Bike Training

Hey guys.

I rode a bike tonight for the first time since I was...about 12. And I enjoyed it. I'm thinking about (and have been for awhile) purchasing one to ride when I move to Boston next month.

Any tips on how I can get a good fitness plan started? I don't want to buy something and burn out right away.

Also, I was going about 80% effort and only went about 8.5mph, which is pretty slow. Suggestions to maximize workout and get in better shape?

stationary or actual bike riding. if its actual bike riding id just recamend getting in your car (or if your under age get your parents too) and just drive to certian mile markers and put a little star on a map or remember the area. then say you start off at your first mile marker (as far as u feel comfortable riding right now) and do it every day 5 times a week then next week go on to the next marker! this will keep you from getting burned out and will steadily increase your endurance! i love bike riding its alot more fun then running cuz you feel like your going a milion times faster and getting somewhere :). Good to see you putting in an effort either way im sure youll get to your goal with an attitude like that.

Chris

Just ride your ride and have fun.   With time you will get faster.

If your just starting out, measure your effort in time.  Ride 20 minutes, then 30, and so on.  Once you've built some fitness, start measuring rides in terms of miles increase a little each week.  Alternate shorter and longer days and don't forget to rest from time to time.  Your speed will improve but pay no attention to it until you've got at least 3 or 4 months of riding in.  Then you can incorporate intervals, speed drills, hill repeats, etc.  But you don't want to start these too soon.  You need the base fitness first.

I'm a biking newbie too!  My 2 cents, though -- keep in mind your type of biking, too, when looking at your speed.  Mountain bikes are just slower than road bikes, and there are a lot of variables with speed like wind, road conditions, etc.  I would suggest talking to some of your local bike shops.  They usually have store rides that are free and will get you in touch with others who ride at your pace/style of biking.  Look for no-drop style rides, that way, even if you are going slower than everyone else, someone will stay with you and you won't get lost.  Keep going with them, and you'll find that you cardio endurance will improve quickly, and you'll have a lot of fun to boot.  Before long, your pace will be faster, too.  And you'll get all kinds of free tips on what equipment to buy.

Another way to get there is to take a Spinning class.  While this won't teach you how to ride outdoors in traffic or trails, it will help your endurance and interval training.  If you go this route, try to find an instructor who is also a cyclist.  Those instructors will help you with your form, which will ultimately help you have a better ride outside.

Ride on!  Have fun! 

All good advice but I would like to mention a few other things.  Bicycles and bicycling are very adaptable.  As MLB said, you should shop for a bike designed for the things you want to do.  But I suspect that you really don't know right now what you really want to do.  Don't worry.  Bikes are quite happy with any type of riding as long as they get regular use and attention from their owner.

You can ride solo or you can ride in groups.  It is probably best if you mix it up.  Get out on your own and experiment but also spend some time getting to know other people in your area who are "in to bikes."

Set goals.  They don't have to be overly ambitious but they should be enough to give you something to shoot for.  Try different goals.  You might want to see how far you can ride or you might want to try out a bike path or visit a recreation area that has biking trails.  You might find a group, like MLB suggested and use their planned rides for some of your goals.  You should find a route you are comfortable with and find out how fast you can ride it.  Then come back a month later and test yourself again.  During that month try out some of the things that trhawley suggested.

Spin classes are great for conditioning.  You can also find reasonably priced equipment -- fluid trainers for example -- that you can keep for home workouts.  You can get video tapes for your home workouts.

Just one thing: if you are going to buy a bike and bring it home, make sure you keep it happy.  A happy bike is one that gets out for regular rides and get a little TLC like making sure that its tires are properly inflated and that its drive train is cleaned an oiled regularly.

By the way, I moved away from the Boston area about 30 years ago so I am not up to speed on the scene today but Cambridge is the home of Harvard and MIT and there is almost certainly a lot of biking going on around there.  Waltham and Sudbury and Framingham, where I used to live, have miles of rural riding but you will need to polish your skills before you on those roads.  Of course, the bay and the shore are close by Boston on the East and New Hampshire is just north.  There is a lot of territory to explore.   Oh yeah, Salem is close by.  Bikes are preferred to brooms for transportation these days.

I started riding about 2 yrs ago. I bought a bike that is considered a Hybrid-type...semi-comfy, and not that light...my main goal was to really get a workout, not ride faster, longer, etc...I have a bike trail near my house, that is about 11 mi long that I started on, not taking into consideration time and speed. I started riding hard and huffing and puffing then recovering and doing it all over again until I got to the end of the trail and turned around and went back. Like you I had not ridden a bike in YEARS, but loved being outdoors, in nature, since I'm an "office inmate" during the week. I was in pretty good shape when I started, but during the time I started riding, a Trainer at my gym commented on the improvement of the tone of my legs...soooo needless to say, I have continued since!

P. S. I started with an $80 bike, then went to $175, and the hubby bought me a Trek ($330) for Christmas last year. The difference is WORTH every penny, if you decide it's something you want to do. I only ride about 11-17 mi per day 1-2 X per week, but love the change from aerobics and wt training.