Road Cycling Essentials

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Berger said:
Really?

Mark Renshaw has the lap record around the track here and on the climb to the top of the mount only hits a VAM of 1600..
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Hmm. Looking at official records Lance only used to score about 1800 when he was doping. Ten Dam uses a Garmin, so I'd guess it's a problem with elevation data from the barometric sensor.
 
VAM means nothing really, it gets distorted massively by the pitch of the climb.

Edit: just seen I've notched 1000 VAM on Alpe d'Huez so I've changed my mind and VAM is the be all and end all of cycling greatness.
 
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One More Solo said:
VAM means nothing really, it gets distorted massively by the pitch of the climb.
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I think there's probably a range within which it's useful. Obviously on a 1% "climb" you're not going to be able to ride fast enough to achieve 1000 VAM, and on a 25% climb you'd just flat out die. Somewhere in the middle it makes sense.
 
Vonhelmet said:
I think there's probably a range within which it's useful. Obviously on a 1% "climb" you're not going to be able to ride fast enough to achieve 1000 VAM, and on a 25% climb you'd just flat out die. Somewhere in the middle it makes sense.
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I think it only works for Alpine type climbs that are suitably long and are an even gradient all the way and I think that's the original intention behind it. Short steep climbs like we get in the UK tend to give unusually high VAM numbers.

Edit: case in point, I have a VAM of 1500~ on Winnats Pass.
 
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Today was hard. Cold & very windy.

I seriously suck at descending. Came off doing around 38mph on damp roads descending at speed. Over cooked the turn braked late and wheel locked. Nothing coming up the hill so took my chances in the verge on the other side of the road as it was a hairpin I'm pretty sure I would have come off and crashed the bike. So bunny hopped onto the grass and coasted 15ft up a grass verge. Heart was PUMPED. Thankfully didn't crash but did have a bush trailing me for a couple of miles :eek:
 
Thomas. PLease. said:
I use these which have been brilliant:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bbb-heavy-duty-oss-shoe-covers/
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+1

Had them through last winter and they were great. Stitching at the front started to come away recently where i've walked in them, but the gf did an excellent job of patching them back together for me! :D

Vonhelmet said:
On proper climbs - like 2 mile cat 3s or a 3 mile cat 2 round us - I hit about 800.
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I seem to be around the 900-1000 mark on the longer climbs round here. This was the cat 3 on my route this morning:

http://www.strava.com/activities/82326581#1674912417

It's fairly constant 5/6% until the end where there's a couple of ramps around 10-13%. Climbing does tend to be my strong point though, it's descending and on the flat where i tend to struggle, particularly if it gets windy.

Was reading the earlier discussion around gears for hill climbing. My Giant Defy came with a 12-30 cassette and tbh i think it actually held me back for quite a while, as i would get into easy gears too often rather than pushing myself a bit harder and really improving my strength. It wasn't until i got chatting to a guy from one of the local clubs about 6 months ago, and he said to me that when i go out on training runs i should try and do as much as i possibly can only using the big ring at the front. It forced me to work harder, get out of the saddle more for all the smaller bumps that you get in the undulating roads round here rather than switching down the gears, which was something i never did.
 
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[DOD]Asprilla;24941046 said:
Gabba. Then you can tell me how waterproof it is and how I should buy one.
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You should buy one. It was perfect for today where it was quite windy and showery. It wasn't really cold enough or wet enough for the Hardshell.

I think the SS Gabba with nanoflex/no-rain arm warmers is a bit more flexible for different situations than the LS and if it drops below 10C you can start to wear base layers underneath for added warmth.
 
It is a cane creek, on the outside it says IS-3i. But just took the stem off and the bearings say Cane Creek IS-ITALIAN. So confusing might just get the LBS to get me a new one when I get the fork steerer cut :o.
 
anyone know how much it would cost to re lacquer a carbon fibre frame?
the forks are ok so it would just be the frame, im guessing the decals would need to be replaced while doing this as well
 
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