New to Cycling

slingerz

Hi folks I'm new to cycling and I wanted some advice/opinion of more experienced cyclists on a few items.

Firstly, i'm going to be picking up my new bike on saturday, its a Felt bike and its half aluminim half carbon fibre i think its 27 speed too. i getting it through the bike to work scheme and its costing 850 so i assume/hope its a decent bike anyway!!

Secondly i've never had a bike for fitness before it was always a mountain bike as a kid where i could go up woods off pavements generally hammer it off anything so i presume this type of bike would take a bit of getting used to.

I'd be relatively fit, i'm getting the bike so i can be fitter primarily for my main sport which is GAA i'm just wondering what sort of cycles should i go for initially to build up into decent treks?

Also, i know a couple of lads that have bikes but i dont think they'd go as regularly as I would like to get out cycling. is there cycling clubs in cork or even very amateur races that i could partake in at some stage? *not the tour de france!*

Also, do any/many of ye use an ipod when cycling or would that be considered dangerous due to the nature of irish roads? and would sunglasses/glasses of some sort be advised so i wouldnt be squinting with the wind or low spring sunshine (hopefully!)

all your advice or opinions for a complete beginner is very much apprecriated!

Jawgap

Well done, congrats and welcome.

The Felt is a good bike and by the sounds of it, you've got yourself a triple (three rings at the front) - good bike, lots of range in the gears, plenty good for building fitness etc.

In my experience the fundamentals are pretty much the same whatever bike you start off on. However, I was caught out a few times by the speed you can get from a road bike and the sharper handling in turns, but you I got used to it quickly and I'm sure you will too.

The racing question I'll leave to others more knowledgeable, but in terms of fitness the bike will definitely build your cardio fitness which will help in any other sport. I came into cycling from rugby and I found that while my stamina increased dramatically, I lost a fair amount of strength, especially the ability to "explode" over 5 metres. Saying that I'd pretty much finished playing and was concentrating more on the coaching and reffing.

It definitely helped with that!! Covering a pitch end to end for 80 minutes is no problem even in the fastest of games!

I don't use an i-pod or any MP3 for reasons of safety, but others do. It seems to be a matter of personal choice - if you were to use one, some people just go with one earphone in. Sunglasses are a must, in my view, just to keep the crap out of your eyes (insects, grit, snot etc) - you can pick up some decent wrap around ones quite cheaply in some of the shops and keep an eye on Aldi - Lidl are doing their cycle deals next week -
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20110314.index

Good luck and happy cycling!

Hail 2 Da Thief

Invest in a pair of good quality padded cycling shorts. Don't skimp!

slingerz

Hail 2 Da Thief wrote: »

Invest in a pair of good quality padded cycling shorts. Don't skimp!

I'm getting them under the accessories in the scheme the guy in the shop told me they were a must alright!!

petethedrummer

slingerz wrote: »

I'd be relatively fit, i'm getting the bike so i can be fitter primarily for my main sport which is GAA i'm just wondering what sort of cycles should i go for initially to build up into decent treks?

If being fit at GAA is your primary goal then I don't think cycling will help that much. Playing indoor soccer or going for a run would be more beneficial.

easygoing39

petethedrummer wrote: »

If being fit at GAA is your primary goal then I don't think cycling will help that much. Playing indoor soccer or going for a run would be more beneficial.

I agree 100% with this statement.Cycling does'nt use any muscles used in running and is a low impact sport in terms of hardship on the body.Any lads I know who race,either road or mtb, could'nt run 1 km without keeling over.

slingerz

petethedrummer wrote: »

If being fit at GAA is your primary goal then I don't think cycling will help that much. Playing indoor soccer or going for a run would be more beneficial.

the idea behind it is to help me shift some pounds which in turn will help me and my fitness for GAA. I'll still have GAA training 2/3 times a week i just hope that a decent cycle to work every day will not only help me save money on petrol but also help me trim an over indulgent winter waistline. i also do swimming in order to increase my lung capacity which will all help for GAA fitness and recovery.

our team did a set of spinning classes this winter in order to keep things going and i benefitted from them a lot. our coach who has inter county experience is all for doing some cycling outside of training to help improve ourselves.

kennyb3

easygoing39 wrote: »

I agree 100% with this statement.Cycling does'nt use any muscles used in running and is a low impact sport in terms of hardship on the body.Any lads I know who race,either road or mtb, could'nt run 1 km without keeling over.

Have to disagree with you here, cycling builds an excellent cardio base and is beneficial for running. (obviously running is more beneficial). I couldnt run for 5 months, spent it all on the bike, and within 2 weeks of getting back running (only 60miles total) i took 2 mins off my half marathon PB.

In saying that I have to agree with others that if its GAA fitness the Op wants to improve gym work, extra GAA training etc will be more dirtectly beneficial and more time efficient.

seamus

easygoing39 wrote: »

I agree 100% with this statement.Cycling does'nt use any muscles used in running and is a low impact sport in terms of hardship on the body.Any lads I know who race,either road or mtb, could'nt run 1 km without keeling over.

It won't actually make him any better at GAA and it won't make him any stronger or faster, however it will improve his cardio performance and overall stamina, which is crucial for any such ball games. No point in being a GAA genius if you're knackered after the first half.

More crucially, it can be used in conjunction with his GAA training because he's using different muscle groups. So he shouldn't have much difficulty getting out on the bike if his muscles are tired from GAA training (and vice-versa).

All I can recount is the last time I'd spent any time on a treadmill, I managed to do 5km in 30 minutes without feeling completely dead at the end. However I had difficulty walking for the next 3 days. My cardio endurance was no problem.

petethedrummer

slingerz wrote: »

the idea behind it is to help me shift some pounds which in turn will help me and my fitness for GAA. I'll still have GAA training 2/3 times a week i just hope that a decent cycle to work every day will not only help me save money on petrol but also help me trim an over indulgent winter waistline. i also do swimming in order to increase my lung capacity which will all help for GAA fitness and recovery.

A bit of cycling every day to work will keep you ticking over alright, keep your metabolism raised and loosen the legs after a hard training session. But say going for 60km cycle at the weekend or big long swim won't translate to GAA that well. They are entirely different muscle groups you use and different styles of exersion than the stand, jog, sprint, stand, jog, sprint nature of GAA. There's no use being able to go all day if you can't sprint and recover quickly.

slingerz wrote: »

our team did a set of spinning classes this winter in order to keep things going and i benefitted from them a lot. our coach who has inter county experience is all for doing some cycling outside of training to help improve ourselves.

They do those things like spinning classes to try to keep your weight down over christmas when noone wants to be out in a wet, cold field but the minute the season starts they have you out doing GAA training. You won't see a spin bike till next Christmas.

goldencleric

kennyb3 wrote: »

running builds an excellent cardio base and is beneficial for running. (obviously running is more beneficial).

sorry just laughed into my tea there

kennyb3

goldencleric wrote: »

sorry just laughed into my tea there

ha ha you could say i had running on the brain

Undercover Elephant

On sunglasses:

Aldi had some ok sports glasses with interchangeable lenses during their ski sale. I got some as a backup but have only used the clear ones during the winter.

Someone here - can't remember who it was, sorry - recommended these. Supposedly they are low light glasses, but I find myself straining with them quite a bit. However, they are excellent at dealing with glare on bright mornings like today, and for a tenner are superb value. Good fit, fairly robust, no problems with blind spots. They probably won't do the job on the six allocated days of summer, so I'll either get the grey lens versions for that or make do with the Aldi ones.

HTH

crashoveroid

Jawgap wrote: »

Well done, congrats and welcome.

The Felt is a good bike and by the sounds of it, you've got yourself a triple (three rings at the front) - good bike, lots of range in the gears, plenty good for building fitness etc.

In my experience the fundamentals are pretty much the same whatever bike you start off on. However, I was caught out a few times by the speed you can get from a road bike and the sharper handling in turns, but you I got used to it quickly and I'm sure you will too.

The racing question I'll leave to others more knowledgeable, but in terms of fitness the bike will definitely build your cardio fitness which will help in any other sport. I came into cycling from rugby and I found that while my stamina increased dramatically, I lost a fair amount of strength, especially the ability to "explode" over 5 metres. Saying that I'd pretty much finished playing and was concentrating more on the coaching and reffing.

It definitely helped with that!! Covering a pitch end to end for 80 minutes is no problem even in the fastest of games!

I don't use an i-pod or any MP3 for reasons of safety, but others do. It seems to be a matter of personal choice - if you were to use one, some people just go with one earphone in. Sunglasses are a must, in my view, just to keep the crap out of your eyes (insects, grit, snot etc) - you can pick up some decent wrap around ones quite cheaply in some of the shops and keep an eye on Aldi - Lidl are doing their cycle deals next week -
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20110314.index

Good luck and happy cycling!

If you starting out on the bike well done it wont be long before your hooked.

Padded shorts are a must but please don't wear a pair of GAA shorts over them cycling.

As for the Clubs St Finbarrs CC meet at the Bandon RB at 10 on a Saturday morning and on Grande Parade on Sunday at 10 if there is no Race.

There is a League starting in April on the Centre Park Road circuit all welcome its flat and fast but you can take a lap out if you want and then join back in.

Hope this helps.

petethedrummer

seamus wrote: »

All I can recount is the last time I'd spent any time on a treadmill, I managed to do 5km in 30 minutes without feeling completely dead at the end.

That's not what GAA is like. You don't run constantly for any length of time, unless perhaps you're in midfield. And its usually only 1 midfielder who is the run all day big engine type. You jog, sprint, recover, walk around, twist, turn and repeat.

seamus wrote: »

However I had difficulty walking for the next 3 days.

And that was only after using a treadmill. You weren't specifically trained.

seamus

petethedrummer wrote: »

That's not what GAA is like.

Ach, I know. My point being that cycling will help with his overall cardio fitness, which will pay dividends in ball field sports which are a basically series of short bursts of energy. It's no substitution for GAA-specific training of course but that's not to say it won't really help.

petethedrummer

Ah I know we're in large agreement really.

slingerz

crashoveroid wrote: »

If you starting out on the bike well done it wont be long before your hooked.

Padded shorts are a must but please don't wear a pair of GAA shorts over them cycling.

As for the Clubs St Finbarrs CC meet at the Bandon RB at 10 on a Saturday morning and on Grande Parade on Sunday at 10 if there is no Race.

There is a League starting in April on the Centre Park Road circuit all welcome its flat and fast but you can take a lap out if you want and then join back in.

Hope this helps.

This league that you mention is interesting cos i feel i'd do more in a group or competitive environment than if I was left to my own devices.

Do St. Finbarrs have a website i can browse?

And whats so wrong with GAA shorts!!

slingerz

Lads thanks for all the comments on the training aspect but as I've the sports specific training for the majority i'm just looking for something to give me a little bit extra on my days off that I can (relatively) enjoy!

crashoveroid

slingerz wrote: »

This league that you mention is interesting cos i feel i'd do more in a group or competitive environment than if I was left to my own devices.

Do St. Finbarrs have a website i can browse?

And whats so wrong with GAA shorts!!

Check the facebook page would be the best one.

The league is good because you get all levels together and you find your legs will improve as the weeks go on.

I have no problem with GAA shorts they should never be worn over bib shorts cycling.

slingerz

crashoveroid wrote: »

Check the facebook page would be the best one.

The league is good because you get all levels together and you find your legs will improve as the weeks go on.

I have no problem with GAA shorts they should never be worn over bib shorts cycling.

Pardon my ignorance but why should they never be worn over bib shorts cycling??

QueensGael

slingerz wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance but why should they never be worn over bib shorts cycling??

For the same reason one doesn't wear shinguards and long socks in GAA - it just looks weird! So there's the female perspective on that particular question

If you don't fancy lyrca, you can get baggier mountain bike shorts - I've posted them elsewhere, but here's the link again http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=1084

I recommend a No for the iPod/MP3, it's really not the smartest piece of equipment when you're out on the roads.

If you want to work towards a particular event, the An Post Rebel Tour in Cork is a great event http://www.corksports.ie/index.cfm/page/2011anpostrebeltour

Best of luck with your new bike!

crashoveroid

slingerz wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance but why should they never be worn over bib shorts cycling??

It just looks wrong and there is no real valid reason for doing it.

freewheeling

Conrats on buying the bike and getting into cycling - have fun!