March 26, 2020
PDF version for Premium Members is here.
Hope everything is going ok for all the RBR readers. I thought it might be a welcome distraction to keep sending our regular, not news-related cycling material, for all of us who are stuck at home.
Maximizing the Value of Your Trainer Time
By Coach John Hughes
Riding on the road is fun! Riding on the trainer is not fun (unless you’re a masochist!).
As a roadie, you’re always looking for ways to improve (or at least, maintain): better equipment, smarter training, losing weight, etc. Add your time on the trainer to this list of potential ways to improve. Your trainer is tool you can use to tune up your cycling. Getting the most value from your trainer time is the key to making it work for you. Read more.
Derailleur Hanger Alignment Tools & Techniques
By Jim Langley
In the comments on last week’s Tech Talk, which was about fixing the recalcitrant derailleur hanger on my friend’s Pinarello – was a good observation from Don Macrae. Today, I’m going to reply to Don and to some of the other interesting tips and points from you. To read the first article and all the comments go here. Since a lot of this follow-up is about tools to use, I’m replying to the comments mostly with photos, which I’ll describe so you know what to focus on. Read more.
At Which Temperatures Should I Cover My Knees?
Question: Now that it’s warmer I want to shed my tights. But all of the experienced riders around here tell me to keep my legs covered. Is there a rule of thumb (knee?) for when it’s safe to reveal my gams to the elements? — Perry C.
RBR Replies: A cyclist’s knees are directly exposed to cool spring (and autumn) air. The danger is compounded because a bike’s speed generates windchill. Read more.
Why Use a Smart Trainer? 7 Reasons to Consider for Road Cyclists
You’re a roadie. You love cycling because you enjoy going outside, discovering new places and riding with other riders. So why use a smart trainer? With a smart trainer, you can see and keep track of how much power you can generate on a bike, and see how many kilojoules of power you burned on a ride. You can also compare apples to apples with this ride compared to a previous trainer ride. Read more.
Velocio Signature Fly-Free Bib Shorts Review
By Sheri Rosenbaum
About a year ago I reviewed Velocio’s Signature Fly women’s bibs and gave them 4 stars. I liked the bibs, but the rear zipper design didn’t work for taller riders. I also was concerned about the zipper breaking while on a ride. Now Velocio offers the same great bib, but without the rear zipper, hence the Fly Free designation. The bibs are still designed for quick bathroom breaks and it works no matter what your height. Read more.
MAAP Apex Winter Jacket and Apex Deep Winter Tights Review
By Brandon Bilyeu
I was ‘lucky’ enough to carry out lots of testing in the rain and the three-layer system kept all the water out. The outer surface of the jacket is coated with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish that just refused to wet-out and kill breathability. Inside, the seams are taped for full waterproofness and I never detected any leaks. The seam tape is layered over the waffle liner and has shown no signs of coming loose. Read more.
Quick Tip: Practice Riding a Straight Line
When you ride solo, wavering puts you at risk in traffic. With a companion, you can’t ride side-by-side if you aren’t steady and comfortable. And the fastest way to draw unwanted attention from experienced roadies is to wobble in the middle of a group.
You can quickly improve your ability to ride a steady line. These tips will put you on the straight and narrow. Read more.
The Best of Coach Hughes: 5 eArticles to Make You a Better Cyclist
This bundle of five eArticles The Best of Coach Hughes: 5 eArticles to Make You a Better Cyclist, includes:
- How to Become a Better Cyclist: The Six Success Factors – A new eArticle totaling 36 pages.
- Your Best Season Ever, Part 1: A 32-page eArticle on how to plan and get the most out of your training.
- Intensity Training 2016: A 41-page eArticle with the latest information on how to use perceived exertion, a heart rate monitor and a power meter to maximize training effectiveness.
- Optimal Recovery for Improved Performance: A 16-page eArticle with 10 different recovery techniques illustrated with 14 photos.
- Eat & Drink Like the Pros: A 15-page eArticle of nutritional insights from pro cycling teams. It contains a dozen recipes for you to make your own food and sports drinks.
Energy Sources at Different Exercise Intensities, Explained
By Arnie Baker, M.D.
Energy for exercising muscle comes from carbohydrate, fat, and protein.
Carbohydrate may come from blood sugar (from the liver by way of stored glycogen or metabolized amino acids or from the intestine by the absorption of carbohydrate) or from glycogen stores in muscle. Typically, athletes with normal stores have about 2,000 carbohydrate calories stored as glycogen: about 1,500 calories of intramuscular glycogen are stored in muscle cells, and about 500 calories in the liver. Read more.
Question of the Week
Have you been riding over the last week?
Other Cool Stuff to Read
VeloNews: Strava’s route feature now helps you plan a customized route.
BOINGBOING: This bike has invisible wheels.
Stuck inside and thinking about trying a bicycle trainer app for the first time? Wahoo’s The Sufferfest is offering a free 30 day trial if you use the coupon code ALLINSUFPLAN. I’ve been using this app since last November or so and it’s really great. If you sign up, be sure to also join their active Facebook group of other Sufferfest users.
End Notes
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