Feels like I'm cycling through treacle!

[sandwiches77]

Been cycling every Sunday since lockdown 1, so nearly a year. I know I'm no Laura Trott but not getting any easier, feels like I'm cycling through treacle!

my bike is about 3 years old, hybrid road bike. DH just took it around the block and he doesn't have any problems with it He keeps telling me that I'm not using my gears correctly and it looks like I'm really struggling and he can't cycle as slowly as me - it looks like I'm struggling because I am!

He says my seat is marginally too low so that needs adjusting and I also don't have my feet on the right position on the pedal (I tend to have the pedal on the arch of the pedal)

Trying to persuade him to let me buy another bike, but he says my current bike is OK, just needs a few adjustments and a winter service

Why do I struggle so much?

Trying to persuade him to let me buy another bike

So it’s not that you’re asking him to buy it for you, you’re buying it yourself. And you need his permission?

If you can afford it, buy a new one and sell the old one.

Try adjusting you saddle height and position (you can move it back and forward on the rails that it is attached to the seat tube with). Chances are you need to be higher and further forward than you think.

For gears, you are better off spinning Lowe gears than pushing big gears.

Are you tyre pressures ok?

Are your brakes catching?!

Starting with the mechanics, are the tyres pumped up and the chain oiled? If you spin the wheels, can you hear them rubbing against anything?

It may be that cycling just doesn't suit you - I really enjoy it, but I really don't enjoy running; I ran almost every day for three months, and it hurt as much at the end of that time as it did at the beginning (though I was fitter). Is it worth trying another form of exercise? I'm guessing that if you're just cycling on Sundays, you aren't commuting to work/school etc. on it.

Satsumasorclementines - I hear what you're saying, not as simple as that. Long unconnected issue.

bathorshower DH is a car mechanic and giving my bike a service to do all the things you suggested

I'd get the bike serviced. If you're doing lots of off road riding, then the brakes will have taken a battering with all the mud and are probably rubbing - this can slow the bike down and make pedalling hard work.

How heavy is your bike? If it’s a hybrid it won’t be fun to ride long distances. Can you hire a road bike for a week ?

I really struggle with the gears as well. I'm going to get my bike serviced to see if that makes any difference.
I've been watching YouTube videos all weekend to see if I'm doing it wrong!!
My bike is a cheap Halfords road bike and I wondered whether to upgrade.

It took me AGES to get past this stage and it was basically because I couldn’t cycle right. I tried with my arches too - there’s no power down your leg in that position and it makes it so much harder - and my seat was wrong, I didn’t know how to gear up or down.

Cracked all that and now cycling is much easier, I average 27mph and enjoy it (but don’t go often enough!)

Hmmm I think the pedal position on the foot might be your biggest problem - to get the power you need to be using the ball of your foot, pedalling through the arch will be very hard. Seat position does make a difference, but more to the length of time you can spend on the bike than the actual ease of pedalling (though obviously not optimal if the seat is wrong). I’d be inclined to agree with your husband, get the bike serviced, improve your form, and then consider a new bike if you really can’t get on with yours.

Sendmehome - I try and move my feet forward but still end up with the pedal under my arches as I said I've been cycling for nearly a year now and doesn't seem to be getting any easier. How do I get passed this stage?

How do I use the gears more efficiently/effectively? DH says that I need to build up the momentum and move up the gears, but my legs feel like lead!

He also says that I bobbing on my bike.... apparently that wastes energy. Sigh..

Tamingofthehamster bike weighs is 15kg

Flamingolingo I try and keep my feet in the right place but they keep moving!

@sandwiches77

Flamingolingo I try and keep my feet in the right place but they keep moving!

You might find that toe clips help keep your feet in position, (you don't need to do up the straps if you feel nervous of being strapped in).

Toe clips sounds like a good idea without doing up the straps as I would feel nervous

Any ideas to keep me still on the bike?

I don’t know what to practically suggest beyond just being really conscious of and correcting toe position, probably on several shorter rides. You should be able to feel the difference. I sometimes position my foot badly and I can tell immediately because it feels heavier. So I just reset it. Perhaps if you focus on that for a while it will just become habit?

But if it is a positioning thing, a new bike probably won’t fix things. Which I guess is your husband’s argument.

Are you pushing yourself harder and faster on your rides? If not then the fitness will not improve much.

What bike is it?

I think 15kg is pretty heavy - how much do you weigh?

Can I just ask, when you go out for a bike ride do you go on your own or do you go out with your DH? I come from a family of cyclists, have been cycling for years and am reasonably fit, but my DH has far more power on a bike! On the rare occasions we go out on bikes together he waits at the top of the hill for me and I go up in my on time. If you don't already, I wonder whether you would find it more relaxing to go out on your own, experiment with your gears, and find your own pace.

15kg is pretty heavy by the way. A proper road bike with drop bars, slimmer and slicker tyres will make you faster but the biggest limiting factor is the riders fitness.

15kg is actually pretty heavy!

What shoes are you wearing? Soft soles will bend and not transmit power from your legs to the pedals so well. Stiffish, grippy soles should help eg: walking shoes. Toe clips will help keep your foot in position, but make sure that they line up the ball of your foot with the axle of the pedal.

If it’s a cheap bike, they just tend to feel like this. I once borrowed my dms bike, a £120 catalog job. Absolutely awful, everything felt like a struggle. Even swapping to a £200 decathlon bike felt miles better. A weight of 15kg for a hybrid (normally fairly light) suggests it might be pretty low quality.

If we ever get out of lockdown/Covid restrictions, look for Breeze Rides in your area. Women led, women only rides for all abilities.

Also, if you do take your bike in for a service, you could ask them if they think your bike is the right size for you. Most good independent bike shops are happy to give advice and will not pressurise you into buying a new bike.