Home

Advertisement

Previous Entry | Next Entry

two wheels!

  • May. 14th, 2008 at 7:56 AM
emptiness
I road my bike around the neighborhood this morning. It's a bit harder than I remember when I had 20-year old knees instead of 40. I did end up purchasing the Specialized Crossroads Elite ($325) but without the armadillo tires since I will be street riding mostly. It's the "champagne" color not black. Showing here: http://samiraalthores.livejournal.com/81102.html

I have a mirror, some extra reflectors, and a helmut. I might get some other accessories if needed which they will install for free in their shop. I have a line on a cart (? -->> child carrier/stroller) attachment (something like this that can be hauled by my bike so I will be able to go to the grocery store and the farmer's market, haul my veggies in the future.

There's been a lot on the telly news about "bike to work" week/day. I wonder if it will continue, and the city will start to be more friendly to bikes. It's dangerous out there. Our drivers are careless, and there is no place to ride, really, on the main routes. Maybe I'll advocate in the local community.

Tags:

Comments

( Leave a comment )
[info]aisa0 wrote:
May. 14th, 2008 05:13 pm (UTC)
Yay bike!

I sometimes aggravate my knees on my bike too. Here is what you can do:

Spin faster in a lower gear. It puts less force on your knees and you can get roughly the same speed. It might feel like more effort, but you can condition yourself for it. This video of the 2005 Tour de France shows the peddling style of Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich. Lance has a very high cadence, while Jan rides with a big gear. Despite appearances on this video, these are comparable riders. You can also see that Jan has *huge* leg muscles compared to Lance.

And speaking of huge muscles, doing squats, either with weights or just with your body, is excellent cross training in general, but specifically for strengthening the muscles around your knees. I try (but don't always succeed) in doing roughly 20 free standing leg squats a day, just using my own body weight. It has a noticeable effect for me on knee pain.
| Reply | Thread
[info]samiraalthores wrote:
May. 14th, 2008 10:48 pm (UTC)
Ah. I think I understand. In my neighborhood, I practiced going up a "hill" (it's really not that big or long) in a high gear versus a low gear and there is a difference on my quads at the top of my knee. I just went for a ride for about 10 minutes. It's different than the recumbent stationary bike I ride at the gym. Well, duh, Sami. I'll start with chair squats as my knees don't bend into a squat anymore - 20 years of impact sports and 2 knee surgeries - but they get a little better every time the OT doc checks. At least I can get in and out of a chair without using my arms to lift now. It was truly bad a few years ago coupled with a lower back "cascading muscle failure." I am much stronger and more fit as I continue my health plan.

Thanks for all the advice and help!!
| Reply | Parent | Thread
( Leave a comment )