I have been yelled at by drivers for "not following the rules." 1. "It's a one way street, idiot!" The bike lane your car is protruding into is actually 2-way. 2. "The bike lane is on the other side!" While intentionally trying to block me with their car door. "I'm turning right at this intersection you're trying to block me from." 3. "Why aren't you using the bike lane?" Because you're fucking parked in it!
Lots of good points about the data and fancy equipement in cycling (and running). But one is not mentioned, though: it can be just fun to have them. The ultimate goal of cycling (at least at an amateur level) is not just speed but also having fun. Part of it can be by "feeling" like a pro and learning about your body, aerodynamics, physics, biodynamics, etc. If understanding how the data works and how you can improve it makes your activity more fun to you and motivates you, why not getting it? As long as you don't become too obsessed with it, that you still listen to your body, and that you don't get broke because of the expensive products you're buying. If you like riding old bikes in an old-school way, do it; if you like the fancy new-tech products and you want to have a taste of it, just do it as well. There are just as many ways of enjoying cycling as there are cyclists out there, and it's the beauty of this sport in my opinion.
CdA is the drag coefficient multiplied by the frontal area. It is a measure of how big you "seem" to the oncoming air. Whereas Cd is just a dimenionless quantity which reflects on how aerodynamic your shape is. The drag force is proportional to both Cd and A, so it makes sense to group them together as a measure of drag.
I love the "going on feel" approach! I race a lot of mtb enduro, without a head unit, I don't have the time to look , check my heart rate so I always ride on feel. The same on road. I check my data after and try to compare it to how I felt. I got to know my body responses, I know my preferred heart rate, when I fell the best. And when I feel good I get better results.
I have to say for Emily, at least they talked about bikes in your safe driving. My safe driving there was no talks about bikes, but did make sure you know it was legal to have an open container in Delaware.
One of the things I took from the Jordan documentary is that, yes, he is insanely competitive but he couldn't out compete his way to a championship. It wasn't until Phil Jackson (the coach) came along and was a bit more zen and got Jordan to trust the process, trust the team, and enjoy the ride, that the Bulls became an unbeatable dynasty. From what I can tell Jackson went on to do the same thing with Shaq and Kobe in LA.
I've done a naked bike ride twice and it's an unbelievable experience which I would recommend to anyone. I don't think it's about promoting cycling, more like promoting body positivity. I love it and doing it again this year :)
Fair question, Jimi, the pre-event prep for sport riders and absolutely, I appreciate the motivation an event provides, fun to be prepared to represent your best self, whatever that might be. Like for me, 64 years old, I am happy just to join the in-crowd and show that, O yeah, my Sting-Ray days of half a century ago are still making me fast now. 😀
You guys should get a subscription to Escape Collective. They have the best coverage on the whole hookless / Zipp situation including an hour long interview with Zipp itself. In that interview it became clear that the Strade situation was not a major impact. The guy had a flat and continued to ride on it ultimately damaging the rim.
Great podcast! All involved make it an easy and engaging listen. Im sure there’s a section about theses cda sensors discussed in depth in the Peter Attia podcast with Olav Aleksander Bu from Santara Tech / Norwegian Coach. It’s mind boggling to listen to, but he builds the discussion in layers about HR, VO2 max, FTP etc. from that you realise how correct your guest is that unless you have the need a HRM and a decent physical self awareness will get you a great distance and at a decent speed
Good evening wherever you are Not sure how many are also followers of Ms. Spendor. But it appears that our Francis got married earlier this year. Congrats. So happy for you. Welcome to the oldest institution still in existence. Looking forward to any updates you care to share. Cheers from Oz.
I’ve done the naked bike ride. It’s a lot of fun, not uncomfortable at all. A towel attached to your saddle adds a lot of comfort. You might end up in the local newspaper, though.
On the listener question regarding longer rides/fit issue/fitness issue. I agree that the lower back stiffness specifically on longer rides would very likely be fitness related, especially if the problem fades as your in-season fitness and number of longer rides increases. I also agree that general strength/off-the-bike workouts for general health and fitness are always good. On the foot hot-spot issue, I would definitely think fit issue. I suffered from hot spot issues in a similar way, specifically on longer rides (and hotter rides). My solutions were to find a shoe that fit my foot better (1st solution) and also I had a comprehensive bike fit (2nd solution). Changing the shoes did help some, in my case, a shoe with a wider toe box helped as I was likely getting some late-ride foot swelling. During the bike fit process my foot/cleat position was adjusted which has completely rectified the issue. A competent bike fitter will analyze your foot mechanics and potentially recommend insoles to help correct any problems, a full shoe change is not always required.
If the impact on the rim was so severe that i cracked the rim, WITHOUT throwing the rider of (twice in a row) how big must that rock have been? Futhermore ,why did no one else in the bunch hit that giant rock? Why only the SAME Hookless rim from Zipp? That Zipp statement ist utter bullshit, they are blatantly lying.
Here's a fun fact for Emily that at some point in the future can be used as a quiz question... every packet of Walkers crisps, the sell by/best by date is on a Saturday !, go check guys ,haha
I disagree with Francis on this one. I think that type of events increases a negative perception of ciclying haters and therefore hinders ciclying. Great podcast as usual!
I participated in the world naked ride in the U.S. midwest a few years ago. Probably a bit prudish as compared to some of the rides in Europe or even in the more liberal U.S. cities. I guessing about 1/3 of the 1000 or so riders were totally nude or nude with body paint, the rest (like myself) a bit more modest. Even with that percentage of totally naked riders one of my takeaways was "never buy a used bike saddle".
Worth noting that for some people depression is a chemical imbalance and ca have nothing to do with outside influences, and in some cases medication is the only way to go
The Zipp wheel failures may not be a hookless issue, but if it's a Zipp wheel issue, that's kind of worse for them? Hookless is bad for road for plenty of other reasons and also Zipp wheels are fragile af.
The point on the naked bike rides is not to promote cycling. It's to promote road safety i.e. drivers looking for cyclists. Strapline: 'Do you see me now?'
off topic but can you tell me what brand cap you wear....i've seen you wear this similar had in many videos and i have a small head and am looking for a low crown hat. thanks would be ever so grateful
Around riding in a bunch. This aspect is rarely discussed. For context, I'm tall and have silly tall legs, so other riders basically fight for "my wheel". When I was leading the peloton around the club's 2000 meter track, I was able to do speeds I'd not even be able to do for a single lap. In my case, 55 kph on the straights, corners would be 40 kph as usual for me. Solo, no way I could be able to do it. Just a club crit, so needless to say, with those corners to slow down for, I'd rip the pack to a long string when I did that. I was basically chasing a lead group and intending to bring the pack along with me rather than to try to bridge. I was more effective at bringing the pack back (I could "solo" 55 kph this way, than trying to bridge, where I'd probably not even hit 50 after the first corner. To the point: the pack following me clearly reduce my drag. Like a cone add-on on the BACK of a car. Rarely discussed, isn't it? So this gadget only works when you ride alone.
I got a power meter after 7ish years of road riding and I think that delay made me a better rider. I learned my own body, what it feels like when it's under all levels of strain, how to listen to it. Anyone trying to be a faster rider should not get a power meter for at least a few years. You can spend years getting faster, and I do mean *years*, with nothing but a stopwatch and listening to your body.
Maybe invite a caryoutuber to the podcast? Sam from seenthroughglass Shmee150, Auroalex. Or aim high with Chris Harris, Richard Hammond (a verry nice man who is doing a lot on youtube now)
The biggest revelation when I started cycling was how much comfort a good bib short provides. And that is literally the only thought I have with the naked bike ride - your poor bums 😊
The speed or rate that you pour is different. Cold is faster than hot. Partly (I guess) is you don't want to get splashed by hot water so you (Everyone probably) pours hot water slower
that Powerpod/aeropod is 100% useless unless you happen to be on a world tour team or something. I'd even go one step further and say that this "aero" craze is just that: a buzz word to see bikes. Considering I ride gravel and endurance on a Ti bike (so its my forever bike) and has zero interest in racing .. obviously I am not the target demographic. But it does seem to inform the overall glut of the bike industry's overinflated prices or seemingly the useless crap they want to sell you for "marginal gains". LOL also - with the activities I do - steel spokes please.
Hookless - You can’t have everything at once. Super thin sidewall. High pressure. Hookless. Tubeless. High durability. One has to go. Hookless obviously. I’ve blown a tire off a hooked rim. High pressure, thin sidewall, dropped off a curd. Only once, I tailored my usage.
Exactly that same experience in the driver awareness (speeding) course I did few years ago. Full bike newspaper bingo. Everyone there was innocent and hugely unlucky to be on the course 🤷 . It’s a cross section of society (that end up on the courses)
re: Zipp wheels IF carbon fiber wheels are reportedly so much stronger than aluminum, how is it that the wheels in the hookless debate were damaged such that they weren't suitable for use? Surely the pro teams involved didn't have a rider on those wheels bang into something sufficient to damage the rims and yet not crash in the process. It seems they're essentially saying something as innocuous as a rock strike can render the wheels unridable.
I get that it is a big day away from the nudist colony, but why can't they promote another sport, like skateboarding? I totally agree with Gabriel in Brussels on this, naked people on bikes are promoting naked people who use bikes as props for getting away with being naked on public streets. Let us be stylish in our lycra or even swimsuits, you know, our tri friends. Besides, let's get the nudists to get some variety up in this place, like naked people on rollerblades this year.
@iyadkamhiyeh527 I think you're missing my point. When people encounter this, they aren't connecting it to the wider cycling world. And also, grow up, we've all seen naked people and in this day and age any kid old enough to understand already has a phone with unlimited porn in their pocket.
Those sticks are a tool, and a good one but not for riders. They are tools for brands to test bike shapes and materials A clown just decided to try to target normal users to steal money to them. And sadly as most of us know, cycling has a lot of pompous brainless people who'll buy anything without questioning if the fake promise brands make can be actually fake!
Zipp's pricing shows what they are interested in, far and above any concerns for riders. Greedy, and almost as over-priced as sh1tty ceramic speed. The quality Chinese brands are going to end these grabbing, arrogant Western companies.
You know, he said what I would have said as an instructor. And it's based off of what he's seen. Look: We have laws as cyclists that protects us, in theory...but at the end of the day, just as much as we drive defensively, we should ride our bikes defensively and not entitled simply because a law says we can ride two abreast, we can take up the whole road, we can ride 1.5 meters (3 feet in the U.S.). Why? Because a 3 ton car will always win over your right to be right. Simple as that.
Can you please stop calling a mechanic a "pro mechanic". That's obvious. There are mechanics and then there are Pro Team Mechanics. If you're a mechanic it's your profession no matter if it's in a bike shop or on a team. Just please stop trying to make a normal profession sound special. Thank you!