Cycling and bicycle related stuff.

[norbs]

I thought I would start a topic for the cycling related stuff. If I can figure it out, I will move the posts from the other TdF thread into here. For now...

[youtube] [/youtube]

[Nigel]

Ah the really don't make shows like that in Australia anymore. Classic stuff that.

[wobblysauce]

hehe great stuff

[norbs]

ooooh, my legs are tired.

[norbs]

A good site to map and log your rides.

http://www.mapmyride.com/

I think your Garmin will export straight to it Flinty. My old one does. Just upload the GPX file and bingo!

http://www.mapmyride.com/user_profile?u ... 0899789758

That is my pissy profile for now.

[Woodee]

you recommend a GPS unit for the bike?

[norbs]

you recommend a GPS unit for the bike?

Woodee, it really depends on what you want to log and or what details you want to look at after a ride. I am doing it to try and get fitter, so I am trying to see what sort of hills I am climbing and keeping an eye on my average heart rate. I can ride the same ride over time and see how I am travelling.

It looks like this...

[Duke]

Sorry been so busy (& injured) lately haven't had time to respond to forums.
Some updates on me, well apart from the wet & windy Melb weather all was going pretty well the last few weeks. However after racing a club handicap on Saturday my back decided to cave in with 10km's to go while I was in the leading and eventual winning bunch. This has resulted in more time off the bike (& work) as I am unable to function as a normal human being and can't even stand up straight yet. I have a history of back problems, I don't think it is anything real serious at this stage so I am hoping it sorts itself quickly. Race Results Here: http://www.carnegiecycling.com.au/index ... b&rid=2202

Good thread norbs
Personally I don't use MapMyRide, I find it clunky compared to http://www.bikely.com/ which also caters for GPS .gpx file uploading.

As for GPS's, well most top of the range Polar's now come with a GPS chip with limited on-the-fly GPS functionality but they do offer an alterantive to the full blown Garmin "Edge" models. The iPhone is also quickly becoming a bike computer with some apps using the in-built GPS as well.
Garmin are the winner for me, as they offer the best of everything, the GPS functions like a proper GPS and the Heart Rate & Cadence units provide accuracy as good as any other brands epsecially if you loose GPS coverage while in tunnels or dense forest. The Edge 705 model (which I have) also has map & full navigation functonality but obviously is big $$$.
The iPhone is limited imho as the app has to be running at all times to record the ride and this sucks the already limited battery life. Also finding and purchasing a handlebar mount in AUS can be difficult. However it is a cheap alterantive if you already own the iPhone. The apps are only $3-15 AUS from memory.
Here is some further info if your interested.
iCycling, iBiking, iRiding: http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/06/ ... g-iriding/
Five iPhone Apps That Replace Bike Hardware: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/ ... -hardware/
Garmin Cycling: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=160&ra=true
Polar Aus: http://www.pursuit-performance.com.au/p ... odels.html

Congrats to Gizmo in the other thread for his rapid improvements, don't worry it will soon peak and then you will be hooked into finding that extra percentile on each ride. :P by the way it took Cadel 12 months to shave 0.5 secs of each km in his Time Trail efforts.

[norbs]

Thanks for those links Flinty. I am off the bike too. I have some filthy stomach virus, which is tops for losing weight in a hurry, but I feel like I have had the life sucked out of me via my arsehole.

I agree about MapMyRide. It is a bugfest, thats for sure.

I managed to collect a galah the other night when I was hurtling down a hill trying to break the speed limit. Have a couple of nice scratches on the side of my face and a ripper on my nose.

Right, back to the lounge for more TV, god bless Torrent Airways.

[Gizmo]

Bad lucky with the back Flinty. Hope it gets better soon. I know improvement will slow down as i get closer to my peak. I've had a couple of close calls being an idiot around cars trying to go past them and the drivers just generally not looking! In the first two weeks the test for me was holding 30km/h for as long as i could, now i'm holding 35. HOWEVER.... I went for a run yesterday arvo after not cycling in the morning....OMG it felt terrible Theres a nice 6km run i use as a recovery session. I normally get to the 3km turn around in about 11min 45seconds, and back home in 10min 30seconds. Last night i went down in 11.30, back in 11.20 and i was fooked! I could defiantly feel the shortening of the muscles. My hamstrings felt really tight, i didn't have the knee lift or stride length.

Oh well, i'm having way to much fun cycling atm

[CLP]

you recommend a GPS unit for the bike?

I have a Garmin Edge 705 (with heart rate and cadence options) and i love it. Purchased from Ryder which had a pretty decent price and extremely quick delivery.
http://www.ryda.com.au/Garmin-Edge-705- ... hrckit.htm

I couple that with the third party (and free!) SportsTracks software which allows you to map rides onto google maps/earth plus a heap of other analysis
http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/

I'd reccomend it!

Cheers,
CLP

[Duke]

That the same software I use as well CLP. Some of the 3rd party add-ons are fantastic too.
The included Garmin program & web based service is crap being very basic & limited.
by the way SportsTracks also works with & has direct import for Polar HRM's.

[CLP]

That the same software I use as well CLP. Some of the 3rd party add-ons are fantastic too.
The included Garmin program & web based service is crap being very basic & limited.
by the way SportsTracks also works with & has direct import for Polar HRM's.

the garmin web based service has one feature that i like.. that being the ability to replay a ride on a map with all the data values being displayed as bar graphs.. kinda cool to show people how much you suffered!

CLP

[norbs]

I would love the Edge 705, but just cant justify that sort of expense. I am very happy with the CatEye V3, so I really just need a smaller GPS logger. I use the Garmin GPS60 at the moment, but it is a big bugger, especially as I cable tie it to my helmet. Get a few weird looks I can tell you.

I love the look of SportTracks, pity there isnt a OS X version of it.

I hope to be back on the bike this weekend. At one point on Thu I had dropped 5.5kgs in 6 days, but I have been able to keep some liquids in since and even some dry bread, so I think I am on the mend. Missing the bike rides though. I forgot just how good it feels to spin the legs and get out and about. Plus I am blessed with pretty good views for most of my ride.

Hows the back going Flinty? Doesn't sound to good for the Warnie this year. Hope you get better soon mate.

edit: I forgot CLP was a cyclist as well. Thats great, the more the merrier. I think I am the only fat lard arse of the 4 of us on a cross though. The rest of you superb athletes have roadies I think.

[norbs]

My next bike......Linkage

[wobblysauce]

Nice bike Norbs, beats mine, i been thinking of changing the tyres to road to get better performance or newer bike

3 front, 8rear and i only use the 5 fastest rear gears i top out at 55kms

[CLP]

I would love the Edge 705, but just cant justify that sort of expense.

you could always go for the Edge 305.. slightly smaller and cheaper. it's a funky new gadget.. of course you can justify the expense!

the edge 705 is a pretty chunky bit of kit, taking up the whole length of the stem.. quite a change from my old Polar 200cs-cad which is relatively tiny.

edit: I forgot CLP was a cyclist as well. Thats great, the more the merrier. I think I am the only fat lard arse of the 4 of us on a cross though. The rest of you superb athletes have roadies I think.

yep.. roadie for me.. though been off the bike for over a month due to a pinched nerve or some such thing in my neck very much missing it. tried getting on the rollers for a bit the other night though, so i think i seem to be making some progress.. <sigh>

Cheers,
CLP

[norbs]

Got up this morning and was feeling pretty good. Fuck it, I will ride to work. Have a gander out side at the weather. Beautiful and sunny and barely a breath of wind.

Pack everything up and off I go. Well, I got over the small hills (about 40m) to the west of me, and then hit a fucking howling westerly that I had to ride all the way into work against! FFS!! From being a zephyr at home to a 35kph bloody headwind! Struggled the 25km to work and fell off the bike. I bet the fucker will swing around and be a Nor' Easter on the way home which is a prick of a wind to ride in.

Check this out for part of the ride...

http://norbs.tk/u

Traffic is doing about 80kph along there. It is an interesting 2kms or so, thats for sure.

[wobblysauce]

ouch, i normally get head winds to work(up-hill), to swing around to go home.

that's a small road with just 2 cars

[Gizmo]

Bad luck Norbs, it's always the way. Did you get a headwind on the way home too?

On sunday i went for a 90km ride. My longest yet. Started off on the flat then went and did some hills. First time doing proper hills. 90km took just over 3 hours. AVG 29.7km/h. Pretty happy with that. Then i slept when i got home!

[norbs]

I am in Canberra for the night, so this arvo I tried to climb my old friend, Black Mountain. I forgot I didn't have lunch today, and was still sore from the ride to work on Tuesday, so I only made it about 1/3 of the way up before I had nothing left.

/me waves fist at Black Mountain.

I will be back you bastard thing!

[wobblysauce]

just wondering on how many others know about bicycletutor. nice site for tips and tricks about bike stuff in short detailed videos

http://bicycletutor.com/

[Gizmo]

So i went for a ride the other day on a nice sunny morning. But the time i got to the other end of the gold coast it was raining :P Baby wipes just aren't cutting it.... If i attack the bike with a hose to get rid off all the grit, do i need to re oil anything?

[CLP]

So i went for a ride the other day on a nice sunny morning. But the time i got to the other end of the gold coast it was raining :P Baby wipes just aren't cutting it.... If i attack the bike with a hose to get rid off all the grit, do i need to re oil anything?

Probably not... low flow rate (or a mist) and a soft brush (like out of a dust pan set) to get the crud off. Dry off with a soft cloth paying attention to around bolts and stuff which like to rust :/ . There should be enough oil on the chain to withstand that amount of water. try to clear the water standing on the drive train by spinning the cranks around a bit.

biggest issue with riding in the rain though is that grit attaches itself to your chain increasing the wear and tear.. so if it sounds a bit nasty, then that might need a clean and re-lube.


Cheers,
CLP

[wobblysauce]

Gizmo just take a look at that link i posted above.

but a cloth, will be fine yes you can spray water on your bike with a hose but make sure you dry it up and re lube

as for the chain depending on how often you use it, every month to 6monthly cleans and lubing for best results, a worse thing is chain wear and if it isn't sorted you might need to get a new rear sprocket