Bicycling On-the-Road

Levi · « **Reply #560 on:** 29 Apr 2011, 06:18 pm »

Thanks for the complements guys.

jackman · « **Reply #561 on:** 29 Apr 2011, 06:36 pm »

Quote from: Levi on 29 Apr 2011, 06:18 pm

Thanks for the complements guys.

I love that bike but you broke several bikeforums.net fules with the picture.

1. Picture should be in front of white garage door

(must be a rule because 99% of posters seem to follow it).
2. Picture should be of drive side.

3. Chain on the large front ring and middle rear ring (you did well on this I think).
4. No reflectors or saddle bag or dork disk.

(again, you did well).
5. Flip stem (no need to flip yours it appears to be nice and low).
6. Cranks at 3-9:00 position (nice).

That's all I can remember. Even though you flaunted the rules, you did well!

baumer · « **Reply #562 on:** 29 Apr 2011, 08:04 pm »

Levi,

I always enjoy seeing your pics and data from your rides. Especially the ones through NYC.

It reminds me of when I lived in Chgo. and commuted to my job in the Loop. 16 mi. of pure bliss dodging taxi's and pedestrians, getting pulled for a few city blocks on the back of a semi or pick-up truck, and having my wife and co-workers thinking I was absolutely insane riding in the snow. Ahhhhhh the memories.

Keep up the good work man!!!

BikeWNC · « **Reply #563 on:** 29 Apr 2011, 08:20 pm »

Nice bike Levi! I would love to have a set of Zipps for one of my bikes but I think they are just a bit expensive for me. I guess I could sell a few bikes I'm not using and fund a pair. I bet they ride great!

LadyDog · « **Reply #564 on:** 30 Apr 2011, 02:13 am »

Screw the wheels, how many cd's do you have there man!

Wheels look very nice of the frame Leve. Please post your thoughts after getting some mileage on them

Josh - like with many other things in life, you can spend a little, or a lot. I'd suggest getting some tires like Rubino's, Krylion's, Gatorskins, etc. A step down for those Jack and Levi mention. Maybe 80-85% the performance, at 65-70% the cost.

jackman · « **Reply #565 on:** 30 Apr 2011, 02:35 am »

As usual, I agree with Jeff. Gatorskins (and other durable training tires)aren't much cheaper than GP4k's but they last much longer than race tires and are more flat resistant.

I usually scout deals on GP's and stock up. I think I paid about thirty five bucks a pop from PBK the last tine they were on sale. A pair of racing tires for about what you pay for a carton of smokes in Chicago. I cant get myself to buy at regular srp, 65 bucks each...

jackman · « **Reply #566 on:** 1 May 2011, 03:35 pm »

Awesome ride today, best one of the year. No hills on the route but the wind was absolutely brutal (except for the times it was at my back). I ditched my HR monitor and my speed improved. On the country roads we ride, there is no corn (yet!) and no trees to block the wind. At one point, it must have been 30mph as we rode into it. There was one stretch (you can see it on the attached) where we rode in the high 20's and low 30's for a long stretch in a paceline with the wind at our back. Paid the price later but it was worth it. What a day!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82734667

LadyDog · « **Reply #567 on:** 2 May 2011, 02:36 am »

Sounds like a good ride Jack. Still not really got my first one of the year in yet.

Sometimes(many for me), it is better to ditch the hr monitor, computer, and Gamin stuff, and just ride. Too many times the focus is on "my cadence is low, I'm not going fast enough, I've only ridden how many miles, etc".

Nothing better than just getting some good exercise, taking in the scenery, the wind in your hair(except it sounds like there was too much of it today), and just the freedom and piece/peace of mind.

Safe travels!

sandbagger · « **Reply #568 on:** 6 May 2011, 12:47 pm »

Got my 3rd ride of the year in last night
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/83724558

Didnt set any land speed records, but actually feel real good this morning

JoshK · « **Reply #569 on:** 9 May 2011, 02:33 pm »

got my third real ride of the year in. didn't take the garmin, as its not really setup at the moment. i did about ten to twelve miles on the henry hudson drive. took a few wrong turns and ended up doing a couple extra big steep hills. boy do i feel it today!

there was some kind of race going on. hundreds of other bikers out on the drive. i didn't want to feel like a whimp, so i pushed myself on all the climbs only stopping twice at the tops of the hills to let my heart rate drop down and then off again. i still felt like a fat wuss.

i ended up making a good pace with a couple of racers just ahead of me. i followed them for the 4 or 5 miles on the way back. i rode for about an hour 15 to an hour thirty. no race pace here.

that place is hillier than jersey city and i felt my lowest gear was still a bit too tall on the steepest/longest hills while ok on the others. my bike is setup as a double.

i need to get out a lot more and quit partying as much as i do!

jackman · « **Reply #570 on:** 9 May 2011, 02:48 pm »

Josh, no shame in riding slower than you would like, as long as you pushed youself sufficiently hard!

Don't know how things were on the East Coast but it was crazy windy in the cornfields west of Chicago where I ride. Did a solo ride on Sunday (40+ miles) and fought a very bad wind on the way home. No corn and nothing to break that stiff breeze.

Rode too cautiously on the way home and should have been faster. It was good to get the legs pumping. The Garmin data heartrate on the attached is bogus. I no longer wear a HR monitor and it was picking up HR of some riders I encountered on the road.

Josh, just keep pushing yourself and you will no longer feel sore after a couple more weeks. I'd suggest trying to get out at least 2-3 times per week. Also, riding with a group is 100x more fun and will get you into shape faster. Just don't pick a group thtat is too fast because that might be frustrating. A nice beginner or intermediate group would be perfect.

My group is getting serious about training and I am having trouble keeping up! Got droppped on Sunday...my solo ride was not intentional.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/84281636

jackman · « **Reply #571 on:** 9 May 2011, 02:55 pm »

Josh, I also picked up a new cassette, 11-28, and hills are much easier. They are on sale at Performance and they install for free if you buy it at the store. Even though I have a SRAM set, my Shimano cassette works perfectly. You might need a new chain if your current one is too short.

The tall 28 tooth rear cog is great for hills and the 11 on the little cog is great for going down hills fast. My old cassette was a 12-25 and the difference is noticeable. Highly recommended.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1076715_-1___

JoshK · « **Reply #572 on:** 9 May 2011, 03:20 pm »

i definitely felt like i got my second wind half way through the ride. i put the course into mapmyride.com and it says the hills at the end were larger than the ones in the middle but it sure didn't feel that way. there was one in the middle i thought was going to kill me.

i am not sure at what point i turned around according to the map, so it was anywhere between 10 and 14 miles that i did but around 900ft of elevation gain.

Levi · « **Reply #573 on:** 9 May 2011, 04:13 pm »

Josh, keep riding. Btw, you witnessed GFNY (Gran Fondo New York).

Quote from: JoshK on 9 May 2011, 02:33 pm

got my third real ride of the year in. didn't take the garmin, as its not really setup at the moment. i did about ten to twelve miles on the henry hudson drive. took a few wrong turns and ended up doing a couple extra big steep hills. boy do i feel it today!

there was some kind of race going on. hundreds of other bikers out on the drive. i didn't want to feel like a whimp, so i pushed myself on all the climbs only stopping twice at the tops of the hills to let my heart rate drop down and then off again. i still felt like a fat wuss.

i ended up making a good pace with a couple of racers just ahead of me. i followed them for the 4 or 5 miles on the way back. i rode for about an hour 15 to an hour thirty. no race pace here.

that place is hillier than jersey city and i felt my lowest gear was still a bit too tall on the steepest/longest hills while ok on the others. my bike is setup as a double.

i need to get out a lot more and quit partying as much as i do!

jackman · « **Reply #574 on:** 9 May 2011, 04:35 pm »

Here are some good training tips:

http://www.cptips.com/climb.htm

I'm doing interval training (on a hill) after work tonight. Interval training is the fastest way to make those hills easier. Losing weight is also very important but my most difficult challenge.

JoshK · « **Reply #575 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:54 pm »

i guess i could do the hill at the end of my block over and over again. its fairly steep, about 4 blocks long and somewhere close to 200ft climb. its just a little dangerous going down as it is a one way in the up direction.

jackman · « **Reply #576 on:** 9 May 2011, 09:55 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 9 May 2011, 05:54 pm

i guess i could do the hill at the end of my block over and over again. its fairly steep, about 4 blocks long and somewhere close to 200ft climb. its just a little dangerous going down as it is a one way in the up direction.

Make sure you don't take unnecessary risks with safety. When you are tired (like after lots of hill intervals) you are more likely to do something stupid and crash or not be able to react quickly to avoid a car (because your legs are like overcooked spaghetti). A friend crashed a couple weeks ago and busted a brand new Zipp 303 as a result. The good news, Zipp gave him a spanking new wheel, no questions asked. He is the biggest Zipp fan on the planet but athat's a different story.

jackman · « **Reply #577 on:** 10 May 2011, 01:34 am »

Want to feel slow? Check out this guy's Garmin data from Tour Down Under. I can't imagine this kind of power and speed.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65459271

Here is another from the Garmin team. I don't know who this guy is but 290 watts for almost 5 hours or even 4.5 hours is more than I can imagine. This is humbling...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82329233

LadyDog · « **Reply #578 on:** 10 May 2011, 01:44 am »

Josh,
No point in being disappointed in yourself. You are a helluva a lot farther than those still sitting on their couch.

Imo, it is about the freedom, the experience, the wind n your hair, the exercise, the making your life better, and the enjoyment.

After seeing today's crash at the Giro, please be safe out there. Can leave an lasting imagine, so some may not want to hunt down what I just mentioned.

JoshK · « **Reply #579 on:** 10 May 2011, 03:02 am »

Quote from: jackman on 9 May 2011, 09:55 pm

Make sure you don't take unnecessary risks with safety. When you are tired (like after lots of hill intervals) you are more likely to do something stupid and crash or not be able to react quickly to avoid a car (because your legs are like overcooked spaghetti). A friend crashed a couple weeks ago and busted a brand new Zipp 303 as a result. The good news, Zipp gave him a spanking new wheel, no questions asked. He is the biggest Zipp fan on the planet but athat's a different story.

I know that from skiing. That is another reason why I like biking. Makes you stronger for ski season!