Quote:
Originally Posted by M_Six
I need to find a low impact way of exercising that I'll enjoy enough to stick with. When I was a teen I rode my 10-speed everywhere all the time. I'd like to get back into biking and we live in a great area for it as we are surrounded my miles and miles of country roads.
I'm leaning towards a bike I could use on dirt if the chance presents itself, although most of my riding will be on paved roads. The roads here are "paved" with oil and gravel (they call it chipping), so sometimes they can be pretty gnarly. A strict street bike with skinny tires won't cut it. I don't mind springing for a decent bike to start, but I'd rather start conservative and move up to a nicer bike if I decide to stick with it.
So I could use some advice...
Recommended bike type?
What's a good distance for a ride? 10 miles? Or is that not enough to get a decent workout?
Gear? I never wore a helmet as a kid, but then again, I didn't wear seat belts back then either. So I'm assuming a helmet as a minimum and maybe elbow protection. I don't fall gracefully at all.  And what about shoes? Regular running shoes ok to start?
Technique? As with running, I assume you need to set a pace you sustain over the distance which will also burn calories. Is there a good minutes-per-mile standard I should be looking at?
Gotchas? I'm sure I'm missing something. What else do I need to think about? |
+ 1 on the CX bike. It sounds counter intuitive, but if you're going to spend an hour or more on a bike, a road or CX bike is generally more comfortable than a mtn bike. The only draw back for a CX or road bike is that you'll want to get a professional bike fit to find the comfort. The best person to talk to in choosing a bike is a bike fitter. Most of the time they can't survive on just doing that alone, so they also sell bikes in the shop. Find a shop who does bike fits and take to their fitter to figure out what brand and size works best for you.
Gear: Helmet is a must. Smart phone mount and fitness tracking app is nice to track your progress. There are several free apps that do this very well. (Strava) Shoes & pedals..... i personalty can't imagine pedaling a bike on flats in sneakers. One of the underestimated benefits from clip pedals is that it keeps you're joints in the same place when pedaling. This can help keep your, knee, ankle and hips in line thus reducing chance of injury. Keep an open mind when it comes to pedals and shoes.
Distance is relative to the conditions your riding in. Make a time goal more so than distance. If you're riding 10 miles with a tail wind for most of it, you may be done in 40 min where as if you're riding 10 miles into a head wind, you may be at it for 90 min.
For calorie burn, you're likely going to get about 290/hour if you're riding at a leisure 10mph pace. So if burning calories is your goal, get a bike that will be comfortable for a few hours of riding. You can mitigate time with extra effort. I've burned the same amount of calories in a leisure 3 hour ride as i have in a 80 min ride. Heart rate can be a good measure of effort. You may be interested in investing into a HR monitor to make sure you're not over doing it. I know several personal trainers who won't train someone unless they have a HR monitor.
Back to Gear: If you're going to be on a CX bike for 60 - 120 min at a time, a decent chamois short should be on your list. And so you don't have to ask, no undies with those shorts.
If you're riding on the streets with cars, a bright tail light is a must and a reasonable forward flashing head light is helpful. Being visible to the drivers is the goal.