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I need to bike more myself, and so I'm not familiar with all that the Greenway system has to offer. However, I can say you won't get flatter than the Raleigh Lassiter Mill to Capital Blvd wooden bridge section noted.
... I simply do not have the physical conditioning needed (either cardio or muscle strength) to tackle more than very slight elevation.
There is no dishonor in dismounting and pushing up the steeper grades.
There is no shame in stopping for a rest when you need it.
Quote:
Middle age sucks... sigh...
Someday you will look back on 2014 as "the good old days."
You describe your new ride as "a hybrid road bike." Maybe you need mountain bike gearing. Consider changing the chainring and/or cassette to give you lower gears. I do that on every bike. Got to! Without low gears I just won't make it up the hills.
I'll explore the Durham and Chatham sides of the ATT. I think the Chatham side is also paved (according to info on the web site). The Wake County portion is all that crushed gravel stuff.
If there is a (big) elevation change or even a medium elevation change, chances are I'll either turn around and go back or end up walking my bike up any elevation. Right now I simply do not have the physical conditioning needed (either cardio or muscle strength) to tackle more than very slight elevation.
I'm hoping with cycling I'll be able to maybe shed some weight along the way. Carting around an extra 30 lbs does not make for easy biking, that's for sure. Middle age sucks... sigh...
The mentioned sections of ATT are nice, and the grades are not too steep, but I would recommend that you DO NOT ride them just yet. They do have some hills there. You'll be ready for them soon, but try the flatter places first to get your legs under you.
The first rides should be easy and fun. No hills to hate on. :-)
(and Umstead: Forget about it for a long while. The hills there are long, steep, and all gravel. )
BTW: I know several people who started just like you. One guy comes to mind. When I met him, he had already shed some 40+ pounds and still was one of the slowest guys I ever met. But he just rode and rode, and got on longer and longer rides. That was about 10 years ago. Now he is skinny as a rail, excelling in his career, and NATIONALLY RANKED as a 24-hour solo racer and endurance series racer.
Met another guy on the greenway who had already shed a bunch of weight (80+?) and was doing long rides from Cary to Clayton and back. Rome was not built in a day, but I'm just saying I know a LOT of people who got into cycling to achieve a health goal, and years later they are still riding because they love it. Goals long-past achieved.
A wider hybrid tire would probably fit on your rim. It would help on the ATT and Umstead.
Ask a local bike shop about it.
Yes it would, but that would be yet more $$$ and I just spent a lot getting the bike, the clothes, the other stuff needed. The tires on this bike as it came are 700 x 28. Not the super skinny 23 road tires. But they are not tires that have nubs in them.
The mentioned sections of ATT are nice, and the grades are not too steep, but I would recommend that you DO NOT ride them just yet. They do have some hills there. You'll be ready for them soon, but try the flatter places first to get your legs under you.
The first rides should be easy and fun. No hills to hate on. :-)
(and Umstead: Forget about it for a long while. The hills there are long, steep, and all gravel. )
BTW: I know several people who started just like you. One guy comes to mind. When I met him, he had already shed some 40+ pounds and still was one of the slowest guys I ever met. But he just rode and rode, and got on longer and longer rides. That was about 10 years ago. Now he is skinny as a rail, excelling in his career, and NATIONALLY RANKED as a 24-hour solo racer and endurance series racer.
Met another guy on the greenway who had already shed a bunch of weight (80+?) and was doing long rides from Cary to Clayton and back. Rome was not built in a day, but I'm just saying I know a LOT of people who got into cycling to achieve a health goal, and years later they are still riding because they love it. Goals long-past achieved.
Stick with it. :-)
thanks for that, MyGhost.
As a woman I don't expect to be racing anyone or even going on long rides. My first goal is to be able to do 10 miles (without needing to call an ambulance, that is). My next goal after that will be 20 miles. I expect something like this could easily take me 6 months to a year, as I am that much out of shape.
What I like about the Symphony Lake idea is what I realized I liked when I was at the gym... and that is... once tired I could stop and not worry how to drag myself back to my car. A little bit longer with the lake, but not more than I could manage.
There's something to be said with picking short, flat, circular paths and using those to get some legs and work on cardio and yes, just having some fun, enjoying a nice breeze on an otherwise warm day and working on technique with pedaling, shifting, etc. I'm liking this plan more and more.
There is no dishonor in dismounting and pushing up the steeper grades.
There is no shame in stopping for a rest when you need it.
Someday you will look back on 2014 as "the good old days."
You describe your new ride as "a hybrid road bike." Maybe you need mountain bike gearing. Consider changing the chainring and/or cassette to give you lower gears. I do that on every bike. Got to! Without low gears I just won't make it up the hills.
.
Good thing there's no shame because I have none and taking my bike for a walk is simply part of the experience when I have to dismount due to an incline.
Mountain bike gearing? What exactly is that?
This bike has 10 speeds. SRAM X7 2x10 with a SRAM PG-1030 11-36 cassette. Those are considered mid-range MTB components.
The frame is aluminum with a carbon fork. Tires are 700 x 28.
How many more speeds do I need? I put the bike into the lowest gear for a hill. The problem is not the bike, it's the rider. The rider is physically weak and overweight, and hauling extra weight anywhere, let alone up a hill, takes a lot more strength.
This bike has 10 speeds. ... How many more speeds do I need?
Ten is plenty. The concern is your lowest gear(s). Riders like you and me need low gears.
Quote:
... 11-36 cassette.
The 36 is the interesting number. 36 is plenty. How many teeth are there on the smallest chainring? I hope it is 36 or fewer. [Note: Cassette is the part attached to the rear wheel. Chainrings are the things attached to the pedals.]
You have wonderful gearing. No need to change anything.
In a previous post you said the bike has ten speeds. It actually has 20.
Suggestions:
1) Wear a helmet when you ride.
2) Drink from your water bottle as you go. If you wait until you feel thirsty, you have waited too long.
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