Bicycling On-the-Road

jackman · « **Reply #760 on:** 21 Jul 2011, 06:58 pm »

Di2???

Levi · « **Reply #761 on:** 27 Jul 2011, 02:06 am »

Di2 are truly nice and I only saw them on expensive bikes $10K up. Duh! The price of admission is stiff. Di2 may not be the best bang for the buck speed weapon wise. Only BikeWNC is the only person I know who has one.

Quote from: jackman on 21 Jul 2011, 06:58 pm

Di2???

SET Man · « **Reply #762 on:** 28 Jul 2011, 12:59 am »

Hey!

Saw this on local news here in NYC....

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/6091167-bike-theft-turning-into-a-major-problem-on-the-uws/

Suck isn't it?

Yeah, bike theft is a big problem in NYC . I don't know what that weatherman was thinking locking his new shiny $2K+ bike on the street like that, yes even in upper east side where.

My bike ain't as much as that weatherman's bike but still I wouldn't lock my bike on NYC's street. Hey! Even a Huffy get picked here in NYC!

Think of it, it is sucks that you work hard to buy something nice than some SOB just steal it! Let's hope that Karma will take care of that thief

Take care,
Buddy

Levi · « **Reply #763 on:** 28 Jul 2011, 01:54 am »

I read the news this morning. That is a clear reminder that there are still opportunists (thieves) out there lurking around.

My bike goes with me inside restrooms and starbucks. They look at me when I walk in and that is all there is to it. LOL!

jackman · « **Reply #764 on:** 28 Jul 2011, 03:15 am »

Quote from: Levi on 28 Jul 2011, 01:54 am

I read the news this morning. That is a clear reminder that there are still opportunists (thieves) out there lurking around.

My bike goes with me inside restrooms and starbucks. They look at me when I walk in and that is all there is to it. LOL!

Same here Levi! I have absolutely no shame as to where I bring my bike (bathroom, Starbucks, etc.), and it's not nearly as fancy as your bike. I would not leave it unattended in my relatively safe town, let along NYC. I can't imagine anyone giving you a look for protecting a very expensive bike in NYC. Anyone who doesn't is asking for problems!

Levi · « **Reply #765 on:** 28 Jul 2011, 03:51 am »

Another thing we have to watch out for is our Garmin Edge. That is also another point of interest. Truly easy to swipe.

Magic. Now you see, now you don't.

Levi · « **Reply #766 on:** 8 Aug 2011, 04:18 am »

When I bought my road bike, I only had a basic fit. Almost a year later, I changed many things in my bike. Some of those changes had an effect on riding position such as saddle, pedals, shoes, etc. Since we spend many miles onroad, a good professional fit is in order.

I was at Toga Bike in New York yesterday and saw someone getting a Retul 3D fit. It costs $350. Worth it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73biNkPp0OY

AB · « **Reply #767 on:** 8 Aug 2011, 05:03 am »

Quote from: Levi on 8 Aug 2011, 04:18 am

When I bought my road bike, I only had a basic fit. Almost a year later, I changed many things in my bike. Some of those changes had an effect on riding position such as saddle, pedals, shoes, etc. Since we spend many miles onroad, a good professional fit is in order.

I was at Toga Bike in New York yesterday and saw someone getting a Retul 3D fit. It costs $350. Worth it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73biNkPp0OY

I've done the 3D fit thing a few times now and I think it's worth it.
More comfort and more power.

jackman · « **Reply #768 on:** 8 Aug 2011, 11:43 am »

Quote from: Levi on 8 Aug 2011, 04:18 am

When I bought my road bike, I only had a basic fit. Almost a year later, I changed many things in my bike. Some of those changes had an effect on riding position such as saddle, pedals, shoes, etc. Since we spend many miles onroad, a good professional fit is in order.

I was at Toga Bike in New York yesterday and saw someone getting a Retul 3D fit. It costs $350. Worth it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73biNkPp0OY

That seems to be the going rate around here for a Retul fit. A couple friends of mine took the plunge (on a Retul fit) and they swear by the results. One guy read all of the available books on fitting and thought his fit was dialed in perfectly, before the Retul. He had a couple nagging pains (back, neck, etc.) and decided to spend the money.

Since the fit, he has become a convert and says he gained noticeable power. I have a hard time spending $350 for a fitting, but the Retul process is pretty involved and there are many advocates.

Are you having any pain or injuries that you feel are related to fit, or are you just trying to maximize your power/speed?

Levi · « **Reply #769 on:** 8 Aug 2011, 12:06 pm »

Thanks guys.

I am not experiencing any pain or discomfort riding long distances. Just want to see if there is anything to be gained by getting a Retul fit.

jonwb · « **Reply #770 on:** 8 Aug 2011, 06:41 pm »

Yeah, I too am a bit too cheap to pay that much for a fit. I've always been tempted to have the self-adjusted fit of my bike reviewed and tweaked by an expert tho.

Just this past weekend I completed a charity ride for the MS Society. It was 100mi on Sat and 75mi on Sun. This was my third year doing the ride and by far my best as far as leg strength and general comfort is concerned. I stopped at all the stops for a quick stretch and water refill and got back on course. The quick stops seemed to leave me w/ better legs coming out of the rest areas compared to more prolonged rests. I was able to do Saturday at just over 18MPH (moving avg) with about 80% riding solo and the balance w/ groups here and there. My legs felt pretty good all day. I was frankly surprised how strong I was. Sunday was definitely a bit slower. I was kind of a mess w/ managing my Garmin. I kept forgetting to start/stop it properly.

I rode w/ another guy the whole day and we prob averaged about 16.5MPH or so.

I was a bit nervous about my OTL (other than legs) comfort. Previous years, I had a sore butt, sore hands and a sore neck and lower back. Those were all in play this year too. Tho, riding faster and, as a result, spending overall less time in the saddle helps all those areas. I switched saddles a few weeks before the ride and the new saddle worked pretty well overall. I don't think (for me) there is any saddle that is going to be completely comfy for a century (unless I did more of them maybe). I do wonder if a better 'fit' would help my hands and neck/back. Hard to say. I don't have issues w/ any of these areas during 40-50mi training rides, so perhaps its all just down to me not being used to 5+hrs on the bike in a day.

The other thing keeping on the sidelines a bit re: getting a professional fit is my regular thoughts of getting a new bike / frame. Were I to invest in a new chariot, I most certainly would get a fit, but probably not a fancy Retul fit (too cheap! LOL).

Jon

LadyDog · « **Reply #771 on:** 9 Aug 2011, 01:52 am »

Never really looked into Retul. Is the expense maybe a Windy City or NY thing, where it generally costs more than say here in Indy?

That said, I am a big proponent on fittings in general, if you can find a good one. In some cases people spend as much as $3,000 on a bike and then start plopping down a $150 for tires, $125 for a new carbon bar, or $800 for new wheels.

Get your contact points set first with a professional fitting, better money spent.

AB · « **Reply #772 on:** 9 Aug 2011, 07:28 pm »

If you're interested in bike fitting - reading about it in all its complications - have a look here...

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/blog/

Lots of good info.

Had a crappy ride today. A bit windy and felt flat fairly quickly. Need some time off or there's some stress happening.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/105218287

Made several stops to give directions to visitors - not a problem but it seems this little piece of rural Colorado is attracting destination cyclists. Who would have thought?

jackman · « **Reply #773 on:** 9 Aug 2011, 09:57 pm »

AB - you are a strong dude. If that's a bad ride, I need to see one if your good ones. Your power average was very good for that distance and you hauled butt.

There are not many guys (if any) on this thread who can hang with you if that was a slow day for you. I know I can't, not even on my best day!

Cheers
J

AB · « **Reply #774 on:** 10 Aug 2011, 12:31 am »

J
Thanks for that. I appreciate it.
I am pretty sure I'm hitting my typical mid Summer wall right now. It happens every year but I was hoping this year would be different.

I have a few days off the bike planned so maybe that'll do the trick.

An FYI. Around here it's easier to hit good numbers - the roads are wide open - no red lights, virtually no traffic. Only the occasional free range cow stepping into your path to slow you down.

viggen · « **Reply #775 on:** 11 Aug 2011, 07:52 pm »

I'd take that "crappy" ride over my best. I barely hit 16mph on a 50 mile ride.

Levi · « **Reply #776 on:** 14 Aug 2011, 02:42 am »

It looks like Shimano is coming up with Di2 6700.

AB · « **Reply #777 on:** 15 Aug 2011, 07:04 pm »

Interesting day here. Andy Schleck is in town for a bit of training and promo for the US Pro Cycling Challenge.

http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/

The local Trek shop organized a ride along with Andy and around 250 riders showed up to pedal about 15 miles with him - I guess he would then proceed to drop everyone and get on with a training ride.

That's him there in the Leopard/Trek kit up front.

Did I make the scene? No.

I had my own training to do...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106806668

A quick 2x20 effort to open up the legs for this weeks riding with a bunch of guys fresh from the Tour of Utah all getting a few local miles in for the big race and for me an opportunity to get in some real work before our big local stage race at the end of the month.

http://www.bikesteamboat.com/2011-steamboat-stage-race/latest-news/

It's going to be a painful two weeks!

jackman · « **Reply #778 on:** 18 Aug 2011, 02:13 am »

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well. I've been off my bike for a couple weeks. Busted out a hard 42 miles today and I think I'm having a heart attack. At least I did around mile 35 or so when we had to hustle home to beat nightfall. I've lost some fit fitness but hope to get it back soon.

Somehow I developed a pain in my foot again. Thankfully it only hurts when I ride...and when I laugh.

Cheers

Jack

LadyDog · « **Reply #779 on:** 18 Aug 2011, 02:22 am »

AB,
Very cool. Though I think the kid to the left may be able to put the hurt on Andy.