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Tell us about your cycle today part III

magicbastarder

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Wildly Boaring

grouchyman wrote: »

Early morning spin for me. warm & breezy 25.82 kms at 26.1 kph.

I just noticed there on strava that my relative effort for this spin is 32 previously it was between 124 and 141 for the same spin earlier this year. I must keep an eye on that to see if its a trend or just a fluke. But I presume it means that the fitness level is improving?

Think it's just a measure of heartrate zones by time added up

One thing with strava is that they have the heartrate zones completely balls up by default. eg Zone 5 is basically 100% and above, which is impossible.

Maybe you import from an app that sorts it for you

Wishbone Ash

grouchyman wrote: »

...I just noticed there on strava that my relative effort for this spin is 32 previously it was between 124 and 141 for the same spin earlier this year. I must keep an eye on that to see if its a trend or just a fluke. But I presume it means that the fitness level is improving?

I'm open to correction but I don't think Strava can take wind into account. You could be turning yourself inside out battling a very strong headwind yet Strava might indicate that, going by your average speed, you're slacking.

Similarly, you could coast along with a very strong tailwind, without scratching yourself and it may think that your pulling out all the stops going by your average speed.

grouchyman

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Think it's just a measure of heartrate zones by time added up

One thing with strava is that they have the heartrate zones completely balls up by default. eg Zone 5 is basically 100% and above, which is impossible.

Maybe you import from an app that sorts it for you

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I'm open to correction but I don't think Strava can take wind into account. You could be turning yourself inside out battling a very strong headwind yet Strava might indicate that, going by your average speed, you're slacking.

Similarly, you could coast along with a very strong tailwind, without scratching yourself and it may think that your pulling out all the stops going by your average speed.

Thanks lads.

I reckon I'm as well off to just keep ignoring the relative effort so. I just thought it was gas - the difference.

positron

Cycled to the Dundalk vaccination center and back this morning. Lovely soft soft day for it, cross-wind wasn't too bad either. Spied the 'Milk Shack' near Dromiskin, and plenty of people filling up there. What a cool idea, I wish there were more of these around the country!

Overall 67kms @ 24.3kmph, 439m elevation.

Another interesting observation is that I scored a bunch of shiny PB's on the way back from vaccination... hmm, lesser known side-effects of mRNA vaccine perhaps?

Nigzcurran

Finally back out on the bike with no panniers as I didn’t need to bring the van to work so cycled over, blanch to castlewarden. That bit of a climb out of Newcastle village was tough but I nearly broke the speed barrier coming back over it!

Wildly Boaring

Lovely Saturday morning.
Bettystown, Platin, Donore Tullyallen. West up and up to lobinstown down to stackallen.
Then home by Ros na Ri, Donore, Drogheda

80k and about 850m.

I was supposed to be home at 11:30. Forgot myself and only looked at the time at Stackallen. Had to push on for the last hour home, stupidly with Strava paused.

Got there with a couple mins to spare.

Best part of it all was that from say Platin to the Sally Gardens, at least an hour later, not one vehicle.
Think I met a couple at Old bridge, that was it

[Deleted User]

124kms 27.2kph, down to Carlow and back up through Kildare, saw a man racing a transit van with his horse and cart? if that’s what’s it’s called, interesting place Carlow,

byrnem31

My first 100klm. Tallaght to baltinglass return. Lovely cycle and not as hard as I thought it would be.

magicbastarder

happy with that afternoon, first time i've bested 30km/h average on a cycle in many months. 70km at 30.3km/h, 454m elevation. though i will take issue with strava claiming 'Temperature: 17C; Feels like: 17C'.

secman

Cycled 15km into Gorey to meet up, headed to Arklow, Woodenbridge, Meeting of the waters, Ballinaclash, Aughrim, Balkycoog, , Inch, Gorey and 15km home.
105km Avg 27.6kph 820 meters.
First gran fondo since end of March, happy out.

Eamonnator

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Lovely Saturday morning.
Bettystown, Platin, Donore Tullyallen. West up and up to lobinstown down to stackallen.
Then home by Ros na Ri, Donore, Drogheda

80k and about 850m.

I was supposed to be home at 11:30. Forgot myself and only looked at the time at Stackallen. Had to push on for the last hour home, stupidly with Strava paused.

Got there with a couple mins to spare.

Best part of it all was that from say Platin to the Sally Gardens, at least an hour later, not one vehicle.
Think I met a couple at Old bridge, that was it

Lovely spin that.

Yeah and Meath is flat.

magicbastarder

weird that garristown seems to be about the same height as bellewstown. certainly doesn't feel that way.

https://en-ie.topographic-map.com/maps/85/County-Meath/

Wildly Boaring

magicbastarder wrote: »

weird that garristown seems to be about the same height as bellewstown. certainly doesn't feel that way.

https://en-ie.topographic-map.com/maps/85/County-Meath/

It's a bit further inland. A lot of the ground around the base of Bellewstown N E and W are almost sea level.

Tara and skryne are just higher than Bellewstown.
Skryne is only a pimple from the East and South.

magicbastarder

yeah, the fact that bellewstown has a river just to the north not much above sea level makes a big difference.

[Deleted User]

Jez I fell like I should be posting in the wimp list thread having rode the coast of Co. Meath from Drogheda to Laytown and back this morning for a short spin, even heading into town I rolled down a hill with minus 7-10% in places

Though the hill through Julianstown saw me do a bit of climbing on the way back. I actually love riding that section of the R132 at that time of day, one of the few times I don't mind being on it, up over the hill and up through the gears again to TT home.

this.lad

Football, soccer and several other child related activities left me looking at getting out at 4 o clock. Went up to get changed and sat down on the bed, woke up two hours later!

Did 40km at 8pm, 28km/h fairly flat.

I'll either sleep like a baby, or I'll be up all night!

[Deleted User]

Won't be dark for long tonight so if you can't sleep ........

EDIT: Every year mid-late June is hell for me trying to sleep no matter how tired I am during the day or going to bed I get 3-4 hours and then I'm twisting and turning, why I was out this morning at 5 O'clock and the last couple of weekends.

magicbastarder

unless you're a lizard, looks like tomorrow morning is the best time to get out (though already forecast to have hit 20C by 9am)

[Deleted User]

magicbastarder wrote: »

unless you're a lizard, looks like tomorrow morning is the best time to get out (though already forecast to have hit 20C by 9am)

It's the humidity that ****s me up. I remember about 8 years riding with herself in her country, it being 28c with feck all humidity which was usual in that part most of the time and being as comfortable as here for me at maybe 20c or less.

Seth Brundle

Headed out with the club today to Tara via Rathoath & Skryne. Hit a pothole along the way and ended up with a pinch flat on my front.
The Continental tyre was a right bitch to get off the rim - never seen the likes of it and I'm glad I wasn't out on my own. When we eventually got the new tube in and the tyre back on, it turned out that tube must have been crimped against the tyre as it was leaking so the tyre had to come off again :rolleyes:
Thr morning started off cool but didn't take too long to warm up but the it felt like there was a headwind no matter what direction we were going.
92km @ 30.2km/h
https://strava.app.link/zqdMXz9x2gb

Seth Brundle

Eamonnator wrote: »

Yeah and Meath is flat.

You should see Kildare!

Seth Brundle

Weepsie wrote: »

Would you have hit the pothole out on your own, or did someone fail to call it?

The particular bit of road was quite poor. It was just unfortunate.

Luxman

Seth Brundle wrote: »

The particular bit of road was quite poor. It was just unfortunate.

I know of a bad section on the skryne road but I think it was on the opposite side. (Skryne to Ratoath ) direction.

Wildly Boaring

Was it off the north side if skryne near the gallops?

Cus that's where I ended up battling with a bitch of a continental 2 weeks ago.
Really thought I'd not get it back on.

Also where I realized my frame pump was knackered. Luckily the owner of the gallops is a fellow cyclist and came to my aid.

Seth Brundle

The puncture actually happened just south-west of Kilmessan, not before Tara; apologies for any confusion. It was somewhere along here (IIRC the surface has deteriorated since Google drove it)...
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7C3fM7HcGjEnUtEC9

NamelessPhil

Currently eating a 99 from Teddy's in Dun Laoghaire, the sun's out and it's not mobbed. Great day for an easy spin.

magicbastarder

madre de dios, that was sweltery out there today; decided to take it reasonably easy but i think i found some of the worst paved roads in christendom though, just north east of the ridge at the nag's head.
got soaked on the way back, someone has set up one of those powerful watering machines in a field between ballyboughal and oldtown and it's completely overshooting into the road.

AhhHere

What a morning! Still learning the cycling ropes but loving it as an option to supplement my running.

Went from Dublin CC out and up Howth hill. Much nicer climb than Stocking Lane. Gradient easier and some levelling out for relief in spots. I went anti clockwise and the spin down into the village was a blast. Was terrified coming down from mountains but this was amazing.

Left hand was a bit numb near index finger and thumb but googling says I'm leaning on the wrong point of the hand. So will look to correct

I've a few noob questions if anyone can part some advice.

1. Using my Garmin forerunner 230 watch to track on Strava but have a phone holder. Am I better using strava direct from that? I know with running Garmin has a better GPS and more conveient to carry but maybe phone is perfect for a bike?

2. Have picked up more clothing but still need clipless pedals/shoes. Suggestions welcome. Places I can try on or have good returns.

3. When shifting gears I might be on 1 on the front gear (I think this is the left one) and moving betweeen backs gears (assuming right hand side). When I shift up the back gears higher towards 7. I need to change to the front gear. But then I'm 2 on the front and 7 on the back. Ideally I'd go from 1/7 to 2/1 instead of 1/7 to 2/7. Not a techincal person so hope that makes sense. Is there something I should be doing better? Maybe shift the front when on a middle back gear?

Otherwise cracking day 45K at 22.5KMPH and 1084m elevation gained

Wildly Boaring

Get used to minimizing the moves on the front.
It's a big movement.

So cycle mostly in the big front cog.

See a decent hill ahead. Go up say 3 or 4 on the back and then straight away go down from big to small on the front.
Edit: give the back a second to settle before moving front

Don't wait for the hill to do this. Do it while you have momentum.
Similarly stay in the small until you're accelerating down the hill. Shift down a couple on the back and up into the big on the front.

You'll get used to minimizing the front shifts.
Often lesser hills don't even need the small front cog.
And equally lesser descents may not need the big one.

Edit. I see you have a 7 speed. This may need a wee bit more changing of the front than I'm used to. But the premise is the same. Get your front shift in before the hill not halfway up it

AhhHere

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Get used to minimizing the moves on the front.
It's a big movement.

So cycle mostly in the big front cog.

See a decent hill ahead. Go up say 3 or 4 on the back and then straight away go down from big to small on the front.

Don't wait for the hill to do this. Do it while you have momentum.
Similarly stay in the small until you're accelerating down the hill. Shift down a couple on the back and up into the big on the front.

You'll get used to minimizing the front shifts.
Often lesser hills don't even need the small front cog.
And equally lesser descents may not need the big one.

Edit. I see you have a 7 speed. This may need a wee bit more changing of the front than I'm used to. But the premise is the same. Get your front shift in before the hill not halfway up it

Thanks a mill. Used 7 as an example. I think I have 9 from checking the spec online. Would rarely change the front gear tbh. Mostly sit in 1 and move the back up and down. Apprecite the tips above!