April 12, 2018
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
by Lars Hundley The most popular Facebook post of the week by far was this weird “bicycle” that everyone loved to hate. You ride on your stomach and pedal sort of like Superman flies. Meanwhile, over on our Pinterest account, people really must think cycling is a literal pain the butt according to all the clicks coming from this pin. Facebook fans also were impressed by this video showing Peter Sagan adjusting his own bike stem while riding at 45kmh during Paris-Roubaix.
Speaking of pain in the butt, which saddle have you found to be the most comfortable? I’d love to put together a post of all the reader’s favorite bike seats. Hit reply to the newsletter and tell me about which saddle turned out to be a game changer for you. Send a photo too, if you can! I’ve been having good luck with a Selle Italia model that I have been riding for around 6 years since it was suggested to me during a professional bike fitting. No numbness issues or other problems.
This week’s reader bike of the week seemed like a terrific deal to me. You can still get a lot of bike for under $1,000.
My bike is a Fuji SL 3.2 purchased on closeout at the end of 2017. Primary reason for buying: Price (under $1000 delivered). Features that made it hard to pass up: 11-speed Ultegra (mostly), internally routed cables, appearance. Top of the line? No. It has lower grade wheels, crankset, and seatpost, but as a recreational rider it’s all I need. And those things can be upgraded later. – Craig Williams
Squaring the Geriatric Curve: Staying Healthy and Vigorous Into Old Age
by John Hughes Most people’s health and fitness start to irrevocably decline about age 50, and as they get older their health and fitness decline more rapidly. This is called the geriatric curve. You can slow the rate of decline but you can’t stop it. Leading a vigorous life and flattening the rate of aging as much as possible and then dying suddenly in your 90s or older is what I call squaring the geriatric curve.
Physiological aging is not caused by any single factor but by an aggregate of causes. Fortunately, fitness helps to maintain peak performance and prevent premature aging. Read more.
Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process Available Now
Coach Hughes’ long awaited new eBook is here! Be sure to check out the full book description here.
Coach Hughes wrote this for all roadies age 50 and older. It will teach you how you, too, can fight the physical effects of chronological aging.
Anti-Aging describes the physiological changes that take place as you age, how to assess your current fitness and the training principles that apply to older roadies.
The book explains how to get the most benefit from your endurance rides. It has sample training plans to increase your annual riding miles and to build up to rides of 25-, 50-, 100- and 200-mile rides. The book explains why intensity training is important, the pros and cons of gauging intensity using rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and power. It includes how to do intensity exercise and different intensity workouts. It integrates endurance and intensity training into an annual plan for optimal results.
Anti-Aging also describes the importance of strength training and includes 28 exercises for lower body, upper body and core strength illustrated with photos. It includes an annual plan to integrate strength training with endurance and intensity training. It also has 14 stretches illustrated with photos. Learn more.
Am I A Cycling Fanatic?
by John Yoder During a recent solo ride in the country, I stopped for a snack at the entrance to the cemetery. As I munched on a Clif bar, a biker came down the road from the opposite direction I was going, and as he got closer, he pulled over and called out: “There’s that biking fanatic.”
I was puzzled for two reasons:
1) Why he would call me a fanatic, and 2) Why he would act as if he knew me? Read more.
How to Fix a Loose Cassette on a Bike Part 2: Follow Up and a Few More Tips
by Jim Langley Last week’s Tech Talk on getting the tools to be able to tighten a loose cassette received some questions worth answering, and comments worth sharing. So we’ll keep the cog conversation going for another week.
If you missed part 1, you can read it here: How to Fix a Loose Cassette on a Bike.
Bontrager Circuit MIPS Road Helmet Review
by Sheri Rosenbaum I had my first look at the new Bontrager Circuit MIPS road helmet in November last year at my LBS Vendor Night. What excited me about this helmet was first the price. At $149.99 MSRP, this is a very affordable MIPS helmet. Second, the Blendr magnetic mounts allow you to quickly add or remove a Bontrager headlight, rear light or GoPro camera. And third, the BOA closure provides a great fit.
For testing, I put this helmet through its paces in all types of weather. Winter trail riding on the fat bike, nighttime cross-country skiing at 17 degrees and road riding in both the Chicago cold and Tucson, AZ heat. It performed flawlessly.
Convenience Stores and Inconvenient Bridges: Tale of an Outer Banks Bicycle Tour
by Stan Purdum I recently happened to see an announcement that the eastbound lanes of North Carolina’s Wright Memorial Bridge, the twin spans across Albemarle Sound between Point Harbor and Kitty Hawk were going to be closed this winter to resurface those lanes.
The bridge is the northernmost of only two bridges that enable one to drive — or cycle — to the Outer Banks, the rim of slender barrier islands on North Carolina’s coast. The closure for repairs was wisely scheduled for winter because the Outer Banks is a popular vacation area, and in summer, the three-mile long bridge is heavily traveled in both directions. During the repairs, traffic has been shifted to the westbound lanes in a two-way pattern.
Question of the Week
Is your bike saddle comfortable? Answer the RBR Question of the Week.
Could you please put a link for the pdf version. I’ve had to use the search to locate them.
Thanks
Fixed it. Thanks for pointing it out!
Which saddles do I think are the most comfortable? Obviously everyone will be different but for my regular road bikes I really like the Fizik line, I have both the Arione R3 and the Aliante Gamma and like them equally well, but I also have a Specialized Phenom Expert with ti rails and it’s also nice. For my touring bike I only use the Brooks B17 with ti rails, it works very well in a more upright riding position. I have other saddles too that are older which are no longer and I don’t ride the bikes their on as much buy they all work great.
I ride the Selle Anatomica leather saddle. this is the most comfortable saddle I’ve had since my Wright Saddle that I rode in the 70s. I don’t get any numbness, and I can adjust the tightness of the saddle as the leather stretches. I only have to use chamois cream on rides over 50 miles.
Great saddle.
When I first got into long-distance cycling, a couple of local bike shops had several brands of loaner saddles and during an entire summer, I lost count of how many I tried. My fanny hated each and every one. Then a friend who is a professional bike-fitter recommended the Fizik Aliante. Having already tried the Arione from that company without success I was skeptical but one ride on the Aliante was INSTANT RELIEF. I have several bikes and each now has that saddle.
I agree with Layne – the Aliante saddles have worked for me. They have three classes of saddle, depending on your “Spine Cocept” ie your flexibility and position on the bike:
Snake: High body flexibility and no pelvic rotation whilst pedaling. You need a flat saddle.
Chamelon: Medium body flexibility and low pelvic rotation whilst pedaling. You need an in-between saddle.
Bull: Low body flexibility and high pelvic rotation whilst pedaling. You need a waved saddle.
I bought a Bull saddle online (ie. without trying it) and it IMMEDIATELY improved my comfort. I now have these on both of my bikes. It’s allowed me to ride longer and further.
Does anyone have the address of where to send no longer used cycling gear or clothing, I have some to send but can’t find the address.
I have sent boxes of accumulated cycling stuff to Lon Haldeman’s PAC Tour. He donates them to his Peru projects in South America.
http://www.pactour.com/recycleyourbikep.html
I have ISM saddles on my road bike, tandem and spinner. I tried a couple of SQLab saddles but wasn’t able to adjust them so that they felt as comfortable as the ISM saddles. I used to stand up every few miles with my older saddles to keep from going numb. I don’t have to stand up with the ISM saddles. I had a Brooks Pro on my road bike back in the 1960-70’s and thought it was comfortable at the time. I should have kept it instead of selling it with a bike.