Any tips for a beginner cyclist?

Question

I'm 18 and I just started biking for exercise. Right now I am using a mountain bike, but I want to buy a road bike eventually. I have a 8 mile loop that I ride almost everyday. It has a lot of hills.

I usually just keep my bike on one gear, but from reading some answers here that seems to be a mistake. I keep the gears so that I am pedaling hard but not as much. Will someone please explain rpm to me?

Lastly, did I start too late in life to be able to compete successfully?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a real beginner.

Answer 1

The 70 - 90 cadence mentioned is what you want to do. Your body is most efficient in that range. There is nothing wrong with using one gear on occasion - single speeds have to. I do it maybe once every couple weeks.

My best advice: Get a bike that fits you well and join a cycling club. Check the internet and even better bike shops; they may sponsor a club or will know of one or two. 18 too late... it's a little late but certainly not to late at all. There are a h**l of a lot of 30 and up guys and gals competing now a days.  

Answer 2

Always where protection, head and body gear.

Answer 3

its hard to answer not knowing what terrain your riding???

if your riding paved surface, get street tires on the MTB, not the knobby ones.  

also everyone here is talking about cadence and rpm, thats good advice, but that involves buying a bike computer (cheap ones for like $25)  if your just tooting around town, dont bother with the cadence, if you can handle the loop fine without changing gears.

but if you plan to get semi serious about biking, then the cadence computer is a good idea, also learning when to shift gears is good.

if you wanna get a better exercise you need to shift gears, you want to be constantly pedaling. the more you pedal the better.

just make sure you get a decent saddle(seat)  and have it adjusted to your size. and protection depending on where and how you ride! (helmet, pads, lights, reflectors,  ect.)    and water bottle cage or a hydration pack, something so you can easily drink water.

the tip i wish i had been told is about proper seat height and cadence.  oh and also the importance of a helmet!  LOL  

Answer 4

You want to pedal at a high  cadence, about 70-90 rpm's.  Pedaling at a higher rpm with low pressure on the pedals will cause use you use your slow twitch muscles which use fat for fuel.  You want to select the gear that will keep you in the 70-90 rpm range. When you get your new bike get a bike computer with the cadence read out on it you can get them for around 25-30 dollars.

Check this link.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar...

Answer 5

Hey, 18 is definately not too late to become a competitive cyclist.

A friend of mine started cycling after he left high school and has competed twice in the giro d'italia (tour of italy) in the 90's.

Changing gears on an undulating course is important to keep pedalling at the correct rpm (cadence) 65-85 with normal pedals, 80-100 with clip in pedals.

If you start riding seriously on a road bike. Make sure you get some clip in pedals and shoes, also if you have the spare cash a speedo with cadence and also Heart rate is very good to keep track of your efforts.

If your looking at competing eventually the more and more you ride the better, you have to be doing in excess of 20hrs a week to over-train. Keep up the cadence and join a bike club and get racing as soon as you can, it will keep you motivated and you will learn alot from the people you race.

As far as buying a road bike, it depends on your budget, anything over $1500 US is good to race well on. You can spend on $700 however the performance difference is quite large between those price ranges. Aluminium is just as fast as carbon, just not as comfortable.

hope this helps

Answer 6

You got knobbies on your mountain bike? If so, switch to like a 1.5" street tread. It'll cut down the rolling resistance. As far as keeping in one gear...you don't say what kind of terrain you're riding on...all flat, hilly, or what? If it's flat, changing gears isn't necessarily necessary. RPM (revolutions per minute) is what you're pedalling at...you should spin at, oh, around 70 rpm to keep your heart rate up. A decent saddle will do wonders, too. I suggest a Brooks if you intend to do any serious riding.