Minneapolis Silvio

hoyden

Well-Known Member
I appreciate folks sharing their learning curve experience. When I get a bit more confident and accurate with my control then I will head out on the trail. I don't have much trouble in the parking lot going straight so that part is in place. I want to up my game in turns and in the slow speed situations where one has to negotiate the less than open trail environment. I have noticed I sit up more, which is really different from my big wheel USS Azub where fully reclined gives my body/arms the most stable position when turning. I can see that sitting upright on the Silvio is a useful skill at slow speeds and in turns, and it makes deploying the feet easier if they become necessary.
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
Progress update. I had two goals to achieve before my first foray into the wild.
1. Push off from standstill with either foot and not go erratic.
2. Reliably turn without wobbling or unexpectedly widening out.

I can mostly push off successfully and when don't I stop and try again. I won't try to start in a confined space because I am not quite that proficient.

I can reliably turn my intended course. My turn diameter is about 20-30 feet. I feel like I am balanced on a pinpoint and could topple over. However I don't topple and I am getting used to feeling okay about being balanced on the pinpoint. It's curious while in a turn, the turn will tend to tighten and I pedal through it okay.

I have had a few really bad starts and turns that I successfully survived by stopping and deploying the feet. When I am tired I notice my riding gets sloppy and it's time to stop. I know with practice I will get better.

There are some parts of my usual trail that I will have to walk the bike, like a very narrow section under the Lake Street bridge between Calhoun and Lake of the Isles. The bidirectional bike path is about 6 feet wide bordered by a curb and a metal railing separating the walk path.

I also still need to sit strait up when climbing a steep hill when I cannot maintain 5 mph or so. Maybe this is a bad habit, I don't know, but it seems to work for me.
I can imagine sitting up improves the upper/lower body bike connection both from stability and power generation.
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
I would be interested if they come in "latex" haha!
I wonder if you can "feel" a "little" bump as the tire rolls around to the "2 ends" that are fixed. Are they filled with "air", or rubber, or what?
Hey Larry, mine arrived yesterday. I ordered the 28-35mm for my 28mm Pro Ones. But should have went with the smaller size. They are basically a regular tube filled with air, cut in the middle and capped on both ends. I will use it to change front or maybe even rear tire, if I get a flat on a ride. Mainly to escape removing the front tire. And secondly if I'm in a location that is somewhat restrictive or has safety issues to fix a flat quickly. Then once I'm back in the garage, I will replace it with a permanent tube, and place it back in my tail box ready for the next time. For me this will be a quick down and dirty fix to get me back on the road.
 

SamP

Guru
I'm impressed how patient some new riders are. I was trail riding after about a half dozen rides even if my control was probably a lot worse it should have been. For maybe a week of trail riding I had to stop to get at a water bottle since I couldn't ride one handed without swerving around alarmingly.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Hey Larry, mine arrived yesterday. I ordered the 28-35mm for my 28mm Pro Ones. But should have went with the smaller size. They are basically a regular tube filled with air, cut in the middle and capped on both ends. I will use it to change front or maybe even rear tire, if I get a flat on a ride. Mainly to escape removing the front tire. And secondly if I'm in a location that is somewhat restrictive or has safety issues to fix a flat quickly. Then once I'm back in the garage, I will replace it with a permanent tube, and place it back in my tail box ready for the next time. For me this will be a quick down and dirty fix to get me back on the road.
Excellent strategy - even for a race - I'll order mine today!
Note on that video of the guy popping that tire off the rim. He sure made it look easy. I have some tire/rim combinations that take a "pneumatic crowbar" + " a few choice words" just to get the tire either off or on! :mad:

Why can't you just take a "regular" tube and make one yourself? Just cut a "good" tube and glue the ends shut - that should work in a pinch too I would think.
 
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hoyden

Well-Known Member
I'm impressed how patient some new riders are.
Heh! I'm old now and having done my share of bone breaking activities I am in no hurry to repeat the experience. I don't need the excitement in my life and I don't want to give anyone any unrequested excitement.
 

bladderhead

Zen MBB Master
Getting Continental on and off my Grasshopper's rims is an unutterably horrible experience. I have Vittoria on the Silvio and they are a bit weird. A tyre retains its shape when not on the wheel. Almost a torus. Vittoria does not do this. When not on the wheel it assumes the shape of a flat band, like a thin slice from one end of a cylinder. I get one bead into the rim. I start doing the second one and the first one jumps out. Still easier than the Grasshopper though.
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
Why can't you just take a "regular" tube and make one yourself? Just cut a "good" tube and glue the ends shut - that should work in a pinch too I would think.
I was thinking the same thing. But if you just glue the ends by pinching them, most likely you will feel it, on the other hand if you are on a short ride, what would it matter? The tubes have a cap or disc at each end so they meat up flush.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
There are some parts of my usual trail that I will have to walk the bike, like a very narrow section under the Lake Street bridge between Calhoun and Lake of the Isles. The bidirectional bike path is about 6 feet wide bordered by a curb and a metal railing separating the walk path.

I concur. It was 3 months before I could ride that section and not put others at risk.
 

ReklinedRider

Zen MBB Master
I would be interested if they come in "latex" haha!
I wonder if you can "feel" a "little" bump as the tire rolls around to the "2 ends" that are fixed. Are they filled with "air", or rubber, or what?

No latex Gaadi's that i could find :p

I don't know how they would feel, maybe bumpity bumpity bump bump....it would just be to limp home on rather than take the front wheel off in a ditch again!

Hey Larry, mine arrived yesterday. I ordered the 28-35mm for my 28mm Pro Ones. But should have went with the smaller size.......For me this will be a quick down and dirty fix to get me back on the road.

When i ordered them i couldn't find a 700c presta smaller than that 28-35mm, i sure would have preferred smaller. If the Schwalbe One flats, i hope it's fixable enough w the Gaadi just to get home!
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
I got my first real ride in today; a modest 8.5 miles home to around Lake Harriet twice, and back. Being out of the parking lot I got a chance to experience how the steering is affected when pedaling up an incline. I was surprised to find myself getting tired after about 40 minutes. I can leave the parking lot practice behind and look forward to going out again and building on that initial success.

I concur. It was 3 months before I could ride that section and not put others at risk.
I definitely want to have basic competency and confidence when I begin to branch out to more challenging trails.
 

Bill K

Guru
I was surprised to find myself getting tired after about 40 minutes.

Yes, when you are first learning, the perceived effort is way higher than the actual power being delivered to the wheel.
I stuck my power meter on my V20 on my 3rd ride. The PM was telling me something like 130 watts. The same "effort" on my old bike would have been around 200 watts.
In my case I think the difference was upper body tension. Your muscles are doing real work but it doesn't go through your legs into the crank.

Your first real ride is a good milestone!
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
Rode today 23 miles in 2 hours. The path around the Lake Harriet is simple but still challenges me. I was pleased to ride farther and longer without going sideways or otherwise scaring myself or others.

The city was installing underground street lighting cable and had trucks parked on the path with about 5' clearance between trucks and a heavy fence railing. Everyone else pedaled by but I chose to walk my bike. I didn't want to scrape or dent their trucks. That meant I got off the bike every 2.8 miles to walk by. I also got a chance to talk with the crew to understand what and how they did the work. Stopping to talk meant I didn't ride continuously. They were done by the 5th and 6th lap and so was I.

I feel much improved in terms of stability, shifting gears and basic control. I learned to be in the right gear when turning since I use the pedaling force to maintain stability. In too low a gear I spin without the needed thrust, and in too high a gear I exert too much pedal pressure. Being out on the trail, even the easy parts, lets me practice aspects that were not encountered in the parking lot.

I still can't scratch my nose without stopping. When I can do that then maybe I will be ready to go over the hill to Lake Calhoun.
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
Another nice ride; 28.7 miles in 2:05. Unlike yesterday the ride today was mostly continuous and no stops for rest or to chat with folks. I felt more confidence and stability. I even scratched my nose and adjusted my glasses a few times without stopping. I can momentarily ride with one hand so long as I pick a place where the trail is smooth, I don't have to pedal, and there are no other folks close by.

When I am rested up I will seriously consider going over the hill to Lake Calhoun and then over to the commuter trail. Before I head out that far from home I want to remove and reinstall the front tire. I don't really want to do this but want to do it even less for the first time out in the wild.
 

ccf

Guru
I'd recommend putting clip-less pedals on as soon as possible. They really help improve control. I started with double-sided SPDs, and set the spring tension to the minimum so that I could clip out quickly and effortlessly.
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
I successfully removed and reinstalled the front tire using instruction compliments of trplay http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/front-wheel-change.10940/#post-120298
Then I had to try it out to make sure the tire wouldn't fly loose on my next ride so I went out again for 28.7 miles with an average speed of 14.1. I think I am ready to head over the hill next time. While the tire was off I went ahead and installed a Rhinodillo. The strip was about 6" longer than the tire circumference and the instructions didn't say not to clip it so I clipped it. I even found the little button that locks the FD extended so you have less tussle with the chain.

I'd recommend putting clip-less pedals on as soon as possible.
Yep, they are on my chessboard. I use them on both my Azub recumbents and my Birdy. I got good ones from Ratz and someday, I suspect sooner rather than later, I will try them on. They are double-sided and definitely a few steps up from my current clipless setup.

Although I have decent control and stamina on the trail I still can get wobbly on sharp turns. I want a bit more proficiency in the slow maneuver department before going clipless.
 

ccf

Guru
Watch out for the rough spots without clip-less pedals. Before I switched to clip-less, I would hit rough spots and my feet would come off the pedals. One time both feet came off due to a rough patch caused by tree roots, and I nearly crashed. With clip-less I've gotten air, and even a little side-ways in the air once, but haven't crashed.
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
both feet came off due to a rough patch
I had this happen today where the trail crosses the boat ramp. I kept my feet elevated and it was a non-event, but that's what I thought afterwards; this wouldn't have happened with clipless.
 

Bill K

Guru
While the tire was off I went ahead and installed a Rhinodillo. The strip was about 6" longer than the tire circumference and the instructions didn't say not to clip it so I clipped it.

I've recently (in March) had a bad experience with a different brand of flat protection strips. Two flats in a week caused by them. I also trimmed a few inches off the strip to prevent excessive overlap.
I was using ultra light tubes and lightweight "event" tires, and the edge of the strip wore a hole in the tube after about 100 miles each.
If you are using regular or thornproof tubes, you might be OK, but I took them off.
 
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