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Post by ravevampyre on Jun 16, 2005 1:53:55 GMT -5
Alright, so, my friend and I want to go on a bikeride, that, from what I've heard, is around 150 miles. Those of you who live in Arizona, its from phoenix to flagstaff. We are planning things a year ahead so we can help train our bodies to get used to intense bikerides and such, and so we can get supplies,etc. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to help us train ourselves to be able to withstand long bikerides, and anything else that could help with our planning. Thanks ^^
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Post by legend of croft on Jun 16, 2005 13:11:52 GMT -5
i used to do the 40 mile bike new york every year. it always involved at least a few months before of 2 hour bike riding trips around my town (jersey city, nj) and a lot of running and things just to build stamina while being able to tolerate the bike seat and handles for that long. supplies you might need:
gloves: get a really really nice set of biking gloves. it will be chilly at night, and if you fall, you'll still have your fingers.
a small tool kit and an air pump. they sell air pumps that mount to the water bottle bracket, and they sell small tool kits (schwinn, bell, shimano, advent) that will fit in a pocket.
a really comfortable seat. despite how comfy those gel seats look, they are often not very good for you and will end up killing your back in no time. a brooks leather seat or a seat where the tailbone section is cut out would probably be more efficient and will fatigue you less than a cushiony seat.
a camelback water backpack is much safer to use than a water bottle. they can be pricey but if you look on ebay you can get a brand new one for really cheap
gyro makes a really comfortable lightweight helmet. it's so comfortable you don't even know it's there. they have a neck/head rest in the back with lightweight safety clips. bell makes a similar design. make sure you have a helmet.
powerbars...always a good thing to have on a bike trip. if you get hungry but can't stop, powerbars will at least help keep you moving until you can have a real meal.
bar ends.......you'll need some sort of alternative to just your handle bars on that extensive of a trip. your body will get sick of the same position. if you're on a road bike, scott makes a nice set of road bike bar ends. if you're on a mountain/hybrid bike, avenir, specialiezed, advent, shimano, and all of those companies make relatively cheap bar ends.
a good bike........make sure all of your shifters are working. if the shifters are above the handlebars (as opposed to below or grip shifts) your shifters are probably not rapid fire and could easily damage the derailer while on your trip if you don't hit them in the precise spot. on my bike, i have a small clip on/quick release bag on the front bars, and a smaller underneath the from over the crankset resting on the top tube. in those bags i keep my power bars, a small tool kit, a spare tube, wallet, keys... other minor personal belongings.
i really hope this helped. if you need more help i can link you to sites of these items. sounds like your trip is something i'd do myself.
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Post by ravevampyre on Jun 16, 2005 13:57:37 GMT -5
Thanks a bunch ^-^.
I know there are people who do this bikeride, Phoenix to Arizona, but the longest bikeride I've ever been on was maybe a 3 hour one, not very intense. We're planning on spending a year and everything to train up, so I am hoping to become stronger and more sturdy so that I can stand the long bikeride. Right now I'm taking Hot Yoga (intense yoga in a room that is 104 degrees), I'm doing regular bikeriding and DDR, but starting later today I will be challenging myself with the bikeriding.
Some links would be nice. =)
Does anyone know of some specific parts of my body I should be working on? Muscle-wise.
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Post by legend of croft on Jun 16, 2005 14:19:44 GMT -5
for that ride you will probably want to be working out your whole body for the next year, arms, legs, back etc.... it'll all help and you'll be a lot stronger and fit in a year. i'll look around online later on for some links to things that might help you along the way bike part wise. what kind of bike are you planning on using out of curiosity? i always do bike new york on a 96 or 97 schwinn criss-cross hybrid, it's like a mountain bike with road bike tires that have a little tread on the side. it's got these figure 8 style bars with grip shifts so i never had to put bar ends on it. i rode my 95 mongoose alta mountain bike one year, and man was i tired. the tread on the tires makes a huge difference....so does having front end suspension.
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