New bike and first ever proper roadbike spin-any spin partners out there?

coolbeans

Hey all,
Gonna take my LIDL (what're you laughing at!!??;)) bike for a spin tonight for the first time. Just looking for a little advice on what speed I should be doing, technique etc as I'm not used to road bikes at all. Years of fast commuting on my old mountain bike have brought me to this stage so I'm really gonna go for it.
PS: If anyone in the Clonmel area is in the same situation drop me a PM and we can meet up and pace each other.

Ant

I'd say it take it easy on your first spin on the bike. Take your time getting a feel for how the bike handles, how it brakes, etc.

After that, I'd suggest trying to increase either distance or speed - or both if you've had lots of coffee and are feeling really strong! If I have the time at the weekend, I'll try and go for a longer spin but if it's a week-day evening, I'll try and maintain a faster speed for the hour or two that I'm out on the bike. And oh yeah, I almost forgot: go look for big hills if you really want a good workout.

ashleey

Just enjoy it. Don't listen to bike snobs. I've seen a few lidl bikes around. The ultegra drivetrain is top class. The wheels are great quality. It might all need tuning after 100k but that's normal. Concentrate on finding a comfortable position and shift your position slightly a lot to avoid any numb points. Then go as fast as you can...

coolbeans

Thanks guys. One more thing, are there any stretches or warm-ups I should be doing?

ashleey

Just head off with a lowish gear and build up your pedal speed and then build up the effort. Take it easy, wear a helmet and watch out for trucks. It's a great sport with loads of room for time wasting dreaming about the most expensive lightest machine you should of bought. Keep an eye on maintaining gears and brakes in your spare time

Ant

AIUI stretching beforehand has minimal - if any - benefits. Like ashleey says, it's better to warm up by taking it easy at the start of your cycle. After a cycle, I find it beneficial to stretch the hamstrings, calfs and thigh muscles to promote recovery. Be careful of over-stretching the hamstrings though.

One other things to watch out for is getting the bonk (when you run out of glycogen to supply energy to your muscles) so start snacking after about the first hour of your cycle. I also found that as I increased distances and time spent on the saddle, it took a fair bit of adjusting the saddle position (forwards and backwards as well as moving the seat-post up and down) to avoid aches and pains developing.

Captain Havoc

@OP, Welcome to club LIDL

Lumen

coolbeans wrote: »

Thanks guys. One more thing, are there any stretches or warm-ups I should be doing?

I find light, easy stretching beforehand makes me more comfortable on the bike.

Maybe give it a try and see how it works for you.

Jawgap

there's a bit here on warm ups

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/fitness-10-cycling-myths-busted-21925

I've found that when I go out if and take it easy for the first 5 km then ratchet up the intensity over the next 5km then before you know it you're belting along with what seems very little effort.

peterako

Best of luck with the new bike.

I made the transition slowly from Mountain Biking to the road....and now LOVE it!
(Not many mountains here in the Midlands at least not near to me...with decent off road sections)

You'll immediately notice that you're faster!

As to having a LIDL bike....so what? It's a road bike isn't it?

Just do it!!!

Peter

coolbeans

Thanks one and all for the advice. Just back from a 32KM spin, the longest ever for me and I gotta say I'm feeling the pain. Ant, I didn't see your last post on time re the 'bonk' but boy did I hit it on the way back and I forgot to bring food.. Never felt anything like it, on a bike that is, but my legs became close to useless. Anyway all part of the fun what, what!