Bicycle ERA |OT| This Is Why

Teggy · Mar 25, 2018

Well that was a total disaster. There was a reasonably long and steep climb near the start of the ride and my heart rate spiked and I started having trouble breathing. I went a little further but knowing there were a bunch more climbs I was just mentally out of it and decided to bail.

Not sure what is up with me and this bike. I need to take it out on some hill repeats or something.

Riding out in the cold was kind of neat though.

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 25, 2018

Lonely1 said:
I'm researching Carbon rims, and looks like they melt under braking heat? I'm used to brake hard and often. I'm a city rider on a hilly landscape, with lots of potholes and speed bumps to booth....

I think they only "melt" if you dont use the right brake pads. It's more the pads melt on the carbon than the carbon melting IIRC.

Gray Matter · Mar 25, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
I think they only "melt" if you dont use the right brake pads. It's more the pads melt on the carbon than the carbon melting IIRC.

To add to this, many manufacturers also test their wheels way past normal temperatures that you could face even on the hottest of days.

I wouldn't worry too much about "melting" the surface.

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 25, 2018

Gray Matter said:
To add to this, many manufacturers also test their wheels way past normal temperatures that you could face even on the hottest of days.

I wouldn't worry too much about "melting" the surface.

It's not the hot days, it's descents.

Gray Matter · Mar 25, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
It's not the hot days, it's descents.

Yea, I just threw that in there for good measure haha.

I don't own carbon wheels yet, but over heating is not something that worries me whenever I would own a pair.

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 25, 2018

Gray Matter said:
Yea, I just threw that in there for good measure haha.

I don't own carbon wheels yet, but over heating is not something that worries me whenever I would own a pair.

That's what your water bottle is for. Just pull it out and start spraying water all over them

Darkmaigle · Mar 25, 2018

Well a few weeks after the flat/crash disaster of my first ride I'm happy to report I had a blast today. Rode about 26 miles, couple buddies were really pushing and encouraging me. One Hill beat me real good though, had to get off and walk it up because I thought my heart would explode. Anyways, great times were had.

Sqrt · Mar 25, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
That's what your water bottle is for. Just pull it out and start spraying water all over them

But then they wouldnt brake at all...

FondsNL · Mar 26, 2018

The only type of carbon wheels that will overheat are cheap Chinese knockoffs (and even those are getting better and better).

You should be fine with carbon, but if you're not too sure about their braking performance you can always look for carbon rims with aluminium brake surfaces.
Mavic has a few of those like the Cosmic Pro Carbon.

Sounds like the rest of you got properly tested this weekend. I myself have been struggling with a hell of a stomach flu.
Haven't been able to ride since I lost 5-6kg and I really need to get back to strength.
I did manage to ready my bike for the summer season again, really looking forward to next weekend!

Teggy · Mar 26, 2018

OK I took a long nap yesterday afternoon and wallowed in some chicken tenders, steak tips and French fries for dinner but today is a new day and time to get focused.

I think I will continue my indoor program going during the week and then Sunday will be climbing Day on the gravel bike. I've got two decent hills on either side of my house that I can repeat to start and as I get more confident I'll go to other longer nearby climbs.

A while back I signed up for a mixed terrain ride that's 40 miles and almost 5k feet of climbing, so I've got 2 months to determine if I can handle that otherwise I'll just cut my losses and move on to the next gravel ride in June which is significantly easier.

Psychotext · Mar 26, 2018

I'll basically be starting from scratch when I start back again. Trying not to be too hard on myself. Shit happens.

HTupolev · Mar 26, 2018

Why are your guys' cardios exploding on climbs? Running out of gears and having to sprint?

Don't be intimidated by a ride with lots of steep climbing just because it has lots of steep climbing. Unless it's technical, there's nothing hard about riding up steep hills; you just need to have low gears that let you choose your intensity on the grades you'll be riding, and you need to pick an intensity you can hold for a long time.

Sqrt · Mar 26, 2018

HTupolev said:
Why are your guys' cardios exploding on climbs? Running out of gears and having to sprint?

Don't be intimidated by a ride with lots of steep climbing just because it has lots of steep climbing. Unless it's technical, there's nothing hard about riding up steep hills; you just need to have low gears that let you choose your intensity on the grades you'll be riding, and you need to pick an intensity you can hold for a long time.

I can't fight the urge of going faster :(

Teggy · Mar 26, 2018

HTupolev said:
Why are your guys' cardios exploding on climbs? Running out of gears and having to sprint?

Don't be intimidated by a ride with lots of steep climbing just because it has lots of steep climbing. Unless it's technical, there's nothing hard about riding up steep hills; you just need to have low gears that let you choose your intensity on the grades you'll be riding, and you need to pick an intensity you can hold for a long time.

I don't know, is there a calculator that shows how much power is required to get a 190lb object up a 9 percent incline using a bicycle at a certain gearing? On this bike (which should be noted is a fair bit heavier than my carbon road bike and has 38mm knobby tires and the road was packed dirt) I was in 30f 32r and the climb that got me based on strava data was 7/10 of a mile at 9 percent average grade. Also note I absolutely have exercise induced asthma, and sudden jolts to the system like this is when it gets triggered. I need to be able to put out the effort required to do a climb like that while keeping my heart rate steady.

Edit: so using this calculator (http://bikecalculator.com/examples.html) it says I should be able to do it at 109 watts going like 2.5 mph. Which would be fine, but will a bike travel up an incline at 2.5 mph? It would fall over, right? Plugging into this cadence calculator, if I am using it right,(https://www.bicyclegearcalculator.uk/derailleurgears.ht) it looks like it would take something like 200 watts to go up the hill at high cadence at around 6 mph. How long can I keep up 200 watts? I don't know, but my ftp is 175, so not forever. Plus the hill was not a steady 9 percent, it would sometimes get steeper, requiring bursts of more power.

Frontieruk · Mar 26, 2018

Teggy said:
I don't know, is there a calculator that shows how much power is required to get a 190lb object up a 9 percent incline using a bicycle at a certain gearing? On this bike (which should be noted is a fair bit heavier than my carbon road bike and has 38mm knobby tires and the road was packed dirt) I was in 30f 32r and the climb that got me based on strava data was 7/10 of a mile at 9 percent average grade. Also note I absolutely have exercise induced asthma, and sudden jolts to the system like this is when it gets triggered. I need to be able to put out the effort required to do a climb like that while keeping my heart rate steady.

Something like this? https://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/PowerCadenceCalculator.aspx

Teggy · Mar 26, 2018

Frontieruk said:
Something like this? https://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/PowerCadenceCalculator.aspx

Yeah, I had seen that one too. Plugging in there I get something like needing to pedal 58 rpm at 175 watts (which I might be able to sustain without burning out) to get up a 9 percent grade at around 4mph.

HTupolev · Mar 26, 2018

Teggy said:
Edit: so using this calculator (http://bikecalculator.com/examples.html) it says I should be able to do it at 109 watts going like 2.5 mph. Which would be fine, but will a bike travel up an incline at 2.5 mph? It would fall over, right?

It shouldn't fall over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgIL6eHHgZU

You really don't need much speed for a bicycle to enjoy a decent degree of stability. Note that it's easier to balance when you're pedaling normally (such as while climbing) than while trying to go very slow on flat ground, since cycling muscle memory uses the pedal stroke (including the resistance from the pedals) as part of the balancing process.

Plugging into this cadence calculator, if I am using it right,(https://www.bicyclegearcalculator.uk/derailleurgears.ht) it looks like it would take something like 200 watts to go up the hill at high cadence at around 6 mph. How long can I keep up 200 watts? I don't know, but my ftp is 175, so not forever. Plus the hill was not a steady 9 percent, it would sometimes get steeper, requiring bursts of more power.

Can you put lower gearing on the bike?

30-32 on a 700x38 tire is around 26 gear inches. I'm a significantly stronger climber than you, and the bike that I prefer to bring to climbs like that has a 22-inch low gear.

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 26, 2018

Am I the only one who doesn't think too much about this? I just hit a hill and do what I can.

HTupolev · Mar 26, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
Am I the only one who doesn't think too much about this? I just hit a hill and do what I can.

When I'm out riding, sure. But if my setup is proving to be inadequate for its purpose in ways that are tangibly affecting my rides, I want to change it.

Teggy · Mar 26, 2018

HTupolev said:
Can you put lower gearing on the bike?

30-32 on a 700x38 tire is around 26 gear inches. I'm a significantly stronger climber than you, and the bike that I prefer to bring to climbs like that has a 22-inch low gear.

What's the specific gear combination?

HTupolev · Mar 26, 2018

Teggy said:
What's the specific gear combination?

In my case, 24-28 with a 53mm 26er tire.

Teggy · Mar 26, 2018

HTupolev said:
In my case, 24-28 with a 53mm 26er tire.

Well, I don't think I want to start playing dr. Frankenstein with this $800 bike. For now I think my best bet is to just get stronger and make sure to choose my rides carefully.

FondsNL · Mar 30, 2018

So, the new season has started in earnest in the Netherlands.
Had a nice sunny ride yesterday evening... I could even wear my bib shorts!

Now the next choice to make is the wheel upgrade. I've asked your opinions before, but I've narrowed the choice down to two wheels.
I mostly ride on the flats (since I live in the Netherlands), so I've decided to go for carbon wheels with a medium high rim. The wheels should be a little more versatile than either all-out climbers or full on aero rims, so a trip abroad won't need an immediate wheel change.

The options i've got are:

Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon

Price 850 euro's new
- 1490 gram
- 40mm high rim

And the Edco Optima Albula 38:

Price 750 euro's new.
- 1780 gram
- 38 mm high rim
- 8 year warranty (!)

As I see it, the Fulcrums have the edge in terms of weight advantage. Do any of you have any experience with either wheel set, or can you offer some thoughts on carbon wheel purchases?

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 30, 2018

So did anyone due the Alpe Du Zwift yet?

FondsNL · Mar 30, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
So did anyone due the Alpe Du Zwift yet?

Nope, I'm a bit pissed its behind another imaginary level wall again.
Rode +500km since january and I just became lvl 8 or something.
Seems ridiculous to have a paid cycling service where you can't use all the content.

TarpitCarnivore · Mar 30, 2018

FondsNL said:
Nope, I'm a bit pissed its behind another imaginary level wall again.
Rode +500km since january and I just became lvl 8 or something.
Seems ridiculous to have a paid cycling service where you can't use all the content.

There's some quick ways to get XP, like giving Thumbs Up to 30 riders gets you a bunch of points. A few others are easy to get by just loading up the software and clicking some shit.

Gray Matter · Mar 30, 2018

Got my first ride of the year planned for tomorrow and I am way too excited. It's been a long long off season, I'm (mentally) ready to get back on the road.

Sqrt · Mar 30, 2018

So, is it true that hard anodized rims (aluminium) are brittle and a bad idea all around?

broony · Mar 30, 2018

FondsNL said:
Nope, I'm a bit pissed its behind another imaginary level wall again.
Rode +500km since january and I just became lvl 8 or something.
Seems ridiculous to have a paid cycling service where you can't use all the content.

I seem to level up pretty quickly just doing the workouts, but yeah there are a few tricks to levelling up fast apparently.

Looking forward to trying the new climb.

Gray Matter · Mar 31, 2018

First ride of the year went great. 35 miles at surprisingly fast pace for my first real ride of the year. Feels good to ride again.

TEEPO · Mar 31, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
So did anyone due the Alpe Du Zwift yet?

it lives up to the hype

robox · Apr 1, 2018

found a gravel trail on my ride today. it had me pondering if i should buy into the hype and get a groad bike or just try to stuff 28 tires on my road bike.
although eventually i'd like to have a proper mountain bike

BabyMurloc · Apr 1, 2018

Did my first road ride if the year, still with winter tyres. Only 32km but I was pooped at the end because I went too hard. Next week the snow will finally melt so I can start preparing for the 200km ride on 21st.

broony · Apr 1, 2018

Destroyed myself today for the first time in a long while after coming back from a lengthy injury.

Misjudged how fresh I was feeling at a few branches in the route which let you make the ride shorter or longer and picked the longer route each time.

Hurts so bad but really rewarding. Nice to know I can push myself and not worry too much about the injury.

Addnan · Apr 2, 2018

Hey guys, so I am gonna get rid of my Zipp 404 Firecrest 2017, very little usage. Thought I'd ask here if any UK guys would like first go at buying or otherwise i'll stick on ebay or something else.
PM me.

FondsNL · Apr 3, 2018

Sadly I'm in the Netherlands but I recon those wheels are a bit above my pricepoint, even 2nd hand. I'm just waiting for the Fulcrum Quattro carbons to be back in stock.

Went for a couple of rides myself this weekend. My form after the winter is quite alright.
I probably have to get back to my strength after two weeks with an on and off stomach flu.
Glad to hear you're all back on the bike (after injuries) and enjoying yourselves!

broony · Apr 3, 2018

Still knackered from the weekend ride but going to have a spin on the turbo tonight to see if it sorts me out.

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 5, 2018

TEEPO said:
it lives up to the hype

Rode it today and it fucking SUCKS. It's just so ungodly boring, haha

FondsNL · Apr 5, 2018

I agree. I don't see why Zwift aren't going bonkers with their theme options.
It's another dreary grey snow climb.
I mean they can literally do anything and this is what they come up with?
They definitely need some more hardcore gamers for inspiration at their concept art team.

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 5, 2018

They tried to make it gamified with the count down of hairpins, and it worked a bit, but I felt like by time I reached the top I wanted to never do it again. The ride down was just as bad. Since it's adjacent to the other climb I don' t know why they couldn't link the two up (I did notice two construction spots).

I know they are cross platform, but you do bring up a good point about bad layers. At times it feels very N64-> PS1 in look and it's not a good one for cycling

broony · Apr 5, 2018

I did a bit of it while doing a 50 minute training session so got maybe half way up or so. I didn't mind it, it's going up a hill indoors on a turbo for an hour plus. I think they made that reasonably interesting for what it is. There is always a landmark you are looking at while heading up so you have a temporary goal.

But yeah, they need to be a bit more experimental with what they offer. Dunno if the core user group would want that though, some people seem take zwift pretty seriously. For me it's just a tool when it's not possible to go outside because of real life stuff or weather.

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 5, 2018

broony said:
I did a bit of it while doing a 50 minute training session so got maybe half way up or so. I didn't mind it, it's going up a hill indoors on a turbo for an hour plus. I think they made that reasonably interesting for what it is. There is always a landmark you are looking at while heading up so you have a temporary goal.

But yeah, they need to be a bit more experimental with what they offer. Dunno if the core user group would want that though, some people seem take zwift pretty seriously. For me it's just a tool when it's not possible to go outside because of real life stuff or weather.

It's around the halfway point when the boredom begins to creep in. There's literally barely any landscape change until you get to the final 3 hairpins and then you see satellite dishes

And yeah there is a weird cult quality to Zwift, with some rampant cheating going on. Like when I see a person fly by me up a hill at 3x my speed I know they turned their tension down so they could get that sweet KOM

TEEPO · Apr 5, 2018

it seems like the issue of boredom is entirely on your end

FondsNL · Apr 5, 2018

Well, we are on a video game forum here.
I'm sure we've all seen examples to know Zwift is sorely lacking in the visual stimulation department.

They could be doing a lot more to keep things fun and visually pleasing along the way. Even with the dreadful engine they're using.

Psychotext · Apr 6, 2018

Ta-dah!

Even space for another bike there I reckon. Would be rude not to.

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 6, 2018

One of your mountain bikes has a squiggly bar?

Did you drill into the brick or are those suction mounts? Must have been hell if you drilled.

bawjaws · Apr 6, 2018

The shadows in that picture make it look as if you have twice as many bikes, and that they're having some sort of bike orgy.

Psychotext · Apr 6, 2018

TarpitCarnivore said:
One of your mountain bikes has a squiggly bar?

Did you drill into the brick or are those suction mounts? Must have been hell if you drilled.

Drilled, and yeah... it took some time. Worst part is that it's a single layer of brick, so I needed to be REALLY careful with how far I went in.

...and yes, that's a road bike. Notice it's stuck in the corner like the poor relation. :P

FondsNL · Apr 6, 2018

Psychotext said:
Drilled, and yeah... it took some time. Worst part is that it's a single layer of brick, so I needed to be REALLY careful with how far I went in.

...and yes, that's a road bike. Notice it's stuck in the corner like the poor relation. :P

TarpitCarnivore · Apr 6, 2018

TEEPO said:
it seems like the issue of boredom is entirely on your end

I have a TV set up to watch stuff, but the boredom comes from the route. It's just not good or fun