It's the legs that count

[Smudger]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Michael MacClancy wrote:
>
> > Yes, we've heard that 'bent riders get their pleasure in different ways.
> >
>
> Smiley noted, but if 'bents didn't exist my main bike would be a tourer with full racks and
> mudguards, not the fastest, lightest thing I could find. Because I enjoy long trundles more than
> rushing around.
>
> Also, my hack bike is a Brompton, because "best" in that context for me is easy to park, secure
> and store while being nippy enough up to a few miles while carrying a moderate amount of baggage.
> It covers far more ground in a typical week than my flatmate's racer!
>
> Pete.
> --
> Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells
> Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
> http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
>

I do most of my miles on my Brompton too!

 

[Tim Hall]

On 30 Apr 2003 01:01:37 -0700, [email protected] (Dave Kahn) wrote:

>"Smudger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:<[email protected]>...
>
>> But there was this bloke.
>
><snip>
>
>> It's the legs that count.
>
>Heart and lungs come into it somewhere too. But yes, the engine is in the rider.

We have a semi recumbent tandem. We often get calls that Anne (who normally takes the recumbent
seat) isn't doing any work. And when I take the recumbent seat I don't seem to get out of breath
even though I'm going as fast as I can. I think this is because the limiting factor in the recumbent
position is the leg muscles. In the upright position I do get out of breath, presumably because my
legs (using different muscles) have outstripped the supply my heart and lungs can provide.

Tim
--

fast and gripping, non pompous, glossy and credible.

 

[James Hodson]

On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 07:12:45 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Geraint
Jones) wrote:

>"Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote: ( Oh, don't start talking about legs!
>There's just this guy, you know, who ) reckons he's got the bee's knees in legs - Myra told him so,
>apparently ;-).
>
>I wouldn't have thought that a bee's knees would have been up to the strain, having all that hollow
>muscle inside the exoskeleton.

The bee's knees are probably more useful than the more modern the dog's bollocks, IMO.

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

 

[Russell]

Tim Hall <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 30 Apr 2003 01:01:37 -0700, [email protected] (Dave Kahn) wrote:
>
> >"Smudger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> >> But there was this bloke.
> >
> ><snip>
> >
> >> It's the legs that count.
> >
> >Heart and lungs come into it somewhere too. But yes, the engine is in the
rider.
>
>
> We have a semi recumbent tandem. We often get calls that Anne (who normally takes the recumbent
> seat) isn't doing any work. And when I take the recumbent seat I don't seem to get out of breath
> even though I'm going as fast as I can. I think this is because the limiting factor in the
> recumbent position is the leg muscles. In the upright position I do get out of breath, presumably
> because my legs (using different muscles) have outstripped the supply my heart and lungs can
> provide.
>
>
> Tim
> --
>
> fast and gripping, non pompous, glossy and credible.

Interesting. Most of my racing friends say its their legs that give out first unless its just a
short sharp hill climb when its the lungs that go. For me its always always my breathing. They don't
believe me when I say my legs never hurt but I puff round a 25m TT like an old steam engine! If I
push myself too hard I do sometimes get cramp in the calfs or go dizzy, see stars, my hands go numb
and drown under my own sweat. The only race I did when it wasn't my lungs that held me back was the
100m TT I did last year. Still my legs didn't hurt but I just felt generally exhausted & had a
painful back after 4.5 hrs on tri-bars.

Russell

 

[Stephen Pridgeo]

[email protected] (David E. Belcher) wrote

snip <strong racer on **** bike beats **** racers on good bikes>

>
> I'll vouch for this, having been consistently humbled in Thursday evening time trials last summer
> by a former club mate riding a touring bike sans mudguards and fitted with 23c tyres. So much for
> my road bike with ITM Boomerang bar extensions, Ti BB, Ti hub spindles, carbon seatpin, Flite
> saddle, etc....[1]
>
> David E. Belcher
>
> Dept. of Chemistry, University of York
>
> [1] All a bit academic now, as it's been reduced to a sorry-looking bare frameset sitting on the
> bedroom floor. Still, at least it looked good at the time :-(

Presumably it's stripped in order to fit mudguards, conti top tourers, Rolls saddle, KA seatpin,
wicker basket etc..... in a bid to increase speed?

SteveP

 

[Geraint Jones]

[email protected] wrote: ( On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 07:12:45 +0000 (UTC), )
[email protected] (Geraint Jones) wrote: ( >I wouldn't have thought that a
bee's knees would have been up to ) >the strain, having all that hollow muscle inside the
exoskeleton. ( The bee's knees are probably more useful than the more modern the ) dog's
bollocks, IMO.

Oddly, OED doesn't seem to give an origin reference to any parts of dogs, but claims that bee's
knees and cat's whiskers are originally USAnian. I wonder whether British English ever invented such
a positive reference to random parts of the anatomy.

 

[Dave Kahn]

Tim Hall <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

> We have a semi recumbent tandem. We often get calls that Anne (who normally takes the recumbent
> seat) isn't doing any work. And when I take the recumbent seat I don't seem to get out of breath
> even though I'm going as fast as I can. I think this is because the limiting factor in the
> recumbent position is the leg muscles. In the upright position I do get out of breath, presumably
> because my legs (using different muscles) have outstripped the supply my heart and lungs can
> provide.

Riding a 'bent places different demands on the legs than riding a wedgie does; ask Guy - he knows.
If your legs are conditioned to wedgie riding they may not be powerful enough on a 'bent to stretch
your cardiovascular system, which is already well conditioned to either style of riding. If you rode
exclusively in the 'bent position your legs would get better at it until they were once again able
to go hard enough to get you out of breath.

This is well demonstrated in riders who are starting out from a very low fitness base. They often
go through several alternating stages of breathlessness only and sore legs only, each lasting a
few weeks.

--
Dave...

 

[Dave Kahn]

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

> Not necessarily true. A TT bike with tri bars is heavier than the same bike without the tri bars,
> but by using the tri bars you can go quicker. The e2e Windcheetah had a fully enclosing fairing
> which added weight but enhanced the actual speed possible considerably (it was seen to be doing
> 70+ mph on the big descents!).

Similarly in the Tour Lance reserves his lightest bike for the mountains, preferring a slightly
heavier (though still very light in absolute terms) bike for most stages. However, Michael's point
is valid in that if two competing cyclists were identical in all other respects the one riding the
bike that was the better tool for that particular event would clearly have an advantage.

--
Dave...

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 07:45:18 +0100, "Richard Goodman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>There's just this guy, you know, who reckons he's got the bee's knees in legs

<checks knees> no, those are bog-standard British bloke-pattern knees.

Guy
===
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[Just Zis Guy]

On 1 May 2003 04:15:11 -0700, [email protected] (Dave Kahn) wrote:

>Riding a 'bent places different demands on the legs than riding a wedgie does; ask Guy - he knows.

That it does. I rarely run out of breath on the 'bent, probably because I'm not all crunched up with
my diaphragm compressed like on a wedgie. And my wedgie legs are well out of condition at the moment
- I can only average about 18.5 at the moment, which is hopeless.

Guy
===
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[Graeme]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>>There's just this guy, you know, who reckons he's got the bee's knees in legs
>
> <checks knees> no, those are bog-standard British bloke-pattern knees.

So that'll be milk bottle white, slightly knobbly, one or two minor scars and best kept under the
cover of a pair of long trousers. Or is that just me?

Have fun!

Graeme

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Fri, 02 May 2003 12:34:14 -0000, Graeme <[email protected]> wrote:

>So that'll be milk bottle white, slightly knobbly, one or two minor scars and best kept under the
>cover of a pair of long trousers. Or is that just me?

White ... check Scars ... check Knobbly ... check

Not sure about hiding them, though

Guy
===
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dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Graeme]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> White ... check Scars ... check Knobbly ... check
>
> Not sure about hiding them, though

Maybe you're right, the white glow no doubt enhances your visibility to other road users. Trouble
is, if you take that to it's logical extreme, then you're probably safest cycling round
completely naked. Aha! Finally, proof that cycling helmetless is safer, but only if you have a
shiny bald head ;-)

Have fun!

Graeme