal brake levers, I can apply pressure with my index finger too - three fingers instead of two, or even all four. Do road bike cyclists all have huge hands or really long fingers or something?

I've got nothing against cleats (although a man did die last year when he couldn't pull his foot out and was crushed to death when he fell into the road) but straps are a bit awkward. Every time you stop you have to flip the pedal over to put your foot back in.

Straps are indeed a bit awkward for the reason you say, but once you've mastered it, do help in pedalling, and avoid the need for the dreaded "special shoes" which are needed with cleats - that said, I use cleats.

Regarding the brakes, clearly you've got your hands in an odd position - I suggest you ask a fellow cyclist you know to have a look as it's hard to diagnose from a description. Drop bar brakes work just fine if set up right etc.

 

[mjr]

If I sit on a drop-handle road bike and try to squeeze the brake levers, I'm squeezing with my little finger and ring finger only. On a normal bike with normal brake levers, I can...

Not all brake levers are the same, not on drop bars, not on other bars. Maybe those were too big for you. There are also old levers which weren't really designed for braking from the hoods as far as I can tell.

When discussing different bike types, please steer clear of phrases like "normal bike" (what norm is that, then?) and especially "ordinary bicycle" (which probably doesn't mean what most would think). At best it's a bit annoying and at worst it's confusing.

 

[Spinney]

Braking and hand positions on drop bar bikes: read this...
http://lovelybike.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/drop-bar-hand-positions-introduction.html