It's also fairly easy to modify / generate fake GPX files and send them to Strava as if they're from your Garmin. You can't take anything you see there too seriously.
Looking at the leaderboards on Strava for challenges is nuts. The top person on the July distance challenge has biked over 11,000 km. 80+ hours a week at an average of over 35 km/hr. Crazy. Plus it looks like she did pretty much all that riding on the same flat 11km loop over and over.
How INCREDIBLY fucking boring... Is she training for the Olympics or something?
If it's Amanda Coker then she's going for the world record for miles cycled in a year/365 days. A record that's had a recent resurgence in interest due to a chap (Steven Abraham) I've cycled with (albeit briefly).
I excavated my 20 years old Mongoose 21-speed out of my parents garage yesterday. Pops helped me put a new tube on the front tire, we pumped both tires up.
I'm putting a lot of my weight on my handle bars. That's not good, right? I need to adjust something.
Is your saddle relatively level with the ground? I start parallel and adjust fit from there. You may be able to raise the nose of the saddle a bit so you aren't sliding forward as much. If you're too stretched out you'll put more weight on your hands too so consider maybe moving the saddle forward a bit. Also consider raising your stem or handlebars slightly so you aren't hunched over as much. Yes it isn't as aero or look as cool but comfort and putting in more miles is way more important than reducing tiny amounts of drag coefficient.
ITT: I learn I haven't been maintaining my bike properly.
I never do it, but that's how you get the drivetrain back to shiny if you are so inclined.
I just use a pre-moistened degrease wipe (Cat Tongue, Grime Boss, etc) on the chain and cassette/ring tips, then dry it and lube it. Also, if you haven't, clean all the packed shit in the rear derailleur guide wheel. Holy fuck does shit get caked in there after awhile, I found out.
Yeah when I clean my chain, which I do about half as often as I should, I'm forever digging out what seems to be three pounds of wax/dirt/leaves out of the guide wheel.
I don't normally pull the wheel or cassette when I clean; just a mild degreaser on the chain and gears, then a little plain detergent (Simple Green, etc.), a big scrubby brush, and a hose. I can get the whole bike pretty darned clean with maybe ten or fifteen minutes of washing. I come back after it dries and make sure all the oily parts get oily again.
If I have to have things apart for other service reasons, I'll pull what pieces easily come off like the chain (KMC X SL 4lyfe, cheap and good!) and sometimes cassette and throw them in the ultrasonic cleaner (~ 70 C / 160 F) with some diluted Simple Green or similar. The sound of a clean, perfectly-oiled chain rolling along is very soothing to me.
I have to do a quick clean of the chain about once a week around here. Rainy rides sometimes warrant a post-ride cleaning all on their own. The whole bike gets a wash maybe once a month. A couple days before a really big event the bike gets a detailing whether it needs it or not.
And here is where I admit that the above picture is as shiny as possible because that's a new cassette and chain. :redface:
I've wanted a stand for awhile, but never enough to spend money on it. I just flip my bike upside down to clean it, now.
I think I have about 4 or 5 multitools, because they are in a lot of ride swag bags.
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Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
Figure I'd post here for some help. I'm looking for my first MTB for some trails and just general neighborhood riding. My budget is pretty limited (under 400), so it's hard to find much that's decent from what I've been reading. I'm 6'4" so I need a L/XL frame and am looking at 29ers.
LBS has Specialized Pitch and Giant Talon but those are 520+tax. I've seen Nashbar/BikesDirect have some decent prices for 29ers, but the models don't seem to be the most well liked.
I just found a 2009 DB Overdrive nearby on Craigslist that they're asking 475 for, but I might offer 200 or so for it (bluebook is 200 in like-new condition). Decent bike? Has a 100mm Rockshox Dart 3 fork, they put on S-Works Ground Control tubeless ready tires.
Really appreciate any help! I'm wanting to get a bike soon so I can get used to it and maybe take it on vacation down to eastern OR next month to ride.
If you know what you like to ride, the bikesdirect bikes are surprisingly good. If you're just getting into it, though, it's going to be hard to select what's important to you, etc. CL buys are a great start if you're used to the CL run-around.
(I can't speak to the Diamondback specifically. I sold my MTB some while ago. Google says the Overdrive is lower-end Shimano parts, so while it won't be a dream it'll likely work solidly unless abused.)
Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
Thanks introp.
I just checked another local shop and they have 2015 Diamondback Apex (steel frame) and GT Timberline Comp (aluminum) priced down to 300. Seriously considering the GT as a starter since it gives me some local help and initial tuning before I know what I'm doing.
Thanks introp.
I just checked another local shop and they have 2015 Diamondback Apex (steel frame) and GT Timberline Comp (aluminum) priced down to 300. Seriously considering the GT as a starter since it gives me some local help and initial tuning before I know what I'm doing.
Doing the regular maintenance on my trusty old just-back-from-loaned-out steel bike revealed noisy hubs caused by pits in one of the cones! The cups look okay (well, as okay as a wheel with tens of thousands of km on it can!) so I think I caught it in time. Replacement cones and balls are on order. Rawr.
Don't skip your maintenance checks! Noisy bearings become failing bearings!
Next weekend I have my first bike race. It's a very reasonable 32 miles from downtown Bentonville to downtown Fayetteville. I have been way over-training for this, but I'm intrigued to see if I can keep my typical 15mph average pace up in a race setting.
Is it a USAC road race? As someone who gets immediately dropped often in races, I can say that 15mph might not keep you in the "race setting" for long.
Does anyone use MapMyRide for tracking workouts? A friend of mine uses Strava and is able to track his workouts even in flight mode (to conserve battery), albeit less accurate but I haven't been able to get MapMyRide to do it. My friend's Strava actually does track the ride whereas MapMyRide just draws a straight line between where I started and finished. I kinda don't want to switch to Strava now because MMR is how I started and I have over 10.000 kms on it. Thanks.
i live in a country with a batshit crazy president and no, english is not my first language
Is it a USAC road race? As someone who gets immediately dropped often in races, I can say that 15mph might not keep you in the "race setting" for long.
Nah, just a little local thing put together by the Parks and Rec departments of the two cities. We have a lovely Razorback Greenway trail system that allows you to hit all four of the major cities in Northwest Arkansas without ever getting on a normal road with cars. (Except for one part of Springdale because Springdale is cheap as hell, but even then it's got a decent traffic division thing.) (I know none of y'all know what I'm talking about but this is my post and I'm going to vent at the dumb city.)
Does anyone use MapMyRide for tracking workouts? A friend of mine uses Strava and is able to track his workouts even in flight mode (to conserve battery), albeit less accurate but I haven't been able to get MapMyRide to do it. My friend's Strava actually does track the ride whereas MapMyRide just draws a straight line between where I started and finished. I kinda don't want to switch to Strava now because MMR is how I started and I have over 10.000 kms on it. Thanks.
I do, and it's perfectly ok for a free app. On mine you can tell that it checks in with the GPS coordinates and simply draws lines between the two most recent coordinates. My phone seems to get pretty good GPS reception though, and it's pretty rare that MapMyRide's route map looks any different from the actual route. Funnily enough I've really be considering switching to a Strava-enabled device, but have also been hesitant to do so because of my four year ride history with MMR. Although, as I understand it many Strava devices can port data to various apps.
The best GPS device I ever owned was a Microsoft Band 2. Super accurate GPS and very fine grained health slices. But the battery lasts maybe two hours at best, and the damn thing is constructed of tissue paper so that didn't last terribly long.
I can't speak to MapMyRide directly, but with my current Android tracking app (CatEye) I have to first go into airplane mode and then go manually turn on *some* radio, like WiFi or Bluetooth. Then it starts tracking for me. So maybe try turning on airplane mode first and then turning Location services on?
Is it a USAC road race? As someone who gets immediately dropped often in races, I can say that 15mph might not keep you in the "race setting" for long.
Nah, just a little local thing put together by the Parks and Rec departments of the two cities. We have a lovely Razorback Greenway trail system that allows you to hit all four of the major cities in Northwest Arkansas without ever getting on a normal road with cars. (Except for one part of Springdale because Springdale is cheap as hell, but even then it's got a decent traffic division thing.) (I know none of y'all know what I'm talking about but this is my post and I'm going to vent at the dumb city.)
Does anyone use MapMyRide for tracking workouts? A friend of mine uses Strava and is able to track his workouts even in flight mode (to conserve battery), albeit less accurate but I haven't been able to get MapMyRide to do it. My friend's Strava actually does track the ride whereas MapMyRide just draws a straight line between where I started and finished. I kinda don't want to switch to Strava now because MMR is how I started and I have over 10.000 kms on it. Thanks.
I do, and it's perfectly ok for a free app. On mine you can tell that it checks in with the GPS coordinates and simply draws lines between the two most recent coordinates. My phone seems to get pretty good GPS reception though, and it's pretty rare that MapMyRide's route map looks any different from the actual route. Funnily enough I've really be considering switching to a Strava-enabled device, but have also been hesitant to do so because of my four year ride history with MMR. Although, as I understand it many Strava devices can port data to various apps.
The best GPS device I ever owned was a Microsoft Band 2. Super accurate GPS and very fine grained health slices. But the battery lasts maybe two hours at best, and the damn thing is constructed of tissue paper so that didn't last terribly long.
Are you on Android or iOS? I tried again today but still no luck on iPhone.
I can't speak to MapMyRide directly, but with my current Android tracking app (CatEye) I have to first go into airplane mode and then go manually turn on *some* radio, like WiFi or Bluetooth. Then it starts tracking for me. So maybe try turning on airplane mode first and then turning Location services on?
Thanks but I am on iOS. I'll try your trick anyways just in case. Thanks.
i live in a country with a batshit crazy president and no, english is not my first language
Just hit 3000 km for the year on Monday. I got to take a nice climb up the Blue Ridge Parkway and eat some dang good pie at a little country lunch stop. (My riding companion, pictured below, ordered "Possum Pie", which had 0% actual possum in it but a great deal of chocolate, whipped cream, and graham cracker crust.)
I'll probably give the GranFondo route a shot next year (outside of the official event). Did Vancouver to Squamish and back for the first time this summer and that went well.
Seems like it is all fun and games until you hit Squamish, which is kind of how I remember the drive. I don't think I've actually been up there since before the Olympics, so the new(er) road will probably be sweet.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Well the nice thing about Vancouver is you have plenty of hills to choose from that you can train up on. That kilometer 70 is less than half a Cypress or Seymour, it's fine!
Yeah, there's a special class category for this ride, limited to like 100 people I think, that does Cypress first, then comes back down and rejoins the ride.
Posts
If it's Amanda Coker then she's going for the world record for miles cycled in a year/365 days. A record that's had a recent resurgence in interest due to a chap (Steven Abraham) I've cycled with (albeit briefly).
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
Good as new.
Is your saddle relatively level with the ground? I start parallel and adjust fit from there. You may be able to raise the nose of the saddle a bit so you aren't sliding forward as much. If you're too stretched out you'll put more weight on your hands too so consider maybe moving the saddle forward a bit. Also consider raising your stem or handlebars slightly so you aren't hunched over as much. Yes it isn't as aero or look as cool but comfort and putting in more miles is way more important than reducing tiny amounts of drag coefficient.
I never do it, but that's how you get the drivetrain back to shiny if you are so inclined.
I just use a pre-moistened degrease wipe (Cat Tongue, Grime Boss, etc) on the chain and cassette/ring tips, then dry it and lube it. Also, if you haven't, clean all the packed shit in the rear derailleur guide wheel. Holy fuck does shit get caked in there after awhile, I found out.
If I have to have things apart for other service reasons, I'll pull what pieces easily come off like the chain (KMC X SL 4lyfe, cheap and good!) and sometimes cassette and throw them in the ultrasonic cleaner (~ 70 C / 160 F) with some diluted Simple Green or similar. The sound of a clean, perfectly-oiled chain rolling along is very soothing to me.
I have to do a quick clean of the chain about once a week around here. Rainy rides sometimes warrant a post-ride cleaning all on their own. The whole bike gets a wash maybe once a month. A couple days before a really big event the bike gets a detailing whether it needs it or not.
And here is where I admit that the above picture is as shiny as possible because that's a new cassette and chain. :redface:
I bought a house last week and this is definitely on my list of stuff to put in the garage in the future.
Provided I don't go bankrupt buying window blinds and fucking lawn equipment
I think I have about 4 or 5 multitools, because they are in a lot of ride swag bags.
LBS has Specialized Pitch and Giant Talon but those are 520+tax. I've seen Nashbar/BikesDirect have some decent prices for 29ers, but the models don't seem to be the most well liked.
I just found a 2009 DB Overdrive nearby on Craigslist that they're asking 475 for, but I might offer 200 or so for it (bluebook is 200 in like-new condition). Decent bike? Has a 100mm Rockshox Dart 3 fork, they put on S-Works Ground Control tubeless ready tires.
Really appreciate any help! I'm wanting to get a bike soon so I can get used to it and maybe take it on vacation down to eastern OR next month to ride.
(I can't speak to the Diamondback specifically. I sold my MTB some while ago. Google says the Overdrive is lower-end Shimano parts, so while it won't be a dream it'll likely work solidly unless abused.)
I just checked another local shop and they have 2015 Diamondback Apex (steel frame) and GT Timberline Comp (aluminum) priced down to 300. Seriously considering the GT as a starter since it gives me some local help and initial tuning before I know what I'm doing.
Make sure they throw in a fitting as well.
Don't skip your maintenance checks! Noisy bearings become failing bearings!
Nah, just a little local thing put together by the Parks and Rec departments of the two cities. We have a lovely Razorback Greenway trail system that allows you to hit all four of the major cities in Northwest Arkansas without ever getting on a normal road with cars. (Except for one part of Springdale because Springdale is cheap as hell, but even then it's got a decent traffic division thing.) (I know none of y'all know what I'm talking about but this is my post and I'm going to vent at the dumb city.)
I do, and it's perfectly ok for a free app. On mine you can tell that it checks in with the GPS coordinates and simply draws lines between the two most recent coordinates. My phone seems to get pretty good GPS reception though, and it's pretty rare that MapMyRide's route map looks any different from the actual route. Funnily enough I've really be considering switching to a Strava-enabled device, but have also been hesitant to do so because of my four year ride history with MMR. Although, as I understand it many Strava devices can port data to various apps.
The best GPS device I ever owned was a Microsoft Band 2. Super accurate GPS and very fine grained health slices. But the battery lasts maybe two hours at best, and the damn thing is constructed of tissue paper so that didn't last terribly long.
Nice, that's sounds awesome!
Are you on Android or iOS? I tried again today but still no luck on iPhone.
Thanks but I am on iOS. I'll try your trick anyways just in case. Thanks.
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
Those first 5 kms look like heaps of fun! I'll do them, and catch a bus to the end.
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
My brain may be damaged from the mountains.
Up can go fuck itself.