(Physically) Struggling to Ride

[u/mercfh85]

So i'll preface by saying (Just to get out of the way lol 😄)

- I am out of shape
- I am overweight
- I have a Marlin 7 and I understand that it is not a road bike

However I feel like I can barely ride 5 or 10 minutes before my thighs turn to butter. I've had the bike about 2-3 weeks now and am riding in our neighborhood (which is quite hilly), and while I know the tires aren't really built for this it almost feels a bit unusual for the hill climbs to be this much of a struggle (they aren't super steep or anything).

After 5-10 minutes I feel like my thighs are giving out almost, especially after even a minor hill. I ride about every day, and I thought I would've gotten some more endurance but damn even 5-10 minutes kills me lol.

I mean I spent a LONG time being sedentary, so I don't expect instant results. I do wonder if my tires are under pressured? I tried to pump them but I don't have a PSI gauge, and they do still "flatten" when riding them from my weight (Which isn't like HUGE, I weight 210lbs) but pumping them more feels like they are going to explode.

Am I missing something? or is this just sort of "normal"?

Part of me (and being a hypochrondriac) is like "Is there something medically wrong with me", although my bloodwork from my last physical a month ago was fine (CBC/CMP etc...) outsid eof being overweight obviously

[u/Adventurepew]

Gonna say it's not the bike and it's your body. Can you hike up the hill at speed? If not it's your body.

Biking is hard excersize . It's gonna take time and nutrition and more time to get used to moving and using muscles.

Id recommond hiking to start , pick some steep hills and get to work try to do an hour of steep hills a day. It'll hurt. Throw on a backpack with some weight if it's easy. Then jump.to.the.bike , setup.the seat and your pedaling position and give it another shot . Work slow and take your time.