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new to road biking - questions



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 20th 04, 05:49 PM
Bob
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Posts: n/a
Default 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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  #2  
Old March 20th 04, 06:40 PM
Hunrobe
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Posts: n/a
Default new to road biking - questions

"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...

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 hands start to hurt or they begin to get numb? Numbness is usually a
byproduct of poor fit- in the case of hand numbness it's usually too long of a
reach putting too much pressure on your hands- but you say the fit is
comfortable and that your hands *hurt*, not go numb. How hard are you gripping
the hoods? A 15 - 20 minute long death grip will cause some discomfort. Ideally
you should just be resting your hands lightly on the hoods. Another
possibility, assuming you wear them, is poor glove fit. Without further
information it's impossible to address the question in any but very general
terms.

You'll gain confidence as you ride more miles but in the meantime, 23mm or even
20mm tires are actually *less* likely to "let go" on pavement than 1.75" knobby
MTB tires. Loose sand, etc can cause you to lose traction but in terms of
g-forces a properly inflated smooth tread 23mm road tire will outcorner a
knobby of the same compound every time. I hope that helps ease your mind.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

  #3  
Old March 20th 04, 06:58 PM
Dan Daniel
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Posts: n/a
Default 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.

  #4  
Old March 20th 04, 11:22 PM
David L. Johnson
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Posts: n/a
Default 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.
(_)/ (_) |


  #5  
Old March 21st 04, 02:08 AM
Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old March 21st 04, 06:08 AM
R15757
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old March 22nd 04, 04:21 PM
Pbwalther
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old March 23rd 04, 03:30 AM
Frank Knox
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Posts: n/a
Default 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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