how many gears?

[[email protected]]

If you want to practise on hills, a fixie with a freewheel will allow you to
get a better workout, because you can get back down the hill faster
for the next "up" interval.

It's an interesting exercise to climb hills with a 36 (and lower) cadence.

Climbing is probably a safer workout than going 20+mph, because
you're going slower when you keel over.

-- a 57-year old...

On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 11:57:33 -0500, The Wogster <[email protected]> wrote:

>Doesn't this depend on the rider? For example if your 17 years old,
>ride 100 miles a day, with back to back double centuries on the weekend,
>and hold the gym record for the leg press at 1,500lbs, then 20+ MPH on a
>fixie is probably going to be easy, especially on a flat course....
>
>However if your north of 40, in typical American shape, and ride maybe
>50 miles a year, and your heading up the steeper face of big ass hill,
>then doing 20MPH on a fixie is probably going to land you in one place,
>the cardiac ward.... Then again doing 20MPH on any bike under those
>conditions, will probably land you in the same place...
>
>W

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
> If you want to practise on hills, a fixie with a freewheel will allow
you to
> get a better workout, because you can get back down the hill faster
> for the next "up" interval.

Actually, spinning the DH pumps blood, it doesn't affect your speed
significantly. You should try it.


> It's an interesting exercise to climb hills with a 36 (and lower)
cadence.

Is that a magic number?


> Climbing is probably a safer workout than going 20+mph, because
> you're going slower when you keel over.

If you're prone to keeling over, you should probably switch to golf.

 

[The Wogster]

Peter Cole wrote:
> The Wogster wrote:
>
>>Sheldon Brown wrote:
>>
>>>Peter Cole indiscreetly blurted out:
>>>
>>>
>>>>If you do any fixed gear or single speed riding you'll find that
>
> gears
>
>>>>don't have that large an effect on average speed. I have gone so
>
> far as
>
>>>>to time trial with my fixer. My relative speed was 10% slower on a
>>>>rolling course, not a lot when you consider that a significant
>
> portion
>
>>>>of that was the no-coast and no-tuck penalties.
>>>>
>>>>I see lots of strong riders having no trouble keeping up on a fast
>
> club
>
>>>>rides (20+ mph) on fixers. People think it's heroic, it's not.
>>>
>>>
>>>Shhhhhh Peter! That's supposed to be our little secret, only
>
> shared
>
>>>among the elect!
>>>
>>
>>Doesn't this depend on the rider? For example if your 17 years old,
>>ride 100 miles a day, with back to back double centuries on the
>
> weekend,
>
>>and hold the gym record for the leg press at 1,500lbs, then 20+ MPH
>
> on a
>
>>fixie is probably going to be easy, especially on a flat course....
>>
>>However if your north of 40, in typical American shape, and ride
>
> maybe
>
>>50 miles a year, and your heading up the steeper face of big ass
>
> hill,
>
>>then doing 20MPH on a fixie is probably going to land you in one
>
> place,
>
>>the cardiac ward.... Then again doing 20MPH on any bike under those
>
>
>>conditions, will probably land you in the same place...
>>
>>I had to drive a couple of places this morning, and was wishing I had
>
> a
>
>>bike, I am getting back into it, after last riding in 1984....
>
> Getting
>
>>older, and gas prices that are climbing out of this world, are my
>>motives, however I don't think I will start with a fixie.....
>
>
> I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting with a fixed gear, either. On
> the other hand, fixed gear bikes are a lot of fun and offer an
> opportunity to learn a little bit more about biomechanics. Ideally, a
> fixed gear should allow a favored cadence up a very slight incline.
> This will make you slightly under-geared on the flats and over-geared
> on steeper climbs.
>
> Climbing with a fixed gear involves different techniques as the grade
> gets steeper. First, you stand to pedal, next, you start pulling up on
> the opposite pedal, finally, you start zig-zagging across the grade --
> terminally, you walk.
>
> If your local terrain is flattish or gently rolling, fixed gear bikes
> can keep up with geared bikes in all but a complete hammer-fest.
> Keeping up with any serious group will require you to be in shape, no
> matter what you're riding.


Anything but flat, Toronto, Ontario (where I live), has lots of rolling
hills, and at least 2 river valleys (the Don and the Humber, I live
between them)..... However riding is getting more popular, especially
as gasoline is now north of 90cents/Litre -- Europeans will think that
cheap at around (.58 Euros), Americans will think it an outragious $2.60
per gallon, and that's for the cheap stuff, we are expecting it to be
well over $1/L by the end of summer....

>
> Oh, BTW, I can time trial a fixer on a rolling course at over 20 mph,
> and I'm considerably "north of 40". Like I said, it's not heroic. Since
> you're getting back into things, you might be better off not psych'ing
> yourself out with age ****.
>

There were three conditions in my message, first was over 40, second was
typical American shape, to explain further with a spare tire -- and not
a bike tire either more like something off a Sterling.... And who does
not ride often or much.....

I have been working on my spare tire, got it down to something off a
Crown Vic, and I want to ride more, but not today, it's dreadful out
there.....

W

 

[Peter Cole]

The Wogster wrote:

> > Oh, BTW, I can time trial a fixer on a rolling course at over 20
mph,
> > and I'm considerably "north of 40". Like I said, it's not heroic.
Since
> > you're getting back into things, you might be better off not
psych'ing
> > yourself out with age ****.
> >
>
> There were three conditions in my message, first was over 40, second
was
> typical American shape, to explain further with a spare tire -- and
not
> a bike tire either more like something off a Sterling.... And who
does
> not ride often or much.....
>
> I have been working on my spare tire, got it down to something off a
> Crown Vic, and I want to ride more, but not today, it's dreadful out
> there.....

Six of us rode for a couple of hours yesterday, into a hard,
wind-driven, 38F rain. Four were on fixed gears. All of us were over
40, except a new woman who showed up after riding a dozen miles to the
start (and another dozen home), on a chromed fixed gear Pinarello. I
was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
riders are usually not so tough.


'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish
to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
That's why there are riders.
Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
Tim Krabbe "The Rider"

 

[[email protected]]

On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

[snip]

>I
>was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
>riders are usually not so tough.
>
>
>'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish
>to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
>That's why there are riders.
>Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
>Tim Krabbe "The Rider"

Dear Peter,

Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.

Carl Fogel

 

[[email protected]]

On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

[snip]

>I
>was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
>riders are usually not so tough.
>
>
>'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish
>to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
>That's why there are riders.
>Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
>Tim Krabbe "The Rider"

Dear Peter,

Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.

Carl Fogel

 

[[email protected]]

On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

[snip]

>I
>was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
>riders are usually not so tough.
>
>
>'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish
>to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
>That's why there are riders.
>Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
>Tim Krabbe "The Rider"

Dear Peter,

Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.

Carl Fogel

 

[[email protected]]

On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

[snip]

>I
>was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
>riders are usually not so tough.
>
>
>'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish
>to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
>That's why there are riders.
>Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
>Tim Krabbe "The Rider"

Dear Peter,

Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.

Carl Fogel

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
> On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> >I
> >was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
> >riders are usually not so tough.
> >
> >
> >'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who
wish
> >to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
> >That's why there are riders.
> >Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
> >Tim Krabbe "The Rider"
>
> Dear Peter,
>
> Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
> that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
> weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.

That's nice enough, but I'd really be impressed if they rode the course
in freezing rain.

 

[[email protected]]

On 3 Apr 2005 17:08:02 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>[email protected] wrote:
>> On 3 Apr 2005 06:10:21 -0700, "Peter Cole"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> >I
>> >was impressed, not so much by her gender as by her youth, under 40
>> >riders are usually not so tough.
>> >
>> >
>> >'Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who
>wish
>> >to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
>> >That's why there are riders.
>> >Suffering you need; literature is baloney.'
>> >Tim Krabbe "The Rider"
>>
>> Dear Peter,
>>
>> Perhaps you should take a spin come summer in France--I hear
>> that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
>> weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.
>
>That's nice enough, but I'd really be impressed if they rode the course
>in freezing rain.

Dear Peter,

Colmar, stage 8, 2001, 130+ miles--it rained all day
beginning in the 50's and dropping:

http://www.velonews.com/race/tour2001/articles/1162.0.html

" . . . better than O'Grady, who, after taking the yellow
jersey, was shivering and began to turn blue during a radio
interview. 'Today was an epic day,' he said before being
taken away to warm up. 'I'm absolutely freezing at the
moment.'"

http://www.velonews.com/race/tour2001/articles/1162.1.html

Carl Fogel

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
>
>
> Colmar, stage 8, 2001, 130+ miles--it rained all day
> beginning in the 50's and dropping:

50's is hardly 30's. If you've never experienced the difference, I
suggest you try riding in the winter.

"Behind, in the cold, dreary conditions, no team had any motivation to
chase, and the lead ballooned to a ridiculous 27 minutes by the feed
zone at the 101.5km mark."

"At that point, some questions began to arise, including whether the
entire peloton was in danger of being eliminated as a result of
finishing outside of the time cut."

They'd probably just give up if the temps dropped any lower.

 

[[email protected]]

On 4 Apr 2005 05:27:28 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>[email protected] wrote:
>>
>>
>> Colmar, stage 8, 2001, 130+ miles--it rained all day
>> beginning in the 50's and dropping:
>
>50's is hardly 30's. If you've never experienced the difference, I
>suggest you try riding in the winter.
>
>"Behind, in the cold, dreary conditions, no team had any motivation to
>chase, and the lead ballooned to a ridiculous 27 minutes by the feed
>zone at the 101.5km mark."
>
>"At that point, some questions began to arise, including whether the
>entire peloton was in danger of being eliminated as a result of
>finishing outside of the time cut."
>
>They'd probably just give up if the temps dropped any lower.

Dear Peter,

Good gracious, you're right--freezing temperatures are never
seen in Colorado, so I've never experienced the hardships of
which you boast.

And I'm convinced that you're right about those young
sissies who call themselves professionals.

There can be no question that they'd just drop out and quit
if conditions ever approached what you routinely suffer.
They were just faking the shivering and turning blue.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> Good gracious, you're right--freezing temperatures are never
> seen in Colorado, so I've never experienced the hardships of
> which you boast.

Really Carl, from your wounded tone I'm afraid I've offended (again).
I'm not such an inbred blue-stater that I don't know people who have
actually been to Colorado (and I've seen it on TV! Columbine, right?),
although I hadn't recalled off the top of my head that it was your home
state (my apologies for forgetting that important fact!). It was just
that you seemed so inexperienced in winter cycling, I assumed you
stayed indoors and puttered around the internet all winter.

And, for the record, I wasn't boasting. I was attempting to calibrate a
self-described over-the-hill newbie to the possibilities of actually
cycling in inclement weather. Perhaps it was the allusion to
"toughness" that triggered your ire, I suppose that could be construed
as boasting, at least by someone who doesn't know me well. I enjoy the
cold, so I'm not suffering. I like the challenge of equipping for the
cold and wet. I sew, I research new fabrics, I scour cycling and
non-cycling sources for gear. On the other hand, I hate the heat and
really suffer in the summer. I'm tempted (for the sake of
clarification) to describe some of the hot, death-march ultra-events
I've completed, but that *would* be blowing my own "toughness" horn.

Besides, if I were boasting, wouldn't I have mentioned our speed?

 

[[email protected]]

On 4 Apr 2005 11:34:29 -0700, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>[email protected] wrote:
>>
>> Good gracious, you're right--freezing temperatures are never
>> seen in Colorado, so I've never experienced the hardships of
>> which you boast.
>
>Really Carl, from your wounded tone I'm afraid I've offended (again).
>I'm not such an inbred blue-stater that I don't know people who have
>actually been to Colorado (and I've seen it on TV! Columbine, right?),
>although I hadn't recalled off the top of my head that it was your home
>state (my apologies for forgetting that important fact!). It was just
>that you seemed so inexperienced in winter cycling, I assumed you
>stayed indoors and puttered around the internet all winter.
>
>And, for the record, I wasn't boasting. I was attempting to calibrate a
>self-described over-the-hill newbie to the possibilities of actually
>cycling in inclement weather. Perhaps it was the allusion to
>"toughness" that triggered your ire, I suppose that could be construed
>as boasting, at least by someone who doesn't know me well. I enjoy the
>cold, so I'm not suffering. I like the challenge of equipping for the
>cold and wet. I sew, I research new fabrics, I scour cycling and
>non-cycling sources for gear. On the other hand, I hate the heat and
>really suffer in the summer. I'm tempted (for the sake of
>clarification) to describe some of the hot, death-march ultra-events
>I've completed, but that *would* be blowing my own "toughness" horn.
>
>Besides, if I were boasting, wouldn't I have mentioned our speed?

Dear Captain Oates,

Yes, you're modest, noble, and wonderful.

If you are just going outside and may be some time, please
shut the door on your way out.

Carl Fogel

 

[Peter Cole]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> Dear Captain Oates,

Those poor, suffering bastards, too bad they didn't have Malden Mills.

 

[[email protected]]

Peter Cole wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > ... --I hear
> > that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
> > weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.
>
> That's nice enough, but I'd really be impressed if they rode the
course
> in freezing rain.

This reminds me of a editorial which appeared in a progressive
newspaper in Suva, the principle city of Fiji. The Suva Exhibition
was in progress. Among the performers at one of the sideshows was
a man who put a cork into an empty cask and, blowing into the cask
hole, succeeded time after time in blowing the cork out of the bung
hole. The editorial writer on the Suva newspaper was not
altogether taken in by this demonstration, and commented as
follows:
It is no doubt a very clever performance, but if
the man had put his mouth to the cork hole, and then
blown the cask out of the bung hole, or if he had put
his mouth to the cask and blown the bung out of the cork
hole, or if he had put the cask to the bung hole and
blown the cork out of his mouth, or if he had put the
bung to his ******** and blown the cask out of the cork
hole, or if he had put his ******** to his mouth and
blown the cork out of the bung hole, or if he had put
the cork up his ******** and blown his mouth out of the
bung hole, or if he had stuffed his ******** up the bung
hole and blown the cork hole inside out through the cask
hole, or if he had blown his ******** up his mouth and
pulled the bung hole out of the cask hole, or if he had
stuffed himself up his ******** and blown the cask up
his bung hole, or if he had stuffed the cask hold and the
bung hole in his mouth and blown himself out his ********,
or if he had blown the cask hole up his ******** and
blocked his bung hole up with the cork - it would have
been, in our opinion, much more extraordinary.

 

[[email protected]]

no more than necessary
actually u'd be surprised how nice a 5 speed freewheel runs when given
new bearings and cycle lube

 

[[email protected]]

butbutbut did the ed. try it???
this is the relevant and material issue

 

[Sheldon Brown]

[email protected] wrote:

> Peter Cole wrote:
>
>>[email protected] wrote:
>>
>>
>>>... --I hear
>>>that about 200 under-40 riders tour France for about three
>>>weeks every year, usually led by some guy named Armstrong.
>>
>>That's nice enough, but I'd really be impressed if they rode the
>
> course
>
>>in freezing rain.
>
>
> This reminds me of a editorial which appeared in a progressive
> newspaper in Suva, the principle city of Fiji. The Suva Exhibition
> was in progress. Among the performers at one of the sideshows was
> a man who put a cork into an empty cask and, blowing into the cask
> hole, succeeded time after time in blowing the cork out of the bung
> hole. The editorial writer on the Suva newspaper was not
> altogether taken in by this demonstration, and commented as
> follows:
> It is no doubt a very clever performance, but if
> the man had put his mouth to the cork hole, and then
> blown the cask out of the bung hole, or if he had put
> his mouth to the cask and blown the bung out of the cork
> hole, or if he had put the cask to the bung hole and
> blown the cork out of his mouth, or if he had put the
> bung to his ******** and blown the cask out of the cork
> hole, or if he had put his ******** to his mouth and
> blown the cork out of the bung hole, or if he had put
> the cork up his ******** and blown his mouth out of the
> bung hole, or if he had stuffed his ******** up the bung
> hole and blown the cork hole inside out through the cask
> hole, or if he had blown his ******** up his mouth and
> pulled the bung hole out of the cask hole, or if he had
> stuffed himself up his ******** and blown the cask up
> his bung hole, or if he had stuffed the cask hold and the
> bung hole in his mouth and blown himself out his ********,
> or if he had blown the cask hole up his ******** and
> blocked his bung hole up with the cork - it would have
> been, in our opinion, much more extraordinary.

The Eighteen Bottles by Henry Morgan

I had eighteen bottles of whiskey in my cellar and was told by my wife
to empty the contents of each and every bottle down the sink, or
else... I said I would and proceeded with the unpleasant task.

I withdrew the cork from the first bottle and pured the contents down
the sink with the exception of one glass, which I drank.

I then withdrew the cork from the second bottle and did likewise with
it, with the exception of one glass, which I drank.

I then withdrew the cork from the third bottle and poured the whiskey
down the sink which I drank.

I pulled the cork from the fourth bottle down the sink and poured the
bottle down the glass, which I drank.

I pulled the bottle from the cork of the next and drank one sink out
of it, and threw the rest down the glass.

I pulled the sink out of the next glass and poured the cork down the
bottle. Then I corked the sink with the glass, bottled the drink and
drank the pour.

When I had everything emptied, I steadied the house with one hand,
counted the glasses, corks, bottles, and sinks with the other, which
were twenty-nine, and as the houses came by I counted them again, and
finally I had all the houses in one bottle, which I drank.
-------------------------------------------
Carapace Completed Umber
Lexington, Kentucky

 

[Rik O'Shea]

"Peter Cole" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

Yes,
you need to be careful with the terrain that you ride a fixed gear on.
A few years back a really strong member of our club was riding a 39X17
fixie on a hilly winter group ride. He lost control of the bike at the base of
a really fast decent which required free-wheeling. Luckily for him
he landed in a ditch - a relatively soft landing, although he ended up with
a face full of muck. On this short decent, you easily reach speeds of 57 km/h -
I calculated that before he crashed his leggs were spinning at > 198 RPM,
now that's what I call fast spinning!

Incidently I never saw him ride a fixed gear on the winter group spins again !

>
> I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting with a fixed gear, either. On
> the other hand, fixed gear bikes are a lot of fun and offer an
> opportunity to learn a little bit more about biomechanics. Ideally, a
> fixed gear should allow a favored cadence up a very slight incline.
> This will make you slightly under-geared on the flats and over-geared
> on steeper climbs.
>