Monday, May 30, 2011

Bike Build (continued...)

Some progress over the weekend. No rush. Won't get the front derailler and saddle until Tuesday...

Ergon GE1 grips...



Hoses and cable housings trimmed for length. I like short cables...



After much wrestling I managed to mount a pair of RaRa's...



Almost done!

Friday, May 27, 2011

BIke Build (so far...)

Frame in house. Started out the build this past week.

The frame...



Frame on the scale, includes CK headset...


XTR Trail brakes...



The business end of brakes...



XTR 2x10 crankset...



10s Derailleur...



Few more things to hang on the frame. Should be riding by end of the next week!

Going For Broke

Looking over my training log today. The month of May was diasterous. Not enough saddle time. Too much food. A lot of distractions. I've lost an alarming amount of training load. And gained an alarming amount of weight. The fall season is not far away. And I'd like to do the new bike justice...

It's a binary option. Turn up to fall with poor fitness, or rebuild the base over the summer. That means long three to six hour rides in the summer heat. While apprehensive, I'm committed to a loooong difficult summer of training to get where I want to be for fall. Maybe even looking forward to it? Times like these... cycling looks a lot like self-abuse.

I promise not to complain too much.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Finally

After ordering a new frameset on 14/Feb... I'm about to take delivery. But it's not the frame I ordered. That builder apparently can not even come close to filling their orders. And in fact, stopped taking orders for 2011 in MARCH. I've stubbornly hung on. Waiting. Because I feel the ordered bike is perfect for me. Test riding it was enlightening and elating. But even if it is perfect... it does me no good if I can't get my paws on it. Right now... I'm worried about getting the bike for fall! Delivery slipped from March... then April... then May... now June...

My dealer made me an tempting offer on another frameset. A bike I've don't have the opportunity to test ride. Will the offered frame work for me? All I have is the geometry charts and some engineering knowlege. My goal... to relate frame geometry to handling charachteristics of my Stumpy, Tarmac, the ordered frame, the offered bike, and bikes I test rode but hated.

Yes... I built a spreadsheet...and learned a lot.

Trying to determine the effect of frame dimensions and their effect on handling is difficult. Complicating the process is comparing 26-inch wheeled bikes to 29-inch wheeled bikes. Things like headtube angle don't translate. You have to convert to mm- of trail, a dimension most bike manufacturers don't show in their charts. This is where the spreadsheet came in!

The exercise was worthwhile. I found trail is a excellent predictor of handling. The bikes I liked v. disliked consistantly had similar trail dimensions. Other dimensions weren't consistant. For example: i liked a bike that had an unusually long top tube, and also one that had a unusually short top tube. But both of those bikes shared an equivalent amount of trail. Why don't manufacturers publish this dimension?

The result... I took the offered frame. It's got a trail in my preferred range, a slack HTA, it's light, and I'm getting a great deal on it cost-wise. Some stock photos...




It's a bit of a compromise. It's a bit of risk. But as Lee McCormick puts it... the best bike in the world is the bike you are riding!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Making Plans

May was an expensive month in terms of weight gain. Between Jazzfest, crawfish boils, spring travels, and recovery week, I added a few 'non helpful' pounds to my body mass. It's probably best that I no longer reside in Louisiana. Back to training... Proper nutrition features big on my summer program. My fitness is progressing well, but I'm carrying more weight than I'd like it to. Need to control before it endangers fall season.

Lately, I've been eating to appetite. Dangerous. I'm mindful of what I eat... but... I've only been tracking calories after eating. This isn't ideal. Very easy to underestimate calories and justify excess calories in your food. Especially, when you're hungry -HA! Tracking calories after the fact is good... but it's too late to find out afterward you've eaten too much.

I did much better planning my meals beforehand. I did this for a long time. Quite frankly... I've gotten lazy. I'm starting again. It's kinda nerdy, But at the same time... helpful. Makes shopping for groceries easier, too. It also allows me to pre-cook meals for the week without having to wrestle with "what's for dinner tonight?" after getting home from a late ride. It is an extra step. But a step that simplifies my life in total.

It isn't hard to do...I've mastered estimating what my workout calories will be beforehand. And I have a long record of my base metabolic requirements. Add those daily requirements together, subtract a goal for desired weight loss, and... I can very accurately calculate my nutritional needs. And yes... I keep a couple of meals "open" to allow for spontaneity. I don't beat myself up for occasionally deviating from the plan. And I can always substitue like-for-like. I can sub an orange for an apple for example.

That's the key... have a plan, but don't be a slave to it.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Off Track


Some recovery to avoid sickness paired with a weekend in New Orleans for JazzFest derailed my training. There is nothing conducive to training about New Orleans. But it was good fun. Good food. Good music. And a needed break. Lots of sleep deprivation. Though I slept more this year than most. Saw everyone I wanted to see with the exception of Karl Denson (I'm jinxed) and Black Joe Lewis (sold out). Got to see some of my very favorites including Lost Bayou Ramblers, Rebirth, Soulive, Trombone Shorty, Bear Creek Allstars, Topsy Chapman, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Stanton Moore Trio, Walter Wolfman Washington and Dumpstaphunk.

The one thing about JazzFest... you're on your feet. A lot. Stiff knees. Edema. Sore feet. A blister. A few days of recovery and I'm ready to try the bike. I'm a bit scared to find out how it will feel. But I've got to start somewhere. Scared to step on the scale, too. But the food was totally worth it!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Listening to the Body

Last post I mentioned my heart rate deflection. This has consistantly been an indicator of oncoming illness. Due for a recovery week, I started it two days early and took the weekend off. This was good. I didn't feel very well Saturday. Not sick. But not normal. No fever. But no energy either. Let's describe it as semi-sick. It passed rather quickly. Thankful I heeded the warning sign. I believe had I pushed through the weekend's training... I'd be down now. Listening to your body is a huge part of training.

I've used the time away from the saddle to accomplish a few needed things. I seem to be doing a lot of washing. Washed the mountain of laundry. Washed the road-cars. Washed the bikes. The rhoad bike required attention badly. Lots of caked on sports drink. Exceptionally dirty chain. Even needed disassembly of the rear brake caliper as it was downright gritty on the center shaft. It wasn't actuating evenly. Going to need new cables soon. The current type onboard are utter rubbish. Tough (though not impossible) to beat stock Shimano cables.

A light and easy spin awaits tonight...