Rollers and momentum

[DarcyInOregon]

Just one last comment on the GPS bike computer. It isn't bling for me and it is real annoying for someone to say it is. The cyclists I ride with all have one and they wouldn't have a decent training ride without one. I know it proved valuable to me when I was on a longer climb of 9% and my heart rate went to 163. My max heart rate is only 165-170, and I am a person who had open heart surgery to correct a defective heart valve when I was a baby, so I do not want my cardio heart rate to get that close to my max heart rate because I don't want that kind of stress on my heart. The 163 felt no different to me than a 150 heart rate, but because it showed up on my bike computer I was able to get to a flat spot, stop the bike, drink Cytomax for the electrolytes and wait for my heart rate to drop. I knew that this heart rate was abnormal for me, and thanks to my bike computer I did not have a serious medical problem. I understand that such computers are not important to everyone, but I do training rides versus recreational rides because I am always focused on a new cycling goal and such computers are an effective training tool for me and for the cyclists I know, and no, it isn't about speed for me, but distance. Just because other cyclists in this forum don't use one, it doesn't mean that other cyclists shouldn't contemplate getting one or be called a name for owning one.

Catrin, regarding the clipless pedals, for distance cycling the clipless pedals provide an efficiency of stroke that helps conserve energy and allows the cyclist to go more miles. The most likely outcome by using flat pedals, outside of the hill scenario, is you will reach a mile limit and you won't be able to get past it because of the body fatigue. I've known some cyclists who can get up to a metric using the flat pedals, then the next few days they are recovering from torn leg muscles and extreme body fatigue, and they are not able to reach the level of completing a century. Typically, every cyclist I've known who was new to clipless pedals clipped in and out a few times to make sure the cleats were positioned properly, then went off on a 20-mile ride, focusing carefully on the unclipping and clipping at each stop. By the end of one 20-mile ride the clipless pedals felt natural. If you are falling over, and it isn't due to a medical problem, then try again. One thing for certain is that when you do start using the clipless pedals, you will be upset with yourself that you didn't use the pedals from the get-go. Falling over is just falling over, and at most there is some road rash and a bruise or two. Falling over is unlikely to result in death or permanent injury.

[OakLeaf]

So you have a medical need for a HRM. HRMs are still a good training tool for people who don't have a medical need, and good ones can be had for under $100.

That's got nothing to do with whether Catrin needs a GPS or a bubble inclinometer.

I'm a gadget w****, I copped to it in the other thread. I have GPS. I love it. I do not need it. I am not a better climber because of it. I'm a better climber because I run, because I have decent shifting technique, and because I'm lighter than a lot of people I ride with. I AM much more confident about riding with my GPS, because without it I can get lost in a paper bag. That's all.

[Eden]

+1 Oak

I just got a powermeter - which I do think has made a difference in the way I ride. I shift more, I don't go into the hills too hot just to get my hr up to the zone I'm supposed to be training in, I don't slack in between climbs. Overall I think I'm steadier with my efforts.

I chose to get an Edge 500 because it did more than the Powertap head for the same or maybe even a bit less $$ and I have to admit I love it.... a little data overload, but oh boy its fun. I even like being able to see the gradient of the hills. Mostly because I'm sometimes surprised by what isn't actually a hill (though it looks like it) and by how steep something really is (when it doesn't seem steep at all...) But - knowing how steep something is doesn't make any difference in how I climb it. It's all about that steady power......

[trista]

One thing for certain is that when you do start using the clipless pedals, you will be upset with yourself that you didn't use the pedals from the get-go.

This is a broad generalization that really is not true for a lot of people. And I don't think it's a fair statement, especially to a relatively new cyclist. I may be new, but I've done enough cycling to tell you that not everyone loves clipless. Catrin is smart to wait until she has more experience on the bike to try going clipless again.

I go back and forth on the clipless.... right now I'm riding free and I LOVE IT. I don't struggle on hills, I maintain a steady, brisk cadence, and I'm not sore after a ride. I ride about 20 miles at a time and my goal is speed and heart rate above 80% of my MHR (I'm not a distance rider). When I ride free, my pace is faster and my workout is better.

I just don't agree at all with the statement above, and I respect Catrin for knowing what is working for her right now.

[Owlie]

Re: clipless pedals.
I got them a little over a month ago. I see the the advantages of using clipless. There are definitely times that I benefit from being attached to the bike. There are plenty of other times, though, that I could take it or leave it. Hills are one of them. I'm not going to be a "good" climber because I'm the wrong build, and I live in an area with exactly one hill.
Clipless can help, but it's not essential. It's not for everyone.
Going clipless from the start would have scared me off the bike, and I think many could say the same. I think we can all agree that riding, regardless of whether/how your feet are attached to the pedals, is better than not riding.

Gadgets: I like toys. I don't want to put toys on my bike. If I buy a GPS, the sole reason would be because half the time I couldn't find my way out of a wet paper bag. I have a bike computer, mostly for distance. It doesn't have a cadence function. While I like looking at numbers, I look at them for fun--I like to see how far and how fast I went, and note that I feel better after having done that than I did a month ago. I don't want to obsess over them. It takes all the fun out of it. I don't think it makes me less of a cyclist.

Catrin, not naming your bike Magellan was probably a good idea!