how do you climb hills?

[jsirabella]

Exactly what I meant, mashing does put more strain on the knees but some may prefer that over the burn. But honestly unless I go in a super low gear so does the spin but that may be a personal issue for me.

While I do feel strain after a good ride through my kness I prefer that sometimes over the burn since I am not a very flexible person.

It comes down to personal style and taste...

-john sirabella

Mashing puts much higher loading through the joint surfaces of the knee than does spinning. If you want to look after your knees, get the cadence over 90.

 

[jsirabella]

Exactly my case...

Many people may think that if pedaling up hill is strained or painful they need to go to a lower gear, but that is not necessarily what they actually need to do. Sometimes, instead of just going to a lower gear the right thing to do is find the "correct" ear. The correct gear, the comfortable gear may be a higher gear. Try it some time for those of you who do not know, and see how it works. I have often found that I needed a higher gear for pedaling comfort.

 

[jsirabella]

We always talk about the muscles...doesn't the heart play a big role in it also. I find that when I am always trying to maintain a 100rpm or more, it is really not my muscles that are giving out but just my ability for my cardio system to keeo up with it. So to compensate for the loss in spinning, I up the gears where I feel comfortable but can maintain a higher speed.

I once did an experiment in my annual ride of NYC to Boston. I decided let me see what it would feel like to do th entire ride in the granny gear. I really was in no rush and everyone said I will get there as fast or faster than years prior.

Admittedly they were right I used my granny gear and never lost cadence and at points really could not spin the gear any faster through the downhills. I was amazed that in the granny gear combined with the highest back gear I could maintain speeds of 18 and sometimes pass 20 depnding on the terrain. So there is something to spinning...I can admit it. I just like the speed and lower heart pushing of the higher gears...

I though find it very annoying to be always switching gears. Here in NYC at Central Park, people are constantly shifting. I wonder always should I get better at that or should I stay with my style of stay in a gear until my body tell me to shift?

-john sirabella

The literature, based admittedly on athletes, shows clearly that efficiency and muscle fatigue resistance are highest with cadence 90-110.
Anecdotally, and certainly in my own instance, many suffer once the cadence starts to drop much below 90, but of course this can be got around by alternating sitting and standing. If you are trained for mashing, then spinning won't feel better unless you retrain.
For any given power output requirement, lower cadence results in higher joint loading.

 

[sogood]

I once did an experiment in my annual ride of NYC to Boston. I decided let me see what it would feel like to do th entire ride in the granny gear. I really was in no rush and everyone said I will get there as fast or faster than years prior.

Admittedly they were right I used my granny gear and never lost cadence and at points really could not spin the gear any faster through the downhills. I was amazed that in the granny gear combined with the highest back gear I could maintain speeds of 18 and sometimes pass 20 depnding on the terrain. So there is something to spinning...I can admit it. I just like the speed and lower heart pushing of the higher gears...

I thought the idea of staying at a highish cadence and lower gear was to also avoid depletion of glycogen store and permit better endurance. In your situation, did you find that you were able to go ride longer each day? Or did you manage to do the Boston-NYC in one day?

 

[jsirabella]

NY to Boston took me a day and 1/2 (keep in mind I was on the road at 6:30am or earlier)...I may have been able to do it in a day ... if I did not stop at restaurants for my three squares and did not mind riding at night. Once it starts to get close to downfall I feel that I need to start to find a motel as I do not want to get caught out in the fields. In my ride to Baltimore that nearly happenned... ...I was sure I would be sleeping in a field of corn that night!

I do not now about the glycogen levels but in my experience to Baltimore on extremely hot days...I did experience cramping which gave me almost no sleep. I almost called a friend to pick me up in Delaware...it was reaching over 110 with the heat index. I believe it was my lack of salt intake...I was drinking alot but not enough especially gatorade which I feel could have been key.

Next year I was thinking of trying Boston in a day but than I ask myself why other than pride. It is a really pretty route especially if you go through Long Island ... at 41 I am now starting to understand what it means to "take the time and smell the roses".

And ofcourse this year I bought a Cervelo and finding a coach so I can do a race next year...go figure...better than buying a sports car and trying to find a trophy wife to make myself feel younger!!

-john sirabella

I thought the idea of staying at a highish cadence and lower gear was to also avoid depletion of glycogen store and permit better endurance. In your situation, did you find that you were able to go ride longer each day? Or did you manage to do the Boston-NYC in one day?

 

[sogood]

Next year I was thinking of trying Boston in a day but than I ask myself why other than pride. It is a really pretty route especially if you go through Long Island ... at 41 I am now starting to understand what it means to "take the time and smell the roses".

And ofcourse this year I bought a Cervelo and finding a coach so I can do a race next year...go figure...better than buying a sports car and trying to find a trophy wife to make myself feel younger!!

Yes, I loved the scenes along that route too. Drove it as recently as in April.

But are we all in mid-life crisis? I note there are so many cyclists in the late 30 and mid 40s on the various forum and getting really serious with cycling. What's going on?

 

[jsirabella]

In a word I guess I would say "YES"...lets think about this, I am 41, I have a wife and a daughter, a good business, my chances for making cycling a career are pretty much none unless I want top get into the equipment end...so I would say "YES" it is a mid-life crisis...I can just go to the gym and get all the same benefits of the bike and much more.

But I also say what is wrong with that? We all need our outlets outside of work and family. The only issue I see, is that you do not want to turn your hobby/love into a job. When I wake up and do not feel like riding but say I must do my intervals today or must put in my 30 miles than I have gone too far.

I have heard and read articles that cycling is now the new "golf" for making business contacts and getting away from the house. For me having my first job as a messenger in NYC and never one to mingle, it had a spcial place. I never had great grades but as a messenger I was king...I could make $100 bucks a day and call my own hours...it gave me more pride than anything in my life at that time...

I would more people are starting to fall into this category of the 30, 40 business ex-golfer guys. I notice teams with names like Comedy Central and Merrill Lynch...tells you something...as long as every so often an old man like me can give some of these kids a good challenge....

-john sirabella

Yes, I loved the scenes along that route too. Drove it as recently as in April.

But are we all in mid-life crisis? I note there are so many cyclists in the late 30 and mid 40s on the various forum and getting really serious with cycling. What's going on?

 

[sogood]

I have heard and read articles that cycling is now the new "golf" for making business contacts and getting away from the house.

Gosh, one big reason that turned me off golf. Please don't make cycling the same...

 

[Velotour]

I have never tried anything like that. I also do not pay much attention to heart rate. I have had my heart checked out thoroughly, and expensively I might add, and the diagnosis was that I have never had a heart attack and I never will from the looks of it. I have never cycled with a heart monitor or anything like that. I am just one person who loves to go on long distance bicycling tours. Admittedly, my last tour from Flroida to Mexico was a bummer, but that was because of way too much inconsiderate traffic and debris cluttered raodways that kept chewing up my brand new tires before I could get any wear out of the tread.

When my equipment holds up I feel good. When things keep going wrong I feel not so good. Things just kept going wrong on that last tour, but that was an exception.

We always talk about the muscles...doesn't the heart play a big role in it also. I find that when I am always trying to maintain a 100rpm or more, it is really not my muscles that are giving out but just my ability for my cardio system to keeo up with it. So to compensate for the loss in spinning, I up the gears where I feel comfortable but can maintain a higher speed.

I once did an experiment in my annual ride of NYC to Boston. I decided let me see what it would feel like to do th entire ride in the granny gear. I really was in no rush and everyone said I will get there as fast or faster than years prior.

Admittedly they were right I used my granny gear and never lost cadence and at points really could not spin the gear any faster through the downhills. I was amazed that in the granny gear combined with the highest back gear I could maintain speeds of 18 and sometimes pass 20 depnding on the terrain. So there is something to spinning...I can admit it. I just like the speed and lower heart pushing of the higher gears...

I though find it very annoying to be always switching gears. Here in NYC at Central Park, people are constantly shifting. I wonder always should I get better at that or should I stay with my style of stay in a gear until my body tell me to shift?

-john sirabella