The Biking Thread

[nuke_diver]

Just read this. Also, just heard from a long, long time friend, who roomed with Gary Fisher back in the day near Marin, that he no longer will road ride due to risk. The article, and his decision, is depressing. Even in lefty/green Seattle, there is bike controversy. What is it like where you are?

https://www.outsideonline.com/22671...k&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookpost

Given some of the stuff that he says (eggs thrown, chased on foot) I have to wonder what HE might have done to elicit such a reaction? Yes it is a problem (distracted driving) and you need to have your head on a swivel. But I have never had any of the kind of stuff he mentions happen to me and I ride thousands of miles on the road. I have yelled at people that cut me off but if they are ahead of me and signal a turn, they do have the right of way and I give it to them. Quite frankly one of the most common distracted driving issues I face is a single lane road that I like to ride often on weekends. It's a long (2-3 mile) downhill at about 5% grade. More often than not I am braking for cyclists coming uphill, 3 abreast and chatting with each other as if they are on a closed TdF road and have nothing to be concerned about coming towards them...sometimes cyclists themselves are the problem of distracted driving.

@Danhedonia I can't help you with the endurance thing. I've never ridden 18-20 mph average over 40+ miles. Maybe it's flatter for you but for me those speeds are unobtainable. If you don't care about speed the endurance will come with time and effort like any fitness thing. Do remember that with exercise if you aren't pushing it a bit your body gets used to the effort needed and doesn't really improve. But it really depends on how much you want to improve. I can pretty easily ride a metric century these days though I don't believe my knees, back, neck and butt could handle comfortably too much more than that. For that bike junk, check to see if there is a local bike Co-op that might take some of the things you don't want. If you want to sell them probably Craigslist is the best choice

 

[sunvalleylaw]

The least exciting ride on Strava.

Flaccid.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

OK, some questions.

1. I had a seizure last May, and some family tragedies. And I'm 52 and gained 20 lbs. this school year. I've been riding 3-4x/week, between 18 and 30 miles per ride, avg. around 16-17 mph. 10 years ago a regular (e.g. recovery the next day) I would do 36-44 mile rides around 18-20mph. How long do you think it might be before I recover the endurance? I am anti-competitive, so I don't really care about speed other than as a useful data point.

2. I have a shitload of inherited "bike junk." This ranges from Campagnolo brakes and a Peugot XP-10 from the 70's to a set of wheels built by Sheldon Brown in 2005 just before he died to tires from the 80's still in their shrink wrap. What's the Reverb.com equivalent for bike stuff? ABQ is a bad place to sell locally.

Any thoughts would be profoundly appreciated.

1. That is pretty high level performance for me, so not thinking I can help. I can only suggest mixing it up with intensity, recovery rides, etc. but that is just general info.

2. Not sure other than Fleabay. List stuff and then don't sell it if no one bites for what you want?

3. Glad you joined us. I am getting off the computer so I can go ride. Road bike this time, and hopefully will get some intensity bursts in and a couple hills to start driving my performance a little bit myself.

 

[Tig]

OK, some questions.

1. I had a seizure last May, and some family tragedies. And I'm 52 and gained 20 lbs. this school year. I've been riding 3-4x/week, between 18 and 30 miles per ride, avg. around 16-17 mph. 10 years ago a regular (e.g. recovery the next day) I would do 36-44 mile rides around 18-20mph. How long do you think it might be before I recover the endurance? I am anti-competitive, so I don't really care about speed other than as a useful data point.

2. I have a shitload of inherited "bike junk." This ranges from Campagnolo brakes and a Peugot XP-10 from the 70's to a set of wheels built by Sheldon Brown in 2005 just before he died to tires from the 80's still in their shrink wrap. What's the Reverb.com equivalent for bike stuff? ABQ is a bad place to sell locally.

Any thoughts would be profoundly appreciated.

Once we are in our 50's and beyond (I just turned 55) the endurance and speed will advance over time with regular riding, especially when we're starting from "scratch". Once you start leveling out/can easily manage the rides that are currently challenging, you can start working on speed and additional endurance. I alternate between group and solo rides. The right group can push you more than riding solo, but you can also hide in a draft which doesn't strengthen you like a solo ride can.

Recovery takes longer, so be sure not to over load your riding volume and intensity without rest days. Lately, I'll ride Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, some with a group and some solo. If the heat and intensity mess with me on Sunday, I'll make it a short recovery ride to loosen up the legs. After a 3 day weekend block, I rarely ride the following Monday and Tuesday, for instance.

I've sold 70's era Campy parts for a serious profit on ebay, but that was before they jacked up the fees. We have a bi-monthly bike swap meet here that is hosted by a different shop each time. I don't know of any good online swap sites for bike stuff.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Once we are in our 50's and beyond (I just turned 55) the endurance and speed will advance over time with regular riding, especially when we're starting from "scratch". Once you start leveling out/can easily manage the rides that are currently challenging, you can start working on speed and additional endurance.I alternate between group and solo rides. The right group can push you more than riding solo, but you can also hide in a draft which doesn't strengthen you like a solo ride can.

Recovery takes longer, so be sure not to over load your riding volume and intensity without rest days. Lately, I'll ride Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, some with a group and some solo. If the heat and intensity mess with me on Sunday, I'll make it a short recovery ride to loosen up the legs. After a 3 day weekend block, I rarely ride the following Monday and Tuesday, for instance.

I've sold 70's era Campy parts for a serious profit on ebay, but that was before they jacked up the fees. We have a bi-monthly bike swap meet here that is hosted by a different shop each time. I don't know of any good online swap sites for bike stuff.

Nice input. I am 55 myself and am finding that getting back on it takes longer, and that I missed my aggressive on the climb MTB group ride that pushed me. Also, now that my office is only a mile away, I am missing my early season commutes which serves as light pedal pressure bad miles after winter. Lastly, I did not do any winter spin this year.

Things are starting to come along and now I know some adjustments to make. I also will be adjusting terrain. I have ridden too long this year on the easier IMBA style south trails and have not pushed my anaerobic threshold with the old school climbs that force effort to successfully ride and not walk.

Some changing up of the schedule will help with that.

 

[Tig]

I've lost the ability to climb. Leg strength is part of it. I can still sprint like a demon on the flats for 20-30 seconds, but riding any climb longer than 30 seconds and I'll have to sit and spin a low gear.
Maybe if I spent more time in hilly areas I could get some of it back.

 

[Danhedonia]

Thanks to both of you. I'm going to go full-on self-pity here, and say that I'll never be a 'serious' cyclist, because it is too ephemeral for me. It's the seem reason I used to climb - I like being there, and nothing fucks up Zen like comparing yourself to others. And to be honest the cycling is to get me fitter for 'other things" (mountaineering) now that I don't spend every fucking weekend waiting on calls from my mother's healthcare providers. And let's feel sorry for poor Dan one more little bit: I had a seizure last year, and I just want to be able to recover my ability to walk and run (I have a fair bit of lost functionality to say nothing of the pain).

That said, the rides themselves weren't difficult - and I even have a half-decent elliptical in the garage to mix it up and work different muscle groups, etc.

No, what was happening was 2 to 4 hours after a ride, I'd just feel awful. The good news was that I boiled it down to inadequate hydration - a longtime issue for me dating back decades. Not sure why, but I don't get 'thirsty' as I should, and if I am distracted I do a poor job of preparatory ingestion. It sure didn't help that both rides were in 95F+ heat, and I had drank the night before each, but that's no excuse.

Yesterday, I had a nice, long workout on the elliptical with adequate intake and the only reason I stopped was I had to go to dinner.

Getting old is not a ton of fun, but I'm lucky to be alive (the seizure was really bad) and I am not going to make excuses. From here on out it's on me.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Thanks to both of you. I'm going to go full-on self-pity here, and say that I'll never be a 'serious' cyclist, because it is too ephemeral for me. It's the seem reason I used to climb - I like being there, and nothing fucks up Zen like comparing yourself to others. And to be honest the cycling is to get me fitter for 'other things" (mountaineering) now that I don't spend every fucking weekend waiting on calls from my mother's healthcare providers. And let's feel sorry for poor Dan one more little bit: I had a seizure last year, and I just want to be able to recover my ability to walk and run (I have a fair bit of lost functionality to say nothing of the pain).

That said, the rides themselves weren't difficult - and I even have a half-decent elliptical in the garage to mix it up and work different muscle groups, etc.

No, what was happening was 2 to 4 hours after a ride, I'd just feel awful. The good news was that I boiled it down to inadequate hydration - a longtime issue for me dating back decades. Not sure why, but I don't get 'thirsty' as I should, and if I am distracted I do a poor job of preparatory ingestion. It sure didn't help that both rides were in 95F+ heat, and I had drank the night before each, but that's no excuse.

Yesterday, I had a nice, long workout on the elliptical with adequate intake and the only reason I stopped was I had to go to dinner.

Getting old is not a ton of fun, but I'm lucky to be alive (the seizure was really bad) and I am not going to make excuses. From here on out it's on me.

'Round here ( @Danhedonia cue Adam Duritz in my head), there are a ton of really tough old people. A lot older than I am. I see it as making a decision to transition into an older athlete's life and adjusting to continue to preserve fitness and ability, or giving up the ghost. There is a spectrum there of course, but for me, I needed to wake up and make a decision, after not having my group ride to basically do it for me. And I am not big on comparing myself as a measure of worth. I am working on mindfulness in all things, athletics included. Also studying flow state in relation to that. But, given the chance, I will race myself against some others in the right situation and if I feel like it. As stated above, I am using strava to track my efforts and my improvement. Not to compare myself to others who I consider "real" cyclists, such as @Tig . But I do enjoy being on there and giving encouragement and receiving encouragement by "liking" other people's efforts and their liking mine. I feel that we encourage each other to get out there and make healthy choices. Not to say I won't ever make an unhealthy choice like grabbing some more IPA or piece of berry pie or whatever. But the overall positive trend that I remain aware of by tracking some data, and sharing encouragement, is what I am after.

Good you figured out the hydration thing. Hydrating and eating on longer or more intense endurance efforts is an easy thing for me to screw up. For me, eating and drinking sufficiently long enough before the effort is what works, with limited intake during the activity, or only that which is necessary. Too much right before the ride, or during, and my tummy doesn't like it, and I feel leaden. And lastly, good for you for working to come back from a seizure. Scary shit. Not that your seizure is the same, but take a look at the story of Jimmie Heuga. I find him inspirational as I age beyond my top performances in some areas. He would always try to look at what he could do rather than focus on what he couldn't.



https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/sports/skiing/12heuga.html

http://www.jhce.org/

PS, not trying to direct all that at you in some trite way. I just find it inspirational and started getting into it this morning. Ride on!

 

[Tig]

I've never put much faith into pre-ride hydration. No reason, I just thought it was yet another snake oil category of product.

I tested some from a local company that started up recently by a couple that I sometimes ride with, and damn, it made a difference the first two rides! I'll drink 10 ounces about an hour before a hot ride and I'm able to ride longer and without the effects of dehydration, like leg cramps. This stuff is loaded with sodium, so that must be the key. It is completely tasteless, so I splash a little Gatorade in it for flavoring. One other thing it has changed is my before versus after weight. For a 2 to 3 hour ride, I usually lose 3 to 4 pounds of water weight. That has been cut by 30-40%.

Old dogs can learn new tricks!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, I am talking just that I need to drink enough water ahead of time, and enough ahead of time so it wasn't sloshing around in my tummy. No snake oil or sugar water per se. I did have a protein shake with supplements and minerals in it that seems to help (I would have one every day anyway) if I drink it 1.5 hours before ride. Seemed to give me some resilience later on in the ride. But again, that was just managing when I was ingesting food rather than buying a particular snake oil.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Oh, and @Tig , I hesitate even to give you a suggestion. But a few years ago, when I learned to climb up from off the back of the dirt "peleton" up into the hunt, it was about enough light pedal miles early season, then some sprints, then on the hills, attacking for specific periods or stretches, so that I could finally get up ahead on that pedal stroke and keep my cadence up while grabbing one more gear and staying in that gear longer that helped me with our long climbs. When I couldn't hold on to the gear, I would back off. Then try again. But keeping the pace varied and not just settling in to the same old pace, waiting for it to be over. And of course just doing hills is part of it. I don't know what terrain you could find to do some of that on, but maybe you could find somewhere to work it if that is part of a goal for you.

But again, you are way more experienced than I. I just have more hills around.

 

[nuke_diver]

I've never been involved in competitive cycling or for that matter even ridden with a group unlike Tig and SVL. So it's hard to be sure how "fit" I am other than being able to do what I want to do which frankly is all that matters. Especially given that I'm looking at 60 after another turn of the earth around the sun and have knees that have both endured multiple surgeries. Being able to cycle for fitness is kind of a blessing since running is out of the question. Yeah getting old isn't fun but the alternative is less fun.

I've never done the pre-hydrating on any ride though I have learned the advantages of having enough water for long rides. It can be tricky around here since it can go from hot and dry to cool and moist in the same day, depends how close to the coast you get. So I can get fooled that I'm not that thirsty sometimes and have to make sure I remember to drink regularly. I've made a routine in my long rides that usually works out for me. So long as I follow it I'm fine during and after rides but everyone has their own tolerances and needs so do what works for you.

@Tig what would you consider a hill?

 

[Tig]

Make each ride your own and have fun. Everything else isn't so important. I let my body tell me what it needs when it comes to length of ride and intensity. In the first few miles of a warm up, I can gauge what the body needs or is capable of.

Today, the last 5 or so miles was really difficult. The heat slammed my heart rate and legs and screamed for me to stop. I'd recover a little and we'd stop for a light, then the heart would go nuts. Breathing was difficult at times due some giant dust formation that drifted in from Africa. I knew if I rode smart, I'd still complete the ride with the group. I'm glad I didn't listen to the body whining at me!

The thing about water and hydration drinks during an extremely hot ride is no matter what, you will never be able to replenish the minerals lost to sweat, even with a concentrated drink with a pinch of salt thrown in. This is where the pre-hydration drink loaded with sodium and minerals helps out. I didn't drink my usual 10 ounces today and paid for it later.

https://www.relive.cc/view/1669782176

 

[Tig]

Oh, a Houston hill looks like this:

or

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Oh, a Houston hill looks like this:

or

Um. . . .

 

[Tig]

Um. . . .

Hence why we love to ride the central hill country near Austin.

Or even Waco.

 

[nuke_diver]

That looks nice

I did this one...once :P, I thought a 1/3 of a mile, how hard could it be?

Max. grade: 20%
Main climb:
Avg. grade: 14.6% (elev. gain/dist)
Length: 0.35 miles (0.56 km)

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Heading out to do switch backs the south side of that one shortly.

EDIT: Change of plans. Got caught up in some last minute work. Climbed a hill on my road bike instead. Less gasping sort of effort. But a nice quick little climb. Just 32 min on the bike. Hope to get an extended climb in over the weekend.

 

[Theodore]

 

[Theodore]

Ridden 600 miles since I started again. Longest was 70 miles on Tuesday but the 47-miler I did today was the hardest so far. The last half was all valley crossings and up and down the hills surrounding them. Tell me Illinois is all flat and I will pay for your flight. *spits*