How to ride faster?

jj wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2005 13:38:57 -0400, wrote:


On Fri, 20 May 2005 13:21:54 -0400, wrote:


I ride 2-3 times/week. Usually 20-40 miles per ride.

By rough calculation, that means to me that you've only ridden the bike
about 50-70 times since last July. If you're able to ride 20-40 miles with
your friends at an average speed of 16mph that's nearly phenomenal!

I'd put my number of times riding at about half that. It was a
miserable winter and sometimes I have to travel and can't ride during
the week.


Dude! If you're able to ride 16mph for 20-40 miles on only 25-30 total
training rides over the past 10 months, then you are in a class by
yourself!

You should be giving -us- tips on improving speed, lol. ;-)

jj

It seems like it should not be that hard for a 25-30 year old, but many
of us are well past that point and it takes actual work. Califonia and
it's unbelievably crummy winter kept me inside more than a bit this year
and catching up to last years condition seems harder. I rode my 70+/-
mile waterfall trip 2 weeks ago, but a lot slower and I came in a lot
more tired than I would have late last summer.
Kudos anyway. Well deserved.
Bill Baka

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
But I'd add one more thing. Go ride with these guys at 20 mph for as
long as you can. Sit in the back of the group and draft all you can.
They will eventually spit you off the back-usually just after a climb
of any sort starts.


But, be prepared for more flats & smashed wheels. It took us a while to
figure out why some guys destroy equipment so much more than others, even if
they weren't all that strong. This one guy in particular. I finally happened
to be on a ride with him, and figured it out. He was riding a bit over his
head, just hanging onto the wheel in front of him, always at the back. He
didn't get a chance to see most of the road junk before he hit it, plus he
was so much in the red zone that he really wasn't all there mentally.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


He probably had to draft that close or get dropped if he was in the red
zone so he could either hang on for the draft and go fast until he broke
something or just go slower by himself. He probably wanted the bragging
rights to keeping up with the crew (would peloton be a bad word here?).
Bill Baka

gds wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

But I'd add one more thing. Go ride with these guys at 20 mph for

as

long as you can. Sit in the back of the group and draft all you

can.

They will eventually spit you off the back-usually just after a

climb

of any sort starts.

But, be prepared for more flats & smashed wheels. It took us a while

to

figure out why some guys destroy equipment so much more than others,

even if

they weren't all that strong. This one guy in particular. I finally

happened

to be on a ride with him, and figured it out. He was riding a bit

over his

head, just hanging onto the wheel in front of him, always at the

back. He

didn't get a chance to see most of the road junk before he hit it,

plus he

was so much in the red zone that he really wasn't all there mentally.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


Interesting point! I agree with being in the red zone and probably
hitting more road crud. So, why is it I get most of my flats when I'm
all alone and have alrady used my spare tube? :-)

I thought you road riders never got flats that much? Or are you all just
picking on my mountain bike fixation? I will have to break down and
spend the $50.00 or so for the 700cc tire and tube for my Schwinn Super
Sport and see what's the big deal. My only problem is height. I am only
5'7" and the frame seems made for a guy well over 6', so I can only ride
it with the seat post completely down. My 6'8" friend could probably
ride this bike comfortably with the seat post up if the tires wouldn't
flatten under his 330 (estimated) pounds. Maybe I will fix it up and
give it to him as a gift, then he will have to ride it or feel guilty.
Kind of a cheating way to get a guy on a bike but hey, if it works, why not?
Bill Baka

Peter Cole wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:


But, be prepared for more flats & smashed wheels. It took us a while
to figure out why some guys destroy equipment so much more than
others, even if they weren't all that strong. This one guy in
particular. I finally happened to be on a ride with him, and figured
it out. He was riding a bit over his head, just hanging onto the wheel
in front of him, always at the back. He didn't get a chance to see
most of the road junk before he hit it, plus he was so much in the red
zone that he really wasn't all there mentally.


I'm not sure which is worse, being in the red zone or being surrounded
by people who are (or both). There are times on pace line rides where
everybody is a little over their heads -- scary. I went out with the "A"
group a couple of years ago, just trying to hang on. Looked at my speedo
on one flat section -- 31 mph, I thought: too fast for my skills, just
then a guy's chain skipped and the whole bunch nearly stacked, I think
it was too fast for everyone's skills...

It's great practice to go out with a faster group and just hang on, but
you have to know when to let go. Stay in the back & don't try to take a
pull.

Wow.
I can draft a truck or school bus up to about 30 and hang in there but
other bikers at 31 seems like a recipe for disaster.
Good luck, and hopefully no road rash.
Bill Baka

Bill Baka wrote:
gds wrote:

... So, why is it I get most of my flats when I'm
all alone and have alrady used my spare tube? :-)

I thought you road riders never got flats that much? Or are you all
just picking on my mountain bike fixation? I will have to break down
and
spend the $50.00 or so for the 700cc tire and tube for my Schwinn
Super Sport and see what's the big deal. My only problem is height. I
am only 5'7" and the frame seems made for a guy well over 6', so I
can only ride
it with the seat post completely down. My 6'8" friend could probably
ride this bike comfortably with the seat post up if the tires wouldn't
flatten under his 330 (estimated) pounds. Maybe I will fix it up and
give it to him as a gift, then he will have to ride it or feel guilty.
Kind of a cheating way to get a guy on a bike but hey, if it works,
why not? Bill Baka

Sigh. Bill, 700cc tires don't all cost $50.00; and why are you riding a
bike that's /way/ too big for you?

BTW, I have two mountain bikes (one seldom ridden any more) and one road
bike, and I choose which to ride based on what I'm going to do. Who said
you have a mountain bike "fixation"?

Go ride and have a good time... Bill S.

Bill Sornson wrote:
Bill Baka wrote:

gds wrote:


... So, why is it I get most of my flats when I'm
all alone and have alrady used my spare tube? :-)


I thought you road riders never got flats that much? Or are you all
just picking on my mountain bike fixation? I will have to break down
and
spend the $50.00 or so for the 700cc tire and tube for my Schwinn
Super Sport and see what's the big deal. My only problem is height. I
am only 5'7" and the frame seems made for a guy well over 6', so I
can only ride
it with the seat post completely down. My 6'8" friend could probably
ride this bike comfortably with the seat post up if the tires wouldn't
flatten under his 330 (estimated) pounds. Maybe I will fix it up and
give it to him as a gift, then he will have to ride it or feel guilty.
Kind of a cheating way to get a guy on a bike but hey, if it works,
why not? Bill Baka


Sigh. Bill, 700cc tires don't all cost $50.00; and why are you riding a
bike that's /way/ too big for you?

The least I can find a tire around here is $40.00 and the tube is
another $10.00. The bike was given to me by a well meaning friend who
bought it at a police auction with me in mind. He is the 5'11" 300
pounder that I do computer stuff with. He has a serviceable Cannondale
but I have to coax him out to get any riding done and he wears out
between 7-11 stores and big gulps (really). I want to get the road bike
finished up and on the road and after lowering the saddle by the last 1"
available to me, see if it is a decent ride. It is an aluminum seatpost
with a crosshatch pattern stuck into a very light alloy frame so it may
be corroded in, but I do want to try riding it and not go spend $500
just to see what the big deal is about 700cc road bikes. I have and old
Motobecane 27" but that needs a left handed thread pedal in metric
although I am told that an American thread is close enough to ream it
out to take a standard thread. But left handed too?

BTW, I have two mountain bikes (one seldom ridden any more) and one road
bike, and I choose which to ride based on what I'm going to do. Who said
you have a mountain bike "fixation"?

Go ride and have a good time... Bill S.


Not you, the group in general. Riding a MTB to get to the MTB areas just
doesn't sit right with many of them. Maybe if I said it was a $900 MTB I
would get a different answer.

http://www.syix.com/bbaka/bike/water_bike.jpg

There is my latest project, seeing if I can cram enough water bottles on
a bike to be totally self sufficient on a long ride on a 100 degree day.
Some people really have no clue of the fact that I ride waaaaay out of
cell phone range and there are no 7-11's or Quick Stops where I go.
Lots of vulures saying their prayers over me though.
Bill Baka

On Sat, 21 May 2005 03:03:39 -0700, Bill Baka wrote:




Sigh. Bill, 700cc tires don't all cost $50.00; and why are you riding a
bike that's /way/ too big for you?

The least I can find a tire around here is $40.00 and the tube is
another $10.00.

What's the matter, aren't you allowed to order online? You can get get
a tire, tube, and shipping for about $20.

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?s...ice1&pagename=



Life is Good!
Jeff

On Fri, 20 May 2005 18:51:44 -0700, Bill Baka wrote:



It seems like it should not be that hard for a 25-30 year old, but many
of us are well past that point and it takes actual work.

The OP is 49 years old.

Lots of good tips in this tread - thanks to everyone.

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
news

I'm not claiming my technique is better than "formal"
intervals, I have
no idea. I just think I'd rather give up cycling than do
intervals.

Yeah, this is supposed to be fun, right?

Thanks for posting. It's good to hear from someone who's made
this transition how they did it in practice (not just in
theory).