RoadBike Cycling Enthusiasts

[misslinda]

Hi I'm very interested in getting know more about roadbike cycling. I'm a long distance runner who is right now in injury status but once I make the comeback, I would like to start road biking. I did have an opportunity to meet Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's coach/trainer who wrote "the lance armstrong 12 weeks program" in 2001 and still have the itch to start up. I'd love to hear from dedicated road bike cyclist about their training, gear and performance.


"Livestrong,"
linda :)

[Ptrish In Tennessee]

do you already have a bike? i got myself one an awesome road and/also offroad kinda hybrid bike, if you will... i wanted to ride with my boys, ended up enjoying by myself as well (it's for pleasure more than for training)... anyway, the bike i got was/is awesome for my needs... i would ride 2 miles to the trail, do my run and ride my bike back home... turns out the ride to and from was very hilly and this bike was very "accommodating" ... end result of this was an enjoyable ride (not by any means a training session) and stronger leg muscles which helped my run... a very nice combo, in my opinion... i know this is not what you were asking... but just thought i would send my thoughts.... have a great nite !!! ;)
Carol

[misslinda]

Carol Carol,

I don't have a bike yet--as a runner, I've always been biast about running-- as "THE SPORT." Kind of an ego thing.....well I've graduated and would like to venture out.

Did you cutomize your bike (have it fitted)? What brand do you have and are you happy with it? What do you notice about glute muscles? I have read varying opinions about the glute and quad muscle whether it tones or increases mass? What is your experience?

"Livestrong"
Linda :)

[Ptrish In Tennessee]

i have a Trek Navigator www.trekbike.com with the "comfort ride" seat... never a sore butt !!! i absolutely LOVE it... it is perfect for what i want... i do believe it can be pushed more than i push it... as far as my glutes and quads? i don't think i ride it enough to give it any more credit than strengthening those muscles... no complaint here.. it is a perfect compliment to/for my running...i do believe it helped my running quite a bit... and no, .it wasn't custom made for me... but it was fitted to me... it was an "off the rack" model :) that i got at a great bike shop in CT after i did a bunch of research on the net and kinda new what i wanted... it was between this one (the Trek) and another, but for the life of me i can't remember what the other brand was... anyway, the guy in the shop measured and fitted and watched me ride it and adjusted some more... so it felt great, it works great !!


Carol

[misslinda]

I love treks......I wanted the "bad boy" back in 2001 but anyhow, I found out that becuase I am short, I will have to have mine custom made........which means ALOT more money $$$. how much did you pay for yours carol?


"Livestrong,"
Linda

[Ptrish In Tennessee]

Linda, it was around $500.00, i think, maybe a bit less...and you could always put wood blocks on the pedals and sit on a phone book ;) (sorry) never had to deal with being short...

and, i did alot of looking /researching on the net when i was in the market... narrowed it down and really, really love this bike... like i said, it meets my needs for a street bike, durable and smooth riding.... very comfortable!

Carol

[misslinda]

hey your right, the phonebook idea is economical!


"LIVESTRONG,"

LINDA :)

[SamL]

I bike, a comfortable seat is a must.

As with running you can control your quad/glute/ calf development by choosing endurance/long distance for a longer leaner toned look or
short bursts of high intensity/sprints for more size.

I personally love endurance/long distance, now and again I get the urge and give it all I've got until I can't anymore, running or cycling, I get a rush out of it.

If you've got the itch, warm up, be safe and enjoy yourself, since you will be out of recovery, take it slow until you build your strength back up to where it was before. It's nice to move around a lot faster than running, you can cover a lot more ground. I love to put my music on and cruise, only a good idea where you know it's a long road, and you don't have to watch for traffic turning. The music helps me to stop freaking out whenever a car passes.

[misslinda]

Saml and Carol,

"If," you've owned more than one roadbike, which was your favorite and why?

Good to know about the long/endurance ride for longer leaner muscles--I would bulk fast if I did short sprints as I have in cycling class in the past!

Do you two wear the cleats?

[misslinda]

I'm trying to educate myself as much as possible for the appropriate gear and bike.....if anyone else needs assitance, here is one of many sites, I found helpful.

http://www.roadcycling.com/

[AutumnBreezColordLeavz]

Hi I'm very interested in getting know more about roadbike cycling. I'm a long distance runner who is right now in injury status but once I make the comeback, I would like to start road biking. I did have an opportunity to meet Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's coach/trainer who wrote "the lance armstrong 12 weeks program" in 2001 and still have the itch to start up. I'd love to hear from dedicated road bike cyclist about their training, gear and performance.
"Livestrong,"
linda :)

misslinda,
Womens cycling site: www.teamestrogen.com
No kidding...it is an online store and has a very good forum to learn from. I just got my road bike saturday and bought some clothes from there as well. My husband loves jensonusa, they are quick. I will find out how quick teamestrogen is soon.
Other places for clothes/equipment as you will want the breathable sweat absorbing clothes.
www.primalwear.com
www.jensonusa.com
www.performancebike.com

[misslinda]

AutumnBreez thank you so much for the sites--I'll check them out.

I'm making great progress on recovery so I'd imagine lite biking will be okay down the near future. The long distance running will be another year down the road---as I do miss it like crazy since it was my true love. IT's going to be interstesting going from avid long distance runner to road biking.

Funny, but as a runner, I used to twitch at cyclist "that's not a real sport!" OOPS--knock on wood.


lance will win TF again!
Linda :)

[misslinda]

I'm getting the Lance itch--he'll be taking on Tour de France again! June is just around the corner so here's a little tribute to the bike boy.


"Go Lance...bring the yellow jersey home !!!"




http://www.lancearmstrong.com/about_photos.htm

[creaky]

What about a kickbike? I haven't tried on but boy do they look fun! Kickbiking is a competitive sport in Europe and you can see the kickbikes at www.kickbikeusa.com and there is a kickbike group at yahoo groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KickbikeUSA/.

I ride my bike (a Trek 7200 hybrid/comfort bike) to work 3-4 times a week. It's about a 10 mile ride one way. It was very hard when I first started as I was around 250 lbs and very out of shape. That was two years ago. This year I got serious about my eating by dropping processed foods out of my diet to lower my blood pressure and watching my calories. Now I'm at 200 lbs and going down. I turned to raw foods at it seemed the natural way to do. I'll see if I can still do it during the winter, but southern California winters aren't that bad! The bike ride is much easier and the killer hills are now much easier to go up.

Christy

[misslinda]

Hey Christy! That kickbike sounds intersting--gonna have to look into that :)

Well folks, Lance sucks right now or better yet..............."His teammates suck for not keeping up to assist him!!!!!!! "



Pray for Lance,
ML