General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Cycling Question Rss Feed  
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2015-07-08 1:50 PM

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137
10025
Birmingham, Alabama
Subject: Cycling Question
I'll be running my first sprint triathlon (or any distance for that matter) in September and have recently procured a Huffy 10 speed road bike I found on Craigslist for $30. Naturally, it doesn't exactly turn heads (at least not in the way one would want), but I didn't want to drop a bunch of cash into this on my first whack.

So, I've been running for years and my swimming is coming along at a respectable pace, but I'm a bit disappointed in my early "progress" on the bike. I'm averaging about 16 mph on a very flat path here in town. When I finish, my heart and lungs are hardly stressed, but my quads are very tired. The bike is cheap, heavy, and it's too small for me.

The guys that competed in my age bracket (30-34 male) in this same race last year who swam and ran around my projected pace were biking around 20 mph. I am considerably behind that pace right now.

I guess I'm trying to figure out how much of this is the bike and how much of it is my inexperience with cycling? Can I really expect to make up 4 mph on this $30 gem of a bike or do I just need to give it time?

When trying to improve my pace in running, I usually begin by building endurance with longer runs then sprinkle in some tempo runs later. Is this a good strategy for cycling too?

I'm not going to go spend a lot of money on a bike until I'm pretty sure it's going to get more enjoyable than this, so you can hang on to that recommendation for now. If it means I bike slower than everyone else in my first race, then I'll just have to accept that.

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments.



Edited by marti038 2015-07-08 1:51 PM


2015-07-08 1:54 PM
in reply to: marti038

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Pro
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Subject: RE: Cycling Question

Post a picture of yourself on that bike.......just how "small" are you talking about.  If it's that small then your quads will easily get cooked.

2015-07-08 1:59 PM
in reply to: 0

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137
10025
Birmingham, Alabama
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
It measures 22" (55.88 cm) and I am 6'3" tall.



Edited by marti038 2015-07-08 2:00 PM
2015-07-08 2:04 PM
in reply to: marti038

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Member
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Exton, PA
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Originally posted by marti038

It measures 22" (55.88 cm) and I am 6'3" tall.




What measures 22" ? Is that the top bar off the ground?

If that's the case it sounds like it is very small for you. posting a picture of you on the bike is best.
2015-07-08 2:07 PM
in reply to: mike761

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137
10025
Birmingham, Alabama
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
The top of the seat tube to the center of the axle that holds the cranks arms together (not sure what it's called).

My feet easily reach the ground when I'm on the seat, but I could probably raise it a bit. Right now the seat is about an inch higher than the top of the handle bars.
2015-07-08 2:57 PM
in reply to: marti038

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Champion
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Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: Cycling Question

My recommendation is to stop comparing yourself to the people that competed in the event last year, and just go out and do the race and have fun. Then start addressing equipment issues.

But to get into the nitty-gritty... You're talking about a 25% increase in speed, which equates to a MUCH larger increase in power input. I suspect there are issues with the bike itself, how it fits you (or doesn't), how you're riding it, and cycling specific fitness. The percentages that go toward each would only be wild guesses.



2015-07-08 4:29 PM
in reply to: marti038


44
25
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Your feet reach the ground when you're on the seat? Both feet?
If so that's way too small which means your legs aren't straightening near enough when you pedal.
Raise the seat up so you can *almost* straighten each leg as you pedal normally.
2015-07-08 9:55 PM
in reply to: marti038


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Subject: RE: Cycling Question
How fast are you spinning? Could be you just need more time in the saddle, could be the bike is a tad small for you. . . but . . . if you're not taxing your heart and lungs but frying your legs. . . you may be trying to push too big a gear.
2015-07-09 12:20 AM
in reply to: #5127499


32
25
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
If your quads start burning, find a gear that requires a higher cadence. This should take the pressure off your quads. If you feel yourself starting to become winded find a gear that returns the load to your quads. This seems to work for me. This is assuming a level route.
2015-07-09 7:17 AM
in reply to: marti038

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Exton, PA
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Many things going on here.

You have no time in the saddle, so the specific muscles for riding are no developed and need to be built up.
Your seat is way low, you bike may be way too small. I can ride easily at 22-23mph but if you dropped my seat 4" my quads would burn trying to hold 20
Is your bike functioning? are bearing almost seized? are brakes rubbing? is the bike actually safe to ride?
Don't compare yourself to others in your age group, these are people who may ride 100's of miles a month/or week.

If you know anyone that rides, see if they can help you set up the bike.

If you post a picture here, many people with throw out ideas to help you out.
2015-07-09 9:06 AM
in reply to: mike761

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137
10025
Birmingham, Alabama
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
I'll try to get a picture when I ride this Saturday.

I have no doubt that I need more time riding. The muscles I'm using still need some time to acclimate to what is a new type of exercise for me.

The bike is mechanically sound and safe to ride, but is heavy and by no means has the most efficient and "glassy smooth" mechanics. The rear brake does stick from time to time, but they do not rub the wheel otherwise.

From comments, it seems to me that the bike is way too small (worse than I originally suspected), but there's room to improve if I raise the saddle as much as I can and log some hours riding.

Thanks again for the input.


2015-07-09 9:59 AM
in reply to: marti038

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Master
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Eugene, Oregon
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
I have struggled with the bike for years, with similar issues that you describe. It can be pretty hard to separate what it making biking so difficult--probably a little bit of everything that's mentioned above. I came into tri with a strong run and swim background, but little experience with the bike beyond short commutes and casual touring. Similar issues with being stuck at 15-16 mph and burning quads. It became very frustrating because I was literally losing every race and, in some cases, being passed by almost the entire field on my bike. What worked was a combination of training (for me, not a matter of months but a couple of years to get my average speed up to 19 mph for Oly and 20 for sprint), figuring out gearing (like a lot of lightweight runners, high cadence/lower gear work best for me), bike fit (although my road bike in Vietnam, bought without a professional fit, is really too small; we just did the best with what we had), and, finally, a tri bike. It's the latter that's really made cycling enjoyable for me; I don't think because it's a tri bike per se but it's a good fit. I actually see the results of effort and training whereas I didn't so much with the other bikes.

I suggest that for your first several races, train on what you have, tweak the fit so you are as efficient as possible, and then if you decide that tri and/or cycling is something you want to stick with, look into getting a better bike, starting with fit. A well-fitting bike that lets you ride efficiently is more fun to ride and there's the added benefit that you'll probably put in more training on it.
2015-07-09 11:55 AM
in reply to: Hot Runner


11

Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Bring it to your local bike shop for advice. Having you and the bike together will be pretty easy to determine what needs to be addressed.

Like others said, it sounds like your seat is way too low. A 22" frame is not unreasonable for a guy your size (at first I was picturing you on a kids bike)
2015-07-09 3:09 PM
in reply to: biguglyjoe


467
1001001001002525
, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Good advice has been given, and you probably need to raise the seat. However, there is generally a mark on the post that tells the maximum height you can raise it. You don't want to raise it higher than this as it may be unsafe.
2015-07-10 8:15 AM
in reply to: marti038

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Extreme Veteran
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Detroit, Michigan
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Lots of good advice here, but something else to consider is that while a lightweight bike will save you energy going up hills, a heavy bike doesn't make much of a difference on a flat course. Take it from me, who rode a 35-pound steel Huffy for my first three seasons, for the same reason as you -- to save money until I was sure I wanted to continue in triathlon. Most likely, if you get your bike fitting you a little better and spend more time in the saddle, you will be fine on flat courses until you decide whether or not to spend the money on a nicer bike.
2015-07-10 8:30 AM
in reply to: Miles around Midtown

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Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Unless your body is very differently proportioned than mine, that bike is crazy small for you. I'm 6'2" and ride a 60cm road bike (which is about 24"). You can raise the post up and that will help your legs out, but your upper body is still going to be sore because the reach isn't going to be far enough for where you'll want to be.

I 100% understand about not wanting to dump money on a bike until you know you'll like the racing - that is the correct thing to do, IMO.

I would do this: raise the seat, and see if you can manage rides equal to the bike race distance without too much upper body soreness. If you can, go race and have fun and see if this whole Tri thing is for you. If it is then you can go to a shop and get a fit for ~$75. Get the fit and then walk away and re-hunt Craigslist for a bike that is the right size for you, go try them out, and pick the one that fits your price point. There's never really any shortage of bikes on CL, and if you can't seem to find one that you like then head back to that bike shop and look at some new ones. Entry roadies will run you right around $1,000, give or take.


2015-07-10 9:45 AM
in reply to: 0

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
I had a very similar experience to yours. I ran for years coming into triathlon last year and had a background in swimming so biking was my biggest obstacle. I think I even posted a similar thread a year ago. Here's the deal; there are obviously a ton of factors, but the biggest one is simply T I T S (time in the saddle). As you go you will want to make sure you have a proper fitting bike that is mechanically sound for now. You'll slowly but surely upgrade the frame, wheels, tires, tubes, etc looking for free speed and you'll get faster at each upgrade, but how much of that speed is psychological is up for debate in my mind. Looking back though, it just takes time and effort. Both long distance efforts, maybe weekly and lots and lots of intervals, tempos, etc. Those are where I saw my biggest gains. I'm still slowest on the bike, but coming around. I looked back at my first year (I'm 13 months into triathlon and cycling) and my progression was pretty linear with no major jumps from equipment or fit upgrades. In my estimate, I'd say going from a clunky aluminum road bike to a moderate to high end tri bike with all the bells and whistles can give you maybe 1-1.5 mph just on equipment. That's no small thing, but it won't get you from 16-22 mph.

My first month of riding I averaged 18.2 mph on rides averaging 17 miles/ride
This past month of riding I averaged 21.21 mph on rides averaging 38 miles/ride

So it took literally thousands of miles to get a couple mph speed increase. I'd attribute maybe 1 mph to equipment upgrades, the rest is just sweat. This is a little skewed since my average ride distance almost doubled. If I was riding 17 miles per ride now my average would be over 23 mph which is what I can do a 40k TT in, but the point is, don't look for any silver bullet, even though you are already in good shape, it takes time and effort to get gains on the bike, but it will come.

Start with a proper fit, but don't expect miracles. Put the hard work in though, and you'll get there. I got frustrated a lot from the slow progress, but just hand in there and do work.

Edited by 3mar 2015-07-10 9:46 AM
2015-07-13 9:22 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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137
10025
Birmingham, Alabama
Subject: RE: Cycling Question
Thank you all for your comments. They have been very helpful.

I did raise the seat before I rode this past Saturday and it helped...a lot. I was averaging 1-2 mph faster (Up to about 18 from 16) and my quads weren't nearly as sore.

I also tried to stay in a lower gear and focus on keeping my cadence around 80-85 rpm. This was very helpful. I'll keep experimenting with it.

Finally, I got a computer. It was very helpful for keeping my pace up.

I have 9 weeks before my first sprint, so there's plenty of time to improve more.

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