Yawn: A Grab Bag of Boring Updates

It is winter, therefore there are few developments in New England bicycle racing. I have no comment on Lance, Floyd or any of the other dopers. If I hear of any cat 3's doping, then I'll have something to say.

But there have been developments with me. Boring ones. But if you are reading this blog, you are either my friend or you have no life. Either way, you'll probably continue to read.

Firstly, it appears that I will be allowed to race Battenkill. I was half hoping that Dieter Drake would bar me, so that he could further embarrass himself on the Internet, but it seems as if his level headed colleagues silenced him on this topic. Thankfully for us bored cyclists, DD continues to embarrass himself and his organization on other forums with other interlocutors. When asked about my Bkill status, I have been half joking that Dieter is allowing to me race, but that he is going run a race predictor and use the results to stack whatever field they place me in. Resultsboy: I am counting on you to inform me if there is an inordinate amount of activity on the predictor originating in Cambridge, NY between now and April 10th.

As many of you know, my back crapped out on my last fall. It sucked and I slogged down a very slow road to recovery. There was PT, stretching, a medical bicycle fitting and lots of forced rest. My 2010 cyclocross season was a huge letdown because of it. I have recovered. My back feels great. Once in a while it stiffens up while training hard, but it has not been a limiter.

Training: I am killing it. I'm recently divorced, single and have no life. I have NOTHING better to do than make Watts. Never before have I been so motivated to ride the trainer and lift weights (2 of my least favorite training activities). I won't bore you with numbers and schedules, but I have been getting in the miles and making puddles of sweat on a scuzzy yoga mat.

Actually, I dated someone briefly, but she couldn't handle the rigors of dating a competitive cyclist. She complained about my healthy diet and the weight I was losing (more on that shortly). But the Coup d'Grace: she was trying to cut into my training time. Some of my friends are married and have infants. When their spouses make demands on their training time, I get it. But if that shit is happening inside the couple months, what the hell would happen during cross season when I am away every other weekend?

I am losing weight. According to Kyle Smith's fancy, well-calibrated bathroom scale I have lost 10 pounds since Dec 1st. I put the real number closer to 5 pounds. My point is that SHIT IS GETTING REAL out here. Actually, I just took Nick Mashburn's advice: I cut all corn syrup out of my diet and I eat almost all whole grains. Matt and Mo got my onto Bob Red Mill cereals, which is helping. Thanks guys.

Back to training. I am driving to Georgia where I'll spend a solid week training (Feb 20-27th) in the Chatahoochee National Forest. It is going to be inexpensive and intense. I am hoping for a Rocky IV vibe at the "camp." I am booking a cabin tomorrow and will have room for more riders...hit me up if you are interested in coming down for any part of the week.

Bicycles: My Basso continues to be a steadfast winter bicycle. Last year, I upgraded the drivetrain to 1o speed so that I could use my PowerTap with that bike. My front derailleur setup is a bit of a frankenbike though. I have a 8 Speed Campagnolo Croce d'Aune crank with 10 speed Centaur Chainrings shifted by a ? speed Suntour SuperbePro front derailleur. It is finicky. I am averaging 1.25 dropped chains every 100 miles. I tuned it again last night, but I think that the spacing between the chainrings on the spider is too wide for 10 speed...but I am not sure why this would drop the chain...I may have to go have The Wilcox look at it if I drop the chain after this tune up.

I am revamping my IF for 2011: I am "upgrading" the Shifters to 2009 Centaur from 2007 Record. The upgrade is in the shape of the hoods. I have been using a set of the 2009 Centaur on my cross bike and I love them.

I got a set of the Look Keo Carbon Max 2 Pedals. They are the same as the old Keo, EXCEPT they have a metal plate on top of the spindle where Keo's normally wear out prematurely. I have high hopes for these pedals. Mostly, I hope they last longer than all my other Keo's have.

And, for those sloppy early season races (I'm hoping for torrential down pores at Battenkill), I got a set of Michelin ProRace3 700x25's. I weighed many tire options for these types of events and 25 mm clinchers are the most versatile and Michelins have served me well over the years. Honestly, I want some sloppy sufferfests. As you may know, when conditions deteriorate, I become a cat 3 Jens Voigt.

New White Arione saddle.

Obviously, I am recabling the bike, new silver bartape.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I got a second PowerTap. With Mavic Carbone Tubular rims. My conversion to a data junky is now complete, since I will be racing with a PT more than half the time. Switching PT wheels is simple with the Joule computer. Its literally a matter of going into an easy-to-access menu and selecting which wheel you want to use. If you can't find the PT in the computer, you can easily prompt the Joule to create a new PowerTap in its memory. The Joule is awesome and I hope that the new wheels are too.

Ok, now you know what is up in my tiny little world.

I hope that your training is going well.

Product Review: CycleOps Joule 2.0 -- It Works Well Enough But It Ain't Cheap

By some fortunate accident, I was one of the first users of the CycleOps Joule 2.0 ANT+ computer. Overall I have been enjoying the computer. The display is large and allows the user to monitor multiple ride metrics simultaneously. The rechargeable batteries and USB 2.0 download and charging is convenient, especially compares to the Cervo's cranky proprietary USB cradle/docking station. While the Joule is compatible with any ANT+ compatible power monitoring systems, I can't help but compare this computer to the Cervo, the iconic yellow computer that comes stock with a PowerTap system

The Good

The computer was easy to set up and mount. The Joule's mount is a serious improvement over the flimsy Cervo mount. We all know someone who has lost a Cervo on a ride after hitting a pothole...and if you don't, but you know me, you now know someone who has lost a Cervo (2009 CT Stage Race).

Unlike the Cervo, the Joule allows you to displaying heart rate, power output, speed and cadence all at the same time. You have the option of selecting the metrics to display and where to display them. If you are most interested in Power output (as most of us are), you can display that reading on any part of the screen. The screen is completely customizable and very well thought out.



It becomes your job to figure out what YOU want the display to look like (recently, Adam Myerson made fun of my setup and changed the locations of several indicators).

The computer is very easy to program and navigate.




You can figure out how to perform most functions, such as zeroing the PowerTap without consulting the owner's manual. You can easily program the computer to work with multiple Power monitoring systems. For instance, you could ride your SRM equipped road bike in the morning and then swap the computer over to your PowerTap equipped cross bike and change the sensor that the computer is reading in under a minute.

You are able to view data and mini analyses of your ride, even as you are riding. For instance, if you just killed the Wachusett climb, you can go into the computer and see what your highest power output for 10 minutes was on the ride.




It's fairly easy to check on interval power and heart rate. In short, you no longer have to wait until you get home to start geeking out over the data.

Downloading data and charging the computer is a breeze.

The Bad

$450-500 retail price. As my students would say, "That's mad guap yo!" While the Joule is great, it seems steep for a computer. Then again, if you already dropped the loot for a power meter, then $500 to monitor it well during the ride might seem like a bargain.

Size. Its big. It's chunky. It dwarf all but the beefiest of stems; mounting it to a handlebar seems impossible, as it would actually interfere with hand positioning on the tops.




It doesn't bother me when riding, but it irritates me while transporting the bike.

Not programmable. You can not enter a workout into the computer and have it beep and time the whole thing out for you. While some may not care about this, I am not very bright. I need a computer that will tell me when to ride hard and when to rest.

The Scoop

Overall, the Joule is a significant improvement on other cycling computers I have used. If you have deep pockets or a hook up, I recommend the computer. If you are a working person and paying full retail...maybe it's still worth it, but it is too expensive to be an impulse buy.

PowerCranks Update: PowerTap Ready to be Installed

Last week, I was able to get out on the road with my PC bike for a couple of hours. To my surprise, I had very little trouble keeping the bike up to speed on long stretches.

When I first rolled out, I had a little issue with my rhythm, as I hadn't ridden the PC's outside for quite some time. But by the time I was outside of the city limits, I was pedaling smoothly and was didn't feel obliged to "think" about pedaling properly.

I also spend a good amount of time riding out of the saddle. I am not sure if riding the PC's out of the saddle gives the user any training benefit, but logic tells me that it must. I found that if I kept my cadence low and applied even power throughout the pedal stroke, I was able to pedal out of the saddle for a minute at a time. The only problem was that in keeping smooth, I was sacrificing power output. When standing on hills and keeping everything smooth and even, I found that I was traveling slower than it I remained seated. Usually the reverse is true on a hill, you get out of the saddle to accelerate or to maintain the same velocity using different muscles.

Speaking of power, I just received my extra PowerTap pickup, which I will be installing on my PC bike. I also got a Campagnolo compatible freehub body so that I will no longer have to use the destroyed conversion cassette. The chain skip caused by the conversion cassette is my go to excuse for my poor TT test result 2 weeks ago.



Once I get this all installed, I will compare power outputs and corresponding heart rates on a PC bike and a non PC bike to note the differences. I promise that I will not post any power data, as always, I will keep all of the data qualitative.

Next week, after collecting a little data, I plan on attempting to complete some tempo workouts on the PCs, perhaps even some hill work. I may even post a schedule so that you all can come out and laugh at me.

PowerCranks Update--Update Overdue--Sprinting--PowerTap Ordered

It has been awhile since my last update.  There have been a few developments, none of them dramatic. 

 

My goal this last week was to pedal the cranks for 45 minutes straight through.  I succeeded, but was obliged to stop pedaling for one 15 second and one 35 second period due to outside stimuli.   Also, I must note that after 45 minutes my taint area feels like someone has been repeated punching it.  At this point, my legs are not my limiter, my grundle is. 

 

One solution to the taint beating issue is to ride out of the saddle.  I installed a 50 tooth chainring to the Powercranks, as I was finding myself spinning out my biggest gear when I had only a small ring installed.  





I would have installed a bigger gear, but my current PC bike set up will not allow it. 

 

I am now able to get out of the saddle and limp through a sprint.  While standing, it is very difficult to maintain a set velocity with the PC's.   I have to always be accelerating in order to stay upright and keep my pedal stroke smooth.   When I try to keep my cadence steady while standing I find the “deadspots” in the pedal stroke and eventually miss a stroke.  I fail to bring one of the crank arms upwards enough to get it over the top of the stroke.  This results in swift and violent backsliding of that crankarm and a serious jarring as my rhythm is broken unexpectedly.  I have not had this happen on the road yet, but I think that it could easily cause a crash. 

 

Also, I have ordered a Power Tap pickup to install on my PC bike.  After spending months becoming proficient at keeping these things moving, it is now time to start actually trying to product power with them.  Luckily my training schedule is also at the point where I am ready to start producing power in training. 

 

Up until now, I have been using heart rate to guide me through PC workouts.  In the future, I will be setting goals based on time and power output, instead of heart rate and power.  This will be a more effective training strategy, as my goal is to become faster on the bike which is the result of increase power output; my goal is not to have a high heart rate. 

 

According to my perceptions, at a given power output my heart rate is higher when that power is produced with the PC’s.  With the installation of the PowerTap, I will be able to gather data to back up or refute this perception.  Also, according to the PC website, I should see my heart for a given power output decline over time due to the use of PC’s.  Obviously, I don’t have the baseline data to accurately track such a development, but I can track any changes in heart rate for given power outputs with the PC’s. 

 

I still have not been able to use these cranks outdoors.  Every time that the weather and road conditions are appropriate, I have a workout scheduled that can’t be done on PC’s.   I am hoping that some of the issues, such as the taint problem, will be less intense once I am able to ride these on the road again.  

New Developments--White Tires, PowerTap, and Saddle Auditions

Data Averse Cyclist Folds and Get a Powertap.

I have long groused about data junkies and their SRM's and Powertaps. There is nothing that I hate more than when some hopped up racer starts bragging about his power output. It is even more irritating when the braggart has never had better than a mid pack result.

I have resisted using any power measuring devices until this past summer when a TT bike I borrowed had a SRM. Initially I thought, "nice toy". Later I grudgingly acknowledged the utility of this toy after having used it for a few days.

Anyway, I folded. While I was complaining about people and thier power files, I was offer a post-accident PowerTap wheel and set up for short money (less than I care to publish lest my readers get upset). I ate crow on the spot and bought the whole setup. I am excited and a little intimidated by the prospect of having all of this information at my finger tips.








As you can see, my dashboard is a little cluttered with computing items. For a data adverse person, I am a loaded up. I have the Polar still on there because I can't get the Powertap heart rate monitor to work yet. Suggestions?

So far it is just a toy. I have no idea what the data means yet. But I have ordered another harness and wiring system for my PowerCranks bike so that I can cross reference the power data and heart rates from the two different bikes. See, I am becoming a geek already. Soon enough I will be posting my power files up here on the blog.



White Challenge Criterium Tubular Tires!!




I have been looking for white tubular tires ever since I got my Zipp 404's. I become convinced that they didn't exist. I have long been partial to Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp clinchers because they handle well and they come in white. I will have to lay in some Bleachy White to keep all of my whiteness clean.
Currently, I am stretching them one at a time in expectation of mounting them on Edge 1-38 rims laced to DT 240 Hubs.




Review to follow.

If you must have a set, Cambridge can order them.



Saddle Shuffle

I busted my white Fizik Arione saddle when remounting during a cyclocross race I am taking the opportunity to audition some other saddles for my main race bike instead of just ordering another of the same.

I have been trying out a Specialized Toupe 143mm. It doesn't work for me. Thankfully, I was able to borrow this saddle from Drew instead of buying it.




Drew also loaned me this hot looking Selle Italia. Apparently, 3 others have auditioned and rejected this very saddle. Aside from the possiblity that the saddle has been tainted by all this use, after I sanitize it, I hope that it works out.






If this one doesn't work, I will drop the experiment and order another Arione. What I would really like is a white Regal saddle that weighs less than my front fork. Perhaps a carbon fiber shell, Ti rails, some synthetic leather...