I tried out a mag trainer and a fluid. I loved the fluid one, and Performance has 'em on sale for a really good price. But the sales guy cautioned against how if you ride the trainer, little bits of rubber will come off the tire and end up on your floor. Is there a way to resolve this? Cuz we moved into this house less than a month ago, and my wife will go absolutely apeshit if I start riding the trainer and the floor gets little rubber bits on it.
I set mine up in the basement on a concrete floor so for me it's not a problem. They do sell mats that you can put the bike and trainer on to protect the floor. I suppose a larger throw rug or remnant would serve the same purpose. In addition to the rubber bits you'll also be dripping sweat. Best not to do that on the wife's carpet either.
I never noticed bits of rubber. I am also in the basement on an old Norditrack mat with a couple towels for sweat run off.
How can you tell if the trainer wheel is too tight/properly tight to the tire? Is it wholly a "feel" thing?
Hills We moved to a house about a mile north of the Neuse River, which runs east-west. Most of the roads around here are north-south. That means when I ride on the roads, it's lots and lots of uphill, downhill, uphill, downhill. It's a totally different kind of riding. I'm working on building up my (I guess) lactic acid tolerance. One thing I'm doing is, when I'm lifting for legs in the gym, I do two sets on the leg press machine like this. I get a lightish weight up there, then I alternate right leg, left leg, right leg, left leg. I do two sets like this with a weight I can do around 30 times. I just started this, and at this point, I've found there's a mental barrier I need to overcome. But I'm working on it. Any other advice, other than to hit the roads as often as possible?
Re: Hills "Don’t Buy Upgrades, Ride Up Grades" Sorry. Lifting and spin classes all winter means shit for me. Yeah, physically it helps, but gearing, cadence and rhythm. I want to try to do a quick hill climb aerobically. Low gear/high spinning. To train, up the gear and slow the cadence (think about swinging a doughnut on a baseball bat on deck before hitting) How long are the hills (distance/# of minutes) to complete the climb?
They vary. Some of them take up to 3 minutes, I'd guess. (Seems like 3 hours, but I know that ain't right.) When they're tough, I'm in a very low gear and going maybe 7-8 mph. If you've ever ridden within a mile or two of a relatively major river you'll know what I mean. It's not one hill that's so tough. It's one, then another, then another...at a certain point, it's too much anaerobic work.
I've lived within 5 miles of the Hudson River for my entire life (2 miles for the last 16 years), I know exactly the hills. 3-10% grade, 200 ft of elevation gain over 1/2 mile-3/4 mile. Just want to make sure that they were not prolonged climbs. The term 'hills' is very different depending where you ride. In Florida, they are overpasses. Sadly, you want to be able to do these as aerobically as you can so as to not tap too much into your anerobic capacity with each climb. Aerobically, you can recover and refuel much easier than refueling zone 4. Eventually you wear down. Find one of those bad boys and practice going up it, recover, repeat. Hill repeats. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DteVYs5pgmY"]YouTube - Bike Hill Repeats[/ame]
Let's say I want to take this Sunday afternoon and go for a solo ride in the country for 25 or 35 miles? My experience with that tour last weekend taught me that it shouldn't be THAT hard if I can refresh partway through with some Gatorade and an energy gel. But how do I keep the Gatorade at a drinkable temperature? Any strategies besides a camelback?
Dave: I use insulated bottles and throw in a couple ice cubes. On a hot day, I will put one of my bottles in the freezer about an hour or so before the ride.
Its mothers day, you dumb f--- (confession: I hope to get ride or soccer game in). But if you insist: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1059725_-1___ Two of these babies filled with ice and you should be all set. Or fill a regular bottle 3/4 and freeze it. Have one bottle just cold for the first half and the other one will be all set for the second half of the ride. Also, if you can handle real food, choose that over a gel (I am a big fan of fig newtons).
Wrong. You are a fan of Fig Newmans. Have to say I am getting addicted to the Stinger Waffles for something to eat on the ride. http://www.honeystinger.com/ but yes, fig newtons (or newmans) are perfect for the longer rides.
Busted, yes, I am an organic snob and starting out from home, Newmans are in my jersey pocket. Newtons only if I have to buy at a convience store. Either way the cookies do the same as gel packs and are much cheaper.
You said it, perfect for me as well. I never really got the hang of straight gels, but I do sometimes use the gel blocks (clif shot bloks or Gu chomps). I also never got the hang of eating fruit, such as bananas when riding as well.
Dogs Had my first run-in with a dog. Scared the crap out of me as I was locked into the pedals and was afraid of falling. Any advice on how to ward them off? Also...I did a solo 25 mile ride Sunday. I had lifted for my legs on Thursday and was still kind of burnt. I was too prone to lactic buildup. If I pick a day to do a 25-40 mile ride on the weekend, what do you guys recommend I do the 3-4 days before to make it enjoyable?
Re: Dogs Sorry, I have no advice on dogs. I would say keep doing your routine. Your body will adjust to it. Also, stay well hydrated throughout the week. Why are you lifting? I say that as someone who has had major knee/leg surgery and had to do a lot of gym work for a couple years. Now, I just pretty much do weights in the winter...and even then I am just lifting for simple conditioning and keeping my core strong. You will see a wide variety of opinion on lifting and cycling. This dude has a few posts on the subject that might be beneficial http://www.training4cyclists.com/strength-training-might-increase-performance/
Re: Dogs Actually I do some leg lifting to allow my hamstrings to balance out my quads. My quad strength vs. hammy strength is in a bad balance. I believe that this contributed to my two torn ACL's since taking up cycling. I may be totally off base in this belief, but during PT for the second recovery, my therapist did some testing when preparing a report to the surgeon and she noted the difference. At that time I was spinning 2 times a week and riding the trainer another one or two (it was winter). I had only reintroduced running. Needless to say, both times I tore my ACL were during times when I was doing cycling activities in a far heavier rotation and may have contributed to the injuries. So I have taken to squats and hamstring curls to help offset the riding.
Re: Dogs Not to get too far off-topic. But, have you had a professional fit before? Is your knee extending too far in front of your toe when you are pushing down hardest in your pedal stroke? Maybe, your set is too low? Or, you have long legs compared to your arms? Also, if you want to keep your knee safe, you need to build up your lower-front quad muscles to stabilize it.
Re: Dogs Cuz I'm a bad ass. Our community pool opens tomorrow, and I'm gonna be the hottest pasty middle aged man there. Or something. I started riding cuz I couldn't run anymore, and I want to be fit. I'm not a cyclists who lifts. I'm more a lifter who cycles.