Showing posts with label General Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Tips. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Gearing Up for CycloCross Season: Article 1, Running
CycloCross Season Article 1: Getting Yourself Ready:
Since Cyclocross is so close to your road and mountain biking experience, typically the best place to begin with training is the running aspect of cyclocross.
In CX races, dismounting your bike at speed and running over obstacles or up short steep hills is common and while it sounds easy enough, it's often one of the harder steps to master in CX racing.
From preparing your dismount to running while carrying your bike to remounting and riding onward!
Whether you are new to CX or you've been doing it for years, a good place to start your CX season preparation is by advancing your running skills.
The overall idea is to get you to run about 20 mins without much effort.
Not a runner? No need to go out and run 5 miles, the idea is to give yourself time to get used to running.
Start with a 3 day a week program designed to take 15-30 mins of your time.
As with anything, easing your way into a program is key to success, no need to
go out and hurt yourself or cause a nagging strain before the season begins, right?
So, choose 3 days a week to begin your running regiment with at least 1 "rest" day in between each workout day.
I usually choose Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's.
Week 1:
Monday's Run: Walk 5min | Run 5min | Walk 5min
Wednesday's Run: Walk 8min | Run 8min | Walk 8min
Friday's Run: Walk 10min | Run 10min | Walk 10min
See a pattern? The idea is to allow your body time to warm up, be exercised and cool
down in such a way that it allows your muscles to be worked without becoming sore
or having any pain.
Week 2:
Begin week 2 using Week 1's Friday run and increase from there.
Monday Run: Walk 10min | Run 12min | Walk 10min:
Wednesday Run: Walk 10min | Run 15min | Walk 10min:
Friday Run: Walk 10min | Run 15min | Walk 10min:
Week 3:
Begin Week 3 with Week 2's Friday schedule and up your run time to 17 min on Wed.
and 20 mins on Friday.
So now you can run 20 minutes! What's next? Increase your speed!
We know you have the endurance, but cyclocross is about fast paces and short bursts of
energy.
New focus! Prepare yourself for close to "max efforts" by incorporating short bursts in your training. Move back to a Week 2 schedule, but this time you need to make incorporate 15-30 sec. bursts in every 5 mins. Long enough to tax your body, but short enough that you can recover quickly. Gradually increase the frequency of the bursts (about 1x every 3 mins) as well as move up towards the goal of 30 sec.!
Remember, in a CX race, you'll have to be able to jump back on the bike and pedal your
arse off!
Article 2: Dismounting and Carrying the bike while you run!
This is a crosspost article from CCVA forums.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
National Bike Month 2013
May is National Bike month!
So the goal is simple; get those bikes out of storage and start riding!
National Bike to School Day is May 8th.
National Bike to Work Week is May 13-17.
National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 17.
But... Don't let these few announced days limit your riding! Consider taking the bike to the local store for that gallon of milk, to run visit a friend, run a small errand, etc!
Have kids that want to ride to school? Join them!
Wondering what you can do as a family this weekend? Explore a park or battlefield via bike as a family. We promise, it'll be fun!
Talk About it-CCVA Forums
So the goal is simple; get those bikes out of storage and start riding!
National Bike to School Day is May 8th.
National Bike to Work Week is May 13-17.
National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 17.
But... Don't let these few announced days limit your riding! Consider taking the bike to the local store for that gallon of milk, to run visit a friend, run a small errand, etc!
Have kids that want to ride to school? Join them!
Wondering what you can do as a family this weekend? Explore a park or battlefield via bike as a family. We promise, it'll be fun!
Talk About it-CCVA Forums
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Spoke Prep
Looking to build your first wheelset and find yourself wondering what spoke prep is?
The idea behind spoke prep is both a lubricant and thread-locker in one. It acts as a lubricant during the building process and helps to prevent binding between the nipple and spokes as tension increases.
As binding happens, the spoke itself begins to twist which will cause uneven tension your new wheel causing truing issues both before and after it's first few uses.
Perhaps the most renowned spoke prep is called, "Spoke Prep" from Wheelsmith. Don't get too confused by the color options of blue and gold. They offer both colors as a way to ID drive-side and non-drive side spokes for the build, but function of both colors are the same.
Are there alternatives to spoke prep? I'm sure there are, I've heard of people using Locktite, Chainlube, Linseed Oil, etc. My opinion, Spoke Prep is designed for one thing and one thing only, to help you build and tension your wheels properly and few extra bucks to do it correctly is worth the price of admission.
The idea behind spoke prep is both a lubricant and thread-locker in one. It acts as a lubricant during the building process and helps to prevent binding between the nipple and spokes as tension increases.
As binding happens, the spoke itself begins to twist which will cause uneven tension your new wheel causing truing issues both before and after it's first few uses.
Perhaps the most renowned spoke prep is called, "Spoke Prep" from Wheelsmith. Don't get too confused by the color options of blue and gold. They offer both colors as a way to ID drive-side and non-drive side spokes for the build, but function of both colors are the same.
Are there alternatives to spoke prep? I'm sure there are, I've heard of people using Locktite, Chainlube, Linseed Oil, etc. My opinion, Spoke Prep is designed for one thing and one thing only, to help you build and tension your wheels properly and few extra bucks to do it correctly is worth the price of admission.
Wheelsmith Spoke Prep"The ultimate spoke thread compound is SpokePrep™ because it is both a lubricant and a thread lock! How can it do both? When spoke tension is low and there is risk of loosening, SpokePrep "locks" the nipple by maintaining a minimum nipple torque. When spoke tension is high SpokePrep keeps nipple torque low with Teflon lubrication. We also have SpokePrep in two colors so you can prep your spokes and immediately know on which side of the wheel they will be used."
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Bicycle Gearing
People often talking about how hard or easy it is to pedal their bike, but really don't understand how all the gearing works.
While the cyclists most interested in gearing tend to be single speed or fixed gear riders, everyone should know that not all cranksets and rear cassettes (the pieces of your bike that actually create all the gear inches / ratios) are created equal.
Let's defined a few terms that you will need to know.
1) Chain ring: The ring(s) that are attached to the cranks. Bikes will have from 1(single), 2 (double), or 3 (triple) chain rings.
2) Cassette, Freewheel, Cog: All terms used to describe the gearing rings used on the rear wheel. Each is similar, but different.
~ A cog is single ring, that usually attaches to the rear wheel and does not have a ratcheting mechanism. Without ratcheting, your pedals will constantly turn even if you try to coast, and use of this system is called riding "Fixed gear."
~ A Freewheel is a cog mounted on a ratcheting mechanism, which allows you to coast when you stop pedaling.
~ A cassette is a cluster of cogs mounted to a freewheel, offering you the ability to switch between gears. (cassettes can range from 2 -10 gears)
There are two terms used in gearing, Gear Ratio and Gear Inches.
Ratios take into account the direct relationship between your chainrings & the rear cogs; while Gear inched is similar, it also takes into account the size of the wheels/tires that you are using too.
It may sound complicated, but it really isn't.
With so many wheels sizes being used these days, Gear Inches is the most accurate way to make sure you are gearing all your bike alike.
For the sake of time and ease, we'll just cover a Single Speed / fixed gear ratio and inches.
~ Gear Ratio = Chainring size / rear cog size.
~ Gear Inches = (Chainring size / Rear cog) * wheelsize in inches
Here are a few examples:
A 43 tooth chainring and a 20 tooth cog being used on a bike with 29" wheels would look like this:
~ Gear Ratio = 43/20 = 2:51 ratio.
~ Gear Inches = (43/20)*29 = 49.4 gear inches.
So what's the difference?
Let's say you feel comfortable pedaling your current bike that is using a 32t chainring, 16t cog, and 26" wheels; but now you bought a new bike and want to have the same gearing.
If you do the math on your current bike:
~ Gear Ratio = 32/16 = 2:1 ratio.
~ Gear Inches = (32/16)*26 = 52 gear inches.
But what if your new bike has 29" wheels?
If you use the 2:1 "Gear Ratio", You'll find that it's not the same pedal stroke. In fact it'll be much, much harder.
Using a 29" wheel and 32t/16t = 58 gear inches!
So now all you need to do is change a few values until you locate a Gear Inches for the new bike that is similar to your old bike.
In this case, using a 32t chainring, 18t cog, & a 29" gives you a gear ratio of 51.5 gear inches, which is very close to your old bike.
For fun, you can do a few options +/- to fine tune your choice.
( 32/17 )*29 = 54.6")
( 32/18 )*29 = 51.5")
( 32/19 )*29 = 48.8")
While the cyclists most interested in gearing tend to be single speed or fixed gear riders, everyone should know that not all cranksets and rear cassettes (the pieces of your bike that actually create all the gear inches / ratios) are created equal.
Let's defined a few terms that you will need to know.
1) Chain ring: The ring(s) that are attached to the cranks. Bikes will have from 1(single), 2 (double), or 3 (triple) chain rings.
2) Cassette, Freewheel, Cog: All terms used to describe the gearing rings used on the rear wheel. Each is similar, but different.
~ A cog is single ring, that usually attaches to the rear wheel and does not have a ratcheting mechanism. Without ratcheting, your pedals will constantly turn even if you try to coast, and use of this system is called riding "Fixed gear."
~ A Freewheel is a cog mounted on a ratcheting mechanism, which allows you to coast when you stop pedaling.
~ A cassette is a cluster of cogs mounted to a freewheel, offering you the ability to switch between gears. (cassettes can range from 2 -10 gears)
There are two terms used in gearing, Gear Ratio and Gear Inches.
Ratios take into account the direct relationship between your chainrings & the rear cogs; while Gear inched is similar, it also takes into account the size of the wheels/tires that you are using too.
It may sound complicated, but it really isn't.
With so many wheels sizes being used these days, Gear Inches is the most accurate way to make sure you are gearing all your bike alike.
For the sake of time and ease, we'll just cover a Single Speed / fixed gear ratio and inches.
~ Gear Ratio = Chainring size / rear cog size.
~ Gear Inches = (Chainring size / Rear cog) * wheelsize in inches
Here are a few examples:
A 43 tooth chainring and a 20 tooth cog being used on a bike with 29" wheels would look like this:
~ Gear Ratio = 43/20 = 2:51 ratio.
~ Gear Inches = (43/20)*29 = 49.4 gear inches.
So what's the difference?
Let's say you feel comfortable pedaling your current bike that is using a 32t chainring, 16t cog, and 26" wheels; but now you bought a new bike and want to have the same gearing.
If you do the math on your current bike:
~ Gear Ratio = 32/16 = 2:1 ratio.
~ Gear Inches = (32/16)*26 = 52 gear inches.
But what if your new bike has 29" wheels?
If you use the 2:1 "Gear Ratio", You'll find that it's not the same pedal stroke. In fact it'll be much, much harder.
Using a 29" wheel and 32t/16t = 58 gear inches!
So now all you need to do is change a few values until you locate a Gear Inches for the new bike that is similar to your old bike.
In this case, using a 32t chainring, 18t cog, & a 29" gives you a gear ratio of 51.5 gear inches, which is very close to your old bike.
For fun, you can do a few options +/- to fine tune your choice.
( 32/17 )*29 = 54.6")
( 32/18 )*29 = 51.5")
( 32/19 )*29 = 48.8")
Monday, June 9, 2008
Ride Preparation
Ride preparation is one of the single most important and easy things you can do to help ensure a fun ride.
Ride preparation includes everything from performing maintenance on your bike to making sure you have enough water, food, gear, maps, etc to make it back from your ride safely. Try to plan your ride in advance, so everything goes smoothly on the day of the ride. Points of interest: gear, ride buddies, carpooling, meet/ride times, maps, weather, etc.
A great start is with the Pre/Post Ride Checklist.
Plan ahead and get organized. Research where you are going and prepare accordingly.
~ Print maps of the route you are taking albeit road or trail
~ Make sure to bring your all your cycling essentials and store them all in one place, like a large gym bag. I keep my shoes, helmet, CamelBak, gloves, and mutlti-tools all in one large bag so I can just grab and go.
~ Plan for the extreme points of the weather that is possible as some long rides can have unforeseen events that might leave you in the elements longer than intended. So when possible, carry an extra layer of clothes, extra food & water, etc.
Eat and drink for a before a ride or event. There is nothing worst than getting 5 or 10 miles down a trail and bonking. Eating properly sometimes needs to be done even days in advance (though this is usually for racing purposes).
While riding with people of like abilities can be relaxing, when you ride with people who are of different skill level than yourself you are pushed to excel and this is key to growing your skills.
More experienced riders have knowhow and will teach you by watching them or instruction which in turn you can share with others later. This can be tremendously helpful to those less experienced and you will gain confidence as you share the skills you have learned.
Have patience: Do not try to ride above and beyond your skill level, you will always see someone better, and only saddle time will get you there. Sometimes walking a new trail first can give you more of an idea of what to expect then just riding it.
Ride preparation includes everything from performing maintenance on your bike to making sure you have enough water, food, gear, maps, etc to make it back from your ride safely. Try to plan your ride in advance, so everything goes smoothly on the day of the ride. Points of interest: gear, ride buddies, carpooling, meet/ride times, maps, weather, etc.
A great start is with the Pre/Post Ride Checklist.
Plan ahead and get organized. Research where you are going and prepare accordingly.
~ Print maps of the route you are taking albeit road or trail
~ Make sure to bring your all your cycling essentials and store them all in one place, like a large gym bag. I keep my shoes, helmet, CamelBak, gloves, and mutlti-tools all in one large bag so I can just grab and go.
~ Plan for the extreme points of the weather that is possible as some long rides can have unforeseen events that might leave you in the elements longer than intended. So when possible, carry an extra layer of clothes, extra food & water, etc.
Eat and drink for a before a ride or event. There is nothing worst than getting 5 or 10 miles down a trail and bonking. Eating properly sometimes needs to be done even days in advance (though this is usually for racing purposes).
While riding with people of like abilities can be relaxing, when you ride with people who are of different skill level than yourself you are pushed to excel and this is key to growing your skills.
More experienced riders have knowhow and will teach you by watching them or instruction which in turn you can share with others later. This can be tremendously helpful to those less experienced and you will gain confidence as you share the skills you have learned.
Have patience: Do not try to ride above and beyond your skill level, you will always see someone better, and only saddle time will get you there. Sometimes walking a new trail first can give you more of an idea of what to expect then just riding it.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
