My joints couldn't take running anymore, and my wonderful wife got me a gift certificate at a bike store for Father's Day. I got a comfort bike, 24 speed, Schwinn Sporterra. And I love it. I find riding so damn relaxing. So that's my story. 1. Am i right that the correct term is "cyclist" rather than "biker?" 2. What is the best way to clean my helmet? I tried soap and water, but that didn't work as well as I'd hoped to clear out the accumulated sweat stench. 3. When I get over a half hour or so of riding, my haunches start to get numb. It's at the point where my thighs meet the seat. I can deal with it, but I'd rather not have to. I have the seat that came with the bike. Should I get a wider seat? Ride differently? Or is it unavoidable?
1. Bikers wear leather and ride motorcycles. Cyclist is correct until the point wear you wear too much gear and then 'poser' becomes more appropriate. 2. I've never washed out my helmet, but I am guessing soap and water is the way to go. 3. Try standing every once and a while. Stretch the hammies and return to the seat. Gives the blood a chance to return. You can play with the angle that your seat is on and the height and see if that helps any. You can try a new seat, but wider more cushioned seats will actually make the problem worse. Do you wear bike shorts when riding? Yes, the lycra kind. It is sort of unavoidable but you can do things to lessen it and/or your body will acclimate a bit.
That takes away what I find relaxing. semi No. That seems kind of poserish until I drop 10 pounds or so. again, semi The angle is flat, and I don't think it's adjustable; I looked.
Just stand for 10 seconds while coasting on a flat. Nothing poserish about basic black lycra bike shorts. Yes the moment you take one step away from the bike they look stupid, but they should be considered as basic as the water bottle. Road bikes allow you to move the seat around and change angles. Just a suggestion.
I did move the seat back, and that's helped that. (It's also pretty much eliminated the numbness I'd get in my hands.) I look again at the angle. I don't take a water bottle. I'm tough like that.
make sure you aren't locking your wrists, elbows and shoulders. Its something you need to get your body accustomed to. My wife and neighbor's wife rode 90 miles over three days earlier this summer on the Erie Canal bike path for a family trip and they had numbness for several days afterwards in the fingers from not being used to being in the saddle for so long.
1. Cyclist is better than biker. Doesn't confuse people. 2. If you have the kind of helmet with detachable pads, just wash the pads. They soak up all the sweat anyway. 3. Narrower saddles are better for circulation, but generally you get used to the saddle after a while and numbness isn't as frequent.
This post addresses most of your questions Dave. In addition to what others have posted, a good way to eliminate the odor issue in your helmet is to spray it with Lysol after each ride.......that or use better shampoo In regards to the varying numbness you mentioned did the shop fit you when you bought your bike? They should have and if they didn't you should go back and ask them to set you up. If they did fit you, take a six pack and ask them if they could refit you due to the aforementioned issues. In regards to the numbness in the hands...simply get in the habit of changing hand positions throughout your ride as well as shake them out from time to time. Changing gears, the lined baggies DF suggested are a good option though wearing tights is by far the best. It gives a freedom of movement like nothing else plus the compression helps keep your muscles happy. Most important advice is to have fun which is even easier when you have a consistent riding buddy. The miles roll by faster when you have someone to shoot the shit with.
Jens once was confused and accidentally rode a TdF stage twice. He won by five minutes. Jens had a testicle competition with Lance Armstrong. Jens won by four.
I did 13+ miles Saturday morning at 12.5 mph, and then 14 on Sunday morning at 13.9. Each ride was a little over an hour. Every Friday now, I start getting happy thinking about the weekend morning rides. 1. Great advice. Standing every once in a while was a big, big help. 2. I went ahead and got a $20 pair of bikers shorts. If I like 'em, I'll get another pair and wear each for a week and then wash one, wear the other. It was pretty perfunctory. At the time, I didn't want to spend much because I didn't know if I would like it. The only accessory I got was the helmet. Of course, I've since gone on to drop over $100 on a bike rack so my little kids can go to the park with me, the shorts, "cyclocomputer," toe clips, etc. I've noticed also that if I scoot back a bit in the seat, it feels alot better. I'm thinking of getting on facebook or something just to find some.
2) I've taken to keeping a box of fabric softener sheets in my garage. When I come home, I put one in my helmet. That seems to absorb the moisture and eat the stench. 3) Have you tried a seat pad? Hardcore cyclists seem to look down on them, but I'll take their disdain in order to not have my wang fall asleep. I have something like this. http://www.rei.com/product/686433?p...-FB85-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA And as for numb hands... I recently attached a pair of ergonomic hand grips and did around 40 miles with no numbness whatsoever, for the first time since... well, I think the NASL still existed the last time I road so long without my hands tingling... http://www.bicyclehero.com/us/ergon-gp1-sn-ergonomic-bicycle-hand-grip-bike-cycling.html
A while back I recommended the book Nixonland to him, and he pm'd me that he was going to get it. So I asked him how it was. Sorry for going OT in my own thread.