I do. My first bike computer had less than 10 functions or so. A Cateye from the 90’s. Cadence and heart sensors came much later (around 2010). For a time, I used a Garmin Dakota 20 for mapping and GPS tracking (I lost most of those files in an HDD disaster). Since 2018 I use a Bryton 530. It doesn’t have maps and its navigation feature guarantees a 50% chance of taking the wrong turn in every intersection. I’ve never used a power meter (too expensive).
I think it is a fun way to keep track of your rides, but I don’t use it for training because I just ride my bike, I never train anything.
I’m not 100% sure but I think I read you years ago that you didn’t want to check your speed or performance while riding, but after the ride, so you just recorded it on Strava with the phone in your pocket.
Well, all these things expand your cycling experience. I guess that a purist or a fundamentalist should ditch all this technological nonsense and focus on pedaling everywhere and as much as possible. But for most people it’s nice to have that additional data, and for the very enthusiastic it does have some value. One training approach focuses on “heart rate zones”, for example. Also, as you age, or if you have a heart condition, you want to monitor a bit what’s the stress you’re putting on it. You say you know that if your HR would be too high you would know, but you really don’t know the numbers, and you cannot talk to a cardiologist about it providing factual data.
Sure, but, if I die riding my bike due to my eschewing rad technologies, people can say I died doing what I loved.
OR,
I already know I’m such a fucking dunce about charging my phone or lights as it is, a computer would be just one more useless brick more often than not.
Bike computer, yes. Always. Heart rate monitor, not always. When I was training hard a few years back, I wouldnt leave the house without the HR, but now I only wear it on training rides.
I sometimes like to see the efforts compared to before and see how much I suck now.
Years ago? I can’t recall what I posted a month ago! It’s all a blur. But I do remember the problem I once raised about my cellphone running out of juice due to Strava use, and someone suggested that I switch to a bike computer. Haven’t done it yet.
Was a bitch to get the old tires off and also a bitch to put on the new
But man I don’t know how Joe made it to Sausalito on those rotted tires
He said he got the bike at a yard sale in 2002 which was 20 years ago and the bike was old then so possibly the bike is 30 years old who knows and the tires have never been changed but they stayed together for 30 years of course you know he doesn’t ride a lot. I wonder if in the whole 30 years that things been more than 1000 miles
Not bad two tires and two tubes for 60 bucks
Looks good too
These are hybrid not road tires so should be better for the riding we do around here which is road and mild trails
Frankly, I’m pretty amazed at myself in the progress that I’ve made in a just a few rides
today I went to see the doc
She did not seem overly concerned when I told her that I was generally running about 80 to 90 bpm during the course of my day and my resting heart rate is under 60 but my walking heart rate is like 110 to 120. She didn’t seem overly concerned, even when I told her that when I’m cycling, and I recently took up cycling my range is like from 90 to 190 and averaging around 130 or 140 or so she didn’t seem to be overly concerned. However, she did set up an appointment for me with the cardiologist to get another EKG to make sure everything was ticking properly
So on the strength of that and the fact that she said, I needed to generally exercise a lot more and lose weight. I decided to go on a bike ride today after my doctor visit, and I made it a longer than usual ride so I rode over to the mid span of the Golden Gate bridge and back a distance each way of about 6 1/2 miles with an elevation gain of about 500 feet or so I averaged about 5 1/2 mph only and a lot of the Steep sections I had to walk the bike and that’s fine because it’s good to walk anyway Walking is also good exercise
Because San Francisco is so hilly I need in general to plan out the route so that I don’t hit nothing but hills and don’t have enough down hills to kind of cool off so I basically took 41st Ave over to the Golden Gate park and then cycle through the park to 30th Ave. 30th Ave. has several steep climbs to the top
but once you’re on the top it’s a nice downhill for a while until you reach the main climb up on the road just before the golden gate bridge that’s quite a steep climb up so I have to walk that sector
It was a Monday today late afternoon and I was surprised how few people were on the road. The roads just seem to be very quiet today. Not much traffic not much of anything on the roads. The roads were quite empty today felt little strange major city, hardly any traffic and it’s really only about 7 o’clock in the evening. It should be busting with people and cats but it wasn’t.
Took some vids but there were high winds so the sound quality is crap
There are some people even when old they can hit high heart rates.
I know someone who has max 230 even in his end 30thies and averages 180 or so for 5-6 hours…
Just walking gets him to 130.
The more you train the lower your heart rate. And max may fall a bit too.
I can sometimes hit 200 if I I was lazy for some months. But well in shape I cannot get over 192-193 and during my peak in form times it will drop to 188-189.
Also my anaerobic border drops down by 6-7 beats. Most elite endurance athletes have really low heart beats . That’s when you cycle at 4w/kg with a pro and he is in his zone 2 with 110 heart beat while you are around 180 hitting FTP 60. My anomaly is that I can go 1 hour at -12 bets or so from max heart rate or minus 10 for 30 minutes
Oh yeah - and a lot of quick progress is actually just your body learning to keeep goind when stressed and your muscles getting used to cycling.
e.g. if I go to Himalaya for 3-4 weks fastpacking - then I need 2-3 rides to get my power on my bike back - even tough my fitness is better than before going to Himalaya (if I stay in Eeurope or Taiwan I will always ride a bit - so the effect isn’t big). I need to bike at last 180 minutes per week - to be able to converet my endurance onto the bicycle.
So if you start out a lot is just muscle adaption to the sport. Then progres gets slower - and I think within 2-3 months of heavy heavy training regime (with enough rest of course) you can get to 80-85% of your potential. Then progress really tapers off and it takes years to improve (if you cannot up the intensity - bcause you are training already 20 hours per week or so).
So enjoy it while the improvement lasts! Then once you not your not improving anymore try group rides or similar to keep the motivation going. Well some people prefer riding alone too. If it isn’t hard to motivate yourself to go riding - then just do as you like. The main reason for group rides besides them usually being way more interval like vs continous steady (which has a higher training efficiency per hour - but for really high levels you need both) is to get your ass out of your couch. Your friends are waiting, so ride with them. Taiwan is awesome for group rides - so many in all big cities with many different speeds. Don’t know any country where group rides vs training in small groups or alone (up to 5 people) is as popular.
Oh and there is this as a beginner don’t go too hard, build your base fitness first. I call that BS. The main reason for that is that if you go hard it maybe easier to get injured (not likely on a road bike) and that it’s easier to overtrain and then lead to a crash (either actual fitness or just in motivation). Being a weekend warrior is fine. Being a holiday warrior with no build up before is not (that certainly leads to overtraining if you go hard for one week. Those more lifestyle/wellness type 1 week bike holidays are fine. Joining anything resembling a training camp without thousands of miles in last 12 months is stupid. Or joining a 1 week Fondo/race. In MTB this is much more problematic however. It’s why 1 week MTB races often have 1/3 of participants ending up in hospital. No kidding. Remember participating in Trans Savoie with 150 participants and first day had already 4 helicopter rescues and 20 people or so ending up in hospital. The next 5 days would just double this).
Can you help?
Heard of a route in the south that is referred to as the white snake road but I am struggling to find it with google. If you know of it, please reply with a Pin
Been trying to do as much elevation gain in the shortest distance for the past few weeks and in terms of riding quality, it’s top notch since roads are empty and I stay cool. In terms of fun…I would say it’s not that fun, but hitting that 2k elevation gain is beyond satisfying.
Xi Wan Road is still one of my favorite climbs to ascend and descend. I’ve been lucky that it’s been overcast the past few Sundays. Otherwise, it’s an oven out there.
