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new to road biking - questions
I just got started in road biking after a while riding a mountain bike and I
have some questions. First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I guess as I get used to my my bike that nervousness should go away? Any comments? |
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new to road biking - questions
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#3
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new to road biking - questions
On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 16:49:00 GMT, "Bob"
wrote: I just got started in road biking after a while riding a mountain bike and I have some questions. First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... Gloves. Move your hands around. That's the major point of drop handlebars. If there was only one 'right' place to hold your hands, racers wouldn't carry the extra tubing- it would be long gone. Depending on what is happening on the road, I spend a fair amount of time just back from the hoods. It's a quick move to get to the brake levers, but I don't have the hoods jammed between my thumb and finger all the time. And relax!! Really- keep your hands and shoulders loose. Especially over bumpy roads- lift your weight off of your hands just a touch and let them float over the bars when going over bumps. Don't do a death grip and have every bump of the road transmitted straight into your hands. This isn't mountain biking where a tight grip can be necessary to deal with rocks, rapidly changing soils, etc. Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I guess as I get used to my my bike that nervousness should go away? Any comments? You can get wider tires, if your frame will take them. 25-28mm is much better than 23mm for most road riding. Sand on the roads is best taken straight and level. And again- relaxed. With the wet turn, did the tires have knobs? These are not good for road riding- you are losing and gaining road contact in an erratic fashion, and you aren't going to get full contact with the road. If you are nervous, slow down for now. And slow down *before* turns or hazards. Braking in the middle of sand or turns is a tricky thing. After more time on the road you'll get a feel for the tires and bike. Mountain biking and road biking require some different techniques. In general, road biking is much more relaxed and 'fluid' and doesn't use your whole body working in different directions at the same time. |
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new to road biking - questions
On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 16:49:00 +0000, Bob wrote:
I just got started in road biking after a while riding a mountain bike and I have some questions. First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... I*develop pretty stiff callouses between those fingers during the warmer months. Oddly, during the winter it goes away, probably due to the heavier gloves. Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. It does take time to get over the nerves you get from a crash. The tires themselves aren't going to increase your risk -- as long as you are riding on roads. Sand and gravel, along with other hazards, can get any tire. You learn what is a problem and what isn't, as time goes on. Hopefully most of that you learn the easy, rather than hard, way. -- David L. Johnson __o | Accept risk. Accept responsibility. Put a lawyer out of _`\(,_ | business. (_)/ (_) | |
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new to road biking - questions
Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding
such skinny tires. It's quite possible your nervousness is at the root of your comfort issues. When you're tense and not relaxed, you're much less comfortable when riding. When I fit people, the #1 thing I'm looking for is the cyclist looking relaxed. So a combination of inappropriate fit plus your apprehension about the "skinny" tires could be causing your trouble. It's possible that something as simple as changing the tilt of the handlebars could make a *huge* difference in the discomfort you're feeling in your hands. It's also possible that your seat might be tilted down at the nose, which shoves you towards the handlebar (which means you're spending your entire time on the bike pushing back with your hands). --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com "Bob" wrote in message et... I just got started in road biking after a while riding a mountain bike and I have some questions. First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I guess as I get used to my my bike that nervousness should go away? Any comments? |
#6
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new to road biking - questions
First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... Since you say your position feels comfortable and you don't think you're putting too much pressure forward, your problem sounds like too-tight gloves. Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I guess as I get used to my my bike that nervousness should go away? Any comments? Your injury is a common cycling injury from a common type of accident. The good news is that now you are not likely to suffer that same fate very often, because you will be watching for it. Maybe when you wiped out the first time you didn't even notice the sand on the road. Now you will be scanning the surface for debris when you corner. Experience, they call it. In addition to sand and gravel watch for wet leaves, wet smooth Portland cement, wet metal, longitudinal control joints, wet lane lines and crosswalk markers. Robert |
#7
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new to road biking - questions
First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on
the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. Well, this really shouldn't happen. Wearing padded gloves helps and having some padded tape on the handle bars helps. Also moving the hands around and changing positions helps. You can still ride about 80% of the time in your favorite position. You just need to move the hands to another position let them get a break every now and then. Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Well, me too. But if you are riding straight through the stuff, you should be fine unless it is pretty deep. Now making a high speed turn on sand is pretty dicey. But that is a different thing. If you don't like really skinny tires, well go with the next size up. Around here almost everyone rides 20 mm even really big guys. I ride 25 mm (I am pretty large and do a lot of miles). And I don't want to worry about a stinkin' tire. |
#8
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new to road biking - questions
"Bob" wrote in message et... I just got started in road biking after a while riding a mountain bike and I have some questions. First - my bike seems quite comfortable to me and my hands naturally ride on the hoods. But after a while - 15-20 mins or so -they start to hurt, especially the area between the thumb and the first finger. I'm assuming this is just because riding like this is new to me. I don't notice that I'm putting a lot of forward pressure on the hoods - I seem to be comfortable, but maybe I'm just not used to having something between my thumb and first finger. Do you think this will go away after I get some time on the bike or what? Maybe I need to build up my hands or something... Second - after riding a mountain bike, I am kind of nervous about riding such skinny tires. I am worried that they will slip out from under me or something. I've ridden over the sand and stuff in the road left over from winter and am still alive, but it gets me nervous riding over that stuff. Last summer I wiped out on my mountain bike taking a turn too fast on a wet road and separated my shoulder, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I guess as I get used to my my bike that nervousness should go away? Any comments? I don't mean to give a flip answer, so don't take it that way. Why don't you raise your stem and get wider tires? |
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