Does biking train one for hiking?

[Nadine]

My new bike came with a 52/38 crank and a 10 speed cassette. Great if you're a climber with no knee issues. I say give me the granny gears and make my knees happy I ended up ordering a Nashbar 48/38/28 crank, which arrived today. My bottom bracket isn't compatible though Soooo, back to Nashbar for a bottom bracket and the proper tool for installing it.

I'd rather loose a little speed at the top end than suffer with sore knees trying to climb. Especially in my 'hood. Lots of small but super steep hills.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Is your rear derailleur a long-cage model? If not, you may not be able to use the granny gear as it will not pick up the chain slack.

What are the ends on the 10-speed cassette? 12x25 and 13x27 are popular. Above 27 you really cannot use a standard road derailleur and need the long-cage version. 52x38 is the smallest available double crankset you can get on a standard road configuration (130mm bolt pattern.)

Standard (short-cage) rear derailleur:

Triple (long-cage) rear derailleur:

Tim

 

[Nadine]

I have the Ultegra derailleur with a 12X25 cassette. Does this sound like it will work? The only thing I'm not sure of is if my shifters are capable of handling a triple crank. I have a Giant TCR with Shimano ST-R700 STI Short Reach shifters. Any ideas?


I've decided that biking does indeed help with hiking after doing the Traveler Loop in BSP yesterday. My overall time for the strenuous 10.6 mile loop was much faster than it would have been had I not been bicycling 10-15 miles daily. I was figuring on 10 hours and finished in 8.5. I felt like I had a lot more stamina on the uphill climbs. Going down, well that was the tough part.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

You will need the long-cage derailleur for a triple to take up the chain slack. According to this link

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/con.../105/product.-code-ST-R700.-type-st_road.html

they are triple compatible, with the comment

Front double/triple compatible design. (Use with only FD-5600 for double)

which I assume FD is "Flight Deck", so you may have trouble with the flight deck computer.

Again, any "training" activity is better than nothing. Cycling is not the best training for hiking, but it's better than channel surfing on the couch. It's a popular cross-training activity for speed skaters and XC skiers (and vice versa.)

Tim

 

[Nadine]

I think I've got the shimano ultegra long cage derailleur (looks like the picture you posted). Thanks for the link on the shifters. I don't have a flight deck computer. So I'm guessing it will work...

 

[yardsale]

Hi Nadine. Interesting thread creep. My knees and I are thankful for my triple.

I didn't get a change to check with any of my physical therapist co-workers today about lunges, but I did check the website of the American Physical Therapy Association. This is the governing association for PT practice guidelines in the US. Found an APTA mag. discussing how to do this exercise correctly, not that it is contraindicated. According to the article, the key is to make that stride foreward long enough such that three things happen: 1. When you sink to the lowest part of the lunge, the upper section of your foreward leg is parallel to the floor; 2. Your foreward knee is bent NO MORE than 90 degrees; 3. The inward lumbar curve of your lumbar spine is preserved. Would't be the first time that PT's and Orthopaedic Surgeons have disagreed on an exercise.

 

[Seeker]

Two comments in contributing to thread creep.

Re: hurting baby maker.

Try the saddles with the hole in the middle. Those seats are the only reason I can still cycle.

Re: lunges.

I have found that I can only do lunges when my quads are already in reasonable shape. (And I follow the description YS provides--90 degrees, parallel to the floor, etc.) If I am just starting to get in shape, I get some knee tweakage that is disconcerting. So I'll use the machines for your quads and hamstrings at the gym to build up to being able to do lunges comfortably.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Re: hurting baby maker.

Try the saddles with the hole in the middle. Those seats are the only reason I can still cycle.

Or, you can find one which properly supports your behind and the accompanying sit bones, without the cut-out. I am under the impression, perhaps incorrectly, that the cut-outs are aimed at female riders. Being neither female nor having a cut-out saddle, and having no problems with my existing saddle (other than it is no longer made ), I am not sure. I am sure that you can alleviate problems by finding an appropriate saddle and an appropriate riding position. My point here is not to disprove Seeker, but to suggest that the saddle-with-a-hole is not necessarily the solution to any one individual's specific problem.

The best advice if you have saddle problems is to consult a professional bike fitter at a reputable bike shop.

Tim

 

[Jay H]

I don't nor have I ever used a saddle with a cutout. Although I don't have children so maybe I'm not a good sample...

However, everybody is different, I use a Avocet saddle, I think something of the O2 Air variety with kevlar corners to reinforce the abuse... Works fine. I have some traditional Sella Italia Flites on my road bikes...

Jay

 

[yardsale]

The cutouts were originally designed for males. The Perineal nerve is in the area and can be damaged by prolonged pressure causing numbness and tingling and sexual diysfuction eventually although I can't recall exactly how that happens. Mrs. YS says the pressure relief saddle she uses is simply more comfortable than solid saddles.

 

[mookie]

or surgery....

or surgery, you know, like they do to male dogs.....

 

[yardsale]

Way way Harsh

 

[jniehof]

The cutouts were originally designed for males. The Perineal nerve is in the area and can be damaged by prolonged pressure causing numbness and tingling and sexual diysfuction eventually although I can't recall exactly how that happens.

The study that supposedly established that link is somewhat dubious at best. (Unfortunately I can't find back the citation on follow-up.) If something hurts or goes numb, it's worth fixing...otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. Obligatory Sheldon link.

From a conditioning perspective, I think the biggest benefit of cycling is its extremely low impact, when done correctly (most notably proper saddle height and spinning rather than plunging.) I can't run or walk much with a broken toe, but cycling's fine...a couple of years ago I met up with a friend the day after the Boston Marathon. He couldn't walk at all, but had no problem riding several miles to meet me.

 

[mookie]

sheldon

" Obligatory Sheldon link"

Sheldon was the man!!!

 

[yardsale]

According to this article: http://men.webmd.com/features/biking-and-erectile-dysfunction-a-real-risk?page=2 it is a real but solvable issue. I agree, if you don't experience it, don't worry about it. Anyone ever tried one of these "noseless seats" Sheldon poo poos but was embraced by the cops mentioned in this article? Comfort aside, I would worry about my ability to control the lateral movement of the seat post without a saddle "nose"

 

[Seeker]

It was just a suggestion ... I believe I did write YMMV, eh? And YS is correct--they were developed for men and yes, they make cut-out saddles for both men and women.

I would never suggest that someone who was comfortable with their current saddle switch to a different one. Mookie clearly was having trouble, so I offered an opinion.

Who knew that cut-out saddles would be so controversial?

I'll stop adding to the drift now...

 

[bikehikeskifish]

In 12 years of racing (40K miles on my current bike, give or take a K or 2), with 50-100 guys per race, every weekend, and going on training rides 3-5 other days per week, I've yet to see a cutout saddle installed on a man's bicycle. The few I've seen were from Terry on women's bikes.

Maybe they are popular in the non-racing crowd who perhaps sit more upright? Maybe I should refrain from making general inferences

Anyway, if you're having problems, get your complete position, including saddle size, shape and height, checked out by a pro.

Tim

 

[Kevin Rooney]

In 12 years of racing (40K miles on my current bike, give or take a K or 2), with 50-100 guys per race, every weekend, and going on training rides 3-5 other days per week, I've yet to see a cutout saddle installed on a man's bicycle. The few I've seen were from Terry on women's bikes.

Maybe they are popular in the non-racing crowd who perhaps sit more upright? Maybe I should refrain from making general inferences

Anyway, if you're having problems, get your complete position, including saddle size, shape and height, checked out by a pro.

Tim

Tim -

I think the operative term here is "race".

I just did RAGBRAI (a 500 mile +/- ride across Iowa for those not familiar with this "event") this year, and the majority of the long distance riders were not racers, although some may have been at some point in their lives. There were somewhere between 10-15,000 people riding at any point in time, of which perhaps 60-70% were men. Many of them used saddles with a medial cutout or depression to relieve pressure on the nasty bits. When you're riding 6-8 hours per day, day after day, there can be a cumulative effect.

Kevin

 

[dug]

Two questions re: bikes. Do you find the basket mounted on the handlebars is big enough to fit a pack? And, are banana seats still in vogue?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Tim -

I think the operative term here is "race".

I just did RAGBRAI (a 500 mile +/- ride across Iowa for those not familiar with this "event") this year, and the majority of the long distance riders were not racers, although some may have been at some point in their lives. There were somewhere between 10-15,000 people riding at any point in time, of which perhaps 60-70% were men. Many of them used saddles with a medial cutout or depression to relieve pressure on the nasty bits. When you're riding 6-8 hours per day, day after day, there can be a cumulative effect.

Kevin

I've never seen a European Pro peleton bike with a cutout saddle. Doesn't mean they don't exist. Just never seen (a photo of) one. Those guys vastly exceed the butt-in-saddle time of the RAGBRAI riders. Sometimes they are racing, often 3 weeks / 2500 miles at a stretch. Other times they are training for such events and putting in 6-8 hours per day for weeks at a time leading up to such events. One difference might be that they are generally lighter than American touring cyclists. Maybe affected riders don't understand about "unloading" the saddle on bumpy sections -- this helps a lot (unloading means you let the elbows and knees act like shock absorbers, which smooths the ride over rough pavement and potholes and reduces the chance of pinch flats as well.)

I'm not saying that cutout saddles are bad. I'm saying that problems might be cured in other ways. And I will continue repeating the mantra that you should check the fit of your bike with a professional before you plunk down money for a new saddle.

If you had a problem and it worked for you, that's great. If you bought one because you read it here, without any prior problems, that's not statistically significant. If your bike came with one, or you were sold on it at the time of purchase, that's not statistically significant either. Why is this an issue for Tim, you ask? Well, that's a good question. I've had to "defend" so much riding to my mom and my wife against journalistic reports that bicycles were causing all men impotence or other sexual dis-function problems. I've had zero problems in that area, but my bicycle was professionally fitted and I tried out 5 or 6 saddles in the process.

Tim