Not so beginner's guide to cycling
R_T_A
Posts: 488
OK, I'm now spending far too much time thinking about how to improve my efficiency/time. Sadly I do too much self-analysis whilst riding, but I'm too ignorant to know what to look for, so would appreciate your help!
A bit about me to set the scene:
- I've been cycling on and off road for years & commuting for nearly a year. So loads of bad habits.
- I'm 6' 1'', 85kg and relatively fit.
- I do a 20 mile round trip on country roads with a bit of hilliness (enough for a blast but that's it).
- I'm averaging about 17mph but want to get nearer 20mph
- Without opening any side debates, I use SPDs and have a 10kg-ish rucksack, and have a fast hybrid with bar ends (and that will remain for the time being :P )
Two areas I think I can improve of are:
Pedalling
So where on the foot should I be focussing my power? And where should it ache on the legs after prolonged effort?
Currently I'm trying to get the whole cyclical thing going instead of just up and down, and making sure it's the calves burning. Is that right?
cadence
What is a good one? And how can I measure it without a computer? I've currently got the Cateye strada wireless so have some stats on the move.
Anything else that I should be looking at?
A bit about me to set the scene:
- I've been cycling on and off road for years & commuting for nearly a year. So loads of bad habits.
- I'm 6' 1'', 85kg and relatively fit.
- I do a 20 mile round trip on country roads with a bit of hilliness (enough for a blast but that's it).
- I'm averaging about 17mph but want to get nearer 20mph
- Without opening any side debates, I use SPDs and have a 10kg-ish rucksack, and have a fast hybrid with bar ends (and that will remain for the time being :P )
Two areas I think I can improve of are:
Pedalling
So where on the foot should I be focussing my power? And where should it ache on the legs after prolonged effort?
Currently I'm trying to get the whole cyclical thing going instead of just up and down, and making sure it's the calves burning. Is that right?
cadence
What is a good one? And how can I measure it without a computer? I've currently got the Cateye strada wireless so have some stats on the move.
Anything else that I should be looking at?
Giant Escape R1
FCN 8
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Terry Pratchett.
FCN 8
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Terry Pratchett.
0
Posts
Loose 5kg of weight
follow on
You beat me to it
Nah. I'm 13st 7 +/- and average 19ish most days.
Lose the 10Kg rucksack is the obvious first step.
Good cadence is 80+, better up in the 90s. I find above 105 there's not enough to push against so tend to find a higher gear.
Your clips should place your feet where they need to be; pedalling should be a push round from the top as well as just down. The other leg pulling is a good idea in practice but it doesn't work for me except over short distances - try it and see how you get on.
The easy way to get faster on hills is too loose a bit of weight.
The OP also said he wanted to keep the rucksack and the flat bar bike
follow on
As for cadence and pedalling this is quite a personal thing and most people have a natural style and cadence which is efficient for them. Obviously increasing cadence (if only for short bursts) will incarese speed, finteness and power over time. Although I think your main issue is weight
Yeah, opened myself up to that really
Most of my weight is not on the waist but on the shoulders (rugby background), and the wife is quite partial to that part of me
I think I'm relatively trim (34 waist), but will certainly look to lose some with diet. I'll also look at what I really need to take to work in the rucksack as well.
FCN 8
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Terry Pratchett.
21 miles, a few hills but nothing too serious. Must be a huge amount of power then.
21 miles is enough time to get into the rhythm of cycling. Anyone who's done any distance regularly knows that it doesn't start to happen properly for the first n miles,whether n be 3 or 12 or any number in between.
What's going on in your head is as important.
Fair enough - and maybe that's the bit I need to focus on. I thought it would be something more technique-based than simply that.
* Throws out kitchen sink from rucksack*
FCN 8
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Terry Pratchett.
When decending, really try and carry that momentum with you when you come off the hill, don't just coast back down to your normal flat cruising speed, push on for a while with the added momentum.
Know the route, don't kill yourself before you get to the big hill and have to grind up it. Taking a little off on the way to the hill but being able to go up it hard will save you a good dolop of time.
Time for a bit of the old MTFU....
FCN 8
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Terry Pratchett.