This month I slowly started to claw my way back into some kind of training schedule. I used my bike as motivation to get going again.
Summary:
Bike Miles: 25.54
Run Miles: 0
Gym Visits: 0
My goal is to do the following:
Bike: Tue/Thur/Sat (Short/Short/Long)
Run: Mon/Wed/Fri (Long/Short/Intervals)
Gym: Wed/Fri/Sun
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Going Clipless
I had seen lots or people with special shoes for their bikes and pedals. I spoke to a few friends about clipless pedals and check out some reviews online.
The pedals connect directly to some special cleats on a bike shoe. You foot is then essentially attached to the pedal. This allows for more efficient pedaling as the ball of your foot is in constant contact with the pedal.
I found a great sale on pedals at Jenson USA and picked up some Shimano 105 PD5700 pedals for $69.99. A bargain according to everyone I spoke to. I also picked up some Pearl Izumi shoes that were on sale.
I had a buddy of mine help install the pedals. The old ones were really tough to get off. Even with all the tools! All the online videos made it seem much easier than it actually was. Here’s a video showing how easy it should have been!
How easy is that! We tried and tried and they just wouldn’t budge, finally after much persistance we were able to get the hold ones off.
The new ones were really easy to install and were done in a couple of minutes.
I connected the cleats to my shoes and made sure to line them up so the ball of my foot was positioned correctly per the instructions. Road shoes are funny to walk in because of the cleats. The ones I got had a rubber stopper on the back so you can walk in them but you have to be careful.
The next day I propped myself up in the garage and practiced connecting the shows to the pedals and then unclipping out of them over and over. I was told to practice because it does feel strange pulling them out, your foot should move kinda like squishing a bug. After I had practiced I headed out to give it a try. My first attempt was a FAIL! I didn’t pedal and watched as I tried to clip my right foot in and tumbled to the left! Nice new pedals and bike got their first scratches!
I jumped back on and then success. I went out for my usual loop. I clipped out a couple of times and back in successfully. I could really tell the difference being connected to the pedals, it was easier to get up some of the hills and I could build up speed quicker.
The pedals connect directly to some special cleats on a bike shoe. You foot is then essentially attached to the pedal. This allows for more efficient pedaling as the ball of your foot is in constant contact with the pedal.
I found a great sale on pedals at Jenson USA and picked up some Shimano 105 PD5700 pedals for $69.99. A bargain according to everyone I spoke to. I also picked up some Pearl Izumi shoes that were on sale.
I had a buddy of mine help install the pedals. The old ones were really tough to get off. Even with all the tools! All the online videos made it seem much easier than it actually was. Here’s a video showing how easy it should have been!
How easy is that! We tried and tried and they just wouldn’t budge, finally after much persistance we were able to get the hold ones off.
The new ones were really easy to install and were done in a couple of minutes.
I connected the cleats to my shoes and made sure to line them up so the ball of my foot was positioned correctly per the instructions. Road shoes are funny to walk in because of the cleats. The ones I got had a rubber stopper on the back so you can walk in them but you have to be careful.
The next day I propped myself up in the garage and practiced connecting the shows to the pedals and then unclipping out of them over and over. I was told to practice because it does feel strange pulling them out, your foot should move kinda like squishing a bug. After I had practiced I headed out to give it a try. My first attempt was a FAIL! I didn’t pedal and watched as I tried to clip my right foot in and tumbled to the left! Nice new pedals and bike got their first scratches!
I jumped back on and then success. I went out for my usual loop. I clipped out a couple of times and back in successfully. I could really tell the difference being connected to the pedals, it was easier to get up some of the hills and I could build up speed quicker.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ouch! Sit bone soreness!
After taking my bike out a few times I developed a rather sore ass! I spoke to a few people and they told me not to go rushing out to buy a new seat. Instead I was told to get a pair of proper bike shorts.
So, off I went down to my LBS, Incycle in San Dimas. I picked up a pair of Specialized shorts. The have padding inside them to make riding alot more comfortable. I could notice the difference on the first ride with them, plus I look awesome in them! SPANDEX FTW!
I was also told to give my sit bones a while to get used to riding. After all, they are not used to that kind of impact and will take a while to get used to it. It took me a couple of weeks before the soreness stopped. Now when I ride it’s really comfy and i’m not sore afterwards. I’m not in any hurry to replace the saddle so now I can spend my pennies elsewhere on the bike.
So, off I went down to my LBS, Incycle in San Dimas. I picked up a pair of Specialized shorts. The have padding inside them to make riding alot more comfortable. I could notice the difference on the first ride with them, plus I look awesome in them! SPANDEX FTW!
I was also told to give my sit bones a while to get used to riding. After all, they are not used to that kind of impact and will take a while to get used to it. It took me a couple of weeks before the soreness stopped. Now when I ride it’s really comfy and i’m not sore afterwards. I’m not in any hurry to replace the saddle so now I can spend my pennies elsewhere on the bike.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
An attempt to start cycling
An attempt to start cycling!
After several months of saving I was finally able to go out and get a bike. I read up online about how I should go about choosing a bike and found the following advice was pretty much universal:- Go to a Local Bike Store (LBS)
- Decide what kind of riding you will be doing
- Get the best bike you can afford
- Incycle - San Dimas, Rancho Cucmonga
- Competitive Egde - Upland, Rancho Cucamonga
- Cyclery USA - Rancho Cucamonga
- Jenson USA - Chino Hills
- Coates - Pomona
I went into Competitve Edge in Rancho Cucamonga and Mark showed me a Giant Rapid 3. It’s an entry level road bike with a flat handle bar. I had compared it with several others and found the components on this bike were a bit better than others in it’s price range. I took it for a spin and found it pretty comfortable and decide to pick it up.
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