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[Psychotext]

Was just looking at some of my power numbers for the trainer and it's amazing how much explosive power I've lost in the last year. I'm not particularly fussed, because I really don't need it for what I do... but it's amazing how your body can change over time.

Doesn't help my 1RM on my squat was about 60kg heavier than than it is now.

But I wouldn't swap my endurance output for what it was a year ago, not even if you paid me.

I rode with a gel seat and I didn't even get a rash in 600 miles. Just comfort. And all for maybe a half pound of extra weight. And it lets you distribute your weight as you ride.

Everyone's arse is different. For a lot of people, gel would be completely the wrong way to go because they'd sink into it causing irritation and pressure on places that aren't built to take it. The perfect saddle is one that's just firm enough to support your sit bones without pain, without you sinking into it.

It's one thing you ABSOLUTELY have to get right for ultra endurance. That and your pad (though not everyone uses them, as they can result in sweat / irritation on their own).

 

[teepo]

I was interested in this, but I wanted something more flexible than a roll. That's why I ended up with a roll top bag from Outer Shell (handmade in US) http://www.outershelladventure.com/shop/cziofh91assn12b2595c4rhsyfr6kq

outer shell is incredible. i just bought the handlebar bag in multicam to carry my camera around with me while i explored LA for two weeks.

whenever i get my touring bike, i plan on having completing the set, preferably in that sexy multicam color.

I just got a side opening Topeak the other day. I just need a bike tool, my phone and a credit card. For some reason I find the side opening way more secure and easy to grab stuff from at the stoplight and so on. I don't carry spare tubes unless I'm in country - I would rather uber it home and fix it there with some water or talc to help me identify stuff inside the tire. Fixing flats on the road (for me, I'm mechanically incompetent and it's never the thorn or tack you think it is) is a nightmare equaled only by putting on car chains in the slush of a mountain's foothills.

with me being a brown man and a cyclist, my biggest fear is having any sort of mechanical or accident while out on the country roads, where you'd be lucky if you have any cell phone service at all in virginia. the recent bicycle thread did me no favors and only reaffirmed all my worries. luckily i used those fears to fuel me into becoming mechanically competent to the point where i can fix most things that could go wrong on a bike ride.

though whenever i'm out in the country, i have a lezyne caddy bag that i'll put in my back pocket which is filled with an extra tube, two extra co2 cartridges and a few other small things like a patching kit and a sram powerlink.

i actually prefer caddy bags to saddle bags but they don't really fold up nicely and the material is too rough on my kits to use regularly. the nicer ones are designed to hold either a spare tube or your wallet and cellphone, that is if it isn't one of the newer larger phones.

Hella expensive though. $200. Has air cooling dynamics and mesh too.

also, abuse the exchange rate between the dollar and pound.

you can grab that saddle for $130 off of wiggle.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

outer shell is incredible. i just bought the handlebar bag in multicam to carry my camera around with me while i explored LA for two weeks.

whenever i get my touring bike, i plan on having completing the set, preferably in that sexy multicam color.

The drawcord one? I was eyeing up the bag from Ornot for my front https://www.ornotbike.com/collections/accessories/products/the-bar-bag

Selle Italia. Gel. As comfy (feeling) as a Serfas (what I use) and maybe light and aerodynamic enough to finally convince a roadie to take care of their nards and taints instead of fretting about weight. I get it if you're riding the Tour De France, but I still can't understand amateurs who ride hard saddles on centuries and more. On the AIDS Ride, most of the pain I saw people experience was saddle related. I rode with a gel seat and I didn't even get a rash in 600 miles. Just comfort. And all for maybe a half pound of extra weight. And it lets you distribute your weight as you ride. A couple of swigs of water would weigh more.

Hella expensive though. $200. Has air cooling dynamics and mesh too.

Yeah I think I def need a cut out at this point. I'm going back to my tried and true Aliante. It's just now a matter of do I keep the stem flipped up or flip it back down and reposition my saddle lower/back, and then try a cut out aliante.

 

[teepo]

The drawcord one? I was eyeing up the bag from Ornot for my front https://www.ornotbike.com/collections/accessories/products/the-bar-bag

yup, the drawcord one.

and that's a nice looking bag too, surprised it didn't come up in my search.

 

[HTupolev]

I get it if you're riding the Tour De France, but I still can't understand amateurs who ride hard saddles on centuries and more.

They do it for comfort. Firm surface so the sit bones don't sink in and cause circulation for other tissues. Minimal padding can also mean they breathe better, good for avoiding chafing on hot days.

Tensioned leather saddles are quite hard, and I can guarantee you that very few people ride them for their light weight.

 

[teepo]

they ride them for the aesthetics

hnnnnnng

 

[Stinkles]

They do it for comfort. Firm surface so the sit bones don't sink in and cause circulation for other tissues. Minimal padding can also mean they breathe better, good for avoiding chafing on hot days.

Tensioned leather saddles are quite hard, and I can guarantee you that very few people ride them for their light weight.

Of course LOTS of people do it for comfort (all butts are different) and lots of people do in fact use more comfortable saddles, but I think everyone on this thread knows at least a few (in my case, shitload) of folks who do it purely for weight/perceived improvement and as noted above hnnnggg aesthetics. The latter being an astonishingly irresponsible way to treat your junk.

Crazy thing is that most of us, myself included, don't even properly test a seat for comfort. Pads and chamois butter though - you're increasing the sheer amount of physics going on in that area, and if you're doing both (and have a chamois in your shorts) then you should probably consider at least trying a different saddle.

 

[Psychotext]

I've gone through 10+ of them. I'm still not entirely convinced I'm happy with my current choice.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I've demoed or bought 5 different saddles. I'm still searching for the perfect one.

 

[HTupolev]

but I think everyone on this thread knows at least a few (in my case, shitload) of folks who do it purely for weight/perceived improvement

Almost nobody who openly has saddle discomfort issues, no. Sometimes there are limits; lots of people hate the looks of Selle SMP noses, for instance, or would hesitate to put tensioned leather on a modern race bike. But it seems like people who are having saddle trouble tend to be fairly open to trying out different saddles.

And the people I know who ride those thin carbon sheets atop carbon rails swear by how comfortable they are.

 

[Psychotext]

Reminds me. I need to sell the carbon saddle that I got with my race mountain bike. It's not terrible, but spending multiple days on it was unpleasant.

 

[Gray Matter]

Just signed up for a 100 mile ride with 7000 feet of climbing. Look at those hills!!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2200980

What is wrong with me?

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Almost nobody who openly has saddle discomfort issues, no. Sometimes there are limits; lots of people hate the looks of Selle SMP noses, for instance, or would hesitate to put tensioned leather on a modern race bike. But it seems like people who are having saddle trouble tend to be fairly open to trying out different saddles.

And the people I know who ride those thin carbon sheets atop carbon rails swear by how comfortable they are.

Over trial and error I definitely prefer a traditional saddle shape, or scoop?, to ones with flat or kick backs. I know people swear by those Selle SMP's but man would I need to be at wits end to try one of them. To me they're the epitome of 50 year old weekend warrior with Cervelo.

 

[teepo]

it has been awhile since i posted my baaw

 

[Psychotext]

Just signed up for a 100 mile ride with 7000 feet of climbing. Look at those hills!!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2200980

What is wrong with me?

Looks like a good one. At least the grade never spikes up into the truly insane levels.

I've got a similar few rides planned as prep for Leadville. Last week was 100 miles with 12,000 feet elevation, this week is about the same, and then to round it all off I've got a 110 mile ride with 13,500ft of elevation.

That last one scares me, as I know some of the terrain is quite harsh (a few parts are in a trail centre).

 

[Lonely1]

How do you I know if I'm ready for such extreme(?) group rides?

 

[kottila]

The picture wouldn't win any awards with me quickly leaning in, not wanting to disturb him more than necessary, but here he is (I cropped out my face). I'm skipping the next interval sessions to practise taking celebrity selfies.

 

[Psychotext]

How do you I know if I'm ready for such extreme(?) group rides?

Surely you just try? You either get through it, or you don't. There's always a shortcut home if you can't manage it, it's not the end of the world.

Oh, and nice pic kottila.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Just signed up for a 100 mile ride with 7000 feet of climbing. Look at those hills!!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2200980

What is wrong with me?

I was going to do this with my two friends but I can't. It's supposed to be a good time

 

[frontieruk]

The picture wouldn't win any awards with me quickly leaning in, not wanting to disturb him more than necessary, but here he is (I cropped out my face). I'm skipping the next interval sessions to practise taking celebrity selfies.

.

 

[ShapeGSX]

The picture wouldn't win any awards with me quickly leaning in, not wanting to disturb him more than necessary, but here he is (I cropped out my face). I'm skipping the next interval sessions to practise taking celebrity selfies.

That's awesome. I'm not sure what I would even say!

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

On the subjects of saddles, I'm returning the Phenom I had demoed. I definitely do not need a 155, at least for that seat. I just never got comfortable on that profile which was odd to me because it's similar to the Romin which I had some success with. Every time I put my Aliante back on it just fits like a glove, but I can't shake the numbness it always brings.

Which is leading me to wonder if A: the shape is too aggressive or B. the shape is fine, but it has to have a channel

 

[jakonovski]

Sounds like a case for an Aliante VSX?

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

That's what I was thinking of going for, I just don't know if they have one or not. My flexibility over the year has gotten slightly better so my hips are rolling a bit more than last year so it's really putting some pressure on.

Optionally I just throw the road bike in the trash and go full time mountain

 

[jakonovski]

Dibs on the bike!

One thing you also might try is Specialized Grail gloves. I haven't tried them, but I've heard enough good things that I will.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Not that kind of pressure.....

I prefer to ride gloveless tbh

 

[jakonovski]

Lol I had a total brain fart there. Guess I have those gloves too much on the mind, because I get hand numbness especially on gravel.

 

[teepo]

huge fan of the grail. I have three pairs

 

[ShapeGSX]

My Aliante was horrible for numbness too. Comfortable otherwise. Let us know if the VSX helps, if you get one.

 

[Mascot]

Optionally I just throw the road bike in the trash and go full time mountain

YEAH, FUCK THOSE J-

Oops. I mean, that's a big decision that needs careful consideration.

 

[Gray Matter]

I was going to do this with my two friends but I can't. It's supposed to be a good time

That's too bad. Where would you be coming from?

Also... just finished a training ride for this event, a fast 75 miles with 3k ft of climbing. Started over heating at about the 50 miles mark, not a good feeling at all.

 

[teepo]

if you just finished then you probably started your ride too late. you should start your rides earlier so you're not fighting with the sun, specifically so you're not out and about during peak sun hours which is usually between 12-3pm

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Gray, NJ

It's probably for the better since I've been so finicky on the bike this year.

 

[Gray Matter]

if you just finished then you probably started your ride too late. you should start your rides earlier so you're not fighting with the sun, specifically so you're not out and about during peak sun hours which is usually between 12-3pm

Started at 7:30 and finished 4 1/2 hours later, but the sun is blazing today. There were some sections with a good amount of shade, but out of underneath the trees were brutal. I think I went thru 6 water bottles today.

Gray, NJ

It's probably for the better since I've been so finicky on the bike this year.

Were you planning on doing the century?

It'll be my first year doing this ride, so I'm looking forward to it. Originally I was going to do the 75 mile route, but I got talked into doing the century, just like a few weeks ago when I did my first century. These hills are no joke, so I'm just going to take my sweet time going up, don't want to have to walk up the hills lol

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

It would be the century. I've done a few of them before, but not with this amount of elevation so that would have been my goal for it.

 

[Gray Matter]

It would be the century. I've done a few of them before, but not with this amount of elevation so that would have been my goal for it.

Yeah, that 7000+ feet up is daunting. The route has 5 rest stops, should keep the body feeling pretty good throughout the ride.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Learned how to swap out a bottom bracket tonight.

Yeah, that 7000+ feet up is daunting. The route has 5 rest stops, should keep the body feeling pretty good throughout the ride.

just pace yourself. eat right, drink lots of water. I'm sure it will be really moist and warm.

 

[ShapeGSX]

Apparently I hit a max speed of 57.6mph last night on my group ride. My speed on my Garmin seemed to jump a bit at the time, like it was not keeping up. I'm using a Wahoo magnetless speed sensor at the moment, and I don't like it.

As soon as I uploaded it to Garmin Connect and Strava, it showed the same(ish) speed, 57.6mph. Strava doesn't use the speed sensor for calculating speed, it uses GPS position and time to figure it out. Since the Garmin and Strava agree, I guess the number is accurate. That's the fastest I've ever gone on my bike.

I even stripped the speed field out of the file using fitfiletools.com and uploaded it again (had to change the date to get it to upload, too), and the speed looks identical.

It was a great ride last night. A friend who rarely shows up showed up, and we (about 10 of us) did one of his routes. It's always great seeing new roads. I felt slow for the first 15mi, then my legs woke up (and the temp dropped a bunch), and I was keeping up easily. Some good paceline sections, and sprints up to hilltops. Average speed was 19.4mph, which is close to the fastest I've gone for a >30mi ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1092121242

 

[ShapeGSX]

Coming up on Sunday is Worcester's George Street Challenge! Major Taylor, the first African American cyclist to win a world championship back in 1899 used to use George Street in Worcester as a training hill. It's 2 blocks (500ft) of 18% grade. And we try to see who can sprint up the road the fastest.

http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/events/georgestreet17.shtml

Last year I did it in 29 seconds, 4th in the 40 to 50 age category. This year I'm aiming to beat that time. It's only 30 seconds, but it's a ton of fun.

I had my GoPro on my bike for my ride last year:
https://youtu.be/pt6fduBXiOA

Video with Garmin overlays:
https://youtu.be/mKGBjUn0s8M

 

[Psychotext]

Could still be wrong because of GPS inveteracies. I've had 70mph with no speed sensor, and a friend of mine managed 110mph.

If it's sustained for more than 5 seconds or so then you'll have a pretty good idea that it's a real number.

 

[ShapeGSX]

Could still be wrong because of GPS inveteracies. I've had 70mph with no speed sensor, and a friend of mine managed 110mph.

If it's sustained for more than 10 seconds or so then you'll have a pretty good idea that it's a real number.

I was skeptical until I saw that the GPS calculated number matched the speed sensor number. But you're right, it still could be off.

My original Giant RideSense speed/cadence sensor died. It lights up, but won't broadcast ANT+ anymore. I definitely don't trust the magnetless Wahoo sensor as much as the wheel magnet sensors. I found a guy selling a newer Giant RideSense sensor that does both Bluetooth and ANT+, so I ordered it. I hope it lasts longer than my old one.

 

[Psychotext]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the new style speed / cadence sensors either. Funnily enough, the old style go for quite a lot on ebay in the UK, so it's probably not just us.

Edit - and if they match, it's probably right. I had missed that you compared the two.

 

[Psychotext]

Stupid damn weather. Was up at 06:30 this morning to head out for another one of my monster Leadville prep rides, but on checking the weather it seems we're due for 5 hours of heavy rain mixed with some thunder / lightning.

So no... balls to that. Plan is to go out tomorrow instead, but that's messed with next week's training. Bleh.

 

[HTupolev]

That feeling when you get dropped 6 miles into an 8-mile segment, limp to the end 80 seconds behind the leaders, submit your Strava ride before anyone else, and get the KOM.

 

[Psychotext]

Yes... but you know you're going to lose it as soon as they've finished their coffees.

(Have never actually been dropped, but I've heard it's very emasculating)

 

[Addnan]

Take a screenshot, savour it forever.

 

[jakonovski]

Really getting into gravel riding. Very few cars and some excellent scenery. Scary too, riding in an old forest at dusk. Legend says there's bears living there.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

So janko I think you may have been onto something with profile. I'm back on the Romin now and was looking at how I did my Aliante. I found I need to level both of them tip of nose to back in order to create enough sit bone area. When I went level based on how Fizik recommends I always felt too far forward, so I'd slide the seat back and then be pushing into the seat so much when pedaling. To get proper support I pretty much need the saddle like this, if not more, to create enough

However, I noticed I'm still a little bobbly so I don't know if I should go straight flat (Toupe) or flat with slight curve (Antares) or if I just need wider period

 

[Psychotext]

Really getting into gravel riding. Very few cars and some excellent scenery. Scary too, riding in an old forest at dusk. Legend says there's bears living there.

Try sleeping in said places in nothing more than a thin sheet of plastic.

BIKEPACKING4LIEFYO.

 

[jakonovski]

Try sleeping in said places in nothing more than a thin sheet of plastic.

BIKEPACKING4LIEFYO.

Yeah, I often daydream about bikepacking but the idea of sleeping in a bin liner on a moist rock, being eaten by all kinds of insects, is just too much. Maybe in the winter but that requires hella gear.