I actually prefer cornering on 23mm tyres, nowdays I only go on 25mm, and they feel a bit soft in cornering and dont give me as much confidence in going fast as the 23mm did. Maybe its just in my head but its the way I feel :)
Global Cycling Network #torqueback I am preparing for a fondo. The course starts with an uphill section of about 8 miles. Normally my approach to a long ride is to keep to an easy heart rate for the first third, however, with this hill, which is near my house, I cannot seem to stop my heart rate getting very high, and it worries me that I won’t be able to get all the way round the course after it. I am in my late sixties. Any suggestions how I can preserve energy for the long haul after the first uphill section?
Staying motivated for commuting. I have a fair amount of experience. Over the last 6 years I have commuted about 5 days a week all year long for an average of about 6,000 miles/year.Tip#1: vary your route if possible: a change in scenery, even if it is the next street over is refreshing. Tip#2: keep a log of your rides and mileage, like on a spreadsheet. This allows you to look back at where you rode, when to change wear items (chains, sprockets, tires, etc.). It also facilitates setting short term goals like "what can I do to get an extra 50mi this week?" Tip#3: occasionally switch bikes. A couple of times I have ridden in on my big pink beach cruiser. Not only does it provide an opportunity to do something different, it looks cool in the bike rack at work, it is a challenge, and help appreciate my regular commuter.Tip#4: Recovery meal/drink after arriving at work. I usually do a serving of oatmeal or some chocolate milk. There is nothing great about being bonked out at your desk. Tip#5: Greet and chat with the fellow cyclist on the way. This promotes a socialization of the community, and you never know who you might meet ( or town-sign race)Tip #6: Strava! ... but not all your rides. Checking your favorite segments for best time of the day is rewarding, and if you are like me, KOMs are VERY infrequent (I do have one that is on my work-site where I would have gone faster if I wasn't slowed down by a Camaro that was doing the speed-limit). Taking a break from Strava also changes the nature of the ride. I am more likely to chat with other riders, or catch up on some recovery.Tip #7: In the words of the Jim Carey character in "Liar Liar" "Obey the law, a##hole!" Observing (stops, signals, and right-of-ways) helps alleviate the stress of unnecessary adrenaline. For anyone riding at speed, it has absolutely been proven that riding with traffic is much safer. Stopping at all intersection (junction) stops is a good ambassador thing to do as well as the law, which brings us to #8... Tip #8: Be a good ambassador for cycling. Over a long period, most of the drivers you see will see you again, how do you want to be remembered and treated (the golden rule thing is especially important since a cyclist is ALWAYS out weight-classed >15 times over by almost any car. I have learned long ago to refrain from shouting at drivers who make bad decisions and I now wave with all my fingers. Letting drivers know you see their lane crowding or near cut-offs (turning in front of you thinking you are going slower than you are) by simply waving or just shouting "Hey!" Sometimes the good ambassador thing to do is to alert authorities of drivers or cyclist absolutely doing something malicious.Tip #9: Take "ownership" of your routes. By this I mean deal with overhang tree branches and hazards that will effect others (or yourself the next time through). For small jobs I deal with them myself, but also know who to call (gov. agency) if it is appropriate. Taking a little bit of responsibility adds to the meaning of the ride and it is refreshing to do something or see someone else cares enough to do something.Tip #10: Move to Tucson, I can ride 365. The summer heat is bearable with an early start and two chilled bottles, and the monsoon storms are infrequent enough to absolutely enjoy getting soaked, or you can just wait an hour and it will clear. This last tip is meant to convey something like "find something awesome/challenging about where you live, or move somewhere you can"Thanks for listening. I really should copy this down for myself...
To get 25mm tyres to fit on a bike that only takes 23mm, a wider wheel rim might work, as the tyre will be wider but not so deep in section and might then not run on the brake bridge. This worked for me when I tried some more modern wider rims than my old rather narrow wheels. An expensive solution but handy if you are upgrading your wheels
Corning: I have been an advanced motorcycle instructor and the golden rules are much as said in the video but I would add, never take the racing line unless it's a closed road. Always be as far left for right bends or far right for left bends as allowed so you give yourself the best sight line possible. I have followed many a student and using my line compared to their typical untrained racing line I would be faster mainly because the better vision of the bend would mean more speed in and therefore faster out. Another big advantage to this non racing line is you are not exposed to the centre of the road, how many of us have seen other drivers taking a bend just that bit too wide meaning you have had to brake or adjust to give them more room. The only downside is that you do have to be aware of the outer edge surface often potholed so don't go too wide.
I had the same tire clearance issue. I moved from Conti to Schwalbe tires. They stand less proud from the rim. I gained several mm of clearance on both the front and back. To quantify, I used post it notes as a feeler gauge. There was a night and day difference
For commuting motivation, I take the car to work on Monday morning (or Sunday evening if I’m being super-keen), along with a week’s worth of clean clothes. Then, in the morning I haven’t got the option to take the car. Leave the car at work all week and bring it home again at the weekend. Ok, it’s more compulsion than motivation but it’s always easier to ride home than to ride in so the temptation to take the car in the evening is less than in the morning... works for me!
About two months back I did a short steep climb during my lunch hour to get the most out of my limited time. The hill has a nice sharp corner towards the top posted as a 15mph corner which I did not see on my way down (would have been helpful). Any way I got into that corner at about 30mph leaning super hard and then....all of a sudden my front wheel started skipping and sending me towards the other lane. Amazingly enough I did not panic and the only two things that went through my mind were that's interesting and I'd better slow down before the next corner. That was fun and a fantastic story only to be done once as I choose to live. :)
Going faster through blind corners? It’s like asking: how do I jump out of a third-story window face-first and not die? It’s a blind corner; slow down as if your life depended on it (it does).
Joe Bond exactly. Im not a particularly fast cyclist so generally can hug corners and not cary so much speed that im put in the road. The amount of times Ive gone around bends,blind or otherwise and met a car way over the line in my lane and Ive been so thankful I wasnt further out.
How to stay motivated? Get some expensive cold weather kit that makes you feel obligated to ride! Might even have the added side-effect of making the ride more enjoyable.
One of the things I do to motivate myself to bike-commute to work on days I might not feel it is to not shower the night before. (I shower at work after I bike in) So my choice in the morning is to either hop in the shower right away, go to work filthy, or just ride in and take a shower when I get there like normal. It seems silly, but it's often the thing that gets me on my bike on those less than idea days.
Best book ever written on how to corner is called Roadcraft. It was originally written in the 1930's. Has been used ever since to train drivers and riders of all standards. Show exactly how to corner, on a bike, in a car, truck or motorcycle. Worth a read. Takes the guesswork out of how fast to take a corner. !!!!!
Cornering: Always ride as fast as you can see. Works for road, mountain, etc. The concept is simply - go only as fat as you can stop within the distance you can currently see. You have to manage for the unexpected... deer, raccoons, cats, downed trees, gravel, puddles, cars, trucks, slower riders, pedestrians, whatever... you're eyes connected to your hands connected to your brakes will dictate how fast you should go... there's a fine line and you can push it; but you're just pushing up the risk/reward levels. Side note - if you do have to stop very aggressively - throw your weight as far back over the back tires at the same time you are yanking the levers it significantly increases your stopping power. Learn and practice this and your 'fast as you can see (stop)' speed will increase. GCN Braking Vid: ruclips.net/video/frIKK_XU-qE/видео.html
Re 25mm clearance question. I had same exact issue with my brand new Diamondback road bike. Just stick with 23mm. If they are Conti tires, it’s likely the 23mm is actually 25mm anyways since they tend to run pretty wide.
@BelgianDude - To give a bit more clearance for your 25 mm tires, you can try adjusting your brake cable to bring the brake pads closer to the wheel. This may slightly raise the bridge. This worked for me (on my front wheel) when I went from a 25mm to a 28mm. Good luck.
First rule to follow on two wheels is 'lose your vision,lose your speed' . Who knows what 's round the corner! Look for the vanishing point, if its getting closer to you slow down,if it's opening up you can speed up.
When I ride my bike, sweat tends to drip from my head onto my glasses. As a result, my glasses end up covered in dried up sweat spots, somewhat limiting my visibility. It tends to be annoying on longer rides. Any tips on how to deal with that? #torqueback
sweat band only works for a limited time for me, until the sweat band is full, and starts dropping. I sweat alot, and indoor training is almost impossible even with a portable a/c (only goes down to 17degrees) + fans in the same room.
I use the Sweat GUTR. Got it from Amazon. Works great about 90% of the time. The Halo only works about 8 miles then i need to take off and wring it out. Too saturated with my sweat.
#AskGCNTraining Do you use music when you train indoors? How about outdoors? Any suggestions on songs or artists or genre? For outside, how about headphones, ear buds - both ears or just one? Good advice on blind corner riding, by the way.
I've used dropout spacing with bits of cut up spoke nipples and I've made clearance on a seat stay bridge with a round file. I don't recommend either but... they worked >.>
The minimum angle between a road and a vertical of bike during cornering should not be less than about 45 degree. One can calculate the angle by angle=ArcTan(1/static coefficient of friction between road and tire). There are two coefficients of friction static CFS and dynamic CFD so use static one as tire is not moving relative to the road in the contact. So, according to the formula and some of internet data you get for rubber on dry asphalt CFS=0.85 angle of 49.6 degree.
"rubber" first off different tires have different compounds. A P Zero will have more grip than a gatorskin and will thus allow a harder lean. Also, the lower the pressure, the more rubber on the road and thus the greater the adhesive effect of the rubber on the road. Lastly, lean angle also depends on the weight distribution of the rider-bike system. A very heavy bike and light rider (think motorcycle) will have to lean more for the same cornering force relative to a top heavy rider on a light bike.
My tip for blind corners: have your GPS unit displaying the route. Glance at it in advance for an idea of how sharp an upcoming corner is, particularly useful on descents.
I need more help with more detailed cornering questions! When I watch the videos on cornering I feel like there is important information missing: what is meant by go at 95%. What does being on the edge/getting close to the fastest speed feel like? Every cornering I've done has felt the same except once where my front tire slipped out which to me felt like it came out of nowhere. Can you also give some advice on what to do if you are cornering and you run into trouble such as you are aimed at a patch of gravel/wet road or some obstacle while cornering? #Torqueback
Don't look at the obstacle for starters... you go where you look. Look at the line you want to take around it. You might need to straighten up and take a bit more speed off to run through the obstacle if it is over the whole lane and then lean into the corner again. Make sure you corner in the drops to put some weight through the front tyre to help it grip (maybe let a little pressure out too, run bigger tyres or better compound / supple sidewalls)... cheap, hard tyres will let go very quickly whereas sticky, or softer tyres will have a larger transition zone and you will feel/hear the feedback as they begin to lose traction... the bike will start to move under you and you may hear the tyre 'scraping' on the ground as it moves sideways. You are moving beyond 100% / over the edge. To me, getting close to the fastest speed means I exit the corner at a speed that seems close to fastest possible... did my bike flow from the apex - safely use all the space and get up to speed quickly out of the corner? If you come out of a corner feeling slow it usually means something went wrong in the corner and the adjustments killed your speed (or, if the cornering felt safe, you just braked a little extra going into it than what was needed). Saying all of that, I rarely push myself on corners. I am happy with 80%. Too often there is traffic, bad surface, animals - very unpredictable where I ride. I hope some of that perspective is helpful.
Belgian dude you should get rims with a greater internal width. Like 18 or 19, especially if you have 15 now. They will make the tire wider which makes it shorter that give you more clearance. Also the ultegra 8000 brakes are rated for 28’s, the frame is still ultimately an issue but they have just a little more room for tires. Like 1-2mm more.
In Thailand, Thais in cars,lorries buses and motorbikes only overtake on bends,if blind even better, so be verrrry careful coming in the opposite direction
Hi GCN ! (you guys rock btw) In the spirit of always performing at my best and staying injury free, what should I be doing about an hour PRE and an hour POST ride ? (Foam rolling / stretching, muscle activation, nutrition, etc) So basically what would be the ideal routine before and after my training rides ? #AskGCNtraining
Hi guys it is with deep regret that Richard James Taylor past away in Andorra in a cycle event.. still waiting on details , but lost control of his bike on a descent and went over a wall and passed away with his injuries .. Rick has won a few Hacks on your site, and just got his 1st cat licence last year and only 31yrs old.. a very talented rider who joked a lot and made everyone laugh , he will be missed by all and his girlfriend Kerry .. could you please put a mention in for such a great rider please .. cheers Wayne Ps great work on the GCN show
#Torqueback - What is the best way to ride over cattle grids? Should I go fast or slow down? And should I keep peddling when crossing them or freewheel for a bit?
#AskGCNTraining what is the etiquette and best approach to crit racing? I want to get into crit racing after trying cyclo-cross but have no idea what sort of level I need to be at. Are there also any do's and don'ts such as if you get dropped or anything that ticks off the peloton? Thanks, best channel on RUclips.
Oh, this was about racing, taking blind corners is easy, once you exit the corner hit your front tire on the wet centerline on the road, hit pavement and slide under the safety rail to a 20 m drop.
Aero vs Climbing Bike - I am in the market for a new bike and one deciding factor ir price. A lot of the aero bikes are quite a bit dearer than a climbing bike. Eg Tarmac and Venge for example. If you don't have a fat wallet you will probably go climbing bike
Seems brutal that schedule for complete newcomers, 6-8h/wk seems like allot depending on the starting point. I bought my bike a couple of months ago, first bike I've owned in like 20 years. I've mostly been a couch potato for the past 15y, and i was really struggling to complete 10km at first, Took me around 45mins. 3-4 rides a week around 30 mins each has gotten me to the point where I'm not completely dead after 10km, and I'm actually able to do another 10 home from work, and I've got my avg speed up from sub 18 to around 24 when i'm really going for it, and I'm only now planning to try my first longer ride of around 50-60km
I’ve recently been off the bike for about a month for a variety of reasons. I tried to stay active during that time but definitely not at the volume or intensity as usual. What are recommended workouts to prepare for a race in one months time? #askGCNtraining
#Torqueback - Do you find that other sports / activities can become more difficult the more you cycle due to the rigors specific to cycling? Like for Football, tennis ... dart?
#AskGCNtraining I have a bit of a long winded question so bear with me here. :) When I built up my bike I got it a set of training and a set of race wheels. On the training wheels I have an 11-25 cassette. And on the racing wheels I have an 11-28 cassette. This is paired up with my 36/52 crank. Recently my fitness has gotten to the point where I can be seeded with the pro riders in my country. And I can keep up with them for the most part. But I loose them in climbs. I recently saw this in a 4 day tour up a 19km long cat1 climb. When I am training I often hit some 10-12% climbs. They are really tough on the 11-25. But will climbing/grinding those hills on an 11-25 make me a stronger climber so that when I use the 11-28 it just feels easier on the smaller gears and I go faster? Or would using a smaller cassette say an 11-28 help develop my climbing better than grinding in an 11-25? Essentially. Which cassette would help develop my climbing skills best? Grinding in training = flying in racing? Or floating up in training = floating up in racing?
Wait wait wait. What??? Hanging off the side of the bike/sticking your knee out will NOT reduce the amount of weight on your tires and it will NOT reduce the amount of grip. Prove me wrong. In ref to 3:20 or so
Two things are mentioned when they talk about it 1) Hanging off the bike, or as I understand it shifting body weight as we are leaning into the corner- this should not be done 2) Sticking the knee out, the side in which we are turning- should be done I guess, all pros do it too right?
niranchan neither "should" be done because neither are particularly useful. But I think the correct answer is do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. None of these things will reduce the speed at which you can safely take a corner.
Gravity acts in one direction, down. Now if the road is banked, your speed and thus momentum provides a measure of downforce since the momentum is pushing to the outside, against the road. But if you put YOUR weight to the inside of the turn, to the side of the bike tire contact patch, the force of gravity acting on your tires is reduced, since gravity only provides a force straight down. Friction is grip and is the product of friction coefficient and normal force, or force perpendicular to the surface. MTB is a great teacher of this principle. A Bermed (banked) turn needs less bike lean under the rider, a flat turn needs more. If you hang to the inside on dirt, the bike will slip away from you. The reason street motorcycles, like moto go do what they do is because the bike weighs enough that the rider can hang to the inside without losing grip to the point of a slide. They do this so they can go faster for a given lean angle. A road bike doesn't weigh enough to make that work.
Another factor with a motorbike is the gyroscopic effect is much more important than on a bike so moving you weight helps to get the bike to turn. Also another factor is that on my motorbike I can still control the power, on my push bike I need to pedal, can't so do that with my knee down.
Hi GCN, I'm fairly new to the roadbiking segment, but used to do downhill for over 8 years from now on. I'm not saying that I'm changing of discipline, but I want to combine roadbiking with seasonal downhill. Now I do live not so far from the Kemmelberg in Belgium, which is a 17% hill at one side and the other is 11-20% grade. My issue is that the road of the hill is unfortunately been fit with cobblestones that haven't been maintained. Do you know a good technique to handle those cobblestones, as well uphill as downhill as flat? #Torqueback
So, after taking a tumble 4 weeks ago (resulting in a broken collar bone, shoulder blade and a couple of ribs) followed by 3 weeks in France eating croissants, cheese and drinking bucket loads of vin rouge, I’ve piles on a load of weight! What’s the best way of losing it quickly? I can only trainer on my turbo (Neo) and I hope start running in 2 weeks time #AskGCNtraining
#torqueback, 3 years ago I got into cycling and bought a used 2003 trek 5900 from a friend. Since then I've become a regular cyclist, riding 3-4 times/week. I've had to replace some parts (shifters, front crackset) but the bike remains functional and fun to ride. Being 15 years old (the bike) do I need to get a new bike or will this last for 5+ years?
So Chris says keep the centre of gravity over the wheels, but then you play a clip of emma saying the centre of gravity needs to be closer to the corner. Eh?
I have to say, I'm surprised at your answers to the cycling around blind corners question. How about just accepting that you'll have to take them slower, traffic coming won't see you till the last second and you won't see them. Losing a few fractions of a second has to be preferable to literally risking your life. If you want to do a timed route regularly to track your progress how about picking a route without blind corners. Please folks put safety over speed!
One way to "cheat" a corner is, to look at a garmin or other gps and study the shape of the descend for a few seconds. Do this before the descend, not during. Also, these devices are good, but not perfect. Don't rely on them too heavily.
I just picked up my first carbon roadie. I find that bike rack I use to transport (Vertex 4) around could damage my frame during transport, as I find any bumps on the road the rack slightly jumps. What do you guys recommend I should can do to ensure the frame doesn't get damage or should I be looking at another carrier. #Torqueback
Is it safe to buy a canyon aeroad? I know alot of ppl who have the forks of their aeroads broken in half which may be due to the thickness of the fork.
#AskGCNTraining Hi Everyone at GCN, I’ve been running and riding for several years, but my goals for each discipline vary throughout the year. My question is, how do I balance training for both running and cycling to gain the most benefit? I’d ask Heather and Mark (#GTN), but I’m not too keen on getting in the water. Sorry guys.
#Torqueback I have done the London-Surrey 100 twice now (2017 and 2018), but as a puncheur-come-sprinter have walked up Leith Hill twice. Is there anything I can do to improve my climbing skills on the longer, steeper, hills?
#torqueback Hi GCN. I am Deliveroo rider and currently ride between 35 - 45 hours per week. I am interested in entering some competitions but have no idea where to begin. All I know is i am fast and drop roadies daily on a single speed bike.
What is the best way to change gears when going from the big ring to small ring or vise versa? Either I'm spinning too fast or grinding gears before chaging gears in the cassette. Do I change the gears on the cassette before the chainset? Or change gears in the chainset before the cassette? What is better? #TorqueBack
Unless you are using down tube shifters, why not do both at the same time? Starting in the '70's, with Suntour barcon's I would shift both at the same time, and with the brake lever shifters, I can do both at the same time (down two on the rear when moving to the big ring). I live in a hilly area, shift the front a lot, and I get several thousand miles (and several hundred front shifts) between dropped chains. I do road riding and bike commuting, and there is no doubt if I were racing, in the heat of battle I would experience more dropped chains, but for normal road riding using simultaneous double shifting, for me they are very rare.
I have fulcrum zero nite wheels designed for tubeless and clinchers. I'm running clinchers and find the Vittoria Corsa tires very difficult to install and seat properly. I've broken many tire irons in the efforts of trying to mount them. Any tips to save my fingers, patience and irons? #torqueback
#Torqueback Is it normal to have an unquenchable thirst after a long ride despite drinking throughout the ride? I usually down over 2 liters of water over the course of a half hour when I get home. Does this mean I'm not drinking enough during the ride?
#AskGCNtraining How can I absorb that chronic training load(fitness) when my fatigue is very high and my form is very low(near overload). Should I rest completely or should I go for a 30min high rpm recovery ride? Whats the best?
#AskGCNTraining #Torqueback I'm a larger rider so I have been good at sprints, but have also been doing some good (flat) time trialing efforts. Can I keep or better my top end while increasing my FTP/time trial power, or will my top end decrease when I try to increase my threshold?
I have a couple big hills where I live and the descents are in the range of 7-8% for 10km+. I have to brake a bit when I’m coming into the corners, but I like coming in hot. I was wondering if you have any tips for knowing your cornering limit or if you find out by sliding on the asphalt, which I don’t really want to do. Thanks! #torqueback #askgcntraining
I've lately been having issues with pain in my big toe (almost exclusively in my left foot) and I've been experimenting with different things to try and relieve it. I don't do any running or other high impact sports. I've noticed some things work better than others, but I'm still having an issue once I ride for more than an hour or an hour and a half. Any ideas of what I can try moving forward? #Torqueback
#Torqueback #AskGCNtraining How much time should I spend training in a group vs on my own or with only a friend or two? Also, do you recommend some training in the rain when roads are wet?
#AskGCNTraining a lot of the training sessions seem to require knowledge of power or cadence. But I currently do not have the funds to get these sensors on my bike. Are there training sessions which i can do to improve my cadence and/or power without these sensors?
Why bib shorts in the Pro peloton? I've only ever used regular (strapless) Lycra shorts and never had a problem with them slipping down/off or... anything really. Am I missing something that makes them worthwhile? #Torqueback
The bibs get rid of the waistband so there is less pressure on your lower abdomen, especially when bent over in the drops... it can be noticeable in hip flexion (leg coming up), breathing, bladder, etc. Also more likely to get gaps between jersey and shorts. Salt and grit can't gather in the waistband and chafe your skin if it isn't there. To be honest, I wore my Castelli Endurance shorts today on a long fast ride, using the drops a lot... and the shorts were the last thing on my mind... but on a tour last year they really annoyed me some days. My bibs are just that bit more comfortable at all times.
What Craig said. I had never worn bibs until a few months ago. I never had any problems or issues with shorts, but I didn’t know how nice/comfortable bibs were until I tried them.
Would riding in the drops of an endurance bike simulate riding on the hoods of a bike with much racier geometry? I currently ride a cross bike, fully slammed, on the road and I'm thinking to upgrade to an aero road bike at some point but want to prepare myself for the change in geometry. Should I ride in the drops for longer periods of time to get my body used to being much lower? #torqueback
#AskGCNTraining Greetings, another great show, thanks. Watched your recent training series and my question is, what do you recommend for maintaining the newly achieved fitness level.
#Torqueback Hi guys and thanks for the show. I ride a Wilier Zero 7 with an Ultegra R8000 groupset. I have noticed that when I'm on a group ride I tend to shift gears more often than the other riders, both up and down. I think I have always been inclined to changing gears more frequently than other riders. The gears are indexed, chnage smoothly and the bike rides beautifully. Am I doing something wrong or is it just the type of rider I am?
Would you say it's worth waxing a chain on your race day bike just to try and gain some marginal gains? Or does it simply just work to keep the chain clean? #TorqueBack
Hi GCN, love your vids! I am fairly new to the sport of cycling, but have been experiencing some pain in my thigh muscles. I recently aimed for my first 100k ride, I was well prepared and fully energised. However, after about 2300ft of climbing and 40 miles, I got this excruciating pain in my thighs. Even after stopping it continued; just managed to get home. Was I just not ready? Or could this pain be something to do with my cleat alignment, as I have had it before at the end of longer rides. #torqueback
happened to me not cramp just pain was recommended to try a slightly higher seat even by a few MMs and it worked a treat I did have to play around with it for a few rides with various hight changes but eventually it settled on just a slight increase but it worked
#torqueback how accurate and reliable is garmin data?i have power2max crank based power meter connected to my edge820.but the power data keeps on jumpimg a lot.i have done the calibration method.
There have been many a time when climbing I have had to slow or stop which breaks my rhythm and i find it very hard to get that cadence and rhythm back i had before, most of the times i have to grind gears to the top. Is there a better/easier way? #TorqueBack
#AskGCNtraining Hi Guys...I have been commuting fasted to work daily for a few weeks now ..however I have actually been having an orange juice with some spirulina powder...is this small sugar boost a no no if I wished to get the full benefits? Thanks Dan - Ireland.
#askgcntraining I like to incorporate roller rides into my training, and they are my preferred method of pre-race warm up. Do you know of any good workouts for the rollers.
My right chain stay has a huge dent in it and do I need to buy a new frame. My bike is a size small and I think I need a medium sized bike. My weight is 155.3lb. #torqueback
#AskGCNtraining Hi guys :D This is my first season on a road bike and I'm wondering what's best for building fitness during winter (Poland-cant ride my road bike) for my next season a MTB, cross bike or an indoor trainer? :)
#Torqueback Ay up lads and lasses, I'm going on a cycling holiday to mallorca in October. It's my first big mile cycle holiday, I've been training harder, eating well and making sure I have a couple of days recovery a week. We are planning on doing 100 miles for 3 days in a row, I usually find at the moment by the third day of training harder I get very bad backache. I've tried varying levels of climbing, intensity and route, and also tried tweaking the iron horse in certain area's that I thought might be the problem. Any advice? Also any training tips you could recommend for the big climbs would be much appreciated. Cheers.
Daniel Smith sounds to me like a bike fit issue. I had an issue last year with lower back pain. I put a longer stem on and the pain went away. I think I was too squashed and my lower spine was having to curve unnaturally. Everyone is different though so probably best you go get a professional bike fit. With regards to Majorca, 100 miles a day sounds tough if you're cycling on the west of the island where all the hills are! Don't worry too much about the climbs though, there's nothing there that's that difficult if you've got a compact chainset. Have fun dude!
What are some good weight training options for road/track sprinters? Should i bother with upper for the track or just keep doing core? #Torqueback #AskGCNtraining
Brandon DeLine barbell squats (not in a rack / Smith machine) are great for the core. Build up to heavy set, say 5x5 to train for strength without to much hypertrophy/ bulk
#Torqueback When I try to shoulder my cx bike t is too heavy for my measly cyclist arms to lift and when its finally on my shoulder it is uncomfortable and painful.Any ideas for solutions to this or how to make the shouldering more comfortable?
Get in your questions using the #Torqueback or if it is training related #AskGCNtraining 👇
#Torqueback Is there any way that we can buy your jerseys? They're really cool and I like them!
I actually prefer cornering on 23mm tyres, nowdays I only go on 25mm, and they feel a bit soft in cornering and dont give me as much confidence in going fast as the 23mm did. Maybe its just in my head but its the way I feel :)
#Torqueback Should you consume less sugars/food with lower glycemic index to reduce my blood sugar , which increases growth hormone levels?
#Torqueback can Chris speak flemish/dutch or was it a google powered pronunciation?
Global Cycling Network #torqueback I am preparing for a fondo. The course starts with an uphill section of about 8 miles. Normally my approach to a long ride is to keep to an easy heart rate for the first third, however, with this hill, which is near my house, I cannot seem to stop my heart rate getting very high, and it worries me that I won’t be able to get all the way round the course after it. I am in my late sixties. Any suggestions how I can preserve energy for the long haul after the first uphill section?
Staying motivated for commuting. I have a fair amount of experience. Over the last 6 years I have commuted about 5 days a week all year long for an average of about 6,000 miles/year.Tip#1: vary your route if possible: a change in scenery, even if it is the next street over is refreshing. Tip#2: keep a log of your rides and mileage, like on a spreadsheet. This allows you to look back at where you rode, when to change wear items (chains, sprockets, tires, etc.). It also facilitates setting short term goals like "what can I do to get an extra 50mi this week?" Tip#3: occasionally switch bikes. A couple of times I have ridden in on my big pink beach cruiser. Not only does it provide an opportunity to do something different, it looks cool in the bike rack at work, it is a challenge, and help appreciate my regular commuter.Tip#4: Recovery meal/drink after arriving at work. I usually do a serving of oatmeal or some chocolate milk. There is nothing great about being bonked out at your desk. Tip#5: Greet and chat with the fellow cyclist on the way. This promotes a socialization of the community, and you never know who you might meet ( or town-sign race)Tip #6: Strava! ... but not all your rides. Checking your favorite segments for best time of the day is rewarding, and if you are like me, KOMs are VERY infrequent (I do have one that is on my work-site where I would have gone faster if I wasn't slowed down by a Camaro that was doing the speed-limit). Taking a break from Strava also changes the nature of the ride. I am more likely to chat with other riders, or catch up on some recovery.Tip #7: In the words of the Jim Carey character in "Liar Liar" "Obey the law, a##hole!" Observing (stops, signals, and right-of-ways) helps alleviate the stress of unnecessary adrenaline. For anyone riding at speed, it has absolutely been proven that riding with traffic is much safer. Stopping at all intersection (junction) stops is a good ambassador thing to do as well as the law, which brings us to #8... Tip #8: Be a good ambassador for cycling. Over a long period, most of the drivers you see will see you again, how do you want to be remembered and treated (the golden rule thing is especially important since a cyclist is ALWAYS out weight-classed >15 times over by almost any car. I have learned long ago to refrain from shouting at drivers who make bad decisions and I now wave with all my fingers. Letting drivers know you see their lane crowding or near cut-offs (turning in front of you thinking you are going slower than you are) by simply waving or just shouting "Hey!" Sometimes the good ambassador thing to do is to alert authorities of drivers or cyclist absolutely doing something malicious.Tip #9: Take "ownership" of your routes. By this I mean deal with overhang tree branches and hazards that will effect others (or yourself the next time through). For small jobs I deal with them myself, but also know who to call (gov. agency) if it is appropriate. Taking a little bit of responsibility adds to the meaning of the ride and it is refreshing to do something or see someone else cares enough to do something.Tip #10: Move to Tucson, I can ride 365. The summer heat is bearable with an early start and two chilled bottles, and the monsoon storms are infrequent enough to absolutely enjoy getting soaked, or you can just wait an hour and it will clear. This last tip is meant to convey something like "find something awesome/challenging about where you live, or move somewhere you can"Thanks for listening. I really should copy this down for myself...
Worth the read. Thanks man
Good work @Tim, esp 7, 8, and 9. Re the original question: wear suitable clothing for the conditions, and use duplicated light sets all the time.
Wow thanks for sharing all your top tips!
To get 25mm tyres to fit on a bike that only takes 23mm, a wider wheel rim might work, as the tyre will be wider but not so deep in section and might then not run on the brake bridge. This worked for me when I tried some more modern wider rims than my old rather narrow wheels. An expensive solution but handy if you are upgrading your wheels
Corning: I have been an advanced motorcycle instructor and the golden rules are much as said in the video but I would add, never take the racing line unless it's a closed road. Always be as far left for right bends or far right for left bends as allowed so you give yourself the best sight line possible. I have followed many a student and using my line compared to their typical untrained racing line I would be faster mainly because the better vision of the bend would mean more speed in and therefore faster out. Another big advantage to this non racing line is you are not exposed to the centre of the road, how many of us have seen other drivers taking a bend just that bit too wide meaning you have had to brake or adjust to give them more room. The only downside is that you do have to be aware of the outer edge surface often potholed so don't go too wide.
I had the same tire clearance issue. I moved from Conti to Schwalbe tires. They stand less proud from the rim. I gained several mm of clearance on both the front and back. To quantify, I used post it notes as a feeler gauge. There was a night and day difference
For commuting motivation, I take the car to work on Monday morning (or Sunday evening if I’m being super-keen), along with a week’s worth of clean clothes. Then, in the morning I haven’t got the option to take the car. Leave the car at work all week and bring it home again at the weekend. Ok, it’s more compulsion than motivation but it’s always easier to ride home than to ride in so the temptation to take the car in the evening is less than in the morning... works for me!
That's a great top tip, thanks for sharing!
Great video made by "Staing alive" and "Aero"! Always fun see how new presenters are and Chris and James seem be like this.
About two months back I did a short steep climb during my lunch hour to get the most out of my limited time. The hill has a nice sharp corner towards the top posted as a 15mph corner which I did not see on my way down (would have been helpful). Any way I got into that corner at about 30mph leaning super hard and then....all of a sudden my front wheel started skipping and sending me towards the other lane. Amazingly enough I did not panic and the only two things that went through my mind were that's interesting and I'd better slow down before the next corner. That was fun and a fantastic story only to be done once as I choose to live. :)
Going faster through blind corners? It’s like asking: how do I jump out of a third-story window face-first and not die? It’s a blind corner; slow down as if your life depended on it (it does).
Joe Bond exactly. Im not a particularly fast cyclist so generally can hug corners and not cary so much speed that im put in the road. The amount of times Ive gone around bends,blind or otherwise and met a car way over the line in my lane and Ive been so thankful I wasnt further out.
What a perfect dinamic duo make this two sprinters, love seeing them present together. Keep the good work guys... Cheers
Best Dukes of Hazzard episode ever.
Would that make Dan "Uncle Jesse?"
Broooo!
I ride blind corners with my eyes closed. It's more aero
😳
17:45 There be fightin' talk. Let's have an arm wrestle between you both 😜 GCN guns award.
Jon Burnell why does your profile picture look so much like Lasty...
@@mattparsons6487 Ha ha ha, I've never noticed that. Although now I've seen it I can't unsee it 😵 Wish I could suffer as well as Lasty can.
Who would win!?
How to stay motivated? Get some expensive cold weather kit that makes you feel obligated to ride! Might even have the added side-effect of making the ride more enjoyable.
Having the right kit can certainly help you get out!
One of the things I do to motivate myself to bike-commute to work on days I might not feel it is to not shower the night before. (I shower at work after I bike in) So my choice in the morning is to either hop in the shower right away, go to work filthy, or just ride in and take a shower when I get there like normal. It seems silly, but it's often the thing that gets me on my bike on those less than idea days.
Best book ever written on how to corner is called Roadcraft. It was originally written in the 1930's. Has been used ever since to train drivers and riders of all standards. Show exactly how to corner, on a bike, in a car, truck or motorcycle. Worth a read. Takes the guesswork out of how fast to take a corner. !!!!!
Cornering: Always ride as fast as you can see. Works for road, mountain, etc. The concept is simply - go only as fat as you can stop within the distance you can currently see. You have to manage for the unexpected... deer, raccoons, cats, downed trees, gravel, puddles, cars, trucks, slower riders, pedestrians, whatever... you're eyes connected to your hands connected to your brakes will dictate how fast you should go... there's a fine line and you can push it; but you're just pushing up the risk/reward levels.
Side note - if you do have to stop very aggressively - throw your weight as far back over the back tires at the same time you are yanking the levers it significantly increases your stopping power. Learn and practice this and your 'fast as you can see (stop)' speed will increase. GCN Braking Vid: ruclips.net/video/frIKK_XU-qE/видео.html
Re 25mm clearance question. I had same exact issue with my brand new Diamondback road bike. Just stick with 23mm. If they are Conti tires, it’s likely the 23mm is actually 25mm anyways since they tend to run pretty wide.
@BelgianDude - To give a bit more clearance for your 25 mm tires, you can try adjusting your brake cable to bring the brake pads closer to the wheel. This may slightly raise the bridge. This worked for me (on my front wheel) when I went from a 25mm to a 28mm. Good luck.
First rule to follow on two wheels is 'lose your vision,lose your speed' . Who knows what 's round the corner! Look for the vanishing point, if its getting closer to you slow down,if it's opening up you can speed up.
When I ride my bike, sweat tends to drip from my head onto my glasses. As a result, my glasses end up covered in dried up sweat spots, somewhat limiting my visibility. It tends to be annoying on longer rides. Any tips on how to deal with that? #torqueback
There a few bandanas made for this purpose which can work pretty well - you need something thin enough that will not make you even hotter
I used Halo brand bandana. It has this “sweat block” that helps keep my eyes dry from forehead sweats. No sweat drip on my Oakley’s. Check it out
sweat band only works for a limited time for me, until the sweat band is full, and starts dropping. I sweat alot, and indoor training is almost impossible even with a portable a/c (only goes down to 17degrees) + fans in the same room.
I use the Sweat GUTR. Got it from Amazon. Works great about 90% of the time. The Halo only works about 8 miles then i need to take off and wring it out. Too saturated with my sweat.
Cary some pre moistened lens cleaners
TheBlegianDude. I had a similar problem with my frame as well. Specialized makes a 24 mm tire. So kind of in the middle! they work great for me!
#AskGCNTraining Do you use music when you train indoors? How about outdoors? Any suggestions on songs or artists or genre? For outside, how about headphones, ear buds - both ears or just one? Good advice on blind corner riding, by the way.
Rishloo for indoors!
Indoors it can be really motivating to have music. When outside it can be harder to hear oncoming traffic
I've used dropout spacing with bits of cut up spoke nipples and I've made clearance on a seat stay bridge with a round file. I don't recommend either but... they worked >.>
The minimum angle between a road and a vertical of bike during cornering should not be less than about 45 degree. One can calculate the angle by angle=ArcTan(1/static coefficient of friction between road and tire). There are two coefficients of friction static CFS and dynamic CFD so use static one as tire is not moving relative to the road in the contact. So, according to the formula and some of internet data you get for rubber on dry asphalt CFS=0.85 angle of 49.6 degree.
"rubber" first off different tires have different compounds. A P Zero will have more grip than a gatorskin and will thus allow a harder lean. Also, the lower the pressure, the more rubber on the road and thus the greater the adhesive effect of the rubber on the road. Lastly, lean angle also depends on the weight distribution of the rider-bike system. A very heavy bike and light rider (think motorcycle) will have to lean more for the same cornering force relative to a top heavy rider on a light bike.
You guys are awesome to watch/listen to!!!! Cheers! Good banter and great advice
Cheers Mike
sometimes, you must account for cars or motorcycles coming from the ther direction going over the line, best to be safe first rather than quick
Definitely!
My tip for blind corners: have your GPS unit displaying the route. Glance at it in advance for an idea of how sharp an upcoming corner is, particularly useful on descents.
Good to see how much fun you were both having.. nice one chaps!
Cheers Rich
I need more help with more detailed cornering questions! When I watch the videos on cornering I feel like there is important information missing: what is meant by go at 95%. What does being on the edge/getting close to the fastest speed feel like? Every cornering I've done has felt the same except once where my front tire slipped out which to me felt like it came out of nowhere. Can you also give some advice on what to do if you are cornering and you run into trouble such as you are aimed at a patch of gravel/wet road or some obstacle while cornering? #Torqueback
Don't look at the obstacle for starters... you go where you look. Look at the line you want to take around it. You might need to straighten up and take a bit more speed off to run through the obstacle if it is over the whole lane and then lean into the corner again.
Make sure you corner in the drops to put some weight through the front tyre to help it grip (maybe let a little pressure out too, run bigger tyres or better compound / supple sidewalls)... cheap, hard tyres will let go very quickly whereas sticky, or softer tyres will have a larger transition zone and you will feel/hear the feedback as they begin to lose traction... the bike will start to move under you and you may hear the tyre 'scraping' on the ground as it moves sideways. You are moving beyond 100% / over the edge.
To me, getting close to the fastest speed means I exit the corner at a speed that seems close to fastest possible... did my bike flow from the apex - safely use all the space and get up to speed quickly out of the corner? If you come out of a corner feeling slow it usually means something went wrong in the corner and the adjustments killed your speed (or, if the cornering felt safe, you just braked a little extra going into it than what was needed). Saying all of that, I rarely push myself on corners. I am happy with 80%. Too often there is traffic, bad surface, animals - very unpredictable where I ride.
I hope some of that perspective is helpful.
Belgian dude you should get rims with a greater internal width. Like 18 or 19, especially if you have 15 now. They will make the tire wider which makes it shorter that give you more clearance. Also the ultegra 8000 brakes are rated for 28’s, the frame is still ultimately an issue but they have just a little more room for tires. Like 1-2mm more.
In Thailand, Thais in cars,lorries buses and motorbikes only overtake on bends,if blind even better, so be verrrry careful coming in the opposite direction
I like the way the presenters say "Ask GCN a thing" :D
8:41 this is a big issue. i moved from europe to the tropics and its so much easier to get motivated here to go cycling.
Hi GCN ! (you guys rock btw) In the spirit of always performing at my best and staying injury free, what should I be doing about an hour PRE and an hour POST ride ? (Foam rolling / stretching, muscle activation, nutrition, etc) So basically what would be the ideal routine before and after my training rides ? #AskGCNtraining
Hi guys it is with deep regret that Richard James Taylor past away in Andorra in a cycle event.. still waiting on details , but lost control of his bike on a descent and went over a wall and passed away with his injuries .. Rick has won a few Hacks on your site, and just got his 1st cat licence last year and only 31yrs old.. a very talented rider who joked a lot and made everyone laugh , he will be missed by all and his girlfriend Kerry .. could you please put a mention in for such a great rider please .. cheers
Wayne
Ps great work on the GCN show
#Torqueback - What is the best way to ride over cattle grids? Should I go fast or slow down? And should I keep peddling when crossing them or freewheel for a bit?
Yes! GCN answered my question. I can now die in peace.
I live in a hilly area, Toowoomba, which is an extinct volcano and also part of the Great Dividing Range.
#AskGCNTraining what is the etiquette and best approach to crit racing? I want to get into crit racing after trying cyclo-cross but have no idea what sort of level I need to be at. Are there also any do's and don'ts such as if you get dropped or anything that ticks off the peloton? Thanks, best channel on RUclips.
@Sam wilson; get a CX/Gravel bike with road geometry. It’s not so common, but there are some brands..I use Sione from Sione-Bikes.
hahaha "you don't want biceps as big as his, well actually......Mine are bigger"
💪
Oh, this was about racing, taking blind corners is easy, once you exit the corner hit your front tire on the wet centerline on the road, hit pavement and slide under the safety rail to a 20 m drop.
Aero vs Climbing Bike - I am in the market for a new bike and one deciding factor ir price. A lot of the aero bikes are quite a bit dearer than a climbing bike. Eg Tarmac and Venge for example. If you don't have a fat wallet you will probably go climbing bike
Seems brutal that schedule for complete newcomers, 6-8h/wk seems like allot depending on the starting point.
I bought my bike a couple of months ago, first bike I've owned in like 20 years. I've mostly been a couch potato for the past 15y, and i was really struggling to complete 10km at first, Took me around 45mins. 3-4 rides a week around 30 mins each has gotten me to the point where I'm not completely dead after 10km, and I'm actually able to do another 10 home from work, and I've got my avg speed up from sub 18 to around 24 when i'm really going for it, and I'm only now planning to try my first longer ride of around 50-60km
I’ve recently been off the bike for about a month for a variety of reasons. I tried to stay active during that time but definitely not at the volume or intensity as usual. What are recommended workouts to prepare for a race in one months time? #askGCNtraining
#Torqueback - Do you find that other sports / activities can become more difficult the more you cycle due to the rigors specific to cycling? Like for Football, tennis ... dart?
Is there any disadvantages from putting a wider tyre on the front? (Ex. 28mm on front and 25mm on rear) #torqueback
#AskGCNtraining
I have a bit of a long winded question so bear with me here. :)
When I built up my bike I got it a set of training and a set of race wheels. On the training wheels I have an 11-25 cassette. And on the racing wheels I have an 11-28 cassette. This is paired up with my 36/52 crank. Recently my fitness has gotten to the point where I can be seeded with the pro riders in my country. And I can keep up with them for the most part. But I loose them in climbs. I recently saw this in a 4 day tour up a 19km long cat1 climb.
When I am training I often hit some 10-12% climbs. They are really tough on the 11-25.
But will climbing/grinding those hills on an 11-25 make me a stronger climber so that when I use the 11-28 it just feels easier on the smaller gears and I go faster? Or would using a smaller cassette say an 11-28 help develop my climbing better than grinding in an 11-25?
Essentially. Which cassette would help develop my climbing skills best? Grinding in training = flying in racing? Or floating up in training = floating up in racing?
Dudes, excellent show. cheers!
Thanks Richard!
Wait wait wait. What??? Hanging off the side of the bike/sticking your knee out will NOT reduce the amount of weight on your tires and it will NOT reduce the amount of grip. Prove me wrong. In ref to 3:20 or so
se7enTse7en stability and grip are two different things. I 100% understand why you want to stay inline with the bike but grip is not the reason.
Two things are mentioned when they talk about it
1) Hanging off the bike, or as I understand it shifting body weight as we are leaning into the corner- this should not be done
2) Sticking the knee out, the side in which we are turning- should be done I guess, all pros do it too right?
niranchan neither "should" be done because neither are particularly useful. But I think the correct answer is do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. None of these things will reduce the speed at which you can safely take a corner.
Gravity acts in one direction, down. Now if the road is banked, your speed and thus momentum provides a measure of downforce since the momentum is pushing to the outside, against the road. But if you put YOUR weight to the inside of the turn, to the side of the bike tire contact patch, the force of gravity acting on your tires is reduced, since gravity only provides a force straight down. Friction is grip and is the product of friction coefficient and normal force, or force perpendicular to the surface. MTB is a great teacher of this principle. A Bermed (banked) turn needs less bike lean under the rider, a flat turn needs more. If you hang to the inside on dirt, the bike will slip away from you. The reason street motorcycles, like moto go do what they do is because the bike weighs enough that the rider can hang to the inside without losing grip to the point of a slide. They do this so they can go faster for a given lean angle. A road bike doesn't weigh enough to make that work.
Another factor with a motorbike is the gyroscopic effect is much more important than on a bike so moving you weight helps to get the bike to turn. Also another factor is that on my motorbike I can still control the power, on my push bike I need to pedal, can't so do that with my knee down.
Hi GCN, I'm fairly new to the roadbiking segment, but used to do downhill for over 8 years from now on. I'm not saying that I'm changing of discipline, but I want to combine roadbiking with seasonal downhill.
Now I do live not so far from the Kemmelberg in Belgium, which is a 17% hill at one side and the other is 11-20% grade.
My issue is that the road of the hill is unfortunately been fit with cobblestones that haven't been maintained.
Do you know a good technique to handle those cobblestones, as well uphill as downhill as flat?
#Torqueback
#Torqueback - What would be the best next upgrade on a carbon bike in terms of weight and performance benefits? Wheels, Handlebars, Cranks etc etc.
Michael Roberts wheels
The rider.
Wheels because it is the primary contact point for the bike with the road, so better/lighter wheels would improve both comfort and speed
So, after taking a tumble 4 weeks ago (resulting in a broken collar bone, shoulder blade and a couple of ribs) followed by 3 weeks in France eating croissants, cheese and drinking bucket loads of vin rouge, I’ve piles on a load of weight! What’s the best way of losing it quickly? I can only trainer on my turbo (Neo) and I hope start running in 2 weeks time #AskGCNtraining
#torqueback, 3 years ago I got into cycling and bought a used 2003 trek 5900 from a friend. Since then I've become a regular cyclist, riding 3-4 times/week. I've had to replace some parts (shifters, front crackset) but the bike remains functional and fun to ride. Being 15 years old (the bike) do I need to get a new bike or will this last for 5+ years?
So Chris says keep the centre of gravity over the wheels, but then you play a clip of emma saying the centre of gravity needs to be closer to the corner.
Eh?
I have to say, I'm surprised at your answers to the cycling around blind corners question. How about just accepting that you'll have to take them slower, traffic coming won't see you till the last second and you won't see them. Losing a few fractions of a second has to be preferable to literally risking your life.
If you want to do a timed route regularly to track your progress how about picking a route without blind corners. Please folks put safety over speed!
First show in the world that recommends taking corners sharp and fast.
One way to "cheat" a corner is, to look at a garmin or other gps and study the shape of the descend for a few seconds. Do this before the descend, not during. Also, these devices are good, but not perfect. Don't rely on them too heavily.
I just picked up my first carbon roadie. I find that bike rack I use to transport (Vertex 4) around could damage my frame during transport, as I find any bumps on the road the rack slightly jumps. What do you guys recommend I should can do to ensure the frame doesn't get damage or should I be looking at another carrier. #Torqueback
Is it safe to buy a canyon aeroad?
I know alot of ppl who have the forks of their aeroads broken in half which may be due to the thickness of the fork.
#AskGCNTraining Hi Everyone at GCN, I’ve been running and riding for several years, but my goals for each discipline vary throughout the year. My question is, how do I balance training for both running and cycling to gain the most benefit? I’d ask Heather and Mark (#GTN), but I’m not too keen on getting in the water. Sorry guys.
I score higher in FTP tests indoors on Zwift than I do outdoors. Zwift setup is dumb fluid trainer with PowerTap hub
Re commuting motivation: move to London. If your only alternative to the bike is the Tube, you'll pick your bike any day ;)
#Torqueback I have done the London-Surrey 100 twice now (2017 and 2018), but as a puncheur-come-sprinter have walked up Leith Hill twice. Is there anything I can do to improve my climbing skills on the longer, steeper, hills?
#torqueback Hi GCN. I am Deliveroo rider and currently ride between 35 - 45 hours per week. I am interested in entering some competitions but have no idea where to begin. All I know is i am fast and drop roadies daily on a single speed bike.
What is the best way to change gears when going from the big ring to small ring or vise versa? Either I'm spinning too fast or grinding gears before chaging gears in the cassette. Do I change the gears on the cassette before the chainset? Or change gears in the chainset before the cassette? What is better? #TorqueBack
Unless you are using down tube shifters, why not do both at the same time? Starting in the '70's, with Suntour barcon's I would shift both at the same time, and with the brake lever shifters, I can do both at the same time (down two on the rear when moving to the big ring). I live in a hilly area, shift the front a lot, and I get several thousand miles (and several hundred front shifts) between dropped chains. I do road riding and bike commuting, and there is no doubt if I were racing, in the heat of battle I would experience more dropped chains, but for normal road riding using simultaneous double shifting, for me they are very rare.
I have fulcrum zero nite wheels designed for tubeless and clinchers. I'm running clinchers and find the Vittoria Corsa tires very difficult to install and seat properly. I've broken many tire irons in the efforts of trying to mount them. Any tips to save my fingers, patience and irons? #torqueback
#Torqueback Is it normal to have an unquenchable thirst after a long ride despite drinking throughout the ride? I usually down over 2 liters of water over the course of a half hour when I get home. Does this mean I'm not drinking enough during the ride?
#AskGCNtraining How can I absorb that chronic training load(fitness) when my fatigue is very high and my form is very low(near overload). Should I rest completely or should I go for a 30min high rpm recovery ride?
Whats the best?
#AskGCNTraining #Torqueback I'm a larger rider so I have been good at sprints, but have also been doing some good (flat) time trialing efforts. Can I keep or better my top end while increasing my FTP/time trial power, or will my top end decrease when I try to increase my threshold?
I have a couple big hills where I live and the descents are in the range of 7-8% for 10km+. I have to brake a bit when I’m coming into the corners, but I like coming in hot. I was wondering if you have any tips for knowing your cornering limit or if you find out by sliding on the asphalt, which I don’t really want to do. Thanks! #torqueback #askgcntraining
I've lately been having issues with pain in my big toe (almost exclusively in my left foot) and I've been experimenting with different things to try and relieve it. I don't do any running or other high impact sports. I've noticed some things work better than others, but I'm still having an issue once I ride for more than an hour or an hour and a half. Any ideas of what I can try moving forward? #Torqueback
#Torqueback #AskGCNtraining How much time should I spend training in a group vs on my own or with only a friend or two? Also, do you recommend some training in the rain when roads are wet?
#AskGCNTraining a lot of the training sessions seem to require knowledge of power or cadence. But I currently do not have the funds to get these sensors on my bike. Are there training sessions which i can do to improve my cadence and/or power without these sensors?
Why bib shorts in the Pro peloton? I've only ever used regular (strapless) Lycra shorts and never had a problem with them slipping down/off or... anything really. Am I missing something that makes them worthwhile? #Torqueback
The bibs get rid of the waistband so there is less pressure on your lower abdomen, especially when bent over in the drops... it can be noticeable in hip flexion (leg coming up), breathing, bladder, etc. Also more likely to get gaps between jersey and shorts. Salt and grit can't gather in the waistband and chafe your skin if it isn't there. To be honest, I wore my Castelli Endurance shorts today on a long fast ride, using the drops a lot... and the shorts were the last thing on my mind... but on a tour last year they really annoyed me some days. My bibs are just that bit more comfortable at all times.
What Craig said. I had never worn bibs until a few months ago. I never had any problems or issues with shorts, but I didn’t know how nice/comfortable bibs were until I tried them.
Dt swiss prc 1400 or mavic cosmic carbon pro, which one should I get for longer life and faster wheel? #AskGCNanything #TorqueBack
Would riding in the drops of an endurance bike simulate riding on the hoods of a bike with much racier geometry? I currently ride a cross bike, fully slammed, on the road and I'm thinking to upgrade to an aero road bike at some point but want to prepare myself for the change in geometry. Should I ride in the drops for longer periods of time to get my body used to being much lower? #torqueback
#AskGCNTraining
Greetings, another great show, thanks. Watched your recent training series and my question is, what do you recommend for maintaining the newly achieved fitness level.
#Torqueback Hi guys and thanks for the show. I ride a Wilier Zero 7 with an Ultegra R8000 groupset. I have noticed that when I'm on a group ride I tend to shift gears more often than the other riders, both up and down. I think I have always been inclined to changing gears more frequently than other riders. The gears are indexed, chnage smoothly and the bike rides beautifully. Am I doing something wrong or is it just the type of rider I am?
Would you say it's worth waxing a chain on your race day bike just to try and gain some marginal gains? Or does it simply just work to keep the chain clean? #TorqueBack
How do I get stronger without gaining weight? In other words, how do I boost my watts/kg? #torqueback #AskGCNtraining
Hi GCN, love your vids!
I am fairly new to the sport of cycling, but have been experiencing some pain in my thigh muscles. I recently aimed for my first 100k ride, I was well prepared and fully energised. However, after about 2300ft of climbing and 40 miles, I got this excruciating pain in my thighs. Even after stopping it continued; just managed to get home. Was I just not ready? Or could this pain be something to do with my cleat alignment, as I have had it before at the end of longer rides. #torqueback
happened to me not cramp just pain was recommended to try a slightly higher seat even by a few MMs and it worked a treat I did have to play around with it for a few rides with various hight changes but eventually it settled on just a slight increase but it worked
Thanks nick w, will be sure to give it a try
#torqueback how accurate and reliable is garmin data?i have power2max crank based power meter connected to my edge820.but the power data keeps on jumpimg a lot.i have done the calibration method.
There have been many a time when climbing I have had to slow or stop which breaks my rhythm and i find it very hard to get that cadence and rhythm back i had before, most of the times i have to grind gears to the top. Is there a better/easier way? #TorqueBack
#AskGCNtraining Hi Guys...I have been commuting fasted to work daily for a few weeks now ..however I have actually been having an orange juice with some spirulina powder...is this small sugar boost a no no if I wished to get the full benefits? Thanks Dan - Ireland.
I got strean n sometimes pain in my left knee after cycling , what should I do
#torqueback why is the hour record always attempted on a track bike and never a road TT bike? Are road TT bikes not allowed on the velodrome?
#torqueback My sunglasses, Specialized Cortina adaptalite, always slip down my nose when I get sweaty. Is there any way to fix this?
#Torqueback Are protein drinks meant to taste nice. I just started using them will I get used to it
#ASKGCNTRAINING What can I do to find my muscle fiber type and then train specifically for it?
#askgcntraining I like to incorporate roller rides into my training, and they are my preferred method of pre-race warm up. Do you know of any good workouts for the rollers.
My right chain stay has a huge dent in it and do I need to buy a new frame. My bike is a size small and I think I need a medium sized bike. My weight is 155.3lb. #torqueback
Do you folks get annoying songs stuck on a loop in your head while riding? What are your techniques for dislodging them? #torqueback
#AskGCNtraining
Hi guys :D This is my first season on a road bike and I'm wondering what's best for building fitness during winter (Poland-cant ride my road bike) for my next season a MTB, cross bike or an indoor trainer? :)
#Torqueback Ay up lads and lasses, I'm going on a cycling holiday to mallorca in October. It's my first big mile cycle holiday, I've been training harder, eating well and making sure I have a couple of days recovery a week. We are planning on doing 100 miles for 3 days in a row, I usually find at the moment by the third day of training harder I get very bad backache. I've tried varying levels of climbing, intensity and route, and also tried tweaking the iron horse in certain area's that I thought might be the problem. Any advice? Also any training tips you could recommend for the big climbs would be much appreciated. Cheers.
Daniel Smith sounds to me like a bike fit issue. I had an issue last year with lower back pain. I put a longer stem on and the pain went away. I think I was too squashed and my lower spine was having to curve unnaturally. Everyone is different though so probably best you go get a professional bike fit.
With regards to Majorca, 100 miles a day sounds tough if you're cycling on the west of the island where all the hills are! Don't worry too much about the climbs though, there's nothing there that's that difficult if you've got a compact chainset. Have fun dude!
Great show
Thanks for the support! 👊
"Keep looking for the exit and eventually it will pop out."
If nothing else, on 3 o'clock ;)
What are some good weight training options for road/track sprinters? Should i bother with upper for the track or just keep doing core?
#Torqueback #AskGCNtraining
Brandon DeLine barbell squats (not in a rack / Smith machine) are great for the core. Build up to heavy set, say 5x5 to train for strength without to much hypertrophy/ bulk
#Torqueback When I try to shoulder my cx bike t is too heavy for my measly cyclist arms to lift and when its finally on my shoulder it is uncomfortable and painful.Any ideas for solutions to this or how to make the shouldering more comfortable?