Road Cycling

[Jonny ///M]

To be honest I was an ass saver **** on my dolan.

Good few carbon bikes with strap on guards that did as much good as my ass saver tbh.

I had doubled up on base layers, leg warmers and overshoes after last year.

Was feeling the weight on the drags, first drag that was just under 5 minutes split the group in half. I had pushed a guy back in then the bunch speed went up 2mph was like uh oh....

 

[Berger]

I still end up copping spray even with guards, flicking off the sides and back of other peoples.

I did buy some new lenses for my sunglasses but got the L instead of the S and they don’t fit so will have to go back.

Adidas Evil Eyes (discontinued now I think?) and the information online about them is terrible & hardly anywhere sells them. Tbh not sure what/why they bother making them or sponsoring teams!

 

[#Chri5#]

Big news... I got round the reliability without getting dropped After the short route branched off, I ended up as part of a group of five and we seemed pretty evenly matched. Was good to share the work, especially on a couple of slogs into the wind.

Didn't enjoy a few miles early on when I was behind somebody with no mudguards - lovely gritty spray to chew on

I'm still very impressed with my Gore Shakedry jacket. I'd gone out with Galibier winter bib tights (also ace), long sleeved merino top (Aldi special), Altura medium weight long sleeved jersey and then the Shakedry jacket. Other than unzipping on a couple of climbs, it stayed on all day and I didn't boil to death.

 

[AndyCr15]

Love me some Di2 stats...



No need for that little chainring...

 

[Lethal`]

What software produced that?

 

[AndyCr15]

A website - http://di2stats.com

**EDIT** I'm now wondering about the 4iiii Ultegra FC-R8000 Left Arm Powermeter. Evans have them for £340 for the next 32 hours with a 10% off. Any thoughts?

 

[Berger]

That would be nice with a power/speed overlay, maybe elevation/gradient too.

 

[Roady]

After my poor couple of efforts with sky high HR doing TDZ last Wednesday I took a few easier days to try and recover. Missing a stage of TDZ at this point to try and recover/not make myself ill being more important.

Woke up a bit late sunday and late joined my usual 3R 100km 2.5w/kg ride. Legs felt ok at the start, but after 1 early chase after trying to help out sweeping I got myself in trouble. Really couldn't kick to get on the chasers wheels and got myself dropped. Solo chase put me well into red and although I made it back it totally emptied me. I struggled to recover, unable to get my HR to settle back down. This at the 33km point so quite a bit left to ride! Unsure how but I managed to settle in and even with a high HR found the effort managable. Gradually my HR settled down as the ride wore on. I ate something after around 1hr 45 and that really seemed to help, so might have been energy related? I'd eaten a bowl of museli in the first few miles but didn't feel much from it (except a slight stitched after the effort!). The latter part of the ride I was feeling strong, would've even continued (some of the regulars have an 'afterparty' with an effort up a climb) but had someone coming round so had to drop.

Would you expect to wake up 'low' on energy, yet be able to ride and just have a sky high HR? Just not bonk? HR just not settling back down very well I always thought was a sign of lack of fitness, although higher HR usually a symptom virus/illness? I don't feel ill and have enough volume at the moment to not be losing fitness. Could be overly fatigued, but 3 days of just commuting while eating and sleeping fairly well that shouldn't be the case.

I'm hoping my current HR 'woes' are temporary and just a symptom of some minor illness/fatigue along with a slight bump in training load the last couple of weeks (TDZ & towing heavier chariot & more winds around & burying myself on TDZ as I'm convinced I'm low on miles!). I'm feeling good on the bike, although carrying a few KG more than I'd like, so am going to continue and see what happens. Watch this space - I'll probably get ill (again)! For now just want to keep this steady upwards progress-

nerd stuff about chains: https://www.velonews.com/2020/01/gear/we-went-to-germany-to-test-the-most-popular-bicycle-chains-heres-what-we-found_504284

Thanks, that's this weeks lunchtime reading sorted!

https://www.strava.com/activities/3066221217/analysis/0/2381

Huge effort buddy & great average considering that rolling kinda course. Especially in the wet!

I'm still very impressed with my Gore Shakedry jacket. I'd gone out with Galibier winter bib tights (also ace), long sleeved merino top (Aldi special), Altura medium weight long sleeved jersey and then the Shakedry jacket. Other than unzipping on a couple of climbs, it stayed on all day and I didn't boil to death.

Linky?

No need for that little chainring...

Go find some hills! Amazing stats and info though, love me a pie chart!

A website - http://di2stats.com

**EDIT** I'm now wondering about the 4iiii Ultegra FC-R8000 Left Arm Powermeter. Evans have them for £340 for the next 32 hours with a 10% off. Any thoughts?

Really like mine! Not sure I'd pay that much for it as they're been on several sales various places around £300 recently. Find one and get Wiggle to pricematch.

 

[One More Solo]

Everyone is different but my heart rate is 10bpm higher for a given power level early in the morning. RPE feels a bit higher in the morning but not significantly.

It’s not unusual for me to do intervals in the morning and have my average heart rate reduce over the session which I put down to waking up properly.

 

[SoliD]

Everyone is different but my heart rate is 10bpm higher for a given power level early in the morning. RPE feels a bit higher in the morning but not significantly.

It’s not unusual for me to do intervals in the morning and have my average heart rate reduce over the session which I put down to waking up properly.

Same here, really notice it on the commute, can push the power fine but HR is up and like you it comes down, can't say I really notice it being harder RPE wise though, but that is generally me on the bike within 20-30 minutes of waking up, so probably bit stressed from rushing around to get to work.

Those Di2 stats are quite cool tbh Andy. I do have a wireless unit so may plug it in to the TT bike and see how I ride gear wise in a few weeks.

 

[xdcx]

I'm opposite.
I cannot get my HR up to even what it sits at for easy Z2 stuff in mornings/commutes. RPE is higher for what should be easy power also.

It's something I cannot train nor improve either. Believe me, after years of 6am starts at weekends and 06:30 commutes it has not improved in the slightest. Morning riding is as awful as ever for me.

Even if I am racing road/TT and it's an earlier 9ish start I absolutely do not go as well as I do with lunch time races or evening TT's. It's annoying, but it's very consistent and I know I cannot fix it.

 

[merlin]

I'm also firmly in the completely useless in the morning camp - I can't train in the morning at all. My commute (if I chose to bike) is 8 miles and around 6 of them is my warm up, only the last 2 do I start to feel like I have a pair of legs. Virtually all of my training is done in the evening/night.

 

[SoliD]

Out of interest are you big caffeine/coffee drinkers?

 

[kiteloopy]

A website - http://di2stats.com

**EDIT** I'm now wondering about the 4iiii Ultegra FC-R8000 Left Arm Powermeter. Evans have them for £340 for the next 32 hours with a 10% off. Any thoughts?

I got mine for 180. New.
(it was the 5700 series in black. it's exactly the same electrics/sensor as the R8000 and the left hand crank is 99% same as the R8000. Just get a the cheaper one.

 

[xdcx]

Out of interest are you big caffeine/coffee drinkers?

Only 4 cups a day....
20 miles to my work. By 19.9 miles I am still not warmed up nor feeling like I have any legs!

 

[merlin]

Out of interest are you big caffeine/coffee drinkers?

I am, yes.

 

[Roady]

Slow one last night. Just a taster of what's to come with 'The Tank' as the homeward leg is a slight draggy almost uphill slog. Then if there's any winds 85% of the time they're from the West. Towing this 35kg+ wide trailer (it's a double) is more like an anchor than the previous lighter one which was a sail. The other you'd feel the wind catch it and drag, this one is more like a constant backwards pressure. The wind doesn't 'catch' it quite the same. I guess because it's wider it just has more of a constant wind resistance, then is also nearly double the weight, so the wind having less of an affect on it's momentum? Anyone clever with motion & flow dynamics?

Everyone is different but my heart rate is 10bpm higher for a given power level early in the morning.

That's a good point, not something I've generally noticed before. But I should be quite conditioned to riding early - the 7.30am Zwift start isn't too dissimilar to my 7.45 commute. But I had been awake a far shorter time - less than 20 minutes. When commuting I've been awake at least an hour (usually 1.5).

I do ride more in the mornings than anything else, but certainly morning commuting I'm 'cold' and ride quite reserved - I'm not even conscious of HR and only vaguely of Power - usually if I put an effort in, like a tow attempt (this mornings sprint up to 27mph from almost stationary). Afternoons I invariably am pushing a little more when commuting, more conscious of HR/Power but I wouldn't say my HR is any higher or lower from what I can recall. To be fair my commute is so short (<10 mins) I'm 'cold' for it regardless of how I ride it, it's just too stop/start for any constant efforts which would warm me up. The short jaunt to nursery is generally a similar time but without too many stop/starts I can put more of a constant effort in, but I'm still only just warmed up by the time I get there. The slog home as it's such a 'drag' towing I'll always overheat to a certain extent due to the towing effort up the gradual drag while also carrying a backpack. That one will always warm me up!

Out of interest are you big caffeine/coffee drinkers?

I am, but not 'big'. Couple of cups a day, 4 at the most. 1 usually when I first wake up, but not all the time. Do need one/another one by 9am regardless otherwise I really am feeling flat.

 

[One More Solo]

Does anyone know what Chinese frameset the Holdsworth Mystique uses? I'm thinking of moving the components on my Boardman ADV on to a new frame it ticks the boxes:

-Carbon
-Discs
-Mudguard/pannier mounts

Alternatively, if anyone can point me in the direction of a Dengfu or similar with those specs I'm all ears please.

 

[mrthingyx]

On the way to a full tourer conversion (lolz) and looking at pannier racks and sets.

I currently have a mudguard mounted which impinges on the space for the second set of mounting points, so:

- Anybody used axle mounting brackets for pannier racks before (looking at the Tubus set)
- Which rack and pannier set is the least wobbly, most waterproof, etc?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Roady]

-Discs

No idea but I would point out - check between post & flat mount! Can go 1 way (flat to post) with adaptors, but not the other (post to flat).

Then again buying new calipers is relatively inexpensive (£30/40 each), compared to shifters.

FT would have been the Denfu oracle but he's not even on the forums anymore (from what I can tell) and has not replied to any of my messages on Zwift/Strava the last year or so.

Know you guys rode together a couple of times - so you may get something back from him if you have his email/number.