New female biker – University of Maryland to 17th and G NW
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@cvcalhoun 92444 wrote:
It’s amazing how much less steep the hills will get after you’ve been biking for a while.
I hope so! Thanks for the encouragement.
@Emm 92460 wrote:
I can’t agree more. On my commute home there used to be 2 hills that killed me. I walked my bike ALOT at the start. But after about 6 weeks of commuting I was able to ride up them without a problem. It just took practice, getting stronger, and also learning how to use my bike’s gears correctly–for example, I used to avoid using the smallest of my 3 chain rings and I also wouldn’t change gears early enough when encountering a steep hill, both of which I needed to master before I could handle steep hills. If you can tackle those issues, and give yourself some time to build up strength, you’ll be up the hill in no time. You’ll probably still be winded (4 months in, I still am at least), but you’ll make it to the top and feel like a champion
Also, my fiancee got me a book, “Every Woman’s Guide to Cycling” when I started biking. It was really useful in teaching me how and when to change gears, basic bike maintenance and developing training plans. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a good resource.
Wow! It’s good to know I’m not the only one. Thanks for sharing! I’ll check out the details of the book.
@ebubar 92481 wrote:
Congrats and welcome to the bike commuter fold! A bit of practice and you’ll be riding up hills like nobody’s business. I used to huff and puff up some big hills in the Rosslyn area on the Custis trail (they’re often discussed here) and now I can spin up them with almost “normal” breathing. Maybe you’ll even start seeking out hills? Or perhaps a future “Kill Bill” Century rider
Thanks for the welcome. Not sure I will be seeking out hills though, not now or ever. lol
Anyway, thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It means so much to me. 😮 There are people in my life who really do not support my bike commuting endeavor. Also, everyone keeps warning me about winter which is starting to get to me.
@newbiehere 92655 wrote:
There are people in my life who really do not support my bike commuting endeavor. Also, everyone keeps warning me about winter which is starting to get to me.
That’s too bad about the people in your life who do not support your move to commute by bicycle. Any one of us here could give you a laundry list of benefits we’ve accrued from bike commuting, so we’re here as your support group if you need one!
As for winter, it’s one of my four favorite seasons to ride! lol Actually, I love riding in the winter. There are a lot fewer people on the trails, so it can be almost like your own personal bike pathway for minutes, if not miles, at a time. Riding in the dark, with proper lighting, is a fun experience in and of itself.
My favoite riding conditions are when temps in the 40s or 50s. Given the weather trends of the last ten years (last year being a statistical outlier), there are a lot of those kinds of days between November and March around here, so I’m generally a happy camper. It’s nice to be able to ride and not even worry for a second about sweat.
IOW, winter riding is awesome. Don’t let the others get to you!
@newbiehere 92655 wrote:
Also, everyone keeps warning me about winter which is starting to get to me.
I hate winter.:mad: I’m hoping that since seasons are supposed to come in order (spring, summer, fall, winter) and we have not yet had summer this year, that winter will not be able to come, either.
That will make me very very happy.That said:
1) As nearly as i can tell, riding a bike does not cause winter. Therefore, the suckiness of winter is no reason to NOT ride a bike. Even if it did, riding a bike is (by my calculations, ymmv) more good than winter is bad, so still not a reason to not bike.2) There is no law that says if you ride a bike to work some days, you must ride a bike to work all days. How do you get to work now? You can still do that whenever you want, even after having a bike and riding it to work. If there is any day that it so cold or snowy or icy or just plain dark that you do not want to ride your bike that day– you don’t have to! It is entirely up to you when and how much you ride.
@cyclingfool 92674 wrote:
so we’re here as your support group if you need one!
As for winter, it’s one of my four favorite seasons to ride! lol Actually, I love riding in the winter. There are a lot fewer people on the trails, so it can be almost like your own personal bike pathway for minutes, if not miles, at a time. Riding in the dark, with proper lighting, is a fun experience in and of itself.
My favoite riding conditions are when temps in the 40s or 50s. Given the weather trends of the last ten years (last year being a statistical outlier), there are a lot of those kinds of days between November and March around here, so I’m generally a happy camper. It’s nice to be able to ride and not even worry for a second about sweat.
IOW, winter riding is awesome. Don’t let the others get to you!
Thanks cyclingfool! I usually get even more determined when people tell me I can’t do something but I think it was starting to get to me because I was already a bit concerned about the cold weather. I get very cold easily. However, I rode to the station around 6:30am this past Saturday; the weather was in the 60s. Normally I would have on long sleeves and/or a sweater but I wore short sleeves with no sweater. Let me just saw, this is was most enjoyable ride I’ve had so far because I wasn’t sweating like crazy by the time I got to the station. Not a single drop of sweat, and I could smell a bit of my perfume. <
@rcannon100 92675 wrote:
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I often communicate with memes so I love this!@acl 92679 wrote:
I hate winter.:mad: I’m hoping that since seasons are supposed to come in order (spring, summer, fall, winter) and we have not yet had summer this year, that winter will not be able to come, either.
That will make me very very happy.That said:
1) As nearly as i can tell, riding a bike does not cause winter. Therefore, the suckiness of winter is no reason to NOT ride a bike. Even if it did, riding a bike is (by my calculations, ymmv) more good than winter is bad, so still not a reason to not bike.
2) There is no law that says if you ride a bike to work some days, you must ride a bike to work all days. How do you get to work now? You can still do that whenever you want, even after having a bike and riding it to work. If there is any day that it so cold or snowy or icy or just plain dark that you do not want to ride your bike that day– you don’t have to! It is entirely up to you when and how much you ride.That made me laugh so hard. Very true. Right now I bike about 3 miles to the station, then take the train to work. After work, I take the train back to the station, then bike home. I plan on doing this for a while to build my stamina because my bike commute is about 10.7-11.5 miles each way depending on which route I take. That’s about 21.5 -23 miles everyday which will take me a while to get used to. I may not do it single everyday; perhaps just as much as my body can endure.
@dkel 92681 wrote:
If you’re like me, those people will talk less about your odd cycling behavior the more you stick to cycling (either they get tired of trying to sway you, or they just get used to the fact that your cycling isn’t going away). Also, if you’re like me, they will stop bringing it up because of your extreme enthusiasm and willingness to talk about it ad nauseam (no one wants to get me started…really).
I think I’m already aheada ya’ because I’ve been telling everybody about my biking with excitement any chance I can get! I like talking about the accessories I’ve been slowly adding to my bike. My bike is my baby right now.
@baiskeli 92705 wrote:
I hate hills too. Here’s how I handle them.
Downshift (be sure to shift to the small ring in front before you start uphill or it can get stuck) as far as you need to. Then when you feel it getting harder to pedal again, slow down. And then slow down more. And more. Try going as slow as you possibly can without falling over. You can go slower uphill, and it will be easier the slower you go. Slow, but steady pedal strokes. Be the tortoise, not the hare. But be ready to stop anyway if you get too slow or it gets too hard. Make sure you’re ready to put your foot down in a safe place.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll try it. I’ve been practicing shifting gears early but I find that my thighs still hurt ALOT! Is that normal?? My thighs always feel tight/stiff when I get off my bike.
@newbiehere 92786 wrote:
[…]I find that my thighs still hurt ALOT! Is that normal?? My thighs always feel tight/stiff when I get off my bike.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Seriously, though, I’d say it’s normal. My 7-7.5 mile commute is pretty flat with the exception of a few overpasses and bridges, and my legs used to have a good “just worked out” sort of pain and tightness to them after my commute when I first started. Now after 5 years of commuting, I have to go A LOT further than my commute distance to bring on said sensation. It might help to warm down the last few minutes of your commute by soft pedaling a little. Otherwise, just keep riding and with time it’ll take longer, harder rides to really fatigue/pain your thighs.@cyclingfool 92813 wrote:
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Seriously, though, I’d say it’s normal. My 7-7.5 mile commute is pretty flat with the exception of a few overpasses and bridges, and my legs used to have a good “just worked out” sort of pain and tightness to them after my commute when I first started. Now after 5 years of commuting, I have to go A LOT further than my commute distance to bring on said sensation. It might help to warm down the last few minutes of your commute by soft pedaling a little. Otherwise, just keep riding and with time it’ll take longer, harder rides to really fatigue/pain your thighs.I’ll take your word for it!
@cyclingfool 92813 wrote:
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Seriously, though, I’d say it’s normal. My 7-7.5 mile commute is pretty flat with the exception of a few overpasses and bridges, and my legs used to have a good “just worked out” sort of pain and tightness to them after my commute when I first started. Now after 5 years of commuting, I have to go A LOT further than my commute distance to bring on said sensation. It might help to warm down the last few minutes of your commute by soft pedaling a little. Otherwise, just keep riding and with time it’ll take longer, harder rides to really fatigue/pain your thighs.You should google this forum and WWW for “proper bike fit” to get an idea of how a bike should fit in case your’s needs an adjustment (e.g., saddle height, handlebars, etc). Small changes can sometimes make a big difference.
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