Steady State Assessment

This steady state self-assessment ride is difficult to complete accurately without using stationary bike or a trainer.  In fact, most of the self-assessments are difficult to complete outdoor due to variables such as traffic, wind, etc.  The steady state assessment measures the average heart rate from riding 15 miles at a constant speed.  The average heart rate can be used to evaluate if one’s performance or fitness has improved through the training planning program.

With the purchase of my first resistance trainer, I took my first steady state assessment. I had ridden on the trainer twice, and I was somewhat confident that I can hold 12-13 MPH for about an hour, or slightly over an hour for 15 miles.  Not an easy task, I soon realized.  Trying to hold a constant speed for 15 miles required concentration and smooth peddling stroke.  The goal was not to see how fast I can finish 15 miles.  It was to ride just below my threshold for 15 miles.

Result: Average Heart Rate 160 BPM, Average speed 13.4 MPH

Let see if my performance improves in a month.

Indoor Trainer, a Wonderful Addition during the Raining Season.

I picked up my Blackburn TrakStand Ultra trainer from Performance Bike yesterday, just in time for the raining season.  This was my first trainer, and I couldn’t wait to try it out.

The unit was very well constructed, and setting it up was a snap.  The unit comes pre-configured in the medium resistance setting (Standard, Hard and Very Hard).  To adjust the setting, one has to unscrew resistance unit and remove or add resistance ball bearing.  According to the manual, the unit generates approximately 351 watts when spinning at 25 MPH.  That’s roughly 302 Calories per hour based on pure energy conversion.  The human body is very in efficient in converting pure energy into force.  Some is converted into heat, for example, sweating during exercise.  Some is used to converting the food we eat into some other forms of chemicals used by our bodies to power our muscle.  That is a topic of a whole other conversation.

I left the setting as it is, figuring I would give it a spin and see if I will need to increase the unit’s resistance setting.  “Hmm,” I thought, “350 watts @ 25 MPH is not a whole lot giving that some other units advertise >3,000 watts.  Plus my average speed is only around 18 MPH.”  I got my doubts.

My first impression was that unit runs extremely quiet.  My drive train had made more noise than the trainer.  I was very pleased.  Other units I had tested out, such as ones based on fan, magnetic or fluid resistance, were much noisier.  The other plus is the roller on the resistance unit is smooth stainless steel which help reduce tire wear.

The second thing I noticed was that riding on the trainer was tougher than training on the open road.  There were traffic lights or stop sign to let me catch my breath.  I couldn’t coasting; the resistance unit slowed down the wheel faster than being on the flat, open road.  Poor peddling technique with choppy stroke was made much more noticeable by the flywheel on the trainer.  In order to not wear myself out too soon, I needed to pull up as well as push down the peddles.  It helped having smooth, circular peddling actions.

All and all, I am thrilled having purchased the unit.  I feel that spending time on the trainer will help improve my overall fitness and peddling technique.  Everyone who is serious about cycling should spend time riding on a trainer even if it never rains outside.

Building Aerobic Base

Building a strong base for endurance cycling means spending time training in the aerobic zone during pre-season.  My cycling performance had been disappointing since my last business trip.  I figured it is time to get back to the basic, going back to building the endurance base and be ready for Spring.

I logged a significant percentage of my saddle time through commuting to and back from work.  Riding slow next to, or worse in front of, impatient commuting drivers did not make good combinations.  Naturally, it had been very tempting to speed up with the traffic or to sprint for the next light.  Riding slow required a lot more discipline: not being intimidated or unnerved by the traffic.  For the past 7 days, I had purposely rode only in the aerobic zone.  My body needed to recover from previous Sunday when I rode hard in torching heat.  Periodization worked.  I was able to ride faster with less effort (lower heart rate) this morning compared to similar solo two and a half months ago.

Of course, not having back pain helped.  Thank goodness for physical therapy.

You're welcome. Stop for the next guy.

I had a flat while commuting home last night. "Oh, no. Did I just get a flat," I thought as that familiar sinking, disappointment rose. "No problem. I have a spare tube. This really just a minor inconvenience to have to change a flat."  I got out my tire iron and my spare tube and proceeded to replace the tire in the dark. Of course, Murphy’s Law applied, "if anything can go wrong, it will."  Soon after I started pumping air into the newly replaced tube, I heard the dreadful sound "shhhhhhh".  Now what?  Without extra spare tubes, I’m dead in the water.  I checked the inside of the tire carefully to make there was no sharp object before replacing the spare tube.  Sigh, I called my wife to pick me up.

As I was getting ready to walked back up to the main road to wait for wife, two nice gentlemen rode by and offered their assistance.  Since neither one had an spare 700×23 Presta valve tube, we attempted to patch my spare.  The patch couldn’t stop the leak, and we were out of spare tube and air cartridge.  I resigned to walk back to the main road to wait for my wife.  As I was leaving, I thanked the gentlemen.  They replied, "You are welcome.  Stop for the next guy."

What Are the Advantages of Compact Gearing?

By Richard Cunningham
Road Bike Action

What are the advantages of running compact gearing versus a standard 53 by 39 crankset? My first "real" road bike is a Schwinn Peloton, with SRAM Rival standard cranks and an 11 by 25 cogset. Most people I ride with use compact cranks. Am I at an advantage or a disadvantage?

-Max R. — Atlanta, Georgia

If you climb a lot and have less-than-spectacular fitness, you might be better served with compact gearing. If you time-trial, or spend a lot of time on club rides where you will be in a group and drafting, your taller-geared, standard drivetrain is a better choice.

Generally, compact drivetrains were adopted to offer less-than-professional-level cyclists a lower gear selection in order to make it easier to climb hills without changing the top speed. Originally, compact gearing used 50 by 34 chainrings, with an 11 by 23-tooth cassette.

Compare that with conventional gearing (53 by 39 chainrings and a 12 by 25-tooth cassette) and you may be surprised that, if two cyclists are spinning at 80 revolutions per minute (rpm), the compact rider whizzes by at 28.4 miles per hour (45.8 kilometers per hour) while the standard-geared guy falls behind at 27.8 miles per hour (44.5 kph). Who would have thunk it?

The compact geared rider gets a second advantage, too. When climbing in the 23-tooth cog, he or she climbs at 9.2 miles an hour—a slightly slower, easier pace—while the standard-gearing rider can’t go any slower than 9.8 miles an hour (15.7 kph) to maintain 80 rpm with a larger, 25-tooth cog. Put the 11 by 25-tooth cassette on the compact drive bike and its rider climbs even easier; at a leisurely 8.5 miles an hour (13.7 kph) at the same 80 rpm. 

But, because your Schwinn has a 53-tooth chainring and a SRAM cassette with an 11-tooth small cog, if you have the gas to spin 80 rpm in the big ring, you can motor past the 27.6-miles-per-hour (44.5 kph), 12-tooth tough guys at a blistering 30.1 miles per hour (48.5 kph).

Now, forget all that numerical nonsense, because the truth is; it really doesn’t make a difference what your gearing is until you reach the extreme high or low gear. Most enthusiasts ride near 20 miles an hour, which puts them in the big chainring and somewhere the middle of the cassette.

Few solo riders can stay on top of a compact 50 by 11 gear on level ground, and only the world’s most fit can spin a 53 by 11 for any length of time, so the choice between compact and standard gearing comes down to how much you want to suffer on the climbs. For most of us, this means that compact gearing is best.

Factoid: Compact gearing was originally a trick that mountain bike component makers used to reduce the size of the chainrings and spider of a cheap, heavy crankset in order to reduce its weight.

Tip: If you want a Ph.D. course in bicycle gearing, visit Sheldon Brown’s website.

Road Bike Action is an enthusiast magazine focusing on new products, bikes, training and the transformative culture of bicycles. Check us out at www.roadbikeaction.com.

E-mail your questions or what’s been on your mind while you’ve been riding these days to: AskRC@roadbikeaction.com

Why Shave Legs in Winter?

Q:  My road riding buddies shave their legs all winter even though they’re covered with leg warmers. In fact, I heard one guy say that leg warmers are the reason he continues shaving. Huh? — Bud P.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies:  Many guys who routinely shave their legs from spring through fall stop in winter. They enjoy shelving this onerous chore for a few months.

Of course, the main reason for shaving legs — easier wound treatment in case of a crash — is still valid in winter. But here’s what that rider was talking about:

Leg warmers stay up better on hairless legs.

Warmers are properly worn under shorts. The overlap helps keep them up. But they’ll probably still sag unless the warmers’ top band of "gripper" elastic gets a good hold on your skin.

It can’t if your legs are hairy. Leg hair is slippery and it grows downward. Each hair is a kind of emergency escape chute, encouraging the warmers to slip towards your knees on every pedal stroke.

If you’re tired of shaving your entire legs, in winter you could do just a few inches where the gripper band fits. That should work — and be good for some laughs in the shower room too.