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#1
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3 simple bike questions
Hi, I am somewhat of a beginner in biking, and I have 3 simple
questions that hopefully someone can help me with. I have a Trek 1000 and have put about 500 miles on it so far. 1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in, so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct to me. I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or what? 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information about what would go best with a Trek 1000? 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach? Thank you very much for any input you can provide. |
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#2
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3 simple bike questions
billy d. Wrote: 1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in, so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct to me. There is definitally something wrong. I have the same components and can shift to all rear gears from all front rings although with some occational chain rubbing. You should get the LBS to fix this. I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or what? Never call your ride cheap. As long as it works right you should never feel that your riding a "cheap" bike. Always remember "It's not about the bike". 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information about what would go best with a Trek 1000? Clipless pedals are very nice and should help you ride better. It's not what's best for your bike but what your personal preferance is and budget, all pedal will work on your bike. Some pedals are easier to clip in/out of so you should talk to your LBS to get some advise when you take your bike back to get those gears fixed. 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach? Sounds like you just need to work on building a base, you probably are trying too much too soon. I would just stay below 40 miles for a while and gradually increase your distance. As for eating while on the ride I like to carry water, gel packs, and on longer rides a Cliff Bar. Be sure to drink around 1 liter of water every hour and around 1 ounce of gel evry 30 minutes or so. I only use the enery bar when I've ridden really hard for over an hour or if I've ridden a moderate pace for over 2 hours. Hope this helps. Dan -- BanditManDan |
#3
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3 simple bike questions
BanditManDan wrote in message ...
billy d. Wrote: 1. I think there is something wrong with my gears, but I wanted to get a second opinion. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in, so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct to me. There is definitally something wrong. I have the same components and can shift to all rear gears from all front rings although with some occational chain rubbing. You should get the LBS to fix this. I know that I have somewhat of a cheap bike, so I do not expect too much. Can someone tell me if I should take the bike to my bikeshop, or what? Never call your ride cheap. As long as it works right you should never feel that your riding a "cheap" bike. Always remember "It's not about the bike". 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information about what would go best with a Trek 1000? Clipless pedals are very nice and should help you ride better. It's not what's best for your bike but what your personal preferance is and budget, all pedal will work on your bike. Some pedals are easier to clip in/out of so you should talk to your LBS to get some advise when you take your bike back to get those gears fixed. 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach? Sounds like you just need to work on building a base, you probably are trying too much too soon. I would just stay below 40 miles for a while and gradually increase your distance. As for eating while on the ride I like to carry water, gel packs, and on longer rides a Cliff Bar. Be sure to drink around 1 liter of water every hour and around 1 ounce of gel evry 30 minutes or so. I only use the enery bar when I've ridden really hard for over an hour or if I've ridden a moderate pace for over 2 hours. Hope this helps. Dan Hi Dan, thank you very much for your advice, it was exactly what I was looking for. I took the bike in today, and it feels brand new. Its the first time I have had the full spectrum of gears to use instead of just 5 or 6. |
#4
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3 simple bike questions
"billy d." wrote:
1. When my front gear is on the medium cog, there is only one rear gear I can be in so that the change does not rub against the rear derailer. Plus, that one gear is very difficult to pedal in, so there is a huge jump in difficulty from that gear to the previous easy gear (small front cog, small rear cog). This doesn't seem correct to me. Normally, you will shift the rear gears much more often than the front, and the changes in pedaling difficulty when shifting rear cogs will be small. The gears on the front are called chainrings. When approaching a steep uphill, you will shift into the small chainring, and you may also have to shift the rear a cog or two to get a comfortable gear ratio. Most of your riding should be on the middle chainring, and the chain shouldn't rub. You may have a "trim" feature on your front shifter to tweak the front derailleur so it doesn't rub the chain. You say the chain rubs against the REAR derailleur. That definitely shouldn't happen. Take the bike to the shop you got it from and have them either fix it or show you what you're doing wrong. It doesn't matter if the bike is inexpensive, this shouldn't happen. Also, you shouldn't use the small/small and large/large front/rear combinations because that puts the chain at an extreme angle. Use the small front ring with the three largest rear cogs. Use the middle front ring with the middle three rear cogs. And use the big front ring with the smaller rear cogs. 2. I hate the clip pedals on this bike, so I would like to buy some new pedals, however I am completely ignorant in this area. If I buy clipless pedals, I'm guess I need to get some of those cleats that clip onto the pedal, correct? Can someone provide me with information about what would go best with a Trek 1000? Get Shimano SPD pedals such as the Model PD-M520. Those are double sided pedals and are pretty easy to use. The cleats will come with the pedals. Then get cycling shoes that will work with those pedals (i.e., drilled and recessed for those cleats) such as the Lake MX-101. 3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach? Snack every 15 miles or so, and drink even more often. Bring a sandwich (peanut butter & jelly is popular), packs of Fig Newtons, bananas, granola bars, etc. Eat before you get hungry. Or stop at a deli an buy a sandwich or muffin. Drink plenty of liquids too. If you're not racing, you don't need to eat while you ride. Pull over and take a rest break. Art Harris |
#5
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3 simple bike questions
On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:56:29 +0000, Arthur Harris wrote:
Get Shimano SPD pedals such as the Model PD-M520. Those are double sided pedals and are pretty easy to use. The cleats will come with the pedals. Then get cycling shoes that will work with those pedals (i.e., drilled and recessed for those cleats) such as the Lake MX-101. As I posted before in this group--if you want to try out clipless on the cheap then the Nashbar Road shoes + ATB pedal is a great bet. SPD compatible. Shoes made by Lake and rebranded. Comfy and Classic. Pedals made by Wellgo and also rebranded--same as one of the Ritchey models.They work and if you hate them--you're only out twenty bucks. LOL. Total cost: $53 USD If you get the same shoes, but with the Lake logo and similar entry level Shimano pedals, you'll pay well over $100. |
#7
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3 simple bike questions
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#8
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3 simple bike questions
(Tom Keats) wrote in message ...
And maybe I'll try to design something cherry-filled, with filo pastry. http://www2.csr.com.au/SUGAR/wwwrsg....9?OpenDocument or http://tinyurl.com/6lr5l Warm Regards, Claire Petersky Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm |
#9
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3 simple bike questions
In article ,
(Claire Petersky) writes: http://www2.csr.com.au/SUGAR/wwwrsg....9?OpenDocument or http://tinyurl.com/6lr5l Boy, that sounds good. I like that it calls for real cherries rather than that heavily sugared, canned pie filling stuff. I got into this train of thought by trying to figure out a convenient cherry delivery system for riding -- one that obviates having to deal with the pits. I know if I just spat the pits out, sooner or later I'd accidentally shoot one, with split-second precision, through somebody's open car window. cheers, Tom -- -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#10
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3 simple bike questions
"Claire Petersky" wrote ...
For me, 50 miles is the knee in the curve for long rides. If I can do 50 miles, I can do a century. So this is worth exploring. If you can get past that 40 mile mark, you could probably do a day-long ride. The only time I tried a century I made it to a Metric Century (about 66 miles) before totally bonking ... but then I was on a "department store bike" at the time (and using that to commute to work 4 or 5 times a week) Could not pedal a single foot further ... SAG car finally picked me up and when we got back I could NOT get out of the car without help ... but a quick massage worked wonders. Maybe one of these days (when I have a real "road" bike) I'll try it again. Richard in Boston, MA, USA |
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