Tad weary

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europa
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Tad weary

Postby europa » Sat Feb 16, 2008 3:20 pm

Just got back from a wee ride. Home to Willunga and return. Temp in the mid to high thirties. 70km - my longest ride on the Toscana. No real flats on the ride either though no really nasty hills, you're just up and down all the time while the climbs (and consequest descents seeing I did it both ways) are all long and steady.

When I looked at my log, I was surprised to find that this one ride is about 21% of my total recumbent riding distance. Is this why I'm feeling tired?

Average HR of 154 for the 3 hr 40 min ride.

Now I'm going to find a place to quietly collapse ... though the ruddy dog will probably try to lick the sweat. I might have to tie his tongue around his muzzle for a bit :shock:

Richard
I had a good bike ... so I fixed it

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Postby Uba Tracker » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:24 pm

Top effort mate, so other than feeling a bit tuckered out how has the body shaped up? Finding any new muscles aching? :wink:
A bad day's riding beats a good day's work everytime

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Postby Kalgrm » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:33 pm

Nice work Richard. I hope it was fun. That's the most important aspect.

Cheers,
Graeme
Think outside the double triangle.
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Postby toolonglegs » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:54 pm

Less time moderating..more time sitting on your lounge chair (the one with pedals :D ).

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europa
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Postby europa » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:56 pm

Uba Tracker wrote:Top effort mate, so other than feeling a bit tuckered out how has the body shaped up? Finding any new muscles aching? :wink:
It's all new muscles mate. Funny what bits are tired and which aren't - bit like selectively hammering your body with a small hammer. Still, I don't develop or recover like I used to (I'm 51) so I'm expecting the 'bent legs' to take a while coming.

I just sat down here at the computer ... and my feet slipped in a big puddle of sweat on the plastic carpet protector, that hadn't dried from when I first sat here after getting home :shock:

Mix of fun and stubborness Graeme, but that's probably all I'm wired for at the moment (other stuff). Minor hand problems on the way down, nothing on the way back.

The more tired I got, the more unstable the bike became. I still have to 'ride' the thing all the time so I'm obviously still moving the body around too much. If I find a down hill rider and sit perfectly relaxed, she tracks true so it's me, not the bike, though that ruddy tiller set up translates every pressure into a swerve.

I look enviously at your Bacchettas with their mesh seat. You ought to see the sweat stains on my pad :shock: I haven't looked into the high density foam you suggested yet Graeme, as I've stopped sliding around on it and it doesn't seem too bad now (must have lost that 'new' sheen) - it's just the wrong shape.

The ruddy rear gear cable is STILL stretching. I adjusted it before I left and by the time I was at Willunga, was having the first signs of lost adjustment. That cable has needed proper adjustment every 80-100km so far, with a lot of fiddling when riding - I'm now a dab hand at adjusting the thing on the fly but you can assume the 'novelty is wearing off :?

Neck is tired because although I've got the headrest at its lowest position, it still interferes with my helmet. Haven't quite worked out what I'm going to do about that yet.

The steering tiller has developed some wear where it pivots forwards and backwards. I thought the movement was from the steering head at first. Either tightening the pivot bolt or sourcing some teflon washers should fix it. The cheapness of this bike is beginning to show, though to be fair, at a little over 300km, she's due for a 'first service' (and she IS a cheap bike, this is what you expect). Maybe sometime this week.

I still hate clicking free hubs. I doubt I will ever use a Campy free hub as a result.

Interestingly, my cadences are down. I used to ride in the high eighties and work in the 90's. Now, I still work in the 90s (it's no problem to spin) but when relaxed and just cruising, particularly as I get tired, the cadence is right down in the 70s - I averaged 82 for this ride. When you think about it, despite my feet being clipped in, it's hard work waving those big leg muscles around above your belly button so I guess it's not surprising that I'm not 'motivated' to spin fast all the time. My cruising cadence is slowly coming up though so I reckon that by the time I hit 1,000 km on the thing, the 'numbers' will mirror the upright bikes. Yes, I'm well aware of the dangers of mashing - this is why I'm aware of what's happening now, it's not as though I can see the computer easily while riding (it's just in front of my crutch and I have to sit up to see it).

All in all, it's a much better ride than the uprights, but I'm not one of the 'comfy chair' converts. Maybe when I toss the current seat and put a Euromesh seat on her.

Richard
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Postby Kalgrm » Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:18 pm

The more tired I got, the more unstable the bike became
This sounds like you're falling back into DF habits when you get tired. The instability comes from not being relaxed, tensing the upper body to compensate for tiring legs. When I hit that stage (and I still do on a very long ride or a particularly nasty heat wave) I concentrate on circular pedalling and regaining the form of my stroke. (The bit I've been working on lately is the kick motion, from say 10 o'clock to 1 o'clock, where I found I was not "kicking from the knee". That seems very hard to do on a bent.)
I look enviously at your Bacchettas with their mesh seat.
If you don't mind, I'd rather not imagine the stain on your pads ... ;)

I think I would have given up on the cable by now. I bought a Jagwire tandem gear cable the other day for $5. Love it.

Out of interest, have you tried one of your 700c rear wheels in the bike? Brake pad position might be the only thing between you and the sounds of silence.

Cheers,
Graeme
Think outside the double triangle.
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Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it ....

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Postby europa » Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:26 pm

Kalgrm wrote:Out of interest, have you tried one of your 700c rear wheels in the bike? Brake pad position might be the only thing between you and the sounds of silence.

Cheers,
Graeme
I keep thinking about it but not hard enough to do something. One brake (can't remember which) should take the bigger wheel, the other is problematic (no, the brakes aren't located the same distance from the rim front and back). I will be giving it a go though.

Richard
I had a good bike ... so I fixed it

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Postby Mulger bill » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:57 pm

Good effort Richard, 'specially since you haven't got your 'bent legs yet.
That 'puter mount still a problem? Gonna have to send MacGyver around methinks :wink:

Shaun
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Postby Uba Tracker » Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:26 pm

europa wrote:
All in all, it's a much better ride than the uprights, but I'm not one of the 'comfy chair' converts. Maybe when I toss the current seat and put a Euromesh seat on her.

Richard
I'm right there with with you on that point Richard, my Lynxx has a carbon seat shell with a foam insert (refer image)
Image

and it's really the only disappointment with the Lynxx, the shell is a fixed shape which isn't an ideal fit and doesn't permit adjustment. A split seat Eromesh design would suit me better also.
cheers
H
A bad day's riding beats a good day's work everytime

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Postby Leigh_caines » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:45 am

Yeah the seat was what put me off the Lynxx

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Postby Leigh_caines » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:50 am

Richard
Nice going on the cadence …
I had lots of trouble at first getting up to 80…. And in relaxing my shoulders
The legs build just keep putting in those miles

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Postby europa » Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:03 am

Leigh_caines wrote:The legs build just keep putting in those miles
They're predicting 40 here today, I might just rest a bit more :roll:

Thanks for the thoughts. I didn't actually enjoy the ride as much as I have done, but it was a big step up and there are other issues at the moment. Nothing a lot more riding won't fix, though the current temperatures are holding me back. Anyone else in Adelaide finding the heat this summer more of a problem than you remember from the past?

This bike was cheap, that's why I bought it. The reasonning was that I could use the frame to build a good bent, the assumption being that it was a good frame with cheap components. I think that's proving to be a good assumption. Trouble is, I want to start upgrading things NOW.

Mesh seat. I feel as though I'm perching on the thing and sweat is a real issue - the seat has while stains from saturday and this morning, I picked up the shirt I was wearing ... it's STIFF :shock:

Under seat steering - Craig, if he's reading of this, will note that I haven't contacted him asking if I can buy the bits to do it. That's because I'm scared that he'll reply by saying 'yes' and that the price will be reasonable :shock: I'd rather live in fear and ignorance for a bit longer. I've set myself a target of at least 1,000km before I ask ... and I'm hoping the answer might be slow coming :roll:

Get ride of that damned, noisy free hub ... and now Graeme has really upset things because I'm fighting the urge to swipe the wheels off the Jamis 8) Tell us again Graeme, what are the advantages of tossing the 26" wheels and going to 700c?

Of course, if I change the wheels, I'll get higher gearing which means I really should look at a smaller granny (oh goody, the Jamis has a 26 tooth granny) and if I do that maybe I should buy a set of Q rings and be done with it.

That's without considering the twist shifters but I'm not thinking of them because I'll probably go to Bar Ends when I go to USS except that Graeme thinks his fancy dual action levers will work with USS.

I need a longer chain tube because I'm sick of getting a greasy mark on my calf.

etc.

See, I'm trying to build up a wish list so insurmountable that I will be too scared to start spending money I don't have on bits I don't technically 'need'.

It's not working is it :?

Richard
I had a good bike ... so I fixed it

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Postby Leigh_caines » Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:25 am

As my mate Bob said this morning-
"Everytime I get on the recumbent I feel like a kid again"
I agreed with him [he's 66 and I'm 63 so it's a good feeling to feel like a kid again]

Richard the pull of upgrading is great but in the end you will go with it just like the rest of us poor b*****
:)
Having had a new recumbent and then 2 home builds I'd have to say that I would never buy a new one again.
By the time you've riden for a year you know what you like and want...
then it's just money to build it from the ground up...
and not get side tracked from what you know you want :roll:
and not let others tell you what they think you should have :roll:

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