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Post your road bicycle

Discussion in 'General' started by cha0s#242, May 19, 2016.

  1. pscook

    pscook Well-Known Member

    For anyone in the market for winter shoes, the 45NRTH Ragnarok is a pretty good boot. I picked up a pair at REI (shudder) since I had store credit due to a gift exchange. It's a fairly wide boot, so you can jam in a thicker sock without too much discomfort. I wore it for the first time yesterday in pouring rain and it ain't waterproof, but it's damn warm (compared to my ventilated road shoes). The boot itself is reasonably weatherproof, but the neoprene closure isn't water tight. Heavy, but very good for cold weather. Very well insulated.
     
  2. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    I'm wondering if I "need" a power meter......A few years ago these were only for hard core pros, now everyone and everything seems to be in watts. I'm wondering if I should invest in one, and if so how it will improve my training.

    Right now using a Garmin 510 with cadence, speed, heart rate. When input into TrainingPeaks, it provides a Stress score, but not power output.

    Last year I rode about 1,000 miles, so nothing crazy. Been getting back into it since the pandemic ramped up.
     
    cajun636 and TurboBlew like this.
  3. cha0s#242

    cha0s#242 Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand

    It's a good thing for training on the trainer. I had great results following Zwift training programs which are efficient when using watts instead of just hr as the numbers increase instantly with effort. This is better for short interval training and will yield results rapidly. is it a must have ? I don't think so. But if you can afford it, it's a cool toy to have.
     
    Gino230 likes this.
  4. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    I should have mentioned that I won't be zwifting or any of that indoor stuff anytime soon. I can't stand indoor trainers and I have access to nice weather year round.
     
    TurboBlew likes this.
  5. knedragon29

    knedragon29 Well-Known Member

    I bought a set of Favero Assioma power meter pedals , you can get a single side reader for like $400 or stages makes a left side crank arm power meter instead of dropping a grand. Its a now reading , HR lags behind and to many things vary it , hydration being the biggie.
     
    Gino230 likes this.
  6. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    I’ve also got the Favero Unos. Great power meter and I couldn’t imagine riding without one now. That and the HR monitor and I can pace myself properly, do an outdoor workout, and gauge my progress or lack there of.
     
  7. cajun636

    cajun636 Honda Junkie.


    Just think of it like this, would you go workout In the gym never knowing what weight you were lifting and sometimes counting reps?

    I like it because it gives me an exact prescribed number to get to when working out. My
    Current trainer used to
    Give me the numbers in RPE (perceived exertion) and
    I’m like nahhh man just tell me the watts to do because every day is different and I could be feeling different.
     
    Gino230 likes this.
  8. 83BSA

    83BSA Well-Known Member

    I don't begrudge anyone from gaining information on what they are doing, not doing, achieving, not achieving, in training. On the bike, on the roads, it simply is not for me.

    I ride for aerobic exercise. I used to run, and I wish I still could, but multiple ankle and knee ops from years of motorcycling offs preclude that.

    My time on the road is spent enjoying being outside, viewing the countryside and getting away from the phone, the news, the computer, the demands of work and others. It is a time of thought and reflection. While exercising the beer or Martinis from the body, it is restorative therapy for my mind. I will focus, periodically, on pushing myself up hills, on flats, keep track of my time for a segment or an entire outing, but that is not the focus or purpose of my ride.

    And, despite being in the country, the recent dramatic increase in exodus from Atlanta to rural living means the traffic on my rural routes has increased dramatically. I now avoid, or try mightily to avoid, certain stretches of once lightly traveled roads. When on them, my focus is exclusively devoted to traffic and safely navigating my way off them. It is neither fun nor restorative. But it is necessary. I don't need or want to further complicate that process.

    If data and tracking training is your thing, have at it. Get the best equipment you can afford. Keep logs and journals. Monitor everything. But, I respectfully suggest you also, at least periodically, simply enjoy the freedom from other aspects of life and use that time in a restorative manner - not only a break-it-down, exhaustive manner.

    Just my $0.02. YMMV.

    Cheers,

    Dave
     
  9. rice r0cket

    rice r0cket Well-Known Member

    I went w/ 4iiii which is the cheapest option at $299, and with better accuracy and reputation than the Stages, its a no brainer. It helped me progress my riding a fair bit last year for the few months I had it, but I never really entered into a structured training program. Looking forward to using it for a full season this year.
     
  10. rafa

    rafa Well-Known Member

    I dont have a power meter on my bike.
    But recently got a trainer for winter riding, and using Strava and their workout programs based on your FTP its actually pretty fun, I dont know if it will yield resuts just yet, but makes time go by faster than just riding.
    I guess the same could apply to having a power meter on the road, could make workouts more entertaining/go by faster.
     
  11. Senna

    Senna Well-Known Member

    Without a structured training program, a power meter isn’t really worth it unless you just want bragging rights with your buddies.

    I always saw the best improvement riding with the local A group and doing structured indoor rides.
     
  12. rice r0cket

    rice r0cket Well-Known Member

    I used to think that too, however now that I got one, I fully disagree. Even without a structured program, power has changed how I ride.

    The way I look at a hill now is, "I can hold 400W for 3 minutes, this hill usually takes about that long", and I can attack it with that level of intensity from the outset without wondering if I'll blow up half way up the hill, or if I left too much on the table. As it steepens, you find the gear to hold that 400W instead of guessing if you go down a gear, could you have gone any faster. Setting power targets really takes a lot of the guesswork out of how to improve, if hit your power targets and hit it often enough, you WILL get faster and improve your fitness.

    It also really brings to light how much you're coasting, and how easy it is to keep your intensity up without even needing to hit more peak power.

    Power used to be thousands of dollars, which made you wonder if you needed it. For $299, its really a no brainer. That's less than most people's tire budget for a weekend.
     
  13. RichB

    RichB Well-Known Member

    It's getting cheaper to have them, and the cheapest and easiest install is a LHS crank like 4iii or stages. A recent second hand model the cheapest. If you go pedals like assiomas that will be ok, unless you run more than one bike, as it will prob be a different cleat system as quite simply no normal person runs Keo by choice when you could use Shimano. So you end up with two sets of pedals and shoes unless you then convert all bikes to same pedal system. Be mindful Shimano cranks are inaccurate for dual power reading and by and large, stay away at this point in time. I have Stages, Assiomas duos and a smart trainer. Tbh if you aren't doing anything that needs it, I'd not bother and stick with HR and RPE. If you are interested and can see a use (hr is an internal metric, power is external), I'd go LHS crank as an intro. If you get value from it and need/want more accuracy (LH/RH imbalance being hidden by LHS-only power for instance) then consider options for pricier, more precise gear.
     
  14. Tifosi

    Tifosi Well-Known Member

    How well do the Ragnarok boots keep the cold out of the sole of the boot where the cleats attach?
     
  15. Tifosi

    Tifosi Well-Known Member

    Another thing to remember when comparing training based on heart rate vs. power, is that power is generally a more consistent measure of your fitness.

    How well you slept, stress, anxiety, excitement, etc. can all affect your heart rate given the same effort (say maintaining 21.5 mph on a flat road). For the same 21.5mph on a flat road effort, your power output is a more consistent measure of your fitness than heart rate.
     
  16. RichB

    RichB Well-Known Member

    Generally yes, I take your point, but as you'd know power is the manifestation, where it is demonstrated but doesn't tell you what it takes to generate that power. For instance, let's say you do a long slow ride, 2-3hrs, if you do that to a presribed power around your LT1 which for me as an example is 3.0w/kg, because that's what you hang your hat on, you will crucify yourself by the end due to that cardiac drift upwards towards the end of the workout as HR just gets higher and higher as muscle fibres fatigue more and more to generate the same power. For that reason many coaches presribe HR (& do not presribe power) for lsd work, and only presribe power for intensities of tempo and above.
     
  17. pscook

    pscook Well-Known Member

    I use Specialized BG Foot Beds, but taking that into consideration they do an admirable job of keeping the whole foot warm. It was ~49* F on my ride home today and my feet were toasty with thin socks. Even in the 40* rain the other day, with soaking wet socks (and standing water in the boots) my feet were never uncomfortably cold. Compared to my Shimano roadie shoes which cause my toes to swell and hurt with anything below 40*, this is a great improvement.
     
    Tifosi likes this.
  18. ekraft84

    ekraft84 Registered User

    FWIW, the 45nrth Wolvhammer boots are outstanding. They're like Alpinestars Supertech's for cycling. Warm and baby-jesus-in-a-manger cozy/comfortable. Several of us winter riders love them.

    Know a couple guys with the Ragnarok's also and they like them.
     
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  19. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    That’s why I use both. If my HR is in the 160’s and my power output is high, I’m having a decent day and know I can bump it up 10% for 5min. Once my HR gets up to higher 160’s I know it’s time to back it down or I’ll blow my wad.
     
  20. Elsinore

    Elsinore Well-Known Member

    My son is currently shopping for a power meter setup and shoes. We were debating re-charge vs. cell battery, Garmin vs. others, etc..
    As a collegiate runner in great shape, he took up outdoor cycling this summer and has been zwifting all winter...loves it.
    I'm following along this thread and appreciate real world advice in regards to advantages/disadvantages within reasonable budget and training suggestions.
    Bike store owners are welcomed to PM me if you have recommendations or inventory.
     

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