Been biking for about 3 years more consistently (but also inconsistently bc of the other 5 hobbies I have such as downhill skiing, BC skiing, cross country skiing, swimming, running, backpacking, strength training) Have done some fatbike and mountain bike races. Trialed some long rides last summer and have been training for a 200 mile race. The biggest difference between my long rides last year and this year is that I’m not stopping to take breaks to stretch and eat. So though I’ve never experienced numbness in my left 3 lateral toes, neck pain and low back pain, I now currently do. I also did buy a new road bike compared to my old road bike and hard tail I was using last year. My hard tail and fat bike have flat bars and old road bike drop bars. My current road bike is a Roubaix SL8 sport apex with drop bars. I think I’ve always cycled in a more upright position and prefer it but it’s not super aerodynamic. The seat I’m using is my from old road bike. I’ve been using flat pedals with my flat mtb shoes bc it’s what I’ve always had but just bought some SPDs with lake shoes. Also got a pair of bibs too. I’ve got a bike fit coming up next week. Also I’m a physical therapist and do some back strengthening, core, glute, soleus and quad (definitely have deficits I’ve been working on)

So I guess to shine a light on some things, N/T can happen for a variety of reasons. It can be peripheral vascular compromise, can be local neural compression, can be coming from compression of the sciatic nerve from the seat (or piriformis tightness/weakness), lumbar spine (facet dysfunction), or even cervical spine (a disc, facet, muscle imbalance). Shoes that are too tight. If you have poor positioning on your bike (saddle height, stem, aerobars etc) or if you have neural tension on one side of your body (I have tension on my left side, my weaker side). There are lots of variables and it can feel pretty overwhelming! It’s always best to slowly ramp up into an activity but also having a strengthening program in place 2-3x per week. Joints don’t love to be in one position for too long.

I know with my body I tend to supinate more with my left foot loading the lateral structures which could be causing some of the N/T so I have to remind myself to put pressure in my big toe. My left soleus is much tighter and my quad is weaker on that side. I have more power in my glutes than quads which could cause tension in the glutes, tightening my piriformis and causing some sciatica sx. Maybe I’m sitting unevenly on my seat? Since I have flat pedals, I could be compressing the nerves below my toes and doing some weird pedal stroke on the left that’s inconsistent. Or I’m hinging too much at my neck instead of using my eyes when looking up causing some radicular sx. I’ve also noticed it comes on more with harder rides (intervals) and with prolonged uphill biking. My bf mentioned I might not be putting enough weight in my pedals and pushing my butt down on my seat (could be core/quad weakness or improper position/bike fit).

Nerve glides help with neural tension and overall strengthening is never a bad idea. I’m on a journey to figure out what it is! If anyone has any advice to add on, let me know!

Hi, maybe this is something completely unrelatable but I think at least some of my fellow lady riders will relate and maybe able to give some advice. Sorry for the long post.

So, the main issue I have is just being scared and not comfortable on the bike. The main thing for me is that it’s scary (most of the time), my heart rate is very high, even when I’m just getting ready (anxiety), when my bike wabbles or I drink my HR raises for like 10 bpm 🙉 Also I’m scared at junctions, crossroads in traffic, when I have to stop and start again… which makes my riding experiance not enjoyable. It was getting better but then I had an accident (I fell at one messy turn) and I feel like I’m at square 1 again, being afraid I’ll fall at any time.

A bit of backstory: First thing, I’m generally quite an anxious person. Secondly, I never learned to ride a bike as a kid which I KNOW is a big factor with this anxiety. I learned by myself at the age of 23. Since then, I’ve been building confidence and I can ride my city bike without a problem (but the position is very relaxed). My boyfriend has been road cycling for about 7 years and is very passionate about it so he really wanted me to start so I decided to give it a go. I got my first road bike (Canyon Endurace) in August 2023. I was PETRIFIED of a road bike, the first time I went on it I felt so unstable and just horrible. With some practice it got better, I even got clipless pedals which are great. All together I have made around 1000 km on my road bike. Never alone, always with my boyfriend. Just the thought of riding alone provokes a lot of anxiety. I generally do enjoy on our rides, and I want to get better but I feel like I’m stuck and will never get to the level of my boyfriend who just comfortably eats, drinks, signals, up-sits, takes his clothes of etc on the bike while I struggle to do basic things like stopping, signaling and drinking. It just feels a bit discouraging. He is very sweet though and encourages me and believes I just need time and expirience.

Will it ever get easier? I know I’m still a beginner but I feel like with some people it just takes waaay less time to become confident.

Maybe cycling just isn’t for me? Did anyone else had these issues and how did you combat with the anxiety?

This is kind of a rant, but also a question!

I fit a lot of people to bikes at my job, and I've OVERWHELMINGLY noticed that dozens of times a week, other women will come in, and refuse to get on a bike in their size.

Like, women who are 5'7", or, even taller than me (I am 5'9") will insist on riding 24" wheel youth bikes. When I do get them on a properly fitting bike, they insist that the saddle has to be so low that they can stand over it flat footed on the ground.

I've been riding bikes daily my whole life, so I feel like I am just missing some part of the equation. Am I being too stubborn not letting a fully grown woman buy and ride out on a bike meant for a 4'9" child? Why is this mindset so common, especially with fellow women?

I also see this on the service side of things. Women bring me bikes to fix that are so so undersized, and part of my assessment is flat out saying "hey, this bike is sized for someone a foot shorter than you, that might be why you find it so uncomfortable!"

Im looking for recommendations/techniques for clothes for cold weather road cycling to accommodate long legged athletes.

I’m wanting to get warmer cycling clothes to extend my outdoor season. I live in a colder climate and ideally would like to be able to ride on my road bike down to 0C/32C here (southern Ontario). I want to go the “tights over bibs” route (unless there’s some different advice) because I wasted a lot of money on tights with a chamois that didn’t work.

Last winter I did buy thermal leggings with chamois and found that the sizing for those didn’t transfer from bib shorts. My inseam is 33 inches and I enjoy weightlifting so I got some Christmas hams, and my size medium tights (what I wear in shorts) wouldn’t go on all the way, but large was so baggy that I had a good chill going on in my nether region. I went to a sports store here and tried on a few thermal bibs but kind of the same issue - can’t get them pulled up all the way unless I go bigger, which then gets really baggy in the crotch/waist. I have underarmour cold gear tights but I find once I’m under 5C/40F they aren’t enough. Can I layer anything else under these? Or are there some brands I can get in Canada that would help me? I’ve been cycling a long time but never into the winter here and was hoping for some recos.

Bought this bike a while back. Been out on it once but the drops are intimidating to me. Currently rising the bars and lowing the seat a small bit in the hopes that it lessens the intimidation. Partner doesn't get it as he's ridden drops for 30 years. Any advice that might help?

I know this has been asked here before, but I want to get a feel for my specific situation. Prior to being pregnant, I'd ride my bike to work a couple of times a week for the past 4-5 years and haven't had any issues. I ride an older hand-me-down Specialized Roubaix. My typical route is maybe 1/3 protected lane and 2/3 in a bike lane but with cars going about 40 mph. There are some lane changes and cross-traffic turns I would need to make.

This month is bike month and my city has a lot of fun events and breakfasts that you can ride to and get free stuff. A coworker/friend of mine invited me to get pancakes at one of the places in town (and I really want the pancakes and bike month is generally super fun). We've done this for the past 3-4 years and I love it. The route I'd take to this event would be 1/3 shared lane with cars through a semi-urban neighborhood and 2/3 non-protected bike lane.

I'm currently 23 weeks but haven't been riding since getting pregnant just because it's been kind of chilly and tbh I've been kind of nervous about it. I'm generally active, working out about 5 days a week lifting weights and doing HIIT cardio.

I'm less concerned about my capability and am more concerned about drivers being stupid and getting hit by a car. I haven't fallen on my bike nor have I been hit before, but I do know people who have. The city is generally bike-friendly, but it's an added risk.

Is this something you'd do?

Hi everyone!

I'll be in SF/Taos/ABQ for the first week of June and am looking to rent a gravel bike to ride at Valles and in Taos - not full suspension, not a fat bike, not a road bike - just a gravel bike. I ride an XS Topstone at home and would love something with similar geometry.

However, I've called a half dozen bike rental shops, and none of them stock gravel bikes at all, nevermind in my size. I'm willing to rent from any of the cities listed, or between.

Anybody have leads? Anybody willing to rent me their bike for a deposit?! I'm confounded as to why this is so difficult but am dying to get out on those red roads after a long New England winter!

Hi r/ladycyclists, has anyone tried using a padded seat cover on their bike when on an indoor trainer? I get discomfort on the bike indoors, but never when riding outdoors. Something like the Selle Royal Gel Seat Cover.

Thought this article was super interesting since chafing and saddle fit come up a lot here. I had no idea that swelling/numbness could cause permanent issues and I’m feeling really grateful that I quit triathlon!

FWIW I’ve been a big fan of the Specialized Mimic saddle.

https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a60412469/cycling-saddle-pain-women-surgery/

Hi! So I am getting back slowly into cycling after major abdominal surgery in December and I love my Pearl Izumi long pants but now they're too big in the waist ( xl) due to losing so much weight before and during recovery. I can't find them on ebay( my normal source since I live in the middle of nowhere). Anyone know a brand that is similar? Thanks so much!

Have any of you been? Was it a positive experience for women/trans/nonbinary people or was it overly dude-centric? Should I post this on r/velo instead?

Hello- glad I found this spot. Glad to be here.

Hello :) While riding outdoors, does anyone experience numb toes that’s not related to cold weather? Numb toes also happen when I do a ride on my Peleton, even with completely different riding shoes.

I wiggle my toes to keep the blood flowing, but nothing works. I’m at a total loss. Ideas?

https://preview.redd.it/2r2n43tj9hyc1.jpg?width=675&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3710614b59126f7280e5669f7687ace4802b55ea

Looks like it's in great condition (no rusting, brake pads still pretty good, tires still got good life on them). Trying to see if I'm getting a good deal or getting scammed off of FB marketplace. It's a model that came out 10 years ago but the owner didn't ride that much (older lady).

Any insight?

Specialized still has the description on their website https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ruby-sport/p/49948?color=151223-49948

(Looking for advice and support, it's mostly a rant) I had a pretty successful 2023 on the bike, met a lot of nice people who host chill rides and generally increased my fitness. I fell off the bandwagon as winter came around and then just as I picked up training in January I got COVID (for the second time). I've barely trained at all in the last three months and now all the biking groups are kicking off their season. I printed out a couch to 100k training schedule, but I'm just not invested even though I know I want to be out doing rides like last year. How do I get my spark back?

Because I do but I'm not sure I should. One of my favorite brands of lady cyclingwear launched menstrual bib shorts and it got me considering the option.

Sometimes I read posts and answers that suggest some women ride without wearing underwear but it seems odd to me + I'm really afraid of chaffing.

I feel really stupid asking this question but here we are I guess.

EDIT : I was introduced to the cycling life by men and apparently, it shows. Thank you for all your answers, I'm really glad I asked and I feel much less stupid!

I'm going on a bike trip tomorrow so I'll try to ride without underwear. Also thanks to the people who mentioned chamois cream, I'll use the Nok cream I got. Once I'll start bleeding, I'll use a cup and hopefully everything goes well!

Also, the menstrual bibs I was talking about are from Wilma.cc. I've never tried them yet but I just bought one of their regular bibs and they fit like a dream! 10/10 would recommend.

EDIT 2: it's been brought to my attention that men also don't wear underwear. Well my boyfriend does and I never brought the subject with my friends since I didn't think there even was a subject to bring up :)

Hello!! Does anyone know where to find colorful padded shorts? I currently religiously wear the Patagonia Nether which has two great patterns, but want more options.

Thank you!

Posted in the general cycling reddit but too many of the replies didn't understand the assignment.

I've started bike commuting to work on nice days (6-7 miles each way). I wear regular sunglasses when it's bright out, but I hate the way the wind still gets in my eyes with them. Is there any good eye protection for biking that has any amount of style, or should I suck it up and get something cheap that I can swap out with something cuter at my destination?

Does anyone have experience with Ryzon cycling (or triathlon) gear? Some of the women’s tops appear to show a top on a male torso, so it’s hard to get an idea of the fit. I’m wondering if their website just doesn’t have good pictures of the women’s cut or if some of their items are unisex and listed in both categories.

I've discovered cycling at the age of 45 and I'm head over heels in love. After putting almost 500 miles on a fitness hybrid that was two sizes too big and thinking I'd never be able to ride anywhere because of all the pain, I've just bought my first properly fitted bike: a Liv Avail AR 3. Did I mention that I'm in love? Because I'm in LOVE.

I've only put about 25 miles on the bike so far. We're still getting to know one another. And I have questions.

Gearing: I have discovered "cross chaining" which apparently means that you shouldn't use matching rings in front and back (ie. big ring in front and big ring in back is a no-no). Another cyclist told me to avoid the first three gears when in my big front ring, and the lowest three gears when using my smaller front ring. Okay, can do. But what the what?

• How do you keep track of what gear you're in? I feel like I spend a lot of time looking down and back at my rear casette to madly try and count. Are you mentally keeping track somehow?
• How do you find an equivalent gear that you're "allowed" to use and get there without spinning like crazy or making it too difficult to pedal? Is it just something you know by how it feels or after you get some mileage experience? I feel like I'm switching gears all over the place and can't find a sweet spot.

Hands: I wear padded gloves and I'm careful to switch up my hand positions as I ride, but after a little while I experience some mild discomfort between my thumb and index finger when riding on the hoods. I was told this is in part due to fitting. I had the bike fitted when I bought it by the owner, who used to race professionally (and it feels great, not even any saddle pain to speak of). Once I put on another 25-30 miles or so, I'm to go back to the shop for a follow-up fitting and that might help this issue. Another cyclist told me that this could also be related to poor core strength, which I'm working to build (thank you, yoga). They said I'm to support myself with my core and engage my core while riding so that my hands are very light on the bar. Sounds good, but super hard to do. This morning I kept catching myself curling my back a little to try and reduce weight on my hands, which I'm sure is not good. Can anyone share posture tips or core tips that might help?

Etiquette: Saving the longest for last. This morning, I had an interaction with another cyclist that I don't understand. I feel like I did something wrong, but I don't know what it was or what I should have done differently. Editing to add that I am in the US!

Here's what happened: I rode to our local park this morning. The park has a realllly wide ring road (think enough room for two fire trucks to pass with LOTS of room to spare). It used to be open to vehicular traffic but has been limited to pedestrian and bike traffic since the pandemic. Back when it was open to vehicles, the city added some speed humps. It's generally accepted that you enter the park and go to your right around the ring road. So I did that and was riding along. Not super fast, but fast enough that I was pleased with myself. There were probably five other people on the loop road—all pedestrians.

As I approached one of the speed humps, I moved farther to my right to go over it at its lowest point close to the curb. Another cyclist joined the loop road coming toward me (so going against the "generally accepted" flow of traffic). He was over on his far right side of the loop road (my far left), and I figured he was going over the speed hump at its lowest point closest to his curb. He then crossed the road to his left and came into my path, apparently planning to ride over the speed hump at the same spot where I was planning to go. He was going REALLY fast on a bike covered with all sorts of bags. He had time to point aggressively down at the curb several times, then we were passing. We probably had less than a foot between us.

This all happened in seconds, I had no time to move or even think about where to go or how to do it without getting a weird angle over the speed hump and falling or something. As we passed each other, I heard him say "Wowwwww, fucking women."

I'm very sorry to be a poor representative of all women everywhere. But I don't know what he meant by pointing, why he crossed the ring road to come into my path, or what was expected of me in that situation. Can anyone translate? What should I do in the future?

Any insight would be most welcome. Thanks, everyone!

Hello everyone.

My wife is looking for a new bike and we are checking out the Liv Brava in a couple days. There is a shop locally that is selling the Pro 1 for %50 off.

She is 5'8" and there is only a medium available. She is at the high end of the Medium and low end of the Large.

https://www.liv-cycling.com/ca/brava-advanced-pro-1-2022

Unfortunately they don't have any larges for her to try.

Could anyone give some input on sizing if they have this bike or a different Liv bike?

Thank you in advance!

G’day, everyone! Looking for some ladies to ride some trails with in Arizona. I don’t take it too seriously and still have a ways to go in the skill department but I’d love a community to get out and ride with and level up. I’m also open to connecting with people outside of Arizona/U.S :)

Hey all,

Just wanting to ask for some recommendations of films about women cycling? I’ve been watching some great cycling docs lately but so many of them (almost all) have been about white men. It makes me feel so disconnected from cycling.

Last night I watched Biking Borders and honestly I thought it was a wonderful film about an incredible adventure and a great cause, but the part where they went through Iran (well, actually everywhere east of Greece) and had such a jolly old welcoming time with their beards, and everyone was so hospitable… and they didn’t even once acknowledge on camera the different experiences women might have had (especially in Iran!) or people of colour in some of Europe and beyond. I found it really problematic. Maybe it’s resentment on my part. But I really feel there’s such a dearth of content about women’s feats of that sort.

Can anyone fill my cup and let me know about any docs about women and their experiences of ultra/experience cycling? Im Sure there is YouTube content but why are Netflix so bad at platforming this type of female content? AIR???

I thought Onboard the Transcontinental Race at least offered some dialogue about women in the sport via Anna Haslock’s commitment to the race and obviously the minor acknowledgement at the end of the film that Kolbinger had won in 2019 (but that film didn’t feature women nearly enough!!)

Or someone please do an amazing bike ride with me and make Netflix pour money into it. Please.

Yours,

A more experienced cyclist than the guys in Biking Borders. But more them than Fiona Kolbinger to be honest. Except I actually do love cycling.

Touring this summer, and I’m looking for recommendations for shoes to wear. I don’t want clips/clipless, just a flat sole, that way I can wear them off the bike too.

Is the mountain bike shoe the best route, or are there others that have a firm sole that folks like?

Thanks!

Hi ladies, Iam having issues finding well fitting jerseys! They are all too short! And i am only 5’7, though with a long torso and small waist, countered by broad shoulders and back (which takes extra material with it). So jerseys are too wide and too short.

Any brands or models to recommend before i give the men’s section a proper go?

I technically rode with a group once when I raced, but otherwise I’ve never done social or group rides. There were 30+ bike events in my city this week so I had a lot to choose from!

I rode with a women’s+ group for their anniversary and it was a co-ed night ride to the park. Short and sweet, nice to mingle and get in with a women’s group who have worked really hard to cultivate an inclusive cycling community over ten years of rides.

I rode with a small group during the day to enjoy a Lao New Year celebration. We toured the temple and ate street food on a casual cruise through the city. It was fun and not something I’d have enjoyed nearly as much alone. It was also in a part of town I never ride to. The pace was leisurely, but we still put in 30 miles and it was structured so I could actually talk to people.

Today, I went for a 20ish mile ride with 30-40 people to make coffee in a park with our camp coffee set ups. It was a great way to kick off the morning and I made tons of friends, the social aspect was incredibly fun. It was so overwhelming to me initially because it was very male-dominated, but I rode at the front and kept up on the climbs. It wasn’t a particularly difficult ride and it’s definitely an “all bikes all people” vibe, but it boosted my confidence.

I will definitely be joining some no-drop rides or MPH-based group rides soon. I have convinced myself I’m an awful and slow cyclist and IDK why. I put decent miles in, I ride hard, I do my hills workouts, I’m objectively not awful and not that slow. I use the gear I have and I don’t know everything, but I don’t let any of that keep me from riding the damn bike. 2.5 years into cycling regularly, I’m proud of the work I’ve put into it, so stoked on the way it’s opened up my world, and feel so excited for the friends I’ve made and will make along the way. Riding is great, riding with others is even better.