Any of you Tossers ride a pushbike?

MasterDabber said:
No, no.... Only very short... both runs were a bit over 4 miles. I did the first one pretty leisurely ... downloaded it and looked at what and how the data was recorded/presented. Reset the route with the new, faster virtual partner and went out again (after about 10 minutes) and did the same run again a bit faster... not flat out but just aiming to stay a bit ahead of the new, faster virtual partner.
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I nearly made myself sick trying to crack 20mph over 5 miles & failed miserably ... it is a bit lumpy around here though! :thumb2
 
bod said:
I nearly made myself sick trying to crack 20mph over 5 miles & failed miserably ... it is a bit lumpy around here though! :thumb2
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I think you get certain thresholds like that and it becomes a struggle to break through them, then, once you do it becomes fairly easy to do it regularly. I can't average 20 mph over any distance but my average, average speed has increased by about 2 mph this year so I'm quite pleased.
 
MasterDabber said:
I've been playing around with the "Virtual Partner" function on my Garmin today. I created a short route using GPSies.com and set a target average speed of 15 mph just for experimentation.
Then I set out to actually ride it... took it fairly easy and averaged 16.9 mph. Then I took the just ridden file and upped the target by 5% (so, 16.9 x 1.05 = 17.74).
So then I was riding against a virtual partner who was set to ride at 17.53 mph.... good fun and it pushed me... new average speed was 19.7 mph.

I had a Holux GPS before but treated myself to a Garmin 500 a couple of weeks ago, so far very impressed.

Anyone else using this feature? any tips on using it?
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Garmin Connect rocks and is an excellent resource for charting your progress. Virtual partner is fine initially but cycling is much more fun in groups so i would advise you to seek out local clubs to ride with and this method will be the easiest and most fun way to improved fitness.

Good luck!
 
V4 TRV said:
Garmin Connect rocks and is an excellent resource for charting your progress. Virtual partner is fine initially but cycling is much more fun in groups so i would advise you to seek out local clubs to ride with and this method will be the easiest and most fun way to improved fitness.

Good luck!
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I agree. I've been riding with a club for the last 2+ years, usually on Sundays. I was on a club ride a bit before Christmas and had a rider fall in front of me, leaving me nowhere to go... I hit the deck and it's taken a few weeks to fully recover (damaged wrist and hip - nothing broken though). So, I lost a few weeks of riding but since the new year I've been able to ride again and I'm now working on getting my fitness back again.
Actually, at the moment I'm debating joining the Sunday club ride or head off on my own.
 
I have a marin wolf ridge mtb and started pedaling to work on it before christmas. Anyways the lads at work bet me i wouldn't do it so 140 quid on the line for riding 30 times before the end of feb and i'm already 40% through it so getting paid to do something i was already doing anyways isn't bad.
Plus i'm actually enjoying it and the extra exercise isn't a bad thing.
Probably could do with a road bike as a full suspension with mtb tires is hard work up hills. But road bikes are a fortune and i have a endless list of other things i need before that.
 
crispy duck said:
I have a marin wolf ridge mtb and started pedaling to work on it before christmas. Anyways the lads at work bet me i wouldn't do it so 140 quid on the line for riding 30 times before the end of feb and i'm already 40% through it so getting paid to do something i was already doing anyways isn't bad.
Plus i'm actually enjoying it and the extra exercise isn't a bad thing.
Probably could do with a road bike as a full suspension with mtb tires is hard work up hills. But road bikes are a fortune and i have a endless list of other things i need before that.
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Change to smooth tyres,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Two-Schwa...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3f243334be
 
Ha! I 'built' a 36v electric bike during the summer and some exercise is better than none, so I tell the wife- Its rejuvenated the aged British Eagle 25yr old mountain bike and put a smile on the riders face as I power effortlessly up hills and pedal on flats...I really don't know why they haven't caught on more as I love mine.
 
MasterDabber said:
I've been playing around with the "Virtual Partner" function on my Garmin today. I created a short route using GPSies.com and set a target average speed of 15 mph just for experimentation.
Then I set out to actually ride it... took it fairly easy and averaged 16.9 mph. Then I took the just ridden file and upped the target by 5% (so, 16.9 x 1.05 = 17.74).
So then I was riding against a virtual partner who was set to ride at 17.53 mph.... good fun and it pushed me... new average speed was 19.7 mph.

I had a Holux GPS before but treated myself to a Garmin 500 a couple of weeks ago, so far very impressed.

Anyone else using this feature? any tips on using it?
Click to expand...

I`ve got a edge 800 and it has that feature. First time play with it later so looking forward to dissecting my riding even further with heart rate and cadence! :rob
Have a look on youtube and bikeradar for loads of good tips :thumb2
 
I did a proper test of it yesterday on a 40 mile route. I'd created the route on GPSies again and just set the average speed for 15.5 mph as I wanted to make sure I was going to ride ahead of the chaser. Did the ride (just got a couple of messages saying "off course" which corrected themselves very quickly). It kept the pressure as when I was going uphill I could see the chaser closing the gap a bit. I finished the ride about 4 miles ahead of the chaser.
So I've now deleted the that course created in GPSies and substituted it with the course/ride I actually rode yesterday... so this time the chaser will be a lot faster.

I also understand that using a course converted from an actual ride doesn't just set a consistent set speed (ie my 15.5 referred to earliir) but the varying pace of the actual ride.

All a bit nerdy i guess but the end result is quite motivating I think... early days though... I might get bored with it.
 
I also believe you can download a strava segment and the virtual rider will be going at the KOM pace :comfort handy for a bit more motivation :D it can on the 800 anyway
 
Yes, I think the French guy I ride with over there uses the Strava segments/VP function but I haven't looked at that yet. Might have a browse this afternoon. :)
 
I decided against buying a road bike in the end, instead buying a Marin MTB to go with my hybrid. I decided I'd never really get into doing anymore road miles than I do on the hybrid and I quite like the idea of days out on easy trails over Dartmoor and the Quantocks.
 
Gonzo said:
Right then, here we go. My Boardman "cycle to work scheme carbon special " has turned up so I'd better get my lardy arse out on it.

Impressed with the build and lightness so far, especially compared to my current aluminum hybrid. Halfords, against all the odds, weren't too shabby either. And getting £1150 worth of bike and goodies for £650 feels rather nice too.

A familiarisation ride tomorrow beckons.

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Bloody glorious day today around here so went for the first proper ride on this bike (i.e. more than a few times around the block to set the bike up). Me and two mates, first real spin of the year did just over 25 miles.

The bike was ...... worth every penny and effortless in comparison to my aluminium hybrid. I was surprised how quickly I settled into the arse-up-nose-down road bike position and even I could feel the difference in the stiffness of the carbon frame and efficiency of the better running gear, especially on the hills. I've kept the seat slightly forward on its rails for a more upright position and the tension on the SPD pedals relatively loose while I acclimatise.....which I reckon I have now!:thumb2

And the surprise was.....we averaged 16.3 mph on the ride. We've never really chased the averages before but we normally averaged something like 14 to 15 mph. We surprised ourselves so much that we fell into the pub at the end. :beerjug:

Great to get out on such a beautiful day after the last few weeks. :aidan
 
Glad you're enjoying the new bike.

Yup, a nice day to get out today after spending pretty much all this week on the turbo:(. I stayed on the winter bike though, still plenty of water across the roads everywhere (and don't even mention the potholes).
A sunny and not too windy 52 miles for me... went over to Windsor Park.
 
I bought my Marin mountain bike but it hasn't turned a wheel yet due to the foul weather. Hoping to have a day out on it next week when I'll pop down to Haldon forest if we have a dry day.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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