Cycling

[Nunymare]

No, on backorder. Should get them late next week, I think.

Just cranked out 50 miles at a 3:20 per mile pace.

Sounds like a nightmare trying to stay on your bike this time of year by you.

That's awesome! I did a 100km event this summer (I imagine 50mi is somewhere close to that) and was able to do it at a similar pace. Probably one of the hardest rides I've done thus far - I usually take longer distances at an easier pace. I was definitely hurting during the last 10km (the fact that it was almost +30C out didn't help either).

There's a reason I don't use clipless pedals in the winter. Nothing more terrifying then the feeling of losing traction on ice and fishtailing (probably need to get studded tires). Last year I wiped out on an ice patch on the road.

 

[RayP]

That's awesome! I did a 100km event this summer (I imagine 50mi is somewhere close to that) and was able to do it at a similar pace. Probably one of the hardest rides I've done thus far - I usually take longer distances at an easier pace. I was definitely hurting during the last 10km (the fact that it was almost +30C out didn't help either).

There's a reason I don't use clipless pedals in the winter. Nothing more terrifying then the feeling of losing traction on ice and fishtailing (probably need to get studded tires). Last year I wiped out on an ice patch on the road.

50 miles is about 80 KM, and 100 KM is 62 miles.

I wasn't hurting at all towards the end, I really finished strong. Absolutely crushed that ride.

Yeah no chance in hell you'd catch me on the road in a winter like yours. No chance.

 

[Nunymare]

50 miles is about 80 KM, and 100 KM is 62 miles.

I wasn't hurting at all towards the end, I really finished strong. Absolutely crushed that ride.

Yeah no chance in hell you'd catch me on the road in a winter like yours. No chance.

It's not all that bad. I only do it thought because I can't bring myself to give up cycling for the 5-6 months of winter we have. I'll really only do it when there is bare pavement visible on the roads and when the paths are more unsafe. Can't really do any long rides though (I'll miss that).

That's good that you weren't hurting on that ride...I had some really bad cramping towards the end of mine. Probably related to hydration and such... I guess you can say I learned a lesson there. One of the reasons why I'd take going for a ride in -30C over a +30C day.

 

[RayP]

Suppose to rain tomorrow, but not going to let that stop me from riding... Any tips on, well, anything regarding riding in the rain and wet conditions? I'll be on the path, so traffic won't be an obstacle or anything.

It's not all that bad. I only do it thought because I can't bring myself to give up cycling for the 5-6 months of winter we have. I'll really only do it when there is bare pavement visible on the roads and when the paths are more unsafe. Can't really do any long rides though (I'll miss that).

That's good that you weren't hurting on that ride...I had some really bad cramping towards the end of mine. Probably related to hydration and such... I guess you can say I learned a lesson there. One of the reasons why I'd take going for a ride in -30C over a +30C day.

I don't blame you, it'd be difficult to give up. I'd rather ride in that **** weather than inside in some form or another.

I do a good job staying hydrated, and energized. Pretty good background in long duration cardio on my end.

 

[Nunymare]

Suppose to rain tomorrow, but not going to let that stop me from riding... Any tips on, well, anything regarding riding in the rain and wet conditions? I'll be on the path, so traffic won't be an obstacle or anything.



I don't blame you, it'd be difficult to give up. I'd rather ride in that **** weather than inside in some form or another.

I do a good job staying hydrated, and energized. Pretty good background in long duration cardio on my end.

I usually don't mind riding in the rain - it can be really refreshing. It's a good idea wipe down/dry off your bike afterwards though - lots of grit can get into the parts, especially brake pads. I really don't ride any differently in the rain. I'm more assertive/aggressive on the roads though. Eye protection is a good idea too. Watch out for manhole covers - those get slippery. Might want to get a fender too if you don't want your jacket to get really messy. Lights are good to stay visible too.

Really icy here these past few days... we had freezing rain. Had a nice wipeout too when trying to turn/brake on an icy patch. Not the smartest thing to do, but luckily I'm okay. It's getting slushy again on the roads too, which just means a mess to clean up after the ride. I hate messy roads. Cleaning grimy slush off the bike sucks.

Seems to be just something about my body wearing out during long events, haha. Cardio was fine, just got sore. Same for the marathon I did... my knees were killing me by the end but the cardio was fine. I need to start doing more of those rides though. It was the probably the first time I had done 100km in a day. I usually do around 17k a day in summer months. Long rides anywhere from 30-50km.

 

[RayP]

Manhole covers... That's a term I can comfortably say I hope to never hear or use again lol. I already wear glasses, so that kind of helps, but I could use some better cycling glasses. Especially for when it's cold out.

I have got to get better at cleaning my bike. It's a mess right now. Need to try and make a routine of cleaning it every Sunday or something, at the least.

I've always been slow, but could alway go for duration. Zero sprinting abilities whatsoever, though. Need to get better at that.

 

[RayP]

4th straight day on the bike today.

Monday - 30M
Tuesday - 20M
Wednesday - 20M
Thursday - 30M

Gonna take tomorrow off, go for 55M on Saturday, and another 20M on Sunday to give me a total of 175 miles for the week. Been a good week of riding, just need the weather to cooperate on Saturday now.

 

[Nunymare]

Manhole covers... That's a term I can comfortably say I hope to never hear or use again lol. I already wear glasses, so that kind of helps, but I could use some better cycling glasses. Especially for when it's cold out.

I have got to get better at cleaning my bike. It's a mess right now. Need to try and make a routine of cleaning it every Sunday or something, at the least.

I've always been slow, but could alway go for duration. Zero sprinting abilities whatsoever, though. Need to get better at that.

Oh... and painted lines. Last year a relative of mine broke a hip on a fall on a wet painted line. Avoid those, especially if your tires are at a high psi.

You'll probably want to get a good pair of sunglasses. Insects in the eyes are no fun at all (what caused me to get them), but I suppose the glasses would help. I've gotten rocks in the face from traffic while riding on roads too. Believe it or not, I usually don't wear glasses in the winter. Seems to maximize some sort of wind chill and freeze my face off...

I've paid for not cleaning my bike a few times in the past.... it adds up quickly. Mainly rusted parts from rain/snow.

I'm sure that (judgind from your average speeds) you have at least some sprinting ability. I can go as fast as 60kmh with a strong tailwind.. haha (around 40 regularly). It's insane how some of the pros can get up to 70kmh, or even higher.

 

[RayP]

Oh... and painted lines. Last year a relative of mine broke a hip on a fall on a wet painted line. Avoid those, especially if your tires are at a high psi.

You'll probably want to get a good pair of sunglasses. Insects in the eyes are no fun at all (what caused me to get them), but I suppose the glasses would help. I've gotten rocks in the face from traffic while riding on roads too. Believe it or not, I usually don't wear glasses in the winter. Seems to maximize some sort of wind chill and freeze my face off...

I've paid for not cleaning my bike a few times in the past.... it adds up quickly. Mainly rusted parts from rain/snow.

I'm sure that (judgind from your average speeds) you have at least some sprinting ability. I can go as fast as 60kmh with a strong tailwind.. haha (around 40 regularly). It's insane how some of the pros can get up to 70kmh, or even higher.

Hah, I learned to avoid those lines when wet while running. Deceptively slippery.

Yeah, I'll get a pair eventually. Although to date I've never had an issue with my eyes and regular glasses under any condition. It can be difficult to see when it's raining, but that's going to be the case with just about any glasses when it's raining.

How often you clean it now, or does it more so vary on what the conditions were like when you ride? I went for a ride on Wednesday and it was wet and muddy at parts, and still have some mud/dirt stuck on my frame. Road today with it like that, which I probably shouldn't have done, but will be able to clean it tomorrow.

Today in the few sprints I did towards the end of my ride, I got up to about 30mph (48kmh) but I admittedly didn't go 100% on them. When you are sprinting, do you start in one gear and stay in that gear the entire time? Feels if I start in too high of a gear to start with that I'm going to snap something, but it also feels wrong to shift while in the middle of a sprint... so I normally don't.

 

[The Imp]

I got a steal of a deal on a FFWD disc rear wheel, and I finally figured out how to pump it yesterday, so it's all good to go. Now if only the rain would go away...

 

[Nunymare]

Hah, I learned to avoid those lines when wet while running. Deceptively slippery.

Yeah, I'll get a pair eventually. Although to date I've never had an issue with my eyes and regular glasses under any condition. It can be difficult to see when it's raining, but that's going to be the case with just about any glasses when it's raining.

How often you clean it now, or does it more so vary on what the conditions were like when you ride? I went for a ride on Wednesday and it was wet and muddy at parts, and still have some mud/dirt stuck on my frame. Road today with it like that, which I probably shouldn't have done, but will be able to clean it tomorrow.

Today in the few sprints I did towards the end of my ride, I got up to about 30mph (48kmh) but I admittedly didn't go 100% on them. When you are sprinting, do you start in one gear and stay in that gear the entire time? Feels if I start in too high of a gear to start with that I'm going to snap something, but it also feels wrong to shift while in the middle of a sprint... so I normally don't.

In the winter I usually only clean it when it gets really mucked up (slush in rear cassette/frame/derailleur pulleys). I need to learn to lube the chain more often as well - that helps out a lot with keeping things running smoothly. In the summer I think it's probably a good idea to clean your bike after every few weeks just to make sure things last - the dirt buildup on the chain can eventually get really hard to get off if you leave it for too long. Your gears can wear out quite quickly too, especially if you continue with your mileage. I started having issues with shifting gears around the end of last winter with gears skipping randomly while riding and not shifting when I used the shifter (more frustrating ****ing thing ever) and I think it had to do with the wear on the bike.

For sprints I usually start in an easy gear and work my way up to the highest one. I have no idea if that's proper technique or whatever, but it's always worked for me. I usually am in the highest gear in no time though and in an upright position, in the drops of my handlebars in the midst of the sprint. My portion of my rides where I sprint is down a long road right after a right turn though, so I guess I kind of have to start in an easier gear after the turn. 48kmh is pretty awesome though. I can usually only hit 40 (but then again more then half of the time I have a damn headwind in my face in the summer months ). With no wind I can get close to 50. Tailwinds though are a different kind of fun.

 

[RayP]

I got a steal of a deal on a FFWD disc rear wheel, and I finally figured out how to pump it yesterday, so it's all good to go. Now if only the rain would go away...

Is there a short answer to what exactly the deal is with those?

In the winter I usually only clean it when it gets really mucked up (slush in rear cassette/frame/derailleur pulleys). I need to learn to lube the chain more often as well - that helps out a lot with keeping things running smoothly. In the summer I think it's probably a good idea to clean your bike after every few weeks just to make sure things last - the dirt buildup on the chain can eventually get really hard to get off if you leave it for too long. Your gears can wear out quite quickly too, especially if you continue with your mileage. I started having issues with shifting gears around the end of last winter with gears skipping randomly while riding and not shifting when I used the shifter (more frustrating ****ing thing ever) and I think it had to do with the wear on the bike.

For sprints I usually start in an easy gear and work my way up to the highest one. I have no idea if that's proper technique or whatever, but it's always worked for me. I usually am in the highest gear in no time though and in an upright position, in the drops of my handlebars in the midst of the sprint. My portion of my rides where I sprint is down a long road right after a right turn though, so I guess I kind of have to start in an easier gear after the turn. 48kmh is pretty awesome though. I can usually only hit 40 (but then again more then half of the time I have a damn headwind in my face in the summer months ). With no wind I can get close to 50. Tailwinds though are a different kind of fun.

I'm still nervous to lube my chain. I could have sworn it looked dry from everything I had read online and saw on YouTube, but the guy at the shop said it was fine... But then 2-3 rides later it started to get squeeky, and I went to another shop, and he said it was due for some lube. I'd think if it were that close to needing it, the first guy would have picked up on it... But I dunno. Don't want to risk overdoing it myself, either. I didn't realize the dirt can cause rusting like that. Good to know..

Gotcha. I'll have to try and mess with shifting my gears next time I do some, which will hopefully be tomorrow. I rode Monday-Thursday this week, so I'm giving my ass a rest today. I still haven't caught on to what a good tailwind feels like, but I can sure as hell tell what even a minor headwind feels like.

 

[The Imp]

This lays it out fairly well.

I would add that the sounds it makes serves to warn other triathletes in front of you of your approach.



Have a listen at around the 40 second mark.

 

[RayP]

Thanks, Imp, makes sense.

Got a 55 mile ride in yesterday. Pace kind of suck, but the first 30 miles was a steady rain. Also forgot my gloves and the temp was only in he mid 40s, so my hands were so cold shifting was difficult.

All in all that was a pretty ****** ride, to be honest. Didn't even realize till I was out there yesterday morning that I really didn't have any substantial amount of carbs the night before, and only a bagel the morning of. At about mile 43 I had to stop at a bike shop and get a couple of Clif bars and some gel packs, since I only had one gel pack with me and I took that about an hour in because I was really struggling. But, with all that said, I still did finish the 55 miles and my legs actually felt fine... I was just absolutely drained energy wise. Stupid nutritional planning, or lack thereof, on my side, so no mystery to why the ride was so terrible.

 

[UnrealMachine]

This lays it out fairly well.

I would add that the sounds it makes serves to warn other triathletes in front of you of your approach.



Have a listen at around the 40 second mark.

That is one sexy wheel!

 

[The Imp]

Finally got it mounted.

 

[RayP]

That frame is sexy, but I'm still undecided if I like the look of that real wheel or not. Although if it improved my performance and was within my budget, I couldn't care less how it looked and would be all in favor of it.


Have you given it a ride yet?

 

[Nunymare]

That frame is sexy, but I'm still undecided if I like the look of that real wheel or not. Although if it improved my performance and was within my budget, I couldn't care less how it looked and would be all in favor of it.


Have you given it a ride yet?

IIRC I've only seen professional time trialists use that kind of wheel.

 

[The Imp]

No rides yet, too wet out.

I'd say about 1/4 of the competitors at IM Copenhagen use disc wheels. It's a reasonably flat course, though.

 

[RayP]

IIRC I've only seen professional time trialists use that kind of wheel.

Figured... I've seen one or two on the path on ride on, which does get some pretty serious and competitive riders on it since it's one of the few places you can really maintain a pace without having it constantly broken by traffic out here.... And not having to drive too far out of the city.

No rides yet, too wet out.

I'd say about 1/4 of the competitors at IM Copenhagen use disc wheels. It's a reasonably flat course, though.

Gotcha. Have you gotten into the thick of your training program yet? I want to sign up for a full this year so bad, but haven't done it yet.

 

[Nunymare]

Figured... I've seen one or two on the path on ride on, which does get some pretty serious and competitive riders on it since it's one of the few places you can really maintain a pace without having it constantly broken by traffic out here.... And not having to drive too far out of the city.

Sounds like my cup of tea. The MUPs (multiuse paths) here are riddled with dog walkers and dumb junior high students on longboards who take up and weave along the whole path. Joggers always have headphones in and don't hear me calling out or ringing my bell when I come up to them. It's impossible to maintain a pace on any of these where I am. Hence why I go on the road.

 

[The Imp]

My training program is pretty limited here in December.

Swim Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (My crawl has improved immensely over the past month or so), a couple of runs per week (usually Monday and Wednesday), and spinning on Saturday.

In January plan to move my runs around a bit, as my club does run-intervals Tuesday afternoons, and running technique sessions on Thursday afternoons. So, maybe add a run on Saturdays after spinning, say (off-bike running is highly recommended).

Once the weather improves, I'll get back to my bike commuting, and put in some longer rides with the club.

 

[RayP]

Sounds like my cup of tea. The MUPs (multiuse paths) here are riddled with dog walkers and dumb junior high students on longboards who take up and weave along the whole path. Joggers always have headphones in and don't hear me calling out or ringing my bell when I come up to them. It's impossible to maintain a pace on any of these where I am. Hence why I go on the road.

When the weather is nice there is one section of the path (at the very beginning) that can be like that for a 5-6 mile stretch. Those times I'll just drive further out into the path to avoid it entirely. Lots of families and walkers/joggers that will go 4-5 people wide and take up the entire path... And sometimes kids can be erratic with their direction.

This time of year is awesome because I can get onto the path at the closest point to my place, and without traffic I can get there in less than 20 minutes. Otherwise it can take me 45 minutes each way.

My training program is pretty limited here in December.

Swim Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (My crawl has improved immensely over the past month or so), a couple of runs per week (usually Monday and Wednesday), and spinning on Saturday.

In January plan to move my runs around a bit, as my club does run-intervals Tuesday afternoons, and running technique sessions on Thursday afternoons. So, maybe add a run on Saturdays after spinning, say (off-bike running is highly recommended).

Once the weather improves, I'll get back to my bike commuting, and put in some longer rides with the club.

Gotcha. Did you ever decide if you're going to hire a coach?

 

[RayP]

Shoes and pedals have FINALLY been acquired. Went with some Shimano pedals, and a pair of Bontranger shoes (best selling shoe that comes in W). Weather is miserable out there, but absolutely pumped for a ride.

 

[RayP]

First of all, I'm blown away by how much of a difference the pedals make. Man, that felt so great.

Second of all, but a grueling ****ing ride that was. When I started the ride the temp was in the mid-40s, with a light mist, and nothing too bad wind wise. Cold and wet, but not overly uncomfortable. By the time I hit mile 20, when I still had another 15 just to get back to my car, it was a downpour and there were 2 times it got so windy I had to take cover from tree limbs falling down. Holy hell, that last 10-15 miles back in were so ****ing tough. I embraced the challenge, because I love battling the elements, but man that was tough. I can only think of maybe 3-4 runs that would compare in difficulty when factoring in weather that I've gone on before. By far the hardest ride I've done so far on the bike, though.