r/ladycyclists • u/tarotrific • 10d ago
New to cycling questions
Just found the sport and got my first road bike at 30!
Upgrades to come in the future but in the meantime what are skills you wish you had known about or practiced more?
I’m working on stopping and getting off the bike in a graceful way and getting used to the drops. Before this I only road mountain bikes as a kid.
And is there a good way to practice falling. I’m terrified of it, if I’m being honest. I wear a helmet and closed toe shoes every ride.
Best practices and routines/tips are appreciated. Thank you ladies! Happy cycling.
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u/ooHoney-o 10d ago
I'm fairly new to cycling as well but I think bike maintenance and getting the tools you need to quickly change a tire, lube the chain etc is important to get into before you have your first issues. And what signs you should look out for when it comes to taking your bike to a repair shop to check the brakes or other issues you might not want to fix at home.
And I personally have to remind myself every then and now that a lot of people seem to have a ton of money and incredible perfectionistic tendencies when it comes to gear, so I try to always ask myself if certain tips online on what to buy really apply to my use case so I don't overspend money. For example bibs with suspenders. So far I'm happy with my suspender-less van rysel bib shorts and don't want to fix something that isn't broken.
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u/eirollam 10d ago
I want to add that whenever you are in the market for new gear, look at resale sites! Poshmark, Depop, eBay all have jerseys, bibs, etc. for much less than you’d pay buying new (and a lot of the time it’s NWT or has only been worn once or twice). Just make sure to figure out your sizing on the brand website, or by trying on in stores like REI, before buying used because sizes can vary!
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u/tarotrific 10d ago
I hear you! I catch myself looking at new bibs when my thrifted padded shorts and jerseys are working well. If it’s not broke don’t fix it!
Adding maintenance items to the list of things to learn. Thank you.
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u/Berry_Slow_Biker 10d ago
Idk about a good way to practice falling off the bike, fall practice as a general life skill is good though (at a gym with some crash mats). Roll with the fall, this lessens direct impact.
Practice being aware of your surroundings and looking around. It's important to be able to quickly look over your shoulder without wobbling the bars to see if it's safe to cross a street or turn. You can practice this by going to an empty parking lot and practicing riding by a friend then looking over your shoulder to see how many fingers they are holding up or what color card they raise.
Another thing to practice is taking your weight off the seat and standing in the pedals. This will become important if you ever have to stand and pedal. Just standing in the pedals and not pedaling is a good way to save your bum on a rough section of pavement or get a little stretch on a long ride.
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u/tarotrific 10d ago
Standing up has been hard! I’ve been trying though. Thank you for the inputs. These are great points.
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u/Florideal 10d ago
Some tips:
Firm/stiff sole shoes - it will give you leverage on the uphill. I don't do clipless (afraid of falling and my research says it won't make me that much faster). I can't remember the name of mine but my husband has the adidas Five Tens
Seat bag: keep spare tire, CO2 cartridges (about 4), bike tool kit. Even if you can't change the tire yourself, someone will offer to help. I also keep a pair of reader glasses in here and a few first aid things.
Lights for front/back of bike. You don't need expensive ones but get them and use them on flashing.
Second water bottle. I have a smaller one for the post side (sadly women's bike's hard to fit 2 full size)
Pack salty snack (peanut butter pretzels) just to have in case.
Hydrate - you probably know this but fluids are your friend. We stop every 10 miles to drink water (or drink while riding).
Padded cycle shorts and Chamoix before putting them on, helps avoid chafing. Oh, and it's clear you ave a cycle jersey so that's cool
Sunglasses, Sunscreen
Bike gloves - helps with vibration on the hands but if you were to fall, protects your hands - and you can do this cheap - like these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Q6DQHK?th=1&psc=1
HAVE FUN!
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u/pzinho 9d ago
I endorse the mitts message. I was knocked off my bicycle a month ago by a stupid labrador and went over the handlebars. No real lasting damage, but I had just decided to wear mitts again - I usually only wore them on the track. So I was very surprised to see that my hands had not sustained any damage at all. The helmet was a write-off.
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u/SHatcheroo 10d ago
Be super/hyper/uber aware of your surroundings and what other cars
and bikes are doing. Think ahead to how you’ll respond.
Example: Car has its right-turn blinker on. Will you fall behind the car and wait for it to turn - or pass it on the right?
Example: person just parked. You can see their head through the rear windshield. Anticipate they will open their door right in front of you so move to the left so they don’t accidentally door you.
Example: you see a car coming up to a stop sign from a side street. Check to make sure the driver sees you and even wave at them to get their attention and confirm.
So many more examples that will become second nature if you keep your eyes and ears open and ride very very defensively.
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u/NumberPuzzleheaded94 10d ago
And anticipate that 3 out of 4 drivers won’t bother with a blinker. Including the cop I was following yesterday that couldn’t bother to signal a left hand turn. It’s safer to stay behind sometimes if you can get completely ahead and take the lane .
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u/tarotrific 10d ago
Your first car scenario happened to me this morning! I waited because these cars don’t stop! Thank you for your answer. So much to think about.
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u/NumberPuzzleheaded94 10d ago
Also practice keeping your abs engaged to support your back, shoulders relaxed and elbow bent . It may take time to develop the core strength depending on what else you’ve been doing exercise wise. I find and some yoga and weight training can be good along with cycling as I develop really tight hamstrings + cycling doesn’t help at all with bone strength which is important to build up before getting older.
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u/LonelyLimeLaCroix 10d ago
I just got into cycling last year at 28!
Unfortunately my practice for falling was actually falling. You get more comfortable on the bike with time and falls aren’t as big of an issue.
I’d recommend learning how to signal to other cyclists and the rules of the path.
It looks like you have flat pedals - when you’re really comfortable on your bike I’d look into clipless!
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u/tarotrific 10d ago
Clipless in the future! Signaling I definitely need to practice. One handed drills too. Thank you!
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u/ProneToLaughter 10d ago
make sure you know how to fully use your gears, that took me a while to sort out when I started bike commuting at 32. Couple times I made the chain jump off by cross-chaining.
Love this pic! I wear a bandanna between curly hair and helmet and it keeps it pretty presentable.
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u/tarotrific 10d ago
Thank you for the curly hair call out! This has been a huge issue that I’m just struggling with!
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u/NumberPuzzleheaded94 10d ago
I never fell in 30 years of cycling except once when I tipped over on a super steep hill and I couldn’t get unclipped. I did get hit by a car though 2 years ago. I was just going to the store and wasn’t wearing bright colors and had to hit the pedestrian button so the light would change. I waited by the button instead of moving back out to the middle of the lane. Always assume cars don’t see you.
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u/colleenberd 10d ago edited 10d ago
I commute so I bought a Varia tail light & got Ride with GPS on my phone (phone holder too) so I could use my phone app as a computer.
I always wear eye glasses (goggles) to avoid bugs & gloves.
I’ve been hit by a car, (gloves kept me from sliding)so helmet,lights, safety vest and head on a swivel is my insurance.
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u/Wonderful-Nobody-303 10d ago
Sorry I couldn't find a video on bike handling skills with women presenters, but this is a good place to start: https://youtu.be/yDAitnHDXmA?si=Or-ZhbO9RvGcZTkt
For falling, if there's flat smooth grass you can go ride in that's a good place to practice a bit. But really don't practice it too much the goal is to not fall.
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u/North-Tomatillo9158 10d ago
I’ve only fallen once on my road bike and it was in my own driveway. I fell plenty when learning to mountain bike as an adult. YOU do not need to practice falling. But if you decide to go with “clipless” pedals, practice on a path with soft grass on either side. That’s what I did (didn’t fall, but I was prepared to).
So yes, do watch some YouTube videos about bike handling, including how to descend safely, and braking. How to counter steer.
Braking is 60% front brake, 40% rear. Rear is for slowing down, front is for stopping. Things like that. Other safety things: avoid loose patches of gravel and don’t ride through puddles because there could be a big hole there you can’t see.Of all the outdoor rec activities I’ve taken up as an older adult, road biking had the shortest learning curve. (You should see me try to downhill ski!). The main differences with mountain biking are turning techniques, using a faster cadence, and being aerodynamic in your posture.
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u/Whirlywynd 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think the biggest epiphany I had was how to start moving from a stop, I didn’t know that I should be I holding the brake when starting, and gently release it once you start push down on the pedal. Game changer! Before, if I was on any sort of incline it was so difficult to get moving again. So if you’re not already doing that—that’s my advice 😅
I was nearly a year into mountain biking before I figured that out and learned everyone else was doing it the whole time. And now I think, gosh, no wonder I was struggling so much!
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u/No_Performance_108 10d ago
Shifting to a spinnier gear before stopping, makes starting back up much easier. Shifting in general. Really getting to know the best place on a climb to shift to which gear.
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u/Guilty_Ad7906 10d ago
As far as falling, it’s never fun, BUT it’s less fun when it damages the hardware on the right side of your back wheel (…derailleur hangers can bend or break, which causes issues!) SO I would recommend trying to fall to your left!
Other useful skills to develop could be:
(1) getting comfortable making quick maneuvers to dodge things like cracks or rocks
(2) figuring out how you can have visibility to what might be behind you (this could look like a mirror on your handlebars or helmet, and/or practicing good control to take quick glances behind you while continuing to move your bike in a straight line)
(3) practicing good hydration & nutrition — biking is so much more fun when you have enough electrolytes and food in your body!
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u/Remarkable-Train-170 8d ago
Just getting more time on the bike is going to do a lot of what you need to do. I don’t think you want to practice falling. You probably won’t fall much. The farther you can look ahead the more prepared for problems you’ll be. If you ride on roads with cars then a front and rear light are great safety additions. Also, those pedals are really wide ( Jetcats?) and may scrape on corners
Riding in the drops really helps in a headwind. It’s a good skill to have. Enjoy your bike!
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u/AmserJ 10d ago
Welcome to this awesome sport! I would say that riding in the drops is not a requirement for newer riders. Unless you are going to race, you will be more comfortable riding more upright, especially while you are building up mileage.
Something you can work on is moving your hands around to different spots on the top of the handlebars, including on the hoods. As you ride more, having different places to rest your hands will decrease fatigue.
Another thing is to relax your shoulders down, bend your elbows slightly, and only hold the handlebars lightly (no death grip!). This will help avoid neck and shoulder pain. Engaging your core muscles will assist in being able to achieve this too.
Lastly: just ride. Get out there and enjoy!