Archive for category: bikes

A pic of Alex on her first big bike ride (the WIMA ride)

And one of me heading up north with the boyz.

Riding along out through Mangere on my way back through the airport, got caught by this guy..

As he past me I said “oh there you are” (because I had seen him catching)

He said “were you waiting for me?”

I said, nah.. I wish.. 

He took off and I couldnt keep up, until we got almost to the airport I caught him. And we rode out of the airport together.

As we are going up the incline going out to Puhinui rd, he says “Man… for a big guy you really ride well”

Then we worked out our weights, and it turns out that while we are climbing up a hill in the same gear at the same speed, I am generating something like 150WATTS more power than him – and still able to converse relatively well. For me, that is a huge thing. I am still 120kg, and he was about 80 (so the power difference could have been 200 W or more even) and being even able to hold my own is huge, let alone have a chat on the way (we were doing 30-45KMH the whole way).

Wicked buzz.

I’ve been reading and listening to all sorts of tripe about Lance and all the others who have been done for doping, particularly from Marc Watson last night on Newstalkzb.

He was of the opinion that you could never trust Armstrong again, that his livestrong organisation is just a sham to make him look like an angel.

Honestly, what a load of tripe. Firstly, Armstrongs fit with cancer and subsequent creation of livestrong would have happened regardless of his cycling career. Anyone who doesnt think Armstrong is the kind of guy who is motivated to win, and would not have been in a place to do what he did does not understand people like him.

Secondly, Armstrong still had to win 7 tour de france’s to get where he was. Bradly Wiggins pointed out today that if you wanted to award the victories to the next person down, you would have to go downt he list A LONG WAY before you found someone who was not doping. To win, Lance still had to ride for 20 days, up mountains, at huge speeds, to the point of exhaustion. Sure he was “supercharged” but so was the guy behind him, and the guy behind that, and the guy behind that..

It is not the same as, say, Valerie Adams in the olympics, where there was just her and someone on steroids who won. EVERYONE was on dope, and so the playing field amongst the top 10 or 20 was even.

Steven Swart, the New Zealander who rode with Armstrong, and admitted doping, himself, said that even if Armstrong had not been doping, he would still have been an amazing athlete (and he still is as his triathlon performances show – right up there with the world champs), and that everyone was doping and there was no way to compete if you were not.

I dont condone doping, for sure. I’d prefer that it never happened, and yeah, its sad that they needed to do it. However, some how negating the performance itself because he was on dope is just stupid. He still had to perform to a level beyond that of a mere mortal regardless of dope. Ok, yes, he did it. Slap his hand, change the sport, make it clean.. all good.. but dont ever say that he still didnt have to earn those wins. Never. 

from here

1

THE UK’S NATIONAL CYCLISTS’ ORGANISATION

www.ctc.org.uk/campaignsbriefings.

Key points:

• Cycling is hugely beneficial to people’s health. Those who cycle regularly in mid-adulthood have a level of fitness equivalent to being 10 years younger, and have a life expectancy 10 years above the average.

• By contrast, the risks of cycling are not exceptionally high, and are very small relative to the health benefits. You are in fact less likely to be killed in a mile of cycling than a mile of walking. The Government estimates that the health benefits outweigh the risks of cycling on Britain’s roads by a factor of 20:1 (n.b. estimates from other countries place this ratio higher still). • Based on this 20:1 ratio, it can be shown that telling people to wear helmets would result in a net increase in early deaths (due to physical inactivity etc) if there was more than 1 person deterred from cycling for every 20 who continue, even if helmets were 100% effective at preventing ALL cycling injuries (i.e. not just head-only injuries). Once you factor in the proportion of serious and fatal cycling injuries that are not head-only injuries, and the at-best limited protection that helmets could provide (they are and only can be designed to withstand minor knocks and falls, not collisions with fast-moving cars or lorries), it can be shown that it only takes a fraction of a percentage point reduction in cycle use for pro-helmet policies to shorten a lot more lives than they could possibly save. In practice, the experience of enforced helmet laws is that cycle use typically falls by at least 30%, and more among teenagers. The resulting loss of cycling’s health benefits alone (let alone its environmental, economic and societal benefits) is very much greater than any possible injury prevention benefit. 

 • There is in any case a good deal of controversy about the effectiveness of helmets. They are (and can only be) designed for minor knocks and bumps, not collisions with fast cars or lorries. There is also evidence that some cyclists ride less cautiously when wearing them, that drivers leave less space when overtaking helmeted cyclists than those without, that helmeted cyclists suffer 14% more collisions per mile travelled than non-wearers, and that helmets increase the risk of neck injuries. It is therefore entirely possible that helmet-wearing might have a net disbenefit even in safety terms (a point also suggested by some of the empirical evidence), not to mention the health and other disbenefits identified above.

• There is plenty of evidence that cycling gets safer the more cyclists there are. Denmark and the Netherlands are good examples of this “safety in numbers” effect, yet very few people in those countries wear helmets. The emphasis should be on maximising the benefits of more as well as safer cycling, though measures such as 20mph speed limits, better designed roads and junctions, good cyclist and driver training, tougher and better-enforced road traffic law, and tackling the threats from lorries. By contrast, telling people to wear helmets merely drives people into increasingly car-dependent sedentary lifestyles. This would shorten far more lives than cycling does, while undermining the “safety in numbers” effect for those cyclists who remain.

Read the whole article for the evidence.. its quite interesting, if not long.

I havent done more than the usual commute for a bit.. changed my seat to an ISM ADAMO typhoon, and the new seating position did some weird thing to my knee. It seems to have straightened out a bit now, so I did a 63k ride today. I went out to Puke, via Karaka, then up to Bombay and back via Old Gt Sth Rd, about 65k total.

The Bombay motorway over bridge

The hardest bit is behind..

The way ahead is beeeeeeautiful..

The next 10.1 km were done at an average of 37kmh – which I am super stoked about.. it is a bit of downhill and a lot of flat.

Anyway, it was great. I got home and the wife and kids were down the beach, daughter on her bike, so I grabbed the mountain bike and cycled down, and did a loop back with Alex, about another 3-4k, and then I loaded a trailer with weeds. I’m tired, and I am happy.

Wow, disk brakes on a road bike.. finally!

And she is stunning… From Colnago’s website:

Colnago have taken a bold step towards the future of road bike evolution with the introduction of the C59 Disc. Featuring fully hydraulic front and rear disc brakes it is set to bring a whole new level of performance and safety to the Colnago road bike line. The frame and fork are fully compatible with standard PM calipers too.

With twin 140mm diameter discs the frame and fork have also been redesigned in the key areas where the brakes are mounted. The fork is completely new, whilst at the rear of the main frame the chainstays and the seatstays are also new, to cope with the increased loading that the disc brakes generate at their mounting points. The C59 Disc is compatible with both electronic and mechanical groupsets.

Along with the main chassis changes, Colnago have also designed their own matching wheel system, the Artemis Disc. These wheels feature disc-specific hubs and full carbon composite wheel rims.

Now, no matter the weather, you can have the most powerful and controllable braking system available on a road bicycle. The system is easy to service, should it ever need servicing – as the system is essentially closed and there are no cables to replace or wear out. The regular maintenance will only consist of checking the brake pads for wear, and replacing them when needed – which is a simple five minute job.

Last week i cycled 150.19 KM. 40K of that was a fun ride with the old mate, Tom from work. It was a public holiday, so that ride was 16km less than I would have normally done on that day. So effectively on a normal week I do around 170KM (100 or so miles). I could double that if I rode everyday and took the long way to work each day.. thats my goal.

This last week’s ride works out at about 6800 calories. My average speed over the week was 25KM – with a maximum of 59.8KMH. Coming home on friday I was able to maintain 38KMH all the way from auckland airport to the traffic lights at the motorway turn off, a distance of about 4KM. Not too bad considering some of it is uphill.

Since I got my new (old) bike, a GHOST GSR Racing, I have slowly been improving, and recently change from a 34/50 crankset on the front, to a 39/53. It does not sound like much but it is a lot harder to turn those things around, especially on hills, however, my cruising speed on the flat and downhill is dramatically better, gone from about 28-30 kmh to 33-38kmh. Once i build up a bit more strength on these, I reckon my goal of 30kmh average on my commute will be done, then I can aim for 35. I’d really like to get my commute down to about 40-45 mins, which means I need to be going about 25% faster.. should be achievable, right?

2.5 years ago I was over 200kg, and I had to have surgery to lose weight. I have never been fit in my life, and now people keep telling me I am, but I now realise “fit” is relative. Fit for me now is riding for an hour or two at 30KMH, not “being able to ride 20km”. So, I am not fit.. I am “fitter” – and I look forward to getting even more fit. I could never get past the pain barrier before, now getting past the pain barrier is half the fun, because once you’re past it, you begin to fly.

Cycling is awesome, everyone should do it, because if I can, anyone can.. ANYONE.. yes you.. you can do it too.. and no, you dont need to wear cycle gear (although it does help with performance later, and is more comfortable).. just get out and do it.. fast slow, solo, in a group, with mates, with spouse, with your kids.. JUST DO IT.