Biking: Catch-all

Alien13z wrote:

I think there's a big jump in difficulty between 75 and 100.

This, although I'd have said 65 and 85 is a big jump. Thinking about it, averaging 15mph (i.e. not caning it), 65 miles is gonna take you a little over 4 hours, and 85 is gonna take closer to 6. Those additional just-under-2 hours are A Big Deal, especially if you haven't been training over long enough distances where nutrition and pacing become strategies that affect whether you make it to the end or not.

Cod wrote:

what's a reasonable distance to go for? Distances are 42/65/85/111.

Also, any suggestions for a good training plan?

If you can knock out a half marathon without too much trouble, 42 will most likely be a cakewalk, assuming you put some training in between now and then. 65 will be do-able, 85 will be challenging and 111 is a big ask given only 12 weeks to train for it. Not necessarily impossible, but you may spend the final 3 hours hating yourself.

As for training advice, I'd say riding 3 times a week, 2 shorter rides, and one long ride (on a weekend, assuming you have a M-F day job). Start your long rides at 30-40 miles and add 3-5 miles or so each week until your longest training ride (2 weeks before the event) is around 80-90% of the distance you'll actually be doing on the big day. For the shorter rides, aim to be out for an hour or two, but riding at significantly higher intensity than your long, slow ride. Hills are your friend for the shorter rides, as are intervals (3 minute sprints with 2 minute recoveries turn a short 1 hour ride into a powerhouse-workout).

If you want to get really funky, toss in some strength training one or two days a week too. Squats, lunges, step-ups, leg curls and leg extensions will all hit cycling specific muscles and movements in your lower body. Back extensions, push-ups, incline DB bench press and shoulder dips will hit cycling-specific upper body parts too, but I'd focus more on your legs - your upper body should be getting a good enough workout from your training rides. Consider including them if you find that your upper body is fatiguing on long rides before your lower body is. If you do nothing else though, get squatting - cycling is nothing more than several thousand one-legged squats in a row.

DEADLIFTS.

LiquidMantis wrote:

DEADLIFTS.

As an aside, if you ever want to feel FREAKING AWESOME, do a few sets of deadlifts. I know I always feel freaking awesome afterwards.

Jonman wrote:

Lots of good stuff.

Thanks. After my visit to the doctor today, I'm headed off for an MRI and he was threatening to stick my leg in a boot to fix my achilles. Bah freakin humbug. I fear El Tour may have to wait.

LiquidMantis wrote:

DEADLIFTS.

No, SQUATS!!

Olympic cyclist Jamie Staff, in the run up to the 2008 Games:

That's something like 530lbs.

I took my road bike in for a tune up because it was pretty sloppy shifting on the rear. The note with it said that the rear derailleur was bent and has a lot of of play in the pivots and will continue to degrade. A few hundred kms later and it is beginning to suck again. It's a Trek 1.1, I'm pretty sure the rear is a shimano 2300 (as are the front and shifters). Can I replace this with a Sora and be done with it? I can easily source a Sora, but a 2300 is going to be impossible to find. I'm mechanically inclined so I don't fear the replacement but I want to get the right replacement for the job.

Yup-- replace the 2300-- the plastic is easily-breakable crap. If you can, I'd suggest you go with a 105 rear derailleur, as that's a better bang for your buck, bit with the strides Shimano has been making with their drivetrains and the way they trickle down their tech, I'm betting Sora or Tiagra (is Tiagra still a thing?) are pretty decent at this point too.

Sora and Tiagra are decent products at this point, but the common thing I see with Sora is that it comes off tuning rather often, and it's clicky. A 105 is essentially Dura Ace, I've heard, except that it's made with steel as opposed to more expensive materials. At our ride levels, I suspect that we could gain more speed by taking a little more weight off the engine, if you know what I mean.

More that 105 is what Dura-Ace was 5-10 years ago. Up until the last few years, that basically meant that it was Dura-Ace with heavier and/or weaker internals. And that's largely why you see Sora needing tune-ups more often, and 2300 even more so-- the cheaper materials in the components wear faster.

But even at lesser riding levels, going with the better components like 105 or SRAM Rival will net you better mechanical performance overall (ie, fewer tune-ups because of better shifting, longer-lasting parts, etc).

Really surprised no one has posted this yet.

So, I guess Jan Ullrich has won a bunch of tours now?

It would appear so. Of course, who knows about him, right?

Minarchist wrote:

Really surprised no one has posted this yet.

So, I guess Jan Ullrich has won a bunch of tours now?

Given that the actual Cycling group in charge of the Tour has said "No, we disagree" I'm going to go with them. Never mind the fact that he's never legit peed hot, the whole ordeal reads like the head of the USADA carrying a massive grudge torch, and well beyond the scope of their purvue to boot.

AnimeJ wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Really surprised no one has posted this yet.

So, I guess Jan Ullrich has won a bunch of tours now?

Given that the actual Cycling group in charge of the Tour has said "No, we disagree" I'm going to go with them. Never mind the fact that he's never legit peed hot, the whole ordeal reads like the head of the USADA carrying a massive grudge torch, and well beyond the scope of their purvue to boot.

This. Also, I didn't think about it until I read AnimeJ's statement, but yeah-- what right does the USADA have to strip Armstrong of French racing titles? I'm very curious how those political relationships actually work.

From what I've read. USADA, as a signatory of the WADA can, in theory at least, enforce a suspension as a signatory thereof. However, abdicating titles falls to the International Cycling Union.

And it still really chaps my ass that they're pursuing this witchhunt after the FBI declared that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, on top of the fact that he's been demonized by LNDD and WADA, both of whom violated their own ethics codes in attempts to demonize him, all of which ultimately failed and he was exonerated time and time again.

And now some douchebag with a grudge is doing the same damn thing, only taking it a step further to ban him forever, strip all the titles, and doing so on nothing but hearsay and bullsh*t.

What do I need to look for in a helmet? I'll mostly just be doing commuting on the bike, no heavy off-road stuff.

Vents and comfort. Just go in and see what matches those criteria and fits your budget. They'll all have the same safety value.

Silly as it may sound, but to helmets have shelf lives? Mine is 6 years old and luckily never been put to the test.

Not silly at all. The air pockets in the foam break down over time and lose their ability to compress on impact. About four years from date of manufacture of (usually inside the helmet) is a typical interval for replacement. Note I said date of manufacture - Check this at purchase so you don't get stuck with something well on its way.

Great info, thanks!

AnimeJ wrote:

From what I've read. USADA, as a signatory of the WADA can, in theory at least, enforce a suspension as a signatory thereof. However, abdicating titles falls to the International Cycling Union.

And it still really chaps my ass that they're pursuing this witchhunt after the FBI declared that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, on top of the fact that he's been demonized by LNDD and WADA, both of whom violated their own ethics codes in attempts to demonize him, all of which ultimately failed and he was exonerated time and time again.

And now some douchebag with a grudge is doing the same damn thing, only taking it a step further to ban him forever, strip all the titles, and doing so on nothing but hearsay and bullsh*t.

It's not hearsay when there are ten eyewitnesses. Where I come out on it is that sure, he cheated, and so did everybody else. So it really doesn't make any sense to give the title to somebody else who is just as much a cheater but not as good a bike rider.

Alien13z wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:

From what I've read. USADA, as a signatory of the WADA can, in theory at least, enforce a suspension as a signatory thereof. However, abdicating titles falls to the International Cycling Union.

And it still really chaps my ass that they're pursuing this witchhunt after the FBI declared that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, on top of the fact that he's been demonized by LNDD and WADA, both of whom violated their own ethics codes in attempts to demonize him, all of which ultimately failed and he was exonerated time and time again.

And now some douchebag with a grudge is doing the same damn thing, only taking it a step further to ban him forever, strip all the titles, and doing so on nothing but hearsay and bullsh*t.

It's not hearsay when there are ten eyewitnesses. Where I come out on it is that sure, he cheated, and so did everybody else. So it really doesn't make any sense to give the title to somebody else who is just as much a cheater but not as good a bike rider.

When he's cleared every single test done within parameters, 10 people saying otherwise is not only hearsay, but slanderous to boot.

The facts of the case remain that in numerous tests, he's never once tested positive. He's been acquitted by every organization out there, save USADA, who don't have jurisdiciton when it comes to Tour in the first place. Even the FBI's probe found that there was nothing they could prosecute. And despite all of *that* evidence, the USADA is pursuing a witch hunt on testimony which the FBI found lacking and refused to prosecute on.

Whatever the case may be, last week was a crap one for people called Armstrong.

ianunderhill wrote:

Whatever the case may be, last week was a crap one for people called Armstrong.

My wife made the same observation.

So, pointers on replacing cartridge brake pads?

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

So, pointers on replacing cartridge brake pads?

1) if you've only worked the barrel adjuster to compensate for pad wear or cable stretch since setting up the brake previously, just thread the adjuster back in; you shouldn't need to re-anchor the cable this

2) if the old pad cartridge sticks in the shoe, spray isopropyl alcohol on the spots where the pad slides in/out of the shoe, then jently press against the end of the pad opposite the end you're trying to push out. The alcohol shouldn't hurt your pads, just take care not to slip with the screwdriver if used.

3) Always use the right size hex wrench or slotted or philips screwdriver to remove any pad retainer screws, and don't torque em down hard for the new ones, just snug them enough to where they won't fall out. Many companies make crappy hex wrenches that I round off easy. Avoid using the ball end if available. Consider Bondhus brand hex wrenches - they're very strong and have a true lifetime warranty (drop em in an envelope with a note, mail, replacement comes back in a few days to a week).

That's all I can recall from my hospital bed. More to follow if I think of it.

Hospital bed? What the hell, dude?!

Hope all is well. We need to get a ride or two in before the weather turns to complete crap.

Long story short: I had some really bad abdominal pains and then a crazy amount of distension happen over the course of last week. I finally broke down and went to the hospital Sunday morning and I've been here since. They took about 7.6 liters of fluid out of my abdomen yesterday, which relieved a lot of my pain, as well as got rid of my pregnant appearance. I'm going down for a colonoscopy in about an hour so they can determine what this massvin my large intestine is and biopsy it if it's tissue. Full results won't be in for two days. I have no idea how many days I'll be here still, but I'm managing in the meantime.

On-topic: yes, let's get some rides in as soon as I can get back on a bike. I'll let you know when that is.

ianunderhill wrote:

Long story short: I had some really bad abdominal pains and then a crazy amount of distension happen over the course of last week. I finally broke down and went to the hospital Sunday morning and I've been here since. They took about 7.6 liters of fluid out of my abdomen yesterday, which relieved a lot of my pain, as well as got rid of my pregnant appearance. I'm going down for a colonoscopy in about an hour so they can determine what this massvin my large intestine is and biopsy it if it's tissue. Full results won't be in for two days. I have no idea how many days I'll be here still, but I'm managing in the meantime.

On-topic: yes, let's get some rides in as soon as I can get back on a bike. I'll let you know when that is.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

ianunderhill wrote:

Long story short: I had some really bad abdominal pains and then a crazy amount of distension happen over the course of last week. I finally broke down and went to the hospital Sunday morning and I've been here since. They took about 7.6 liters of fluid out of my abdomen yesterday, which relieved a lot of my pain, as well as got rid of my pregnant appearance. I'm going down for a colonoscopy in about an hour so they can determine what this massvin my large intestine is and biopsy it if it's tissue. Full results won't be in for two days. I have no idea how many days I'll be here still, but I'm managing in the meantime.

On-topic: yes, let's get some rides in as soon as I can get back on a bike. I'll let you know when that is.

O_O

Good luck, sir! Wishing good thoughts your way.

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