Road Cycling Essentials

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Commute this morning took me over 1,000km for November. Still on target for 10.000 miles this year.

I'm after a 10 speed chain with a quick link, should I buy KMC? And has anyone seen any 25mm Pro4 Endurance anywhere? Before I buy 23mm again.
 
Berger said:
Chinese carbon copies....

http://blog.wilier.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Fake-Cento1SR-test-EN.pdf

Did a charity ride at on Sunday, 90km with 1600m. Spent the whole ride feeling like we had a headwind apart from the last 15k downhill!

I was worried about the distance with all those hills, but kept eating and it was fine, cereal bar, Haribo and a banana did me good.
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I'm not sure I fully understand that document either - but then again, I don't know what a normal stiffness rating is for the various parts of a frame and whether or not those numbers are utterly terrible or just a bit worse and hence (as above) the £300 vs £3000 means that it's a good trade-off.

Good work on the ride. My ride on Saturday was infinitely harder than my ride on Sunday. Part of that was the fog and cat 2 climb but a good portion of it was that I simply didn't eat enough. When I finally stopped and sat down at the end of it I realised I was incredibly light-headed.
 
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I'm sure some of it is lost in translation as it's not the best press release I'll admit.

Looks like a copy is 20% worse than a real one, but looking at the fork the material looks totally different and the way it's failed looks a lot worse.

Now ill admit I don't know much about carbon, but that 20% could be the difference between being fine and failing during normal use I don't know, but for sure carbon doesn't have the same elasticity of steel or another metal.
 
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I wish someone independent (i.e. not a manufacturer or bike magazine) would do a Chinese v "proper" frame test. The only real scare stories I've seen are from Specialized and Wilier and I feel like you have to take that with a pinch of salt.
 
MrKnifey said:
Drop me an email via trust and ill get some pictureS to you. It's 56cm
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Thanks for the pics mate, colour really wouldn't be my first choice I'm afraid! You'll get good money for it though as it's not too 'loud'. Goodluck!

Thomas. PLease. said:
Anyone know if these are worth paying for?
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171207865812
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I've got one but have yet to use it, ordered one from China for £3.50 after grudas posted a link... Normal one with mount, not batteries or the extender though. Seems like a good light from my test, I'll let you know later when it's dark! I'm only using cheapy AAA's with it so no idea how long they'll last...

Th0nt said:
Anyone have a recommendation for full length mudguards for road bikes with little clearance?
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tedmaul said:
Road racers work, but aren't robust. I have a giant defy as my winter bike and it has terrible clearance. Your only choices really are the crud road racers or giants own guards.
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I'm got crud road racer mk 2's and they work... My bike has mounts but very little clearance. I'd go for SKS chrom's next though (will be changing bike and getting them for whatever I get). The RR's feel flimsy, they can rub and I've lost a few screws (had to buy spares) but they work, are flexible and cheap-enough not to worry about them too much.

Vonhelmet said:
If it's got mudguard mounts, get SKS chromoplastics, assuming they'll fit... Though I can't imagine the point of a bike with mounts that wouldn't fit those.

If it's not got mounts, sell it and buy a bike with mudguard mounts and buy some SKS chromoplastics.

;)
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^^ This ;)

I had ment to get back on my Turbo yesterday, but failed miserably so had left my GSC10 still attached to my Turbo bike... Commuted with just IpBike and my HRM and it seems to have worked things out (love this app! Really must buy it...) :D;)

Really struggled on my commute this morning though... Strong headwind, constant rain and really flagging after 2 days off... A long day saturday (watching rugby and shopping) and a lazy day yesterday. Gained ~3 pounds from eating junk (2 takeaways!) and drinking beer... :p

As the only 'exercise' I get is my cycling commute, should I be mixing in some sit-ups/squats too? Would they aid my recovery/stamina when I'm away from the bike? I hardly ever have 2 days off and really quite concerned over how hard things were this morning... I considered getting off and walking, twice! :eek::(

Edit: Just been reading about a frame a guy I know just got for MTB riding, a 'Kona Kula Supreme'... It's made of something called Scandium?!
 
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Without putting too fine a point on it, your recovery/stamina will benefit more from sorting your diet out (within reason, I'm not talking counting every calorie here). Rubbish in = rubbish out which is probably why you don't feel great today.
 
Also, don't do situps, ever. They're terrible for your back. You can get around that by using an exercise ball thing but you're better off just doing stuff that's actually useful (e.g. squats and deads, and in fact everything in the Stronglifts or Starting Strength programs).

As above, diet is extremely important to recovery. You can get away with drinking some beer and eating some cack food but the better your intake the better your recovery. Also, eating too much (to a point) will likely be better for your recovery than eating too little. Maybe not for your general weight/performance though :p

I think it's unlikely that your two days of taking it easy and eating junk are the main cause for you finding it so hard this morning. You may be slightly ill or there was a headwind or some such.
 
Hi guys, quick questions regarding recovery and diet.

I've never done weights but am trying to do lots of hill reps standing out the saddle to improve my leg strength.

http://www.strava.com/activities/219852590

If I do this every sunday will I see any improvements and will my legs get 'bigger'?

Also having a banana and whey protein shake after these rides with one scoop, will having a couple of shakes through the day instead of one straight after do any good for my recovery or will i just get fat on excess whey protein which isnt required?

My legs on monday commute are achey and heavy after sunday ride above and wondered if I should be having some more protein shakes on Sunday evening and monday to help recovery. Had a whopping big tuna steak last night so that probably replaced a shake? :/

Thinking of doing some weights on legs every Monday since my mate joinged a gym and I have a gym buddy to go with ;p (plus not getting out as much now its cold ;()
 
Whey is a supplement, it's only worth bothering with if your diet is sorted first, otherwise it's not going to help.

Your legs will get stronger but climbing is more to do with raising your lactic acid threshold rather than building strength. You will get lighter and your ability to handle the pain caused by lactic acid build up will improve and you'll get quicker.
 
One More Solo said:
Rubbish in = rubbish out which is probably why you don't feel great today.
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Valid point mate, although I wasn't eating total rubbish, saturday was lots of walking (shopping, did 21000 steps according to my Samsung S Health app!). I think I'm probably not used to the quantity of walking and I should have done something yesterday rather than being 'lazy' (cleaning the house & doing some DIY jobs!).

I'll do some rough calculations at lunchtime to see what you guys think :p

FrenchTart said:
Also, don't do situps, ever. They're terrible for your back. You can get around that by using an exercise ball thing but you're better off just doing stuff that's actually useful (e.g. squats and deads, and in fact everything in the Stronglifts or Starting Strength programs).

<snip>

I think it's unlikely that your two days of taking it easy and eating junk are the main cause for you finding it so hard this morning. You may be slightly ill or there was a headwind or some such.
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Monster headwind! See my calorie intake and calculations later, but sounds like I need to get back into squats... I've got lazy since starting on the turbo and have not done any! :rolleyes:

I thought sit-ups would help trim the 'bit' that gets in my way when riding in the drops! ;)

rnickster said:
If I do this every sunday will I see any improvements and will my legs get 'bigger'?
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I'm jealous. My legs are too big and part of the reason I'm a Large in most trousers rather than a medium. I've now got a ~34" waist (down from 36"+) yet my thighs are each ~25". Around both my thighs is ~42"!? :eek::p
 
Roady said:
I'm jealous. My legs are too big and part of the reason I'm a Large in most trousers rather than a medium. I've now got a ~34" waist (down from 36"+) yet my thighs are each ~25". Around both my thighs is ~42"!? :eek::p
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Haha, well my diet is pretty good, I'm 28 years old and have a build like a teenager, 5ft 8, 9.6 stone, 28inch waist, cant really loose much more weight, maybe a tiny bit around belly, but we're talking a pound or two most. So putting on muscle is going to be 'negative' weight but this is surely offset by the additional glucogen storage and power increase?

Surely Froomey and Contador etc. spend time in the gym to get legs like they have?

Actually after google search Contador doesnt have massive legs at all . . .
 
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rnickster said:
Hi guys, quick questions regarding recovery and diet.

I've never done weights but am trying to do lots of hill reps standing out the saddle to improve my leg strength.

http://www.strava.com/activities/219852590

If I do this every sunday will I see any improvements and will my legs get 'bigger'?

Also having a banana and whey protein shake after these rides with one scoop, will having a couple of shakes through the day instead of one straight after do any good for my recovery or will i just get fat on excess whey protein which isnt required?

My legs on monday commute are achey and heavy after sunday ride above and wondered if I should be having some more protein shakes on Sunday evening and monday to help recovery. Had a whopping big tuna steak last night so that probably replaced a shake? :/

Thinking of doing some weights on legs every Monday since my mate joinged a gym and I have a gym buddy to go with ;p (plus not getting out as much now its cold ;()
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Still learning myself; but I think you need shorter climbs for building strength. You want something that's going to take 15-20s to climb, and push the hardest gear you can, aim for 5-6 climbs, ensure you let your HR get back to base before each attempt.
Next 2 days, make sure are recovery rides.
 
Froome and Contador have pretty tiny legs really, I doubt they do any gym work during the season and probably only do a bit in the off season. I know Wiggo has talked about focusing on core work and a bit of glute work to redress muscle imbalances but it's unlikely to be anything more than that for most road riders. Track riders and sprinters will spend a bit more time in the gym to build the necessary leg strength to turn a fixed/bigger gear.

The fact that always gets toted around is that 99% of cyclists have the strength to win the Tour, but 0.0000001% have the power endurance. Bigger leg muscles might help your peak power in a sprint but they won't help you get up hills. Working on your endurance to help your body tolerate and process lactic acid will, as Asprilla said.

The only benefit weight training (and associated mobility work) has bought to my road cycling is improved core strength and reduced back pain as a result. I've been careful with calories as I don't really want to bulk up more than absolutely necessary, and that approach seems to have succeeded so far.
 
Thanks for the responses,

lactate threshold it is then! I take it that just comes with repeated training and becoming accustumed to the uncomfortable feeling of burning legs?

Would you say then that weight training for cycling if you already have a very lower body fat % is useless for improviing endurance and speed on climbing? Just continue to cycle lots of hills and let legs build muscle as required, no weight training?
 
Roady said:
Valid point mate, although I wasn't eating total rubbish, saturday was lots of walking (shopping, did 21000 steps according to my Samsung S Health app!). I think I'm probably not used to the quantity of walking and I should have done something yesterday rather than being 'lazy' (cleaning the house & doing some DIY jobs!).

I'll do some rough calculations at lunchtime to see what you guys think :p

Monster headwind! See my calorie intake and calculations later, but sounds like I need to get back into squats... I've got lazy since starting on the turbo and have not done any! :rolleyes:

I thought sit-ups would help trim the 'bit' that gets in my way when riding in the drops! ;)
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There's no such thing as spot fat removal unfortunately. Everything else being equal, if you actually built some muscles around your abs then it would make your stomach larger unless you also dropped your body fat percentage.

It sounds like what happened over the weekend was you did a ton of walking that you're not used to and your legs are still a bit knackered. I don't do much walking and I'm always a lot more sore after a long walk than I would expect, given the miles I do cycling each week.

rnickster said:
Thanks for the responses,

lactate threshold it is then! I take it that just comes with repeated training and becoming accustumed to the uncomfortable feeling of burning legs?

Would you say then that weight training for cycling if you already have a very lower body fat % is useless for improviing endurance and speed on climbing? Just continue to cycle lots of hills and let legs build muscle as required, no weight training?
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I would think of weight training as being useful for things outside of cycling (including general health) and, as mentioned, for reducing back pain and such. It won't directly translate to a really tangible increase in cycling "strength". At least not quickly.

Asprilla said:
Whey is a supplement, it's only worth bothering with if your diet is sorted first, otherwise it's not going to help.

Your legs will get stronger but climbing is more to do with raising your lactic acid threshold rather than building strength. You will get lighter and your ability to handle the pain caused by lactic acid build up will improve and you'll get quicker.
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I agree with your second point but not completely with your first :) Getting your diet sorted is certainly very important but whey isn't really just a supplement (as compared to, for instance, creatine). Ingesting whey is simply increasing your protein intake. Yes, it would be indicative of a good diet if you were getting that protein from another (good) source but all things being equal having extra protein in your diet will likely do you some good.
 
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rnickster said:
Thanks for the responses,

lactate threshold it is then! I take it that just comes with repeated training and becoming accustumed to the uncomfortable feeling of burning legs?

Would you say then that weight training for cycling if you already have a very lower body fat % is useless for improviing endurance and speed on climbing? Just continue to cycle lots of hills and let legs build muscle as required, no weight training?
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Yep, pretty much. :) Increasing the efficiency of the muscles you have is very much the way forward if you're at a relatively low BF%. If anything, adding extra muscle (and therefore extra mass) is counter-productive.

I'd recommend splitting your training between longer and shorter threshold efforts though. Do some 20 minute "time trial" style efforts, at an uncomfortable but maintainable level of exertion, in addition to your shorter all out sprint efforts. You'll find you become more aware of your body and are more able to stay just below the point where you produce lactate more quickly than you can clear it (i.e. the lactate threshold). Training in this zone gives pretty efficient results.

The longer intervals are good too because you don't want to overdo the sprints because, generally speaking, the more intense the effort the longer it takes your body to recover. I'd probably do no more than one session a week of sprints. It was quite eye opening watch sprinters train at the track. An hour session might "only" comprise three 250m sprints, but if you're doing them at full effort you need the recoveries in between.
 
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