Silvio 2.0 has a secret - ride into the wind

[ratz]

So after riding DF bikes for years; one sometimes needs to revisit expectations.

Winds around here always blow so you get use to planning your rides around them. Riding into the wind is like climbing except that you can't get to the top of the wind.

This time of the year when the winds get to be a steady 10-15mph (the corn isn't up to shelter you from vast open expanses of land) it's common to layout long narrow routes and try to ride perpendicular to the wind so the ride is an even efforts both out and back in. Since this is the jet stream zone with mostly due west winds and country roads laid out in north-south grids; it is not too hard to do. I've done that for years to the point that it is second nature; I really don't think about it.

Tonight I got a chance to rethink that. I went out for a solo ride and tonight's course had me going out with a straight tail wind; 12mph at my back steady. My normal loop was under road construction so I had to reverse the course versus doing my heavy north south loop. So the second half of the ride was nose into that 12 mph head wind with more climbing on the way back. Finished the 30 miles with a 18.5mph average only putting out 141 watts with a weighted average of 160W. Basically very relaxed ride 42% in power zone 1 and heart rate zone 3.

The Silvio 2.0 simply doesn't care about the head wind; so I guess it's time I stop riding cross winds. If it's below 15mph. The cross wind buffeting is far more annoying that the little bit of resistance the Silvio is picking up from the wind; and riding with a tailwind just feels like cheating.

 

[Robert Holler]

Yes indeed!

Yes indeed!

 

[Rick Youngblood]

I always think of riding into

I always think of riding into a head wind as climbing with flat tires.

 

[Andrew 1973]

I always think of riding into

I always think of riding into a head wind as climbing without the reward of actually conquering a climb. And then I get depressed. No one ever brags about conquering a wicked head wind.

 

[ratz]

Montivation counts

Motivation always plays a factor too. At the highlighted portion of the ride I was being chased up hill into the wind by a honey wagon. I believe you city folks call those things "manurer spreaders".

 

[Rick Youngblood]

I always think of riding into

I always think of riding into a head wind as climbing without the reward of actually conquering a climb. And then I get depressed. No one ever brags about conquering a wicked head wind.

The reward can be if you start a ride into a head wind and then loop back, you get the tail wind. But only if the wind is not messing with and then change direction - I've had those days.

Chased by a honey wagon , I suppose that would be the ultimate motivation - defiantly not something you want to follow in a head wind, I'd be pedaling like a mad-man to stay in front of it.

 

[ratz]

Tail winds are

The reward can be if you start a ride into a head wind and then loop back, you get the tail wind. But only if the wind is not messing with and then change direction - I've had tho se days.

Winds are fickle; take what you can get when you can; I ride out with the wind when I can. I've had it flip on me too many times. We will play fetch around here when the winds are bad. Take two cars leave one 40 miles down wind then drive back and ride out on the bikes to fetch the other car. Pretty much reserved for those 25+ mph days. Burns a lot of time, but at least you get to ride.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Can't image what a 25 mph

Can't image what a 25 mph tail wind would be like, but I'm thinking fun as long as it does not flip. But with two car and it flips half, maybe not so bad?

I like to start in head wind if I can and take the tail wind heading back, but like you said, the winds are wacky.

 

[Kim Tolhurst]

wind at its best,

We have a wind in Western Australia, that blows one way in the morning and the opposite in the afternoon. You can really feel being pushed along.

hey,

Kim.

 

[BentAero]

5.8% hill grade?
Bob, that's

5.8% hill grade?
Bob, that's a high spot in my driveway...

Not too far from home:

One of my favorite road signs:

The stunt rider:

 

[ratz]

Them dar hills be rollers

LOL Gary, yeah 5.8% isn't bad except that it's the average on that hill. Probably one of the flatter rides around here. The street my house is on is 9% but then we have nothing whatsoever like what you have. I like to climb so I pay attention to what others ride on strava; average ride we see posted in 700-1100 feet of climbing. It's hard to to ride sub 3000 around here if you go 35+ miles, but it's also hard to break the 5k barrier under 100 miles. Then I go and see anyone in the UK post a ride and it will be 8k-11k and then I'm impressed/horrified I hope those are rollers and not steeps. You gotta get the steed on the rode so we can see what your numbers are on those beautiful hills.

 

[bladderhead]

When riding downwind I wish I

When riding downwind I wish I was on a DF bike. Going downwind, you want less aero, not more.

What about a sail? For a long straight road you could tie a parachute around the headrest and have the lines going over your shoulder

 

[Rick Youngblood]

I believe hills and

I believe hills and climbing/climbs are relevant to a rider and their location, and maybe even the bike they ride.

When I first got into cycling 34 months ago, I purchased a Catrike 700. For me, in the beginning, anything that was not downhill was a climb, even the high spot in my dive way

.

Also, it seems to me that Strava and Ride with GPS does not report grade correctly. I use a Gamin 500 BTW.

This is one of my rides [ http://app.strava.com/activities/149806573 ] there is a climb up to the Shasta Dam which is a 6-8% constant continuous grade for 1-1/2 miles. If you run your mouse cursor over the climb-graph it shows segments of 2% to 11%, that's not correct.

And on other hand I look more at how long the hill or grade is and not necessarily at it's %. I can burst up 6-15% grades if they are short and not exhume a whole of energy. But when I go to Oregon and do a 6-8% climb for 12 miles, I'm not bursting up it, I'm taking the bike down to a slow speed - high cadence and settling into the climb for the long haul which may take 2 hours. When I start a climb I don't like to stop.

 

[ratz]

Ye-olde GPS Elevation question

Yeah Elevation is a funny thing. See this from BROL if you want to see how it works or how it use to work.

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showpost.php?p=1196918&postcount=3


Ride with GPS has recently modernized their method and it now more sophisticated that the version I explained. It's about time someone did that. It's very accurate to street measures I've taken but it's still bad for Off road readings; they use a like of the now avaialble road data to get the streets correct.

In terms of accuracy. Worst to best you get this.....

• GPS Altitude
• Altermeter during unstable weather
• Strava
• Altimeter with steady state weather
• Ride with GPS
• Measurement in the street with a grade level
• Survey data from the local road maintenance

Altimeters are surprisingly good at speeds below 20 miles an hour; good ones have a delayed reading but they reverse time shift the datapoints; that's why you see a dead spot at the begining of the ride. Start your computer and PAUSE it immediately; then wait about 2 minutes before riding and you won't get the dead spot.


Personally I use Altimeter on Strava if the weather is good; Strava if replacment data if it's bad. I usually use RWGPS new data as I really like it and I'm trying to better understand it cause it's cool.

but in the end you are right; a climb is a climb so get out there and start up-grading your rides

 

[BentAero]

BTW, I hope you all know I'm

BTW, I hope you all know I'm just teasing. I climb like a sloth with arthritis which is why I bought a V. I long for the days when I lived in the flatlands of Michigan.

I just started using RWGPS April 19. Since that time I've logged 218 miles, some of it while playing with the App.
In those 9 rides:
Climbed 15,097'
Averaged 14.62 mph
An average of 69.25' of climbing per mile.

Did I mention I suck at climbing?
I'm anxious to start riding the V and repeating some of the same routes to compare my stats with the Aero.

I've never used Strava, and I just bought a Garmin 500 today for the V, so lots of learning in the near future.

FWIW, with any luck, the V will be on wheels by tomorrow night.

Here's a ride for next year I just discovered:
http://www.smwbikeclub.org/cherohala-challenge/
The metric century makes only one turn; a 180 at the halfway point! 8000' of climbing to halfway, then a high-speed downhill coast all the way back. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4014917

 

[Eric Winn]

Aw come on Gary, Michigan

Aw come on Gary, Michigan isn't all that flat:

-Eric

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2835179/embed

 

[ratz]

After the Midwest Recumbent rally

Hills are fun....

If I can find another fool to join me; I want to ride on of these two ride the Monday after the Midwest recumbent rally

http://www.strava.com/routes/479127

http://www.strava.com/routes/479125

 

[BentAero]

Eric, Have you been climbing

Eric, Have you been climbing Mt. Clemens again?

 

[Eric Winn]

Nope, just riding and sliding

@Gary - Nope, just riding and sliding around on my butt in Middleville...

@Bob - Dude, you are nuts...

-Eric

 

[ratz]

Put that Wahoo to work...

You've got that wahoo trainer Eric you can start practicing the Horridly Hilly ride; it's all rollers any how. I didn't count but I believe it's only 15-20 Cat 4 climbs. If we could draft Jim to come ride with a camer, he could document how well Cruzbikes climb. Just edit out the sequences with the Riders heaving on the side of the road.