The Fretboard Cycling Club

drofluf

Mellish said:

@JayGee ; - Hilly, partially hilly or largely flat  

Define hilly?

Serious question; we were discussing it on the club run the other week. My rule of thumb is if the climbing in metres is greater than the the 10x the distance in kilometres (because they’re more flattering than miles* ) then it’s hilly. So 600m climbing in 50km is “hilly”.

*if I were really vain I’d do my altitude in feet and distance in km. But the maths would do my head in. 

LastMantra

chillidoggy said:

Ah, OK. 

Mittens when I were a lad were different! And they were stitched onto elastic going through my coat so I didn't lose them.

And "bibs" were for messy eaters. You could end up in an entirely different club if you're not careful 

Mellish

@drofluf ; - anything more than a humpback bridge - for me, these days  

Jaycee

drofluf said:

Mellish said:

@JayGee ; - Hilly, partially hilly or largely flat  

Define hilly?

Serious question; we were discussing it on the club run the other week. My rule of thumb is if the climbing in metres is greater than the the 10x the distance in kilometres (because they’re more flattering than miles* ) then it’s hilly. So 600m climbing in 50km is “hilly”.

*if I were really vain I’d do my altitude in feet and distance in km. But the maths would do my head in. 

On that premise it just got into "Hilly" 

Having said that......

Mellish said:

@drofluf ; - anything more than a humpback bridge - for me, these days  

Totally agree, I don't mind hills, I am just really slow on them, my mate flies up them,

drofluf

Well according to my definition yesterday’s club run was officially “not hilly” 427m climbing in 85km. 

My body this morning strongly disagrees.  

Mellish

To be serious (on my own part), I'd say a 10% gradient is a decent workout - if it's half a mile long or more.

In my 20s we lived in Sheffield. There we had Pea Royd Lane. YouTube it and you can go up with the host rider  

jonnyburgo

I do The Brickworks every day to work,171m climb in 3.2km No 31 in the Peak District climbs thingy, part of a steady uphill 12mile ride in, its a nice climb, not too harsh but pretty consistent, Its a good cardio workout, Strava section record is 5 mins dead on, I'm probably more like 8 or 9 taking it easy, lovely views.

Mellish

@jonnyburgo ; - never ridden that but well done!

Pea Royd Lane is a real b******. Very steep as you approach the bridge, then it flattens for a few yards and even descends slightly before kicking up again. 

Now you're on the hardest section. You pass a house on your left and on a bit further to a left bend in the road. Here the gradient is 18%  

jonnyburgo

Mellish said:

@jonnyburgo ; - never ridden that but well done!

Pea Royd Lane is a real b******. Very steep as you approach the bridge, then it flattens for a few yards and even descends slightly before kicking up again. 

Now you're on the hardest section. You pass a house on your left and on a bit further to a left bend in the road. Here the gradient is 18%  

That sounds pretty stiff mate, I keep meaning to do one near us known as The Killer Mile at Mow Cop, looks brutal, I may just abandon half way through and go to the pub, max gradient of 19.8, Oof!

Mellish

Another to try is Trooper Lane, out Yorkshire way IIRC, might be Halifax.

Part of it is cobbled. It really makes you want to abandon but you shouldn't because then you've provided yourself with an excuse for an "out" if other climbs get too tough.

Stick with it, it's character-forming  

Jaycee

I have allways used SIS gels and tablets, but kast week I ordered a pack of Tailwind powders that do the job of both sis products. I cant see myself going back, put the powder in your drink and sip it as you ride around, no sugar cravings or drops, still early days though but I think I am convinced. 

Nikc

So I ride Fixed gear a fair bit - mainly commuting but for some clever reason I forget I TT on fixed as well - riding home tonight coming down a hill I ran out of legs - that was scary - proper Tourettes moment 

Mellish

@Nikc ; - riding fixed is something every keen cyclist should try. Out winter riding in snow and ice,, it gives you a more gentle way of braking. 

TT on fixed calls for thorough course knowledge. You have to stay on top of the gear, so you don't slow down, but too low a gearing and you'll "spin out" and still lose time  






. 

Nikc

Mellish said:

@Nikc ; - riding fixed is something every keen cyclist should try. Out winter riding in snow and ice,, it gives you a more gentle way of braking. 

TT on fixed calls for thorough course knowledge. You have to stay on top of the gear, so you don't slow down, but too low a gearing and you'll "spin out" and still lose time  


I TT on a 99 or 92 inch gear normally and have done for years - on some hilly courses I'll drop to 82 the balance between getting up and over and not spinning out is a dark art. Commuting I use 67 inch that seems to work quite well its a lumpy 18 mile commute and I'm not pushing hard. I find 'utility' riding on fixed is simpler and much less maintenance overall and then there's that oneness with the bike that riding gears just doesn't have

 




. 

drofluf

Never been brave enough to try fixed but ride single speed a lot, has most of the simplicity and lack of maintenance of fixed but allows you to forget to keep pedalling

Mellish

@drofluf ; - I'd encourage you to try it. Pick a largely flat loop (first time out), so you have no ascents/descents getting in the way, and just enjoy it.

It's different, and you get the sense the bike is taking you with it, rather than you pushing it, although you obviously are  

Nikc

drofluf said:

Never been brave enough to try fixed but ride single speed a lot, has most of the simplicity and lack of maintenance of fixed but allows you to forget to keep pedalling

I run a single speed MTB which is always a blast, but on the road I prefer fixed - give it ago the pedalling comes second nature quit quickly.

drofluf

Nikc said:

drofluf said:

Never been brave enough to try fixed but ride single speed a lot, has most of the simplicity and lack of maintenance of fixed but allows you to forget to keep pedalling

I run a single speed MTB which is always a blast, but on the road I prefer fixed - give it ago the pedalling comes second nature quit quickly.

Well my mob is s/s but haven’t ridden it in ages…

meanwhile on the road I did 80k on a club run this morning, we started with a faster group before 3 of us defected to a more manageable pace. Still managed to set a number of Strava PBS. 

Mellish

@drofluf ; 49.71 miles is a decent "run". Any recovery drink when you got home?

We used to buy large tubs of powder (electrolyte etc) that we mixed with water  

drofluf

Mellish said:

@drofluf ; 49.71 miles is a decent "run". Any recovery drink when you got home?

We used to buy large tubs of powder (electrolyte etc) that we mixed with water  

I’m “pretty sure” IPA is isotonic