my ride today

I am basically a long distance runner who has moved to riding a bike
about once a week to keep the pounding down. I have in the past and I
wanted to post this for a bit of feedback for someone who is into biking
as this group is most of the time. I have rode bike a Mercier I bought
in July and I love it have about 300 miles on it. I did my longest ride
today it was beautiful day but a little winding from the west. I went
out 14 miles into a side/headwind it about 55 minutes then I turned
around and what a blast. I went for the next 13 miles at a pace around
21 mph on my garmin gps. I find it similar to the feeling I had when I
first ran for over 1 hours straight with no stops. This of course was 25
years ago but now on the bike I enjoy the same feeling. I guess my
question relates to what other do. I rode 27 miles today in 1 hour and
35 minutes and I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me. I also found my neck was a bit sore from
looking around and using my review mirror at times. I was only on county
roads but I hate cars an trucks it is best to be in deserted rodes for
speed.

I find at 47 my sense of danger in speed is conservative and my balance
is not what it was 20 years ago. I guess I could have easily road 50
miles it some sense although my butt would be sore. I should mention I
did run 9 miles in the morning before this bike ride or it would have
been faster and better. I feel like a lone eagle out on the rode and
would appreciate any thoughts on what someone does for a work out. I
normally ride my bike about 20 miles at a shot once a week but I am
finding I really would need to go for a ride of about 50 miles to see
the limits are what my body responds to.

I started a thread some month ago asking about a Mercier bike and I have
to say it has been great no problems, no flats, I did lub the chain
today for the first time and I noticed a difference.

--

Mark Cleary plays Hollenbeck Jazz Guitars
Handmade http://hollenbeckguitar.com/

Per Mark Cleary:
and I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me. I also found my neck was a bit sore from
looking around and using my review mirror at times. I was only on county
roads but I hate cars an trucks it is best to be in deserted rodes for
speed.

I find at 47 my sense of danger in speed is conservative and my balance
is not what it was 20 years ago. I guess I could have easily road 50
miles it some sense although my butt would be sore. I should mention I
did run 9 miles in the morning before this bike ride or it would have
been faster and better. I feel like a lone eagle out on the rode

I used to ride a lot on the roads. Was doing the 88 miles to
Long Beach Island in under four hours at one time. Used to race
Philadelphia rush-hour traffic 23 miles to and from work 3 days a
week.

Then cell phones came along..... and then text messaging and
email.

Dunno about my sense of danger in speed - because I can't get
that much speed up anymore.... but my sense of danger on roads
where motor vehicles are closing on me at 50+ is greatly
heightened..... so I don't do that anymore.

MTB for me. It's not for everybody, but if you live someplace
where you can get the desired miles in off-pavement - or at least
away from cars - I'd recommend at least giving it a try.

Besides everybody ought to have at *least* two bikes..... -)
--
PeteCresswell

On Nov 4, 4:31 pm, Mark Cleary wrote:

snip

I guess my
question relates to what other do. I rode 27 miles today in 1 hour and
35 minutes and I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me. I also found my neck was a bit sore from
looking around and using my review mirror at times. I was only on county
roads but I hate cars an trucks it is best to be in deserted rodes for
speed.

I find at 47 my sense of danger in speed is conservative and my balance
is not what it was 20 years ago.

I ride 25 miles back and forth to work, along the shoulder of country
roads and four-lane highway. It takes around 90 minutes each way -
more like 80 minutes if the wind doesn't hurt me and I've got my mojo
working - I think I made it in about 75 minutes a few times.

I remember one of the first times - at age 46 - I was coming down this
long hill on the highway. The bike is a modest, entry-level steel
road bike, more than 20 years old, purchased in used condition, and
with which I wasn't very familiar with yet. Cars passing there go
60-70+ mph. At speed going down that hill, I distinctly remember
thinking that a guy could really get messed up if he wiped out, and
felt a little fear (which was a remarkably odd feeling considering
that in my younger days I could never seem to go too fast on
anything).

Before long, though, I got over the fear, came to know and love the
bike, trued the wheels a little better and other massaging to better
stabilize the bike, and now that downhill is an opportunity to sit up,
rest a bit and drink some water - weaving no-handed around roadkill
and chunks of debris. (This can still be a bit unnerving when a big
truck blasts by me, though, and sometimes I'll grab the handlebars if
I hear one coming up behind me :-)

Mark Cleary wrote:
I am basically a long distance runner who has moved to riding a bike
about once a week to keep the pounding down. I have in the past and I
wanted to post this for a bit of feedback for someone who is into biking
as this group is most of the time. I have rode bike a Mercier I bought
in July and I love it have about 300 miles on it. I did my longest ride
today it was beautiful day but a little winding from the west. I went
out 14 miles into a side/headwind

I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me. I also found my neck was a bit sore from
looking around and using my review mirror at times. I was only on county
roads but I hate cars an trucks it is best to be *in deserted rodes for
speed.

I find at 47 my sense of danger in speed is conservative and my balance
is not what it was 20 years ago. I guess I could have easily road 50
miles it some sense although my butt would be sore. I should mention I
did run 9 miles in the morning before this bike ride or it would have
been faster and better.


Sounds like you're having fun. Try to keep it that way.

The neck and saddle soreness will likely ease as you do more riding.
Or you may need to tweak your fit by adjusting the saddle position,
handlebar height and reach.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

You seem very focused on speed and distance. I would suggest that at
this point, you take it easy, and increase your distance and speed
gradually. If your main reason for cycling is to augment your running
routine, you'll want to ride fast enough to get your heart rate up.
But speed isn't always directly related to effort as you found out.
Hills and wind make a big difference.

You will get a pretty good workout if you just ride for the fun of it.
Forget the GPS, and enjoy the scenery. The more you ride, the more
confident you'll feel on the bike even at higher speeds and in
traffic. The main thing is to stay relaxed, and not have a death grip
on the bars. This is supposed to be fun! The more you enjoy riding,
the more miles you'll do.

Art Harris

On Nov 5, 10:25*am, Art Harris wrote:

snip

The more you ride, the more
confident you'll feel on the bike even at higher speeds and in
traffic. The main thing is to stay relaxed, and not have a death grip
on the bars. This is supposed to be fun! The more you enjoy riding,
the more miles you'll do.

While I agree, I'd add that confidence doesn't mean you won't wreck.
My last (and one of my very few) on road crashes was the result of
confidence. I was riding my first real full-blown road bike, with
dual compound tires that had very grippy sidewalls. I'd leaned it
quite far playing around in parking lots and such, and on a
particularly frisky ride decided to push my limits through some hilly
backroads. The front tire ended up washing out on me in full lean, at
high speed. No big deal, as far as crashes go it was quite minor, and
I have been through the same turn at similar speeds since. Just
saying confidence doesn't always mean you'll be crash-free. I forget
if it was leaves or sand, but there was something in the road that day
and by the time I saw it I was going too fast and turning too hard to
do anything about it. Oops

On Nov 4, 6:31 pm, Mark Cleary wrote:
I guess I could have easily road 50
miles it some sense although my butt would be sore.
Sore butt was biggest limiting factor for me - once I replaced
stock saddle with Brooks B17 that problem disappeared. I ride
steel touring bike so green with copper rails B17 looks very
much in sync with rest of the bike. The other problem that
plague me at first was pain between my shoulder blades. But
after couple visitis to bike fitting at LBS and getting it
right eventually that disappeared too. Glad to see jazzers
hammering out there.

On Nov 4, 6:31 pm, Mark Cleary wrote:
I did lub the chain
today for the first time and I noticed a difference.

I clean and oil the chain every 3-4 rides. Maybe that is
overkill but alternative (stretched chain and prematurely
worn cassette is worth it). Plus I just like fiddling around
my bike - and the whole process of putting oil in it is a
bit like religious ceremony - it splits the time between
non-bike time and on-bike time - it is a preparation and
anticipation ;-) Just allows you to focus better when you
are riding. That is why I like doing it.

On Nov 4, 5:31 pm, Mark Cleary wrote:
I am basically a long distance runner who has moved to riding a bike
about once a week to keep the pounding down. I have in the past and I
wanted to post this for a bit of feedback for someone who is into biking
as this group is most of the time. I have rode bike a Mercier I bought
in July and I love it have about 300 miles on it. I did my longest ride
today it was beautiful day but a little winding from the west. I went
out 14 miles into a side/headwind it about 55 minutes then I turned
around and what a blast. I went for the next 13 miles at a pace around
21 mph on my garmin gps. I find it similar to the feeling I had when I
first ran for over 1 hours straight with no stops. This of course was 25
years ago but now on the bike I enjoy the same feeling. I guess my
question relates to what other do. I rode 27 miles today in 1 hour and
35 minutes and I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me.,,,


Try riding your road bike on dirt for a while, will aid greatly in
balance and stability.

SJM wrote:

Sore butt was biggest limiting factor for me - once I replaced
stock saddle with Brooks B17 that problem disappeared. I ride
steel touring bike so green with copper rails B17 looks very much
in sync with rest of the bike.

I had a B17 turn green but it was mostly due to being stored in a
damp area.

The rivets on my Brooks saddles turned green in use from sweat. I
didn't sit back far enough to rub them shiny, but then the leather
cracked on the edge of the steel yoke and I retired Brooks forever.

I have a collection of metal Brooks labels from many early attempts at
finding a durable one.

Jobst Brandt

In article ,
Mark Cleary wrote:

I am basically a long distance runner who has moved to riding a bike
about once a week to keep the pounding down. I have in the past and I
wanted to post this for a bit of feedback for someone who is into biking
as this group is most of the time. I have rode bike a Mercier I bought
in July and I love it have about 300 miles on it. I did my longest ride
today it was beautiful day but a little winding from the west. I went
out 14 miles into a side/headwind it about 55 minutes then I turned
around and what a blast. I went for the next 13 miles at a pace around
21 mph on my garmin gps. I find it similar to the feeling I had when I
first ran for over 1 hours straight with no stops. This of course was 25
years ago but now on the bike I enjoy the same feeling. I guess my
question relates to what other do. I rode 27 miles today in 1 hour and
35 minutes and I could basically ride much longer no problems with being
tired or wipe out but going faster with the wind was scary. I find at 25
mph and any sudden gust of wind are a bit of a balance problem and I get
thinking this is fast to me. I also found my neck was a bit sore from
looking around and using my review mirror at times. I was only on county
roads but I hate cars an trucks it is best to be in deserted rodes for
speed.

I find at 47 my sense of danger in speed is conservative and my balance
is not what it was 20 years ago. I guess I could have easily road 50
miles it some sense although my butt would be sore. I should mention I
did run 9 miles in the morning before this bike ride or it would have
been faster and better. I feel like a lone eagle out on the rode and
would appreciate any thoughts on what someone does for a work out. I
normally ride my bike about 20 miles at a shot once a week but I am
finding I really would need to go for a ride of about 50 miles to see
the limits are what my body responds to.

I started a thread some month ago asking about a Mercier bike and I have
to say it has been great no problems, no flats, I did lub the chain
today for the first time and I noticed a difference.

Bicycle handling is a skill that can be improved.
Practice riding a straight line at all speeds.
Observe what makes you deviate from a straight line.
Do not judge. Happy trails.

--
Michael Press