Newbie Questions

I just started riding seriously and I have a few questions. I figured I would find a forum so I can ask all my stupid questions online and not have to embarrass myself at the local bike shops! LOL:D

First, what's a lactate threshold and why do I want to stay just below it? I was also wondering, about the gears. And here is the stupid question - how do you use your gears to enhance your riding? I mean I know gears are for shifting, but why shift, when to shift, etc? I've been riding my whole life but I've rarely ever shifted gears on my bike, even on hills and stuff like that. So, I figured if I'm going to do this and be able to fulfill my dream of long distance bike treks, I had better figure this out.

:)

~Roxanne

You might want to look at Sheldon Brown's page on shifting as a starting point: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

You should be pedalling at a steady cadence all (most!) of the time. Shifting gears allows you to maintain that cadence even while things like road and wind conditions change. For example, when the road heads up and makes is harder to pedal, shifting to a lower gear then makes it easier again.

What are you dreaming about in the realm of long distance bike tours?

--- Denise

Hello Ardent Cyclist , welcome to TE :)

There has been a LOT of talk about shifting, including quite recently. A quick search with the keyword "shift" or "gear" should help. The following thread will help, too.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...highlight=gear

As for the lactate threshold (LT), if I remember correctly, it's the point (heart rate) at which your body starts having trouble managing oxygen because the demand is too high, and produces lactate like crazy. That's bad. You can't work for a very long time at that rate. It also basically corresponds to the stage at which you go anaerobic.

According to my coach, no more than 10% of our training should be above LT. It's important to go there once in a while, so your body adapts. If you train correctly, you can get your LT to go higher and higher, so you can work for longer times, doing a harder effort. But if you spend all of your time there, you're not doing much good to yourself (and not riding for long either!).

It's really hard to explain how to properly use gears through a forum - you really need to be physically shown and you learn through riding. Bottom line you need to udnerstand the use of cadence. You should be riding comfortably at between 80 - 90 rpms and this rotation should stay the same either going uphill, down or flat. How? By using your gears. I can't tell you to stay in one gear or another to acheive this as everyone has to find their own comfort level. I might have stronger legs than you. Or you may feel more comfortable at the higher rotation, 90 rpms or more, while I'm more comfortable at 80 - 85. You should also ride with some load (ie pressure) on the pedal but not enough that you would have to push and not so light that you bounce on the saddle. Finding and using a computer that shows cadence is very helpful. If you have Shimano Ultegra or Dura Ace, I would invest in a Flightdeck comuter which shows not only cadence but your gearing as well.

What would help is if you know someone who is an experienced cyclist and ask them to take you out and provide some coaching and assistance. Doing is so much better than reading!

Don't get me wrong, geared bikes are great for some, but....you'd be surprised what you can do with a strong pair of legs and only one gear. Yes, just one. I'm definitely not disrespecting anyone who rides a geared bike. There are plenty of women who could easily put me to shame. I only speak for myself (and do) but I have to give a shameless plug for singlespeed and (my fav.) fixed gear bikes. If you don't want to be bothered with shifting or just want something different, then perhaps a singlespeed or fixed gear setup is for you.

If you're not familiar with the terminology, a singlespeed bike has one gear ratio (of your choosing) and a freewheel which allows you the option of coasting. A fixed gear bike also has one gear ratio but no freewheel and no coasting. As long as the wheels are moving, so are your feet and legs. I just started riding last year and learned on a singlespeed road and MTB (Surly 1x1) which takes some getting used to, especially with only one gear you have to constantly gauge the terrain and decide when you need to start cranking it out so you have the momentum to make it up the hill(s). Too soon and you bonk, too late and you may not have the momentum to get up it and you stall and fall. Nothing says Newbie like falling at no speed with both feet clipped in to the pedals. :)

My road bike is now a fixie which also takes an adaption period because you no longer have coasting as an option, so you have to even become more aware of where your feet are positioned when you need to stop at a light, just how fast you can spin the cranks going downhill without wipping out, and how soon you get on the cranks to get up the hill without killing yourself or feeling like you want to loose your lunch. :eek: Although I must admit that I find it easier to attack a hill on a fixie an a singlespeed because you gain approximately 1/3 more torque (or so I'm told) and there's no lang in engagement because your feet are always moving.

I hope I didn't make it sound scary, it really isn't. Once you get used to it, it's fun to blow by roadies on their 10+ speed bikes while they look at your butt pulling way ahead of them and with just the ONE gear! It makes you feel really good, if you like that sorta thing. Anyway, if you're interested you can always ask your local bike shop to help you either convert your current ride or help you with buying an already made singlespeed bike. They are relatively inexpensive because they are a pretty bare bones setup and the frames are usually steel. In my opinion, maintenance issues are inexpensive and minimal because it has fewer moving parts (no derailure, no breaking chains, or broken shifters) which can lead to mechanical failure. Also, this forum is a great place to connect with other singlespeed and fixie gals that could help you too.

Good Luck and welcome to the club!

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Originally Posted by DeniseGoldberg

What are you dreaming about in the realm of long distance bike tours?

--- Denise

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Thanks for the site! I'll check it out today when I get back from training.

My dream... well my first and foremost dream is to ride the Trans-Canada Trail. It's a trail that runs throughout the entire country and is made up of old defunct railway lines. At the current time it is approximately 10,077 km long(one way).

I've always wanted to see my country, I love riding my bike and I have the strangest urge to go on a journey. So one day I was in the old bookstore that I used to work in and one of my old co-workers said she and some of her friends wanted to ride their bikes across Canada. I said that sounded cool and to call me when they started training.

She never called, *shrug* that's some people for ya! But the desire to do it eats at me, I know I have to. I'm even pretty excited at the prospect of doing it alone. I have no idea why.

And when I was doing some reading the other day I read about these people that have ridden their bikes around the world. And my eyes got all misty and starry... uh oh! So basically that's my dream, ride across my country. Who knows what will come when I'm done that? *grin*

:D

~Roxanne

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Originally Posted by Grog

Hello Ardent Cyclist , welcome to TE :)

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thanks! glad to be here! and thanks for the suggestion and definition.

~Roxanne

Ok, so now I have another question - how do you keep track of your cadence? I am just riding my regular bike right now and I don't have one of those cool bike computer thingies (I wish I did - I think they're neat). So, what's a practical way to determine what my cadence is? My first guess is a stop watch and counting? LOL:D

~Roxanne

Hi Roxanne. :) Easiest way to keep track of cadence is a bike computer that has it. I personally use a Polar S725X w/ the power kit on one bike and the cadence kit on the other. But this is probably way more than you want to spend as a beginning cyclist. :) But the Polar also comes with a heart rate monitor which is useful if you do training based on heart rate.

There are several relatively low cost options for tracking cadence with a bike computer. Sigma Sport BC1600 is one option for instance. Doing a quick google search, this web site (http://www.arequip.com/Categories/Bike%20Computers.htm) has this computer for $27.95. It also lists several other computers with cadence capability.

One thing you want to make sure of while looking at computers is to make sure that the computer you get not only has cadence capabilities but also has it included. Some, such as the Polar, has it as an option. It's not part of the regular kit. So in order to get cadence you will end up paying more than the base cost.

Another option if you're not looking at purchasing a bike computer is to have a clock with you and count the number of turns in 15 seconds then multiply this by 4 to get your RPMs. While riding on the road, I don't like this method since it takes your concentration off of riding which could be dangerous. On a trainer this is fine. :)

Mel

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Originally Posted by ardent_cyclist

Ok, so now I have another question - how do you keep track of your cadence? I am just riding my regular bike right now and I don't have one of those cool bike computer thingies (I wish I did - I think they're neat). So, what's a practical way to determine what my cadence is? My first guess is a stop watch and counting? LOL:D

~Roxanne

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Good guess. But it doesn't have to be a stop watch - the watch on your wrist will do. Just count for 20 or 30 seconds. But remember to watch the road.

9 strokes in 6 seconds means your cadence is 90.
10 strokes in 6 seconds=100
8 strokes in 6 seconds=80 rpm.

Less time looking at your watch and much less math required!

Roxanne -
To help your dreams of crossing Canada by bicycle, you might want to look at some journals over on crazyguyonabike.com. Here's a link to coast to coast Canada journals: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journ...ategory_id=200.

Happy dreaming - and hold on to that dream even though other people don't understand it!

--- Denise

Cadence computer - I have a Cateye Astrale 8 on my bike - rear wheel pickup for cadence and it was easy to install (I installed on one a friend's bike too). They cost <$40 at the LBS and cheaper on-line. It's a very straightforward computer - cadence, current speed, max and avg speed, clock and ride time. I use it side by side with my fancy-schmancy Polar S725X (which I still forget at least every ride to stop or start, so my trusty Astrale is where I turn for the ride numbers after every ride!) I have found that by keeping the Astrale display on cadence, I really pay attention to it when I ride, and I think my cadence and riding have improved as a result.

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My dream... well my first and foremost dream is to ride the Trans-Canada Trail. It's a trail that runs throughout the entire country and is made up of old defunct railway lines. At the current time it is approximately 10,077 km long(one way).

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Have you been over to bikejournal.com? There are many of us here that are members over there too, and I am participating in a virtual ride across Canada (VCAN) on the Trans-Canadian Highway - you might want to check it out - look for the VCAN thread on the forum - its a fun way to put my regular local ride miles to a more exotic purpose!

Welcome and have fun!

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Originally Posted by ardent_cyclist

First, what's a lactate threshold and why do I want to stay just below it?
:)
~Roxanne

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Hi Roxanne... I just wanted to revisit your first question... lactate threshold is something that is very important in high intensity racing (such as time trialling) to know and be able to recognise. However, for any training or races, or enduro rides it is very useful to be able to recognise if you are nearing your lactate threshold.

For me, who loves time trials (even though all of mine I do on my own, or with my family... still getting up the courage to go to club level), determing and recognising my LT is important. The goal of a time trial is to ride at the absolute limit of what you can achieve, output the most power you can at a sustainable level... at the end of a TT you should have nothing left and will probably have trouble walking...

Below is the best description of how to determine it from my favourites folder...


You can use a time trial to estimate your lactate threshold.

Pick a course that will take you 30 - 60 minutes to complete. The course can be flat or a consistent climb, preferably with no stop signs. Warm-up thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) and then ride the course as fast as possible.

During the time trial, keep an eye on your pulse monitor and estimate your average heart rate. If your time trial takes 30 minutes, your average heart rate will be very close to your LT. If it takes an hour, your average heart rate will be slightly below your LT. Multiply by 1.03 to estimate your LT.

Note your time, average speed and average heart rate. Repeat this test every 4 - 6 weeks to gauge your progress.



I also googled lactate threshold and here are a few links for you...

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Exercis...ficitepoc.html
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/8217.0.html
http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/lactic.htm