Dem bicicletas, doe

[troyguitar]

Ahh there you go, that's the HR range I basically ran in 6-7 days a week and expected I would want to ride in the same way. Apparently y'all are just really fucking fit though and can sustain that for hours? 40 or so minutes of that and I'm done for the day.

There's a reason they call me a cyborg.

I guess I used to be able to do that when I wasn't lazy. 2 hours at 165 bpm was my longest run before I hurt myself... not in a long run but in a fucking 1 mile race, running at 4:20 pace when I had never run faster than like 5:35 before because I was hanging with the leaders.

This is perhaps illustrating exactly how far out of shape I have gotten despite not looking that much different at a glance.

[Johnny_P]

Honestly if you want the most massles just do hill repeats for 30-45 mins.

I've no interest in gaining size, just burning enough calories to eat/drink whatever I want while staying lean - and doing so with the smallest time investment possible without the pain of running. 5 lbs of muscle mass would be nice, more than that I don't really want.

Cycling may be too efficient a means of transportation. Rowing could be better for that and is still zero impact. A lot of the skinny frame comes from long ass rides.

[troyguitar]

I've no interest in gaining size, just burning enough calories to eat/drink whatever I want while staying lean - and doing so with the smallest time investment possible without the pain of running. 5 lbs of muscle mass would be nice, more than that I don't really want.

Cycling may be too efficient a means of transportation. Rowing could be better for that and is still zero impact. A lot of the skinny frame comes from long ass rides.

Could be. I know that an elliptical or rowing machine would be the absolute best answer but god damn are they boring - maybe for the winter. I'll need to decide relatively soon what to do for the winter: elliptical, rowing machine, exercise bike, or some kind of trainer for my real bike.

I'm kind of hoping that my poor diet keeps me from really building significant muscle mass despite my "short" 45 minute rides.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Cycling may be too efficient a means of transportation. Rowing could be better for that and is still zero impact. A lot of the skinny frame comes from long ass rides.

Could be. I know that an elliptical or rowing machine would be the absolute best answer but god damn are they boring - maybe for the winter. I'll need to decide relatively soon what to do for the winter: elliptical, rowing machine, exercise bike, or some kind of trainer for my real bike.

I'm kind of hoping that my poor diet keeps me from really building significant muscle mass despite my "short" 45 minute rides.

I've got a buddy that build a poverty Peloton by buying a simple trainer for his road bike and put it in front of a TV on the wall. There's a bunch of ride videos he watches on YouTube, and that's how he does the winter. I might do that myself for the winter. Looks 5/7

[troyguitar]

I've no interest in gaining size, just burning enough calories to eat/drink whatever I want while staying lean - and doing so with the smallest time investment possible without the pain of running. 5 lbs of muscle mass would be nice, more than that I don't really want.

Intervals workouts will jump start your metabolism, the long rides at a lower heart rate will actually burn fat.

So, essentially hill repeats every other day with one long ride a week.

Cut out processed carbs, focus on lean brotein, and clean up your diet. More fruits and veggies. I've cut 20-25 lbs over the last year.

Look into a Wahoo Kickr and Zwift for the winter.

I've been reading about Zwift and it seems

Those damn trainers cost more than my bike and I'm if they even work with my 8-speed Claris shit.

[Apex]

Well, that's short for me. If I'm looking to just go all out for 30-45 mins, that's what the Peloton is for. I've certainly gone out and done a 8-10/10 in effort for 2 hours, though.

For me it's a good opportunity to clear my mind, see the sights, have some fun, get fit, and burn calories.

Cycling in general is more than just getting out and going fast. Going fast is just a byproduct.

It would be hard to max yourself out on the actual bike for 30-45. Between cars and stop signs and lights.

needs a velodrome.

[troyguitar]

It would be hard to max yourself out on the actual bike for 30-45. Between cars and stop signs and lights.

needs a velodrome.

[troyguitar]

Well, something got a lot better today. Some combo of continuing to fuck with the bike setup, changing riding strategy, and maybe starting to see some slight fitness improvements.

Last night I was taking a closer look at geometry stuff and found that if I flipped my stem back over to the "right" way (angled down) and dropped it as low as it can go then I'd be pretty darn close to the geometry of an endurance bike like the Domane/Defy so I went ahead and tried it. The bars are now about 40mm lower and probably 15-20mm further away. Testing it that way today felt good, yet sitting on bikes like that 2 weeks ago felt super uncomfortable. I'm if I even need/want the longer stem now but it was too late to cancel the order so I'll probably try it anyway - likely answer is I'll end up wanting something between the current 80mm and the incoming 110mm. Should have bought a 100 instead.

Today I also rode what felt like WAY easier/slower, never pedaling really hard except for coming home up the hill. Despite feeling slow, I was actually faster on one segment and only 0.2 mph slower over the whole loop - plus shaved almost 3 full minutes off the door to door time from only stopping for 1 minute to drink vs 3-5 minutes to drink and catch my breath. I might be able to get away with not stopping at all.

[troyguitar]

Is there an easy way to swap/eliminate the now 50mm of tube and spacers sticking out over the stem? It seems like a good way to break some teeth.

[troyguitar]

Well, something got a lot better today. Some combo of continuing to fuck with the bike setup, changing riding strategy, and maybe starting to see some slight fitness improvements.

Last night I was taking a closer look at geometry stuff and found that if I flipped my stem back over to the "right" way (angled down) and dropped it as low as it can go then I'd be pretty darn close to the geometry of an endurance bike like the Domane/Defy so I went ahead and tried it. The bars are now about 40mm lower and probably 15-20mm further away. Testing it that way today felt good, yet sitting on bikes like that 2 weeks ago felt super uncomfortable. I'm if I even need/want the longer stem now but it was too late to cancel the order so I'll probably try it anyway - likely answer is I'll end up wanting something between the current 80mm and the incoming 110mm. Should have bought a 100 instead.

Today I also rode what felt like WAY easier/slower, never pedaling really hard except for coming home up the hill. Despite feeling slow, I was actually faster on one segment and only 0.2 mph slower over the whole loop - plus shaved almost 3 full minutes off the door to door time from only stopping for 1 minute to drink vs 3-5 minutes to drink and catch my breath. I might be able to get away with not stopping at all.

Funny, I was actually going to suggest that you SLAM THAT STEM - glad you discovered it on your own.

It’ll get you down lower, stretch your reach out a bit, and help stability at speed.

As far as cutting the steerer tube - is it steel or aluminum?

Yeah I figured I might as well try the bars both all the way up and all the way down. Took about 100 miles on the bike for all the way down to feel the best... I'm really glad I didn't buy one of those upright flat bar bikes since they felt better at first, only to outgrow it within 2 weeks. Now I'm thinking about returning that 110mm 7 degree stem as soon as it arrives and instead grabbing a 100mm 17 degree one (I'm at 80mm 7 degree stock, most off the rack stuff my size is more like 90-100mm) to try moving everything just a little bit lower and further out. Worst case I flip it over or space it up a tad to get in between where I am now and where it ends up when slammed. That seems like it ought to get me right where I want to be ergonomically.

The tube is aluminum, I wasn't sure if they were integral to the forks but it looks like they are - so the only way to get it lower is to cut it. how I feel about that at this point. I'd like to be able to throw everything back to stock if/when I buy something more

[troyguitar]

Yeah I figured I might as well try the bars both all the way up and all the way down. Took about 100 miles on the bike for all the way down to feel the best... I'm really glad I didn't buy one of those upright flat bar bikes since they felt better at first, only to outgrow it within 2 weeks. Now I'm thinking about returning that 110mm 7 degree stem as soon as it arrives and instead grabbing a 100mm 17 degree one (I'm at 80mm 7 degree stock, most off the rack stuff my size is more like 90-100mm) to try moving everything just a little bit lower and further out. Worst case I flip it over or space it up a tad to get in between where I am now and where it ends up when slammed. That seems like it ought to get me right where I want to be ergonomically.

The tube is aluminum, I wasn't sure if they were integral to the forks but it looks like they are - so the only way to get it lower is to cut it. how I feel about that at this point. I'd like to be able to throw everything back to stock if/when I buy something more

Hey, so... we were

has seen the light!



17 degree might be a bit low, but would be about level. Don't cut your steerer until you've tried it out. Any idea what your headtube angle is?

Here's a tool for playing with stem size and angle: http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php

Also, here's a good site for dealing with threadless steerers: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-he ... and-sizing

I'm at 72.0 degrees so a 17 would still be one degree over level. My frame is the "55cm" size here:



That tool is nice, saves time doing all the damn - though I was close with my eyeballing it, the change from last night was to go 15mm out and 48mm down.

It seems like the 100mm or maybe 90mm 17 degree is about what I want. With the 100 slammed it would be 22mm further out and 13mm lower than current, and spacing it up 10mm ends up only 19mm further and 4mm lower, the 90 being even closer. Either way, that 110 +7 isn't going to be the answer so it'll be returned.

[Johnny_P]

Mark it, take the fork off, and hacksaw it giving a hair more room on top so that way you put a spacer above the stem and can always move it up that one little bit. Don't worry about resale being affected, it won't matter to anyone.

If your only goal is to be faster on the road, the next thing you should do is get slick road tires for it. 28-30mm tires with appropriately sized tubes. Continental GP5000 or something. 28s will feel rough on a gravel path. 32s will handle it decently well.

[troyguitar]

Mark it, take the fork off, and hacksaw it giving a hair more room on top so that way you put a spacer above the stem and can always move it up that one little bit. Don't worry about resale being affected, it won't matter to anyone.

If your only goal is to be faster on the road, the next thing you should do is get slick road tires for it. 28-30mm tires with appropriately sized tubes. Continental GP5000 or something. 28s will feel rough on a gravel path. 32s will handle it decently well.

I still want to try offroad shit eventually, the problem is that right now the ride to the trails and back is as far as I am really comfortable riding. I'll get there soon and at that point will re-assess what I really want for tires.

I've thought that a good middle of the road option (cheap, too, at $38 a tire and no tubes) might be the 35mm Panaracer Gravelking SK's, supposedly they measure 38mm mounted but roll well on pavement, can run tubeless, and only weigh 380g each vs my current Nano's which are 550g each plus a 150g+ tube... would drop like 1.25 lbs of rotating mass at the very end of the and reduce rolling resistance while still offering decent offroad capabilities as far as I can tell... but that's relying 100% on internet reviews.

Also, fun fact: The offroad trails near here are in an area that is full of hunters in the fall or whenever the hell the hunting season happens... can only ride out there safely when it's not season.

[Johnny_P]

Gravel kings are supposedly good but they’re an old tire now. I think the Nanos roll really well actually. They’re a great multi use tire and are really popular with the gravel and mixed surface crowds while still being knobby and burly enough to tackle mountain bike trails. But tire preferences are very personal.

[fledonfoot]

Troy:

I approve of how you've gone with this.

[Apex]

Troy:

I approve of how you've gone with this.

That’s saying something coming from you.

[troyguitar]

Do or do not, bros.

45 mins a day seems like only dipping my toes in the water when the least serious riders here all do 2+ hrs at a time NFG.

[Johnny_P]

Wiss braps. I'm fucking beat. 20 miles of MTB trails.

I need a new mountain bike. I couldn't feel my hands at the end of the ride.

[troyguitar]

Wiss braps. I'm fucking beat. 20 miles of MTB trails.

I need a new mountain bike. I couldn't feel my hands at the end of the ride.

What's the Rav4 hybrid of MTB?

[Johnny_P]

Wiss braps. I'm fucking beat. 20 miles of MTB trails.

I need a new mountain bike. I couldn't feel my hands at the end of the ride.

What's the Rav4 hybrid of MTB?

An ebike?

This is what I want.

https://www.pivotcycles.com/en/bike-mach-55-carbon-1

Way too fucking expensive tho. I should check out a Trance. Still haven't done that.

[troyguitar]

What's the Rav4 hybrid of MTB?

An ebike?

This is what I want.

https://www.pivotcycles.com/en/bike-mach-55-carbon-1

Way too fucking expensive tho. I should check out a Trance. Still haven't done that.

You deserve it.

I think that I have sold myself on the big tire "gravel bike" thing at this point, leaving me wanting a Giant Revolt of some kind - likely the 1x in purple. Maaaaybe grab a set of road wheels+tires if I start doing group rides on the road but otherwise

...but really my bike is 98% as good as that for 20% of the money now that I'm dialing in the fit.

I put a $37 ebay carbon seatpost on today just to try for and you really can feel the thing flex like a suspension. It's weird but might be a good thing.

[Johnny_P]

An ebike?

This is what I want.

https://www.pivotcycles.com/en/bike-mach-55-carbon-1

Way too fucking expensive tho. I should check out a Trance. Still haven't done that.

You deserve it.

I think that I have sold myself on the big tire "gravel bike" thing at this point, leaving me wanting a Giant Revolt of some kind - likely the 1x in purple. Maaaaybe grab a set of road wheels+tires if I start doing group rides on the road but otherwise

...but really my bike is 98% as good as that for 20% of the money now that I'm dialing in the fit.

I put a $37 ebay carbon seatpost on today just to try for and you really can feel the thing flex like a suspension. It's weird but might be a good thing.

Yeah that should help. I like the Giant Revolt. Seems like an excellent package.

I don't think I deserve anything good right now. I'm trying hard but I'm starting to get really depressed.

[troyguitar]

Well that was weird. I doubled my distance today and still went the same speed on the regular open road segments, and don't feel much if any more tired - except for some tingling/numbness in my hands over the last third of the ride. I still need to find the heart rate monitor but this is promising.

Are the bigger 31.8mm handlebars bigger in the sections that you hold in addition to the main flat section or are they tapered down to 26mm in the drops? The drop part of my bars doesn't seem ergonomic at all, it's curved almost backward so that my hand hits the bar only on the outside edges instead of across the whole palm.

[Johnny_P]

Well that was weird. I doubled my distance today and still went the same speed on the regular open road segments, and don't feel much if any more tired - except for some tingling/numbness in my hands over the last third of the ride. I still need to find the heart rate monitor but this is promising.

Are the bigger 31.8mm handlebars bigger in the sections that you hold in addition to the main flat section or are they tapered down to 26mm in the drops? The drop part of my bars doesn't seem ergonomic at all, it's curved almost backward so that my hand hits the bar only on the outside edges instead of across the whole palm.

They usually taper down. You could go with a thicker bar wrap if you need more girth. Play around with the positioning of the handlebars, change the angle etc. You can also change the angle of the shifters by moving them up or down on the curve.

You can't do much to curb the grip thing though. Gripping the drops is like that. You could get a bar with a different or "ergo" shape. They have a flat or sometimes bump up portion on the drops instead of just being a constant curve so more of your palm is in contact.

[troyguitar]

Wait you can move the shifters down? That would be great. There is a comfortable spot for me on the drops but I can't reach the shifters from there so I don't like using it much.