trapdoor2
Zen MBB Master
How cool! I hoped you would be on the forum. We gotta get together and ride!
Slow Ride
- Thread starter MrSteve
- Start date
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
Over the years I have seen a few 'bents, but never another CB. I think there are some in the UK, but they are all a long way away from me.
trapdoor2
Zen MBB Master
Weird ride this morning. One of those times where I kept wondering if I should have stayed home...I felt a little 'out of sync' with the bike.
I received my Wahoo RFLKT bike computer, HR monitor and Cadence unit...got 'em all mounted last night and prepped. The RFLKT was a PITA to get working but I think I finally got it. It appears to connect with the Wahoo app only...although I haven't really tried very hard to get it to work with any other app. Expected teething problems on the first outing. I inadvertently 'paused' it and forgot to 'unpause'...so I lost about 30min. Then I acccidently turned the app off (it apparently won't run in the background for anything but incoming phone calls), so my ride got split into two data-sets.
I tried to start before 6am...but finally got on the road at 6:3o. Saw many police lights coming my direction...turned out to be a police-escorted peloton, some kind of charity ride going on (Bro' Don reported that he encountered it about 30mi south as he rode in later). The SAG wagon got on the bullhorn and said, "GOOD MORNING RECUMBENT RIDER, LOOKIN' GOOD!" That was kind of surreal.
About 1/2 mile from there, I turned left onto a side road and heard something clatter on the pavement. Started checking pockets...missing my reading glasses. Had to do a 180 and pick 'em up out of the street. As soon as I got them, lots of traffic showed up. I had to walk the bike into a nearby parking lot to get outta the road and get re-seated/re-started. (this is where I paused the app...). Got cranked back up but I couldn't get my feet locked into the pedals...start-stop-start-wobble-stop-start...whew.
Once I got going again, everything seemed to be working fine. Computer has really BIG FONT and is easy to read...also a distraction (until I get used to it). I think part of my disconnect was that I was constantly looking at the data. I hit every pothole and bump...
I did find that my suspicions of speed were borne out. I'm faster on the V20 than on the V2/k. Duh!
Looks like at least 4-5mph delta. I found myself running about 22mph in the flat bits @ 130 bpm HR. On the V2/k, that combination (same spot in the route) runs 18mph. Unfortunately, where I did my fast descent, the Wahoo app was in pause mode...not recorded. I believe I saw 35mph (coasting). Back 10 yrs ago, Bro' Don and I would routinely post 33-34 on the Barons (coasting), if we went under power (till we spun out), we'd see closer to 40 there. I think the V20 will do better. Gotta practice though, such speeds may be lazy-low for Jason but for me it was seriously white-knuckle!
I was going to do a 'speed test' on the middle-school's 1/4 mi running track this morning but they had the gate closed. I would have had to get off and walk it onto the track...so I just rode by. Next time.
I got to a turn around and somehow missed my turn...had to get off into a small business parking lot, loop back and...right off the curb. I thought I was at the entrance/exit... That rattled my teeth! I thought immediately about Joe W. and the Batbike. Thank god I was going the other way!
The rest was uneventful but still 'out of sync'. I don't know how many missed shifts I had...seemed like I would go up when I wanted down and vice versa. Innumerable stops in the wrong gear...get off, get it in gear, get back on, ride off. At least I'm getting better getting on and off the bike!
I received my Wahoo RFLKT bike computer, HR monitor and Cadence unit...got 'em all mounted last night and prepped. The RFLKT was a PITA to get working but I think I finally got it. It appears to connect with the Wahoo app only...although I haven't really tried very hard to get it to work with any other app. Expected teething problems on the first outing. I inadvertently 'paused' it and forgot to 'unpause'...so I lost about 30min. Then I acccidently turned the app off (it apparently won't run in the background for anything but incoming phone calls), so my ride got split into two data-sets.
I tried to start before 6am...but finally got on the road at 6:3o. Saw many police lights coming my direction...turned out to be a police-escorted peloton, some kind of charity ride going on (Bro' Don reported that he encountered it about 30mi south as he rode in later). The SAG wagon got on the bullhorn and said, "GOOD MORNING RECUMBENT RIDER, LOOKIN' GOOD!" That was kind of surreal.
About 1/2 mile from there, I turned left onto a side road and heard something clatter on the pavement. Started checking pockets...missing my reading glasses. Had to do a 180 and pick 'em up out of the street. As soon as I got them, lots of traffic showed up. I had to walk the bike into a nearby parking lot to get outta the road and get re-seated/re-started. (this is where I paused the app...). Got cranked back up but I couldn't get my feet locked into the pedals...start-stop-start-wobble-stop-start...whew.
Once I got going again, everything seemed to be working fine. Computer has really BIG FONT and is easy to read...also a distraction (until I get used to it). I think part of my disconnect was that I was constantly looking at the data. I hit every pothole and bump...
I did find that my suspicions of speed were borne out. I'm faster on the V20 than on the V2/k. Duh!
Looks like at least 4-5mph delta. I found myself running about 22mph in the flat bits @ 130 bpm HR. On the V2/k, that combination (same spot in the route) runs 18mph. Unfortunately, where I did my fast descent, the Wahoo app was in pause mode...not recorded. I believe I saw 35mph (coasting). Back 10 yrs ago, Bro' Don and I would routinely post 33-34 on the Barons (coasting), if we went under power (till we spun out), we'd see closer to 40 there. I think the V20 will do better. Gotta practice though, such speeds may be lazy-low for Jason but for me it was seriously white-knuckle! I was going to do a 'speed test' on the middle-school's 1/4 mi running track this morning but they had the gate closed. I would have had to get off and walk it onto the track...so I just rode by. Next time.
I got to a turn around and somehow missed my turn...had to get off into a small business parking lot, loop back and...right off the curb. I thought I was at the entrance/exit... That rattled my teeth!
I thought immediately about Joe W. and the Batbike. Thank god I was going the other way!The rest was uneventful but still 'out of sync'. I don't know how many missed shifts I had...seemed like I would go up when I wanted down and vice versa. Innumerable stops in the wrong gear...get off, get it in gear, get back on, ride off. At least I'm getting better getting on and off the bike!
Last edited:
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Yeah that's really gone south; Strava dropped support for it; only the Wahoo app and RidewithGPS app support it well. With Wahoo Releasing the ELEMNT the writing is on the wall. I seriously can't recommend the RFLKT or the discontinued RFLKT+ to anyone anymore; I have two of them in the parts bin and they are a major source of wasted time, effort and batteries. With the Polar M450 at $169 that's the direction I point people on a budget otherwise it's the ELEMNT, Garmin520 or the Garmin1000 (Landscape mode is assume on a S30 and V20).... Perhaps others have good recommendations before you suffer more data and gps pain.
trapdoor2
Zen MBB Master
Yah, I decided to go with the RFLKT because it was relatively cheap...and I hoped I could actually read the damn thing. At the moment, it appears to be working reasonably well for my average Sunday ride...and it is very readable. Since it is simply reflecting phone GPS data, it is a tad on the slow-to-update side...maybe 10-15 sec. behind what I'm experiencing. I'm more used to instant (with the usual wheel/magnetic sensors) from my old Cateye Strada. In the end, it did exactly what I wanted...showed me my HR, Speed and Cadence...and gave me a reasonable data set. I'm not complaining...yet!
I was pretty happy with the Wahoo Fitness app data set. More crap than I'm used to seeing...no idea what Nike Fuel Rate is...but it tracked it.
I looked at the Cateye Padrone Smart as well but it was more expensive. I had a Garmin years ago (35o? 305?) and it was really unusable as a bike-computer. It gathered data well and was nice for that...but battery life was short and in sunlight, it was unreadable.
I would indeed like a Garmin Edge 1000. Esp since the local bike club publishes GPS data (turn by turn, etc.) for all the local rides. I'll have to ask Santa for one.
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
I would indeed like a Garmin Edge 1000. Esp since the local bike club publishes GPS data (turn by turn, etc.) for all the local rides. I'll have to ask Santa for one.
Read dcrainmakers 820 mini-review if that had exisited when we got the 1000's we'd have gotten the 820's instead.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/07/garmin-edge-820.html
DavidCH
In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
I am planning for next year to get the new V20 and with it the Garmin 820. I have been using the wahoo RFLKT. It's a pig to setup. The android version is crap. There is one stable version that seems to work quite well and gives synchronous displays with the iPhone. Now that's sort working I have just left it. Its fine for what I need now. Anything more than 70km then the logging goes wrong and impossible to synchronise data with the likes of Strava but this is more of an issue of Wahoo Fitness.
MrSteve
Zen MBB Master
Yesterday was a calm sunny Sunday, perfect for a slow ride.
Saturday, the new front shift cable arrived.
I replaced the frayed one, which only lasted a season and I may have found a reason.
Comparing the SRAM Force F.D. on the bike to a new-ish SRAM Apex F.D. (they're exactly alike, mechanically)
the Apex shift cable clamp groove was both deeper and wider than the groove in the Force F.D.
Before installing the new shift cable, I filed the groove to match.
And so, my Sunday ride was meant to be a test ride.
Lots of shifting between rings... responsible, purposeful riding.
Anyway, while sitting in the driveway resetting the bike computer and turning the lights on, a lycra-clad
skinny young bicyclist rode by.
I knew it.
You knew it.
Everyone knows it: My 'slow ride' was always going to be a series of sprints.
After I caught that bicyclist, the others were just too easy.
The first catch took me about seven miles.
He was only going 19 MPH and my chase averaged about 24MPH.
The difference is that I stop at stop signs and stop lights, which is not only the legal thing to do
but makes chasing people much more fun!
And fun is important.
Oh yeah, the front derailleur shifts like butter.
Saturday, the new front shift cable arrived.
I replaced the frayed one, which only lasted a season and I may have found a reason.
Comparing the SRAM Force F.D. on the bike to a new-ish SRAM Apex F.D. (they're exactly alike, mechanically)
the Apex shift cable clamp groove was both deeper and wider than the groove in the Force F.D.
Before installing the new shift cable, I filed the groove to match.
And so, my Sunday ride was meant to be a test ride.
Lots of shifting between rings... responsible, purposeful riding.
Anyway, while sitting in the driveway resetting the bike computer and turning the lights on, a lycra-clad
skinny young bicyclist rode by.
I knew it.
You knew it.
Everyone knows it: My 'slow ride' was always going to be a series of sprints.
After I caught that bicyclist, the others were just too easy.
The first catch took me about seven miles.
He was only going 19 MPH and my chase averaged about 24MPH.
The difference is that I stop at stop signs and stop lights, which is not only the legal thing to do
but makes chasing people much more fun!
And fun is important.
Oh yeah, the front derailleur shifts like butter.
AlexisBV
Active Member
