First cycle on my new road bike

gdid

Have just completed my first decent cycle on my new bike, Scott speedster 40, 17k in 40 mins, not sure if this is a good or bad time but it was my first ride so not too worried, what I am concerned about was my thumbs and neck, the muscles at the bottom of my thumbs were so sore on the ride and toward the end so was my neck, I dunno if my setup is right, or it's just tension on my neck and thumbs from being nervous on the road, any suggestions...?? Cheers

jon1981

gdid wrote: »

Have just completed my first decent cycle on my new bike, Scott speedster 40, 17k in 40 mins, not sure if this is a good or bad time but it was my first ride so not too worried, what I am concerned about was my thumbs and neck, the muscles at the bottom of my thumbs were so sore on the ride and toward the end so was my neck, I dunno if my setup is right, or it's just tension on my neck and thumbs from being nervous on the road, any suggestions...?? Cheers

It could be many thing, such as being overly tense and squeezing the life out of the handlebar, bike setup, but also could be just adjustment time as the position is new to your body. Are you cycling on the hoods or the drops?

gdid

jon1981 wrote: »

It could be many thing, such as being overly tense and squeezing the life out of the handlebar, bike setup, but also could be just adjustment time as the position is new to your body. Are you cycling on the hoods or the drops?

For the majority of it I was on the hoods, on the straight stretches I was on the drops, I was quite nervous because its first time on winding country roads with little or no hard shoulder/cycle lane

Alanstrainor

gdid wrote: »

For the majority of it I was on the hoods, on the straight stretches I was on the drops, I was quite nervous because its first time on winding country roads with little or no hard shoulder/cycle lane

Did you get the bike sized and adjusted when you bought it? If you have I would think you'll need some time to get used to it. If you've only just started road cycling on a road bike I would expect you to be uncomfortable enough in the beginning.

1. I'd stick to the hoods starting out, you can practice the drops later. You should be most comfortable there.
2. You shouldn't need to be gripping on for dear life to the handlebars. It should be light enough.
3. Ease yourself into it I'd say. There could be nothing at all wrong with the bike or your technique, you're just putting yourself into a new position and using muscles that don't get used much outside of cycling.

magicbastarder

re the speed - 17km in 40 mins is about 25km/h. not a bad speed for the first spin!

gdid

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Did you get the bike sized and adjusted when you bought it? If you have I would think you'll need some time to get used to it. If you've only just started road cycling on a road bike I would expect you to be uncomfortable enough in the beginning.

1. I'd stick to the hoods starting out, you can practice the drops later. You should be most comfortable there.
2. You shouldn't need to be gripping on for dear life to the handlebars. It should be light enough.
3. Ease yourself into it I'd say. There could be nothing at all wrong with the bike or your technique, you're just putting yourself into a new position and using muscles that don't get used much outside of cycling.

I had the bike sized and adjusted in the shop, but he said that I'll get a better feel of it after the first good cycle. Just didn't want to get any bad habits from the get go, I'll stay on the hoods for the future too

magicbastarder

i only ever go into the drops when i'm doing a good speed - usually am in the hoods or on the top.
and you may find the neck pain is just a matter of adjustment, you're probably not used to holding your head in that position.

seamus

You don't say if this is your first spin on a new bike or your first spin on a bike in a while.

If this is your first spin in a while (say a couple of years, or even decades), then I'd expect things to hurt after 15 or 20 minutes. Sore arse, sore neck, sore purlicue, stiff elbows, and so on.

As Alanstrainor above says, don't overthink it, just ease yourself into it. Add 20-30% to the length of your spins every week or two and within a couple of months you'll be well conditioned.

jethrothe2nd

If you are planning on doing a lot of cycling I would recommend getting a proper bike fit done. Made a massive difference for me in terms of comfort, and more time was spent on my posture on the bike than actually making adjustments to the bike itself. I had mine done in Base2Race but I am sure there are other good places.

gdid

seamus wrote: »

You don't say if this is your first spin on a new bike or your first spin on a bike in a while.

If this is your first spin in a while (say a couple of years, or even decades), then I'd expect things to hurt after 15 or 20 minutes. Sore arse, sore neck, sore purlicue, stiff elbows, and so on.

As Alanstrainor above says, don't overthink it, just ease yourself into it. Add 20-30% to the length of your spins every week or two and within a couple of months you'll be well conditioned.

I used to cycle about 15k a day, sometimes more, but that was on an old and extremely comfortable mountain bike, I've never had or even cycled a road bike before this, and that was about nearly 2 years ago, gonna give myself a couple weeks before making any adjustments and hopefully my body gets used to the new bike

Alanstrainor

gdid wrote: »

I used to cycle about 15k a day, sometimes more, but that was on an old and extremely comfortable mountain bike, I've never had or even cycled a road bike before this, and that was about nearly 2 years ago, gonna give myself a couple weeks before making any adjustments and hopefully my body gets used to the new bike

Gloves like these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/chiba-gel-comfort-activetouring-mitts-ss18/rp-prod166682

Can help things if your hands are bothering you. Your position on a road bike does is less upright and can put pressure on your hands, which would explain why you're having that issue. It is something you get used to though.

gdid

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Gloves like these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/chiba-gel-comfort-activetouring-mitts-ss18/rp-prod166682

Can help things if your hands are bothering you. Your position on a road bike does is less upright and can put pressure on your hands, which would explain why you're having that issue. It is something you get used to though.

I have no pain in my thumbs today, only on the cycle, only soreness I have is in my neck/shoulders a little, and my ars*, Gonna invest in a pair, and DEFINITELY 100% need cycling shorts, the backside pain is no joke haha

tuxy

gdid wrote: »

I have no pain in my thumbs today, only on the cycle, only soreness I have is in my neck/shoulders a little, and my ars*, Gonna invest in a pair, and DEFINITELY 100% need cycling shorts, the backside pain is no joke haha

Sounds normal for someone who has just started out on a road bike. You're using muscles you don't normally use. It should improves a little each time and after a few weeks it will be really comfortable and the idea of riding a mountains bike or even a hybrid will seem really weird.
If things don't improve though you are probably over reaching and will need to make a few adjustments.

gdid

tuxy wrote: »

Sounds normal for someone who has just started out on a road bike. You're using muscles you don't normally use. It should improves a little each time and after a few weeks it will be really comfortable and the idea of riding a mountains bike or even a hybrid will seem really weird.
If things don't improve though you are probably over reaching and will need to make a few adjustments.

Thanks, would you have any recommendations on shorts I should buy to alleviate the ars* pain?? Have seen them priced from 11.99 all the way up past 70 euro, or even a thread on here where I could find advice, thanks

nilhg

gdid wrote: »

Thanks, would you have any recommendations on shorts I should buy to alleviate the ars* pain?? Have seen them priced from 11.99 all the way up past 70 euro, or even a thread on here where I could find advice, thanks

Get bib shorts, decent ones, the 11.99 ones will only make the pain worse, Galibier are a good Irish company with good customer service and quality gear, should have something in your budget

https://galibier.cc/shorts-tights-suits

Alanstrainor

I have a few pairs of these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/funkier-force-10-panel-active-shorts/rp-prod133408

They're a grand short and the padding is good. I wear a large with a 32" waist, so the sizing is on the small side.

Trekker09

I'd suggest a few core exercises as well as stretching, especially the neck and shoulders. As has been mentioned before, too much tension will make you grip the bars too tightly and affect your posture.

Practice your breathing, especially on hills. It will get easier, just persevere!

magicbastarder

it doesn't get easier, you just go faster!

Trekker09

magicbastarder wrote: »

it doesn't get easier, you just go faster!

Ha true, but it's great when you get to the point where distance isn't a problem and you can mix it up with the 'good' lads, even for a few KMs!

In 2015, when I was commuting a 70km round trip every day plus long spins on weekends, I really felt in amazing condition!