What will really make you faster on a bike?

What will really make you faster on a bike?

Much is written and argued about how to get faster on a bike.  Here is my personal take on the issue.

I choose to spend money on bikes and bike related stuff.  I want the most impact that I can get from each expenditure.

What will not make me faster

 

 

Expensive wheels

Yes they look great.  Yes they sound ominous and threatening.  Yes they will make me 5secs faster over a few km.  Improvement per pound - Not enough

 

 

Aero everything

Same argument as with wheels.  As I wear stuff out I am replacing with more aero versions (shirts, helmet in next year) but I am not spending wholesale for the sake of a few seconds.

What has made me faster

Bike Fit

You want to ride fast for a long time (not just the Strava segment you are on) you need to be comfortable.  Get a bike fit.  No more pain.  More power going to where it should be.  One off spend for years of comfort.

Getting a coach

That money I have not spent on wheels I have spent on a coach.  Massive measurable improvements in all aspects of my training and riding.  Without doubt the biggest improvement per pound you can spend.

Getting a power meter

My latest toy- single side power meter.  I do not need double sided so have saved the money.  I also went for Bepro as cheapest proper power meter I could find.  Why has this made me faster?
Until you see power figures you never really know how hard you are pushing.  Climbing long hills and sustained hard efforts are so easy to control with power.  You know what you can hold for 5 mins and you keep near this.  This is how Team Sky ride (different time factors and power outputs withstanding) and it clearly works.  I am faster climber and faster all around because I can ensure that I do not over cook and burn all my matches too soon.




All 3 of the above have cost me less than a pair of semi flash wheels.  The cost of a pair of Zipp wheels would keep me in training, bike fit and power for maybe 4 years.

Been away from this blog for quite a while........

The year is now 2016.  Some things have changed.

• I now have two gorgeous young ladies that bring me boundless amount of joy.
• I still ride bikes and love every moment that I can get on two wheels.
• I don't run as much or as far as I did.  I do still run, but only as cross training.
• I now train under a coach.
• I am recovering from a serious illness.

So to catch up since last post:
I have completed the 3 Peaks in 2012, 13 and 14.  But 2015 I did not compete.  I MISSED THE DRAW!  The number of applicants for this highlight of my year always surpasses the number of entrants allowed.  Last year I missed the cut and sulked a lot.  This was a double whammy because I had trained hard under a coach for the year up to this event.  Hopefully this year will be different.

Cyclocross

What started as a laugh has become a focus for my cycling.  I love this discipline and am getting quite good sometimes.  It is a strange combination of fitness, power and recovery over 40mins along with bike handling skills and a bit of luck.  It is an excellent release for competitive urges and of course an excuse for new kit.  This year I have built up my Ritchey Swiss Cross which I have to say I am very proud of.

 

 

 

 

Finished bike with FMB tubs, Force 1x10, TRP cable discs and of course Ritchey finishing kit.

Extra bits included gutting the left lever to make true 1x drivetrain











Lovely when clean and shiny, but usually looks like this:

 

Training with a coach

Thought I would see what all the fuss is about and it is all true.

• I have somebody who will listen to me and look at what I do and what I want to do
• He pushes me in sometimes strange directions
• He tells me when to go hard and when to go easy
• He explains the macro and the micro
• He praises me and challenges as well

Yes it costs money, but I think it is worth it.  I am stronger, more powerful, faster and recover better than ever before.  I still have a way to go but I  am on the road.

Recovering from Serious Illness

This bit is a bit personal and really hard to talk about, but I want to get it out there to help myself and perhaps help others as well.  It seems strange to be posting on the internet stuff that I have not spoken to many people about.

During 2015 I suffered from some kind of breakdown.  It seems that the years of stress and demands of work had built up to the point that I had to have some time off work - quite a bit of time.  I was diagnosed as suffering from anxiety and depression (oh how on trend) and have received various types of treatment to help me gain control of my life again.

I have done counselling, am on a long term course of medication and obviously use cycling as a type of meditation.

How did things get so bad?  Well I don't know really.  I guess you can liken it to ivy growing over a building - it grows slowly and you never really notice what is happening until there is a major problem.

What have I done?  Changes have been made to my work which are all positive (except financial) and I am becoming better at understanding myself in terms of "moods" and how I react to situations.  Gone are daily panic attacks, gone are dark moments and self-doubt.  Positive thinking is my aim.

The few friends that do know about my illness have been soooooo supportive, never judgemental and positive.  My immediate family have always listened and helped me through my periods of darkness.

#3peaks entered

My entry to 2013 Three Peaks Cyclocross has been successful.  Roll on end of September.  This is by far the most exciting sporting event I have ever entered.

Couple of Target Events Completed

It has been a while since I wrote anything, being a dad and work commitments take priority I am afraid.  Well anyway, I have done a couple of events that need reflection.

Richmond Sportive

Way back in early July I rode the Richmond Cycle Club 80mile 4 Dales Sportive.  This is the second time that I have ridden this route and I have to say it is really good fun.  The climbs are great, all appear in Simon Warren's fantastic "100 Greatest Cycling Climbs" book.

This year a necessary detour took the route over Buttertubs Pass instead which added a new tough climb and brilliant descent to the route.  The new route took in 1810m climbing and 113km.

Anyway, I succeeded in achieving a Silver standard time again and got to test my new tubeless wheel setup which was fantastic - fast, good grip and quiet.  I managed a max speed of 65km/hr coming down from Buttertubs.  No skipping or nervousness from the wheels, simply smooth and confidence inspiring.

Next year I will aim to complete the full 100mile route and take in Fleet Moss and Park Rash climbs as well.

Lakeland Trails Coniston Trail Marathon

Early August saw me take the whole family to Ambleside for a little run around Coniston Water.  They were put into a B+B with pool whilst I went over to Coniston for the race.  The weather was pants, rain and more rain for the actual race.  The course was tougher than I thought.  A total of 950m climbing combined with a course that muddier, rockier, narrower and generally more technical as the miles ticked away.  The final 10km or so along the lake shore was especially unpopular with me as it was root infested meaning I spent my time watching my feet, chopping and changing my stride length constantly.

Anyway I completed the course in 4:18.  I wanted to run 4 hours so did not manage that but reflecting on my training, total lack of speed work and the tougher than expected running conditions I am actually quite happy.  

In comparison with other competitors I was 124/310 finishers in all classes.  42/92 in Vet40 class.  A time of 4:13 would have put me in 100th position overall so I was well in the bunch.

As an event I really enjoyed it.  The trails were fair and challenging (if tougher than I expected).  Running along trails that were little more than running streams is always fun.  I judged my pace well, managing to run the whole route except one especially steep climb and even overtook quite a few other runners.

Marathon running in the rain

Data from Coniston Trail Marathon

#Chaincatcher and #tubelessroad

I have made two recent updates to my bikes, one cheap, the other a bit expensive.

Firstly I have fitted a K-Edge chain catcher thing to my cross-bike.  I have never shipped a chain on this bike, but I guess there is always a first time.  The device went on dead easy, look good and I will assume that it will do a good job if ever called upon.  My only winge is the silver radius washer which looks a bit wrong surrounded by black components.

K-Edge chain catcher in place

My best bike has a new set of wheels and tyres.  I have ridden tubeless on mtbs for many years, never having a serious problem fitting tyres provided I follow one simple rule: only use tubeless ready tyres.  I have never punctured an mtb tubeless tyre.  The only stoppage I have suffered is when I ripped a knob off the rear tyre making a fairly large hole, too big for sealant to cope with.

Anyway, I fancied some new wheels and going tubeless is a no brainer for me on a road bike.  I studied the options carefully and have settled on a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1 two-way fit, shod with Hutchinson Atom tyres.

I have had Fulcrum wheels before and really liked them.  The colours look great with my bike and the freehub is so quiet you can lead others to believe you are working to stay on their wheel rather than being lazy.

In my opinion this looks fantastic

Fitting the tyres was so easy.  The wheels came with tubeless valves in place, the tyres were fitted in no time without soap, using only hands and went up to 110psi first time.  No bangs or pops, the bead went straight into place on the rim which is nice with such nerve inducing pressures.  I wanted to try the tyres with no sealant.  Not for any particular reason, just to try them that way. Weight wise the wheels with tyres fitted feel about the same as the Sram S30 with Schwalbe Ultremo ZX that came off but weight is not the key issue with tubless systems, it is the ride.

The next day I checked the tyre pressures, both had dropped to 70psi, a little low.  To combat this I have put about 1oz of Stans in each tyre.  This is about half the recommended amount but I have always run mtb tyres on this type of "half recommended amount" with no problems.  Now out for first ride.

How nice do these feel?  I do not know whether it is the wheels or the tyres or a combination of both but I love it whichever it is.  First up the tyres are thinner than 23mm, but this is compensated for by the lower pressure in the tyre.  I am still trying out slight changes but am working at around 85-90psi front and 90-95psi at the back.  The difference in ride feel from the Ultremos at 110psi is very noticeable.  The tubed set-up skipped and bounced over rough pavement and struggled on the sort of gravel based top dressing that we have lots of around here.  The tubeless set-up stays much more planted on the road and more interestingly keeps speed on the dreaded gravel dressed roads.  I have not tried cornering much faster than the old set-up, but certainly no slower.  I am sure that growing confidence will allow me to speed up cornering.

I rode this new set-up in the Richmond Sportive, this tested out the other elements to the mix that I struggle to observe on my local roads.

Climbing was good.  The wheels are light and very stiff.  I could not get much, if any rub from the brake blocks at all.  I did get a little wheel spin whilst climbing stood up, but only once which is less than the tubed set-up and was probably due to my poor technique rather than grip issues from the tyre.

Fast riding and descending were where the wheels really came alive.  They are so well balanced, I never knew wheels could be this well balanced.  At speeds over about 45kph the bike now enters a state of near silence and balance.  None of that silly trendy carbon buzz or roar.  No pinging of small stones.  Just poise and confidence inspiring magic carpet-ness.  Even better is the ability of these wheels to keep their speed once it is gained.  Only pulling the brake levers seems to slow them down.

You can probably tell that I am pleased with these wheels and tyres.  Next year Schwalbe are bringing out a tubeless Ultremo, a tyre I love.  Have to wear these out first.

#isthishealthy heart rate?

This graph shows my heart rate during the 10km race I did recently.  The blue line is speed, slowing down for kissing gates.  The red curve (at top of screen) is my heart rate.  I am not sure if my heart rate operating at over 100% of my max is good, let alone for such a long time.

The numbers don't lie

What do I do about this?  Reset my max heart rate to a higher value on my monitor.  Worries gone.

#3Peaks 2012 entry in

If your name's not down, you aint coming in.......

My name is down, June 8 will let me know if I am in for 3 Peaks 2012.

Brilliant