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Any road bikers?

#162
Had the state games time trial yesterday. I won my age division because the other guys didn't show up. I know I would have beaten one of them. Hadn't heard of the other guy. 4th fastest of cat 4, 5th fastest time of the day, beat a cat 3.

Decent effort on my part. I think it was a bit more windy since I was putting in more effort with a slightly slower average speed. There's just enough climbing that perhaps my HED H3D wheel is heavier than it is fast. Was also in Las Vegas the previous weekend, which kinda threw off my workout routine. It was about a 20 minute course and I couldn't seem to get above my 30 minute effort.

I heard they're hosting the national games on that course next Summer. I could see myself doing alright if I focus on that event.
 
#163
Bocete said:
As a newbie to biking, I'd like to upgrade my hybrid to a road bike. I'm under a budget and would certainly get a better value on Craigslist. However, I don't really know what I'm looking for, or how to recognize a good deal. I feel kinda overwhelmed whenever I check the ads. Any advice?
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I did the same three years ago. Hybrid to road bike. You need proper fit for a road bike. I bought a new bike and paid for a custom fit by a pro, at my local bike shop.

To buy used without knowing what size bike you need and how it should be adjusted is a mystery.
 
#164
Bocete said:
As a newbie to biking, I'd like to upgrade my hybrid to a road bike. I'm under a budget and would certainly get a better value on Craigslist. However, I don't really know what I'm looking for, or how to recognize a good deal. I feel kinda overwhelmed whenever I check the ads. Any advice?
Click to expand...
Do you know what size you ride? Probably your best bet is to look for a more recent aluminum frame from one of the bigger manufacturers. Shimano 105 components are all you will ever need, there are cheaper Shimano groups, but 105 is basically perfect in every way. SRAM is good as well, I've never ridden it personally though.

Go to the competitive cyclist website and do their fit calculator to figure out some general measurements to look for. Then when you find a bike that interests you google a geometry chart to see how the numbers relate.
 
#165
spade2you said:
Yeah, unfortunately. I resisted getting a Specialized BG fit for a few years. Was having a little butt pain, some knee pain, and a lot of foot pain. A lot of it was with my cleats. I have a funky angle on my right cleat, which fixed all of my problems. Wish I did it sooner.
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I considered Specialized bike fit too but with the current amount of money I spent on biking, I am literally broke.

I was having pain in the groin area, it wasn't too bad but still, it wad bad.

I adjusted the saddle higher yesterday and didn't have any groin pain at all.

But knees are so bad that I can't walk properly, it's like the times before phisical theraphy.:atoz:
 
#166
machine gewehr said:
I considered Specialized bike fit too but with the current amount of money I spent on biking, I am literally broke.

I was having pain in the groin area, it wasn't too bad but still, it wad bad.

I adjusted the saddle higher yesterday and didn't have any groin pain at all.

But knees are so bad that I can't walk properly, it's like the times before phisical theraphy.:atoz:
Click to expand...

Try pedaling faster - less strain on your knees. I've been working on fitting the bike better and changing my pedaling cadence to reduce knee pain. Use speed to get you moving, and don't muscle yourself down the road. Since I made the conscious effort to use the gears more effectively the knee pain has been almost eliminated.
 
#167
carl h. said:
Try pedaling faster - less strain on your knees. I've been working on fitting the bike better and changing my pedaling cadence to reduce knee pain. Use speed to get you moving, and don't muscle yourself down the road. Since I made the conscious effort to use the gears more effectively the knee pain has been almost eliminated.
Click to expand...

I've been working on my cadence for the last 2 months.

Being an ex MTB'er I wasn't paying attention to cadence on the road bike and I was given the same advice as you did.

That was the best advice I was given considering cycling. 3 months ago my knees were hurting a lot, after the cadence training I felt like my knees were completely healed. I am able to climb some short distance ramps without dropping cadence down on an easy on the knees gear.

I told my brother my experience who is also new to road biking and encouraged him to work on his cadence too.

2 days after going clipless, pain is back. I am either doing something very wrong or the cleat position is very wrong (or both ) and as I understand a single milimeter can change the whole experience.

Thanks for the advice.
 
#168
carl h. said:
Try pedaling faster - less strain on your knees. I've been working on fitting the bike better and changing my pedaling cadence to reduce knee pain. Use speed to get you moving, and don't muscle yourself down the road. Since I made the conscious effort to use the gears more effectively the knee pain has been almost eliminated.
Click to expand...

Without a perfectly dialed in fit, high cadence is simply more of the wrong pedaling amplified.
 
#169
machine gewehr said:
I considered Specialized bike fit too but with the current amount of money I spent on biking, I am literally broke.

I was having pain in the groin area, it wasn't too bad but still, it wad bad.

I adjusted the saddle higher yesterday and didn't have any groin pain at all.

But knees are so bad that I can't walk properly, it's like the times before phisical theraphy.:atoz:
Click to expand...

I wasn't exactly fond of shelling out the dough for the BG. That purchase was simply due to pain. Expensive, yes. Very effective in my case.
 
#170
10547444_10203550549618911_2133688757498132948_n_zps68cb9d1a.jpg


A little action shot from the weekend. I think this was on the final climb of the lap because that's the only time I went into the small ring.
 
#179
Cool man.

I adjusted the cleats and started riding yesterday after a 35-40 day break

I had to make 5-6 tweaks on the road, right cleat feels perfectly natural and no problems there but I couldn't adjust the left one for the life of me.

Pain on the inside I moved the cleat outwards.

Pain on the outside I moved the cleat inside.

One milimeter at a time. There's still some pain / discomfort left but I'll do some more trials on tomorrow's ride.

It felt great to be riding again.
 

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