This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
Had a nasty attack of cramp in my calf on the run-in though - fortunately the last two miles is a steep downhill section levelling out to completely flat, so I coasted it while swearing like a trooper and grimacing through the pain. It was annoying because the cramp bit at the precise moment where I tried to accelerate to get the best speed down the hill, so I only registered a miserly 41mph...
Rounded off my outing in true slapstick style by having my first clipless-related fall...
In "]news:[email hidden], david kenning <[email hidden]> typed:
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This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
Sounds good to me. Particularly if there's any hills on it. I can't compare it with mine as my computer isn't fitted at the moment: I need to find the screws for it. I guess I'm slower, but mine'd be a commute.
This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
That's quite fast. A moderate social club run - not a chaingang - is 15-16mph.
"david kenning" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
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This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
That's great. Well done. It might be time to start thinking about extending the distance rather than concentrating on your speed.
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Rounded off my outing in true slapstick style by having my first clipless-related fall...
Is it? Maybe I'm not as unfit as I thought. Mind you, there are a couple of nice 30mph+ downhill sections on my route that probably bump up the average a bit. I also do a 16mile route that goes up and down like a [censored] yoyo - my best for that is a little under 14mph, but I really have to kill myself to do it at that speed and I can't breathe for a couple of hours afterwards.
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A moderate social club run - not a chaingang - is 15-16mph.
Interesting. There are a couple of clubs in my area that I've considered joining but I've been put off by expectations of not being able to keep up - one of the clubs regularly advertises 'leisure rides' in cycling weekly and usually states 20mph.
This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
Sounds damned fast to this fatbirdonabike. Especially if it's a round trip, so there are climbs involved as well as the downhill. My average mph has yet to hit double digits this year. We're not all even vaguely fit you know. -- I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart. e. e. cummings Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden] Tatting, lace & stitching page <sandbenders.demon.co.ukindex.htmOpen ↗
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
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What exactly is a chaingang?
A group of cyclists that ride in tight formation utilising the 'wind shadow' to promote speed. Each rider takes turn on the front and pulls off at the agreed time and joins the back of the pack to recover (I generally drop 10bpm when I go behind someone whilst maintaining the same speed). Watch a team time trial for the professional version.
-- Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred during transmission
It felt fast to me - that's why I'm so chuffed about it. But I'm paying for it now...
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so there are climbs involved as well as the downhill.
I'm not daft enough to try going up the big hill - I go round it on the way out and approach it by a long and fairly gentle climb on the way back.
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We're not all even vaguely fit you know.
I'm glad to hear it (well, you know what I mean - that cyclingforums.com bunch are a load of ultra-fit speedfreaks and I feel distinctly inadequate in their company - I'm glad to find out that uk.rec.cycling attracts more... normal folk)
Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
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in message <[email hidden]>, david kenning ([email hidden]'😉 wrote:
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Maybe I'm not as unfit as I thought. Mind you, there are a couple of nice 30mph+ downhill sections on my route that probably bump up the average a bit.
That implies there's a lot of nasty uphills on it which cut down your average quite a lot. In my experience I can get higher average speeds on all-flat journeys than on hilly ones.
That's right. You never quite make back on the downhills what you lose on the uphills.
Think about it. If you can do 20 miles pushing hard, 30 miles at a relaxed pace should be easy.
You know what - you're absolutely right. I decided to take your advice and did 36 miles today, taking it very gently. Felt pretty good too, notwithstanding the fact that about 15 miles out it started to rain pretty hard and I hadn't taken my waterproof...
Must get some glasses - it's no fun having freezing rain driving into your face when you're going downhill.
Also must get some foot protection - my feet were like ice cubes by the time I got home and I still haven't fully regained feeling in some of my toes... does anyone know anything about sealskin socks? They seem very expensive but they might be just the ticket on days like this.
This won't sound impressive to all you super-fit types, but I just got back from a trip round my regular 20 mile route and according to my computer I've raised my average speed from a previous best 14.7mph to a new record 16.4mph. Woo!
Well done, that man!
I broke 12mph average (over about 17miles) for the first time ever this week, so I think have an inkling of how you're feeling (only slower!) :-)
-- Carol Hague (fatbirdonnatrike) "You can't run away forever - but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start..." - Jim Steinman, "Rock 'n' Roll Dreams Come Through"
Also must get some foot protection - my feet were like ice cubes by the time I got home and I still haven't fully regained feeling in some of my toes... does anyone know anything about sealskin socks? They seem very expensive but they might be just the ticket on days like this.
They're rather thick, so might make your shoes a bit tight. You're probably better off with a pair of water repellent overshoes (I use Vision Repels). And, of course, full mudguards. A decent front mudguard makes an enormous difference to how dry your feet stay on an upright bike.
A decent front mudguard makes an enormous difference to how dry your feet stay on an upright bike.
Can you explain this?
Given I ride an mtb with no mudguards in all weathers and my feet never get wet unless it's really ratting down, I don't get it. -- "We take these risks, not to escape from life, but to prevent life escaping from us." bensales.combensales.comOpen ↗
A decent front mudguard makes an enormous difference to how dry your feet stay on an upright bike.
and BenS asked:
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Can you explain this?
A full front mudguard blocks a lot of the spray thrown up by the front wheel, reducing the amount of spray reaching the feet and thus preventing the feet from getting as wet.
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Given I ride an mtb with no mudguards in all weathers and my feet never get wet unless it's really ratting down, I don't get it.
I'm afraid I can't explain that. It's at odds with my own experience.
Given I ride an mtb with no mudguards in all weathers and my feet never get wet unless it's really ratting down, I don't get it.
And I responded:
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I'm afraid I can't explain that. It's at odds with my own experience.
Just looked at your CV and I see that you're into mountain biking (riding an mtb doesn't necessarily make that so). Perhaps you do all your riding off road? I imagine the spray might be a lot thicker than the spray from slick tyres on road (which is where my experience lies). The on road spray is probably more penetrating than the mud you get off road.
Also must get some foot protection - my feet were like ice cubes by the time I got home and I still haven't fully regained feeling in some of my toes... does anyone know anything about sealskin socks? They seem very expensive but they might be just the ticket on days like this.
Sealskins are expensive - but like a lot of expensive bike kit they're worth it. They will keep your feet cozy even if it's wet - but they won't necessarily keep your feet *dry*. Water that trickles down your leg will get into the sock unless you are wearing overtrousers that come down over them. Having said that, they work perfectly well as wetsuit socks, and you feet get warm-and-wet.
They don't stand up too well to too regular washing - they start to delaminate after too many washes - so I wear mine with silk undersocks. Silk undersocks + sealskins + summer cycling shoes are as good as (but not better than) ordinary socks and my beloved SIDI winter boots.
A decent front mudguard makes an enormous difference to how dry your feet stay on an upright bike.
and BenS asked:
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Can you explain this?
A full front mudguard blocks a lot of the spray thrown up by the front wheel, reducing the amount of spray reaching the feet and thus preventing the feet from getting as wet.
That's what I thought you meant. Thing is, unless you're cornering, the wheel is never pointing directly at your feet. It's pointing between them so that's where spray goes. And even when you're cornering the amount of time the wheel spends pointing at your feet must be minuscule.
Maybe I'm just lucky :-) -- "We take these risks, not to escape from life, but to prevent life escaping from us." bensales.combensales.comOpen ↗
