Hi. I'm a 53 year old female (overweight, a bit out of shape and with chronic lower back pain). So, obviously, I need some exercise and I bought a bicycle. I got a vintage reproduction Schwinn 7 speed (comfort/cruiser style). It's adorable and I love riding it! But, it is HARD to drive/ride. Even with the 7 speeds, I can barely take even a slight hill. It feels like I'm pedaling through sand even on flat pavement. (Yes, I've put air in the tires.) Not to mention, my butt is killing me (even though I put an additional gel padded cover over the already padded seat). Should it be this hard, really? I'm exhausted after only 3-4 miles. I can WALK farther than that and still not be tired. Do I need something with more speeds and thinner tires? I need to be comfortable (and have back issues), and I'm not terribly coordinated, so something EASY to shift is also a must. Any suggestions? I was thinking a "hybrid" but I don't really know what that means to me and my situation.
I think I got the wrong bike! Advice, please?
- Thread starter CindyB
- Start date
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betty swollocks
large member
If it's heavy, that could be one of your problems, especially when the going is up. 'Vintage' and 'Schwinn' sounds ominous. Which model Schwinn do you actually have? A link would be nice.
Are your tyres pressures up to the tyre recommendation? Correct pressure should be stated on the tyre wall. Having them up to correct pressure should make things easier.
Padded saddles aren't always the answer. Often a more minimalist saddle which actually fits, is better. This can be a matter of trial and error though.
Is your saddle at the correct height? This will also have a bearing on your comfort and pedalling efficiency. Knees only slightly bent when pedals at six o'clock. Experiment with slight incremental height adjustments.
Also look at your pedalling technique: you should be spinning those those pedals (though not ridiculously), not grinding them round.
Maybe get these basic things sorted first before thinking about another bike??
Have fun!!
Are your tyres pressures up to the tyre recommendation? Correct pressure should be stated on the tyre wall. Having them up to correct pressure should make things easier.
Padded saddles aren't always the answer. Often a more minimalist saddle which actually fits, is better. This can be a matter of trial and error though.
Is your saddle at the correct height? This will also have a bearing on your comfort and pedalling efficiency. Knees only slightly bent when pedals at six o'clock. Experiment with slight incremental height adjustments.
Also look at your pedalling technique: you should be spinning those those pedals (though not ridiculously), not grinding them round.
Maybe get these basic things sorted first before thinking about another bike??
Have fun!!
The line you put in your first lot of brackets needs adjusting as much as the bike. Possibly you may not have the bike you wanted but it is still a bike, so get out and ride it as often as possible and stop eating more than you need. That way any hill will become quicker but not always easier. As for the back have you seen a good physio?
Good on you for making an effort, too many people do not do so.
Good on you for making an effort, too many people do not do so.
funk my fixie
Regular
Listen hun, you're gonna get a barrage of information on this thread. I am not one of those people as, like you, I just get on and ride. I only dropped in to say well done for trying and that maybe you are giving yourself an unnecessarily hard time. All new sports/activities get different muscle groups working at the beginning and I am sure in time it will become easier to turn them pedals. I know this does not answer you're question but keep going, sounds like you're doing great x
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
I've been cycling all my life, apart from 18 months in 2004/2005.
In summer 2005 I bought myself a new bike. The first time I went out on it (not exactly a hilly route) I had to stop riding after about 4 miles to take a breather. I struggled to get back home, and was knackered afterwards.
This weekend I'm planning 3 x 60 milers, and don't expect to feel any difficulty. A couple of years we did 1000 miles in three weeks. Later this summer we'll be doing more than that.
Good on you for trying. Just keep riding, and it will get easier. You've bought the right bike - it's built for comfort and slow cruising. When you're comfortable with slow cruising, think about swapping to something lighter and faster.
In summer 2005 I bought myself a new bike. The first time I went out on it (not exactly a hilly route) I had to stop riding after about 4 miles to take a breather. I struggled to get back home, and was knackered afterwards.
This weekend I'm planning 3 x 60 milers, and don't expect to feel any difficulty. A couple of years we did 1000 miles in three weeks. Later this summer we'll be doing more than that.
Good on you for trying. Just keep riding, and it will get easier. You've bought the right bike - it's built for comfort and slow cruising. When you're comfortable with slow cruising, think about swapping to something lighter and faster.
jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
a) do pump up the tyres to the max. b) I suspect the gearing on a bike of that style would challenge most of us c) something like Specialized Sirrus (all the other brands do something similar) would feel massively easier.
Do little and often!
Do little and often!
caimg
Über Member
My fiancée bought a folding bike with a nice (well, to her!) low seat position, but only 3 gears. It's an absolute mission to try and ride it anywhere near an acceptable speed and for any considerable distance, so she regularly loses heart when we're riding because she's that much slower than me though putting in more effort!
My point is, use it for what it is - a good (probably starter) tool to get your fitness level up. If you feel knackered after 4 miles then that's great - it means you're body's working hard and your well on the road to a fitter 'you'. When you feel more confident on the road then the others here are right...get something lighter with more gears. If the saddle issue is as much to do with confidence as comfort then it'd just take time to find the right saddle and feel confident.
Good luck!
My point is, use it for what it is - a good (probably starter) tool to get your fitness level up. If you feel knackered after 4 miles then that's great - it means you're body's working hard and your well on the road to a fitter 'you'. When you feel more confident on the road then the others here are right...get something lighter with more gears. If the saddle issue is as much to do with confidence as comfort then it'd just take time to find the right saddle and feel confident.
Good luck!
soulful dog
Veteran
- Location
- Glasgow
Aren't those Schwinn's 'cruiser' type bikes? To me they sound like they are meant to be leisurely paced, laid back & comfortable bikes for cruising along the beach front on a hot sunny day..... so probably not the best type of bike for trying to get fit.
To an extent I agree with what everyone else has said about persevering and it will get better/easier, but at the same time, if you are struggling with it and it's putting you off a bit, you'd maybe be better getting another bike. Possibly a bike with a step-through frame and one that'll give you a fairly upright riding position should still be comfortable for you, but one that's lighter and with more gears will make things easier until you build up some fitness.
When I first started cycling I was overweight, unfit (still am but miles better than I was to start with!) and I also suffer from lower back pain. Personally speaking I found spinning in a low gear was, and still is, a lot better for my back than having to push hard on the pedals to get anywhere. I bought a cheap used bike to start with and 4-5 miles was hard going in the beginning but it got better. It is worth sticking with it.
To an extent I agree with what everyone else has said about persevering and it will get better/easier, but at the same time, if you are struggling with it and it's putting you off a bit, you'd maybe be better getting another bike. Possibly a bike with a step-through frame and one that'll give you a fairly upright riding position should still be comfortable for you, but one that's lighter and with more gears will make things easier until you build up some fitness.
When I first started cycling I was overweight, unfit (still am but miles better than I was to start with!) and I also suffer from lower back pain. Personally speaking I found spinning in a low gear was, and still is, a lot better for my back than having to push hard on the pedals to get anywhere. I bought a cheap used bike to start with and 4-5 miles was hard going in the beginning but it got better. It is worth sticking with it.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
This sort of thing ?
http://www.schwinnbikes.com/gbr/bikes/cruisers/2012-sprite-14592
You'll get no-where fast on one I am afraid. It's a pootle about tank.
You'd be better off with a quick hybrid like this.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/cobalt-two-womens-hybrid-bike-ec027457
http://www.schwinnbikes.com/gbr/bikes/cruisers/2012-sprite-14592
You'll get no-where fast on one I am afraid. It's a pootle about tank.
You'd be better off with a quick hybrid like this.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/cobalt-two-womens-hybrid-bike-ec027457
mr Mag00
rising member
- Location
- Deepest Dorset
oh fossy! its a seven speed! im thinking more like this
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
Simple answer is yes - but it will get easier. Maybe sooner than you expect.
I don't think you necessarily have the wrong bike. If you're not used to riding, any bike will probably feel a bit uncomfortable until you get a bit more used to it. As long as you avoid those cheapo bike-shaped objects made out of old gas pipes, you should be fine.
Far from doing anything wrong, you're doing something very right by getting a bike at all and getting out and riding it, so well done for that.
d.
Cindy - this is exactly the mistake I made. I bought a ladies bike for Susie (my very-much-better half) and it was fine as far as it went. Which was not very far. And then I bought her a hybrid, a neat, lightweight job, and she was absolutely overjoyed. And then she bought herself a carbon fibre road bike and gave the hybrid away.
So...........have you bought the wrong bike? Probably. Is this cause for despair of self-recrimination? Not at all. It gives you time to get used to riding on the road, and to think, as others go past you, about where you might go next. It gives you time to hang out in bike shops and talk to people. It gives you time to have a few test rides. And, most of all, it gives you time to decide what you want to get out of the bike - which will be the greatest determinant of the bike you decide you want.
And...in the mean time...you will develop legs like steam pistons and lungs like blacksmith's bellows. So that when you get that lighter, faster bike you will accelerate to Mach 1 and beyond, leaving the rest of us in your wake.
The one thing I would say is that the type of bike you've got will not do your back any favours, particularly on rough roads. Be careful.
So...........have you bought the wrong bike? Probably. Is this cause for despair of self-recrimination? Not at all. It gives you time to get used to riding on the road, and to think, as others go past you, about where you might go next. It gives you time to hang out in bike shops and talk to people. It gives you time to have a few test rides. And, most of all, it gives you time to decide what you want to get out of the bike - which will be the greatest determinant of the bike you decide you want.
And...in the mean time...you will develop legs like steam pistons and lungs like blacksmith's bellows. So that when you get that lighter, faster bike you will accelerate to Mach 1 and beyond, leaving the rest of us in your wake.
The one thing I would say is that the type of bike you've got will not do your back any favours, particularly on rough roads. Be careful.
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
Good for you - keep going out on it and it will become easier for you.
When my wife started riding a bike she wanted the saddle down quite low for confidence. However, after a while she began to complain of achy knees and struggled going up any hills at all. Raising the saddle to the correct height - so her legs are a lot straighter when pedalling down - made a big difference to how easy it was to ride the bike.
When my wife started riding a bike she wanted the saddle down quite low for confidence. However, after a while she began to complain of achy knees and struggled going up any hills at all. Raising the saddle to the correct height - so her legs are a lot straighter when pedalling down - made a big difference to how easy it was to ride the bike.
