Newbie to the Forum

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  • April 10, 2014 at 5:43 pm #915108
    vern
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    Howdy – I’m new to the forum, having lurked for a while, and wanted to say hello. I am also a relative novice at bike commuting, starting last August, commuting between Reston and Crystal City. Some days I do a roundtrip, and sometimes I go one way one day and back the next. My goal this year, if my cranky, arthritic knees will permit me, is to ride roundtrips for an entire 5 day week (about 220 miles). So far I haven’t done more than 2 roundtrips in a given week.

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  • April 10, 2014 at 5:46 pm #998265
    jrenaut
    Participant

    Sounds like a great goal. Welcome to the forum!

    April 10, 2014 at 5:48 pm #998266
    KLizotte
    Participant

    Hey there and welcome to the forum! ;)

    Wow, that is an impressive round-trip commute you’ve got there, esp with bad knees. Be sure to ramp up slowly else you will burn out or injure yourself. If possible, try to make at least one of the forum’s happy hours (they will start up again probably next month now that warm weather is here) so you will be able to recognize folks on the trail.

    Feel free to post pics of yourself and/or your bike!

    April 10, 2014 at 6:34 pm #998271
    GuyContinental
    Participant

    @KLizotte 82142 wrote:

    Hey there and welcome to the forum! ;)

    Wow, that is an impressive round-trip commute you’ve got there, esp with bad knees. Be sure to ramp up slowly else you will burn out or injure yourself. If possible, try to make at least one of the forum’s happy hours (they will start up again probably next month now that warm weather is here) so you will be able to recognize folks on the trail.

    Feel free to post pics of yourself and/or your bike!

    Not to mention the many many coffee clubs…

    April 11, 2014 at 12:46 am #998293
    vern
    Participant

    thanks all…from reading it seems like a good group that travels here.

    April 11, 2014 at 3:36 am #998304
    cvcalhoun
    Participant

    I was told by a physical therapist, back when I had some serious knee problems, that bicycling actually helps cranky, arthritic knees. The trick is to gear down and then pedal faster. That way, you don’t put the pressure on the knees that you’d have with jerkier pedaling, and you exercise the muscles that help to keep the kneecap in place.

    @vern 82139 wrote:

    My goal this year, if my cranky, arthritic knees will permit me, is to ride roundtrips for an entire 5 day week (about 220 miles).

    April 11, 2014 at 11:34 am #998314
    scorchedearth
    Participant

    Welcome to the forums!

    April 11, 2014 at 12:06 pm #998317
    vern
    Participant

    @cvcalhoun 82183 wrote:

    I was told by a physical therapist, back when I had some serious knee problems, that bicycling actually helps cranky, arthritic knees. The trick is to gear down and then pedal faster. That way, you don’t put the pressure on the knees that you’d have with jerkier pedaling, and you exercise the muscles that help to keep the kneecap in place.

    Thanks for that. I’ve been kind of stumbling in that direction. I try to keep my pedal rpm’s around 90, and find when I do I don’t have lingering soreness.

    April 11, 2014 at 12:48 pm #998325
    Geoff
    Participant

    @cvcalhoun 82183 wrote:

    I was told by a physical therapist, back when I had some serious knee problems, that bicycling actually helps cranky, arthritic knees. The trick is to gear down and then pedal faster. That way, you don’t put the pressure on the knees that you’d have with jerkier pedaling, and you exercise the muscles that help to keep the kneecap in place.

    This makes sense to me. My knees no longer permit me to run but biking is no problem. My own cadence is generally between 80 and 90. Particularly on the hills, take full advantage of your gears so you can keep the cadence up. (I confess that on a hill my cadence may drop to around 70.) It is possible to get a good workout on a hill without straining your knees.

    April 11, 2014 at 1:39 pm #998330
    creadinger
    Participant

    @vern 82196 wrote:

    Thanks for that. I’ve been kind of stumbling in that direction. I try to keep my pedal rpm’s around 90, and find when I do I don’t have lingering soreness.

    Welcome to the forums!

    Agree with all here about your impressive commute and keeping your RPMs up. By now, you’ve figured out what works best. Building up to a 5-day commute is a good goal. I have a bad left knee, and cycling and yoga have helped it tremendously. One place where I get myself in trouble is starting from a stop in traffic. I try to get back up to speed too quickly and push a heavier gear than I should. One would think I would have learned by now… oh well.

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