Official P&b Cycling Thread

[Silvio Tattiescone]

3 hours ago, Johnny-Boi said:

Does anybody else ride an e-bike, with the battery switched off (but attached to the bicycle) for increased resistance training due to the additional weight coming from the battery and other attached electrical components?

 

 

 

 

Naw

[oldbitterandgrumpy]

On 06/04/2020 at 19:25, Gnash said:

Cadence is personal choice to large extent.  Also, the harder you are riding, the higher your cadence should be, and the higher will feel comfortable. 

I generally ride about 100 rpm when I'm pushing hard, but happy at more like 80 when I'm taking it easy.  I've spoken to pros who ride at a lower cadence than I do, so it doesn't necessarily follow that racing types ride at a higher cadence.

When going uphill, ideally your cadence should be the same as it would be for a given effort on the flat, although with steep hills that clearly isn't feasible.  Getting out of the saddle is fine for a short burst to accelerate, get you over the brow of the hill or just to change position, but it's really inefficient for riding more than a couple of minutes.

Yeah, but cadence isn't really down to personal choice. Is It? 

I mean, 80 - 120, that's the accepted rate. Just for power efficiency  and energy efficiency?

And I understand the 'getting out of the saddle' thing, and how pros would have a lower cadence (if they're fitter/stronger) but for the  average cyclist trying to make improvements in their distance/times/enjoyment,.  .  .  .surely saving energy and savouring the moment as they glide through the countryside matters more?

Which is where a regular cadence should be square one. 

Edited April 10, 2020 by oldbitterandgrumpy

[Gnash]

12 hours ago, oldbitterandgrumpy said:

Yeah, but cadence isn't really down to personal choice. Is It? 

I mean, 80 - 120, that's the accepted rate. Just for power efficiency  and energy efficiency?

And I understand the 'getting out of the saddle' thing, and how pros would have a lower cadence (if they're fitter/stronger) but for the  average cyclist trying to make improvements in their distance/times/enjoyment,.  .  .  .surely saving energy and savouring the moment as they glide through the countryside matters more?

Which is where a regular cadence should be square one. 

The accepted rate is more like 70-110, but within that range, it's down to personal choice, hence it's largely down to personal choice.

Not sure the point you're making about getting out of the saddle.  Sounds like you're saying regular cyclists are better off not getting of the saddle to keep their cadence consistent.  If so, I agree, except for brief spells as I mentioned above.

[bennett]

 Nearly fell off today, fermers leaving a mixture of mud and dung on the roads.

 

 

 

[oldbitterandgrumpy]

On 11/04/2020 at 12:24, Gnash said:

The accepted rate is more like 70-110, but within that range, it's down to personal choice, hence it's largely down to personal choice.

Not sure the point you're making about getting out of the saddle.  Sounds like you're saying regular cyclists are better off not getting of the saddle to keep their cadence consistent.  If so, I agree, except for brief spells as I mentioned above.

Aye, that's pretty much what I'm saying. Cadence is the magical key to enjoyable cycling.

You have to (whether you want to or not) get out of the saddle for brief spells, but cadence is the square one of cycling. 

You slowly  (if you have the drive and the patience) graduate by going out, establishing your cadence, and then maintain that cadence  in a progressively higher gear,  therefore improving your speed and extending your distance.

Getting out of the saddle becomes just a minor inconvenience  (or a minor challenge for a mile or so) but if you're enjoying it, well, it's still rewarding in the end.

Not sure where you got the 70-110 figure.  80-120 were always my parameters. Settled for 100-105 in the end. 

i'm out most days having fun at 100, well, at least I think I am, it's been so long since I measured my cadence.

When you get the right cadence, and you're gliding along effortlessly, enjoying the countryside, appreciating the freedom, taking  in the sights and the smell of fresh pine (and the cowshit as you're cycling past farms) but at the same time appreciate that you're not out of breath, not seconds away from cardiac arrest, then you just KNOW you've got your cadence sorted. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by oldbitterandgrumpy

[thisGRAEME]

On 12/11/2019 at 19:19, LondonHMFC said:

It might be worth waiting till Black Friday, sure there will be some decent deals about.

I had the same issue, save so much time with it being inside as well. Takes a bit of getting use to, some good videos by GCN on YouTube which are helpful.

At first I went without one, but was sweating an unnatural amount. Could barely see the screen with the amount of sweat in my eyes.

See FWIW, I ended up getting a refurbished Wahoo Kickr Snap, which came in at a little more than the ones i'd been looking at after I ended up with a bit more cash than I thought and it is absolutely brilliant, even more so that we've all been told to stay in the house. Nipping out in the morning for 60-90 minutes during the week massively improves my mood. 

And yeah, a fan out of Argos was also a great shout, cheers!

[philpy]

Good grief. Got a bike the other day. I'll go for a wee cycle I said to Myself

[Hank Scorpio]

I did 40 miles today, which I was quite pleased with. I’ve been building the distance up over the last wee while and today was the longest I’ve done, about 2 hours 50 mins. I’ve got a hybrid rather than an all out road bike as the slightly bigger tyres are good for city centre riding, up and down pavements etc. I go to work and back every day which can be anything from 1 mile to 5 miles there and back.

The biggest benefit, however, is the mental cleansing it offers. Just you, the road and the wind in your hair. Great now more than ever.

[philpy]

Another 8.9 miles today. Having a rest tommorow though!!

[thisGRAEME]

Just as an FYI, if anyone is looking for some cheap(er) good fucking gear, bike breaks in girona are emptying their warehouse;

https://shop.gironacyclecentre.com/

All half price and they're the loveliest of people, so worth a look.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

12 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

I did 40 miles today, which I was quite pleased with. I’ve been building the distance up over the last wee while and today was the longest I’ve done, about 2 hours 50 mins. I’ve got a hybrid rather than an all out road bike as the slightly bigger tyres are good for city centre riding, up and down pavements etc. I go to work and back every day which can be anything from 1 mile to 5 miles there and back.

The biggest benefit, however, is the mental cleansing it offers. Just you, the road and the wind in your hair. Great now more than ever.

Aye, one of the few bright spots about lockdown is being able to bike along previously dodgy roads without having to deal with many cars. I've racked out about 450 miles since it started now and it's been great for both my mental and physical state. Having a more comfortable bike now obviously helps. 

[Hank Scorpio]

Another 40 miles today. Still getting fatter cause it makes me so fucking hungry.

[dorlomin]

On 24/04/2020 at 07:35, Day of the Lords said:

Aye, one of the few bright spots about lockdown is being able to bike along previously dodgy roads without having to deal with many cars. I've racked out about 450 miles since it started now and it's been great for both my mental and physical state. Having a more comfortable bike now obviously helps. 

The roads are empty but there have been some crazy twats on them. Some are driving like the rules of the road have been suspended. 

[dorlomin]

6 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Another 40 miles today. Still getting fatter cause it makes me so fucking hungry.

I do not know your weight and speeds but you can burn 40-50 kcal a mile. It can be a shed load of energy. 

[Gnash]

34 minutes ago, dorlomin said:

I do not know your weight and speeds but you can burn 40-50 kcal a mile. It can be a shed load of energy. 

My Garmin claimed I burned 3781 kcal today, 68 mile ride.  Suspect it was more like 2500, but still a decent whack and given I consumed 650 kcal during the ride, definitely a fat burner.

[Hank Scorpio]

I’m just a greedy b*****d, tbh.

[bennett]

51 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Another 40 miles today. Still getting fatter cause it makes me so fucking hungry.

Doing more exercise but eating more when in the house, probably due to getting bored.

45 minutes ago, dorlomin said:

The roads are empty but there have been some crazy twats on them. Some are driving like the rules of the road have been suspended. 

Noticed that plus folk oot walking on the roads more, especially the wee country/back roads.

[CM.]

Running is a non starter for a lazy, unfit c**t like me so thought cycling would be the next best thing. The experienced riders (heh heh) on the thread will probably snigger at these times but first 5k the other day in 22:43 was bettered by tonights effort at 20:38. Don't know whether to keep trying to better that time over that distance or try and tackle longer distances. My first outing was actually a 10k in total (5 to destination, 5 back) but I only timed 5k of it. The 5k back was a slog at snails pace anyway as I was blowing out my arse!  

Folk are right about the difference in mental state though. Was bored out my skull earlier resulting in a downer of a mood; amazing what difference even a short outing of 20 mins makes.

Edited April 25, 2020 by C. Muir

[dorlomin]

4 minutes ago, C. Muir said:

Running is a non starter for a lazy, unfit c**t like me so thought cycling would be the next best thing. The experienced riders (heh heh) on the thread will probably snigger at these times but first 5k the other day in 22:43 was bettered by tonights effort at 20:38. Don't know whether to keep trying to better that time over that distance or try and tackle longer distances.

Folk are right about the difference in mental state though. Was bored out my skull earlier resulting in a downer of a mood; amazing what difference even a short outing of 20 mins makes.

For beginners its easier to go longer than faster. Its generally much easier to add distance than speed, plus you gain the ability to go further and explore more. 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

4 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Another 40 miles today. Still getting fatter cause it makes me so fucking hungry.

I think i have the opposite problem. Breakfast was only about 350kcal, downed a coffee then headed out for a 50+ mile ride. Even after coming home for lunch and tea I'm still about -2600kcal for the day. Thankfully I remembered energy gels today though, after a wee climb at about 40ish miles I felt like shite, not a full-on bonk, but not nice either. 

4 hours ago, dorlomin said:

The roads are empty but there have been some crazy twats on them. Some are driving like the rules of the road have been suspended. 

I'm pretty fortunate here. Hardly any cars out and about other than farmer types and dog walkers since lockdown started. Rural roads in Angus are usually quiet anyway but they're absolutely dead just now.