a buddy has one of them - he's, um, not the usual cyclist shape and it works really well for him. I did a ride early this year on a saddle that was ok for a couple of hours, but after six, I had no feeling in my old chap whatsoever
You could get a job in the porn industry then Jerry, 6 hours in the saddle = lack of feeling and voila... the next Ron Jeremy
I've just had an e-mail from www.suunto.co.uk about their new Track Pod which sounds useful for training/routes etc.
Bradders, i was a keen cyclist-MTB mainly which im hoping to get back into. I dont find solo MTB riding boring personally, but i did find road riding could become a bit boring (i used to ride a Bianchi 928 and Via Nirone 7).... I found that gradually increasing my mileages helped me enormously, and i reckon any mileage on a MTB is approx doubled on a roadie..when i could do say 20 miles on road aboard the MTB, then 40 miiles on the roadie was quite easy..i also found my average speed went up considerably..at my peak i was averaging 17is mph on the MTB and high 20's on the roadie..my world record top speed was 57!! Its resolving to get stuck in thats the hardest part..the early days are very tough..make sure youve got a really good saddle, on the firm side (i used a specialised alias) and get that riding position sorted out, even if it means investing in a wider set of bars etc...it's well worth the outlay.
You should definitely try out the SMP saddles then Jerry. I had the exact same issue as you describe and the change of saddle fixed it overnight. There is a hell of a range of Selle SMPs and the importer Dillglove Cycles in Birmingham/Solihull do a demo scheme so you can try them out at leisure on your own bike.
Am a fan of the road bike, but more a fan of this! Get some decent hills, a few good lifts, 80kms of downhill riding in a day and you have the passportes du soleil! Shame they have made it more and more cross country (tame!) as the years go on. This is a few years back when the full face was definately advisable as you linked all the best downhills in the Morzine, Chatel, Les Gets, Champery area together in a day. Just started looking for a new road bike as I have cracked my frame. Oops. Now trying to not get tempted by rediculously nice kit (again!)..... Back to your original question, build up slowly with targets, and give yourself gaps to recouperate. So maybe ride alternate days etc. Find a loop and then add to it as you gain strength - but in one winter, you would be amazed how much you can improve if you are disciplined. By the way, road cycling = discipline! Mountain biking is just a blast by comparison. That old piccie above - that's nice. I bet that would be a nice step down on todays bikes!
How about a crack at this...(if link works) First person view of a mountain bike race in urban Chile. - YouTube
Roadie riding is best done with a decent cycle computer. One bit of tarmac is much like the next so ignore the scenery - just log the miles, read the averages, read and maintain the cadence, set the trip, do the odo etc etc. You can do it fairly easy on your own too. Anytime anywhere. MTB is for fun, skills, views, terrain et al. Better shared, join a club, safety in numbers. Shorts are more important in the comfort issue than seats. Oh and off road miles are twice as hard as on road miles as funky says. One hour equals two....... Training - never ride for less than an hour, you don't have time to warm up or down. Good rule of thumb is always make sure you are "pushing the pedals" (no freewheeling, even downhill) then the hour will be well spent. Do this for an hour/90 minutes as often as you can and you will soon increase speed, distance and endurance overall. S'easy..........
Top tip, used it first time last night and pleased that I now know how far I run and what pace - just far enough, and too slow :-( . Thanks, Pete
Firstly dont try and go flat out on every ride to beat your last time. Get a heart rate monitor either seperately or part of a cycle computer. Try and get your max heart rate (guide is 220-your age) then train at 60-80% of this. Mine was around 140bpm and it feels like you arent pushing on the pedals but the winter is about base training. Once you get comfortable at this then you can add some little sprints in say from one lamp post to the other, nothing more than 30 seconds or so and watch how your HR climbs and recovers. Its this recovery rate which is an indicator of fitness. Then you can move onto some hill or interval training if you are going for specifics. Just keep watching your HR and seeing how different things regulate it. Sometimes it will be very difficult to increase your HR and this is a sign of overtraining so have a rest for a day or so or you could just go out and spin the peadals without doing anything strenuose say HR around 130 or so.
I have an issue with the whole HR thing. Having spent a couple of years hitting the gym 5 days a week, and losing a few pounds, I couldnt ever stick at the 60% level as it was mega boring. Before my back knocked me out 18 months ago I would jog an hour on a treadmill at 165 bpm, I was 40 so 180 max so into the anaerobic rate. But I could race or do a trackday session, flat out and never out of breath. Tried and tried to keep it lower but never felt like I was 'trying' if you get my drift and I do tend to push myself a bit. Maybe I should adopt a different view...lots of gentle time in the saddle rather than shorter time flat any good recomendations in Hampshire for bike shops I can get saddle etc all set up well? My local ones are staffed by 10yr old or older fellas whi seem not to know service from ignorance.
FWIW I am a recent convert to the Brooks range of leather saddles and specifically the B17 Standard, which I have on two road bikes. It is comfortable out of the the box and improves with use. It does require some simple maintenance however. Set it up flat with a spirit level. Gel saddles are crap. I tried the HR thing for a few years but don't bother with them now, it is too easy to become a slave to the numbers. Ask yourself what you wish to achieve and ride / train accordingly. Weight loss is definitely long and slow. Take a small snack before the ride, drink water on the ride and don't be tempted to stuff yourself after the ride, a glass of milk is as good as anything for a recovery drink. I usually take an energy bar just in case I get a bit low on the ride but only use it if I feel the need for it. Remember we aren't Bradly Wiggins.
My bike recommendation is having a 3D Retul Fit, which helps to ensure that the bike is mapped to you, similar to a Power Commander however this fit ensures optimum power delivery and better posture on the bike thus increasing overall stamina and comfort on the saddle. I was cycling 36 miles a day as part of my training regime averaging 20mph. I use a Garmin 800 to record my performance. I even beat mopeds lol on some of my power sessions. Heres a pic of me on a full Carbon Cannondale having the 3D mapping done, this is what Team Sky and other Pro teams do to ensure optimum performance. Depending on your goals and cycling distances I'd look at adding 2 miles a week onto your journey this will off compensate for your quicker times as you get fitter. I now cycle 80 miles on a single run without breaking much of a sweat but the key is too build up to it gradually. PS: I love Lycra
