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Look Ma, No …

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Look Ma! No … CRASH!! Oh, please, DO be very careful about riding no-hands. It appears to be so easy. And so much fun. How many kids try it, then, only to end up like this poor teddy bear? I\’ve been hesitant to blog about riding a bicycle no-handed. I can\’t offer any advice from personal experience, as I\’m unable to ride without my hands on those bars. About a month ago I changed my position on my road bike\’s saddle, so that I was sitting several inches farther back than I had been. The new \”sit spot\” changed everything else: reach, steering, pedaling. Long story short, I wound up with a new saddle; and I\’ve been working at being sure that I\’m sitting where my sit bones are supported. That leaves me with more saddle nose to work with, in case I do decide to give no-hands a go. As mentioned in Get Fast! (p. 24), \”You ultimately steer your bike with your hips.\” I guess having that saddle nose would help. But back to the \”look-Ma-no-hands\” business. First step, watch some videos on the subject. Here we are told that riding no-handed isn\’t that difficult. Maybe it doesn\’t seem so hard once you\’ve learned — just as plain old riding doesn\’t seem hard after your body figures it out. Learning, however, takes time and patience. I\’ve seen cyclists riding along no-handed, with their arms dangling at their sides. That looks terribly risky to me. What\’ll they do if they suddenly need their hands on those handlebars? Will I ever be a no-hands rider? Only time will tell, but there\’s no hurry. I don\’t want to end up like that teddy bear.      

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Is the Garmin Right?

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  Is the Garmin right? Recovery, recovery, recovery. We hear that as much as we hear train, train, train. Maybe more. When I get home after a ride, and select Save Ride on my Garmin, it tells me how many hours of recovery I (supposedly) need before riding again. If I\’ve ridden any harder than gently, the Garmin is likely to say I need more than 24 hours\’ recovery. Twelve minutes into a ride, the Garmin automatically shows a Recovery Check screen. Even when it told me the morning before that I needed, let\’s say, 36 hours of recovery time, it almost always says my recovery has been Good. That strikes me as a bit odd. Is the Garmin right? Am I doing something wrong in my \”training\”? Now and then the Garmin will say Fair for Recovery Check. That can happen if I do a very hard effort early in a ride. Sometimes it just happens, and I then I wonder what\’s up. As far as I can remember, only once has the Garmin told me Poor for recovery status. That was when I absentmindedly started a new ride instead of putting the thing on Pause, so I ignored it. Taking a week away from riding, as the article suggests, seems like too much to me, especially now, with Cycle September coming up. I want to be in good condition for it! Maybe over the Christmas break?  

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Thinking Ahead

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Thinking ahead is a wise practice. Yes, I know, it\’s still August. It still feels like a combination of blast furnace and sauna where I live. So why am I thinking about cold-weather events now? Thinking ahead! Fall will come eventually, even if it doesn\’t seem like it today. Cycling enthusiasts aren\’t likely to consider hibernation, so let\’s give some thought to cold-weather events. Will you have an outdoor cycling event on a day uncomfortably cool for  bare legs; but don\’t want to bother with leg warmers (or is it a race and, for all I know, leg warmers are against race rules?) Do you need a way to pre-heat  your legs, so you don\’t have to blast out of the gate with cold muscles? Maybe embrocation will help. What type to use? That depends on how cold the day is. There are warm and hot varieties. The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling discusses analgesics on pages 193-194. It mentions that a common ingredient in these products is methyl salicylate, and to be carful with it if you\’re sensitive to aspirin; the two are chemically related. Some riders use analgesic products after a hard ride, to soothe sore muscles. I can\’t say how well they work, never having tried them myself. I haven\’t tried embrocation products, either. Despite the nuisance of having to wash them out, I think I\’ll stick with leg warmers.

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A Chill Ride

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Chill Ride A “chill” ride comparatively speaking, that is. I was a bit nervous about going for a ride today, because last night the forecast said there was a 90% chance of rain and T-storms. In fact, as I was setting out, I saw a huge, black cloud off in a southerly direction. I decided to chance it, but keep it rather short; partly because I didn’t know what the weather might do; and partly because when I’ve done less riding than usual for a week, it’s probably better not to push for 40-50 miles. I ran into some light sprinkle here and there; but no real rain. Then I got to my turnaround point. Two other riders came along, and we chatted for a bit. Naturally we got to talking about the weather, and one of them got out his iPhone (SmartPhone?) to check it. He announced that it was 77 degrees. That’s a lot cooler than it has been. My comment was, “We’re gonna freeze!” I guess the overcast is keeping temperatures down. I also mentioned that I rather wish I could do RAGBRAI. “What’s that?” So I told him a bit about it. On the way out, I averaged 15.44 mph; very good for me. Going back home, I “chilled”, i.e. rode at a more leisurely pace; about 12.6 mph. But for a local collegiate racing team, a “chill” ride is about 18 mph. For me that’s still a hard effort!

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Serotta

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Listen to avid cyclists discussing bike fit, and you may hear \”Serotta\”. All this chatter about bicycle fit sounds a bit like dressmaking/tailoring. Actually, I suppose it is.  Sewing is about making a garment to fit the intended wearer properly. A bicycle fit is about getting a bicycle to fit the rider just right. The more you ride, the more important this is, even if you\’re \”only\” a recreational rider. Serotta is one of the oldest fitting systems. To quote Wikipedia: \”The Serotta Fit School, started in 1998, trains retailers, coaches and clinicians in a system that incorporates the rider\’s life, goals, fitness, body, flexibility, motion, experience, injuries, surgeries and physical concerns.\” That sounds pretty comprehensive. Serotta is another of the bike-fit systems discussed in Cutting-Edge Cycling (see p. 160). If I had the funding, and the free time, it might be interesting to try out all the different bicycle fitting systems on my road bike. I notice that all the systems mentioned in Cutting-Edge Cycling mention cleat placement. With my new saddle, I find that I\’m tugging at the pedals so that I\’ve got \”clickety-cleats\”. Do my cleats need to be moved? I guess I\’ll ask the guys at my regular bike shop. My budget can\’t take another fitting just now.      

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Aren\’t We Masochistic?

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Are we cyclists masochistic? It might seem like it. Avid cyclists speak of the sufferfest. Pros, and aspiring pros, talk about learning how to love pain. I\’ve done my share (and then some) of complaining that my overall cruising speed does\’t seem to be increasing. There are numerous training plans out there; why don\’t I just pick one and use it? I tried that a couple of years ago, and only seemed to get slower. The plan specified X amount of time in certain heart rate Zones on certain days; HR Zone 2, or whatever. For me, Zone 2 is quite slow unless I\’m in a very hard gear and pedaling very slowly. Yes, I can make 15 mph that way, but such riding wears out my legs too fast; and I know from my reading that it also burns up the body\’s glycogen stores too quickly. Oh, please. Bonk, bonk, stay away! (Carry some GU-Gels if you try that method of pedaling). As an older rider, I also need to be especially careful to guard against injury. Even after almost 10 years\’ total pedaling, I\’m still worried that riding hard before I go to work will wear me out too much. It might help if I had a couple of hours between dragging myself out of bed and climbing aboard the bicycle. I don\’t have that luxury; some days, only 15-20 minutes elapse between rising and riding. Hard efforts are hard enough when you actually feel awake! There I go again with the pity-party. I guess I\’m not enough of a masochist.    

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Wondering Why?

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In case \”outsiders\” are wondering why we cyclists do what we do, I hope this blog can provide some clarification. It seems that we cyclists are, indeed, puzzling to non-cyclists. Why do we wear lycra? What\’s with shoes that attach to the pedals, and why are such pedal/shoe systems called \”clipless\”? Why do we ride, anyway? And how about people who race bicycles? What\’s that all about? As far as racing goes, this might help clarify the matter. I think you might want to avoid these tricks, which seem quite unsporting to me. (Actually, I think that this YouTube is meant in a tongue-in-cheek manner). Lycra? If you want to do long rides, form-fitting shorts are going to be far more comfortable than regular shorts with undies. Add the desire for speed, and wearing clothing that doesn\’t bunch up under you, and doesn\’t flap around, is even more important. \”Clipless\” pedal/shoe systems don\’t have the straps, i.e. clips, that earlier systems did. Hence \”clipless\” systems. Why do we ride? There are myriad answers to that one. Fitness. Transportation. Helping the environment. Saving money over owning a car. Competition. Touring. Weight loss. Health. Fun! For non-cyclists, in case you\’re wondering why, get a bicycle! Start riding! You\’ll soon solve the puzzle!

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Cyclists\’ Greetings

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Cyclists’ Greetings Who wants a greeting like this one? Cyclists’ greetings are a part of the two-wheeled life; just as “Hello” and “Good morning”, perhaps with a cup of coffee, are part and parcel of civilian life. We certainly don’t want to be greeted by a sign like this one when we’re out for a ride! What’ve they got against cycling, anyway? But there are other greetings amongst us riders. Celebrate cycling? We do that every time we ride, don’t we? Although I must admit that I don’t feel in a celebratory mood on a cold, windy, wet day. Not while I’m out on the bike, anyway. When I finally get home; and can get warm and dry; then I can feel good about having gone for a ride despite the nasty conditions. If we cyclists stopped; dismounted; and went into back-slapping embraces every time we saw each other, we wouldn’t get much riding done, would we? I think we can tone it down a little, right? A brief hi, or nod, or wave, goes a long way. I typically do a “finger wave”, without actually taking a hand off the bars. I see other riders doing the same thing. That is, when it’s a question of  a rider approaching from the opposite direction. When I’m overtaking another cyclist, it’s typically all business; the on-your-left thing. Unlike “Seasons’ Greetings”, cyclists’ greetings don’t have a “season”. That’s especially true for those of us who can ride year round. So give a finger wave. Holler Good Morning! Cyclists’ greetings are always good!

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Use It Up?

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\”Use It Up! Wear It Out! Make It Do! Do Without!\” was my mother\’s school. She was also very frugal, and saved just about everything. As result, I often have a hard time getting rid of things. A couple of months ago, I replaced one of my pairs of cycling shoes with a new pair, to see whether it would help with the tendonitis in my foot. The old shoes didn\’t really seem all that worn to me, and I thought that maybe I could get further use out of them. First I put in the original insoles from the new cycling shoes. I managed to get the cleats off of the old pair of shoes, and first tried wearing them for rides on the hybrid; going to the salvage store, for example. That worked well enough. Then I tried wearing them during the day for one day, and that didn\’t go as well. That morning I wore the cleat-less cycling shoes and rode the hybrid to work, but didn\’t change out of the cycling shoes. By the end of the day, the problems with my left foot were starting to flare up. The shoes\’ soles seem to be too rigid for more than absolutely minimal walking. Besides all that, for non-riding purposes, the right one rubs on the big toe\’s bunion joint. So, do I keep those shoes, or not? Keeping them does for a fact make for more clutter. On the other hand, well, Use it up, wear it out…    

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Wobble-Naught

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Wobble-Naught is a good watchword for cyclists. I remember reading a story when I was about ten years old. It was about a girl who was having a hard time learning to ride a bicycle. She got cross and showed at her bike, \”Old wobbly wheels!\” Nobody wants to wobble when on a bicycle. Wobbling makes me, for one, feel like I\’m about to land on the ground. And you sure wouldn\’t want to wobble when in this yoga pose atop a cliff! So what\’s this about Wobble-Naught? \”WN\” is one of several bicycle-fit systems discussed in Cutting-Edge Cycling. It\’s a bicycle fit designed to eliminate — you guessed it — wobble, which is inefficient movement. Part of this fit focuses on the length of bones between joints. Another aspect of it is the use of EMG to study the interactions of the muscles during pedaling; and it considers factors affecting pedal stroke, such as the length of the arch. I had no idea pedaling was so complex! Wobble Naught [oh, those pesky \”Not Secure\” notations!] seems quite complex, too.  For instance, it takes into account the ratio of thigh length vs calf length. Apparently that does make a difference. I remember reading about a former pro cyclist whose thighs were unusually long in proportion to his calves, which gave him better leverage for speed. I\’ve already had a bicycle fit using another system, so I\’ll let Wobble-Naught go. But the Wobblin Goblin sure could have used it!      

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