Uphill battle

[Mwhwsmith]

I'm almost 6 months into my Vendetta owning experience - and have been quite pleasantly surprised that the learning / performance curve has not really started to level off yet. As I was enjoying a quick pootle around my local country lanes, I was reflect on:

a) I am still growing in confidence riding with one hand - whereas previously taking one had off the handle bars required careful choice of a straight level road, and a deep intake of breathe and some planning, now I find I can ride one handed for short periods with little or no conscious thought.

b) Average speed continues to rise - I have a local circuit that I regularly ride and my average speed has risen from 22kph on my first attempt on the V20, through 24kph (the fastest on my MTB), to 26kph when I did my London-Paris ride (which was the prompt to by the bike), to now regular 32kph.

c) Distance are getting longer - I sometimes wonder if would still be riding if I had bought a regular bike. There is a huge psychological boost from always seeing the scenery and never having my head drop and so that I watch the gutter under the front wheel. Also, when it does hurt, I find the knowing that it would be hurting more and earlier on something less efficient is a huge boost.

d) I now find myself in the Top 10 of quite a few local Strava segments - I have no right to be there based on either general level of fitness, age or experience. "My name is Mike and I'm a Stravaddict" - there we go, I've said it!


I do however, have a question - of either technique or of equipment. I'm still learning to climb efficiently and am making progress developing technique to use my upper body. However, on moderate inclines (+5%) in wet conditions I find I get slippage of the front wheel - just occasionally - and usually when I go for / need that extra push. So how do I avoid this? I'm assuming one answer is to ride my smoothly, but I do this most of the time, and the times I need to extra push is when I need to push more. I find slippage occur both when I'm pulling myself out of the seat and when fully reclined.

I was wondering if changing tyres would make a big difference and/or if I should consider running a wider front tyre in the winter - when it will be wetter. For reference, I'm currently running a 24c (Vittoria Diamante Pro) tyre. I tend to run it at ~120psi.

Or perhaps I just need to get fitter and stronger so I can rider smoother for longer.

Many thanks
Mike

 

[jond]

hi mike. like yourself (april 2015 6000klm so far) i am still learning about myself and the giving cruzbike vendetta. i too am learning the old one handed adjust your clothing/scratch your nose at leisure routine. i have not learnt to take out a water bottle but rely on a hose based system. this is something i probably need to tackle

i run 25mm continental gp 4000s 11 tyres at 90psi. i find no slippage and nice comfort.

i am a fair weather rider only and note others find the tyre poor in the wet.

but this tyre is the one i see over and over again on most people's bikes around here and at the race club. tyres are a very personal subject with tubeless and latex tube supporters for good sound reasons amongst the cruzbike church.

personally i like simple simple simple and take the lower performance setup of butyl tubes. if i were a commuter i would probably fit tannus tyres to my road bike...... but i could not do that to the v.......
i have a set of schwable ones 25mm to go on the vendetta next. they have a good establishing reputation too.
recently i put on a set of 23mm tyres 4000s 11 on enve rims and "felt" the difference. the 25mm tyres just roll better/are faster at the same psi in comparison and i will never again go back to 23mm.

120psi feels your teeth in your head on surfaces around here. maybe lowering to 95 -100 may help the slippage with a slightly "better" bigger softer contact patch. if you are concerned about the extra resistance try a latex or tubeless set up for high response and benefit from the increased flat protection via the sealant.

being fitter can only be a good thing. better is to keep on enjoying the ride with no pressure. sometimes i find myself getting caught up in the numbers too much and checking those leaderboards on strava. i remind myself that it really is just about having some fun and fitness as a whole with sunshine and a smile on my face. then i go for a ride without the gps for reference and a new perspective. these rides are always always the best.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Or perhaps I just need to get fitter and stronger so I can rider smoother for longer.

This never hurts. But try a 25mm or 28mm with lower pressure for the wet riding. I ride 28mm Schwalbe at around 90 to 100 psi. But only ride on dry roads.

 

[MrSteve]

Having lived a long time in California, I melt if caught out in the rain.

Anyway, bigger tires, lower air pressure and find your smoothest pedaling technique
while sitting up over the front wheel.
Sitting up works better with the other, taller Cruzbikes but it does help limit front wheel slip on the V as well.

Avoid slick stuff like clay silt, mud, algae, leaves and anything else that looks like it might be
slippery when wet.
Fortunately, we don't have too far to fall.

Practice riding with your hands close, closer and finally next to the centre of your bars: that'll teach you things.

 

[ratz]

I find I get slippage of the front wheel

Usually a sign that you have picked a gear or two too low. That gear is giving you too much leverage and you are breaking the tire free for the current conditions, tire size, tire composition, or tire pressure. This is a balancing act, you have to be strong enough to use higher gears when climbing or down shift, but not down shift too much. While adapting, assuming you are clipped in, focus on pulling more than pushing when climbing in a slip situation. It takes practice but it will come and even when it does slip you'll learn to cope. When I pull the trailer on our Quest there's one little hill that I have to ride perfect to get up and over without slipping. Can be done but it takes focus; but when slip does occur it's not a big deal; just ease off the pedal pressure and sit up and traction returns. This is one reason I like to climb laying down; saving the sit up maneuver for situational problem solving.

This pulling focus can obviously be practices on lessor hills so that it's easier on the steep ones. Not to suggest that it become you dominant technique but rather that the time to practice is when you aren't in a sticky situation.

 

[hamishbarker]

go one of Graeme obree's training tips - push the biggest possible gear that you can turn on steep hills. Like weight training but on the bike!

 

[Supertramp]

One little aspect that hasn't been mentioned is seat to crank distance. Had mine too far out and developed a stomping motion that made for lots of slippage whenever grip was less than perfect.
For other reasons (not enough room for my T-Rex legs) I later switched to shorter cranks (156mm) which made a huge improvement to smooth pedaling and cadence. After some getting used to, I can do all local paths with a 12-27 cassette and 34-48 rings. For racing, I mounted a 52, but couldn't use the 12T.