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Haven't been on a bike in 15 years

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JulesMaximus said:
Setup the bike properly and spin a lower gear at a higher cadence and you can avoid most knee injuries.
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30 miles is no joke for someone who hasn't been on a bike in 15 years. I did 35 miles after not biking for a couple years and did some nice tendon damage. I felt fine on the ride (albeit tired), felt fine after the ride. Knee started to ache later that night, popped some ibuprofen and went to bed. Knee felt really sore for a few days, went to try riding again a week later and it was killing me. Took months to heal.

Start at 5-10 miles and work your way up. Your muscles might be able to handle it, but your knee tendons need to develop before you go on longer rides.
 
Whats the best way to start riding a bike? Should I start with 1 miles and work my way up? I just have a mountain bike.
 
7window said:
Whats the best way to start riding a bike? Should I start with 1 miles and work my way up? I just have a mountain bike.
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1 mile is really nothing on a bike, unless you are talking a very steep ascent or some rugged singletrack.

if you pedal at a very relaxed pace, you are getting about the same aerobic exercise as walking in the same amount of time.

just rough guessing some numbers here but say on an average mostly flat mission, if you walk 3 mph for an hour you will get the same benefit (but easier on your knees) for biking from an hour at a relaxing 10mph say. and you will have gone 10 miles.

10 miles on a bike is nothing when you think about it that way.

depends how hard you ride, how fast, and elevation changes.

i dont work out, i bought a hybrid bike and easily found myself doing 20-30 mile rides in the city sometimes. we'd push it for like 5 miles, then ride relaxed. stop and grab a drink. push some more, stop and check out the scenery, etc.. so it wasn't all in one shot. but if you get that rush of riding, you will go a lot farther than you think.
 
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7window said:
Whats the best way to start riding a bike? Should I start with 1 miles and work my way up? I just have a mountain bike.
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Start with 10-15 mile rides. Do this ride every few days allowing your body to recover between rides. If you feel sore or achy wait until you feel better before riding again. Slowly push yourself up to 20-25 miles. Before you know it you'll be doing 40 mile rides every week. Then you can push to a 50 or 60 mile ride. If you can bang out a 60 mile ride with no problem you can probably do a century.

Again, make sure your bike is fit properly to you. If you have any lingering pain I would seek advice from your doctor and try to address any fit issues with your local bike shop.
 
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apac said:
Great way to hurt your knees. Ask me how I know ...
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I have biked my entire life and my legs are about the only thing that works properly on my body without ever any pain at all.

It is zero impact and your knees should be in great shape if you ride...

Have never once had any issues.. Thousands of miles ridden.
 
apac said:
Great way to hurt your knees. Ask me how I know ...
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Cycling only screws up your knees if your bike doesn't fit and/or you try to turn over a huge gear at 50rpm all the time. I've been riding and racing for over 20 years and have had exactly zero issues with my knees.
 
7window said:
Whats the best way to start riding a bike? Should I start with 1 miles and work my way up? I just have a mountain bike.
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If it's been sitting for a while, it's probably worth a trip to your LBS to get it tuned up and whatnot. While you're there, see if they'll help you out with a basic bike fit so you're in more or less the right position on the bike.

Other than that, you can pretty much have at it. You'll probably want to invest in a pair of cycling shorts and definitely a helmet at the very least. If you don't like the spandex look, you can get baggy shorts made with a padded spandex liner. As with anything, don't try to do too much, too soon. Just get out there and enjoy the ride.
 
I bought a bike yesterday! Wanted one for years, but just ran instead. Going to LBS tomorrow or friday to get tuned. Bought online...
 
Did 22.3 miles yesterday. It was cold early in the morning, didn't feel that great, my throat was killing and after the ride I realized I have 102 fever. Went to the doc, I have strep throat. So I did 22.3 miles with 102 fever and strep. I think that's quite manly of me. 🙂
 
ThePresence said:
Did 22.3 miles yesterday. It was cold early in the morning, didn't feel that great, my throat was killing and after the ride I realized I have 102 fever. Went to the doc, I have strep throat. So I did 22.3 miles with 102 fever and strep. I think that's quite manly of me. 🙂
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Only if it was uphill both ways.
 
ThePresence said:
Can't claim that, but it was on a old Trek hybrid with broken gears.
I need to get a decent road bike soon.
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School yourself on the heirarchy of components and make sure you are clear on what will fit you. Once you've got these things squared away it's just a matter of figuring out a price range that works for you. People will argue minitae about this brand and that brand and this unique frame feature and such, but the bottom line is that just about any bike made today by a proper bike manufacturer is pretty damn good. We've come a very long way since development exploded 15 years ago or so.
 
Fausto said:
School yourself on the heirarchy of components and make sure you are clear on what will fit you. Once you've got these things squared away it's just a matter of figuring out a price range that works for you. People will argue minitae about this brand and that brand and this unique frame feature and such, but the bottom line is that just about any bike made today by a proper bike manufacturer is pretty damn good. We've come a very long way since development exploded 15 years ago or so.
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I have a group of friends who are serious riders. Instead of schooling myself, I'll let them school me, and then go to the bike shop.
 
ThePresence said:
I have a group of friends who are serious riders. Instead of schooling myself, I'll let them school me, and then go to the bike shop.
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That will also work. We look forward to pics of you in spandex shorts. I will school you on the finer points of cycling in ass-less chaps when I feel you are worthy.
 
Fausto said:
That will also work. We look forward to pics of you in spandex shorts. I will school you on the finer points of cycling in ass-less chaps when I feel you are worthy.
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No spandex for now, I use the looser biking shorts. Sorry to disappoint you. 🙂
 
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