<p>Michael, thanks for your reply. It is very interesting to me. </p>
<p>I have been working out on a recumbent bike and working out at 80 to 85 rpm. I was curious how somebody who rides 70+ miles does it. I have always had difficulty riding a real bike. I think I have been pedaling way too slow and also pedaling in the wrong gears. </p>
<p>I am not sure I could ever ride a bike long distance because I have a herniated disk in my neck. Plus, how the hell can you sit so long on a bike seat? I don’t know if I could ever wear bike shorts. I am sorry, but they look silly. Plus, I am not in that great a shape
yet.</p>
<p>Do you ever work out with a stationary bike and are your numbers similar? Would you work out at 90 plus rpm on a stationary bike? </p>
<p>After reading your post, I googled a couple of sites and I realize that I am burning more calories than I thought. The bikes are programmed for people that weigh 150 pounds and I weigh 175 pounds.</p>
<p>And I, at 120-125 lb, burn less. The entire marathon is only a 2600 cal burn for a person of my size.</p>
<p>On the trail where I run, no one gives a hoot about how bike shorts look. Folks hop off their bikes and walk into the Red Hook, in bike shoes and those silly looking shorts, and still no one gives a hoot. It is all about like-minded people. I bet you will be able to find a trail to ride on which is populated by similar like-minded people. Biking is one of those activities where comfort is rated above style. </p>
<p>I am a shortie, only 5’ 6" (and shrinking) Just an average-sized middle-aged lady. For a person of my size, a mile ran is roughly 100 calories spent, give or take a few.</p>
<p>Dstark, if you feel uncomfortable wearing bike short they have mountain bike shorts which are padded liners with a regular looking short on top. When my H first started biking he got mountainbike shorts but now he wears road bike shorts even when on his trainer. Bike shorts make a huge difference. </p>
<p>H joined a bike group this year. He’s having a lot of fun with it. Group rides are good and they have rides for those with different abilities. </p>
<p>Michael, lots of good info there. Just curious as to what kind of bike you ride. H is looking to get a new bike, he has worn out his old road bike. I think he’s decided to go with a Fuji.</p>
<p>Well, BunsenBurner, your weight looks real good to me.</p>
<p>One thing about calories burned, and I am making this up. Maybe. I think running 1 mile in a marathon might burn 100 calories, but mile 20 burns more. Maybe, I am wrong and it is just physics. Maybe burning the 100 calories per hour just becomes more difficult.</p>
<p>dstark, I had to laugh about your bike shorts comment. I didn’t become a serious rider until the summer before my 40th birthday. Up until then, I always referred to bike shorts and jerseys as clown outfits (and often still do)! I came to learn, however, that it is extremely functional clothing and the fit, padding, elasticized materials and high tech fabrics provide comfort levels on the bike that make it all worth while.</p>
<p>The trick to comfort on the bike seat, is 1) proper seat height and angle adjustment (2 mm in height and 2 degrees in angle can make all the difference in the world), 2) the right saddle choice to match your anatomy (I use Specialized Body Geometry saddles that come in widths and my shop measured me for the right width), 3) high quality padded bike shorts (worn without underwear because under wear seams can feel like barbed wire after 30 miles) and 4) putting in the saddle time riding to acclimate your butt.</p>
<p>I have a lot of riding friends whom ride outdoor recumbents due to back issues. Some of them are very accomplished cyclists who are very fast. Their use of recumbents enables them to do all sorts of rides including multiple day touring. Some even have recumbent tandems they ride with their spouses!</p>
<p>The key to understanding gearing on a road bike is to forget about it in terms of “speed” and how fast you want to go. The trick is to establish the cadence range you are comfortable with and then use the gearing to maintain your cadence as the terrain changes. It’s all about spinning in a comfortable cadence range whether you are on the flats on climbing. Over time, as you get more fit and stronger, you can end up pushing bigger gears at a given cadence and thats where your speed increases come in. A comfortable cadence range can vary from person to person and each person will have a range they are more comfortable in on the flats and a range they are comfortable in when climbing. Spinning at a good leg speed is one of the keys to improving as a cyclist. As a very general rule, 80-100 rpms is a range in which most people find their comfort zone and when climbing, try to spin up hills and avoid mashing big gears at low rpms. As I indicated, my preferred range is about 92-105 rpms when on the flats or rolling terrain. Climbing at below 60 rpms on a regular basis is asking for knee problems. I try to spin up hills at 75-85 rpm even on difficult climbs and just choose the right gears to enable me to do so.</p>
<p>During the off season, I ride indoors doing wattage based work outs. My favorite rig for doing this is a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine indoor trainer on which I place one of my road bikes with a rear wheel that is built around a Cycleops Power Tap hub. I also have a Cycleops Power Tap indoor spinning bike. I keep my cadence up to the range I would use on the flats outside and focus on wattage, heart rate and time rather than indicated “road” speed or distance.</p>
<p>deb922, I’ve ridden a number of different bikes over the years. My current rides are a custom designed traditional lugged steel frame and a custom modern titanium frame both designed and built by Tom Kellogg at Spectrum Cycles. For off the rack bikes, I am very partial to Cannondale (have owned a number of them) who makes great state of the art aluminum frame bikes and carbon fiber bikes that will meet the needs of riders seeking everything from comfort performance bikes to high end racing machines. If I were to buy an off the rack bike, it would be a Cannondale - American company located in Pennsylvania, state of the art technology, design and materials, competitively priced and their higher end bikes are built in the U.S. All of that is just my bias; Fuji makes some good bikes too :).</p>
<p>Michael…yeah…I am not talking about the functionality of bike shorts. :)</p>
<p>I love your post. </p>
<p>I am glad to read that many bikers are using recumbent bikes for outdoor riding. I don’t see too many recumbent bikes out here, and there are a lot of bikers in this area. When I first moved here, everybody was a runner. 25 years later, the runners are bikers. </p>
<p>Unlike bike shorts, I don’t have a problem riding a recumbent bike if everybody is riding something else. If a recumbent bike works for me best, that is what I am going to use. </p>
<p>First, I am going to lose more weight. The gym works for me. After reading your posts, I am going to try and get my average rpm over 90 on the stationary recumbent bike. Starting tonight.</p>
<p>Yeah- I also figure at my height/weight I’m burning about 100 calories a running mile. I can eat that back VERY easily! Tapering this week so not running much. Moderately hilly marathon on Sunday. Seemed like a good idea when I entered it…</p>
<p>I hear you, MOfWC - I ate those 2600 calories back in no time. </p>
<p>MOfWC, have you seen this in NYTimes? It looks like our running shoes might be the best alternative to both barefoot running and cushioned shoes: </p>
<p>Today is one of those rare day that we are in the 70’s. So I manage to get home 30 minutes earlier than normal and went out running. Because I have been doing mostly upper body exercises in the gym for the past two weeks, I was thinking I would have fresh legs to do a long route. </p>
<p>Man, was I wrong. Felt like I had never run before - can’t breath, no legs, and the whole chest still sore/pain from that excessive rowing session. Ended up only ran about 1.5 miles at slow pace and walked home. Do I really need to learn how to run outside again?</p>
<p>PS. Feeling like crap now. Could this because I did take a flu shot today.</p>
<p>Or, could this because I started using a powerstep insole since Sunday. Since the legs are using a different set of muscles with this new “supportive” insole.</p>
<p>Mt. Monadnock successfully scaled. Back home, more or less in one piece. That hike was no joke. 5 miles. 5 hours, 50 minutes. Very rocky, very steep. Going up was hard, coming down was harder. I did a nice faceplant coming down, just below the summit. Steep smooth rock. Actually, landed with a thud on my chest. Scrapped palms, but nothing that won’t heal with some ointment and band-aids. I found myself on one spot coming down on wet smooth slab, hands and feet, facing the mountain, sliding like a cartoon cat! This was pretty much all the hike I could handle today.</p>
<p>I went up Red Spot Trail and came down White Cross Trail (at the ranger’s suggestion). Red Spot was a lot more trail than I would have guessed from the guidebook.</p>
<p>It was an absolutely spectacular fall day. Great photos that I’ll sort through later.</p>
<p>The big news is that I passed someone! Almost at the bottom, poor thing. A group of African American high school students (I think from Connecticut) helping a girl to her feet after twisting an ankle on the rocks and going down in a heap (been there, done that, got the t-shirt). The park ranger was on his way up with crutches. So I guess I can officially claim to be faster than a crippled girl… Gotta start somewhere, I guess. Actually, I felt pretty strong, but it was just slow going because it was so steep.</p>
<p>2.6 miles. My body is sore from tennis yesterday. I thought about taking an Advil but it wasn’t quite that bad. Also still have the sore throat. I really need a stretching session tonight.</p>
<p>It all started out so mellow. Leaving the park entrance. Nice trail. Blue sky. Fall foliage. Beth Orton and Ryan Adams on the iPod. Exercise doesn’t get much better than this.</p>
<p>But, it turned ugly fast as the trail deteriorated and then got steep and turned into a mass of jumbled boulders. Believe it or not, the rocks are the trail in all three photos. It is hard work picking your way through this stuff.</p>
<p>Even though it’s only 3200 feet, the summit is barren. Cool, but the steepness of the rock is deceiving. </p>
<p>All in all, a fun, but tiring day. My quads were on fire by the time I got back to the car.</p>
Plus, I am not in that great a shape
The entire marathon is only a 2600 cal burn for a person of my size.</p>
</p>
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