New Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike!

[teawoman]

Now, I daydream about what I might possibly accomplish next year (at 42 years old), and five years from now, and ten years from now! I believe I'll be stronger and doing more in ten years than I am now. I bet you will be, too. You are embarking on an amazing adventure, one step at a time, and we're right there with you!

Neat! We are the same age! I am even thinking I could do an oly, and that was *not* in my mind even remotely when I tried that first tri.

What event are you doing?

[teawoman]

Congrats on the bike! I just found a really good year end deal on an OCR as well.

Ooo! Sistahs in OCR-ness!

[Starfish]

What event are you doing?

The Shasta Summit Century, in Mt. Shasta, CA. It's a climbing century...a big stretch for me.

But, I just bought a book called Marathoning for Mortals! I have some friends in my home town who do Ironman Triathlons. One of them did her first Ironman at age 50, and the thought keeps tugging at me, although I haven't run for 20 years, and wrecked my knee doing it (stupid overuse and lack of brains as a college student...didn't listen to my body and rest).

I need to lose some weight before I submit my joints to actual running, but I can swim, and I've been thinking that a winter-long cross training program of walking, swimming, cycling (spinning classes, maybe, in winter) and weight training might be perfect for losing weight and improving my power-to-weight ratio for whatever comes next year. I really, really want to maximize my power on the bike this winter and get lighter and faster for next year.

[teawoman]

The Shasta Summit Century, in Mt. Shasta, CA. It's a climbing century...a big stretch for me.

But, I just bought a book called Marathoning for Mortals! I have some friends in my home town who do Ironman Triathlons. One of them did her first Ironman at age 50, and the thought keeps tugging at me, although I haven't run for 20 years, and wrecked my knee doing it (stupid overuse and lack of brains as a college student...didn't listen to my body and rest).

I need to lose some weight before I submit my joints to actual running, but I can swim, and I've been thinking that a winter-long cross training program of walking, swimming, cycling (spinning classes, maybe, in winter) and weight training might be perfect for losing weight and improving my power-to-weight ratio for whatever comes next year. I really, really want to maximize my power on the bike this winter and get lighter and faster for next year.

Wow. A century is scary enough to think about...but a *climbing century*...I didn't know there was such a thing . I actually started triathlon because the first thing I did to get fit was a run-walk program and I found that as I increased distance it bugged my knees. I thought biking would help, so I started that, and I had done a lot of swimming when I was a kid, so it made sense to think about triathlon.

John "the Penguin" Bingham's books are just great! Very encouraging to read. Even Lance Armstrong got a stress fracture when he ran a marathon--he had not accustomed his body to the pounding. I feel better about my running when I remember that!

Your winter plan sounds similar to mine! (prolly mine is a bit smaller scale, tho!) I am a bit scared of losing fitness because we get a lot of snow here and my job is busy in the fall. I can run in the snow, but not bike.

I will look out for your report on the century!

[Starfish]

Wow. A century is scary enough to think about...but a *climbing century*...I didn't know there was such a thing .

Well, this is the thing I'm talking about. Two years ago I did my first century...a really, really flat & easy one. I am excited to see what might happen two years from now. The possibility of achievement and improvement really tugs me along.

I really admire you with the Tri's. My thinking sounds a little similar to yours...I know I can swim, and I'm getting better on the bike, so if I can just rehab my knee to some run/walk stuff...well, a Tri seems like a natural thing to, well, try someday!

[northstar]

Had to pop in here and say congratulations on the new bike! Way to go!!

[twiggjlm]

yippeee!!! Congrats on the new bike! I am going to start looking for a new bike this weekend! I am so excited! Right now I ride a Trek Mtn bike. I love it, but I want something faster! I am a little nervous because I have never ridden a road bike before, but I’m up for the challenge!

Hope you have fun on the new bike! BTW-white is SWEET!!!

[teawoman]

yippeee!!! Congrats on the new bike! I am going to start looking for a new bike this weekend! I am so excited! Right now I ride a Trek Mtn bike. I love it, but I want something faster! I am a little nervous because I have never ridden a road bike before, but I’m up for the challenge!

Hope you have fun on the new bike! BTW-white is SWEET!!!

Yay! Let us know how it goes. I read your post about being scared and I feel the same way... I am gonna stick to the bike paths for practice for awhile.

[nomummytummy]

Also, don't overinflate your tires. I typically run mine between 10 and 20 psi less than the specified maximum pressure. You might play around with it a bit to see what feels best for you. [/QUOTE]


I found that when I did this I kept getting punctures. When I inflated them to the recommended pressure, no more flat since. (Bet that comment jinxes me for the weekend!)

[short cut sally]

congrats on the new bike, you must be in cloud nine from the sounds of it..i remember getting my new bike and it was like cloud nine. i rode for a little bit with the toe cages, and found that i actually had more incidents of non-safety issues than i did riding clipless. i fell over more because i couldn;t ever get my feet out in time. so i took the straps off for awhile but didn't like how my feet would slop all over the pedal. i bit the bullet and went with mtb. bike shoes and spd peddals. so worth it, but it took several months for me to go to that..i got used to my bike, the road, shifting, etc, then i made the plunge. good luck and enjoy your new beauty!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Also, don't overinflate your tires. I typically run mine between 10 and 20 psi less than the specified maximum pressure.

I also keep my tires at about 10-15 lbs less than the stated maximum. When I had them at max I noticed my spokes and wheels making funny noises, for one thing.
People sometimes assume that "maximum psi"=suggested psi. Max pressure simply means Don't go over that pressure or your tire might explode! It doens't mean that's the ideal pressure to ride on.

[cosc]

Your new road bike sounds glorious. I know what you mean about whizzing down a hill and trying to keep speed and bike under control. Sometimes my start position on a descent will be on the flats so I can bodily catch more air to slow, as I gain more speed I get into drops to use brakes more effectively. Feather your braking on a descent to have more control. I'm just a pokey cyclist, still learning and am sure many great cyclist on this board can help you.

[VeloVT]

I also keep my tires at about 10-15 lbs less than the stated maximum. When I had them at max I noticed my spokes and wheels making funny noises, for one thing.
People sometimes assume that "maximum psi"=suggested psi. Max pressure simply means Don't go over that pressure or your tire might explode! It doens't mean that's the ideal pressure to ride on.

I'm no expert on this, so someone may be able to add to this. (And by the way Lisa, I'm not quoting you because I'm about to disagree with you -- I don't disagree at all -- it was just a convenient way to continue the topic since your post was the most recent on this issue ).

But tire pressure is basically a trade-off. Higher PSI = harsher, but faster ride. Lower PSI = plusher, but slower ride (lower PSI will be slower b/c more of the tire contacts the road, thus there is greater resistance).

Currently, I'm inflating to 120 psi, though my new tires are rated to 145. Not sure us ordinary mortals will feel much speed difference between 100 pounds and 110 pounds, but if you've ever tried riding a bike with seriously underinflated tires, you'll see how much slower it feels (not that you should ever try this!).

[VeloVT]

Oh, and Teawoman, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BIKE!!!!!!!

[indysteel]

But tire pressure is basically a trade-off. Higher PSI = harsher, but faster ride. Lower PSI = plusher, but slower ride (lower PSI will be slower b/c more of the tire contacts the road, thus there is greater resistance).

Admittedly, there is some debate out there as to whether running tires at higher pressures increases speed on anything but the smoothest of surfaces, e.g., a track. That said, IMO stopping shy of max pressure can actually increase speed on the average road surface. Running at really high pressures will make you bounce more, causing you to lose speed as your tire loses contact with the road. Running a little less than max can also provide better cornering, which will also increase speed.

I maintain that it pays to play around with tire pressure both front and rear to see what pressure feels good to you. The ideal pressure at which you both maximize both speed and safety, achieve a comfortable ride and avoid pinch flats will depend on your weight, the tire tire size, rode surface and weather. Finally, you can always run a wider tire, like a 700 X 25 cc, without compromising much in speed if you'd like a plusher ride.

For more on tire pressure, take a look at http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#pressure