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The Bicycling thread

My first MB was a Shogun, maybe 1988? Might have been heavy, but could take some serious beatings without suspension
 
My first MB was a Shogun, maybe 1988? Might have been heavy, but could take some serious beatings without suspension

I think it was $400.00 back then. That is a current picture. I need something with some sort of suspension....... and maybe a battery?:brow
OM
 
I'm not a morning person but Michelle talked me into getting up before the crack of dawn and riding to the lake to see the sunrise. Just an easy 26 miles total - but we were back home before 7am! It was nice and cool, too. Maybe there is something to this waking up early thing...

Sunrise2.jpg
 
In the picture above, you can see the Niterider Lumina light on Michelle's bike. I have to mount them on the fork if I don't want them to interfere with the wireless bike computers. I forgot to mention that. Some computers are OK, some aren't. Somebody didn't address EMI properly.
 
but Michelle talked me into getting up before the crack of dawn and riding to the lake to see the sunrise.

In 43 years Debbie has never suggested getting up early to see the sunrise :)

1983 somewhere out west.
1983_0004.jpg
 
Do you really need suspension? Where will you rode?

Too many years of being tumble dried :) has me needing more comfort. As you can see from the picture, I added a suspension seat-post. A bit better but also a bit taller.
Just so the bumps run up my spine.
OM
 
Too many years of being tumble dried :) has me needing more comfort. As you can see from the picture, I added a suspension seat-post. A bit better but also a bit taller.
Just so the bumps run up my spine.
OM

Old-school mainstream chromoly frames were tough but not very forgiving, usually offering a harsh ride. There have been some major leaps in frame design and materials since 1983.

If you are primarily riding pavement and/or hard-packed trails (eg crushed gravel), you should be able to get away with a modern frame designed to absorb and dissipate bumps without transmitting all the energy to the rider. Yes, suspension shocks like seen on mountain bikes can do that, but they add a lot of unnecessary weight and complexity. :thumb
 
In 43 years Debbie has never suggested getting up early to see the sunrise :)

Ha! I feel a lot of empathy with how I THINK she feels in that picture. :)

We're the folks that wake up on the last day of a rally and all of the tents around us are gone.
 
We're the folks that wake up on the last day of a rally and all of the tents around us are gone.

I'm rarely an early riser, but yesterday, before my ride home on my annual run to the Kootenays, I was up at 5:15 local time, rolling at 5:45, and on the Galena Bay ferry at 6:30 (I was on Alberta time, so it wasn't quite as bad).

That put me back in Calgary at 2:30, time enough to sit in the back yard and have a drink with the lady in my life. The early start gave me a jump on the horrendous weekend traffic. The pack east of the Banff Park gate was rolling at 140 km. ;)

So this morning I got up at 9. :)
 
Discussion topic: Clips or clipless pedals? Dedicated bike shoes or sneakers?

Here is a video that cites some research that dispels at least some of the 'efficiency' myth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEaN9FKGLE

I know we chatted about Speedplay pedals earlier and I have a few more observations after messing with Michelle's cleat position. I've noticed that she tends to ride toe down and her right knee tracks away from the bike frame at the top of the pedal stroke. She also may not be able to rotate her pelvis for some reason so she tends to round her back as the rides get longer. Sometimes she complains that she has some tightness in her lower back on the right side after a hilly ride.

Now keep in mind that I'm not talking about gigantic issues. These are little issues that, if we could correct them, may just make her cycling a little more enjoyable and allow her to be a little more powerful/faster. So I have been watching videos about bike fitting: particularly cleat position. My theory is that the following could help her: 1) she may have a leg length discrepancy, 2) she could benefit from using shorter cranks, 3) normal bike Q-factor (distance between the pedals) is just too wide for her. Except for the leg length thing, these are pretty expensive fixes. She is already on the shortest cranks I could easily get (165mm). I've also made that issue worse by moving her cleats back as far as I possibly can. Speedplay also allows the cleats to be moved left/right so I've moved them as close to the bike as possible to reduce Q-factor. I've also lowered her saddle to compensate for moving the cleats rearward.

I've also moved my cleats back and lowered my seat in an effort to engage my hamstrings a little more. Just a little experiment. I didn't experience any discomfort with the previous position.

Clipless pedals seem to make everything more expensive when adjusting for your body position. I don't know anyone that rides 'seriously' (meaning road/gravel, not mtb) with flat pedals so I don't know if the ability to move your foot around is 'better' for reducing niggling aches and pains.

Do any of you have experience with any of this? I'm interested in your thoughts.
 
Do any of you have experience with any of this? I'm interested in your thoughts.

Well, this is good news. I have Looks on my bikes and, after a couple of falls, I'm scared of them. I'm thinking of going back to cages.
 
Here is a video that cites some research that dispels at least some of the 'efficiency' myth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEaN9FKGLE

I.

Interesting.
I use cycling shoes or cycling sandals with toeclips and straps.
Without cycling footwear my feet hurt on long rides. I need stiff soles. Same thing when I was working, I had to wear good quality pack packing boots to keep my feet happy.
Both of us lift our feet without thinking. We rented bikes once with flats and both of us had problems so we went back and found a couple bikes with toeclips.
I also noticed I ride slightly toe down. Never asked anyone if this is bad. The toe down is a problem without toe clips.

I could learn a lot riding with you a week, but hate to see how much money I would spend after that week :)
 
Kurt I can’t spool the video because I’m in a remote area. But a couple comments:

1) I ride on 155cm cranks. Even shorter cranks are available (see eg Cobb Cycling, Rotor). Almost EVERYBODY would benefit from using shorter cranks than what is usually provided on a stock bike;

2) Speedplay has an optional extension plate that allows the cleat position to be shifted farther back. I use these. They don’t get me as far back as I’d like to be, but they do help. The only way I know of to move farther back and still be clipped in is to purchase some very expensive custom riding shoes.

3) I have mentioned the Shimano SPD A530 pedals here before (now superseded by a new model.) They allow a rider to pedal unclipped on a flat side, or clipped on the opposite side. I put tens of thousands of miles on these pedals, almost half of which were unclipped (recovering from various foot surgeries). Unclipped was definitely more comfortable, because I could center the pedal under the arch of my foot which is a much more natural position. But clipped in was more powerful, especially in steep hills when cadence slows. But I managed very nicely to maintain pace without being clipped in. The penalty was not huge.

4) My ideal pedal would be similar to the Shimano SPD A530, but with a clipped-in position farther aft on the foot. The ability to wear riding shoes that you can also walk around in very comfortably when off the bike is a high priority for me. Unfortunately, my current Speedplay arrangement fails in this respect.
 
Thanks for the comments and discussion!

Lee, I don't think that toe down is necessarily bad BUT, it may be an indication of other fit issues - maybe the seat is too high or a leg is too long so you tend to 'toe down' to prevent rocking. I do think that the more neutral rider can put out a bit more power.

Vark, you have mentioned this stuff before - but I wasn't ready to 'receive'. Now I understand a little more about where you are coming from. There is another video on youtube by Cam Nichols, an Aussie, who does interviews with a really awesome bike fitter. He pretty much made the same points as you. He also uses the speedplay adjustment plate that moves the cleat rearward. His opinion is that everyone short of world class sprinters and track cyclists would benefit from moving their cleats back. He also says that most everyone (>50%) he works with gets a shim under one shoe. He also put Cam on shorter cranks.

I always tried to get the old 'pedal spindle under knee at 90 degrees' - which is a starting point, maybe. Now I see that there is much more to it.

For Rinty and Lee, when it comes to clipless, I just don't really know any better. My first mountain bike came with SPD pedals and I had no idea how to use them - but I got a pair of cheap shimano shoes that fit me and mounted the cleats and was off to the races. I was into technical eastcoast single track with a lot of climbing. My experienced buddies didn't wait around - so I learned to clip in/out under duress. There were some very sketchy exits! That experience made using clipless on the road seem so easy that I didn't even think about it: just started using mtb SPD on the road. When I started riding with roadies, I saw that they actually used road bike pedals and the shoes were lighter, so I made the switch. I really wouldn't consider not using clipless now. I don't even think about clipping in/out. So Rinty, maybe try a different system - specifically the SPD pedal that Vark suggested. Lee, maybe give it a try. SPD on the road is fine - and touring shoes (or light mtb shoes) make it easy to walk in.

Lastly, for your entertainment, I present you you my Imelda Marcos worthy collection of cycling footwear:

CyclingShoes.jpg

The only ones I haven't worn this year are the SIDIs on the far left. They are triathlon shoes that I raced in a lot but I perfer the 3 strap or ratchet systems more. The grey/blue ones next to them are 20 year old Genius 3s which are my absolute favorite shoes. I wonder how many miles are on them. They are now my trainer shoes and have been replaced with the orange ones on the far right.

Michelle just walked in as I was posting this and started laughing at me. I'm pretty sure she has more cycling shoes than I do.
 
Vark,

I also meant to ask, what kind of cranks are you using?

Michelle is using Shimano Ultegra and, unfortunately, her power meter is located in the left crank arm. This is going to be super expensive to replace.

I have 3 different crank lengths: 175 on trainer, 172.5 on road/gravel, 170 on fixed gear. I do notice a little difference when going from trainer to fixed, but adjust quickly. 170 seems like I'm spinning a lot, 175 feels like I have a long lever and can put down the torque. 172.5 feels great to me. I have a 33" inseam. I don't have any pain from any of those lengths. I do adjust my seat high to compensate for the crank length.
 
Vark,

I also meant to ask, what kind of cranks are you using?

Michelle is using Shimano Ultegra and, unfortunately, her power meter is located in the left crank arm. This is going to be super expensive to replace.

I have 3 different crank lengths: 175 on trainer, 172.5 on road/gravel, 170 on fixed gear. I do notice a little difference when going from trainer to fixed, but adjust quickly. 170 seems like I'm spinning a lot, 175 feels like I have a long lever and can put down the torque. 172.5 feels great to me. I have a 33" inseam. I don't have any pain from any of those lengths. I do adjust my seat high to compensate for the crank length.


I am currently using a very inexpensive compact crankset by Cobb cycling, made in Taiwan. No power meter option (I’ve never used a powermeter.) If she needs a powermeter option, Rotor would be a good pick.

My first road bike had 172.5 crankset. A riding buddy’s roadbike had same crankset length. He has a 34.5” inseam. I have a 28” inseam. But the manufacturers spec-ed same crank length for two completely different sized bikes. Makes no sense, except to cut costs and save money. Very similar to the limited gear ratio offerings (“transmissions”) for human “engines” of vastly different strength.

With shorter cranks you will spin faster on average, which for practically everyone is a good thing. But ideally the rest of the drivetrain is adjusted so that it is properly matched. Smaller chainrings in particular complement shorter crank arms nicely.
 
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