Seemingly trivial things that cheer you up
Comments
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This might not cheer everyone up
https://grandtournation.com/thegrandtour/jeremy-clarkson-quits-the-grand-tour-to-pursue-career-in-london-mayoring/
Not for the first time, I'm rooting for Jezza..."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
^ What was the date on that piece of "journalism"?
You can support Jezza's campaign by donating via this link notasgoodasfreddie.org0 -
Bloody spoilsport...orraloon said:^ What was the date on that piece of "journalism"?
You can support Jezza's campaign by donating via this link notasgoodasfreddie.org"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Prompted partially by SG's Led Zep themed week, finding the 2007 O2 concert with Jason Bonham on youtube. F those guys are good. I never saw LZ live, they had gone stratospheric long before my time to get to those sort of gigs. I have been to couple of Robert Plant gigs post the 2007 one, one on his tour with Alison Krauss et al plus experiencing his Sensational Space Shifters in the RAH. But that O2 gig looks great.
This stay at home time has some plus aspects.0 -
I used to deliver a paper to LZ's manager. He had a Range Rover, registration plate: LZ 1 and a Porsche 911 registration plate Bad 1.
Hang on... i'm off to the DVLA website...
Ha ha, the Bad 1 is now on a white Fiat.
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Getting both my new midi keyboard and external mic to work through the new mini Behringer usb mixing desk connected to my laptop (only having one sound card was the challenge), all ready for remote lessons next term. Just the trumpet mic to go now, and then I'll be sorted.0
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F*cking hell I love bourbon.
And sister managed to get a *very* decent bottle of mescal delivered for my birthday and holy moly.1 -
Getting the new coffee machine up and running this morning (we were going to wait until the new kitchen was installed). Only using the ground stuff from the local shop but it's nice to have a proper coffee when I fancy one again1
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Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.0 -
Grocery shopping. With so much discretionary spending completely on hold due to shutdown, the grocery budget has blossomed. All sorts of nonsense is going in the trolley with a mere shrug of the shoulders.
The family are worried about the total lack of begrudging resentment at exceeding a budget.0 -
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.0 -
Listened to a podcast, can't remember which one, in which a Pro rider was exclaiming just how frantic and full on he found the starts in Zwift, and indeed suggesting that all might not be 100% kosher when comes to reality.0
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The person who won the A race this evening did the 9.6 miles in less than 10 minutes with double digit heart rate. The bunch sprint for second was 9 minutes further back. Surprisingly he got DQd within minutes of the results getting posted. Not sure why they bother.orraloon said:Listened to a podcast, can't remember which one, in which a Pro rider was exclaiming just how frantic and full on he found the starts in Zwift, and indeed suggesting that all might not be 100% kosher when comes to reality.
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Anyhoo, 9.6 miles in 19 mins is exceedingly non realistic.
Must have been a tail wind.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
That was pretty much my road race experience in real life. Only ever dabbled and stopped because I was a) no good and b) a middle aged man who didn’t want to be in a pile up. I’m assuming zwift will be pile up free. May give it a go tomorrow. Did you enjoy it?Pross said:
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.
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Yeah it was good, I've never got on with turbo training when I cycled properly but the modern kit and Zwift really make it enjoyable (in a masochistic sort of way). I found myself leaning into corners and it's a weird sensation to go flat out through a corner or literally ride through others with no worries. It would be quite good if you crashed out if you got too close or took corners too fast but would need the ability to steer. I'm sure it will happen at some point.morstar said:
That was pretty much my road race experience in real life. Only ever dabbled and stopped because I was a) no good and b) a middle aged man who didn’t want to be in a pile up. I’m assuming zwift will be pile up free. May give it a go tomorrow. Did you enjoy it?Pross said:
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.0 -
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Interesting, I’d wondered whether it is more akin to a TT effort due to the lack of power on, power off for those exact reasons.Pross said:
Yeah it was good, I've never got on with turbo training when I cycled properly but the modern kit and Zwift really make it enjoyable (in a masochistic sort of way). I found myself leaning into corners and it's a weird sensation to go flat out through a corner or literally ride through others with no worries. It would be quite good if you crashed out if you got too close or took corners too fast but would need the ability to steer. I'm sure it will happen at some point.morstar said:
That was pretty much my road race experience in real life. Only ever dabbled and stopped because I was a) no good and b) a middle aged man who didn’t want to be in a pile up. I’m assuming zwift will be pile up free. May give it a go tomorrow. Did you enjoy it?Pross said:
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.
I’ve ridden a few video routes on Tacx and agree it is so much better than turbo training to numbers.
But the cornering and descent speeds are the obvious limitation. I have done some local descents on Tacx at 50+ mph which would certainly have mortal consequences in real life.
Will give the free trial a go later.0 -
A bit jealous of those of you with turbos... they are rarer than multipacks of toilet rolls now, unless you spend £100s... for now I'm still getting out for 1-hour exercise rides in East Devon (and they do cheer me up), so I'm hoping that there isn't a hardening of the lockdown...0
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Managed to get mine in Halfords on the first weekend of lockdown. It's a bottom of the range direct drive that probably isn't the most accurate but was a bargain at £275 and does the job nicely. They probably sell a couple a month normally but there was someone in the queue in front of me getting one of the better models.briantrumpet said:A bit jealous of those of you with turbos... they are rarer than multipacks of toilet rolls now, unless you spend £100s... for now I'm still getting out for 1-hour exercise rides in East Devon (and they do cheer me up), so I'm hoping that there isn't a hardening of the lockdown...
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I wasn't sure if it would be one continuous effort rather than the real life accelerations. I was generally fluctuating between 2.5 and 3 w/kg in effort throughout. It was probably more consistent than real life racing due to lack of cornering but I found myself working harder at some points than others and 'losing the wheel' at the same part of the circuit each lap which I realised afterwards was slightly uphill as I'm a heavier rider. I'm surprised how well the software reflects drafting and hills.morstar said:
Interesting, I’d wondered whether it is more akin to a TT effort due to the lack of power on, power off for those exact reasons.Pross said:
Yeah it was good, I've never got on with turbo training when I cycled properly but the modern kit and Zwift really make it enjoyable (in a masochistic sort of way). I found myself leaning into corners and it's a weird sensation to go flat out through a corner or literally ride through others with no worries. It would be quite good if you crashed out if you got too close or took corners too fast but would need the ability to steer. I'm sure it will happen at some point.morstar said:
That was pretty much my road race experience in real life. Only ever dabbled and stopped because I was a) no good and b) a middle aged man who didn’t want to be in a pile up. I’m assuming zwift will be pile up free. May give it a go tomorrow. Did you enjoy it?Pross said:
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.
I’ve ridden a few video routes on Tacx and agree it is so much better than turbo training to numbers.
But the cornering and descent speeds are the obvious limitation. I have done some local descents on Tacx at 50+ mph which would certainly have mortal consequences in real life.
Will give the free trial a go later.0 -
I should probably sell my rollers given the increased demand, but there is no fancy online competition with them, so maybe no one is interested.0
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TheBigBean said:
I should probably sell my rollers given the increased demand, but there is no fancy online competition with them, so maybe no one is interested.
The lower-end rollers are all out of stock too. Wonder if that'll lead to a few extra trips to A&E...0 -
Serious question - how much space to they take up when not in use and are they any better than using a turbo ?0
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I think a turbo does a better job for training. Rollers are good for warming up and they make you ride more smoothly as you'll fall off otherwise. I'm rubbish on them though. You can probably hide them behind a sofa when they aren't in use.rick_chasey said:Serious question - how much space to they take up when not in use and are they any better than using a turbo ?
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They are designed to be portable and to be stored away, but they are still quite chunky though as the rollers have a decent diameter.rick_chasey said:Serious question - how much space to they take up when not in use and are they any better than using a turbo ?
If you get an industrial fan to blast you from the front it feels just like riding a bike - complete with the need to pay attention. You can change the level of resistance using gears (and my rollers have some additional options too), but you can't get out the saddle and pretend you are climbing a hill.
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It's also boring, but that goes without saying. I guess rollers can be combined with zwift to ease the boredom.
I used to just use a heart rate monitor to assess output.0 -
I trained quite a lot on mine last winter and found the timings very close to reality so yes, the algorithms are pretty well refined.Pross said:
I wasn't sure if it would be one continuous effort rather than the real life accelerations. I was generally fluctuating between 2.5 and 3 w/kg in effort throughout. It was probably more consistent than real life racing due to lack of cornering but I found myself working harder at some points than others and 'losing the wheel' at the same part of the circuit each lap which I realised afterwards was slightly uphill as I'm a heavier rider. I'm surprised how well the software reflects drafting and hills.morstar said:
Interesting, I’d wondered whether it is more akin to a TT effort due to the lack of power on, power off for those exact reasons.Pross said:
Yeah it was good, I've never got on with turbo training when I cycled properly but the modern kit and Zwift really make it enjoyable (in a masochistic sort of way). I found myself leaning into corners and it's a weird sensation to go flat out through a corner or literally ride through others with no worries. It would be quite good if you crashed out if you got too close or took corners too fast but would need the ability to steer. I'm sure it will happen at some point.morstar said:
That was pretty much my road race experience in real life. Only ever dabbled and stopped because I was a) no good and b) a middle aged man who didn’t want to be in a pile up. I’m assuming zwift will be pile up free. May give it a go tomorrow. Did you enjoy it?Pross said:
Did my first Zwift race tonight after only getting a turbo about 10 days ago and having hardly ridden for a few years. It was brutal, I was only in Cat C and was warned the start would be flat out but I was about 200 watts over my FTP for the first 30 seconds. Great workout though, I would never train that hard.morstar said:Rode the turbo trainer last night on a virtual route on Tacx and wasn’t totally feeble. Passed by a few but managed to pass some also.
May even brave zwift over the weekend but my real life bunch racing didn’t really make a mark. I suspect my virtual racing will be similarly pitiful.
I’ve ridden a few video routes on Tacx and agree it is so much better than turbo training to numbers.
But the cornering and descent speeds are the obvious limitation. I have done some local descents on Tacx at 50+ mph which would certainly have mortal consequences in real life.
Will give the free trial a go later.
I find climbing is a bit slower than real life which is compensated by the rapid descending. These seem to balance each other out over a course with negligible net height difference with remarkable accuracy.
If they can find a way to introduce control elements such as cornering, it could be quite remarkably accurate from an effort perspective.0 -
Yeah, it's probably the best out there for less than £25. For something costing a little more I have come to really rate the Maker's 46.rick_chasey said:0
