Cycling - Revisited = Calling Hubert and other Cyclists
Hubert,
Okay, here is my progress. I still get winded pretty easily but once I get into a rhythm I can stay at my threshold for a bit.
I can sustain 23-28mph on a flat if I get a 33+mph downhill headstart. If I don't get the headstart I can work up to about 22mph and hold it there but I won't be able to go any faster because I spent myself picking up the speed.
That 5 mile ride that I used to do in 40 minutes, I can now do it at 18:20 roughly. That's factoring in a couple of stops at intersections.
You told me not to buy a high grade bike until I figured out what I wanted from the machine. So Here is what I would like to get from my rides in order of priority.
1 - Better traction from the rear - I get slides in sharp corners. Is it my tires? (Bontrager Selects) - is it my geometry? - Is it poor riding position? To try and alleviate the problem, I angled the seat a little up and back. When lean forward, the bars block the view of the front axle (someone suggested this to me). I also bought Bontrager Race Light dual compounds but I haven't installed them yet. I want to finish off the stock tires first. I may throw them on for next season.
2 - shifting sucks. I have an entry level Shimano Sora front Derailleur that sometimes goes too far and I have to click it twice for it to engage/disengage. Sometimes it even pops the chain off. Doh!
3 - Pedals - Friends keep telling me I should go clipless for better power transfer.
4 - I am about 210lbs and 5,11 (I've been powerlifting and packing on muscle) so I'm itching to go out and buy a carbon frame. But my bike got great reviews even though it's aluminum. Every review that I've read says that the Trek 1.5 aluminum frame is fantastic. I haven't felt any flex even when going uphill. Is it worth the $$$ for Carbon.
5 - In very rare instances I feel stuck between gears. Should I go from 9 to 10 speed.
6 - Crank - I think I have a knack for sprinting (recently I smoked a seasoned rider on a quick sprint but he promptly passed me after I lost my legs. hahshahahahahha) , I'm wondering if I can justify a new crankset for acceleration. Can you describe what it would feel like to me if/when I bought a stiffer crank.
7 - More stopping power. I am 210lbs afterall. hahahahahahahhaha
8 - My frame looks kind of ugly. The curvier frames of Specialized, and the Madone series look so much nicer.
I think that's all for now. Here is a pick of what I'm riding now.
You can go to Trek's website to get the exact specs on the 1.5 model.
Also,
What are your opinions on Carbon VS. Aluminum?
Will lighter wheels help my climbing ability? I'm weak there.
Will I look like a dooface with an aero helmet?
Lastly, what's the difference between a regular crank and a compact crank? Does it have anything to do with the arm sizes?
I think you might be a bit premature here. I would just go out and ride. When I first started riding, a 20 mile ride would take me 2 hours, once I got the hang of it, it took under an hour. I would focus on spinning smoothly and not sprinting or hill climbing. I don't know what current wisdom says, but back then, the advice was to ride 500 miles or so on flats cumulative until you had good basic spinning. Your bike is fine. I wouldn't change anything on it until you've got good base conditioning. I would highly recommend clipless pedals, the difference is amazing, just make sure you adjust them properly for your feet and legs so you don't destroy your knees. Adjust your derailleur so your shifting is better (if your bike is new, your shop should do this initial break-in adjustment for free). That's a really nice bike, I've been told that aluminum frames can last roughly 5000 miles so have at it. I've got 2500 to 3000 on mine and it's still fine (I'm roughly close to your weight). You aren't racing, you don't need carbon. Beat the hell out of this thing and then replace. Chances are you'll be bored of this before the bike ever gives up the ghost. HTH
BTW, you can seriously improve your spinning by getting a trainer and listening to the whirring sound, the smoother you are, the less the sound fluctuates.
I think you might be a bit premature here. I would just go out and ride. When I first started riding, a 20 mile ride would take me 2 hours, once I got the hang of it, it took under an hour. I would focus on spinning smoothly and not sprinting or hill climbing. I don't know what current wisdom says, but back then, the advice was to ride 500 miles or so on flats cumulative until you had good basic spinning. Your bike is fine. I wouldn't change anything on it until you've got good base conditioning. I would highly recommend clipless pedals, the difference is amazing, just make sure you adjust them properly for your feet and legs so you don't destroy your knees. Adjust your derailleur so your shifting is better (if your bike is new, your shop should do this initial break-in adjustment for free). That's a really nice bike, I've been told that aluminum frames can last roughly 5000 miles so have at it. I've got 2500 to 3000 on mine and it's still fine (I'm roughly close to your weight). You aren't racing, you don't need carbon. Beat the hell out of this thing and then replace. Chances are you'll be bored of this before the bike ever gives up the ghost. HTH
BTW, you can seriously improve your spinning by getting a trainer and listening to the whirring sound, the smoother you are, the less the sound fluctuates.
Thanks.
I've got about 1,000 miles this season. At first I couldn't hear the whirring sound. Now I can hear it and I love it because it feels like I'm in the Tour. hahahahahha.
I'm going to buy a Trainer next week. Can I go cheap on a Trainer? Say $150 or so or do I need to go higher?
I feel like my spinning has improved and I can concentrate doing the circular motion with no problem. I'm no longer stepping down on the pedal. It's a smooth circle. But I still need to improve. I'm guessing the trainer will help with that?
The longest ride I did this season was 32 miles non-stop. We finished in just under 2hrs. Lots of hills on the way back though. It's hard to gauge progress when hills are involved. When the road is flat, I feel like I can go on forever but I don't have any flats around these parts.
The handlebar tape keeps coming loose as well. Can you recommend a particular brand? I was thinking about switching to the harder tape even though it probably won't absorb vibration well.
You will not regret upgrading to carbon fiber, Ultegra and clipless pedals. The carbon fiber is especially forgiving over bumps. Ultegra will provide better shifting over more miles. The clipless pedals allow for a more powerful and efficient pedal stroke. Clipless pedals are especially helpful with climbing- push back onto the seat, push with your quads/hips on the down stroke and use your hamstrings on the upstroke.
Careful about getting longer cranks for leverage- with your feet on the pedals so the crank arms are parallel with the ground, the proper position will put your forward knee directly over the pedal axle. Dropping a plumb line from the patellar tendon makes this adjustment a bit easier to see.
Power to weight is important in cycling. In other words, weight- irrespective of whether muscle or fat- is burdensome and a tremendous disadvantage in cycling esp when climbing. At 5'8" 185 and 15% bodyfat I was able to draft in criteriums and successfully pull out of the turns. In road races, however, I would die climbing. Many of the racers were small and slight. I had the requisite lung capacity. My legs, however, would quickly build lactic acid. I attribute this to years of heavy weight training. In sum, I was too heavy. Few competitive cyclists are big guys. The exception is perhaps Indurain. But he truly was the exception.
Gred Lemond wrote in his book to visualize your feet traveling the circumference of a box for maximum cadence.
You will not regret upgrading to carbon fiber, Ultegra and clipless pedals. The carbon fiber is especially forgiving over bumps. Ultegra will provide better shifting over more miles. The clipless pedals allow for a more powerful and efficient pedal stroke. Clipless pedals are especially helpful with climbing- push back onto the seat, push with your quads/hips on the down stroke and use your hamstrings on the upstroke.
Gred Lemond wrote in his book to visualize your feet traveling the circumference of a box for maximum cadence.
What's the performance gap between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? Is it just splitting hairs? I know if I upgrade to Ultegra now the difference would be dramatic but I'm thinking if I'm going to shell out the coin for Ultegra, another $100-$200 bucks would be no big deal for the Dura-Ace.
Okay, here is my progress. I still get winded pretty easily but once I get into a rhythm I can stay at my threshold for a bit.
How often are you riding / week? Riding @ threshold isn't really the point; you need to build endurance by riding at 70%, while working in intervals or repeated hard efforts (hill repeats, for example) to increase you threshold.
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I can sustain 23-28mph on a flat if I get a 33+mph downhill headstart. If I don't get the headstart I can work up to about 22mph and hold it there but I won't be able to go any faster because I spent myself picking up the speed.
People's opinions will vary on this, but here's my personal advice. Take the computer OFF your bike. I rode w/ a computer for an entire season. Obsessing over avg speed, cadence, max HR, avg HR, blah blah. In a race situation, if you see that you're at you max HR and you're getting dropped, it's going to affect you mentally. If you're training, and you see numbers you don't like, you're going to get bummed out. Take the computer off and ride with a group that is slightly faster than you are. Once you start keeping pace, find a faster group. Think of it this way, if you're going as fast/hard as you can, will the numbers on the computer empower you to go faster? Probably not.
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You told me not to buy a high grade bike until I figured out what I wanted from the machine. So Here is what I would like to get from my rides in order of priority.
That still holds true.
Quote:
1 - Better traction from the rear - I get slides in sharp corners. Is it my tires? (Bontrager Selects) - is it my geometry? - Is it poor riding position? To try and alleviate the problem, I angled the seat a little up and back. When lean forward, the bars block the view of the front axle (someone suggested this to me). I also bought Bontrager Race Light dual compounds but I haven't installed them yet. I want to finish off the stock tires first. I may throw them on for next season.
I don't know what the cause it because I don't ride with you. Could be poor front to back weight distribution. Could be the way you're riding the bike (trying to drag elbowz!) or the tires. I use GP4000S tires by Continental for both racing and training. Could just be mental; you don't like the tire, so you don't feel confident. What pressures are you running your tires at? 100-120psi? Are you checking them before each ride?
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2 - shifting sucks. I have an entry level Shimano Sora front Derailleur that sometimes goes too far and I have to click it twice for it to engage/disengage. Sometimes it even pops the chain off. Doh!
This is one place where paying a bit more up front can pay dividends. Sora sucks and generally I suggest Ultegra at your level of experience. But the chain falling off is an alignment adjustment issue. Have your shop adjust the front derailuer. It's probably too high and not centered over the big chain ring.
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3 - Pedals - Friends keep telling me I should go clipless for better power transfer.
100% agreed. I ride Speedplay Zero pedals. A nice carbon fiber sole shoe will also go a long way. Going clipless is essential. You're wasting a lot of energy with those plastic caged platform pedals! I'm allowing you to buy a pair of good shoes and pedals. Nothing else.
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4 - I am about 210lbs and 5,11 (I've been powerlifting and packing on muscle) so I'm itching to go out and buy a carbon frame. But my bike got great reviews even though it's aluminum. Every review that I've read says that the Trek 1.5 aluminum frame is fantastic. I haven't felt any flex even when going uphill. Is it worth the $$$ for Carbon.
I ride a Titanium frame. I have nothing against carbon, but I wanted something that was durable, timeless and most importantly made in the USA. It was a pretty steep investment, but I am going to have this frame for the rest of my life, so that's how I looked at it. For reference, I'm 6'2 190.
With that said, most people indite Al frames as being harsh and bumpy, but going with a carbon fork alleviates most of the front end vibration and for a guy like you, an Al frame is probably the way to go.
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5 - In very rare instances I feel stuck between gears. Should I go from 9 to 10 speed.
6 - Crank - I think I have a knack for sprinting (recently I smoked a seasoned rider on a quick sprint but he promptly passed me after I lost my legs. hahshahahahahha) , I'm wondering if I can justify a new crankset for acceleration. Can you describe what it would feel like to me if/when I bought a stiffer crank.
Are you running a compact (50/34) or standard (53/39) crank? The distinguishing feature b/w the two is the number of teeth. A compact has 50 teeth on the big ring and 34 on the little ring; the standard has 53 and 39 teeth respectivly.
If you feel between gears, you're probably running some wonky grandma cassette out back (no disrespect to the senior ladies out there). Tell me what you've got an we'll go from there. I run a 53/39 with an 11/23 out back. It's a little big for the bigger climbs (like Mt. Palomar 12 miles at 8%) but it's doable and for guys our size, we got the powah!
As for a stiffer crank, I doubt you'd feel the difference. If you upgrade to Ultegra, you'll get a really good, stiff crank but I doubt you'll feel anything.
Oh and the guy you beat probably has better fitness than you. Repeat after me: you can't buy fitness. You cant buy fitness.
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7 - More stopping power. I am 210lbs afterall. hahahahahahahhaha
Dura-Ace calipers are the benchmark with regard to stopping power and caliper clamping force, but I'd try a different set of pads (Swiss stop or Dura Ace) first.
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8 - My frame looks kind of ugly. The curvier frames of Specialized, and the Madone series look so much nicer.
Shut up, fattie. Ride the bike.
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Will lighter wheels help my climbing ability? I'm weak there.
No. Think about the numbers dude. If you get a 1300g wheelset v. the 2000g wheelset you've got now, you've paid $2000 to save 700g or 1.54 lbs! Dumb move (you're fiscally smarter than this) Now, if you take the time to say lose 5lbs off your body, or improve you sub-max power output by 10W or 20W that's free. The only thing that will directly improve your climbing is to climb more, a lot. I'm a bigger buy too, but on the storter power climbs I can hang with the little guys because I put out more power. But on the longer stuff, I know my place. . . the broom wagon. That's life. Make it hurt on the flats, so that when you get to the climb the scrawny climbers and arriving at the base of the climb blown up.
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Will I look like a dooface with an aero helmet?
100000000000000000000000%. If you wear an aero helmet for any other reason than to compete a TT , you're a grade a kookbucket.
Im a uscf cat2 racer. started riding/racing at 17, Im now 37. The 1st thing I can tell from the pic is that your bike isnt fitted to your body at all! Go some place that has a Serrota Fit Kit or a laser fitter and have your bike set up for you. You may have to pay for the fitting. Record all thte measurements and save them. You can play with some of thte adjustments, but a good fitting by someone who knows what theyre doing will be nearly perfect. Your seat is angled way way too far up, if thats what you need your compensating for some thing else being screwed.
Get clipless pedals, dont buy cheap no name crap. everyone will tell you that one is better, you'll just have to ride em and see. I love the speedplays. My team gets a different pedal and I give them away, but thats one persons
If your holding 28mph on the flats thats INCREDIBLE! keep it up
Handlebar tape wears out, get some good cork wrap!
To help your spin on the trainer do one leg spins, unclip one leg and rest it on a stool or bucket, something. Than pedal with one leg, 70-80 rpm LOW LOAD AND PRESSURE! this will help you with dead spots. do one leg then the other, couple mins each. dont do this to build strength.
How often are you riding / week? Riding @ threshold isn't really the point; you need to build endurance by riding at 70%, while working in intervals or repeated hard efforts (hill repeats, for example) to increase you threshold.
People's opinions will vary on this, but here's my personal advice. Take the computer OFF your bike. I rode w/ a computer for an entire season. Obsessing over avg speed, cadence, max HR, avg HR, blah blah. In a race situation, if you see that you're at you max HR and you're getting dropped, it's going to affect you mentally. If you're training, and you see numbers you don't like, you're going to get bummed out. Take the computer off and ride with a group that is slightly faster than you are. Once you start keeping pace, find a faster group. Think of it this way, if you're going as fast/hard as you can, will the numbers on the computer empower you to go faster? Probably not.
That still holds true.
I don't know what the cause it because I don't ride with you. Could be poor front to back weight distribution. Could be the way you're riding the bike (trying to drag elbowz!) or the tires. I use GP4000S tires by Continental for both racing and training. Could just be mental; you don't like the tire, so you don't feel confident. What pressures are you running your tires at? 100-120psi? Are you checking them before each ride?
This is one place where paying a bit more up front can pay dividends. Sora sucks and generally I suggest Ultegra at your level of experience. But the chain falling off is an alignment adjustment issue. Have your shop adjust the front derailuer. It's probably too high and not centered over the big chain ring.
100% agreed. I ride Speedplay Zero pedals. A nice carbon fiber sole shoe will also go a long way. Going clipless is essential. You're wasting a lot of energy with those plastic caged platform pedals! I'm allowing you to buy a pair of good shoes and pedals. Nothing else.
I ride a Titanium frame. I have nothing against carbon, but I wanted something that was durable, timeless and most importantly made in the USA. It was a pretty steep investment, but I am going to have this frame for the rest of my life, so that's how I looked at it. For reference, I'm 6'2 190.
With that said, most people indite Al frames as being harsh and bumpy, but going with a carbon fork alleviates most of the front end vibration and for a guy like you, an Al frame is probably the way to go.
Are you running a compact (50/34) or standard (53/39) crank? The distinguishing feature b/w the two is the number of teeth. A compact has 50 teeth on the big ring and 34 on the little ring; the standard has 53 and 39 teeth respectivly.
If you feel between gears, you're probably running some wonky grandma cassette out back (no disrespect to the senior ladies out there). Tell me what you've got an we'll go from there. I run a 53/39 with an 11/23 out back. It's a little big for the bigger climbs (like Mt. Palomar 12 miles at 8%) but it's doable and for guys our size, we got the powah!
As for a stiffer crank, I doubt you'd feel the difference. If you upgrade to Ultegra, you'll get a really good, stiff crank but I doubt you'll feel anything.
Oh and the guy you beat probably has better fitness than you. Repeat after me: you can't buy fitness. You cant buy fitness.
Dura-Ace calipers are the benchmark with regard to stopping power and caliper clamping force, but I'd try a different set of pads (Swiss stop or Dura Ace) first.
Shut up, fattie. Ride the bike.
No. Think about the numbers dude. If you get a 1300g wheelset v. the 2000g wheelset you've got now, you've paid $2000 to save 700g or 1.54 lbs! Dumb move (you're fiscally smarter than this) Now, if you take the time to say lose 5lbs off your body, or improve you sub-max power output by 10W or 20W that's free. The only thing that will directly improve your climbing is to climb more, a lot. I'm a bigger buy too, but on the storter power climbs I can hang with the little guys because I put out more power. But on the longer stuff, I know my place. . . the broom wagon. That's life. Make it hurt on the flats, so that when you get to the climb the scrawny climbers and arriving at the base of the climb blown up.
100000000000000000000000%. If you wear an aero helmet for any other reason than to compete a TT , you're a grade a kookbucket.
Thanks Hubert! You Rock.
Okay. I ride 53/39 and on the back a 12/26 cassette 9 speed.
I ride 2-3 times per week roughly an hour each ride with intervals in between. I give my quick progress credit to the interval training.
I can't take off the computer. I just can't do it. I'm too "Ivan Drago" to do that.
I don't have a group to ride with. There's a guy I ride with occasionally who is borderline pro but he drops me after a mile. I can do his pace but I just don't have the legs to sustain it for more than 1.5 miles.
I do have a carbon fork. I was also thinking about going carbon handlebars as well since they are relatively cheap.
My tire pressure is always 100psi or a little more. I get less slides when I make sure my pressure is 100psi or a little higher. If it drops in the 90s I'm all over the place in off camber turns.
I've had the derailleurs adjusted several times. It's bad that I have to buy the guys in the bike shop a six pack every now and then. hahahahahha
Okay, so here is what I gather.
I will buy:
Shoes
Pedals
Ultegra components
Stickier rubber
Carbon bars to help with vibration
I will not buy:
Aero helmet.
$2,000 zipp wheels unless I have disposable income
If your holding 28mph on the flats thats INCREDIBLE! keep it up
Thanks man. I was actually surprised at how easy it was to keep my speed up once I got it there.
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Originally Posted by robfromsc
To help your spin on the trainer do one leg spins, unclip one leg and rest it on a stool or bucket, something. Than pedal with one leg, 70-80 rpm LOW LOAD AND PRESSURE! this will help you with dead spots. do one leg then the other, couple mins each. dont do this to build strength.
good luck
That's GREAT advice!!! I'm going to do that. I do feel that one leg is stronger then the other.
What's the performance gap between Ultegra and Dura-Ace? Is it just splitting hairs? I know if I upgrade to Ultegra now the difference would be dramatic but I'm thinking if I'm going to shell out the coin for Ultegra, another $100-$200 bucks would be no big deal for the Dura-Ace.
Greatest difference is durability. Not worth the 35%-40% premium esp at this level of commitment.
Okay. I ride 53/39 and on the back a 12/26 cassette 9 speed.
You might want to try an 11/23 out back. May give you tighter spacing out back so that you're less in between gears. But I'm on 10spd so what do I know?
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I ride 2-3 times per week roughly an hour each ride with intervals in between. I give my quick progress credit to the interval training.
Consistency is key but if you're going to hang with the fast guys, you need to ride a bit more, at least 2 hours per day three times a week. Then you need to work up to 8 hours per week of quality riding. During the race season, I ride between 12 and 15 hours per week. You want to get to a point where by this time of year, getting back in the gym and /or running actually sounds more appealing than riding the bike. Keep riding one or two days until you just can't stand not riding, then start to ramp up the milage/hours again.
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I can't take off the computer. I just can't do it. I'm too "Ivan Drago" to do that.
I tried.
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I don't have a group to ride with. There's a guy I ride with occasionally who is borderline pro but he drops me after a mile. I can do his pace but I just don't have the legs to sustain it for more than 1.5 miles.
That's what I mean. Sustaining 28mph after a 33mph downhill is gravy and all but if you don't have the endurance to put that top end that you've got to use after a hard 50 mile ride, then it's never going to serve you; no one wins a race a mile into it!
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I do have a carbon fork. I was also thinking about going carbon handlebars as well since they are relatively cheap.
No carbon bars or stems dude. We're heavy guys, and I can feel my Al bars wiggle during an all out sprint, I don't want to risk cracking a carbon handlebar and stem. Al components wear and crash better than carbon and cost a fraction. I replace the bar/stem every other season anyway. $200+ for a carbon bar is a waste of money; buy a good bottle (or case) of wine instead.
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My tire pressure is always 100psi or a little more. I get less slides when I make sure my pressure is 100psi or a little higher. If it drops in the 90s I'm all over the place in off camber turns.
I keep mine right around 120psi and check then before each ride.
Okay, so here is what I gather.
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Shoes
Pedals
I like Specialized S Works road shoes. They come in awesomely obnoxious colors which I love. They don't match my team kit, but whatever. If you have particularily wide feet look into Northwave shoes.
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Ultegra components
Stickier rubber
You really only need the ultegra shifters and derailuers but you'll probably have to move up to 10spd which means you'll have to buy a new groupset.
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I will not buy:
Aero helmet.
Carbon bars to help with vibration
$2,000 zipp wheels unless I have disposable income
Forget Zipps dude. Look at some photos of the pros romping on wheels at Paris Roubaix, then look at the avg speeds. Those guys are doing 20+ mph over cobblestones! More to the point, all the aero studies Zipp et al do, assume a constant speed of 50kph (33mph) - how often do you do 33mph for 4+ hours? Yeah, thought so. Even more innane is that you're saving fractions of a watt for an outlay of thousands of dollars.
Again, elevate your fitness, then worry about the accrutements. Unless you're an elite level athelete (i.e., Cat 1/2 Pro) the equipment benifits are nonexistent to negligible; the only "benefit" is lightening your wallet. Considerably. Oh, and making you look like a dork when you get dropped by some dude on 32 spoke open pros that he's been riding since '91!
Oh, and making you look like a dork when you get dropped by some dude on 32 spoke open pros that he's been riding since '91!
hahahahahhahahahah Major Ownage! lol
Okay. In that case:
Integra kit = Bought - I'll go ten speed just for the added gear selection
Shoes/Pedals = Bought for next season - I'll learn how to use them on the indoor trainer.
Indoor trainer = Bought
Bike Fitting = I'll look into this after all my new components are installed.
Just make sure you get the ride length cranks; given your height I'd guess 172.5mm
I'd suggest rollers over a trainer, but if you already spent the money, oh well.
You'll be happy to know that 7800 series Ulterga cranks are allegedly "stiffer" than 7800 Dura Ace. MAXIMUM STIFFY! Wait, what?
Next time you get that urge to buy something, think about guys like Fausto Coppi, Merckx, Antiquil, et al going over the Alps and Pyrnees on steel bikes, with downtube shifter and what 8speed? Yeah. We've all got a long way to go. . .
I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you sound like the bicycling equivilant of the street group track day rider talking about lap times and asking about whether they should buy Josh Hays' old FX bike off the WERA Classifieds.
I'll tell you exactly what you'd tell that guy: Keep the stock CBR600 and just get more hours in the seat.
Go ride. Ride longer and slower. Get to the point where 30 minute rides almost seem too short to get dressed for. Spend hours on that Trek at whatever speed.
There's no performance differnece between Ultegra and Dura Ace. While Sora is cheap, I've raced on a Sora drivetrain for a full cyclocross season. It works fine when properly set-up.
Now... If you want to buy cool shit simply becuse you like buying cool shit, that's perfectly fine. Just don't expect a $6,000 bike to make you any faster or fitter.
__________________
"Cafe Racing is mainly a matter of taste. It is an atavistic mentality, a peculiar mix of low style, high speed, pure dumbness, and overweening commitment to the Cafe Life and all its dangerous pleasures... I am a Cafe Racer myself, on some days - and it is one of my finest addictions." - Hunter S. Thomson
I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you sound like the bicycling equivilant of the street group track day rider talking about lap times and asking about whether they should buy Josh Hays' old FX bike off the WERA Classifieds.
I'll tell you exactly what you'd tell that guy: Keep the stock CBR600 and just get more hours in the seat.
Go ride. Ride longer and slower. Get to the point where 30 minute rides almost seem too short to get dressed for. Spend hours on that Trek at whatever speed.
There's no performance differnece between Ultegra and Dura Ace. While Sora is cheap, I've raced on a Sora drivetrain for a full cyclocross season. It works fine when properly set-up.
Now... If you want to buy cool shit simply becuse you like buying cool shit, that's perfectly fine. Just don't expect a $6,000 bike to make you any faster or fitter.
Cool perspective. I'll get more seat time in then.
Hubert,
I'll get the rollers instead of the trainer, or both. I think my wife could use the trainer.
Next time you get that urge to buy something, think about guys like Fausto Coppi, Merckx, Antiquil, et al going over the Alps and Pyrnees on steel bikes, with downtube shifter and what 8speed? Yeah. We've all got a long way to go. . .
I've been thinking about this all afternoon. I don't need JACK!!!!!!
Its been a while since I raced but there is no substitute for mileage. You need to spend more time on the saddle to build up endurance and work to bring up your cadence. It sounds like you're just hammering on the bike; sure you're fast but you get caught and dropped when you go on group training rides. My coach used to make us go 60km before doing any interval and hillclimb training. If you are tired after 60 km forget getting to the point of doing intervals.
Drop the computer and concentrate on maintaining a smooth circular rythm. Power should come through all part of the motion, not just on the down stroke. As mentioned, proper bike fitment and gearing are more important than lighter wheels and frame.
I am not sure why your rear tire is sliding aside you trying to corner the same way as a motorcycle - on the power. I keep the inside up and weight on the outside pedal.
Thanks guys for all the direction. This thread helps me BIG TIME!
Where can I get the best deals on Ultegra components?
Also, my tires are 25c. Should I switch to 23c at my weight? (I know most of you are riding with 23c)
If I switch to 23c will I lose contact patch/traction?
I ride 23 but sometime ride 25. I just depends on what I can get on sale and when. It's a 2mm difference and I think at that point, it's just personal preference.
For deals on Ultegra, try the online retailers: competitive cyclist, probikekit, glory cycles, colorado cyclist, excel sport boulder. Everyone's probably blowing that stuff out now because the new gruppos are coming in. What about your local bike shop? Can't they cut you a deal?
Cycling - Revisited = Calling Hubert and other Cyclists
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