[petrolhead_chn]

Is there a watch specific to cycling that would track distance, route, speed and calories? I am little apprehensive to carry my phone along. Any cost effective ideas?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Trying to do a few things differently.

Training volume.
Climbing volume.
Saddle height and tilt.
...
Stretching.

Also need to get back to my cycling weight of 80 kilos - the last 5 months of inactivity have pushed me back to 90.

That is a very good balanced approach. This will definitely help a lot in increasing your cycling power and endurance.

For weight loss, I would suggest you follow a good low carb diet. A couple of years back, I was around 90 kilos. I used to do lot of cycling (brevets, 100k rides) and running. I was under the impression that with all that long workouts I had the license to eat anything. Because of this, my weight never budged - maybe a couple of kilos max. Then I started following the low carb diet and that is when my weight started coming down. My weight has been stable at around 78 for more than a year now. It dropped to 75 a couple of months back, but then I started strength training and the weight is at 78 now.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_chn

Is there a watch specific to cycling that would track distance, route, speed and calories? I am little apprehensive to carry my phone along. Any cost effective ideas?

If you are looking at cycling specific tracker, then Garmin makes some good GPS computers (Edge series) and watches (Forerunner series). What is your budget?

Fitbit smart trackers also track cycling, but they use a feature called connected GPS where the watch connects to the cell phone to get GPS (though the cell phone need not be turned on) data.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by graaja

That is a very good balanced approach. This will definitely help a lot in increasing your cycling power and endurance.

For weight loss, I would suggest you follow a good low carb diet. A couple of years back, I was around 90 kilos. I used to do lot of cycling (brevets, 100k rides) and running. I was under the impression that with all that long workouts I had the license to eat anything. Because of this, my weight never budged - maybe a couple of kilos max. Then I started following the low carb diet and that is when my weight started coming down. My weight has been stable at around 78 for more than a year now. It dropped to 75 a couple of months back, but then I started strength training and the weight is at 78 now.



If you are looking at cycling specific tracker, then Garmin makes some good GPS computers (Edge series) and watches (Forerunner series). What is your budget?

Fitbit smart trackers also track cycling, but they use a feature called connected GPS where the watch connects to the cell phone to get GPS (though the cell phone need not be turned on) data.

Yeah I did a couple of months of the keto diet last year. Helped me lose a lot of weight. But equally I lost a lot of muscle and started feeling weak. Plus it's not an easy diet to sustain in an Indian household. Though yes, great to kick-start some quick weight shedding and then let exercise take over.

I've done about 20 rides now since getting back on the saddle. About 800 km. Did a couple of back to back centuries (slow, labored) this Sat-Sun.

There is a 200 and a 400 on 11 August. A 300 on 2 September. And then the 29 September 600.

With your experience, what would you suggest?

I'm currently averaging 3 rides/150 km per week on my Strava. 50 km morning loops on weekdays when I can manage. Try and go long on weekends. But I feel I am quite a way off from my peak last year (my segments show it), 10 kilos more, and racing against time.

My 200 was 10 hours, 300 was 17 hours, and 400 was a struggling (last 200 km return leg) 24 hours.

Cheers, Doc

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by yogi1771

Have been on Zwift from the time it was free but not that regular find indoor training very boring.My screen name Y.Shetty,what time do you train maybe will join you.

Just about started out. I am yet to have a fixed daily time. I normally ride on the weekends or in the evenings on working day.

By the way, whoever decided to merge the thread on Zwifting to cycling has no clue about either what is cycling or what is Zwifting or probably both

Originally Posted by petrolhead_chn

Is there a watch specific to cycling that would track distance, route, speed and calories? I am little apprehensive to carry my phone along. Any cost effective ideas?

Plenty of options with Garmin, Tomtom, Polar, Cateye, Sigma etc. Check out a site called DCRainmaker for thorough reviews. A small caveat - some of the watches will be more expensive than the cycle.

[ebonho]

BRM 200 - at the finish 3:59 pm



BRM 300 (Strawberry Fields) - at CP1 1:05 pm Mahabaleshwar after the grueling Pasarni climb and the sapping 20+ km of rolling terrain after that



BRM 400 - at the finish 6 am (Strava died on the first leg, so recorded the second separately - bummer, Cox my longest ride remains my 300 lol)



Cheers, Doc

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by ebonho

BRM 400 - at the finish 6 am (Strava died on the first leg, so recorded the second separately - bummer, Cox my longest ride remains my 300 lol)

Fantastic stuff. Congratulations. One small tip if it helps. See if you want to start your strava and then put phone on airplane mode. Check on a small ride if it still works. I think we used to do that back in the day but can’t remember. I know google maps still works once you set a route so maybe strava does too. Will save your battery. Other option of course is if you put the phone in a pouch plugged into a battery pack.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Fantastic stuff. Congratulations. One small tip if it helps. See if you want to start your strava and then put phone on airplane mode. Check on a small ride if it still works. I think we used to do that back in the day but can’t remember. I know google maps still works once you set a route so maybe strava does too. Will save your battery. Other option of course is if you put the phone in a pouch plugged into a battery pack.

Thanks bro . That's a fantastic tip! I've done something similar in settings by ensuring that apps like yahoo mail, Gmail and WhatsApp work only when opened and not continually in the background. But I'll surely try this now.

Half the tension on the longer brevets is phone and lights management!!! Most of us are like rolling power bank stores. Lol.

Though in this case it was not the phone battery that ran out naturally. The leadup to the 400, another randonneur (ace guy, very fast, going for the DC this year) told me that he uses the Google Maps location option to share his location with his family, so that while he is on the move, they can track his progress and see exactly where he is real time. He used another similar family locator app but told me Google Maps has the same facility. I thought it was a nifty thing so I tried it out for a few rides. But those were daily 40-50 km rides. On the big day, while riding I actually heard my phone in my frame bag powering off! At the 200 km turnaround control point (this time reached it by 2 p.m. in 8 hours flat - 2 less than the 200 BRM earlier) I take out my phone to check my Strava and find it dead. What a letdown man ....

This was all I got to show for my fastest 200 ...



Cheers, Doc

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by ebonho

...
My 200 was 10 hours, 300 was 17 hours, and 400 was a struggling ( last 200 km return leg ) 24 hours.
...

Wow ! I guess you don't need a fancy schmancy bike to rack up awesome numbers on the saddle

Fellow cycling nerds, need some help with my road-bike, took a fall at a decent clip, I'm really not sure what happened, I think it was an under-inflated front tire & hitting a cat-eye at more than 40 Kmph that did it. In any case, 2 weeks later, both the bike & I are fixed. Took the opportunity to upgrade from the 23 mm tires I was running ( Vittoria Corsas ) to 25 mm tires ( Continental Ultra Sports ).

However, these new ones do not have the minimum inflation pressure on the side-wall, only the maximum is specified ( 120 PSI ). Any advice on what's the lowest I can run with these tires ?
I used to run the 23 mm tires between 100 & 110 PSI - my old, middle-aged rump would prefer lower inflation pressures with these 25 mm tires

Also, I tried switching to 28 mm - the front tire fit, with barely a millimeter to spare, however at the rear the chain-stays were just too close at the BB end, at 27 mm, to fit a 28 mm tire.
So, my other question is, can I run 28 mm at the front & 25 mm at the rear ? The question is more from a cycling-community-mores perspective than a technical-feasibility perspective ( I already know it's possible ).

Oh, a final question, I'm considering getting a FitBit, can I pair it with my Garmin Edge 510 & push my heart-rate numbers to it ?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by im_srini

Fellow cycling nerds, need some help with my road-bike, took a fall at a decent clip, I'm really not sure what happened, I think it was an under-inflated front tire & hitting a cat-eye at more than 40 Kmph that did it. In any case, 2 weeks later, both the bike & I are fixed.
...
Any advice on what's the lowest I can run with these tires ?
I used to run the 23 mm tires between 100 & 110 PSI - my old, middle-aged rump would prefer lower inflation pressures with these 25 mm tires
...
So, my other question is, can I run 28 mm at the front & 25 mm at the rear ? The question is more from a cycling-community-mores perspective than a technical-feasibility perspective ( I already know it's possible ).

Oh, a final question, I'm considering getting a FitBit, can I pair it with my Garmin Edge 510 & push my heart-rate numbers to it ?

Good to hear that you are completely recovered from the fall. Take care!

Check out the below FAQ from Schwalbe.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_i...ation_pressure

Unless you have very low body weight, you need 100 to 110psi pressure on the tires even for 700x25C tires.

I am not very sure about the 28mm in the front and 25mm in the back. But that could actually mess up handling. I would stay with both 25mm tires.

No. It is not possible to transmit heart rate data from Fitbit to Garmin. I have the FitBit Charge 2 and it only has Blue tooth interface that can be paired to a phone. It does not have ANT+ interface to act as a Heart Rate Sensor. You will have to get an ANT+ heart strap to pair with Garmin.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by im_srini

Wow ! I guess you don't need a fancy schmancy bike to rack up awesome numbers on the saddle

Fellow cycling nerds, need some help with my road-bike, took a fall at a decent clip, I'm really not sure what happened, I think it was an under-inflated front tire & hitting a cat-eye at more than 40 Kmph that did it. In any case, 2 weeks later, both the bike & I are fixed. Took the opportunity to upgrade from the 23 mm tires I was running ( Vittoria Corsas ) to 25 mm tires ( Continental Ultra Sports ).

However, these new ones do not have the minimum inflation pressure on the side-wall, only the maximum is specified ( 120 PSI ). Any advice on what's the lowest I can run with these tires ?
I used to run the 23 mm tires between 100 & 110 PSI - my old, middle-aged rump would prefer lower inflation pressures with these 25 mm tires

Also, I tried switching to 28 mm - the front tire fit, with barely a millimeter to spare, however at the rear the chain-stays were just too close at the BB end, at 27 mm, to fit a 28 mm tire.
So, my other question is, can I run 28 mm at the front & 25 mm at the rear ? The question is more from a cycling-community-mores perspective than a technical-feasibility perspective ( I already know it's possible ).

Oh, a final question, I'm considering getting a FitBit, can I pair it with my Garmin Edge 510 & push my heart-rate numbers to it ?

What do you mean not fancy schmancy!? Lol

She's 5 whole kilos lighter than my 18.5 kilo steel Hercules Top Gear (which also rolls beautifully). And my first alloy bike. Trigger shifters. QR skewer hubs. 700c aero double walled alloy rims. 35c semi sick fast rolling tyres. Powerful V brakes. She's a sweet ride. A bit small though.

Ive treated myself to a CAAD 8 too now, but will start riding her only after I crack the SR on my Indian hybrid. Hopefully try my hand at the DC on her ....



Cheers, Doc

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Ive treated myself to a CAAD 8

Doc, did you buy it recently? What price and which store?

Fellow cyclists, in our weather, the external cables of my bicycle get rusted very early. Does getting a bike with internal cabling stop rusting? Any problems with internal cabling?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Doc, did you buy it recently? What price and which store?

Fellow cyclists, in our weather, the external cables of my bicycle get rusted very early. Does getting a bike with internal cabling stop rusting? Any problems with internal cabling?

Take a dab of white grease on your fingers and run them over the exposed cables.

The rust is surface rust. Easy cleaned by running sandpaper up and down a couple of times, pinched around the cable.

Cheers, Doc

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ebonho

What do you mean not fancy schmancy!? Lol

...

Ive treated myself to a CAAD 8 too now, but will start riding her only after I crack the SR on my Indian hybrid.

I consider the ACT 110 one of the most under-rated bikes - always found it a fantastic jack-of-all-trades kind of bike. Replace the tires, and a few of the components; and you have a perfect bike for long distance rides

Btw it's been a long time since I did a brevet; but I found doing it on hybrids much better than on a roadbike.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I consider the ACT 110 one of the most under-rated bikes - always found it a fantastic jack-of-all-trades kind of bike. Replace the tires, and a few of the components; and you have a perfect bike for long distance rides

Btw it's been a long time since I did a brevet; but I found doing it on hybrids much better than on a roadbike.

Lots of knowledgeable riders concur. It's arguably the best Indian made hybrid, period (though to be fair, both the alloy frame and wheels are Chinese).

The Trance Pro of Montra is the same frame, different fork. The curved steel one on the ACT is beautiful for touring and rough terrain.

I've upgraded the seat post to a double bolt more adjustable and secure one. Put on padded Narendra that are great on a flat bar. Help while driving as well as climbing.

The rear wheel kept breaking spokes, so upgraded the whole wheel to much better and deeper aero Montra ones. Trying to convert the solid axle to a hollow one with a QR skewer. The front wheel already comes with the same.

Replaced all spoke nopples with heavy duty brass ones.Jagwire competition brake pads on both wheels, Jagwire cables (brake n gear), and replaced the stock 14-28 freewheel with a more hill friendly 14-34 MegaRange freewheel. Big difference.

Upgraded zefal rim liners, and GRL Edge Standard 700x35c export semi slicks with reflective sidewall sipes.

A BYwin frame pump and bottle holder / bracket, a generic Chinese cycle computer (speed, clock, time elapsed, distance), a frame bag, ViaTerra Cycliste saddlebag, and a small handlebar bag up front for my Powerbank to charge the main front headlight - with maybe a top tube bag n cellphone holder, complete my brevet rig.

She weighs 13.5 kilos bone stock naked, on the Giant scale. With full tour trim above, and BTwin plastic mudguards (with jugaad extensions and rubber flaps for the back tyre overhang and front derailleur exposed mechanism, she's around 15 kilos.

Not light, but not unmanageable.

Cheers, Doc

[eyesice]

Hello guys,


I have been riding a hybrid - Montra Trance Pro for about 6 months now. The bike is running on stock 700 x 35c tires. Can I upgrade this to 700 x 25c ( or even 700 x 28c ) tires on the same frame?


1. Do I need to change the rims or can I keep the existing ones as is?
2. What tires and tube would you recommend?
3. Will I get a significant lower rolling resistance ( I can go faster ) from a 35c to say 28c? What are the disadvantages? More prone to punctures? Is there any recalibration of brakes required?


Newbie alert. Hence so many queries!e