no and no I'm getting torn apart here...I don't want to be That Guy who buys a bunch of gizmos for cycling, but I want the gizmos.
Heart rate monitor is great tool to have, but not completely necessary. You need to be paying attention to your level of exertion (which you seem to be doing) on the 1-5 scale and mainly trying to keep yourself in the 3 (aerobic) or 4 (anerobic) where you can hold the efforts for long periods. This is much easier to monitor when you know your zones based on heart rate (max, average, minimum and resting) - sometimes your brain will cheat you of effort. That said, I want the damn Garmin for my bike, but I cant justify a gizmo that cost nearly as much as my bike.
No problem. What cleansheet said. If you have a good grasp on you exertion, which it seems you do, just bring a watch to do intervals. A heart monitor is just an easier way to gauge your zones.
Which one? I am actually surprised some of those models have not come down in price, especially since smart phones will probably be taking some of the gps market.
Its bike shwag. It doesn't come down until something better comes out. I want the full thing, the 705 with maps and everything. I spend about as much time reviewing my ride, elevation, speed etc. as I do doing the damn thing.
Yeah, riding in a lower gear makes things much, much easier. I rode this morning to my work place and back, 16 1/2 miles, and I didn't have to stop and gather myself at all, despite it being a semi-hilly ride. Did it at 14.1 mph, which is good but not great for me. What WAS great is that I maintained that speed without stopping to rest for over an hour. It was about 40 degrees when I started. I felt fine when riding in a long sleeved shirt, windbreaker, toe-sties, and full gloves. But after showering, my skin has a very slight burning feeling, I guess as the blood is getting to the extremities. I think I'm gonna have to dress a bit warmer next time.
If you were fine on the ride, you should probably keep the dress as is and deal with the burn. I stay away from a shower after biking in cold or skiing or running for about 30 minutes due to that exact thing
Glad to hear it made the difference. I agree with cleansheet. You want to make sure you are dressing for how you're going to feel after warming up on the bike (i.e. 10 minutes into the ride). The burning feeling is pretty normal when it's cold out. I grew to love it. Also, big props for bike commuting.
Don't want to take away from Dave's most awesome thread, but Performance Bike had quite a deal on the Garmin 500 Regular price = $275 Sale price = $199 Free shipping if over $150. I missed out on it on Friday, as they has a special code which gave you an extra 20% off. If I see something tomorrow, I will post. The do have the bundle at a couple prices. However, you should be able to get the cadence/heart monitor off of ebay.
I didn't actually commute to work; I was off Thursday for Thanksgiving. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Speaking of wanting to see if I could do it, I made my century with 3 miles to spare, and I missed a couple of rides, one due to rain, the other due to my wife not getting back in time when I was watching the kids. I'm glad I did it, because I learned alot about how my body reacts and how to ride longer.. There's a segment of Raleigh's greenway that I really like, that's about 9 miles out and back. My next goal will be to do that 3 times on a ride. The thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about the greenway is that I don't have to worry about cars, so I bring my mp3 player. The first 15 minutes seems like 15 minutes, but then I hit this zone, and the next 1 1/4 hours also feels like 15 minutes. When I'm done, I literally can't believe I've been riding an hour and a half. But I had to get a gel seat cover. I don't like my boy parts being numb for an hour. As far as gearing, the key mental breakthrough is to think like a runner, not like a weightlifter. When I lift, I'm always trying to push more weight, feel the burn, etc. I'm trying to make my muscles stronger. But on the bike, I need to work on my aerobic system, which takes a different mental reaction to changes in flatness. Once I got that down, riding and hour and a half without stopping is...well, it's not EASY, but it's definitely doable. The deal was for 20% off Fri, Sat, and Sun if you went in before noon. Sorry you missed it.
You can also by a more ergonomic bike seat. And if you aren't wearing shorts with a padded taint, you should. Your description of wanting to think like a runner instead of weight lifter is a great way of putting it.
how cold is too cold It was about 30 degrees this morning, and I went out for a ride. 2 pairs of socks and my neoprene toasties and my ear/headband and my gloves. I couldn't even break 20 minutes because my hands were too damn cold. Any advice? Or is cycling in 30 degrees, with the attendant wind chill, just not going to work?
Re: how cold is too cold What kind of gloves are you sporting? At that cold, you need heavy duty. Ski gloves or the like. At those temps, you start thinking about how you would dress either downhill skiing (for the wind chill) and cross country skiing (for the work). Of course you are in NC and don't think the way those of us north of the Mason-Dixon would think. I have a pair of Louis Garneau Lobster claw mittens (got them at the Garneau outlet for $10). Great gloves, have never had a problem with hands.
Re: how cold is too cold There's 4 feet of snow in my front yard. My driveway looks like a 007 ice fort. I had to use the snowblower three separate times today. What gloves should I be wearing?
Re: how cold is too cold I used to use a pair of ski gloves when it got that cold. No problems at all.
Re: how cold is too cold I cycle to work every day and it's minus 10 Celcius over here at the moment hehehe. You just wear layers of clothing. Two pairs of gloves.
Re: how cold is too cold Exactly. My commute last Wed. morning was 18°. Two pairs of gloves kept my hands warm for the 25 minute trip.
This looks like a good deal for some lobster-type gloves: http://www.performancebike.com/weba...omepage-_-DODMON-_-Cannondale3SeasonPlusGlove
It's been below 20 the last two mornings, too cold too ride. (20 minutes in 27 degree weather left a couple of toes disturbingly white.) And man oh man, I'm getting so ********ing AGITATED!!! I just wanna be on the bike!!! The recumbent bike at the gym just does NOT cut it. Well, I'm gonna stop by REI tonite and see if they have anything warm enough, and hope to ride tomorrow morning. Seriously, I'm just feeling fidgety! It was the same the Wednesday before T-giving, and that was just because I hadn't ridden that morning (and, of course, that week I had the goal of doing 100 miles for the week.) So I went out in the dark and rode for about 45 minutes, just around some businesses that were closed but lit.
This guy is going to own a Cervelo before the end of 2011. If you have access, spin classes are a pretty damn good alternative to not getting out.