general cycling discussion Archives - Page 4 of 7

The Joy of Garbage Miles

Since the holidays are here and the season has ended, most of us have put our training season to bed. We're tired, we're busy with holiday commitments and we're not really interested in fighting freezing temperatures and precipitation to get a ride in. On the other hand, we're not really interested in setting up the indoor trainer, either. So we take advantage of the warm days when we can, and we go out and ride, ignoring training, ignoring goals and ignoring all our power, heart rate and speed metrics. We go out and cruise along, sightseeing, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to put in “garbage miles.”

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Cycling With Headphones?

Since the days have gotten shorter and the weather colder, a lot of people have hung up their pedals for the season. Riding partners are tending to exterior household illumination, hiding from household guests or simply disinterested in fighting the cold and wind. Group rides are going into hibernation for the winter, people are sitting inside riding their trainers, and you're left all alone to grind out early winter miles on your own. But there are alternatives to spending your day alone and miserable on the windswept, barren roads, and the answer is right at your fingertips.

Tuning in, but not tuning out

Everyone has a mobile music device these days, and with iPods becoming cheaper and more compact, they've become more and more suited to entertaining us while exercising. A quick look to your nearest copy of iTunes will provide you hours upon hours of company on the roads. You can build playlists for different kinds of rides, whether you're planning intervals, recovery rides or tempo work, with music to match and encourage you throughout. Music can keep your mind from focusing on the cold, the wind or the your solitary existence on the road, but before you tune in, you need to think about a few things to keep you from tuning out.

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Shifting Trends

There seems to be a rising trend in shifting performance: more is better. While it's very true that Jens once said “more is better” he WAS talking about coffee at the time, not cogs or batteries. But with the leak of Shimano's Dura Ace 9000 spec sheet, we see that the market is once again forcing change upon us, this time in the form of 11 cogs. Campagnolo has been doing it for quite a few years already, but is there really any benefit other than being able to say “this one goes to 11?” Judging by information released today about SRAM's 2012 Red group, not everyone is buying into the claim that “more is better.”

Fact or fiction?

There are plenty of myths surrounding 11 speed drivetrains. When they first came out, people claimed that you could have lower gears, tighter gears, weaker chains, shorter component lifespan and incompatibility with current systems. Basically, everything that could be said about a new technology was said. But in reality, what ended up being true and not true, and is 11 speed really better than 10?

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The Basic Road Tool Kit

Nothing kills a ride faster than a mechanical. From the ubiquitous flat tire to a slipping seat post, the worst thing in the world is being stuck in the middle of nowhere without the basic tools you need to get home. That being said, carrying a few simple tools can make the difference between walking home in cleats and gliding into your driveway with a smile on your face.

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Review: Knog Lights – Frog and Beetle

With the falling back of the clocks, it becomes more and more likely that we'll encounter some riding after the sun has sunken beyond the horizon. This means that safety (as well as the law in many states) dictates that lights be installed on your bike to keep you visible to others. Of the many offerings on the market, there are a myriad of different ways to attach lights to your bike: brackets, bands, clamps and velcro wraps. One of the easiest to install and remove comes from Knog. The real question is how good are they and are they worth the (recently increased) cost.

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