Newsletter Issue No. 897
January 16, 2020
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
How Much Should You Train to Get Faster Cycling?
By Coach John Hughes
How much should you train as a cyclist? The answer: Probably not as much as you think.
My friend and fellow cycling coach Neal Henderson says that 65% of the athletes he sees train too much, 25% train too little and 10% get it right – the pros who are paid to perform. Read more.
Quick Tips for Upgrading Vintage Road Bikes
by Jim Langley
January being the month for making resolutions, I have decided for 2020 to try to 1) finally upgrade a vintage road bike I’ve been in analysis paralysis on for some time; and 2) hopefully ride it in this year’s Eroica California, which takes place April 5 in beautiful Cambria. Read more.
Sponsor: Performance Alpaca Cycling Socks by Fo//ow Ho//ow
Follow Hollow socks outperform competitors largely due to their 80% baby alpaca proprietary blend thread. Check out the RoadBikeRider.com review by Sheri here. After a very successful Kickstarter launch, these socks are in stock and available to order right now directly from the company. Why not add some to your sock drawer? Find out more.
Setting Cycling Goals for Success
By Arnie Baker, M.D.
Goal setting is one of the most important specific steps you can take in improving athletic performance. Without goals you are on an uncharted sea, floating without direction. The more specific your goals, the easier it is to map your way and reach your potential. Read more.
Cycling Gear That Make Winter Riding More Fun
by Sheri Rosenbaum
In Chicago the brutal winter hasn’t truly hit us. We’ve had a few days and nights in the teens but nothing a seasoned Chicagoan can’t handle. I’ve been doing a lot of clothing reviews, but I thought I’d share some products I’ve found to enhance winter riding. Read more.
Lazer G1 Helmet Review
by Brandon Bilyeu
Pulling the G1 helmet out of the box, I immediately noticed the reduced weight in hand compared to my go-to Giro Synthe helmet. My medium Synthe is 266g, while the medium G1 is 200g. That difference of 66g (0.15 pounds) might not sound like much, but the G1 is 33% lighter than the Synthe. Read more.
Quick Tip: Look Out for Leaves
Beware of fallen leaves. If there is moisture between them and the road (very likely), they can be as slippery as ice during turns. They could also hide dangerous cracks or potholes. Traffic permitting, steer around patches of leaves. If you can’t, reduce speed and coast through gingerly with your butt an inch over the saddle. Read more.
Optimal Recovery For Improved Performance
Focus on the most frequently overlooked element of successful training — your recovery to rebuild and become stronger. Optimal Recovery for Improved Performance, by Coach John Hughes, is illustrated with 14 photos and will teach you how to improve your recovery so that you ride better. Recovery is as important as the workout itself and critical to improvement.
Question of the Week
Do you own a vintage road bike that’s rideable?
More Cycling Stuff to Read
TribuneIndia.com: India is the world’s second largest bicycle manufacturer, but still no competition for high end bikes compared to China.
DC Rainmaker: This Zwift e-racing champion was stripped of his title for cheating, but not in a way you’d ever guess.
AbacusNews.com: Chinese bike share company Mobike lost more than 200,000 bikes to theft and vandalism last year.
SportsMedicineWeekly.com: Recovery tips for endurance athletes.
Wahoo: Yet another former road pro, this time Ian Boswell, moves to gravel. He’ll now race for Wahoo Fitness. Lots of developments in gravel!
End Notes
I wrote last week about all-road bikes that are suitable for road, gravel, cyclocross, etc. My buddy Peter just bought a titanium Lynskey PRO GR Gravel bike that checks all the boxes for an everything bike. He set his up with full Ultegra mechanical and two chainrings so he can ride it as a regular road bike. But the bike came with 650b Stans wheels and super wide 52 mm Kenda knobbies on it, ready for the deepest gravel. That gives him the option of either putting a faster 650b tire on for road riding, or getting a set of road disc 700c wheels so he can just swap between wheelsets.
I have on several occasions purchased a vintage (old) steel bike, cold set the rear drop outs and changed the brake calipers if necessary, and set up two sets of wheels, one with gravel tires and one with road tires. Takes only a few minutes to change out the wheels. A less expensive option is to just use one set of wheels and two sets of tires/tubes. Takes a little longer to change set ups but less expensive.