I need Bike Riding advice

[thinkfloyd14]

I ride a fixed gear and have recently started doing group rides with some friends and I have noticed that i'm one of the slowest and most tired out riders out there and it's killing me. I'm 19, 6 feet tall and weigh 135 punds, I'm skinny and some of the heavier people are burning me. Climbing hills is the worst, i'm dead after a big hill and there is nothing but hill downtown LA where we ride. I want to start training so that I could keep up with the pack. I have pretty low gearing right now at 48-20t, but a friend told me that spinning more will be better for my legs.

I just want someone to lay out a weekly plan for me so I can build my **** up.

I was thinking every other day monday thru friday or something along those lines i only have about 2 hours of free time every day.

Thanks

[nostatic]

a) get a bike with gears

b) do hill intervals, and preferably longer hill rides (foothills of pasadena, altadena, etc are great for that).

c) check if the rose bowl does pack rides every tue/thur like they used to. hop on the back and get spit out. Catch them the next time around. Repeat as necessary.

[VincentVega]

I ride a fixed gear

Climbing hills is the worst

You could always change to a different gear and/or chain ring so the hills are easier. But then, you might be a little slow on the flats.

[72doug2,2S]

That bike needs a motor.

[einreb]

Originally Posted by thinkfloyd14

I ride a fixed gear and have recently started doing group rides with some friends and I have noticed that i'm one of the slowest and most tired out riders out there and it's killing me. I'm 19, 6 feet tall and weigh 135 punds, I'm skinny and some of the heavier people are burning me. Climbing hills is the worst, i'm dead after a big hill and there is nothing but hill downtown LA where we ride. I want to start training so that I could keep up with the pack. I have pretty low gearing right now at 48-20t, but a friend told me that spinning more will be better for my legs.

I just want someone to lay out a weekly plan for me so I can build my **** up.

I was thinking every other day monday thru friday or something along those lines i only have about 2 hours of free time every day.

Thanks

Random thoughts...

Miles. Lots of miles. Those seemingly fat fuchers that can pound out the miles at a high rate have likely got tens of thousands of miles on their legs.

Spinning is good for you now if you can hold your ego in check. Rule of thumb is to put in an easy pace/high rpm of 1000 miles prior to doing any speed work.

Next step is to add in interval training and push that limit. There is another counterintuitive thing here... you either want to be 'all out' or recovering.

Typical group rides will likely involve long term in a high heart rate zone that wont push the envelope 'up'. You want to stair step up... push the edge for 45 seconds a minute, two minutes whatever... then drop down and recover completely. Then push again. A heart rate monitor can help with this. I often underestimate my heart rate on recovery (i.e. i need to wait longer so that when i 'push', i can go harder)

This is often SOLO work. Rarely will groups be doing what you need to do to get better. That being said, group rides are fun and motivating. Good technique will help... unless you are in a pace line, stay off the front if you are weaker. Stay in the front 1/3 to avoid the yo-yo or the rear of the pack.


cliff notes: lots of miles slow pace high rpm, then intervals mixed in with long rides.

[gr8fl4porsche]

Dump the single speed - there's a reason the bike industry switched to gears sometime after the turn of the 20th century.

Go clipless and work on your pedaling technique. Get your power from the upstroke as well as the down. Pedal in a very smooth rotation and learn to 'spin'. Mashing the pedals will wear you out instantly. Once you get a comfortable cadence, use the gears to keep that same cadence as the slope changes.

[look 171]

First off, are they riding the same fix gear bike like you. I never understand the fix gear thing on the street? Get some gears and start spinning. Count the rev per min. you should be at 100. You need to build base miles. Don't start getting in that rose bowl ride unless you know what you are doing in a group. Then, start riding the hills.

Most people think pumping big gears and getting rip legs will make you strong. Wrong, dead wrong.

[nostatic]

disagree somewhat on the group ride thinking. But it depends on the group. The pack at the Rose Bowl (at least used to) does 10 laps of a 3 mile loop with usually about 100 riders. It is *fast*. You're often on the envelope, especially if you're a newbie and don't know how to hang onto someone's wheel. But that is a skill that you *only* learn in a pack ride.

The other thing we used to do is have a small group (2-5) and race from the bottom of a hill course to the top. Chantry Flats was a fav - about a 3 mile climb.

But, depends on the group. If you're riding with casual sightseers, you won't get worked. If you're riding one of the many "training" group rides here in SoCal, you'll get beat up big time. And quickly acquire fitness if you have any ability.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by look 171

Don't start getting in that rose bowl ride unless you know what you are doing in a group. Then, start riding the hills.

Most people think pumping big gears and getting rip legs will make you strong. Wrong, dead wrong.

How do you learn what to do unless you do it? The advantage to the rose bowl ride is that you can hop on the back with the stragglers and slowly work up to getting skills and comfort. But it'll be frustrating. And it is dangerous...but such is life on two wheels.

Pumping big gears will make you strong. But it won't necessarily make you *fast*.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by nostatic

a) get a bike with gears

b) do hill intervals, and preferably longer hill rides (foothills of pasadena, altadena, etc are great for that).

c) check if the rose bowl does pack rides every tue/thur like they used to. hop on the back and get spit out. Catch them the next time around. Repeat as necessary.

I grew up riding the bowl and a few other club rides in the 80s and 90s. Did you do the Montrose ride? I quit in the late 90s when crashes were happenning every week with too many new riders.

Jeff

[teenerted1]

if your are doing group rides everyone needs to have simular gearing if you are all to stick together. either everyone on a fixed gear or you need to invest in a dereailleur system. if you ride in a hilly area sticking to a fixed/single speed is not the best choice.

fixed gear will help with your leg speed and is a good off season tool. but it shouldnt be your only bike.

[nostatic]

I did the Montrose ride once or twice. Wasn't my cup of tea...too many stupid young guys (hence the crashes). I raced cat 4 then cat 3 with LA Sherrifs for a couple seasons until a crash at the Bowl in '92 ended my career (permanent hip tendonitis). It was funny because the Pasadena club (PAA?) wouldn't take me...mostly I think because I was also vp of the Pasadena Mountain Bike Club and they didn't want dirt guys riding road with them.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I did the Montrose ride once or twice. Wasn't my cup of tea...too many stupid young guys (hence the crashes). I raced cat 4 then cat 3 with LA Sherrifs for a couple seasons until a crash at the Bowl in '92 ended my career (permanent hip tendonitis). It was funny because the Pasadena club (PAA?) wouldn't take me...mostly I think because I was also vp of the Pasadena Mountain Bike Club and they didn't want dirt guys riding road with them.

Wow, the Montrose is one of the safer rides out there locally, IMO. The bowl ride is nuts. Did you get to train with the big dogs when riding with the Sherrifs? Its been so long I forgot who were the big names that rode for them. I rode for PAA for a season in the late 80s when they were really small. I know all about you dirty mt bikers. I can never get into the montain bike thing. Can't retain myself to hang corners in the dirt. Had a real hard time. Did you hurrt yourself at the RoseBowl road race or the club ride?

Are you local to the Pasadena area? What other club rides did you go to? We might have cross path or ridding together over the years.

[look 171]

[QUOTE=nostatic;3812156]disagree somewhat on the group ride thinking. But it depends on the group. The pack at the Rose Bowl (at least used to) does 10 laps of a 3 mile loop with usually about 100 riders. It is *fast*. You're often on the envelope, especially if you're a newbie and don't know how to hang onto someone's wheel. But that is a skill that you *only* learn in a pack ride.

Wait until the big boys bring out the tandem during the height of the race season and they get a gap and and you are in it. You're up next to pull and its the 8th lap on the up hill side. Now that's fast.

[RWebb]

lottsa pasta before a ride - minimal sauce

and, yes, there is a reason why gears were invented... are the others on 1-spds too?

if so, and the pasta does not work, then up your vitamin and mineral intake - do not go crazy tho, more sald might be enough

[nostatic]

ahh yes...the Rodriguez brothers on the tandem. I remember those days.

I rode/raced with PMBC from '88 until about '92. Raced on the road '90-'92. I used to do the bowl most tuesdays and thursdays then a long mtn bike ride on the weekend ("death marches" as they were called).

My crash was just as I was coming into early season form on a tue or thur at the bowl. Last lap, going around the last turn I was up in about the front 30 riders, like 3 or 4 rows back. Somebody made a mistake in front, the guy right in front of me grabbed his brake and my front wheel went into his rear dropout and I was flying over the bars at a hair under 40mph. Landed on my left hip and elbow. Didn't break anything, lots of road rash and scrubbing with the noxious green antiseptic for the next few weeks. The problem is that it messed up my hip and I got tendonitis that never really went away. It would flare up for no reason and I couldn't sprint or really push on the bike. I rode on and off for a few years after that, but have been mostly off the past 6 or 7 years. Finally built up another road bike last weekend so I'm going to start commuting once or twice a week. Not really interested in racing any more...maybe

[Hugh R]

48/20 gear and your wondering why your getting your ass kicked on hills? Get a cluster and a derrailer. Eat some bananas on the ride, they help a lot.

[dzls rok]

i run a 39/18 combo. its a good ratio i can cruise at 20 or so on the flats and still be able to climb most of the hills. but that is when i'm in good form.

[Jim Bremner]

go see a good shop with someone well versed in bike fit.

the wrong fit will hold you back.

swim, as well as cycle.

get on a trainer for 20 minutes a day

[Laneco]

48/20 is going to destroy you in the hills trying to keep up with a geared bike. I think you could probably do pretty good on the flats and make a fabulous spin with that combo.

If you want to keep up with the group, get gears. The single speed makes for outstanding solo training, but on a hilly group rides, frankly it sucks. Still a good tool for group flat rides.

Cross training and core work is a solid idea but saddle time will make you faster. Lots of saddle time with fast people will make you lots faster. Also, take a look at how you are approaching the hill. Some of those old fat guys aren't just fast, they are smart. You'll never see them take a hard pull just before a hill (maybe a super short pull). Instead, they are letting the 19 year old guy burn into the wind towing their butts to the base, then they ride by. Used to happen to me all the time before I figured it out...

Darn mean old fast guys!
angela