Pain and suffering are not the same thing

Suffering is part of cycling.

Pain is not. 

Which is not to say that there aren't painful moments. There are inherent dangers that we don't need to go into, experiences that we've all had. 

But you should never be in pain on the bike. At least ideally. Most pain we experience - in the saddle, knees, shoulders, hands, back, neck, feet - is evidence of something that can be fixed or made better. 

It's your body saying there's something not right about how it is lined up with bike. It's your body asking for help. 

The reality is that you're taking an incredibly complex, beautiful and malleable being and hooking it to a beautifully simple but un-malleable machine. You can get on about any bike and make it go. Your body will adapt to that moment.

But if the points on the bike - the pedals, saddle and handlebars - aren't where they are supposed to be, it might hurt, especially if you do it long enough. That's where pain comes in. Your body is asking you to stop.

That possibility of pain is minimized by a professional bike fit. Thankfully, you can get that at Spoke-n-Sport. We're the only ReTul certified fitter in the area. You can learn more about that here. 

Suffering is a different deal.

That's your brain demanding that you stop.

Not everybody who gets on a bike suffers. Nor should they. There is nothing better than a casual family bike ride through the park or to the coffee shop. 

But if you start riding for any distance or purpose, there will come a time, well.... you're going to suffer.

That's mental, and for a different day. 

There's a phrase in bike racing, affectionately known as Rule No. 5. It's not for everybody. There are plenty of people who will say it's stupid racing stuff. Fair point. But if you want to learn more, you can visit the Velominati. Consider yourself warned.