Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

columbus_66 · 31-12-2020 10:18am

Thin layer of snow in Dublin this morning but it wasn't slippy.

Wildly Boaring · 31-12-2020 10:19am

secman wrote: »

And adding to all that some people also chose to pair back the intensity, the body just cant go "hard" all of the time.

You also lose a lot of your average off downhills and around corners.
Well I do at least

magicbastarder · 31-12-2020 11:20am

i am firmly holding onto the theory that my recent drop in speed is because it's winter.

31-12-2020 11:47am

magicbastarder wrote: »

i am firmly holding onto the theory that my recent drop in speed is because it's winter.

Ha, I think we all slow down at this time. I cycle a lot of back roads and it's hard to gain momentum between the muck and just how wet the roads are. Don't think it matters when climbing but I'm definitely way more cautious descending and cornering. I'd be about 2kph slower now compared to July even though I should be fitter.

Type 17 · 31-12-2020 3:34pm

Lower power in winter is true for everyone, I'd say - my Strava power estimates were mostly around the 130 mark in the summer, with a few 150's, but now I'm in the 115- 125 range, with this morning being in the 90's, due to taking it easy on the whiter sections.

Was aiming for 5k km this year, made it to 5,804 this morning.

Large bottle small glass · 31-12-2020 4:36pm

About 6 years ago on a 100km odd winter spin in 2C or so, while dressed in typical winter gear I passed a couple of traveler kids on sulkys; none of them looked cold in spite of being just seated and wearing jeans, shoes and light coats and no hats or gloves.

It got me thinking how they could do that and of course it turns out one can improve at dealing with the cold.

The biggest mistake on bike people make is they start feeling sorry for themselves slow down and don't do the one thing that will certainly help; ride harder.

Off the bike you need to expose yourself to the cold be that cold shower, sea swimming, standing barefoot outside in a tshirt on a frosty morning etc etc. Just like progressive overloading for strength training, aerobic training, HIIT or whatever the body and more importantly the head will adapt and improve.

Overdressing so that you start to sweat is probably one of the worse things you can do as our cooling systems are much more powerful than our heating systems.

When you "feel" cold your core temperature is very very unlikely to have dropped and may indeed have risen. Our body's have a lot of hardware and software to keep our core temperature stable and within a very small range. Feeling cold in hands, feet etc is part of a negative feedback loop to motivate you to do something about an incoming thermal threat to your core temperature. If you haven't started shiverring you are not that cold.

Haven't worn gloves for a few years (except for the odd hot spin for sweat in eyes) and only ware overshoes to keep my shoes some bit presentable.

You will never get any better at handling cold if on meeting it your instinct is to buy even more gear, turn up thermostat and run from it.

Tell me how · 31-12-2020 4:45pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

About 6 years ago on a 100km odd winter spin in 2C or so, while dressed in typical winter gear I passed a couple of traveler kids on sulkys; none of them looked cold in spite of being just seated and wearing jeans, shoes and light coats and no hats or gloves.

It got me thinking how they could do that and of course it turns out one can improve at dealing with the cold.

The biggest mistake on bike people make is they start feeling sorry for themselves slow down and don't do the one thing that will certainly help; ride harder.

Off the bike you need to expose yourself to the cold be that cold shower, sea swimming, standing barefoot outside in a tshirt on a frosty morning etc etc. Just like progressive overloading for strength training, aerobic training, HIIT or whatever the body and more importantly the head will adapt and improve.

Overdressing so that you start to sweat is probably one of the worse things you can do as our cooling systems are much more powerful than our heating systems.

When you "feel" cold your core temperature is very very unlikely to have dropped and may indeed have risen. Our body's have a lot of hardware and software to keep our core temperature stable and within a very small range. Feeling cold in hands, feet etc is part of a negative feedback loop to motivate you to do something about an incoming thermal threat to your core temperature. If you haven't started shiverring you are not that cold.

Haven't worn gloves for a few years (except for the odd hot spin for sweat in eyes) and only ware overshoes to keep my shoes some bit presentable.

You will never get any better at handling cold if on meeting it your instinct is to buy even more gear, turn up thermostat and run from it.

Maybe when I was younger I would advocate the 'grit your teeth and toughen up approach' but it is something which could lead to a sever incident if you take too cavalier approach.

As stated, it is not just the cycling which needs to be considered, and I think everyone knows about the benefits of moving to keep warm, but, in the event of stopping, possibly permanently if you have a broken chain or flat tyre with no solution to fix it should be considered as basic good practice.

If you stop 5km from shelter with a broken down bike and cycling shoes you could be at least 30 minutes from a safe location. 30 minutes walking versus cycling call for very different types of gear in extreme circumstances.
Even fixing a puncture needs to consider if you can do it with the gloves you are wearing on your hands or if there is going to be any issue if you remove them.

This planning could be as simple as having a charged mobile and a broom wagon to come and collect you, or knowing that there are houses where you can knock on the door or use their garage or porch for shelter but anyone heading off for a long solo cycle in cold temperatures needs to plan for all scenarios.

secman · 01-01-2021 5:30pm

Waited till noon before heading out. Mostly stayed within the 5km radius. Headed from house to Ballyedmund (5km) and straight back, then headed to Killenagh (4km) and 1 km towards Ballycanew and back, around to Ballygarrett (5km), dropped down to Cahore ( about 2 km outside the radius) looped back on to coast road to Kilmuckridge (5km ) dropped down to Morriscastle ( about 3 km outside radius), back to Kilmuckridge and a little loop down by the church, back to the house and a little 2 km loop to round it off to 50km spin almost 400 meters and avg 25.7 kph.
Much easier to do a 5 km radius in a rural area and much less traffic, negligible to be honest.
Happy New Year and safe riding in 2021.

Wishbone Ash · 01-01-2021 6:02pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

....The biggest mistake on bike people make is they start feeling sorry for themselves slow down and don't do the one thing that will certainly help; ride harder....

That doesn't always work. When you're soaked to the bone and the temperature drops below zero, your body prioritises heat to the vital organs and will not allow you to expend energy on cycling harder.

rolling boh · 01-01-2021 6:10pm

Out around Dunboyne to Summerhill road this morning for a bit road was ok but side roads slippy will stick to main road next few days and wait till late morning not really the weather for the good bike i think .

Don't Chute! · 01-01-2021 6:23pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

About 6 years ago on a 100km odd winter spin in 2C or so, while dressed in typical winter gear I passed a couple of traveler kids on sulkys; none of them looked cold in spite of being just seated and wearing jeans, shoes and light coats and no hats or gloves.

It got me thinking how they could do that and of course it turns out one can improve at dealing with the cold.

The biggest mistake on bike people make is they start feeling sorry for themselves slow down and don't do the one thing that will certainly help; ride harder.

Off the bike you need to expose yourself to the cold be that cold shower, sea swimming, standing barefoot outside in a tshirt on a frosty morning etc etc. Just like progressive overloading for strength training, aerobic training, HIIT or whatever the body and more importantly the head will adapt and improve.

Overdressing so that you start to sweat is probably one of the worse things you can do as our cooling systems are much more powerful than our heating systems.

When you "feel" cold your core temperature is very very unlikely to have dropped and may indeed have risen. Our body's have a lot of hardware and software to keep our core temperature stable and within a very small range. Feeling cold in hands, feet etc is part of a negative feedback loop to motivate you to do something about an incoming thermal threat to your core temperature. If you haven't started shiverring you are not that cold.

Haven't worn gloves for a few years (except for the odd hot spin for sweat in eyes) and only ware overshoes to keep my shoes some bit presentable.

You will never get any better at handling cold if on meeting it your instinct is to buy even more gear, turn up thermostat and run from it.

I’m sorry but this post is absolutely ridiculous. I hope there are no people new to cycling reading this and thinking it’s good advice. It’s just “hard man” bull****.

01-01-2021 8:26pm

Blessed in that I am on the very edge of the city and have the start of a 200m climb on my doorstep so was able to get 72k in without drifting too far outside the 5k. 72k @ 26kph with 850 climbing.

No real ice when leaving at 9 but met some pockets as soon as I climbed and got into the countryside. Met a few black ice patches and had to dismount. Very cautious and wary on descents and in sheltered areas but stayed upright and enjoyed it.

sy_flembeck · 02-01-2021 11:54pm

Really enjoyable, incident free, local spin around north Wicklow today. Was it just me or did anybody else find the roads (and towns/ villages) eerily quiet?

Seth Brundle · 03-01-2021 2:12pm

Looking at the Irish Times, the government are considering going to a 2km exercise limit if case numbers continue to rise :eek:

magicbastarder · 03-01-2021 2:52pm

talking to a garda the other day, there's talk of curfews; but i suspect that's just idle chatter.

CapnHex · 03-01-2021 4:11pm

Roughly 30km, in the 5km radius today. It’ll be tough if it moves back to 2km, as it’ll be back to laps of Leopardstown Race course roads. Anyway light found on Mount Anville Rd.

Mercian Pro · 03-01-2021 4:16pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Looking at the Irish Times, the government are considering going to a 2km exercise limit if case numbers continue to rise :eek:

magicbastarder wrote: »

talking to a garda the other day, there's talk of curfews;

Hopefully not - really don't want to take that Aldi turbo out of its box

Wildly Boaring · 03-01-2021 6:00pm

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Hopefully not - really don't want to take that Aldi turbo out of its box

Just drumming up the enthusiasm to go out to the shed for an hour of turbo fun

Mercian Pro · 04-01-2021 5:20pm

Had to cut short my planned 5 or 6 circuits of the Park this morning thanks to unforecasted rain on the first lap. With a rain jacket over the Mistral jacket and bib tights, my core and feet were okay but lap by lap my hands got colder and colder until they were almost completely numb. I had been very happy up to now with my Roeckl gloves and merino liners, even in colder conditions, but this was a sharp reminder that even the best gloves fail to insulate once wet. Must remember to bring a spare pair and the chemical hardwarmers in future and not to rely solely on the Met Eireann app.

Luxman · 04-01-2021 5:44pm

I had a new pair of gloves delivered this morning, but didnt have a chance to test them, it was very slippy when I was out around 9am with the dog, so I dug out the turbo and did a quick spin on that, by lunch everything had warmed up a little and the roads were safe. Thats my first turbo session in a year. Still hate it

MojoMaker · 04-01-2021 6:50pm

Out the door at 7am.

Back inside at 7:03am.

Not happening! Even the M&S tyres on the car struggled until well out onto main roads - can't imagine what the Phoenix park would have been like - sliding down the Khyber etc.

billyhead · 04-01-2021 7:19pm

MojoMaker wrote: »

Out the door at 7am.

Back inside at 7:03am.

Not happening! Even the M&S tyres on the car struggled until well out onto main roads - can't imagine what the Phoenix park would have been like - sliding down the Khyber etc.

That's mad. The roads were fine in North County Dublin at 7am.

cletus · 04-01-2021 7:25pm

Paths were still icy around my way at 4pm. The roads were pretty bad this morning

magicbastarder · 04-01-2021 7:38pm

i think it was 4 or 5C here most of the day (dublin northside), rained on and off so no ice.

Mercian Pro · 04-01-2021 7:56pm

MojoMaker wrote: »

can't imagine what the Phoenix park would have been like - sliding down the Khyber etc.

Wet but no ice on the perimeter circuit by 11.30. I was watching out for it after my spill last Friday. Should be ok there tomorrow but by Wednesday and certainly Thursday, the frost and ice could be back

Seth Brundle · 04-01-2021 7:57pm

I'm after walking to the shops and back here in Leixlip. A 10m patch along a stretch of road and pathway on a steep hill was lethal due to ice, despite some heavy rain and hail showers today

billyhead · 04-01-2021 8:19pm

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Wet but no ice on the perimeter circuit by 11.30. I was watching out for it after my spill last Friday. Should be ok there tomorrow but by Wednesday and certainly Thursday, the frost and ice could be back

Yeh I think from Wednesday to Friday would be unadvisable.

RobertFoster · 04-01-2021 8:53pm

MojoMaker wrote: »

Out the door at 7am.

Back inside at 7:03am.

Not happening! Even the M&S tyres on the car struggled until well out onto main roads - can't imagine what the Phoenix park would have been like - sliding down the Khyber etc.

"These are not just tyres, they're M&S tyres..." :pac:

(First I've heard of mud and snow tyres

)

04-01-2021 8:53pm

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Just drumming up the enthusiasm to go out to the shed for an hour of turbo fun

An hour done in the shed here, but my planned session turned into just an hour of drudgery as I wasn't feeling it. Nothing can replicate getting out in the fresh air.

fat bloke · 04-01-2021 9:01pm

After the festive 500's six almost consecutive days in the road and 6 times thoroughly washing, cleaning, rinsing, drying and oiling the bike, I'm perfectly happy to have an indoor spell on the rollers. Four days in a row done now.

Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

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