Owie

[fallen_lamia]

I bought a bike on Thursday. I haven't owned or ridden a bike in years, and have been quite anxious to use it. Today I decided to ride it to work. It was a nice 3 mile ride. Minus my stupidly sensitive tail bone hurting from the seat. Add another 3 miles to the day heading from work to the gym. Add an hour of weights, and a 2 km run, then the short

Comments

[arydne]

Yeah, I had the same problem, my poor arse was so sore for days! I bought a gel seat at MEC and it has greatly helped.

The good news is that after a few weeks your tailbone will get used to it ;)

[fallen_lamia]

I also forked out $40 for a new gel seat from MEC. I barely lasted a 10 min ride without it. I shutter to think what my daily 35 minute treck to work and back would be like without it.

A few weeks, eh? Maybe I should invest in one of those inflatable donuts to sit on until my tail bone adjusts. :P

[arydne]

We could fasten the inflatable donut to your bike seat! :P

[fallen_lamia]

Man, that would be one sweet ride. Especially if I painted some flames or racing stripes on it. I wonder if crazy glue would work... ;)

[redivivus]

And when we were kids we rode on those things all day long without even a twinge. Oh to be a child again.*sigh*
And at my age not just bicycles give me aches and pains.*double sigh*

Best of luck breaking in the new bike. :)

[fallen_lamia]

Thanks. I am determind to get used to riding on a daily basis. Either that, or I'll get used to wincing whenever pressure is placed on my tush. ;)

[canticle]

I know how you feel...my mom came by yesterday and watched the kids so I could head off to work to finish some things off (work is about 6 km from where I live). So what did I do? I broke out my bike and cycled there and back.

Without any prep.

Ow.

[fallen_lamia]

Another fine example of how things seemed like such a good idea at the time. :P

[geza]

Huh. I generally don't think of a ride like that as one that needs a stretch. Maybe it's just because you haven't been on a bike in a long time? I think you'll get used to it really quickly. And it's a great idea -- other than swimming cycling's the best exercise on the planet.

[fallen_lamia]

I have tight hamstring muscles, and am prone to calf cramps due to not ingesting enough calcium. So for broken people like me, stretching is always a good thing to do. :P
But I'm sure it'll get easier over time.

I don't know about biking being the best exercise on the planet. I prefer jogging myself. Biking can definitely help your cardiovascular endurance, and will burn fat. But it also takes a lot longer to burn the same number of calories compared to jogging. And while biking is less strenuous on your joints, jogging also helps icrease bone strength. I think doing both, as well as my occasional eliptical use at the gym, will help to keep me well rounded as far as cardio exercises go.

[geza]

Biking tones muscle, though, in a way that jogging doesn't. Jogging doesn't require you to use your upper body (unless you're hauling weights), whereas biking does. I don't know; I've always found that for a total-body workout, biking is best with swimming a close second.

[fallen_lamia]

Hmm, I think you have that reversed. Your arms are constantly moving when you jog, unlike biking where your arms may steer, but they aren't doing any real work.
I definitely agree that swimming is a great workout for the whole body. But I'm just not motivatd enough to do more then a lap or two.

[variance]

Adjust the height and tilt of your bike seat, it will help with your tailbone.

[fallen_lamia]

I've lowered the seat a bit to see if that helps, but unfortunately the tilt can not be adjusted. Thanks for the tip though. :)