Several things.
First, fit is VERY important. I'd strongly recommend you to head to a
shop and pay for a measured fitting - something like the Fit Kit or
similar systems. You'd be amazed how much difference it can make. It
will probably feel funny for a while, but you'll get used to it and it
will likely help a lot.
Second, honestly, you don't need a triple unless you're 250 lbs or going
up Alp D'heuz. If you want easier gears, look for something like FSA's
Compact crankset - this is what Tyler Hamilton uses on mountain stages.
It has smaller tooth chainrings for additional help climbing. Still, to
climb better, you need to improve your strength, and simply spinning
your way up is not the way to do this. There are a number of resources
on the web that can help you with this one.
Third, how do you ride? Do you mainly ride alone or with a group? If
it's a group, how speedy are they?
If you ride by yourself, your effort is often much lower than you would
put out with a faster group. You will likely ride at a nice, comfortable
pace, and that makes it hard to get much improvement. Like with swimming
and running, unless you work on going faster, you probably won't go much
faster. (My wife is in this boat. She's reluctant to try and keep up
with others, so she rides by herself, and then gets frustrated that she
can't get faster!) My recommendation is to find a group that you can
ride with that will challenge you. Most areas have recreational riding
clubs with free group rides open to the public. Within these, there are
usually different packs that go out at various paces. Find one that's
probably a bit faster than you are, and do your best to stay with them
as long as you can. When you finally get dropped, catch up at the water
stop and go do it again. After a while, you should find it easier and
easier to keep up.
Fourth, how often do you ride? You mention distances, but not frequency.
Like running, you need both a sufficient base as well as enough weekly
miles put in if you want to see much improvement. Personally, I find
that I need to do at least 160km (100 mi) a week to really start to feel
OK.
Remember that you are new to this. A few months does not give you much
time to develop any sort of base, or proper leg strength. It will take
time. Still, 30kph average is far from slow, especially for a new rider.
Lastly, while it may not seem like it, technique is very important for
cycling as well. There are a lot of little things to learn, such as how
to pedal smoothly, how (and when) to stand up, efficient climbing,
aerodynamic positioning, etc. I've been riding for years and I'm still
amazed how much I learn from riding with more experienced cyclists!
Dave Hallsworth said:
Hello,
Where running is concerned, the more I train, the faster I get with
seemingly less effort.
Where swimming is concerned, the more I go to the pool and swim +
concentrate on technique, the better I can feel my technique getting, and
the faster / more efficient I seem to get.
Where the bike is concerned though, I try to put the miles in and it's still
bloody hard work!! This is partly because I still haven't got it fitted
perfectly, and partly because I'm still getting used to dealing with the
hills in my area on a double chainset. My 'average' ride on an undulating
course is about 50km at an average of 30kph, but I do rides between 20-70km.
I also do occasional hill work when I don't have time for a full ride. I'm
training for a sprint tri.
I have a running and swimming background, so I expected those to be a little
easier, but I've been banging away at the bike for a couple of months, and
it's not seeming to get any easier.
Any advice very much appreciated!!
Dave
