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Bicycle ERA |OT| This Is Why
- Thread starter Jill Sandwich
- Start date
OP
OP
I went out the other weekend for the first time in ages and made 2 schoolboy errors:
- Didn't fuel up or take any water during the ride
- Wore my regular jeans with no padding
I bonked out miles from home and had sore plums for a few days. Lessons learned.
- Didn't fuel up or take any water during the ride
- Wore my regular jeans with no padding
I bonked out miles from home and had sore plums for a few days. Lessons learned.
Bonking is fucking awful. I've only had it happen twice, but both times it was like "WHY WONT MY FUCKING BODY WORK?!? THIS ISN'T EVEN A HILL."
Actually, it reminds me a lot of cycling at very high altitude (14,000ft). You just seem to have no energy to work with.
Actually, it reminds me a lot of cycling at very high altitude (14,000ft). You just seem to have no energy to work with.
OP
OP
It's terrible, especially when it's a couple of really long boring straight roads to home. Next time I'll bake some syrupy flapjacks!
I believe the sweet spot for that is about 5,000 feet... and when you're mountain biking, low air resistance is meaningless. =/
Because all my high altitude stuff has been done in the US. I couldn't tell you how high they were in meters. As for the cycling world, it tends to be metric (I'm in the UK so it's a bit confused here).
I had a bit of an incident: the crank axle on my road bike broke off on the non-drive side while riding today. The spd luckily detached when my foot hit the ground. However then the tip of my shoe got stuck between the seat stay and rear wheel. From there I somehow skidded to a halt and then made an awkward track stand while wiggling my foot free. Felt a bit like Peter Sagan with that kind of a save.
Some old guy saw the whole thing a few metres away and he never spoke a word to me, just stared and wandered off.
The cranks were the only second hand part I have on my bikes and it shall be the last.
Some old guy saw the whole thing a few metres away and he never spoke a word to me, just stared and wandered off.
The cranks were the only second hand part I have on my bikes and it shall be the last.
Glad you saved it.
Switched to my posh bike for the first time this year and did a little loop down to the coast and back after work. Felt great and super speedy. Had a pretty shite week so far but it's amazing how much a ride can clear your head and cheer you up. Woo for spring sort of arriving at last.
Switched to my posh bike for the first time this year and did a little loop down to the coast and back after work. Felt great and super speedy. Had a pretty shite week so far but it's amazing how much a ride can clear your head and cheer you up. Woo for spring sort of arriving at last.
Dented rim, how dangerous!?
So, today is had the misfortune of getting stuck on a sewer grate, breaking my water bottle holder and bruising my shoulder. More worryingly, I dented my rim... to be fair, is a very small inwards dent that I didn't noticed until I inspected my bicycle up close.
How bad is it, cycling-era? Something that can be ignored, repaired or should I start buying a new rim?
The wheel (back one) seems to be true to the best of my (limited) knowledge.
So, today is had the misfortune of getting stuck on a sewer grate, breaking my water bottle holder and bruising my shoulder. More worryingly, I dented my rim... to be fair, is a very small inwards dent that I didn't noticed until I inspected my bicycle up close.
How bad is it, cycling-era? Something that can be ignored, repaired or should I start buying a new rim?
The wheel (back one) seems to be true to the best of my (limited) knowledge.
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Dented rim, how dangerous!?
So, today is had the misfortune of getting stuck on a sewer grate, breaking my water bottle holder and bruising my shoulder. More worryingly, I dented my rim... to be fair, is a very small inwards dent that I didn't noticed until I inspected my bicycle up close.
How bad is it, cycling-era? Something that can be ignored, repaired or should I start buying a new rim?
The wheel (back one) seems to be true to the best of my (limited) knowledge.
That looks quite nasty, are the brakes still clear from the rim all around? It probably wont be dangerous, but the wattage loss man...
Damn, breaking a crank?! CyclingERA is having a bad week.
Glad to hear you saved it in style with... well at least someone there to witness it :p
Hey folks.
I used to be super into road cycling years ago and still have my old aluminum frame Specialized road bike, but I've been out of the game for the better part of a decade and now I'm looking to get back into it. I've had the bike tuned up and have been riding it on an indoor trainer recently, but it has been hurting my back and doesn't feel like it used to...probably because of the extra pounds I've put on since I last rode regularly.
In college I started riding a 30-year-old old Ross steel frame with downtube shifters and it was amazing. That thing felt like a tank but it was so comfortable, good for quick jaunts around town as well as longer rides - used to ride it around campus and across the entire Chicago lakefront. Compared to my aluminum road bike, the Ross felt so much more comfortable and versatile.
So I don't own the steel bike anymore but I'm really pining for something like it. I'm considering trading in the Specialized for something more like a touring bike or a modern steel frame. I've been out of the game for a while so I don't know too many makers besides Surly that seem to be into this sort of thing. I'm looking for something that I can comfortably ride 4-5 miles to work daily, but could also stand up to extended rides and potentially multi-day trips. Does anybody here have some advice on this subject?
I used to be super into road cycling years ago and still have my old aluminum frame Specialized road bike, but I've been out of the game for the better part of a decade and now I'm looking to get back into it. I've had the bike tuned up and have been riding it on an indoor trainer recently, but it has been hurting my back and doesn't feel like it used to...probably because of the extra pounds I've put on since I last rode regularly.
In college I started riding a 30-year-old old Ross steel frame with downtube shifters and it was amazing. That thing felt like a tank but it was so comfortable, good for quick jaunts around town as well as longer rides - used to ride it around campus and across the entire Chicago lakefront. Compared to my aluminum road bike, the Ross felt so much more comfortable and versatile.
So I don't own the steel bike anymore but I'm really pining for something like it. I'm considering trading in the Specialized for something more like a touring bike or a modern steel frame. I've been out of the game for a while so I don't know too many makers besides Surly that seem to be into this sort of thing. I'm looking for something that I can comfortably ride 4-5 miles to work daily, but could also stand up to extended rides and potentially multi-day trips. Does anybody here have some advice on this subject?
There are a couple of things that might cause backpain.
It could be the extra weight, but it doesn't have to be at all.
There are a plethora of "fits" for road bikes. Some are aimed at comfort while others are aimed at speed. The latter obviously impacting your comfort in a negative way.
Sometimes getting a bike fit at a bike shop can already help tremendously.
Dropping your seat or raising the handle bars can make a massive difference.
If the entire frame and its purpose are the issue, then it'll be another story.
You could look into "endurance" framsets. They're built to be more comfortable. Try them out somewhere. If those dont fiz the issue, perhaps a road bike might be a step too much (for now).
Lot of things to consider, but dont write off road bikes entirely just yet!
It could be the extra weight, but it doesn't have to be at all.
There are a plethora of "fits" for road bikes. Some are aimed at comfort while others are aimed at speed. The latter obviously impacting your comfort in a negative way.
Sometimes getting a bike fit at a bike shop can already help tremendously.
Dropping your seat or raising the handle bars can make a massive difference.
If the entire frame and its purpose are the issue, then it'll be another story.
You could look into "endurance" framsets. They're built to be more comfortable. Try them out somewhere. If those dont fiz the issue, perhaps a road bike might be a step too much (for now).
Lot of things to consider, but dont write off road bikes entirely just yet!
The best answer for back pain is usually yoga. I mean sure, a fit can help but if you don't have strength and flexibility then eventually you'll get back pain no-matter how well your bike fits.
Back pain is almost always related to some muscle related problem be it tightness in hips or over rotation in the hips. These are corrected via stretching, fit or both. It's important to remember the way muscle systems works and how interconnected the lower half of your body is. If you're hamstrings are sore and tired they're going to give way to your quads, or vice versa, which is going to pull your pelvis in either direction over time and cause a slight tilt. A bike fit comes into play in this if it's causing an over reach or constriction of movement in the body.
My initial thought, you've been off the bike for a long time and now you're back on it. Your core is likely being worked more than it has in some time so you're finding soreness all around. When you push down on the pedals that's force coming from your hamstring which is putting effort on your back. Your core is also working to stabilize you on the bike.
My initial thought, you've been off the bike for a long time and now you're back on it. Your core is likely being worked more than it has in some time so you're finding soreness all around. When you push down on the pedals that's force coming from your hamstring which is putting effort on your back. Your core is also working to stabilize you on the bike.
OK wow. I have to drop my bike off for a tune up tonight, so I did my TrainerRoad workout at lunch (I work from home). It was 6 sweet spot intervals of 6-7 minutes. Shouldn't have been a big deal, I did a similar workout on Monday and did fine, heart rate never really going above zone 3.
A few intervals in I'm thinking this feels kind of hard. My heart rate is getting up in zone 4 and 5. Eventually I hit a few beats above my max I have ever measured my heart rate and it is steady there. I don't know if maybe I'm tired or too hot or something, or what. But I plan on gutting it out.
As I'm finishing up interval 5 of 6 I look at the screen and notice that the icon for my power meter icon is not on the screen. So TR is not connected to my power meter, it's connected to my trainer, which reports a good 10 watts under my power meter. So I've been doing some of these intervals at FTP and maybe even over FTP at times. At that point I decided to do without the last interval :P
This is actually a problem I have had with certain devices and the iPhone. Most Bluetooth devices have an icon in the settings that allows you to disconnect, but things like my power meter and heart rate monitor don't have the icon, so if the phone is somehow blocking an app from connecting to a device, the only thing that works is rebooting the phone. I'm not sure what happened here, because I did the same thing I always do, which is use the power meter app to zero it out and then switch to TR. Never had a problem before so I didn't bother to check.
Now, if my max heart rate has gone up, can that mean I am getting more fit? It wasn't just a weird spike, it was sustained at that rate for several minutes at a time.
A few intervals in I'm thinking this feels kind of hard. My heart rate is getting up in zone 4 and 5. Eventually I hit a few beats above my max I have ever measured my heart rate and it is steady there. I don't know if maybe I'm tired or too hot or something, or what. But I plan on gutting it out.
As I'm finishing up interval 5 of 6 I look at the screen and notice that the icon for my power meter icon is not on the screen. So TR is not connected to my power meter, it's connected to my trainer, which reports a good 10 watts under my power meter. So I've been doing some of these intervals at FTP and maybe even over FTP at times. At that point I decided to do without the last interval :P
This is actually a problem I have had with certain devices and the iPhone. Most Bluetooth devices have an icon in the settings that allows you to disconnect, but things like my power meter and heart rate monitor don't have the icon, so if the phone is somehow blocking an app from connecting to a device, the only thing that works is rebooting the phone. I'm not sure what happened here, because I did the same thing I always do, which is use the power meter app to zero it out and then switch to TR. Never had a problem before so I didn't bother to check.
Now, if my max heart rate has gone up, can that mean I am getting more fit? It wasn't just a weird spike, it was sustained at that rate for several minutes at a time.
Well it sort of depends. If you were at the same power output you're normally at, but your heart rate has increased, that would actually be an indication that you are less fit.
Lower heart rate, same power output = more fit.
If you were putting out more power than average, that could be an explanation for the higher heart rate. Being able to sustain it without issues could indicate an increase in fitness.
Lower heart rate, same power output = more fit.
If you were putting out more power than average, that could be an explanation for the higher heart rate. Being able to sustain it without issues could indicate an increase in fitness.
Heart rate is not a good indicator of fitness level, across the board, because of how different are bodies are. Some people run slightly higher rates than others, some lower. It would need to be based on a baseline of readings.
Same effort with lower heart rate makes sense. I was just surprised I was getting a heart rate higher than I've ever managed before, even on rides where I know I was absolutely maxed out. In 2 years of recorded rides I've never gone over 183 and I was getting a steady 187 (and apparently hit 188 as well).
This little article says it is pretty common as people get into better shape
https://www.cycling-inform.com/how-does-your-max-heart-rate-increase
This little article says it is pretty common as people get into better shape
https://www.cycling-inform.com/how-does-your-max-heart-rate-increase
In most people I know it's gone the other way. Much harder to get to your max heart rates, but irrelevant because you can do far more at lower heart rates. For me, my old rides all had ridiculously high average heart rates... levels that I could no way sustain now. Just wouldn't happen.
I think the key is hitting them temporarily vs high averages.
I think the key is hitting them temporarily vs high averages.
I didn't say it was, my point was that you may be able to achieve your max heart rate easier because you're able to push yourself harder than you otherwise could (pain tolerance / lactic processing / oxygen processing), but your max heart rate hasn't changed, you've just managed to actually get to it.
Like I said though, you wont spend much time at all near it in reality because as you get fitter you're able to do far more, with far less.
Like I said though, you wont spend much time at all near it in reality because as you get fitter you're able to do far more, with far less.
I bought the wahoo ELEMNT last year and really like that. Seems to do everything without any issues so far. Really simple and easy to customise and use. Everything I've tried so far has paired and synced without issue. Most useful for me so far has been the integration with ridewithgps route planning and being able to sync with that. The bolt is supposed to be good too.
I bought a bolt, then two guys I ride with got one after seeing mine, solid bits of kit at a reasonable price.
You mean the k-edge fully aluminum one? They do Garmin ones for that price too...
I got a bolt last year too. I love that thing, Great device for the price. My only thing with it is that I wish it was a just a bit bigger.
Yeah, it's more than 25% the cost of the computer itself.
Those k-edge mounts are pretty bomb proof though. They're way more study than the hard plastic that Wahoo gives you. Just buy them direct from K-Edge, I'm probably getting a stem mount for my Bolt
I'd offer you my hard plastic one if I thought you'd take it lol
When I opened the box and saw that junk & the zip ties I was like "you serious". I guess it's how they're saving $50 over Garmin on these
With mine I got the plastic out front mount that clamps to the bars and then a stem mount that uses the zip ties. Used both, one on each of my bikes and both have been fine so far.
I just hate zip ties, they're wasteful and not very good in reuse. The garmin straps are super snug and allow you to easily move the mount if need be.