Official Road Cycling Thread

[M_Six]

This is the stand I bought on Amazon. It's surprisingly solid. Well worth the money.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D9B7OKQ/

[whitextc]

Originally Posted by M_Six

This is the stand I bought on Amazon. It's surprisingly solid. Well worth the money.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D9B7OKQ/

yeap. that's the one i have as well. great price and very well made.

Originally Posted by dean87

Nice rides!
I've got the same Infinito also
Welcome onboard

Thanks! glad to meet another Infinito rider!

Originally Posted by M_Six

Looks like we have the same bike maintenance stand. That's a cool way of holding up the bike. Hadn't thought of that. I've been using the main crossbar, but the seatpost looks like it might make it easier to level the bike.

Nice ride, btw.

Thanks! I asked couple of LBS mechanics and they all told me to use seatpost to hold my bikes so I've been doing it this way.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by whitextc

I purchased the stand from amazon. makes cleaning and maintenance super easy. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety after I recovered from broken collarbone and surgery to fix that. I took pain meds for about 4 months everyday as directed during the process...when my collarbone healed I stopped taking pain meds but it really almost killed me several hours after I stopped. My body had gotten used to the pain mends and sudden cut off really kicked my rear end. Had to wean off but by the time I weaned off I was experiencing severe anxiety which lead to mild depression after about a year. I did therapy and doctor wanted me on meds to treat anxiety and depression. A friend swayed me against going on meds from his own experience so I took that advice and instead worked on raising my heartbeat with exercise. That's where biking came in and saved me. After about 5 or 6 years my anxiety is gone. Cardio does wonders for our mind and body.

Good cardio health goes a LONG way. Congrats on working your way through it!

[whitextc]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Good cardio health goes a LONG way. Congrats on working your way through it!

it really does for sure! thank you.

[M_Six]

I was looking at some Strava runs tonight and noticing the elevation differences. As I understand Strava (and Garmin), they count elevation gains because they represent work, whereas as elevation losses do not. Mr Tonka's 33 mile run today (nice run) had a total of 289ft of elevation gain. My 10.8 mile run had 535ft of elevation gain. I can tell you my run was mostly hills. Some were rollers which are a blast to storm through, and some were just plain nasty climbs after passing over creeks. It's a shame there's no way to record wind resistance as I take from Mr Tonka's description of his run that he fought the wind for a good part of it.

Harvest is well underway here, so soon the fields will be empty again. On the one hand that makes intersections a lot less of a pain because you can see what's coming along the intersecting roads. But it also represents a loss of screening from the wind. In some places now the ground will be wide open to the horizon. Wind will become a fact of life and a factor in planning rides.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I was looking at some Strava runs tonight and noticing the elevation differences. As I understand Strava (and Garmin), they count elevation gains because they represent work, whereas as elevation losses do not. Mr Tonka's 33 mile run today (nice run) had a total of 289ft of elevation gain. My 10.8 mile run had 535ft of elevation gain. I can tell you my run was mostly hills. Some were rollers which are a blast to storm through, and some were just plain nasty climbs after passing over creeks. It's a shame there's no way to record wind resistance as I take from Mr Tonka's description of his run that he fought the wind for a good part of it.

Harvest is well underway here, so soon the fields will be empty again. On the one hand that makes intersections a lot less of a pain because you can see what's coming along the intersecting roads. But it also represents a loss of screening from the wind. In some places now the ground will be wide open to the horizon. Wind will become a fact of life and a factor in planning rides.

Wind = Florida hills. 16mph head wind on the way out. What sucks about riding in the evening is that as the sun sets, the wind dies down. So while i started out fighting a 16mph head wind, i only had about 6mph tail wind pushing me home. lol

You've got the idea though, don't put too much stock into what you see on Strava. You don't know the conditions or if they were in a 20 person draft pack. Flybys can help you figure that out. I saw a buddy throw down a super fast time in a segment and after viewing his flyby data, i see that he was with 8 other guys, one of which was a past Cuban national champion. haha

The elevation though, does not lie. You see someone with 6000ft of climbing in a ride, whether it be over 30 miles or 80 miles, you can guarantee that ride took significant effort.

I tend to ride solo and even when i ride with people they are usually doing specific workouts, so usually no drafting. My Wed rides are workout rides, but i'm still not back to previous form from battling some GI issues. In Jan i had increased my FTP to 278w. It's probably around 225 right now. It's frustrating... in Jan i was averaging 215w over 3 hour rides and having enough gas in the tank for 550w avg sprint over 1 min. Today i averaged 170w and average sprint watts were only 305. To add insult to injury, my calf cramped during cool down. haha

Enough with the woe is me though, a positive from tonight was a 215w 20min average. I think, that means i can start building fitness again. Which also means intervals. haha

[M_Six]

1st commute in on the bike today. Piece o' cake. I'll take a much longer route home tonight. Looking forward to that.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

That's one of the best items on health I've read in a long time.

I agree. Kudos to you for changing your life style and dependency on pain meds. Cycling is the best therapy for me as well. When i feel down I get on the bike and hammer it. Ahhhh.

[M_Six]

Thinking about a second bike next spring. I'm leaning towards a pure road bike, like a Domane S or higher. But I'm also considering a MTB because we have a pretty cool trail network around the local lake. Never done trail riding, though. Is it hard to pick up?

[wdb]

What do you mean by 'trail'? Around here we have everything from old railroad beds (EASY) to rock-strewn trails running up and down hillsides (HARD). Generally speaking the difference between riding on the road and on trails, besides slower speed, is higher demands on balance and handling skills. A rails-to-trails path would not stress either very much; a narrow, rocky path would. The kind of trails may also play into what kind of bike you get. Suspension or no, 26" or 29" wheels, yada yada.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by wdb

What do you mean by 'trail'? Around here we have everything from old railroad beds (EASY) to rock-strewn trails running up and down hillsides (HARD). Generally speaking the difference between riding on the road and on trails, besides slower speed, is higher demands on balance and handling skills. A rails-to-trails path would not stress either very much; a narrow, rocky path would. The kind of trails may also play into what kind of bike you get. Suspension or no, 26" or 29" wheels, yada yada.

WDB is spot on here. For conversation sake, we'll call narrow rocky path "single track" and rails to trails a dirt path.

On single track, the bolded is largely because you'll be going slower and there will be new forces put against your wheels like roots, rocks, etc... I find it quite surprising how many people fall when riding a mtb slowly through a not very technical, but rooty or rocky section of trail. It's because they generally have the mindset that slower is safer when the come up against these small obstacles. My wife for instance is scared to go fast over the small roots/rocks, which is a safer way to traverse them.

Not trying to scare you, but MTBing on single track vs dirt trails does take a different mindset, it's also more muscularly taxing vs road biking which is generally more cardio work. There a loads of options for elbow, knee, shoulder and chest protection these days. If the trail is technical enough, everyone will go down at some point.

Dirt path which is what the trail around the lake sounds like are often fun with some rolling hills and what not. These trails don't take expensive dual suspension bikes and can have mild challenges on them that are fun to overcome. If you download the Trailforks app and check out some local MTB trails in your area, look for the green trails. They will likely be able to be traversed with your bike. (it's a hybrid of sorts if i remember correctly) Some of them anyway. You may opt to get off and walk over a muddy section or creek crossing, but you'll get an idea of the trail terrain. If you mildly enjoy it on your current bike, you may love it on a MTB.

[M_Six]

My current bike has gravel tires, so it handles the rails to trails types easily. In fact, I did a 7 mile stretch of rails to trails yesterday. The trails around the lake go from easy dirt to tough, rooty climbs. I'll have to go grab some pics and post them up here.

On another note, I met a woman from the LBS riding group who I've been following on Strava. She's my age (late 50's) or maybe a tad older. If she weighs more than 100lbs I'd be surprised. She eats 50 mile rides for breakfast and regularly does century rides. One last week, in fact. Yesterday she completed a 400k ride in Wisconsin. 22 hours total time of which 18 were moving time. I'm stunned and impressed beyond words. Here are her ride stats from Strava.

Randonneur 400K
249.1mi
6,860ft
Achievements 46

Ruth accomplished her 250mi weekly cycling goal.

Cross Plains to Sauk City QOM (1:25:48)
North St Bump up West side 2nd overall (2:12)

As you can see from her QOM and 2nd overall segments, she wasn't slacking on this ride. And I was feeling pretty good about my 20 mile ride yesterday. She's just getting warmed up after 20 miles. This woman is my new hero.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by M_Six

My current bike has gravel tires, so it handles the rails to trails types easily. In fact, I did a 7 mile stretch of rails to trails yesterday. The trails around the lake go from easy dirt to tough, rooty climbs. I'll have to go grab some pics and post them up here.

On another note, I met a woman from the LBS riding group who I've been following on Strava. She's my age (late 50's) or maybe a tad older. If she weighs more than 100lbs I'd be surprised. She eats 50 mile rides for breakfast and regularly does century rides. One last week, in fact. Yesterday she completed a 400k ride in Wisconsin. 22 hours total time of which 18 were moving time. I'm stunned and impressed beyond words. Here are her ride stats from Strava.

Randonneur 400K
249.1mi
6,860ft
Achievements 46

Ruth accomplished her 250mi weekly cycling goal.

Cross Plains to Sauk City QOM (1:25:48)
North St Bump up West side 2nd overall (2:12)

As you can see from her QOM and 2nd overall segments, she wasn't slacking on this ride. And I was feeling pretty good about my 20 mile ride yesterday. She's just getting warmed up after 20 miles. This woman is my new hero.

You'll likely want a mtb of those rooty climbs. Possibly a short travel XC full suspension MTB or a Plus tire hard tail.

Ruth is in it to win it!! That's awesome to find someone to aspire to. But don't let her accomplishments minimize your efforts. You're currently doubling your mileage efforts from just a week or so ago. THAT's awesome. Don't forget that Ruth has put in nearly 9k miles so far this year. We'd ALL be fantastic riders if we road 200 plus miles a week.

To add some perspective to your abilities. In Ruth's QOM you posted she did 15.1 miles in 1h 25m with a 402ft of elevation which is an average speed of 10.6mph. On your last ride of 20.7 miles, you did it in 1h 36m, gaining 531ft of elevation which is an average of 13mph. True, her segment came during a very long endurance ride but, there were also only 23 people to ever cross that segment. If you took your 13mph average and applied it to the segment she did, you'd only be 3 spots away from being the KOM.

I think i posted about that a while back where Strava stats can be deceiving. One thing about Ruth's Strava that isn't deceiving, is her dedication and love for cycling. Someone like that is the perfect cycling hero to have! Just don't forget that you're making your own serious strides in furthering your own cycling abilities.


P.s. I'm not minimizing Ruth's accomplishments, she's a rock star! I'm just pointing out that you are rapidly accumulating your own.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Yesterday she completed a 400k ride in Wisconsin. 22 hours total time of which 18 were moving time.

Ah, randonneur riding. That's what my wife and I used to do. I was a poor-to-mediocre racer when I met her on a tough century ride. She was training for randonnees and the long distance thing just grabbed me in too. We've both done Boston-Montreal-Boston and Paris-Brest-Paris. That was a while ago though, truth be told! We're not in that kind of shape these days.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by M_Six

My current bike has gravel tires, so it handles the rails to trails types easily. In fact, I did a 7 mile stretch of rails to trails yesterday. The trails around the lake go from easy dirt to tough, rooty climbs. I'll have to go grab some pics and post them up here.

This might fit the bill for you Mark. It's amazing how plush these large tired can ride. And the level of grip is staggering.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

This might fit the bill for you Mark. It's amazing how plush these large tired can ride. And the level of grip is staggering.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey

That looks pretty cool. I'd love to try one out. I'll have to see if the LBS has one sitting around.

[M_Six]

Anyone here using Zwift on a stationary trainer? Winter is setting in here and I'm going to move my bike inside in a month or so. I'm looking at Wahoo KICKR Snap. Zwift is supposedly coming out with an Apple TV compatible app, so that looks like a good way to go. Just wondering what others are using.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Anyone here using Zwift on a stationary trainer? Winter is setting in here and I'm going to move my bike inside in a month or so. I'm looking at Wahoo KICKR Snap. Zwift is supposedly coming out with an Apple TV compatible app, so that looks like a good way to go. Just wondering what others are using.

Sorry. I'm no help.

[M_Six]

Whoa, 67 on Sunday? Do you have thermal riding togs?

It'll be low 40s here tomorrow when I head to the office. Just like this morning. My fingers got a little cold this morning despite full gloves, but otherwise it wasn't bad. This afternoon I rode with shorts and a short sleeve shirt and was wishing I'd worn my long sleeve shirt. Tomorrow afternoon will still be in the 40s, so it'll be thermal gear top to bottom then.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Whoa, 67 on Sunday? Do you have thermal riding togs?

I know!! i'm gong to have to dig out the knee and arm warmers! lol

[leo95se]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Anyone here using Zwift on a stationary trainer? Winter is setting in here and I'm going to move my bike inside in a month or so. I'm looking at Wahoo KICKR Snap. Zwift is supposedly coming out with an Apple TV compatible app, so that looks like a good way to go. Just wondering what others are using.

I use a kirt kinetic trainer with my other bike, which has a wahoo speed and cadence sensor. Then I made a bunch of workouts that I upload to my garmin, they are 30, 45, and 60 minute spreads so I can choose based on what I feel. Pop on the TV and follow the prompts. Wouldnt mind trying zwift but havent bothered to walk through a setup with my tv and all, and this is cheaper. lol

[Mr Tonka]

The wife for time restrictions and the fact that a trainer does what it says, uses one regularly. Pretty much the same way Leo said. Except it's outside with a huge fan blowing on her while she listens to music.

Kirt Kinetic has been a solid player for several years. We use a Cyclops Fluid trainer and even though i don't use it often, i think it offers a pretty realistic feel for riding. Pedal harder and it's more difficult, spin it out and it's easier.

One thing to keep in mind is to either get a spare trainer wheel, tire, cassette or switch out your road tire for a trainer specific tire for the winter. A basic all steal rear skewer will be ideal as well.