Bicycle thread

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Jim Moore

I have absolutely zero confidence that I'll make any of them.

At least, you're honest with yourself.

Originally Posted by overlandr

Thanks for that chart and the link. That's fixed that issue then as was considering getting a 28" wheeled frame but as there's only 5mm difference in BSD between the 27" and 28" nominal wheels, I shan't bother.

Yeah, don't get too wrapped up in wheel sizes for frames. Just make sure you can get a brake caliper that'll work.

I've got an English 26" (590mm BSD) rolling on 700c (622mm BCD). I'd read on a few forums that they don't fit. Go figure.

[neanderthal]

Originally Posted by Jim Moore

Well that just plain ol' sucked. The past three months have been a perfect storm of bad weather, injury, sickness, and a healthy dose of laziness thrown in for good measure. I only managed 433 miles in three months, which leaves me at 3138 for the year, well short of my goal of 3500.

So, how did I do this year? My first goal was 3500 miles. did I reach it? No. My second goal was a century. Did I do that? No. My best ride was about 80 miles. My third goal was twenty miles in an hour. Did I reach that? No. My best was 19.25 miles. In short, suckage, suckage, and suckage.

That's not going to keep me from setting even grander goals for enxt year though. Here they are: 4000 miles, a century, and 20 miles in an hour. I have absolutely zero confidence that I'll make any of them.

As a note, I'm at 5488 this morning.

You could always start on a really long downhill.

[melville]

Originally Posted by neanderthal

You could always start on a really long downhill.

Not in FL.

[fullmonte]

Originally Posted by melville

Not in FL.

I hear they have some causeway bridges down there.

[Gummee!]

Was aiming for 100km of dirt and tarmac yesterday. Made it to 80 as it was hitting 4PM. We were 1:30 away from home the way we'd planned, 45min away from home down the busy road, or 15min away from my buddy's house. Ended up at 90km on the day.

We chose my buddy's house. My bike is over at his place. Dirty. Oh well. He's gonna bring it to the Haymarket ride tonite and I'll have three bikes to clean (mtn from Mon, Crosshairs yesterday, and the FTB from tonite)

Got my training plan all worked out till April, and the basics roughed in to the Hilly Billy Roubaix at the end of June. Now to be able to actually RIDE said training plan without killing myself. There's lots of 4hr rides backed up by 3-3.5hr rides on the weekends.

M

[Aurelius]

So I spent part of yesterday trying to learn to climb steep hills on my 29er. Couldn't do it, though. In retrospect, I think I was getting bad advice: using the smallest gear in front combined with the largest gear in back made pedaling ridiculously easy, but it also caused the bike to wheelie uncontrollably, with an occasional loss of traction at the rear. The video below at the 1:22 mark shows a rider pedaling at a much slower cadence than I was, but both wheels remain firmly planted.

[Gummee!]

AG2R has a sense of humor


M

[mud]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

So I spent part of yesterday trying to learn to climb steep hills on my 29er. Couldn't do it, though. In retrospect, I think I was getting bad advice: using the smallest gear in front combined with the largest gear in back made pedaling ridiculously easy, but it also caused the bike to wheelie uncontrollably, with an occasional loss of traction at the rear. The video below at the 1:22 mark shows a rider pedaling at a much slower cadence than I was, but both wheels remain firmly planted.

Yes, Using the granny gear really does take finesse. It is a fine balance between wheelie-ing and loosing traction. Trials REALLY helps with this one.

Practice, practice, practice......

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by mud

Yes, Using the granny gear really does take finesse. It is a fine balance between wheelie-ing and loosing traction. Trials REALLY helps with this one.

Practice, practice, practice......

Climbing steep hills on any mtn bike means putting your taint WAY up on the nose of the saddle and bringing your face right down towards the bar and 'rowing' your bike up the hill.

Rowing = pulling back and down to drive the rear wheel into the ground at the power portion of your pedal stroke. You still need to have a smooth pedal stroke or you'll break traction.

HTH

M

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by mud

Using the granny gear really does take finesse. It is a fine balance between wheelie-ing and loosing traction. Practice, practice, practice......

Agreed.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by mud

Yes, Using the granny gear really does take finesse. It is a fine balance between wheelie-ing and loosing traction. Trials REALLY helps with this one.

Practice, practice, practice......

Gotta replace my clipless pedals with a set of flats before I do any more climbing practice.

Also, what happens when you stall out on a steep climb? Once the bike is moving forward, traction isn't as big an issue, but trying to start from a dead stop on a hill just causes the rear wheel to spin.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by ducnut

Agreed.

I think the Vortex trail at Santos is unsafe. Lose control in some areas, and you could go home in a body bag.

[Chisenhallw]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Gotta replace my clipless pedals with a set of flats before I do any more climbing practice.

I don't know from mtn biking, but I use these on my Sirrus, and I find them very useful for intense urban cyclo-flogging.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Gotta replace my clipless pedals with a set of flats before I do any more climbing practice.

Leaving them on is how you're going to learn to quickly get out of them. I've only ever fallen over once, because I couldn't get unclipped. And, that was because I was unwilling to give up climbing the hill.

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Also, what happens when you stall out on a steep climb? Once the bike is moving forward, traction isn't as big an issue, but trying to start from a dead stop on a hill just causes the rear wheel to spin.

You walk it.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by ducnut

Leaving them on is how you're going to learn to quickly get out of them.

I can already unclip instantly without having to think about it. Flats would just give me a little more peace of mind, so I can concentrate on the task at hand.

You walk it.

That's cheating.