Dem bicicletas dos, doe.

[troyguitar]

Hmm, apparently I either went too far on my seat adjustments or my body needs time to get used to it. It felt good on the bike yesterday but today both of my knees hurt.

[troyguitar]

Hmm, apparently I either went too far on my seat adjustments or my body needs time to get used to it. It felt good on the bike yesterday but today both of my knees hurt.

Likely went too high.

Can you come close to locking your knees out at any point in the pedal stroke?

Not really close. I can still dip my ankles down way below level, but it is still probably too high somehow anyway. Not a big deal, the main thing is that it still feels better slammed all the way forward.

Yesterday I also finally found what I think is the right damn grommet for the rear shift cable too, so sometime next week I can put that on along with the 11-28 cassette and short cage derailleur to hopefully be "done" with mechanical stuff. Apparently Giant calls it a "rear derailleur chain stay cable stop for 16+ TCR/Defy Advanced" - with of course no mention of the Liv bikes.

[coogles]

5 weeks of “training” and my FTP went from 209 to 212.

I think my concern that the program spends too much time in zones 2 & 3 turned out to be valid. It calls for too few intervals in zones 4 & 5 and, even when it does, they’re too short. It’s hard to force adaptation that way.

I’m going to try two outdoor rides each week, totally ignoring my zones, with maybe one HIIT or climb workout on the Peloton sprinkled in and see how that goes, then retest in a few weeks.

[coogles]

5 weeks of “training” and my FTP went from 209 to 212.

I think my concern that the program spends too much time in zones 2 & 3 turned out to be valid. It calls for too few intervals in zones 4 & 5 and, even when it does, they’re too short. It’s hard to force adaptation that way.

I’m going to try two outdoor rides each week, totally ignoring my zones, with maybe one HIIT or climb workout on the Peloton sprinkled in and see how that goes, then retest in a few weeks.

Damn, was hoping to see more FTP gainz out of you.

I wonder if that program isn’t better suited for someone with zero muscle mass whatsoever.

So, I’ve found that I post the best FTP gainz by coupling real outdoor riding with the Peloton, saving the Peloton for HIIT/Tabata/Interval training. You just don’t usually get the long efforts needed to really build sustained power on the Peloton except for maybe the Jess King Sweat Steady classes (which are a lot tougher than you think).

But you still need the HIIT stuff to build short power, which is why it’s good to play real riding and Peloton riding against each other for collective gainz.

That’s the plan. I’d love to do TrainerRoad at some point, but I know will if I bring up a power meter and/or smart trainer.

I know what threshold feels like for me, I plan on doing most of my outdoor riding around that mark then, like you said, adding in the high intensity work on the Peloton.

[coogles]

I was looking at my last FTP test versus this one and noticed something rather interesting - my average resistance last time was 49%, this time it was only 47%, even though I averaged 10w more. (The 209w FTP was based on a HIIT class taken a couple weeks after that test). During most of the classes I felt most efficient with a cadence around 90 or slightly over, but to get to the output I needed today my cadence was pushing 100 for the entire ride. To keep that output but drop my cadence to around 90, the required increase in resistance was absolutely blowing up my legs. I think that further proves the point that these last 5 weeks spent too much time at outputs too low to make an impact on my FTP. My cardio improved, but my ability to handle higher resistance for longer periods of time may have actually gotten worse.

[D Griff]

5 weeks of “training” and my FTP went from 209 to 212.

I think my concern that the program spends too much time in zones 2 & 3 turned out to be valid. It calls for too few intervals in zones 4 & 5 and, even when it does, they’re too short. It’s hard to force adaptation that way.

I’m going to try two outdoor rides each week, totally ignoring my zones, with maybe one HIIT or climb workout on the Peloton sprinkled in and see how that goes, then retest in a few weeks.

At least it was a slight improvement, sounds like you have a good plan and are trying something different, that’s kind of all you can do.

FWIW, I think variety is a key component to growth. Mixing mountain biking on trails, long road rides, Peloton/HIIT training, even commuting (which for me is like +40 pounds) all together really send to help.

[D Griff]

I was pretty proud of my ride this morning, this was a timed event, I found a great group and sent it. I even pulled for 15-20 of the miles (only about five of us pulled in a group ranging from 10-30 people).

This was by far my fastest ride and also the longest I’ve ridden without stopping. I put down a foot only once at a stop sign with some car traffic.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[troyguitar]

Holy fuck.

[coogles]

I was pretty proud of my ride this morning, this was a timed event, I found a great group and sent it. I even pulled for 15-20 of the miles (only about five of us pulled in a group ranging from 10-30 people).

This was by far my fastest ride and also the longest I’ve ridden without stopping. I put down a foot only once at a stop sign with some car traffic.

[troyguitar]

I rode the Domane today for an "easy" 140 bpm 14 mph ride with a stop for a slice of pizza in the middle. It definitely confirmed my suspicion that the Langma handlebars are set too far away from me, so I'm grabbing a shorter stem. The aero handlebars have a super long 107mm reach which makes the 100mm stem seem like a ~130mm with normal bars...

annoyingly though I'll need to find another proprietary steerer spacer or trim a few mm off the top. At a glance I don't see any of these spacers available for sale.

Eventually I'll have this thing fully dialed in so I can do 17 mph in style.

[D Griff]

I rode the Domane today for an "easy" 140 bpm 14 mph ride with a stop for a slice of pizza in the middle. It definitely confirmed my suspicion that the Langma handlebars are set too far away from me, so I'm grabbing a shorter stem. The aero handlebars have a super long 107mm reach which makes the 100mm stem seem like a ~130mm with normal bars...

annoyingly though I'll need to find another proprietary steerer spacer or trim a few mm off the top. At a glance I don't see any of these spacers available for sale.

Eventually I'll have this thing fully dialed in so I can do 17 mph in style.

I saw you had a ride at almost 18 mph yesterday

[troyguitar]

I rode the Domane today for an "easy" 140 bpm 14 mph ride with a stop for a slice of pizza in the middle. It definitely confirmed my suspicion that the Langma handlebars are set too far away from me, so I'm grabbing a shorter stem. The aero handlebars have a super long 107mm reach which makes the 100mm stem seem like a ~130mm with normal bars...

annoyingly though I'll need to find another proprietary steerer spacer or trim a few mm off the top. At a glance I don't see any of these spacers available for sale.

Eventually I'll have this thing fully dialed in so I can do 17 mph in style.

I saw you had a ride at almost 18 mph yesterday

That was cheating a bit, I was mainly dodging pop-up thunderstorms but it also ended up being a route with no bridges (hills) and way fewer stops than anywhere else locally so far. There was one stretch with like 2 full miles without a stop.

So far I've gained some comfort but zero speed since July 2020, one month into riding.

[troyguitar]

Also, I'm pretty sure that the Langma would actually fit 32mm tires. I've got 7+mm of clearance everywhere with my 25's which are measuring 26mm wide on these 19mm internal

[D Griff]

That was cheating a bit, I was mainly dodging pop-up thunderstorms but it also ended up being a route with no bridges (hills) and way fewer stops than anywhere else locally so far. There was one stretch with like 2 full miles without a stop.

So far I've gained some comfort but zero speed since July 2020, one month into riding.

That’s not cheating, that’s just finding roads that aren’t stop and go.

When I ride truly in the city here it is like 14-15 mph average at best.

[D Griff]

That was cheating a bit, I was mainly dodging pop-up thunderstorms but it also ended up being a route with no bridges (hills) and way fewer stops than anywhere else locally so far. There was one stretch with like 2 full miles without a stop.

So far I've gained some comfort but zero speed since July 2020, one month into riding.

That’s not cheating, that’s just finding roads that aren’t stop and go.

When I ride truly in the city here it is like 14-15 mph average at best.

[troyguitar]

That was cheating a bit, I was mainly dodging pop-up thunderstorms but it also ended up being a route with no bridges (hills) and way fewer stops than anywhere else locally so far. There was one stretch with like 2 full miles without a stop.

So far I've gained some comfort but zero speed since July 2020, one month into riding.

That’s not cheating, that’s just finding roads that aren’t stop and go.

I mean it's not fair to compare speeds from slower routes and be like "I'm getting faster!" - I'm still as slow as ever.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the Langma would actually fit 32mm tires. I've got 7+mm of clearance everywhere with my 25's which are measuring 26mm wide on these 19mm internal

I feel like 28s are the sweet spot on a road only machine. Enough cushion to damp the vibes a bit but not so squishy they suck up your accelerations.

I'm fine with the 25s, especially since my are optimized for that size and crosswinds are already scary enough now.

If anything though I might consider putting some 32s on a different wheelset in the event of ever doing any unpaved stuff. Apparently some local shop guys have a group that drives inland somewhere to ride with the gators and get hassled by the local cro-MAGAnons. For now that has zero appeal but maybe some year I'll be bored of our little island and drive a car to ride my bike like y'all seem to enjoy.

[D Griff]

That’s not cheating, that’s just finding roads that aren’t stop and go.

I mean it's not fair to compare speeds from slower routes and be like "I'm getting faster!" - I'm still as slow as ever.

It's also not fair to constantly compare yourself to others who are riding in completely different conditions.

[troyguitar]

I mean it's not fair to compare speeds from slower routes and be like "I'm getting faster!" - I'm still as slow as ever.

It's also not fair to constantly compare yourself to others who are riding in completely different conditions.

I'm comparing myself to myself. In over a year of practice plus making significant improvements to the bike itself I have gone from busting ass to do 17 mph to... busting ass to do 17 mph.

Apparently a month of practice is all it takes to go from zero exercise for years straight to your maximum athletic potential.

[troyguitar]

Got the 20mm shorter stem on and the bike is way more comfortable.

After a short hard ride Monday, a longer recovery ride Tuesday, a rest day Wednesday with extra carb loading in the evening, a great night's sleep, and a super hard effort on a day with the best weather here I have ever seen plus the fewest stops on a route I have seen, I felt great on the bike and swore it was my best ride ever today...

But it was fucking 17 miles per hour. Again. Zero improvement no matter what.

Side note: 48 oz of water is nowhere near enough for 3 hours in 88F heat. [user not found] is not fucking human for being able to do 4+ hours in 90+ at 300+ watts with the same amount of water. That's not possible. My whole body was locking up and cramping as soon as I stopped at home.

[Johnny_P]

I bet you’d go faster on an e bike.

[troyguitar]

I bet you’d go faster on an e bike.

Guess I could also just buy a damn car. I hear those can do like 50+ mph.

[Desertbreh]

I bet you’d go faster on an e bike.

Stone cold. Some of those things move.

[Johnny_P]

I bet you’d go faster on an e bike.

Stone cold. Some of those things move.

I’ll probably get one pretty soon. For ice cream runs with the munchkin.

[Desertbreh]

Stone cold. Some of those things move.

I’ll probably get one pretty soon. For ice cream runs with the munchkin.

I wrote a couple of posts about being annoyed by some douchenozzle piloting his E-bike around our HOA complex, but the truth is he was having a great time.

[Johnny_P]

I’ll probably get one pretty soon. For ice cream runs with the munchkin.

I wrote a couple of posts about being annoyed by some douchenozzle piloting his E-bike around our HOA complex, but the truth is he was having a great time.

You can rent them in the public bike share docks we have all over the city. They’re fun as hell.