Road Cycling Essentials

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Shamrock said:
Well, I've commuted by bike every day this winter and my Pearson isn't really that dirty. I wonder if after all this wet weather I should look at cleaning out the BB? My wheel hubs are sealed so I assume they should be okay.
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If it's a sealed one there is nothing to clean out :)

This is good and bad. Good because no servicing, but bad because you can't service it, and in my experience they don't last long when they're regularly getting wet because you can't re-grease them. What you can do is take the chain off and turn the cranks and see if it feels notchy or gritty. If it's not nice and smooth then think about replacing it.
 
So, you guys with the expensive, bling bikes.

Any of you use a power meter?

Been reading with interest.

Nothing improves cycling performance as much - apparently. (I'm in on the hype - makes sense to me)
 
SkodaMart said:
So, you guys with the expensive, bling bikes.

Any of you use a power meter?
Click to expand...

I have a power meter (on my training bike - not my good bike).
It's really handy, i use it all the time now. I used a heart rate monitor before but the power meter gives much faster feedback (HR takes a little while to respond to efforts).
At first, it was interesting to see the numbers, but really it wasnt very helpful because i didnt know what i should be doing with it.
Now, combined with my training plan and knowing what numbers i should be doing each ride, it's a great training tool.
 
touch said:
I have a power meter (on my training bike - not my good bike).
It's really handy, i use it all the time now. I used a heart rate monitor before but the power meter gives much faster feedback (HR takes a little while to respond to efforts).
At first, it was interesting to see the numbers, but really it wasnt very helpful because i didnt know what i should be doing with it.
Now, combined with my training plan and knowing what numbers i should be doing each ride, it's a great training tool.
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They really do seem like a good idea.

I'm unfit and it would be wasted currently on me.

What sort of power do you produce? Average and burst?
 
Ftp (functional threshold power) is 283watts at the moment. The idea is that you go as hard as you can for 20 mins then take off 5% to calculate the theoretical power that you can hold for 1 hour. I'm not convinced that I could do 283w for 1 hour but the calculation is good for taking progress over time.
My max is probably around 1000-1200watts but iv never really tested max power.
 
touch said:
Ftp (functional threshold power) is 283watts at the moment. The idea is that you go as hard as you can for 20 mins then take off 5% to calculate the theoretical power that you can hold for 1 hour. I'm not convinced that I could do 283w for 1 hour but the calculation is good for taking progress over time.
My max is probably around 1000-1200watts but iv never really tested max power.
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Also training with power here too. I absolutely love it. I'm a numbers guy by trade so to see progress quantified is a fantastic motivational tool. Not only that, but the training sessions I'm able to do now are so much more focused than they would have been in the past. It'll also be priceless when it comes to long distance tri's in terms of pacing. I'd never go back to riding without one unless I was just out for a cruise to be honest.
 
Climbing is where they excel.
Sit at your maximum sustainable wattage and spin!

Watch everyone else burn up with lactic acid.


Based on riders of similar ability of course.
 
olv said:
Mine is disgusting, I'm scared to touch it. I have cycled every day this winter and it hasn't been cleaned since October, eurgh. Going to wait until spring now and strip and replace everything.
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Have given my commuter a few scrub downs when I have had time at the weekend (and its been decent outside to dry - a very rare combination) but that was nothing more then a bit of water to clear of the grease but think it needs more especially round the BB and rear derailleur

Any advice on what to do to give it a proper clean? Is a strip down really necessary to get everything running smoothly? Should I just bite the bullet and take it in for a full service by a local shop or something
 
SkodaMart said:
Climbing is where they excel.
Sit at your maximum sustainable wattage and spin!

Watch everyone else burn up with lactic acid.
Click to expand...
That only works if you're considerably stronger than everybody else, otherwise they'll just sit in your slipstream and watch you burn yourself out.
 
touch said:
That only works if you're considerably stronger than everybody else, otherwise they'll just sit in your slipstream and watch you burn yourself out.
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The point is you only climb at what you know is sustainable wattage therefore you never burn yourself out.

Having a power meter is a massive advantage if you are fit enough/serious enough to justify it.
 
SkodaMart said:
The point is you only climb at what you know is sustainable wattage therefore you never burn yourself out.
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Maybe not burning yourself out completely, but wasting energy that you dont need to.
If you're not fast enough to drop the other riders then sitting at a steady pace watching your power meter and dragging the others up the hill is hurting yourself the most.

I dont use my power meter for racing at all, it's pretty useless in bunch races. You have to keep up (or get dropped) there's no point pacing yourself with power readings.
It will be useful for individual races, like time trials and triathlons - as Thomas said.
 

OK, vid working now. (terrible start I know)

Amazing vid, explains power meters in a nutshell.
 
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