Topic: The Cycling Thread

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Using a small rare earth magnet can help deal with sensor sensitivity over larger gaps.

Some bike computers have sensors that do attach the downtube or seat tube (e.g. some Polar units).

Cadence (per se) is of minor interest, and not particularly important wrt performance.

There are a couple of guys at work who use to be fanatical about cadence. They would ask me what my cadence was and I told them I don't know I don't keep track of it. I just run the gear that is most comfortable. I do tend to run in a higher gear then I should and of late I have been trying to not run in such a big gear. Did I say I am really looking forward to this summers riding season.

[jaypee]

Using a small rare earth magnet can help deal with sensor sensitivity over larger gaps.

Some bike computers have sensors that do attach the downtube or seat tube (e.g. some Polar units).

Cadence (per se) is of minor interest, and not particularly important wrt performance.

There are a couple of guys at work who use to be fanatical about cadence. They would ask me what my cadence was and I told them I don't know I don't keep track of it. I just run the gear that is most comfortable. I do tend to run in a higher gear then I should and of late I have been trying to not run in such a big gear. Did I say I am really looking forward to this summers riding season.

Any fool should be able to intuitively know when to shift by tracking their cadence in their head. Some people take information gathering too far.

I ride a road bike maybe 5 days out of the year, and every time I'm in a group ride I've received complements on my shifting.

[Alex Simmons]

Using a small rare earth magnet can help deal with sensor sensitivity over larger gaps.

Some bike computers have sensors that do attach the downtube or seat tube (e.g. some Polar units).

Cadence (per se) is of minor interest, and not particularly important wrt performance.

There are a couple of guys at work who use to be fanatical about cadence. They would ask me what my cadence was and I told them I don't know I don't keep track of it. I just run the gear that is most comfortable. I do tend to run in a higher gear then I should and of late I have been trying to not run in such a big gear. Did I say I am really looking forward to this summers riding season.

Cadence is a red herring.

Yeah, there is a lot of myth about cadence.

Provided it's not silly slow or silly fast, then just focus on effort level and choose a gear that feels good.  There are some specialist events where cadence is a factor we need to consider (e.g. various forms of track racing) but that's not typically of concern for most regular cyclists.

When we want to properly assess pedal speeds, we need to simultaneously assess pedal forces as the two are not independent variables. 

A focus on cadence alone as a performance indicator is like saying you can know the area of a rectangle when you only know the length of one side.

[lonely moa]

I quite like a HRM.  I thinnk it is the most effective training gizzmo I use. I find it really useful racing. 

The time or average speed functions are so variable dependant that they don't seem to be much more than a help logging rides.  You get to know in round figures what sort of time a ride takes and how you fel about it.  Training seems to be keeping one's HR above or below what one deems important for the training schedule. The clock on the speedo is very hood for HIIT, though.

Actually, I find it difficult to keep my HR below 70% on a-4 hr ride (which is about 80-5% of my training regime) when riding alone... impossible when with my mates. 

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I use a HRM too. I think it is the greatest thing to gauge how hard you are working. I usually cruise in the 150's but toward the end of my ride I am higher. That said is a power meter worth getting? Just wondering.

[lonely moa]

I use a HRM too. I think it is the greatest thing to gauge how hard you are working. I usually cruise in the 150's but toward the end of my ride I am higher. That said is a power meter worth getting? Just wondering.

if you are a serious bicycle race with a geeky personality (many seem to be).

I am pretty amazed at how well 220 - one's age works for the HR max.  I seem to never be able to exceed 160 by more than 4 or 5 bpm.  At or above 160 tells me to back off if I have a bit of cycling left to do, but I am not so confident of those estimated workout ranges vs age.  I think fitness might skew optimum hr's a bit for training.

A power cranks would certainly tell you if you were upping your work rate, I guess, at the end of your ride.

[Alex Simmons]

I use a HRM too. I think it is the greatest thing to gauge how hard you are working. I usually cruise in the 150's but toward the end of my ride I am higher. That said is a power meter worth getting? Just wondering.

That depends on your objectives.  There are many good reasons to use power but they are not for everyone.

Power meters are not fancy HRMs.  Using them well is a different paradigm entirely.

Happy to expand if people have questions.  It is my field of expertise.

[Alex Simmons]

I am pretty amazed at how well 220 - one's age works for the HR max. 

Actually that formula has quite a large standard deviation, something 15 bpm, meaning that if it happens to match you, that's just luck.  It is not a formula designed to be applied to individuals.  I have a buddy same age and our max HRs differ by 30 bpm.

If you are using HRM to assist/guide training effort, then it is far better to determine your own HRmax or HR at "threshold" through testing and set training levels based on your own actual HR response.

[lonely moa]

I am pretty amazed at how well 220 - one's age works for the HR max. 

Actually that formula has quite a large standard deviation, something 15 bpm, meaning that if it happens to match you, that's just luck.  It is not a formula designed to be applied to individuals.  I have a buddy same age and our max HRs differ by 30 bpm.

If you are using HRM to assist/guide training effort, then it is far better to determine your own HRmax or HR at "threshold" through testing and set training levels based on your own actual HR response.

I've been doing my long training rides at about 80% max hr.  Well, thats max on a bike.  A competitive friend of mine reckons it would be higher running uphill.  Never tried.

[WC]

Ogre NERDS!

[xenu]

I am pretty amazed at how well 220 - one's age works for the HR max. 

Actually that formula has quite a large standard deviation, something 15 bpm, meaning that if it happens to match you, that's just luck.  It is not a formula designed to be applied to individuals.  I have a buddy same age and our max HRs differ by 30 bpm.

If you are using HRM to assist/guide training effort, then it is far better to determine your own HRmax or HR at "threshold" through testing and set training levels based on your own actual HR response.

I use mine to know how hard I am working. I know that when my heart rate goes up I am working harder(Duh). I know that if my heart rate is high and I am going slow I am fucked. I know there is a lot of variable from one person to another but for me It is a good indicator for me on my riding intensity. Like you said Alex

[xenu]

I use a HRM too. I think it is the greatest thing to gauge how hard you are working. I usually cruise in the 150's but toward the end of my ride I am higher. That said is a power meter worth getting? Just wondering.

That depends on your objectives.  There are many good reasons to use power but they are not for everyone.

Power meters are not fancy HRMs.  Using them well is a different paradigm entirely.

Happy to expand if people have questions.  It is my field of expertise.

I would like to know more about Power Meters if you want to explain or if you have a link.

[Alex Simmons]

I would like to know more about Power Meters if you want to explain or if you have a link.

OK, well there's a book about it.  I know the authors well, in particular Dr Coggan.
http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/store/store.php/products/training-and-racing-with-a-power-meter-2nd-us-orders-only

This link has some good info:
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx

I am not affiliated with that coaching group (I have my own coaching group with a partner in the UK).


Here's a bit of a summary I penned a while back to introduce a few things:

Power meters are commonplace in the professional peloton, and increasingly so amongst the amateur ranks. But they’re no longer just for the Pros or the exercise physiologists. Measurement of rider power output is now readily accessible to all and is a valuable aid for anyone seeking to understand how best to improve cycling performance for the available training time.

Power measurement, quite simply, tells us the truth about the work we are doing on a bike. It enables us to record how hard we are pedalling, every moment, for the whole or parts of a ride, and over the course of an entire season. It removes guesswork from our training and busts the multitude of training myths that pervade the world of cycling.

Training (and racing) with power provides:

• Objectivity and insight into all factors of cycling performance
• The best means to establish current fitness and track performance changes (know the impact of your training)
• Improved understanding of the demands of target events
• A great means to ensure we train specifically to meet race/event demands
• The best tool for quantifying intensity of effort (the most important factor in training)
• An excellent method to measure, plan and manage training loads and to achieve peak performance when we want it
• A way to ensure the most effective use of your limited training time
• Accountability for both the athlete and their coach, enhancing the coach-athlete relationship
• Additional motivation for training
• A tremendous tool for assessing and improving other key elements of performance, such as aerodynamics, pacing and dietary/nutritional requirements.

Using power measurement effectively requires knowledge of how to make the most of these great tools.

But ask away, happy to help....

Disclaimer: I am a professional cycling coach.  I also sell power meters (in Australia only).  I am not advertising services - it's just a subject I enjoy writing/talking about.  A quick look at my blog would show that (link in my sig line).

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Wouldn't a heart rate monitor do the same thing? I know it doesn't show how much force you are putting on the pedals but a HRM would give you a good idea on how much effort you are giving.

[lonely moa]

Wouldn't a heart rate monitor do the same thing? I know it doesn't show how much force you are putting on the pedals but a HRM would give you a good idea on how much effort you are giving.

A (serious rider) friend used his cranks on a couple of mountain bikes and used the data to decide that he would stay with 26 rather than 29 inch wheels.  The bicycles he used were sponsered so he didn't have a dog in the fight in that respect.  I'd reckon, that would be a very individual preference.