I want to buy a road bike

[San Bernardhinault]

I want to buy a road bike

Good luck, Toro. I hope you don't have the weather my friend had for the Marmotte this year, where several thousand didn't finish because of the heat.

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

Cheers!

Several thousand didn't finish last year because of the cold. Somewhere in between would be nice

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

We're off to Longleat Centerparcs on July 27th. Would love to have a day out to do Cheddar Gorge. This depends on three factors:

1. I successfully plead for a day out of the park (sorry, 'parc')
2. The Gorge is do-able by a middling cyclist like me (70 miles in one day through the undulating and occasionally challenging terrain of the Trough of Bowland being my greatest achievement)
3. I can hire a road bike from somewhere near the parc - Warminster seems to be the nearest centre of civilisation.

Obviously I'm on my own with 1, but any help or advice regarding 2 and 3 would be much appreciated.

[Kevin S]

I want to buy a road bike

How goes the plan there Mumpo?

Here's a blog post about riding L'Étape. Weirdly, the picture thing only works on IE for me.

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

Couldn't find a bike unfortunately, and to be honest I was having too much fun in the Parc.

Hoping to make up for it by doing Hardknott Pass this weekend instead.

[Kevin S]

I want to buy a road bike

Mumpo wrote: Hoping to make up for it by doing Hardknott Pass this weekend instead.

Beast. Here's the "Cycling Uphill" lowdown on it for you.

[Gangster Octopus]

I want to buy a road bike

I'd love to take the camper van over Hardknott, but I'm not allowed to.

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

Didn’t manage a traversal of Hardknott Pass in the end, but I did have my first foray into the Lakes last Friday. Lancaster to Staveley, then up the Kirkstone Pass (a pleasant climb but a bit of a slog) and down into Ambleside; then on to Hawkshead, a climb up to Grizedale, through Newby Bridge and up from Fell Foot Farm past Gummers Howe (a tough climb). Back to Lancaster via Levens and the A6. Annoyingly, Strava froze my mobile but it was an eight-hour trip, probably about 80 miles in all. Stopped a few times at points of scenic interest, I wasn’t pushing too hard. Coped pretty well I thought. Said to myself at one point on the Gummers Howe climb that if the summit didn’t appear round the corner I would give up – fortunately it did and my ascent honour was intact.

Three things that bothered me though.

1. Comfort on bike
Ended the ride massively saddle-sore. Fortunately only sore rather than raw, but still in discomfort. Think the bike frame might be slightly too big for me – the saddle just doesn’t seem to go far enough forward. I can’t get the bony bits of my backside far enough back so they’re resting on the wide bit. Consequently I’m putting all my weight on the narrow spur at the front of the saddle, and the bit that’s in contact with it is, not to be too indelicate, the perineal area. Apart from being painful it can’t be doing me much good. It’s been a problem ever since I got the bike – it fact you might say it’s a perennial problem a ha ha. The only remedy I can think of is to rotate the handlebars upwards so I don’t need to reach so far for them, and can sit back a bit. I suppose I’m going to have to shell out on a bike fitting at some point.

2. Energy
As usual on rides over around 30 miles, my energy levels were all over the place. One minute I seemed bursting with power, the next unable to turn the pedals even on the flat. A dizzy, heady sort of tiredness, rather than a leggy cramp-type tiredness. Over the eight or so hours of the ride I ate two energy fruit bars, two oaty protein bars and two one-slice wholemeal sarnies plastered with peanut butter, honey and Nutella. Kept my fluids up the whole way, must have had at least six water bottle refills. I suppose it’s natural to have your energy peak and trough over the course of a day. Is there anything I was missing? Sometimes I take energy gels too, didn’t have any this time. Perhaps it’s all to do with mental strength. Toughen the f**k up etc.

3. Tanlines
What’s going on? Most summers I’m out for half an hour in shorts and without sun oil my legs are already lobster red. Not this year though. Day after day of cycling when the sun’s out and still my legs are a uniform shade. I don’t get it. Is there something about exercising – the increased blood flow perhaps – that stops your skin from tanning? Fed up. Nearly September.

[San Bernardhinault]

I want to buy a road bike

I'm not sure I can be much help here, but...

(1) Are you talking "abrasion" sore? If so, you need to use lots of chamois butter.

What I generally get is a massively tired and achey arse. It basically feels bruised. And it doesn't seem to matter what bike or saddle I am using. I imagine the solution is eventually going to be buying, and wearing in over 1000 miles, a decent Brooks saddle. But even then I'm not sure it's a real solution.

(2) It's normal to fluctuate a bit, but that sounds quite extreme. You seem to be consuming decent calories during the ride. You're more likely to get crash-y like that around hills - in a few minutes after a hill your body is still knackered, but maybe 30 minutes or so later your body can start using reserves better. It's boring but true - my energy levels are more stable and I'm better able to cope without bonking if I ride more and train more. Otherwise, remember oat-y calories take a while to process, so consume them a few minutes before big hills. Also, your energy will return not as you eat, but a while after

(3) I've no idea what's going on there. I've only been back on the bike for a couple of weeks after getting home from South Africa and I already have 3 super-sharp lycra stripes on my arms from different jerseys.

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

Hmm.

1) Yes, as SB says if it's abrasion-type soreness then chamois cream is your friend.

For both types of pain, what kind of shorts are you using? A good-quality chamois will be much more comfortable than a cheap, single-layer foam insert.

The bike fit could be an issue, if you're trying to get the seat further forward, it sounds as though you may be a bit stretched out on the bike. A shorter stem might have a similar effect in reducing that. But core strength and flexibility might play a role too; if you're resting on the perineum, it sounds like your hips are rolled forward more than they should be. You want to be, even at the front of the saddle, perched on the "sit-bones". So bike fit or core work, or both, might help with that. But just finding a way to allow you to sit further back on the saddle might not, if your hips are still in the same position.

Are you getting numbness of the, umm, cockular region? It can happen, particularly if you're climbing for long periods. Nothing for it but to get out of the saddle and move around.

2) What SB says about "oaty" calories is right, only it takes as much as half an hour to digest them. So I'd try and consume them a fair while before you need them. But generally, I think his advice is correct. You say "as usual on rides over around 30 miles", but you also say this one was about 80 miles, and about eight hours. What sort of length are you usually doing? Was this way more than your standard "long ride"?

3) I have no idea. How odd.

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

1. It's the massively tired and achey arse thing rather than abrasion. I'll have an ask around the club next time I'm on a ride with them, they should be able to spot if my posture or positioning is wrong.

2. 80 miles is the most I've done so far, yes. So I suppose it's inevitable I was a bit ragged by the end. I guess I do need to plan when I'm going to eat, rather than just grab for something when I'm wilting. I don't really have a usual distance, to be honest it all depends what I can fit in. I've not ridden over 40 miles many times.

3. I must have developed some kind of tan resistance. Or maybe I have just overestimated how sunny it's been this summer.

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

A distance you're unused to may account for (1) as well, if it's not a frequent problem for you.

You'll sometimes see pads on shorts rated as "3 hours +" or "good for 5-6 hours in the saddle", or whatever. More sitting on it means more discomfort. Better shorts can help, as can a change of saddle (not necessarily a softer or more padded one). But so can simply doing longer rides more often, at least to some degree.

[MsD]

I want to buy a road bike

Mumpo wrote:
2. Energy
As usual on rides over around 30 miles, my energy levels were all over the place. One minute I seemed bursting with power, the next unable to turn the pedals even on the flat. A dizzy, heady sort of tiredness, rather than a leggy cramp-type tiredness. Over the eight or so hours of the ride I ate two energy fruit bars, two oaty protein bars and two one-slice wholemeal sarnies plastered with peanut butter, honey and Nutella. Kept my fluids up the whole way, must have had at least six water bottle refills. I suppose it’s natural to have your energy peak and trough over the course of a day. Is there anything I was missing? Sometimes I take energy gels too, didn’t have any this time. Perhaps it’s all to do with mental strength. Toughen the f**k up etc.

My observation, all those snacks are heavy on sugar and maybe you'd be better off eating nuts or a hard boiled egg.

I don't do major cycling at the moment, but I do a heavy hour's weights session followed by a swim, after which I have to eat something fast or I feel dizzy. A sugar spike is not a good idea but nuts or a "protein pot" are good (for me).

Saddles are tough on women in a different way, I've just bought a silicon pad to fit over mine but I'm only doing 3-4 mile journeys and usually stopping once or twice. Changed my cages for flat pedals yesterday, as the cages were aggravating my sesamoids (which I injured through running).

None of this would have bothered me or even had a moment's thought in my 20s.

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

No, this is exactly wrong. For a long and hard ride, you want carbs. Doesn't have to be sugar carbs, necessarily, but carbs are what you need for fuel. Carbs are what the body can burn most efficiently to keep going.

When you need protein is afterwards. As you rightly say, fast is best; the "metabolic window" when it's most effective is within about 30-45 minutes (some studies say the first 15-20, others the first hour) after exercise. But protein rebuilds muscle after the damage caused by exercise; it's not a whole lot of use during exercise. The body can get energy out of it, yes, but far less efficiently than from straight carbs.

[MsD]

I want to buy a road bike

Yeh, I meant afterwards, but I still think those bars are sugary.

I sort of misread the bit about "during".

My ex used to do triathlons and eat cakes and chocolate along the way, the whole thing sounds a bit mad to me. I can't imagine running with a Bakewell tart in my gob, but there you go.

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

Yes; sugar - or carbs more generally - is what you want in that situation.

It does feel a bit counterintuitive to be stuffing your face with cake while exercising...

Actually, I wonder if the issue isn't too little carbing. The protein bars are great after riding, but as I say won't really do a lot during it. Even counting them, though, that's six bars or sarnies over eight hours. For a ride over two hours, I'd be looking to eat something like one or two bar/gel/sandwich/whatever an hour, depending on how hard I was going.

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

Just to clarify, the bars I usually eat are Trek peanut bars and SIS fruit bars - I don't think either of these are like the sugar-laden flapjack things you get in newsagents. Open to suggestions for more effective alternatives, though.

[Mumpo]

I want to buy a road bike

Oh and no signs of 'cockular numbness', thankfully. I will remember that when I get in from a long ride, though. "Quick! Help me get some circulation back!"

[MsD]

I want to buy a road bike

Mumpo wrote: Just to clarify, the bars I usually eat are Trek peanut bars and SIS fruit bars - I don't think either of these are like the sugar-laden flapjack things you get in newsagents. Open to suggestions for more effective alternatives, though.

They're still too sugary for me, but if you're doing endurance exercise and you're younger than me maybe they're fine. Just thought the tiredness maybe like a carb crash/food coma which comes from having your blood sugar spike then go down again.

I only know enough about this to suit my own body, though.

[San Bernardhinault]

I want to buy a road bike

Fuelling for me very much depends on the ride. If I'm riding anything under 50-60 miles on flattish roads, I really don't need to fuel during the ride at all. If I'm going any longer than that, though, I will have needed to eat something pretty much every hour. It doesn't need to be much, but something. Or else I'll bonk, and badly.

And for me the Clif Bars (or equivalent) are excellent, because they have sugar but not too much. They're fairly slow-burn (that said, if I eat more than 3 or 4 in a day, it ruins my insides).

The gels are another matter. They taste like shit and totally rot the innards (and when the pack says consume 1-2 each hour, they're insane), but if you're coming up to a big hill and don't think you'll make it, the gel is utter magic.

[Incandenza]

I want to buy a road bike

You don't eat Sport Beans, San?

[San Bernardhinault]

I want to buy a road bike

I tried them once and, well, was underwhelmed. Clif Shot Blocks (and the Gu equivalents) are good, though. Not murderously sweet like the gels. (I may have mentioned this before - they're also excellent when you have food poisoning and can't digest food but need calories).

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

Mumpo wrote: Just to clarify, the bars I usually eat are Trek peanut bars and SIS fruit bars - I don't think either of these are like the sugar-laden flapjack things you get in newsagents. Open to suggestions for more effective alternatives, though.

I use SIS stuff a lot - those bars are really good, I find; plenty of energy, and taste comparatively like real food.

The Trek ones, though, I think, are primarily recovery food. They're not clear enough about taht on the site, but "snack after the gym" and "don't like drinking protein shakes" are the giveaway. They'll give energy, yes, but not particularly efficiently; they're premised on the basis that you're no longer working flat out.

Incidentally, and tying into what MsD says about age as a factor, these people reckon carbs/sugar/energy should be a much smaller part of recovery fuelling for those of us over 35 or so. I haven't seen any hard evidence for that, and it will obviously vary from person to person, but it's worth taking into account; I doubt they've just made it up from whole cloth.

In any case, the Trek protein bars are absolutely ideal for the end of a ride, but won't really help as fuel while you're going.

Per SB, yes, what you need to consume will depend on how hard you're going, as well as how long. If I just want to burn away fat, I won't fuel at all and will take a two or three hour ride fairly slowly. A really hard two hours in the hills will probably take as much carbing as a mid-paced spin around the countryside for around six hours. You get used to figuring out what you're going to need, given your plans. But it does sound like you're underfuelling.

On gels - I get along just fine with them. Loads of people don't. They are the quickest way to get carbs in and digested quickly, if you need the energy soon. Next up is carb drinks which, again, not everyone gets along with. Some find the taste much too sweet, some just can't digest them quickly enough. Again, you figure out your system with time, and how to run it.

Actually, on the Etape I couldn't keep down solid food most of the way. Cakes, bars, whatever, I retched right back up in seconds. So it was drinks and gels all the way. Now that will tear your insides up, even if drinks and gels don't usually. But needs must when the devil drives...

[Toro Toro]

I want to buy a road bike

I like the Shot Blocks; I like wine gums in the same way and for the same reason.

I've wondered, actually, about taking out a bar of jelly. But without looking at the label, I suspect the sugar/gelatine ratio is not as good as for specialised products.

[MsD]

I want to buy a road bike

Another suggestion - again acknowledging I'm not doing anything like yous lot's level of exercise and have no expertise in sport science: I take a "sports" supplement which says on the packet:

"With folate, B12 and iron which contribute to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue"

It has testimonials from some athletes. Maybe something in that.

I have the women's version of this, here is the blurb:

http://www.vitabiotics.com/wellman/sport/