Newbie here saying hello and needing help please

[trb]

Hi all,

I have very recently taken up cycling in order to complete the Great Manchester Cycle. I have signed up to cycle 13 miles on 29th June 2014 and go from very unfit to completing the 13 miles!!

Why you may ask! My brother who was an experienced, dedicated road cyclist was killed whilst cycling on 18th february 2014, he cycled 3/4 days a week, was a member of a cycling club and thought nothing of a 50 mile ride!

I want to do the 13 mile cycle in his memory to raise money for Headway, I have started practising on a cheap "halfords" type bike and would be grateful for any tips on making it easier, as I am having trouble with pain on my "sit bones"!!

Thanks in advance

trb

 

[MikeW-71]

Welcome trb, I'm very sorry to hear about your Brother.

How many rides have you done so far? New riders tend to get pain there, but after a few rides the body will adapt and the pain will go. Padded shorts will also help.

Otherwise, you have plenty of time to work up to that distance, pick quiet roads and try to just enjoy the ride. Best of luck

 

[Tyke]

Welcome it`s good that you want to dedicate this to your brother but remember that he had to start out as you are from scratch. regular riding but without overdoing things will see you improve over the next couple of weeks, a little more each day and 13 miles will soon come. The bike you have will probably be all you need but if you get some padded shorts or longs if you prefer it will take some of the sting out of it until you get used to riding, think about why you are doing it and don`t try do it fast just pace yourself to finish, it will all be OK on the day.

 

[thefensman]

Hi trb and to the club, sorry to hear your sitation but also glad your aiming to do a little of what your brother did. Follow all advice already given and you,ll be surprised at what YOU can achieve. Good luck and best wish,s.

 

[raleighnut]

Again condolences for your loss but well done for doing this in his memory, As for the sore bum it will pass as you get more trips in just start off slowly and try to spread your weight evenly between feet, hands and rear end and above all try to relax and take things steady. Good luck.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. What a lovely thing to do in his memory
The distance is very achievable, practice little and often and you'll soon build up the miles.
As someone else said, wear padded shorts and also make sure your bike saddle is at the right height etc for you. I'm sure someone will come along and explain further.
Most of all, enjoy it, I'm sure your brother will be there with you, with every turn of the pedal

 

[compo]

I want to do the 13 mile cycle in his memory to raise money for Headway, I have started practising on a cheap "halfords" type bike and would be grateful for any tips on making it easier, as I am having trouble with pain on my "sit bones"!!

Thanks in advance

trb

What sort of bike is it you are riding? If it is a mountain bike with nobbly tyres change them for slick tyres and you will find they roll along much easier.

Good luck with the ride, it is a very worthy cause even more so as it is personal to you.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Hi trb and to the site.

I am very sorry to hear about your brother. This is a good thing to do in his memory and I hope the day will go well.

The suggestions I would make have already been mentioned and my further comments are:

It does take a few rides to get used to the saddle. Padded shorts as mentioned above may help.

+1 for getting the saddle height right. It needs to be higher than most beginners expect. If too low it makes riding much harder work than it should be and will make your knees hurt.
To get it somewhere near right, set it so that with your heel on the pedal the leg is practically straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Your knee will then have just about the right mount of bend in when pedalling with the ball of the foot and it can be fine tuned to suit from there.
Once set up you'll find you probably won't be able to touch the ground while seated except on tiptoe. The trick here is when coming to a stop you transfer your weight onto the pedals and just step down to the ground. It's easier to do than describe and once you've done it a few times you won't even think about it.

Another +1 for the slick tyres if your bike currently has knobblies on. For tarmac use they'll roll easier and be quieter and more grippy. Schwalbe CityJet are very popular and not too expensive.

 

[Saluki]

Hi & to the forums and the world of cycling.
So sorry to hear about your brother but you are doing a great thing in his memory.
13 miles by the end of June is perfectly doable, you will probably be riding much further by then anyway. I can only echo the advice given in the other posts. Make sure that you take some water with you too and just enjoy your riding. Do you have a ride buddy? Social riding is a great way to take your mind off the distance. Don't be afraid to stop for a cup of tea or just to look at the scenery for a few minutes, we all do it

Looking forward to seeing you around on the forum.

 

[ufkacbln]

Welcome, and respect for your effforts n your brother's memory

Some people find targets demoralising, simply putting in miles for the sake of it so there is a different approach that you may find suits you.

Find a pub or cafe and cycle out for a pint / cake, go shopping or to work then cycle back.

Then find another slightly further away and cycle to that, he miles mount up as before, but the rides have an aim and are more fun

 

[Dark46]

Welcome to the forum !!
Sorry to hear you news.

 

[Bryony]

Sorry to hear about your brother and it's a wonderful thing you're doing!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Welcome to CC @trb !
What you want to achieve to honor your brother is remarkable.
Follow the excellent tips above, you'll get there in a short time.
Good luck, enjoy the cycling, it really opens up a new world of adventures.

 

[trb]

Thank you all so much for the lovely, helpful messages my husband rides a mtb so I can go out with him but obviously not on the roads, problem I have that my mum is adamant that she doesnt want me to ride on the roads after what happened to my brother. At the moment I am using my brothers CycleOps magnito version in the garage to practise, although it is good for training it doesn't have the same appeal as the outdoors. I will perservere with the saddle pain then and hope things get better and also change the tyres, anything that helps is good.

 

[22dropout]

I'm really sorry for your loss of your brother, good luck with your cycle