Gray Matter
Member
For sure. It's not so bad on the road though.
Damn, shots fired!
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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
Damn, shots fired!
Two weeks for me, and that'll be three by next weekend. I had a chance to head out Saturday morning and actually got changed into my gear, but noped out before opening the garage. It's weird because I just KNOW I'll have a blast once I'm out there.
frontieruk
Member
Face it... you know, you want to go road club riding which is what's stopping hitting the trails as it's just not as fun...
Face it... you know, you want to go road club riding which is what's stopping hitting the trails as it's just not as fun...
Good God no. Road riding just isn't for me. Nothing against you lot but I'll take my chances in the woods where the trees stay still. A member of my family met someone at the weekend who got T-boned on their road bike last year and is still on the long road to recovery. Many broken bones, in and out of comas, never to have full mobility back. Sharing the roads with motor vehicles is bad enough when you're in another motor vehicle. I just feel completely exposed when I'm on my bike, especially since texting while driving seems to be considered acceptable behaviour by many thundercunting fuckwits.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
looks like all I needed was an hour+ in the woods to turn around my biking mood. Really missed that feeling of dodging trees
i was an inch away from being hit by a lady who knowingly ran a red yesterday while i was crossing the road using the crosswalk
it was quite nerve racking. had it not been for the car too aggressively trying to make a left as i was crossing, i would've flown at least 10 feet in the air
it was quite nerve racking. had it not been for the car too aggressively trying to make a left as i was crossing, i would've flown at least 10 feet in the air
My man.
The weather hasn't helped with my motivation this year but I think I've just got out of the routine of getting back from work and heading straight out on the bike. Once the habit is broken it's then a lot harder to start it up again. I've basically been a lazy bastard this year but for the past few months I've also had the new VR headset to play with and the thought of twenty laps at Le Mans in a 911 RSR is quite a pull when there's no bike to wash at the end of it.
frontieruk
Member
Unfortunately as I see cyclists riding and texting we don't have the high ground here as we're as dangerous to pedestrians as cars are to us and pedestrians
TarpitCarnivore
Member
What I've learned with cycling, and the same is true with driving, is that when you're moving fast you're a danger no matter how safe you are. Best we can do, in both situations, is just be on the offensive and aware. No matter how safe we are we can't account for other people.
jakonovski
Member
I went a week and a half without cycling to play video games and Magic. Now the bike feels like it's flying. Breaks are a necessary thing.
Magic?
TarpitCarnivore
Member
You know, EPO, which explains the faster feeling
jakonovski
Member
EPO or Magic: the Gathering. One of those makes cycling feel good.
My Favero Assioma Duo power meter pedals finally arrived after being shipped from Clever Training in Florida to Honolulu, Hawaii, and back to Massachusetts.
I haven't yet biked on them, but they seem solid. I have installed them. Very easy installation.
I got them for $735 - 10% = $661 from Clever Training before Assioma told Clever Training to raise the price to $799! So I'm feeling pretty good about that. I believe, other than the Watteam Powerbeat (which you glue to your crank arms), this is the cheapest dual sided power meter out there. They have an internal lithium battery which lasts 50 hours.
I probably won't ride tonight either (maybe just to test the cleats), but I'll be riding Wednesday to test them out.
I haven't yet biked on them, but they seem solid. I have installed them. Very easy installation.
I got them for $735 - 10% = $661 from Clever Training before Assioma told Clever Training to raise the price to $799! So I'm feeling pretty good about that. I believe, other than the Watteam Powerbeat (which you glue to your crank arms), this is the cheapest dual sided power meter out there. They have an internal lithium battery which lasts 50 hours.
I probably won't ride tonight either (maybe just to test the cleats), but I'll be riding Wednesday to test them out.
Psychotext
Member
I still don't know if I can be bothered getting a power meter. I just don't really think that it's going to make any difference. It's not like I generally take it easy when I'm out and about.
They are a lot of money. Spend it on knives and cocaine instead.
I'm an engineer and a geek. I like seeing the data. In fact, I wish my Garmin would sample more often than 1 sample per second.
It is most useful for me during a time trial for getting everything I can out of my legs.
And it is good for training, too, but I find that my training is mostly just riding with faster people these days. Maybe at some point I will do some structured outdoor training too. I do structured training on my indoor trainer, and I think that is really beneficial, but any trainer worth its salt will already have a power meter.
codswallop
Member
As a beginner road cyclist, a power meter sounds like a great idea to me, for knowing my peak outputs and also helping to conserve energy. I sometimes train at the gym on their shitty spin bikes using some of the GCN videos and it seems like it'd be useful to me.
But also I'm cheap so I'll just go without.
But also I'm cheap so I'll just go without.
jakonovski
Member
Any recommendations for a cheap turbo trainer? Bonus points if I can somehow hook it up with Zwift, but by no means necessary. The winters here are getting more and more rainy and I want to do aerobic exercise even when it's all formless grey ooze outside.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I think the cheapeast ones that DC Rainmaker will recommend are the Kurt Kinetic, but even then he's so-so on. I think it's worth going for at least a Kickr Snap or Tacx at this point. Having the auto-resistance is massive for me.
I have a TacX Vortex. Those can be found below $500. It measures power, adjusts resistance, and works with Zwift.
With all wheel-on trainers, you have to get a trainer tire too, or you will wear through your tire in no time flat. You also have to adjust tire pressure, start up a phone app and do a coast down test, adjust tension, etc before you can start riding. It's a bit of a pain, but it is necessary to get an accurate power reading and avoid tire slippage.
I also have a TacX Flux. You take the wheel off and attach the bike directly to the trainer for this one, and I much prefer it. But you're paying a lot more for one of these.
With all wheel-on trainers, you have to get a trainer tire too, or you will wear through your tire in no time flat. You also have to adjust tire pressure, start up a phone app and do a coast down test, adjust tension, etc before you can start riding. It's a bit of a pain, but it is necessary to get an accurate power reading and avoid tire slippage.
I also have a TacX Flux. You take the wheel off and attach the bike directly to the trainer for this one, and I much prefer it. But you're paying a lot more for one of these.
Get a cross trainer or a rowing machine and mix up your muscle groups.
Cycling indoors would put me off cycling for life.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
You don't need a trainer tire, you wont wear through it that fast unless you're doing hundreds of miles a week
The spindown only takes like 3-4 minutes, not a ton of time and isn't necessary unless you're A. drastically changing pressure B. removed the bike C. had a huge temp fluctuation in the place of riding
Psychotext
Member
I've done literally thousands of miles on a Kurt Kinetic Rock N Roll 2 (same unit as the Road Machine). It's solid for the price, no question.
To elaborate on this, cycling for me is all about getting outdoors in the fresh air, enjoying nature, adapting to environmental changes on well-trodden trails, occasionally trying new trails, sometimes meeting up with friends. Sitting indoors on a bike would strip all of that away and turn something I love into a mechanical chore. I never cycle to get fit or for the health benefits - those are just nice little by-products of the enjoyable act itself. So maybe that's why indoor cycling seems so abhorrent to me, as I'm not interested in some arbitrary 'gains' that I can measure. I don't cycle competitively so those don't bother me at all. As long as I'm fit enough to enjoy my blasts around the woods then that's enough for me. I can use my cross-trainer and rowing machine quite happily because the option for cross-country skiing or rowing on a river isn't easily available to me, but if they were I think I'd have to ditch those machines and find something else totally unrelated. I could never do a compromised version of something that's easily available to be enjoyed in its full capacity.
Does that make any sense, and how do you indoor cyclists reconcile this yourselves?
jakonovski
Member
I really just want an easy to way to pedal for a few hours during the darkest winter. Podcasts and concept albums can be used for boredom relief.
I'll gladly go outside when there's snow or at least freezing, but 2C, constant drizzle and sunlight only from 9AM to 3PM really kills the outdoor spirit.
I'll gladly go outside when there's snow or at least freezing, but 2C, constant drizzle and sunlight only from 9AM to 3PM really kills the outdoor spirit.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Not to mention is just depressing as hell. I need vitamin D and so much sun during the winters
Chip N Chance
Member
Where i live we get extremely cold weather and multiple feet of snow. Even if the weather is nice it gets dark at around 3:30, so work ends up getting in the way. I would rather cycle on a stationary all through the winter months and keep my fitness for when the warmer months roll around, which usual is around March. In fact i cycled almost every single day on a stationary from late Nov to March with heart rate zone training, and it was the fittest i have ever gotten in all of my cycling years. Which in preparation was used as a starting point for this year when i started biking outside again.
I agree that biking is all about the journey and the wind in your hair, but the stationary is always going to be there when you actually cant walk outside, let alone bike. For me, i would say that maintaining fitness levels is far more rewarding then going out in the freezing cold, really slow and dirtying up my bike. It can be a bit grueling, but having some numbers to go off of can help make it a little meta game within your stationary biking. Heart rate zones, wattage, etc. Then on top of that i just do music.
Thats just my two cents. Believe me, i know im in the minority on this.
I agree that biking is all about the journey and the wind in your hair, but the stationary is always going to be there when you actually cant walk outside, let alone bike. For me, i would say that maintaining fitness levels is far more rewarding then going out in the freezing cold, really slow and dirtying up my bike. It can be a bit grueling, but having some numbers to go off of can help make it a little meta game within your stationary biking. Heart rate zones, wattage, etc. Then on top of that i just do music.
Thats just my two cents. Believe me, i know im in the minority on this.
Psychotext
Member
That's easy for me. I do cycle competitively.
Not necessarily to place highly, but to compete to finish rides in their cutoff times etc. My enjoyment comes largely from doing things I never used to be capable of.
I do get out for a pootle from time to time with friends, but it's rare.
jakonovski
Member
Also, I would like to point out that I'm the only certified fatbike nutter around these parts. Out and about in -15C on shining fields of snow!
Another reason I like to do anything except static cycling is the underlying concern that sitting on a bicycle saddle for long periods just can't be that good for you. I don't know how true or not this actually is, but I was warned off excessive cycling by my doctor many years ago (advice I've largely ignored, admittedly). He said he sees a lot of cyclists with plumbing problems because there's no such thing as the perfect saddle. It does seem to make sense when you look at bike saddles - it can't be good perching your nipsy on that thin blade for hours on end, especially if you're banging over rocks.
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, numbness is a massive problem for me when I get into the 10+ hours range.
That said, I'm married, so it's not like I need my junk to work anyway...
That said, I'm married, so it's not like I need my junk to work anyway...
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I can go probably 45-60 before numbness becomes an issue. Doing 4 hours once was a feat in itself, but there was a point where things just felt ok.
Psychotext
Member
If I'm on the turbo I specifically stand up every 30 mins for a minute or so.
I've yet to see a serious road cyclist use a comfortable and ergonomic seat. They always pick for weight and aerodynamics and I strongly believe it should be the one area of compromise for everyone. Having done thousands of miles of centuries I can speak from experience that saddle fatigue is multiplicative on everything else - wrists, quads, back, everything. A comfy ergonomic serfas will vastly reduce lots of fatigue points on long road rides.
The trouble is finding that seat that is right for you.
Do they do foam-formed ones that mould to your personal ass like ski boot inners do for your feet?
If not, KICKSTART THAT MOFO.
i've never seen an "aero" saddle. there are tt saddles that are designed to work specific muscle groups more than others and you'd only ever see those on a fully decked out tt bike.
and carbon saddles tend to be the exact same as their cheaper counterparts with the only difference being the material used for the shell and rails. the difference in performance between the cheaper fizik kium and the top end carbon 00 is negligible despite carbon having greater absorbotion qualities and being somewhat lighter. one you can get for around $75 while the other you won't find cheaper than $300 though you do save 100g with the latter
and carbon saddles tend to be the exact same as their cheaper counterparts with the only difference being the material used for the shell and rails. the difference in performance between the cheaper fizik kium and the top end carbon 00 is negligible despite carbon having greater absorbotion qualities and being somewhat lighter. one you can get for around $75 while the other you won't find cheaper than $300 though you do save 100g with the latter
Sure, but I'd wager almost ANY good quality gel seat with taint ergo, is better for your health than a carbon buttwedge.
The squishy saddles tend to cause more issues, actually.
I'm gonna need to see some receipts that aren't anecdotal.
Psychotext
Member
There's quite a lot of science on the subject, to be honest, I'm way too tired after coming in off the trainer to look it up though.
(Specifically, we're talking about proper squishy rather than saddles with a little give)
(Specifically, we're talking about proper squishy rather than saddles with a little give)
The reason is that your sitbones sink into a softer saddle, which leaves the rest of the saddle to put pressure on the soft tissue between your legs. For longer rides it's recommended to have a saddle with less padding and use a well designed chamois to cushion the area around your sitbones.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Hard stiff saddles can actually be more comfortable
It all comes down to your ass anatomy though
So, it seems like I basically destroyed my gravel bike somehow. I've done two steady fast-paced solo road rides on it since replacing the BB and cranks, and it simply doesn't want to respond to leg force at cruising speed. Climbing still lets me bottleneck on cardio, but when I'm just pedaling along on the flats it's like my legs are pushing against a brick wall. Even at really high cadence, my quads are fatiguing and my cardio isn't being stressed much at all.
I guess I'm going to roll things back one at a time to try and figure out what happened, and hopefully also restore it to its glorious "gravel bike that's deceptively fast on the road" self. It's going to be infuriating if I can't right this wrong.
The replacement was mostly to see if slightly moving the pedals favorably changed the pedaling ergonomics, bringing it more in line with a few of my other bikes. A few millimeters off the crank arms, narrower spindle to slightly reduce q-factor. Since I *know* that the new pedal-location geometry shouldn't be the problem, this is a little confusing. Maybe the new cranks with their significantly fatter arms have changed the flex characteristics about the BB in a way my legs don't like? I dunno.
grrrr
I guess I'm going to roll things back one at a time to try and figure out what happened, and hopefully also restore it to its glorious "gravel bike that's deceptively fast on the road" self. It's going to be infuriating if I can't right this wrong.
The replacement was mostly to see if slightly moving the pedals favorably changed the pedaling ergonomics, bringing it more in line with a few of my other bikes. A few millimeters off the crank arms, narrower spindle to slightly reduce q-factor. Since I *know* that the new pedal-location geometry shouldn't be the problem, this is a little confusing. Maybe the new cranks with their significantly fatter arms have changed the flex characteristics about the BB in a way my legs don't like? I dunno.
grrrr
Psychotext
Member
Maybe you just suck?
outunderthestars
Banned
As a professional bike fitter, and someone with a decade plus in the industry I will throw in my two cents. There is no magic saddle design that will work for everyone. That said, the saddle itself is only one aspect of the ride, and the overall body positioning, flexibility, fitness, rider weight, style of riding, etc all play a role.
Most of the studies to date, in my opinion, have functional flaws. The most widely cited study, found only a minimal (~10%) difference between a padded and unpadded saddle. The main problems with this study are twofold:
1. They performed the test indoors on stationary bicycles. This eliminated the role of air pressure plays in creating upper body loft, thus reducing the force in the saddle.
2. They did not properly fit riders to a saddle, or offer varying widths of saddles based on the riders' widths of sit bones.
That said, saddle width is important, but more in relation to ones physiology and bicycle riding position. A wider saddle doesn't mean anything if you have narrow sit bone width and ride in an aggressive position.
For example, if a road rider with a fairly low hand position ends up on a saddle that is too wide, their thighs will actually force the body forward, leaving the rider putting too much pressure onto the nose of the saddle.
So in the end, i always advocate for proper body measurement and positioning over any certain amount of padding or width.
That doesn't change when I switch bicycles, so it can't be the root cause of what I'm seeing.Maybe you just suck?
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Finding a good bike seat is exhausting. There are some models that fitters swear but by and large its trial and error.
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