01-03-2007, 12:20 AM
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#57 (permalink)
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| | Re: My 'Bent Is Starting to Annoy Me
"Jim Behning" <jimbehning@doesthisstoppork.mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:4%Elh.5455$w91.3595@newsread1.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
> Edward Dolan wrote:
>> "Jim Behning" <jimbehning@doesthisstoppork.mindspring.com> wrote in
>> message news:kcHkh.4452$yx6.577@newsread2.news.pas.earthli nk.net...
>>> Prisoner at War wrote:
>>>> bigjim@backpacker.com wrote:
>>>>> If I can ride a bike for 4-6 hours I consider it comfortable. My
>>>>> Lemond road bike and C;dale cross bike fit that bill fine. I have the
>>>>> bars only slightly below saddle, a Brooks seat and I;m fine. My MTB's
>>>>> are torture machines and cannot ride for more than an hour before neck
>>>>> shouler wrist pain start!!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I can ride my uprights all day continously and be comfortable.
>>>>
>>>> The problem is that within two weeks my back will be aching like crazy.
>>>> And I am likely one of the few young 'bent-riders around at age 34.
>>>>
>>>> I never had a problem with my wrists or shoulders from upright biking,
>>>> though. I do change hand positions for comfort, but no regular problem
>>>> has ever developed. It's only my back that's really affected. I agree
>>>> that frame geometry and a proper saddle do a lot for comfort on an
>>>> upright, and I don't blame bike-riding per se for my bad back -- it
>>>> kind of started in childhood and was really messed up in the Army but
>>>> upright bikes and even jogging exacerbates it.
>>>>
>>>> My sports doc recommended a 'bent, and that was my excuse to splurge
>>>> thousands.
>>>>
>>>> It's been great fun, but getting annoying now with all the break-downs.
>>>>
>>> I do better with the sore back issues if I keep up with core muscle
>>> training. I got a pretty sore back on an 8 hour mountain bike ride/race
>>> but part of that is a way to tight left quad. I need to stretch that
>>> muscle more. Massage therapists have said I have tight hamstrings. I
>>> need to a lot more stretching I guess.
>>
>> Jim proves my point about uprights being essentially uncomfortable unless
>> you are in tip top shape. I refuse to do any kind of training just so I
>> can ride a bike. Perish the thought! I ride a bike strictly for the fun
>> of it and if I have to train in order to do it, then it is no longer any
>> fun.
>>
>> Back problems especially won't go away unless you do some kind of
>> strengthening exercise to get those back and abdominal muscles into
>> shape. Furthermore, the older you get, the more this becomes a losing
>> proposition. I will not do any kind of training or exercise just so I can
>> ride a bike. What foolishness!
>>
>> > My cross bike is more comfortable than my road bike. I need to get a
>>> shorter stem and maybe raise the stem a bit on the road bike. Little
>>> things can make big differences.
>>
>> All you are doing is rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship. Get a
>> recumbent and forget all this nonsense about trying to be comfortable on
>> an upright. It ain't ever going to happen.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
>> aka
>> Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
>>
>>
> In days of old people had to work all day to feed themselves. Since modern
> man has chosen to not not work to feed themselves then you have to do some
> activities to replace the work activities my grandfather did. Of course
> you do not have to do anything. I just believe that doing some exercises
> to keep muscles besides my legs is beneficial to me. Core exercises are
> not just to help a person ride a bike. They help you stay healthy in all
> the activiies you might do. I built a 2700 sf barn practically by myself.
> I have a bunch of stumps I need to dig out. I have a few dug out already.
> Sit ups, squats, curls and bench presses help the weekend warier tasks
> less painful or epic. Of course if you do nothing but ride a bike then you
> may never need to be in shape. Of course then you do not want to have kids
> you might want to pick up. Or groceries you might take out of the car. I
> ride a bike. I race maybe 20 races a year on the mountain bike, the cross
> bike and maybe even run a road race. It is real hard to be competitive on
> a recumbent but if you don't do those fun races then it does not matter to
> you. I don't use a Macintosh either.
I agree with Jim on everything he says above. But I have never been strong
in my life. There are really only a few physical activities I can do with
any degree of comfort. Jim is an iron man, but he has to work at it too just
like any of us would have to.
I think an excellent cross training activity for cyclists is just plain
walking. I like to do lots of that every week. If you combine recumbent
cycling with walking you will not be in such bad shape, but you will still
not be in good enough shape to ride an upright. For that, you have to do
more just like Jim says. It would be a full time occupation for me to get
strong and fit enough to ride an upright in comfort.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
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