If you don't bike at all for years and years, and then go buy a bike and ride 10+ miles a day for two days in a row, you wind up with very sore legs. I suppose if I'd thought this through I could have switched off the arc trainer in the gym and used the stationary bike instead to get prepared, but I'm not really big on thinking things through. So for now -- ouch!
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Cycling Note
24 Apr 2008 06:16 pm
Comments (79)
Harvard, huh?
"If you don't bike at all for years and years, and then go buy a bike and ride 10+ miles a day for two days in a row..."
...you are insane.
Three times a week is full-on for you for the foreseeable future.
If you keep up this cycling pace, soon you'll no longer qualify for Bear status.
Everybody who's ever ridden a bike knows that when Matthew says "legs" he actually means "ass".
what kind of bike? idiotic's a huge bike nerd.
What is the point of getting all sore on a stationary bike to avoid being sore on a mobile bike?
Getting large muscles in shape is much easier than smaller muscles. In a week, you will not even think about it. In the meantime, how about insurance, tetanus shots (the dogs that bite), the will and other necessities?
Stick with it, Matt, it gets better and easier as time goes on. As for Neil, I'm a longtime rider and sometimes when I push my limits it is my legs that complain later and sometimes it's the butt. It just depends.
Hi,
You may have already done this, but if you have a racing bike, make sure it is the right size and have it fitted.
Everybody who's ever ridden a bike knows that when Matthew says "legs" he actually means "ass". - neil
This was also the explanation of an otherwise non-understandable For Better or for Worse punchline (as given in the Comics Curmudgeon)
Only overprivileged wusses need a bike to carry them 10 miles a day. Real men use nothing but their own two legs and a pair of $70 Mizuna Wave Rider IXs (or Xs or whatever the most recent out-of-date model is).
Seriously, though, running burns calories at about 3x the rate of riding.
Ice and Ibuprofen, my friend.
Joe @6.46
sure, running may burn more calories than biking, but biking allows you to travel longer distances, and go places that you wouldn't otherwise go. Such as Amsterdam Falafel.
You can't "run to work" but you certainly can bike. Which provides an opportunity cost benefit in that you don't have to set aside time for cardio.
Just wondering, as MY boasted that on nice days like today he prefers to blog outside. Is it only a matter of time before we have bike blogging? Will MY, while riding to Whole Foods, conduct a live session of Blogging Heads? Oh the multitasking society we inhabit!
That's the kind of logic that suggests someone with a lackluster record and only two years as a Senator without having done much of anything can be expected to become President with no other experience....
Is it only a matter of time before we have bike blogging? Will MY, while riding to Whole Foods, conduct a live session of Blogging Heads? Oh the multitasking society we inhabit!
Not unless Boing boing buys out the Atlantic. After which all right thinking people will rise up and revolt.
I recently started biking again for reals (I ride a stationary bike a ton) so I can commiserate, but try riding in any of the pacific coast cities. These hills are seriously punishing me.
you have never rode a bike in your life. basically, you were looking out your window trying to think of something to write and you saw a guy ride past on a bike.
I got something for you to discuss....why can't Hillary close the deal if she is so electable?
It's not the soreness in the legs or the ass I'd be worried about. Also, isn't DC basically completely flat and thus 10 miles is basically nothing?
No pain, no gain.
isn't DC basically completely flat
Actual DC residents can chime in, but it sure isn't flat over by Mt. Pleasant and Cleveland Park. Running there made me want to give up and lie on the couch.
I bet your ass bone hurts too. It's rough biking until your ass callus builds up*.
* - President Bush is all ass callus, that's why he can do so much biking
nattyb wrote:
'You can't "run to work" but you certainly can bike.'
I used to run to work. I lived less than two miles from where I worked and they allowed me to keep a locker in the onsite gym for my clothes. Worked out great.
Matthew, there's a reason they call it "seat time" and there's no other way to get your legs and rear in cycling shape than time on the seat. Another week and you'll forget all about it, though.
Congrats on the bike. I bike commuted to work for five years and definitely had issues with bike lanes vanishing into nonthingness, cars not giving the right of way, etc. But there is nothing like the freedom being on the bike brings. I still cycle several times a week but don't use the bike for "transportation" as much. And I miss it - loved the concept and loved how regular cycling made me feel. Plus, loved getting to know my neighborhoods on a completely different level.
Will look for your bike posts.
nattyb wrote:
'You can't "run to work" but you certainly can bike.'
I used to run to work. I lived less than two miles from where I worked and they allowed me to keep a locker in the onsite gym for my clothes. Worked out great.
Matthew, there's a reason they call it "seat time" and there's no other way to get your legs and rear in cycling shape than time on the seat. Another week and you'll forget all about it, though.
Congrats on the bike. I bike commuted to work for five years and definitely had issues with bike lanes vanishing into nonthingness, cars not giving the right of way, etc. But there is nothing like the freedom being on the bike brings. I still cycle several times a week but don't use the bike for "transportation" as much. And I miss it - loved the concept and loved how regular cycling made me feel. Plus, loved getting to know my neighborhoods on a completely different level.
Will look for your bike posts.
If you keep your leg RPMs up (70+) it reduces the stress on your knees so they won't be quite so sore.
Use all those speeds you paid for.
I'm sure if you had ridden slowly on level roads you wouldn't have been too sore.
I'm sure if you had ridden slowly on level roads you wouldn't have been too sore.
That's the kind of logic that suggests someone with a lackluster record and only two years as a Senator without having done much of anything can be expected to become President with no other experience....
Leave Bob Corker alone! He's not even running, for pete's sake!
First three days are the worst, and then all of a sudden on day four it's like the pain just disappears.
"I'm not really big on thinking things through"
Matthew:cycling::Bush:Iraq war
I'm mostly repeating what others have said here, but yeah, it gets better pretty quickly. And, unlike running, cycling won't give you lasting bone and joint damage with the constant impact. As Captured Shadow said, just make sure you adjust your speeds enough to keep pedalling at a comfortably high (i.e.: not painful for your knees) rpm.
And keep the bike blogs coming! What are the potholes like in DC?
Your legs and sit-bones will get used to it, and ice and ibuprofen can only help. But since you are doing new things anyway, maybe you could also get a massage?
Hope you love biking soon.
Go Matt! Keep up the pedaling, it shouldn't take too long to get used to it. My commute ranges from 9-20km roundtrip. Been doing it for a bit over a year now, only had to take public transport a few times (typhoons are a bitch to ride in).
Don't give up, either. If you take a week or two off and then start back up again, you're going to feel it. Everytime I get back from a vacation, it takes me a week or so to get back into shape. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be losing any weight (though that's probably the excess boozing and being late-20s there).
Anyone interested in bike events in the District?
Don't let the title fool you: Bike polo, bike rides, general bike craziness.
So you're saying that riding 10+ miles a day two days in a row is a good idea in theory, but that it was executed incompetently and that if you had prepared adequately it would have gone swimmingly?
Even better, try not riding a horse for 30 years then go out for a 3 hour ride.
Hint, your old legs don't bend that way anymore and you won't be able to walk for hours.
Riding a stationary does nothing for the starting, stopping, hilly real world. You've got too much hair on the top of your head for that.
By the end of next week, you'll be there, guy. Hang in there.
Your problem is too much weight. Rip off those gears, throw away those brakes, slap on a short chain and ride Brooklyn style.
So you're saying that riding 10+ miles a day two days in a row is a good idea in theory, but that it was executed incompetently and that if you had prepared adequately it would have gone swimmingly?
Are you saying Matthew's post is an incompetence dodge?
This isn't as obvious to most as it should be: if you don't want a sore ass, pedal harder. Also 70+ rpm is good advice, but don't take it too far. You don't want to be one of those guys with chicken legs who's always at 150.
You mean you make enough money blogging to buy a 10-speed? Lordy, no wonder you quit the day job.
You're making the large coin now, so get serious and buy a recumbent. No more ass/shoulder/hand/neck pain and you'll go faster using less energy. (recumbents eliminate the barn door aerodynamics of the upright bike) I recommend looking at RANS or Bachetta- proven designs with lots of dealer support.
You're welcome.
zookarama,
Despite the theoretical advantages of recumbents, their promise rarely comes through. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been passed by a guy on one; then again I do tend to ride hills. Something about them doesn't inspire effort . . .
remember tomorrow is critical mass
happy friday!
Seriously, though, running burns calories at about 3x the rate of riding.
And it burns through your knee cartilage at 5x the rate of basically anything. That's why I had to hang up my running shoes.
Don't even think about riding a recumbent in the city. You won't be able to see over the cars and they won't see you. You'd be killed in no time.
Not to mention that recumbents are fairly ridiculous looking unless you are so old or have a medical condition that prevents you from riding a regular bike...
Wouldn't it be great if MattY got arrested at a CM function?
As for JB's comment that "it sure isn't flat over by Mt. Pleasant and Cleveland Park", ooo, I'm scared. I'm minutes from gaining hundreds to thousands of feet, but the suckers on the east coast have to drive hours to get even close to that.
Let me know when MattY takes his bike to 13,000', then I'll give him some respect.
Wear a good helmet, man. Lights at dusk. Seriously.
Boy, when i started biking it sure wasn't my legs that were sore.
Seriously, just adjust the speeds (and make sure the seat is at the right level). But you're going to have a sore ass for a while. It does go away.
Keep at it. Before the summer is out, 10 miles will feel like a ride around the block. And don't worry about the leg pain. Eventually your legs will become addicted to bicycling and will feel crappy only on days when you don't bike.
Fucking bike geeks...
A real man rides the $60 Walmart bike and needs no more.
You young folks might want to mix up riding with other exercise. I rode a bike a lot and managed to tear my meniscus. Non-vascular. Deeper in. Not as easy to fix with a scope. The result of a lot of pedaling over years rather than one injury/tear. Nothing too serious, but it definitely curtailed my life on a bike.
What you can do with ease at age 26 might start to be a problem at 36, if not sooner. I'm no expert but simply raising the seat helped me get some more time out of it before I had to really cut back. That said, if I had to do it again I would've definitely biked less and done some other stuff instead.
Continuing in this cheerful vein, there were a lot of biking/impotence stories awhile back (alleged correlation between steady riding and male impotence). The major study has been challenged, but if, um, you're a male rider and you're feeling a pain or numbness in a sort of, shall we say, nether region you might want to be careful too.
"Legs" (pain in the) may be a euphemism for ass (pain in the), but if either "legs" or "ass" (pain in the) is, in fact, a euphemism for a pain or numbness where you usually don't really feel anything as a guy in your twenties . . . yeah, you might want to think about that too.
http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/03/does-cycling-cause-impotence/
good for you matt.
The bicycle is great exercise, transportation and liberation. It's one of the great human inventions -- about three times as efficient as foot travel and many, many times as efficient as motoring. However, YMMV: hills, wind, surface, speed and traffic are big factors. The right saddle and bike, properly set up for your body and style, are essential. As you note, the first few days (of any training program) can be painful. Take two Ibuprofen and call me in the morning.
I'm 63, drink beer and smoke a pipe, do most of my work at home in front of a computer, and love my bikes. Despite Calgary's northern climate, I ride year-round in the city (on studded tires in winter) and in recent years have been going on long tours each summer. On the tours I average 40-50 miles per day propelling about 90 pounds of bike and gear, so far visiting 15 states and two provinces. It helps me stay fit, fiscally and physically, mentally too, and is good for the environment. I sold my car eight years ago and joined a carsharing co-op, but seldom use it. I think we'll see a lot more people on bicycles in the near future. Welcome, Matthew, and ride safe.
Bob
Once you become impotent from bike seat trauma, all that sex won't cut into your riding time.
University of Maryland Medical Center: "Bicycling has been linked to impotence in men and also may affect fertility. Pressure from the bike seat may damage blood vessels and nerves that are responsible for erections. Mountain biking, which involves riding on off-road terrain, exposes the perineum (the region between the scrotum and the anus) to more extreme shocks and vibrations and increases the risk for injuries to the scrotum. One study found that men who mountain bike are far more likely to have scrotal abnormalities, including calcium deposits, cysts, and twisted veins."
Obesity causes impotence too so it's probably better to take your chances with the lifelong habit of bike riding and risk "extreme shock" to the scrotum instead of risking sitting around on your arse for 20 years and growing into a round weeble of an old man. To be semi-serious for a moment, many of the impotence stories are bogus or relate to mountain biking where you fall off the bike and smash yourself on the top tube. You should be OK with extended seat time on a road bike. Just try to get in the habit of having the vast majority of your weight born by your moving feet as you tranfer energy into the pedals. Imagine sitting on a tennis ball on the seat post instead of seat. How much weight would you want to put on the tennis ball relative to the pedals? That's the pressure you should have on a good seat if your road bike fits you well. You can put much more weight on a cruiser seat but it's still not a great idea if you are interested in riding for exercise.
Happy riding!
Absolutely right joejoejoe. People think they're helping themselves by getting a bike with high handlebars, but that transfers even more weight rearward. That said, I've had problems rearward whenever I've started to average 3 or more hours a day. I can explain those problems in vivid detail, pending demand.
but I'm not really big on thinking things through.
Philosophy major in action! (Speaking as one myself.)
You're making pale Jewish liberal bloggers look wussy.
"You can't "run to work" but you certainly can bike. Which provides an opportunity cost benefit in that you don't have to set aside time for cardio."
I run to work 2-3 days a week. And when I don't, it's usually because I want to spend the morning with my daughter.
And for those saying how running wrecks their knees, it's a wives' tale. There's no statistical evidence that runners have knee problems at a higher rate than anyone else.
Does anyone have a link to a reliable list or map of the states Obama has won v. which one Clinton's carried?
Re Bruce
"You mean you make enough money blogging to buy a 10-speed? Lordy, no wonder you quit the day job."
Mr. Bruce is apparently still living in the 1970s. Todays bikes come with 16 to 20 speeds, depending on whether the rear wheel cassette has 8, 9, or 10 cogs.
Re shecky
Real men ride $10,000 Serotta Ottrotts.
Re Grandpa Simpson
If. Mr. Simpson has knee trouble, he's been riding with too low a seat all these years.
15 year DC bike commuter. Even got a ticket last night. Still worth it. It will be second nature in a month, MY.
Low gear high rpm saves the legs. Sit and spin, sir, sit and spin.
It gets better. Really.
35 years ago, two friends set out to bicycle across the country. The first few days involved long rides up out of river valleys and they almost gave up. Things got better quickly. Eventually, 3 days from the beginning of the semester, they'd gotten to Yellowstone and had to hitch-hike back. The Rocky Mountains hadn't been as difficult as the first few days of river valleys.
Hey. Sore legs and a hurting ass beat a car payment, insurance bills and $40 to fill up a 10-gallon tank any day of the week.
I find drinking lots of water after you're done riding will minimize the soreness. It's a trick my martial arts instructors told me, and it works even better than Ibuprofen.
10 miles a day in flat DC and you're hurting? You do realize what awful awful shape you must be in. My neighbor's 6 year old can bike 10 miles. Good thing you've decided to start exercising before you completely deteriorated.
I don't get the running vs. biking snark at all. Cross training people - you should do both, and swim.
"Cross training people - you should do both, and swim."
Only insofar as your body can't handle 5-6 days a week of running. If your legs can take the pounding, you'll get the most benefit if you run every day.
Well, unless you live somewhere where cross country skiing is an option. That burns as many calories as running, PLUS you get a better upper body workout. And it's not nearly so hard on the legs.
(By the way, just got out of the shower after running to work. I had to cut it to 5.25 miles though. The superhot jungle curry I had for dinner last night was giving me, er, "problems." God, I hate getting old.)
Re vanya
If Mr. vanya considers the District to be flat, he should try peddling up Porter St. or Tilden St. out of Rock Creek Park sometime.
"Re Grandpa Simpson --If. Mr. Simpson has knee trouble, he's been riding with too low a seat all these years." -- SLC"
Yeah, well had I only known! Where were you ten years ago when I was but an innocent twentysomething youth like Matt?
I actually got about another year out of it by raising the seat way high, but the damage was done. (Again: nothing too awful, but still real. And when it's non-vascular they just cut it out. Snip, snip.)
Still, I figure better my left knee than my, ahem, "manly parts."
I know two riders who've had some problems "down there." It's probably just a coincidence, but they're both pretty tall guys. Take that for what it is. I'll defer to medical opinion if there's any possible correlation. But, oh yeah, they definitely had stuff going on that you'd like to avoid in places you'd like to just not think about most of the day. Not impotence (well, not that I know of), but still stuff that might make you inadvertenly clutch your own groin in cringing sympathy if you're a fellow dude.
As for JB's comment that "it sure isn't flat over by Mt. Pleasant and Cleveland Park", ooo, I'm scared. I'm minutes from gaining hundreds to thousands of feet, but the suckers on the east coast have to drive hours to get even close to that.
Let me know when MattY takes his bike to 13,000', then I'll give him some respect.
It's not a contest. Enjoy your ride.
SLC,
I'm from New Hampshire - DC is flat, flat, flat. I use to walk to school and home again - and it was up hill both ways. But I'm sure someone from Colorado will show up soon to tell us that New Hampshire doesn't even have real mountains. Or maybe TLB already covered that.
I would like to comment on that: "A real man rides the $60 Walmart bike and needs no more."
Once I convinced an acquaintance, a Ph.D, student from Africa in seemingly good physical condition, that it would be a great idea to take a ride over our local hills. He duly purchased a bike in Wal-Mart and off we went. It was brutal for several reasons. Yes, it was 25 miles, not 10, and we went through a number of 100 ft ups and downs and one hill with 450 ft up, but the bike! the bike!
It did not have the proper size, hence no proper position. later we checked in Wal-Mart that was on the way, and they do not have bike sizes in Wal-Mart! Just wheel sizes. And it is like with shoes -- much more convenient with a proper size.
It had a totally unnecessary rear shock absorber, making it very heavy, and the height of the rear seat was impossible to adjust much. And my friend had rather long legs.
The gears were barely shifting. He was a novice, but I tried too. Hint: it really, really helps, when you do hills, to have gears that shift. All of them, not just some.
Now, what real man does is starting the season with a an excursion in a flat country, alone, and as he starts returning, he understands why, until then, the ride was so damn fast: backwind!!!
Sometimes I feel like a lonely bicyclist pedaling against the wind.
And miles to go against the wind, and miles to go...
Re vanya
1. If Mr. vanya wants flat, I suggest Orange Co., California.
2. The effort to peddle up the hills out of Rock Creek Park was almost equal to the effort to peddle up Laural Canyon, Coldwater Canyon, Beverly Glen Dr., and Benedict Canyon up to Mulholland Drive and Topanga Canyon from Pacific Coast Highway to Ventura Blvd in the Valley, in Los Angeles, all of which I have done. The grades out of Rock Creek were steeper.
joejoejoe: When MTBing downhill, you usually won't be sitting down, thus most of the shocks described don't apply.
JB writes: It's not a contest. Enjoy your ride.
It is a contest. Between me and MattY. And, I shall emerge the victor.
This morning I dropped my bike off to have the bottom bracket replaced (which was less annoying when I thought about the thousands of kilometres it must have survived). It was an odd experience feeling inconvenienced that my bike was broken and I'd have to drive.
It is a contest. Between me and MattY. And, I shall emerge the victor.
If you're in search of a venue for mortal combat with Matthew Yglesias then I suggest a spelling bee.
Re shawn
If the bottom bracket is sealed, replacement is simple although it requires special tools to remove the cranks and unscrew the cups. Unfortunately, Shimano and Campagnolo require different tools.
Comments closed May 08, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
In before the obnoxious comments about how you should only ever blog about important things!
Posted by Anonymous | April 24, 2008 6:30 PM