Almost forgot how to ride...

[pangster]

Up until today I hadn't rode a bike for something like 20 (ish) years!!.. as i'm 40 this year and have put on a bit of a 'middle spread' - I thought one of the things i could do to help tackle this would be to start back cycling... with a view of commuting to work (which is only 2.5 miles away).. a couple of things I noticed today when i went out for a very short cycle to get everything set up on my new bike..

Cycling might not be something you forget - but it's certainly something that takes a lot of remembering!! - my old bike was one of the old mountain bikes that weighed a ton and had very wide and chunky tyres and my new bike is a hybrid (Merida Speeder 300).. It probably doesn't help that I've never ridden on 700C's before and found the experience quite twitchy and nervous!! (I'm on an XS frame, the handle bar is quite short and the tyres are pretty skinny) - although I'm not the tallest and I'm on an XS frame (which might be contributing to it somewhat).. I think the visions of me being able to hop on a bike and suddenly start cranking up the miles are fastly disappearing... this feels more like a rehabilitation than anything else!!.. I cant believe how much a short ride takes out of you.. I've obviously been far too lazy for far too long!.. oh well - we all have to start somewhere and i guess today is the first day of my journey back!

[LollyKat]

Good for you for getting started again! Don't worry - everything will come back and it won't take very long to build up your stamina again. In a few weeks time you'll be laughing.

[The utility cyclist]

Don't give up, it'll always be hard after such a long time, it's hard for people who have ridden all their life and being off the bike even for a few weeks to come back and be where they were beforehand. Having a small frame can be both good and bad, good in so far as not having a high top tube to swing your leg over but it might be that the bar height is less easier to attain that is desirable.
As for being twitchy, the short stem can be part of it but check the tyre pressures too, they might be too high for your weight, terrain and your ability to control the bike if it's bumping around a bit and considering you've not ridden for an age.

[gbnz]

I cant believe how much a short ride takes out of you!

Even more incredible is the speed with which "performance" comes back! Though it's critical to put some effort in - 3-4 weeks pushing for the highest speed will result in ever faster times and an interest in cycling ever further. 20+ years going through the motions and you won't really notice much difference (Nb. Performance as in an ability to enjoy every mile and have a subconscious desire to ride ever further!)

[PH]

hahahahaha! That sounds just like me when I got back on a bike at 40 after a longer gap than you. My first ride was bringing the bike home, 5 flat miles and I couldn't walk up the stairs when I got home, didn't get back on it for another week. Eventually got sick of walking the two miles to work and started using it. Then the goal was 10 miles, then 10 miles none stop, first 100 mile ride was 9 months later... it doesn't take long, just don't overdo it but try and ride as often as you can regardless of the distance.

[foxyrider]

Welcome back to the fold

Take it steady, life isn't a race, just because some on here are inveterate mile munchers doesn't mean you have to be.

[Vorpal]

Welcome! and Well done!

There might be some things that can be done to make the bike a little more comfortable and less twitchy feeling. although if the frame is too small that will certainly contribute to it feeling twitchy.

It might be possible to raise the handlebars a little, fit slightly wider tyres, and one or two other things.

But there's no substitue for getting used to cycling again. Good luck & come back if you need more help.

[eileithyia]

Welcome back and well done, I have a stable of bikes and swapping between them can sometimes mean a bike feels a bit lively (or sluggish depending on bike).... So don't be too down heartened... just check it is right size cos XS could be a bit on the small side and contributing to the twitchiness.

You will soon be back in the groove.... the muscle memory will kick in.... just don't over do it .... start with a couple of laps of a local block and move up the distance...