All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

New saddle thanks to @RockiesTaco! Even matches the gray accessories I’ve got going on. On initial sitting, the seat definitely feels better than the specialized one. Haven’t had anything but rain lately so no real testing can be done yet.

 

I had 27”5 on my Bronson and I loved it, it was sooo friendly climbing up and easy to move around. I had 29ers on my old bike I felt pretty tall but I wasn’t worried about ground clearance since I just rolled over everything. They’re kinda hard to turned first two rides then they got a lot easier “ background “ I used to ride a lot of motorcycle I could never flat foot on both feet’s , always a butt cheek off hahaha!

 

I will look into correcting the zones. I'm not exactly well educated on the details of this; part of me is wondering if the one I posted is more of an outlier because of the type of riding, it was sprinting and resting repeatedly - rather than any sustained efforts.

 

Tell me more about this Ticklr Chest Strap, could bring a whole new level of enjoyment to rides.

Those zones align with what I have seen too.

 

I think my typo added L makes the name so much better! ROFL.

 

I think this is something that's been lost in the past 5-10 years, or maybe a bit more. With all the technology and the access to technology, even some random Joe Schmo who just wants to run for a mile after work every day has the tracking, metrics, biometrics, etc that only the professionals had even just 10 years ago. Quick Google shows Fitbit started around 2014, so yeah, only 10 years ago it was not under the microscope that every amateur and rookie has now.

It's not as good as a lab - but really, does it need to be, and I think that's the point of it. It's like that quote about jokes - explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog, you understand it more but the frog dies in the end.

Yeah but it tickles yo....I ain't going there today, nevermind.

 

This is also a good point. You can definitely end up with analysis paralysis. In reality most people are best served through consistent and thoughtful training/recovery as opposed to inconsistent training where they are trying to eek marginal gains out of each effort.

 

Any tips on getting the air can off a rockshox monarch? I could only get the outer sleeve off and then couldn’t get enough leverage to twist the rest of the air can off.

 

Absolutely. We have so much access to so much data, we all tend to get hung up on the details and miss the bigger picture - as well as being honest with ourselves about the actual objective.

Strava is a great example. How many people became Stravassholes chasing some stupid gold trophy icon on their Strava feed? Especially when the dude got a bike to lose some weight and spend more time outdoors. Now they're "training" like their title is on the line.

IMHO, the key takeaway with the heart rate monitor is "stay out of the red" - all the other nuances are interesting, but that one key point is really what the primary objective is.

 

I have to agree and disagree.

If my fat ass got on a road bike and saw that there's a 1 mile up hill stretch on a road that's a "segment" on strava, I'd have fun trying to get better and compete. But, there's a level of want to compete in there, and I have limits. I've ridden with some roadies before and they tend to be...I'll stop myself there before I offend anyone SO I see the benefit of it, I have seen people with shirts written on the back "58, diabetic, overweight, in front of you" and giggle. If that's what some people want for a fitness goal, go for it. I think there's some good coming of it, but ultimately - I do agree, even if Joe Schmo can do it faster than me, who cares? All I care about is that I did it faster this week than I did last week, and I can track that with ranger beads.

 

Yeah, I see your point. I too enjoy seeing my own personal improvements. I'm too old to care about getting a KOM, but seeing that I've improved in this or that segment is absolutely rewarding.

 

get a strap wrench with a rubber strap. Pretty commonly available at most hardware stores and whatnot

 

Let's go!!!!

Also, getting a new Flow MK3 rim from Stan's under their crash replacement, $50+shipping.

 

I think this is true... but taken within context. If your watch tells you that you are running st threshold pace and you are not, the training may not be what you are looking for.

A great example is calorie burn. Many use their devices to get calories burned during a workout for weight loss. If your zones are off, the burn is usually far less than what the device states...and the person wonders why they are not losing weight.

If the treadmills at my gym were even remotely close I'd be at 9 percent body fat ...

 

This is super insightful. I attached two charts below, first is a typical local ride, second is a longer (TWE) ride. I’m going to make an appt with my doc to see what input I get.
Personally, it’s not painful to be in that zone. I usually feel good up until 170, then I back off a bit. I shoot to stay between 155-165 while riding. That usually means I can ride the next day. With both those rides I didn't feel too burned out, and rode next day...
But Jesus, based on what I've been reading, it's no bueno.

 

Yeah... your zones are way off. One easy way to think about it, albeit simplified, is if you are still able to talk ok, you are likely in zone 2 and 3. Zone 4 is one word answers,...5 is grunting

 

No way, me and Abacall go ham all day erry day.

 

How do these zones get set by the monitoring device?

 

My super shitty guess is it records your highest rate for that event and then goes off time spent in percentages of that value.

 

When you first set up your profile on the watch, like a Garmin, it will usually ask your age and then if you know your max heart rate. Most will estimate your zoned based off your max heart rate. Some of the higher-end devices will also ask if you know your lactate threshold which is actually a better value to then base yuor zones off of.

But it's just a guess because it has no idea how fit you are. As you get more fit your lactate threshold goes higher and you're able to sustain a higher Zone effort for longer periods of time.