Silly commuting racing

hopkinb

anonymousblackfg wrote:

...turd related unpleasantness...

Yuck. Only a couple more years!

veronese68

hopkinb wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

...turd related unpleasantness...

Yuck. Only a couple more years!

Another 16 years or so and the problems come from the other end at 4am :shock: :twisted:

asprilla

That was the most fun I've had riding home in a while. Wasn't expecting a tail wind.

hopkinb

Some bugger on a planet x wearing a castelli idro with a backpack (the jacket will be dead in a fortnight) kept me honest on the false flat up to clapham north where I bagged a PR. Felt super strong, but if Asprilla's claim of a tailwind is to believed, that might explain it...

itboffin

Cruff wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

itboffin wrote:

HRM are really useful, I been feeling tired but judging by the data from a flat turbo session this morning my tiredness and headache is clearly some illness lurking on the horizon

I find HRV a good indicator. Plenty of free apps (I use elite HRV).

Tbh - I found HRV a bit of a ballache, it was a pain to have to remember to put my hrm every morning when I got up a d take a reading. Only seemed to tell me what I already knew - when I was tired, I trained like sh*t, when I wasn't, I trained better.

Yeah for me to use an app like that it would need to work with a wearable, my fitbit versa doesnt record HRV data so i'm out and another thing why doesnt Garmin connect calculate VO2 max for imported rides with power and HR data?

itboffin

dekant wrote:

Cruff wrote:

It changes the curve based on your FTP, and recalculates past activities.

This is why I highly recommend the free stravistix plugin

I 2nd this however i'm unable to make head nor tail of the fitness trend data, some example data would be helpful

jspash

Cruff wrote:

Fitness & Freshness in Strava is beyond useless. It changes the curve based on your FTP, and recalculates past activities. So, in the case that you test at 295, ride for six weeks then test again at 305, all your previous rides are recalculated as if they were done at 305. As a result 'form' over anything more than the last time you tested is pointless. If you never test and just go off the same power number as your FTP or HR, then it's marginally more useful than a guess based on your current training load - but as a substitute for TP (or even Garmin Connect) it's as much use as a chocolate teapot

Good thing my FTP never seems to go up anyhow

Thanks for the info. I didn't realise it recalculated. But I suppose from a techie point of view, that would be the easiest way to show a graph (and programmers are lazy). So rather than having to store an infinite number of FTP adjustments and recalculate based on that, it just looks at the current FTP and blats out a squiggly line. Job done. But what can you expect for a fiver a month.

anonymousblackfg

Older chap on a Colagno kept me very honest up through DT but turned off at Clapham. We both watched some goon on an e-bike (maybe unrestricted) jump all the lights and render himself uncatchable, in some ways good as I would have been in pieces having to keep up with that.

Now for a few hours considering just how soaked i'll get on the way home.

kingstongraham

2 p*nctures, 1 tube. balls. couple of miles walking in cleats. no idea why it went second time, I checked everything over.

Now need to venture out for new supplies.

kingstonian

Left the office at 9.45pm last night, rain was hammering down and the headwind was not welcome. Some of the puddles on the roads were ridiculous, at least there was little traffic to navigate through. Was completely knackered by the time I got home.

tgotb

Kingstonian wrote:

Left the office at 9.45pm last night, rain was hammering down and the headwind was not welcome. Some of the puddles on the roads were ridiculous, at least there was little traffic to navigate through. Was completely knackered by the time I got home.

I left at 5pm on the dot. Heavy rain as I left the office, so stopped to put on a cap and rain jacket.

As soon as I set off the rain stopped. Every time I was about to stop and take the jacket off, there were a few spots of rain and the skies ahead got darker, so I left it on. End result was that I rode my entire commute in warm, dry conditions, wearing a cap and a rain jacket. The heavens opened about 15 minutes after I got home...

anonymousblackfg

TGOTB wrote:

I left at 5pm on the dot. Heavy rain as I left the office, so stopped to put on a cap and rain jacket.

As soon as I set off the rain stopped. Every time I was about to stop and take the jacket off, there were a few spots of rain and the skies ahead got darker, so I left it on. End result was that I rode my entire commute in warm, dry conditions, wearing a cap and a rain jacket. The heavens opened about 15 minutes after I got home...

Should this forum be like any good drinking game where gloating is punishable?

tgotb

anonymousblackfg wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

I left at 5pm on the dot. Heavy rain as I left the office, so stopped to put on a cap and rain jacket.

As soon as I set off the rain stopped. Every time I was about to stop and take the jacket off, there were a few spots of rain and the skies ahead got darker, so I left it on. End result was that I rode my entire commute in warm, dry conditions, wearing a cap and a rain jacket. The heavens opened about 15 minutes after I got home...

Should this forum be like any good drinking game where gloating is punishable?

Oh, gloat away! No harm in everyone else deriving a bit of pleasure from my discomfort...

mamil314

TGOTB wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

Left the office at 9.45pm last night, rain was hammering down and the headwind was not welcome. Some of the puddles on the roads were ridiculous, at least there was little traffic to navigate through. Was completely knackered by the time I got home.

I left at 5pm on the dot. Heavy rain as I left the office, so stopped to put on a cap and rain jacket.

As soon as I set off the rain stopped. Every time I was about to stop and take the jacket off, there were a few spots of rain and the skies ahead got darker, so I left it on. End result was that I rode my entire commute in warm, dry conditions, wearing a cap and a rain jacket. The heavens opened about 15 minutes after I got home...

Can you be rented as a commute buddy?

hedleymiller

hopkinb wrote:

Some bugger on a planet x wearing a castelli idro with a backpack (the jacket will be dead in a fortnight) kept me honest on the false flat up to clapham north where I bagged a PR. Felt super strong, but if Asprilla's claim of a tailwind is to believed, that might explain it...

You're welcome. I didn't feel strong, was making excuses like "he's got carbon wheels" and "I'm injured", when really I'm just not that fast anymore

What do you mean about the idro? I've had mine for ~20 months now, apart from a hole in the elbow when I came off on ice in Brixton, it's done ok - not sure it's worth the RRP but mine was a gift...

asprilla

mamil314 wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

Left the office at 9.45pm last night, rain was hammering down and the headwind was not welcome. Some of the puddles on the roads were ridiculous, at least there was little traffic to navigate through. Was completely knackered by the time I got home.

I left at 5pm on the dot. Heavy rain as I left the office, so stopped to put on a cap and rain jacket.

As soon as I set off the rain stopped. Every time I was about to stop and take the jacket off, there were a few spots of rain and the skies ahead got darker, so I left it on. End result was that I rode my entire commute in warm, dry conditions, wearing a cap and a rain jacket. The heavens opened about 15 minutes after I got home...

Can you be rented as a commute buddy?

I'm still struggling with the concept of having a casquette in case it rains and not actually wearing it all the time. I don't ride without one.

hopkinb

hedleymiller wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

Some bugger on a planet x wearing a castelli idro with a backpack (the jacket will be dead in a fortnight) kept me honest on the false flat up to clapham north where I bagged a PR. Felt super strong, but if Asprilla's claim of a tailwind is to believed, that might explain it...

You're welcome. I didn't feel strong, was making excuses like "he's got carbon wheels" and "I'm injured", when really I'm just not that fast anymore

What do you mean about the idro? I've had mine for ~20 months now, apart from a hole in the elbow when I came off on ice in Brixton, it's done ok - not sure it's worth the RRP but mine was a gift...

Hi.

I did wonder if it might be someone off here, given I had to use all my weight to snap the elastic.

I have an idro, love it, will be wearing it home, given the biblical downpour I can hear outside, but I have never worn it with a backpack, solely because the material is so thin. Obviously it's more robust than it feels.

See you around.

mtb-idle

I'm obviously off the pace in terms of kit. Where does the Castelli Idro fit in terms of the other jackets available. do I need one to complement my Gabba 2 (or Perfetto as I think it's know marketed as)?

Also what shorts do you wear with this (or in fact with any other kit on wet days like today). Nice dry top half but still a cold and wet ar$e due to ordinary bibs isn't fun.

tgotb

Asprilla wrote:

I'm still struggling with the concept of having a casquette in case it rains and not actually wearing it all the time. I don't ride without one.

Unless it's quite chilly, my head gets too hot, so I just wear it to keep the rain out of my eyes.

hedleymiller

MTB-Idle wrote:

I'm obviously off the pace in terms of kit. Where does the Castelli Idro fit in terms of the other jackets available. do I need one to complement my Gabba 2 (or Perfetto as I think it's know marketed as)?

Also what shorts do you wear with this (or in fact with any other kit on wet days like today). Nice dry top half but still a cold and wet ar$e due to ordinary bibs isn't fun.

Caveat - I've not worn a Gabba... so I may be wrong here. The Idro is like breathable* cling film - it is totally waterproof, but not warm in itself, you can layer it with a thermals to be warm and dry in the winter, or wear it over a short sleeve jersey to be dry but not sweltering hot in the summer.

Bottom half - shorts and get an ass saver! #sorted Though personally I'm having to wear compression tights to keep knee swelling down :x

*still gets a bit warm underneath, but definitely not boil in a bag levels

dekant

It's cold

itboffin

Wow that's a savage drop off in temperature, 3C at 8:30 ouch!

Glad I'm tucked up in bed even if it is with the flu

asprilla

dekant wrote:

It's cold

Not wet though. Navigating the treacherous rapids of the River Castlenau last night reminded me of my trips on the Zambezi (but without the Zimbabweans taking pot shorts at you).

hopkinb

Gloves deployed. Only thin ones, but full fingered. Tried to keep the pace high to keep warm, but it didn't really work into the northerly wind.

Collided with a pedestrian in tooting last night. He saw me, and froze, but there was nowhere for me to go except into oncoming traffic or into the back of a stationary bus, which I assume he wanted to board, hence his crossing the road in such a stupid place. I scrubbed off most of my speed, but still gave him a fair whack. Hit him with my shoulder rather than my bike, so stayed upright, as did he. Called him a fcuking idiot and carried on.

Prior to that, there had been a little bit of quicker riding with a biggish guy on a felt, and a younger guy in a red jersey, who seemed very interested in examining my saddle bag, I can't think why else he would have been riding so close to my back wheel.

wolfsbane2k

Meant to be in a meeting 100 miles away today that got cancelled 3 minutes before I was due to leave the house, so already suited and booted to head out in the car.

Rather than change, drove to work for the first time in ages, and remembered exactly why - as I was overtaken constantly by riders I recognise from that there strava flyby, but rarely actually see.

Car 0, Bike riders 8...

kingstongraham

Asprilla wrote:

dekant wrote:

It's cold

Not wet though. Navigating the treacherous rapids of the River Castlenau last night reminded me of my trips on the Zambezi (but without the Zimbabweans taking pot shorts at you).

Yes, timing it so you were going through after a car had made a wave and the "puddle" was at low tide was key down there last night.

And this morning I got honked at for not riding straight through one, because everyone knows cyclists belong in the gutter.

rower63

hedleymiller wrote:

...What do you mean about the idro? I've had mine for ~20 months now, apart from a hole in the elbow when I came off on ice in Brixton, it's done ok - not sure it's worth the RRP but mine was a gift...

Welcome back to the forum George, glad to see you're mended. (For the record, George in his full-fitness form is quite quick, especially in a short sprint).

Very interested in that jacket, subject to one thing. I have rather long arms, and one thing that irritates me about supposedly water-resistant jackets is the inevitable presence of a gap between the jacket-cuff and the glove cuff as I'm leaning forward resting on the hoods. I have some thick actually waterproof gloves (ski gloves not bike gloves - properly waterproof bike gloves do not exist AFAIK). But that wtareproofness becomes moot if the water simply runs down the wrists into the glove.

So, my question is: do the cuffs have thumb-loops, to hold the cuffs down over the top of the gloves?

mamil314

Honk!

kingstonian

rower63 wrote:

hedleymiller wrote:

...What do you mean about the idro? I've had mine for ~20 months now, apart from a hole in the elbow when I came off on ice in Brixton, it's done ok - not sure it's worth the RRP but mine was a gift...

Welcome back to the forum George, glad to see you're mended. (For the record, George in his full-fitness form is quite quick, especially in a short sprint).

Very interested in that jacket, subject to one thing. I have rather long arms, and one thing that irritates me about supposedly water-resistant jackets is the inevitable presence of a gap between the jacket-cuff and the glove cuff as I'm leaning forward resting on the hoods. I have some thick actually waterproof gloves (ski gloves not bike gloves - properly waterproof bike gloves do not exist AFAIK). But that wtareproofness becomes moot if the water simply runs down the wrists into the glove.

So, my question is: do the cuffs have thumb-loops, to hold the cuffs down over the top of the gloves?

I have an Idro, it is absolutely brilliant. I've had it for about 6 months and have found that my forearms can get a bit wet as water goes up the sleeves but that's it. No thumb loop on mine, but I guess if you wanted to add one that wouldn't be too hard.

I have a pair of Sealskinz gloves which are waterproof, quite impressively so to be fair. Haven't worn the Idro with those yet as those gloves are really for winter only but I suspect they'll probably solve the "water up the forearms" scenario as the cuff of the glove is a decent size.

anonymousblackfg

hopkinb wrote:

Collided with a pedestrian in tooting last night. He saw me, and froze, but there was nowhere for me to go except into oncoming traffic or into the back of a stationary bus, which I assume he wanted to board, hence his crossing the road in such a stupid place. I scrubbed off most of my speed, but still gave him a fair whack. Hit him with my shoulder rather than my bike, so stayed upright, as did he. Called him a fcuking idiot and carried on.

Good work for staying rubber side down in that rain. I forgot that other riders try to dodge puddles so was surprised each time a muppet started drifting into me as I held my line.

Also a big well done to the Rapha douche on a pearson fixie for just forcing me left at the Oval segregated track as he couldn't be bothered with sitting 2 by 2. Being petty I just undertook and forced my way back in front of him. These mugs would not dare of pushing into a queue in Waitrose but once on a bike any sh1t behavior is fine apparently.