How am I doing?

stilesiii said:

I just started riding about two weeks now. I purchased a Motobecane Mirage from Bikesdirect.com and am fully satisfied with the bike. I am currently riding about 8 miles daily and my average speed is about 15.5 mph. Its a 30 minute ride on a flat road. I'm 6'1" an about 190lbs. Is this good are should I concentrate more on speed average and less on mileage? My goal is to get 10 miles in 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

BTW, Hello to all.

I wouldn't advise focusing on your average speed. Rather, I would advocate riding for the amount of time you have available (e.g., 30 mins) at a pace at which you could carry on a conversation. If you have a HRM, this would be not greater than ~75%MHR. If you don't have a HRM, don't worry about it. Just ride at a pace at which you could carry on a conversation comfortably at all times. As you become more fit, this pace (conversational pace) will increase gradually and naturally.

RapDaddyo said:

I wouldn't advise focusing on your average speed. Rather, I would advocate riding for the amount of time you have available (e.g., 30 mins) at a pace at which you could carry on a conversation. If you have a HRM, this would be not greater than ~75%MHR. If you don't have a HRM, don't worry about it. Just ride at a pace at which you could carry on a conversation comfortably at all times. As you become more fit, this pace (conversational pace) will increase gradually and naturally.

Well, that is about the pace I am at. Thanks for the advice. I really enjoy riding, I finally found an exercise that I enjoy. Everyday, I can't wait to get out on the bike. I got a computer and a new seat. The only bad thing I could say about the bike was the seat it came with was very uncomfortable, but that was easily remedied. The computer really makes holding pace easy.

stilesiii said:

I just started riding about two weeks now. I purchased a Motobecane Mirage from Bikesdirect.com and am fully satisfied with the bike. I am currently riding about 8 miles daily and my average speed is about 15.5 mph. Its a 30 minute ride on a flat road. I'm 6'1" an about 190lbs. Is this good are should I concentrate more on speed average and less on mileage? My goal is to get 10 miles in 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

BTW, Hello to all.

Hi Stiles , i'm thinking that we are pretty similar here. I started 18 months ago and have been doing 90-100 miles a week this summer.I'm 6'1 also ,187lbs and 56 years old. I've just done a 10 miler in 36'51 -16.3mph - my best. The first time I did this track one month ago I did 42 minutes ! . I'm trying to get 2 goals - 1st one is a 50 miler at 14mph, 2nd one is exactly yours - 10 in 30.
My limited advice is : cycle 5 or 6 days a week , maybe do a few longer runs to build the muscles and get the cadence (pedalling rate) higher even if that means dropping a gear or two.
Best of luck and keep pedalling.
Ron

stilesiii said:

My goal is to get 10 miles in 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

BTW, Hello to all.

I would suggest you vary your rides. Ride a couple easy rides a week, in a low gear focusing on spinning. Increase your time and distance on a weekend ride. Ride different roads to include more hills or at least different scenery. And when you ride hard, work in some intervals. And ride with others, as well as along. Finally, take a couple days off each week to recover.

Don't let your riding get stale nor routine. Listen to your body and keep it fun!!!

stilesiii said:

I just started riding about two weeks now. I purchased a Motobecane Mirage from Bikesdirect.com and am fully satisfied with the bike. I am currently riding about 8 miles daily and my average speed is about 15.5 mph. Its a 30 minute ride on a flat road. I'm 6'1" an about 190lbs. Is this good are should I concentrate more on speed average and less on mileage? My goal is to get 10 miles in 30 minutes, 6 days a week.

BTW, Hello to all.

I am about the same size and will be riding about the same amount and in nearby area (baton rouge) and looking at the same bike. What size did you get?

I hope it's a good review- I just bought one online this AM (actually, the motobecane mirage sport)... .... 😄 I got the 44cm because I'm just a tiny tot.

I thought that it seemed like a great beginner's road bike (never had one before, so this will be interesting).

timbrla said:

I am about the same size and will be riding about the same amount and in nearby area (baton rouge) and looking at the same bike. What size did you get?

I got the 59cm, which fits well. The bigger frame may have needed less seat height and bar height, but I think the 59cm fits well. I have a 32" inseam and can stand over the bike with about an inch or two clearance.

I did get a new seat, the seat it came with was not very comfartable. I bought a comfortable schwin split seat at walmart for $18.

timbrla said:

I am about the same size and will be riding about the same amount and in nearby area (baton rouge) and looking at the same bike. What size did you get?

stilesiii said:

I got the 59cm, which fits well. The bigger frame may have needed less seat height and bar height, but I think the 59cm fits well. I have a 32" inseam and can stand over the bike with about an inch or two clearance.

I did get a new seat, the seat it came with was not very comfartable. I bought a comfortable schwin split seat at walmart for $18.

Wow, my first post. I am in the same boat as you guys being a newbie to the sport. One thing I have noticed in timing my rides is that they can be drastically different based on a few things like hills, wind, temperature, and stop lights. I have a 10 mile loop I do in about 34 minutes which includes riding over a hill twice (actually it's a bridge) and hitting a few stop lights. Although my computer will stop timing after 2 seconds of inactivity, slowing down and then having to ride away from a stop light can add a bit of time to your ride. Just things to take into account.

Wow, my first post! I'm in the same boat as you guys being a new cyclist. I too have a 10 mile loop that I can complete in about 34 minutes. A couple of things I noticed that really affect my ride time are temperature, hills, wind, and stop lights/stops. Even though my cycling computer stops timing after 2 seconds of inactivity (i.e. being stopped at a light) you lose a fair amount of time slowing down for the light and then having to pedal away again. So if your 10 mile loop has any of these things involved it's just something to take into account.

Oh, and one other thing I noticed that helps with motivation is keeping a log. It makes you want to ride more if you have a log to fill out so I've been keeping track of the date, distance, trip time, and avg. speed. Once I fill out the entire page, I think I will then feel like I've accomplished something. Good luck with meeting your goals!

I'll second what RapDaddy said....don't focus on speed. If you worry about doing the same course in the same time or less every day, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. You'll have slow days, but every now and then a day when you feel great, and hit a new personal best time. Just ride at a comfortable pace, and let it happen naturally....that's my free advice anyway.

The important question in "How am I doing?" isn't about speed, or quick progress at all. It's about how much are you enjoy the riding, and how are you feeling the rest of the day. If you gain fitness, enjoyment and a sense of well-being from the sport, you just might be onto something permanent that will change your life.

This is a plea for any info that you can give me on your experience with the Motobecane Mirage Sport. I am switching, after three surgeries to fix bone fractures in my right forearm from an unfortunate mountain-biking incident 🙁 , from mountain-biking to road-biking. I am interested in the Mirage Sport primarily for financial reasons (as a graduate student, the money isn't exactly pouring in). Does anybody have any concrete opinions on the bike? I will use it primarily for exercise about three times a week (15-20 mile rides), and potentially in my first triathlon (Olympic or Sprint distance, not Ironman). I am interested in the overall feel of the bike, the quality of the components, any components that will need to be swapped, and your general impressions of the bike. I am just about 6'2"/175lb, and I am looking at purchasing the 60cm frame (if you think I would be better suited at a different size, please let me know!). Any information, even if it is a relatively uninformed impression of the bike, will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!! Thanks.

I just bought one off of Bikesdirect.com because of the price (I'm a grad student too and had some money left over from my loans 😄 ). I got the little bitty 44CM.

I like it, but I'm a complete newbie to the sport- previously a swimmer. It is my first road bike and I think we'll have a long relationship... Having said that, I brought it into my LBS to finish the assembly and then took it home to test it. I couldn't work out the shifting system and took it back to the LBS, assuming that something was wrong. Nope. Just too technical for me to work out on my own. They're the kind in the brakes... A room full of monkeys would've worked it out faster, before I would have figgered it out...

It's not a high end bike, but it's a great place to start and, sure, I'd recommend it.

Peace and all that....

trisport79 said:

This is a plea for any info that you can give me on your experience with the Motobecane Mirage Sport. I am switching, after three surgeries to fix bone fractures in my right forearm from an unfortunate mountain-biking incident 🙁 , from mountain-biking to road-biking. I am interested in the Mirage Sport primarily for financial reasons (as a graduate student, the money isn't exactly pouring in). Does anybody have any concrete opinions on the bike? I will use it primarily for exercise about three times a week (15-20 mile rides), and potentially in my first triathlon (Olympic or Sprint distance, not Ironman). I am interested in the overall feel of the bike, the quality of the components, any components that will need to be swapped, and your general impressions of the bike. I am just about 6'2"/175lb, and I am looking at purchasing the 60cm frame (if you think I would be better suited at a different size, please let me know!). Any information, even if it is a relatively uninformed impression of the bike, will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!! Thanks.

Forget hear rate montitors, average speed, all that info.

Instead, just ride, push the pace, have fun. You will improve and enjoy the riding more.