Timeline for I am a beginner to commuting by bike and I find it very tiring. Is it my fitness level or my single-speed bicycle?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
12 events
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| Jan 10, 2021 at 22:35 | history | edited | leftaroundabout | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Rebuttal to the opinions that the bike is the culprit
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| Jan 10, 2021 at 21:19 | comment | added | EarlGrey | @JudyN. "but they may still be able [...]" exactly: with a 48/19 they may OR MAY NOT be able to a)b)c)d) ... cycle from home to the office. You yourself cannot say something like "they will be able to ride on a)b)c) ..." It's a bit limiting :D ! Point taken, a trained cyclist can ride literally everywhere, but a trained cyclist can do many things a commuter cyclist (?) cannot do. | |
| Jan 9, 2021 at 16:25 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | @JudyN. well, I wouldn't actually claim that even a pro cyclist can get 48/19 up an entire alpine pass (without needing a knee OP afterwards). But yes, you basically got the point of what I meant to say. | |
| Jan 9, 2021 at 14:32 | comment | added | Judy N. | @EarlGrey yes, but they may still be able to ride it on a) most roads b) a lot of roads c) all the roads in their vincinity d) most of the roads in their vincinity e) the roads they need to ride on to get between any points they may need to get to, etc. leftaroundabout's point is that a trained cyclist can ride this gear on literally almost any road in the world, i.e. including up alpine passes and so forth. So the less trained, the less extreme the roads you will be able to ride it on. Most people don't need to be able to ride on "almost any road" | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 18:32 | comment | added | Lamar Latrell | Miche brand on Ebay in my case 👍 | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 13:19 | comment | added | ojs | Where do you even get 63t chainrings? | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 11:45 | comment | added | Lamar Latrell | I think this is the answer, sometimes it's not your lungs that are stopping you, it's muscle related. Just give it some time, your legs will adapt (then your lungs will start screaming 😂). FWIW I'm now riding SS 63/17 including hills, taken a while to get here though. | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 10:38 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | @UEFI well, I'm not particularly young anymore... not much younger than the OP at any rate. And yes, when I started trials and it takes me ages to learn the basic backhop moves myself became aware that training progresses much slower in one's 30s than it does in the early 20s. But I also see that it does still work, it's just necessary to bring the discipline. And for that a somewhat aggressive bike actually has its merits – to actually push your limits, instead of forever dawdling along at a snail's pace without much training effect. (Just, again, having only 48/19 is a bit excessive.) | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 9:53 | comment | added | UEFI | When you are young and fit you think that everyone else is young and fit, just a little bit of training will solve their problems. Unfortunately as you get older you realise that's not true. Some people need to make life easy for themselves, and that means buying a bike that's suitable for a beginner. | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 8:26 | comment | added | EarlGrey | "48/19 is not a crazy ratio – a trained cyclist will be able to ride this on almost any road" That means that an untrained cyclist will not be able to ride this on almost any road. Plus, do not underestimate how much strain can put on you by cycling on an urban environment with continuously adaptation to your route. Even when the OP says " that I found myself, not really out of breath, but unable to continue at times", that is 100% not the body: it is the mind blocking him. Norwegian mountains? yes, physically tiring, but your mind is free. | |
| Jan 8, 2021 at 1:29 | history | edited | leftaroundabout | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 526 characters in body
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| Jan 8, 2021 at 1:17 | history | answered | leftaroundabout | CC BY-SA 4.0 |