question about climbing

On Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2:39:21 PM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 14:29, Theodore Heise wrote:
snip

Over 300 bucks! In my book that is pricey. I think I'll continue living
not knowing what grade I just cycled up.


The price of power meters has been dropping, and Garmin is feeling pressure from Stages, Wahoo and others. For $300 you can now get a 500 series Garmin with heart rate, maps, GPS and endless data to peruse at home. I don't have so much as a cyclometer on any bike right now, but I do scavenge info from my friends who are fully instrumented. You might like the map function and accurate data if you're a data-driven person. You can use iPhone apps, too, but you have sketchy cell service and a satellite uplink is just what you need. I think there is mountain lion radar and a automatic electronic defibrillator function, too.

-- Jay Beattie.

Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 18:27, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/27/2018 3:17 PM, Joerg wrote:

I hate climbs. The other thing is, I never know how steep something is
because there aren't any signs and even topo maps are not very useful
for finding out.

Here you go: https://www.cantitoeroad.com/Inclinometer_c_32.html

Maybe $25.


But avoid sudden acceleration/deceleration, as it will cause an error in
the opposite direction that you would initially think it would.


Yup. also only goes to 20% but one can offset that first to -10% or so
for uphill.

Might as well use a thin thread and a #6 nut plus a paper gauge at the
lower seat tube - 0$.

I was hoping there'd be some sort of bike map online that has these
percentages on it. For some (few) singletrack there is.


Google Earth will do that. Draw a path, then right click on it and select
"Show elevation profile", and it will pull up a chart that show elevation
and slip along that path. I use it when planning cycling trips to avoid
surprises.

On 2018-07-28 07:59, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/28/2018 10:39 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 19:36, jbeattie wrote:
Gawd.
Nothing like sweaty cotton.


Doesn't bother me one bit. The major upside of cotton is that you can
jump into a lake or get soaked under a playground sprinkler.
Afterwards you have an evaporative cooler on your body that runs 1/2h
or so, for free.

To illustrate the differences in climate: Tuesday, visiting family in
another town, I was riding around town in ordinary cotton shorts that
had gotten badly splashed with water. They were still slightly moist six
hours later.

The humidity is the reason nobody around here bothers with mist coolers
on hot days. Water evaporates too slowly to have much cooling effect.


We live away from the coast and it's mostly 10-20% humidity during hot
summer days. Have to do some chores today so I jumped into the pool an
hour ago. With T-shirt and it still cools me nicely. Rinse and repeat.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 2018-07-28 09:02, Ralph Barone wrote:
Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 18:27, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/27/2018 3:17 PM, Joerg wrote:

I hate climbs. The other thing is, I never know how steep something is
because there aren't any signs and even topo maps are not very useful
for finding out.

Here you go: https://www.cantitoeroad.com/Inclinometer_c_32.html

Maybe $25.


But avoid sudden acceleration/deceleration, as it will cause an error in
the opposite direction that you would initially think it would.


Yup. also only goes to 20% but one can offset that first to -10% or so
for uphill.

Might as well use a thin thread and a #6 nut plus a paper gauge at the
lower seat tube - 0$.

I was hoping there'd be some sort of bike map online that has these
percentages on it. For some (few) singletrack there is.


Google Earth will do that. Draw a path, then right click on it and select
"Show elevation profile", and it will pull up a chart that show elevation
and slip along that path. I use it when planning cycling trips to avoid
surprises.


Google Earth never worked on my PCs, probably because of all the
software safety locks. Regular satellite view on Google maps works but
shows no grades and they messed up the fonts which made that service
useless.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 7/28/2018 12:02 PM, Ralph Barone wrote:
Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 18:27, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/27/2018 3:17 PM, Joerg wrote:

I hate climbs. The other thing is, I never know how steep something is
because there aren't any signs and even topo maps are not very useful
for finding out.

Here you go: https://www.cantitoeroad.com/Inclinometer_c_32.html

Maybe $25.


But avoid sudden acceleration/deceleration, as it will cause an error in
the opposite direction that you would initially think it would.


Yup. also only goes to 20% but one can offset that first to -10% or so
for uphill.

Might as well use a thin thread and a #6 nut plus a paper gauge at the
lower seat tube - 0$.

I was hoping there'd be some sort of bike map online that has these
percentages on it. For some (few) singletrack there is.


Google Earth will do that. Draw a path, then right click on it and select
"Show elevation profile", and it will pull up a chart that show elevation
and slip along that path. I use it when planning cycling trips to avoid
surprises.

I've also made good use of USGS contour maps for that purpose. I know
paper is antiquated, but I've got a nice collection of those things.
I've mounted four of the 1:24000 series on my wall (since our home is
near the center of the four) for local rides, and I've used the 1:250000
(IIRC) series to plan longer tours.

If you measure the spacing between contour lines, you can compute the
percent grade.

--
- Frank Krygowski

jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2:39:21 PM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 14:29, Theodore Heise wrote:
snip

Over 300 bucks! In my book that is pricey. I think I'll continue living
not knowing what grade I just cycled up.


The price of power meters has been dropping, and Garmin is feeling
pressure from Stages, Wahoo and others. For $300 you can now get a 500
series Garmin with heart rate, maps, GPS and endless data to peruse at
home. I don't have so much as a cyclometer on any bike right now, but I
do scavenge info from my friends who are fully instrumented. You might
like the map function and accurate data if you're a data-driven person.
You can use iPhone apps, too, but you have sketchy cell service and a
satellite uplink is just what you need. I think there is mountain lion
radar and a automatic electronic defibrillator function, too.

-- Jay Beattie.


You can do most of that with a phone app now. The only problem is the
phone isn’t really visible in sunlight so run time info like speed and
cadence isn’t great. But you can get a Wahoo head unit with lcd display
and connect it to RideWithGPS. Not sure if it does altitude or grade but
it’s a cheap option.

I have an Garmin 800 but if it ever dies I will look around for options.
Some friends have 520s but they don’t do the mapping like the 800/1000.
Though they do give you turn by turn which is what I mostly use anyway.


--
duane

Ralph Barone wrote:
Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 18:27, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/27/2018 3:17 PM, Joerg wrote:

I hate climbs. The other thing is, I never know how steep something is
because there aren't any signs and even topo maps are not very useful
for finding out.

Here you go: https://www.cantitoeroad.com/Inclinometer_c_32.html

Maybe $25.


But avoid sudden acceleration/deceleration, as it will cause an error in
the opposite direction that you would initially think it would.


Yup. also only goes to 20% but one can offset that first to -10% or so
for uphill.

Might as well use a thin thread and a #6 nut plus a paper gauge at the
lower seat tube - 0$.

I was hoping there'd be some sort of bike map online that has these
percentages on it. For some (few) singletrack there is.


Google Earth will do that. Draw a path, then right click on it and select
"Show elevation profile", and it will pull up a chart that show elevation
and slip along that path. I use it when planning cycling trips to avoid
surprises.



RideWithGPS does elevation profiles. My bike club uses them to host our
ride maps.

--
duane

On Saturday, July 28, 2018 at 9:08:33 PM UTC+2, Duane wrote:
jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2:39:21 PM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 14:29, Theodore Heise wrote:
snip

Over 300 bucks! In my book that is pricey. I think I'll continue living
not knowing what grade I just cycled up.


The price of power meters has been dropping, and Garmin is feeling
pressure from Stages, Wahoo and others. For $300 you can now get a 500
series Garmin with heart rate, maps, GPS and endless data to peruse at
home. I don't have so much as a cyclometer on any bike right now, but I
do scavenge info from my friends who are fully instrumented. You might
like the map function and accurate data if you're a data-driven person.
You can use iPhone apps, too, but you have sketchy cell service and a
satellite uplink is just what you need. I think there is mountain lion
radar and a automatic electronic defibrillator function, too.

-- Jay Beattie.


You can do most of that with a phone app now. The only problem is the
phone isn’t really visible in sunlight so run time info like speed and
cadence isn’t great. But you can get a Wahoo head unit with lcd display
and connect it to RideWithGPS. Not sure if it does altitude or grade but
it’s a cheap option.

I have an Garmin 800 but if it ever dies I will look around for options.
Some friends have 520s but they don’t do the mapping like the 800/1000.
Though they do give you turn by turn which is what I mostly use anyway.


--
duane

If I lose mine today, I order I new one tomorrow. GPS is the best invention for the bike (and car) after clipless pedals and brifters. Some of my riding buddies use their phones and the Strava app to record their rides. The elevation gain is always way off. Crap.

Lou

On 7/28/2018 2:44 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-28 07:59, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 7/28/2018 10:39 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 19:36, jbeattie wrote:
Gawd.
Nothing like sweaty cotton.


Doesn't bother me one bit. The major upside of cotton is that you can
jump into a lake or get soaked under a playground sprinkler.
Afterwards you have an evaporative cooler on your body that runs 1/2h
or so, for free.

To illustrate the differences in climate: Tuesday, visiting family in
another town, I was riding around town in ordinary cotton shorts that
had gotten badly splashed with water. They were still slightly moist six
hours later.

The humidity is the reason nobody around here bothers with mist coolers
on hot days. Water evaporates too slowly to have much cooling effect.


We live away from the coast and it's mostly 10-20% humidity during hot
summer days. Have to do some chores today so I jumped into the pool an
hour ago. With T-shirt and it still cools me nicely. Rinse and repeat.

We're having a beautiful dry day. Our humidity is a low 50% right now.
It's predicted to rise to over 95% this evening, as usual.

More typical daytime summer humidity is about 70% or so.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Saturday, July 28, 2018 at 1:47:13 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Saturday, July 28, 2018 at 9:08:33 PM UTC+2, Duane wrote:
jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2:39:21 PM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-07-27 14:29, Theodore Heise wrote:
snip

Over 300 bucks! In my book that is pricey. I think I'll continue living
not knowing what grade I just cycled up.


The price of power meters has been dropping, and Garmin is feeling
pressure from Stages, Wahoo and others. For $300 you can now get a 500
series Garmin with heart rate, maps, GPS and endless data to peruse at
home. I don't have so much as a cyclometer on any bike right now, but I
do scavenge info from my friends who are fully instrumented. You might
like the map function and accurate data if you're a data-driven person.
You can use iPhone apps, too, but you have sketchy cell service and a
satellite uplink is just what you need. I think there is mountain lion
radar and a automatic electronic defibrillator function, too.

-- Jay Beattie.


You can do most of that with a phone app now. The only problem is the
phone isn’t really visible in sunlight so run time info like speed and
cadence isn’t great. But you can get a Wahoo head unit with lcd display
and connect it to RideWithGPS. Not sure if it does altitude or grade but
it’s a cheap option.

I have an Garmin 800 but if it ever dies I will look around for options..
Some friends have 520s but they don’t do the mapping like the 800/1000.
Though they do give you turn by turn which is what I mostly use anyway.


--
duane

If I lose mine today, I order I new one tomorrow. GPS is the best invention for the bike (and car) after clipless pedals and brifters. Some of my riding buddies use their phones and the Strava app to record their rides. The elevation gain is always way off. Crap.

I also didn't mean to say "power meter" as opposed to cyclometer or bike computer/head unit. In any event, I'm not a data driven rider and don't live or die by the cyclo-computer. I don't even have a cyclometer on my bike, but I do like to scavenge information from my riding companions. I might get the newest Stages unit when it comes out in September. If the whole tariff thing doesn't run amok, prices on all these devices are headed down. Stages is already selling a map-less unit for $150.

-- Jay Beattie.