Northeast - Anyone in CT interested in regular late morning Sunday ride ?

John,

It ain't about the climb with this ride. It's all about the pace......at least 20mph.....on the low end.

Here's an elevation & route I got from someone at Yale:

http://www.med.yale.edu/neurobio/mccormick/cycling/sunday_ride_final.gif

From what I've been told you need to be fast & a good spinner, rather than a climber to finish this ride.....

Hope this helps...

Joe

Thanks, I would be happy to be doing 20 MPG going downhill!

That Yale site has some nice rides

I might give it a go next summer.....but not sure if I'd want to be riding through some of those areas with a big group of cyclists; plenty of areas to get the group broken up in (stop lights, traffic, etc), and from what it sounds like, they aren't gonna wait for you.

Well it looks like the weather is going to hold for this Sunday. I think I'm going to give it a try. My buddy at work says 50 cyclists is average. Seems like a lot to be hammering on some of those roads but they've been doing it for years literally....

Unfortunately I haven't ridden at all this week since Sunday with Baltrush in Goshen. That said I felt pretty good. I'm running my bike to Amity Bike at lunchtime today to get my Shimano FC-R700 compact crank installed along with the IRD 11-28 cassette. I'm hoping it'll be ready by Saturday so I can take it for a quick spin before Sunday.

I have been searching for a better climbing gear since Sunday and I actually found a cassette online that I think would greatly benefit those who just don't have a low enough climbing gear (i.e., me) for hills in NW CT. Don't want to plug any websites, but will pass along if people are interested. It is a 9-speed custom cassette 12-13-15-17-19-21-24-27-30. The site also has a number of other custom variations as well.

I know that the Shimano RD is not rated for a 30T rear sprocket, but apparently the RD is only rated for a 27T rear sprocket because that is as big as Shimano makes. Anyway, may be another add-on so I can attack those hills better.

Good luck this weekend Joe. I went to school at Quinnipiac and saw the group sometimes. There are alot of riders, so be careful who you are riding next to. One goes down, they all go down. And yes, they are moving at a pretty hefty clip.

Ryan

Whether you get the bike back from Amity Bikes for the weekend depends on how busy they are. Replacing the cranks and bottom bracket is not a long job. It took me awhile when i did it, but it shouldn't take professionals more than an hour or three. Don't know about the rear cassette and the job involved with that, but do not get the impression that it is an in-depth replacement. I plan on doing it myself when i get the new cassette i mentioned above. Should only require two specific tools (chain-whip and cassette lockring remover), which have already been ordered and ship today.

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

Well let me know how you make out with that cassette.

IRD also makes 9spd cassettes in 11-30 & 11-32 & 12-32.
If you go over 30t you may want to consider a mtn rear derailleur. However, I would try the cassette with your exisiting RD first and then see if you need to swap your RD.

As far as the Sleeping Giant ride...I'm going to try it. Not sure how I'll like it but we'll see. 50 riders seems like a lot but they may be pretty strung out.

I feel the 34x27 I have right now is plenty for pretty much anything around here.....but.....now that I have learned about the Everest Challenge out in CA, I'm thinking I:

A) want to do this at some point, and
B) I will need larger cogs

29,000 feet of climbing in 2 days. Woohoo. Oh yeah, I also won't do this until I'm AT my target weight, and it probably won't be this year......but hopefully next year. Gonna take a lot of climbing repeats to get ready for that race/ride :D

I feel the 34x27 I have right now is plenty for pretty much anything around here.....but.....now that I have learned about the Everest Challenge out in CA, I'm thinking I:

A) want to do this at some point, and
B) I will need larger cogs

29,000 feet of climbing in 2 days. Woohoo. Oh yeah, I also won't do this until I'm AT my target weight, and it probably won't be this year......but hopefully next year. Gonna take a lot of climbing repeats to get ready for that race/ride :D


Send me a link to the ride.....

You know, I too intially felt that I should do some special training before trying the Sleeping Giant ride and not attempt it until Spring but I feel if I use this approach all the time I will never get to some of these events as I will always think I can be in better condition.
My two cents....just do it....like this weekend in Cheshire....if I get shelled in 20 minutes, so what. At least I'll know. If I choose, I'll continue to go back until I finish the ride with the pack. If I decide that the ride in not for me for whatever reason, I'll know now and not next Spring. I'm 43 years old. I don't have to prove anything to anyone but myself. Just getting out on the road is a victory for me. (Especially this time of the year :p ).

Just do it Dana ! :)

Well...I'm building up the 'ol aerobic base right now so I can be "fast" for next season :). My rides currently consist of cruising along at 135-150 bpm.

http://www.everestchallenge.com/

I have been searching for a better climbing gear since Sunday and I actually found a cassette online that I think would greatly benefit those who just don't have a low enough climbing gear (i.e., me) for hills in NW CT. Don't want to plug any websites, but will pass along if people are interested. It is a 9-speed custom cassette 12-13-15-17-19-21-24-27-30. The site also has a number of other custom variations as well.

I know that the Shimano RD is not rated for a 30T rear sprocket, but apparently the RD is only rated for a 27T rear sprocket because that is as big as Shimano makes. Anyway, may be another add-on so I can attack those hills better.

Good luck this weekend Joe. I went to school at Quinnipiac and saw the group sometimes. There are alot of riders, so be careful who you are riding next to. One goes down, they all go down. And yes, they are moving at a pretty hefty clip.

Ryan

Hope this helps, Courtesy of Sheldon Brown:

For rear derailers, the capacity relates to the amount of chain slack the derailer can take up, and is equal to the front range (22 in the example above) plus the rear range. Thus, if you have a 52/42/30 crank set, and a 12-28 (16 tooth difference) cluster, the total capacity required would theoretically be 38 teeth (22 front difference + 16 rear difference).

Rear derailers are also commonly designed for a particular maximum size rear sprocket. If you exceed this size, by too much, the jockey pulley may rub against the sprocket when using the lowest gear.

Manufacturers specify this fairly conservatively. They must do so, because they have to assume that some of their derailers will be sold to incompetent cyclists, who will abuse their drive trains by using the smallest chainwheel with the smaller rear sprockets.

Competent riders can considerably exceed the official rated capacity, since they will not misuse the granny ring by running it with the smaller rear sprockets, so it doesn't matter if the chain hangs slack in those gears.

Sfene

Sfene,

I see we frequest the same websites. :-) I got the information I posted from Sheldon Brown's website and the custom cassette i was talking about is designed by him and available through the shop that he works at.

Saw that information on the website and also this right below:

Rated maximum rear sprocket size, however, is also commonly much lower than what actually works. For instance, Shimano's models designated as "road" derailers are generally listed for a "maximum" sprocket of 27 teeth...because 27 teeth is the largest size that they make in a designated "road" cassette. However, in almost all cases, these derailers, even the short-cage models, will handle rear sprockets as large as 30 teeth in practice. (This somewhat depends on the design of the frame's derailer hanger, so once in a while you will find a particular installation where you can't use a 30, but I've never seen one where a 28 wouldn't work.


Ryan

So how was the ride Joe....I did a 50 miler today; mid 40's and plenty of sunshine made for a great ride :)

Hello from Waterbury,
I have been riding to work and like to ride around Waterbury. I would be nice to ride with someone. I grew up in Chaplin so I'll give a shout-out to GuitarWizard who rides around my old haunts. I'm not sure if I'm fast enough on my old bike but I've been getting stonger. I rode 22 miles this morning in 90 min to Thomaston and Plymouth. I'm not sure how much more nice weather we'll have. Last weekend I rode to Beacon Falls Sat. and Bristol on Sun. 48 miles. I'll keep checking the board and hopefully between the family, job and music we can ride.
Benton

So how was the ride Joe....I did a 50 miler today; mid 40's and plenty of sunshine made for a great ride :)

I didn't make the Cheshire ride. I had my two oldest daugthers (from previous marriage) over til Sunday morning. They usually get picked up on Saturday nights.

So I went out on my own around 11:30. I rode from my house in up Routes 67, 6, 61, & 63 into Litchfield center. Then over on Route 202 & 47 into Washington Depot, and then Routes 199 & 67 back home. All in all about 66 miles. I had issues with cramping in my hamstrings & quads (a nice combo :eek: ) very late though just before getting home. I had thought I had hydrated enough... I had stopped in Litchfield to buy Powerade & bananas even. I had 3 Hammer Gels and probably drank 3 water bottles... ? I thought for sure I was going to be cramping in my sleep last night but I stretched when I got home and again later before bed. I had a protein shake immediately and then dinner later on. My legs are sore but no cramps last night !! :D

In retrospect I probably shouldn't have either ridden so far or maybe so fast ?? I had only done 35 minutes on the rollers all week since my ride with Baltrush a week ago. I have to Routeslip my ride later to see how much climbing I did.

I can happily report that I love my new Shimano FC-R700 compact crank. It shifts very smooth coupled with the IRD 11-28 and I seem to have much more trim with the FD than I did with my FSA Energy compact....I know that's a FD issue and not that that's connected to the crank but....I can run all ten gears in the 50t without rubbing. With the 34t about 7 gears....maybe more but I tend to get out of the 34 pretty quick...I also went back to 175mm length after running 172.5's on my triple and previous FSA compact.

I'm heading out the garage right now to try and get 20-30 minutes on the rollers to see if I can flush the soreness out of my legs.....:)

Heh.....I did a little "testing" yesterday during my ride, and only drank water and didn't eat,with the exception of 1 gel pack at the 2 hour mark (total ride time was 3 1/2 hours). Didn't cramp at all, didn't get tired, and wasn't craving food like a madman. Legs felt pretty much the same at the end of the ride versus when I started.....so I think the base training is going fairly well; average HR was only around 145 bpm or so, but that's a rough estimate because my stupid HR monitor will stop working at times during the ride. I'm beginning to think my HR monitor and my wireless computer aren't playing nice.

According to my computer, the ride was 50.2 miles with 2,350 feet of climbing. Routeslip says otherwise, but it'll give you a basic idea of the terrain with the elevation chart. Nothing huge, but there are some nice long, steady/gradual climbs:

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=3016

Here's the Routeslip for yesterday....

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=16332

5K of climbing, just under 70 miles.....I believe the climbing part :eek: .....I'm tired today....20 minutes on the rollers this morning to loosen up the legs seemed to help some.

I was never close to bonking yesterday...my legs...just too many miles & hills for the base I have.....:o

Wow....that's quite a bit of climbing for this time of year. I've been sticking to the less steep/vertical gain routes in my area. Yesterdays' ride was pretty much perfect.....nothing really steep, but some longer climbs. I could get in a pretty good rythym on a lot of them, and just spun out the miles. Next weekends' ride should be around 76 miles if the weather holds out. Would like to do a century on Dec. 24th, but I don't think I'll have enough time.

Yeah, I don't know if I'd go that far again anytime soon....at least not without getting more weekday time in. It's a pain because I missed the whole Giant game too (which they actually won). I miss the Summer where you could leave early and get a couple hours in and still be back by 9am (without freezing).

I may bring my bike in tomorrow and try a ride at lunch......

Yeah...that's the advantage of a good lighting setup :D. The Dec. 24th ride will probably start around 4:30 a.m.....

Oh...also after freezing my nuts off the other day when it was 20 degrees out, I decided to promptly order some Pearl Izumi amFIB tights, since my current tights, while insulated, don't seem to be windproof. Also got some insulated waterbottles, as my water was freezing as well :D.

God Bless you with the lights.....I can see riding in the cold, I can see riding in the dark, but riding in the cold & dark !!! Yikes !! :eek:

Wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told her the Nashbar generic alu rollers & the 2003 TDF DVD. I will convert the rollers ala KrazyDerek to free motion rollers and ride them during the week. If I can sneak a weekday ride at lunch at work, fine. Otherwise I'll have to wait for the weekends to ride outside.

On another note, I just got a set of Cannondale LE gloves and I love them. I have never even thought of my hands once on both yesterday's and last Sunday's ride with Baltrush. They retail for $60 but I get a discount through my work. Best glove I've ever owned !!

http://www.cannondale.com/clothing/05/aw/model-6LE11.html

I haven't been able to find my headband so for the last two weeks I've been tieing a bandana over my head under my helmet and that's actually worked better than I expected too.....:D

You'd be surprised at the gloves I wear, even down to 20 degree temps. They aren't very bulky...basically glove liners, but my hands stay warm.

In the cold temps (below 40 degrees), for a hat, I wear my North Face Highpoint hat (windproof, even with windproof earflaps). I have found some of my mountaineering gear works well on the bike :D

I was surprised the the Cannondale gloves that they weren't as bulky as I had originally thought. I was worried that I'd have trouble slipping my first two fingers between the brake levers and handlebars when resting my hands on the hoods but they've been fine.

I accidently shot a 12d framing nail through in and out of my left index finger and into the middle finger some years back...chipped off a piece of bone in my index finger. They had to operate to remove the bone chip. Luckily no nerve or tendon damage, but that finger always gets cold before the rest of my hands.....my feet aren't too fussy, I just need to keep my hands and ears warm and then I'm good to go...

That's gotta hurt....

I wrap my feet in saran wrap on moderately cold (40-50 degrees) days....my feet sweat too much with neoprene booties in anything over 40 degrees.

I didn't even wear my booties yesterday.....

As far as my finger...it didn't really hurt that much. It happened so fast....
My boss wanted me to pull the nail out myself...idiot !...I could feel it had gone through the bone.
I went to the ER with the nail still in my hand. You should have seen the looks I got in the waiting room. They X-rayed to check for damage and then shot me up full of novicaine. First they were trying to use the medical thingee (I can't think of the name for it..) to grab the nail and pull, but it kept slipping off. Finally the doctor says to the nurse, "Go to the maintanance cabinet and get me the pliers.....". He literally grabbed the head of the nail with pliers and twisted & pulled the nail out.....They ended up admitting me to St. Raphaels for the night.....got some good meds !! Week later they had to open my finger up and remove the bone chip.....I lost nearly a months worth of work. I don't miss things like that now that I work in an office.....

Yeah.....working in an office does have its' perks....like recovering from hard rides since you can just sit there all day :D. I don't miss being on my feet much at all....however, once I did get my first desk job over 8 years ago, I gained like 10-15 pounds seemingly overnight.

Just got in from my 26 mile loop. The one thing I hate about the cold is that it makes me pee a lot. I gotta tell ya, after trying to find a place to pee for like 15 minutes, when you finally get to go.....there's not too many things more enjoyable in life than getting back on the bike feeling "refreshed" and ready to continue.

I hit a giant patch of ice tonight. I had a car sitting off my rear, and it was kinda hard to see, but I saw black pavement. I was pretty much like "****in' A!" since the car decides to start passing me at that point, and there was another car behind him. I saw the white part of the ice, so there was quite a bit of it, and it was a good 15-20 feet long I would say....I was going over 20 mph (didn't look down for an exact number), and it took me a few seconds to go over. Talk about damn near ****ting myself.....I kept the handlebars as straight as possible, kept SOFTLY pedaling (no real pressure on the pedals), and looked straight ahead. I felt the bike start to wiggle underneath me, and I just tried to keep balanced and hoped for the best...and since I'm typing this right now, I stayed up and didn't get run over by a car.

If it's not the ice that gets you it'll be the sand.....the roads around my house are covered with sand !!! You'd think we'd had 3 snowstorms already....:rolleyes: I think at some point I may switch back over to riding my mtb on the roads for when I'm riding short runs around my house.

....and without getting too graphic...the only thing worse than trying to find a place to pee...:eek:
I keep a hankerchief in my seatbag. I usually only use it to wipe my hands if they get greasy from fixing a dropped chain or the like. However, it been used (and disposed) as toilet paper at least once in recent years...and I was grateful to have it :p




Yeah.....working in an office does have its' perks....like recovering from hard rides since you can just sit there all day :D. I don't miss being on my feet much at all....however, once I did get my first desk job over 8 years ago, I gained like 10-15 pounds seemingly overnight.

Just got in from my 26 mile loop. The one thing I hate about the cold is that it makes me pee a lot. I gotta tell ya, after trying to find a place to pee for like 15 minutes, when you finally get to go.....there's not too many things more enjoyable in life than getting back on the bike feeling "refreshed" and ready to continue.

I hit a giant patch of ice tonight. I had a car sitting off my rear, and it was kinda hard to see, but I saw black pavement. I was pretty much like "****in' A!" since the car decides to start passing me at that point, and there was another car behind him. I saw the white part of the ice, so there was quite a bit of it, and it was a good 15-20 feet long I would say....I was going over 20 mph (didn't look down for an exact number), and it took me a few seconds to go over. Talk about damn near ****ting myself.....I kept the handlebars as straight as possible, kept SOFTLY pedaling (no real pressure on the pedals), and looked straight ahead. I felt the bike start to wiggle underneath me, and I just tried to keep balanced and hoped for the best...and since I'm typing this right now, I stayed up and didn't get run over by a car.

i keep a ziploc bag w/ 4 or 5 baby wipes in my seat bag for just such an occasion........ Lanolin, what a concept!!

Sfene:o

I like your idea even better. I'm going to update my seatbag before the next ride !! :)


i keep a ziploc bag w/ 4 or 5 baby wipes in my seat bag for just such an occasion........ Lanolin, what a concept!!

Sfene:o

76.5 miles for today, 3,500 feet of climbing, 5 hours 19 minutes.

It wasn't bad really, except for the constant headwind when heading west.

35 miles today....205 miles for the week. Woohoo! I think I'm gonna take tomorrow off; the heartrate was slightly lower than normal.

76.5 miles for today, 3,500 feet of climbing, 5 hours 19 minutes.

It wasn't bad really, except for the constant headwind when heading west.


You go boy !!!

Spent the weekend in Rhode Island visiting a sister in law & Christmas shopping.....:(

Oh well, rollers tomorrow morning.....I'm not really going to worry about keeping a strict training schedule now until after the new year......:rolleyes:

Yeah....I was gonna do 105 miles, but the gf called me at around mile 66 and was *****ing because I was "spending all day on the bike". The wind was really starting to piss me off though, so I was content with 76.

Yeah....I was gonna do 105 miles, but the gf called me at around mile 66 and was *****ing because I was "spending all day on the bike". The wind was really starting to piss me off though, so I was content with 76.

Wow, if thats taking it easy Ill never keep up w/ you guys during the "training" season!!
If I can get 75 miles in a week Im doing well...

Sfene
Upper body by Weider,
Legs by Univega
Midriff by Guinness

Yeah....I was gonna do 105 miles, but the gf called me at around mile 66 and was *****ing because I was "spending all day on the bike". The wind was really starting to piss me off though, so I was content with 76.


Yeah it's hard. I like doing those longer rides but they are usually a "day killer", especially from the point of view of the significant other......

Oh well, wife is dong Tai Bo as I type this. I have to finish packing my lunch and then hit the roller....:p

PS Guitar, how do you feel this morning ??

I had a bit of a scratchiness in my throat last night, so I'm not gonna ride today; I have a habit of becoming sick VERY easily once I start riding a lot - will just do abs and lower back and stretch, and give my bike a MUCH NEEDED washing. There is so much grit and crap all over it and in the drive train it's pathetic. I did 150 miles last week, so technically this week should be my last "big" week before regeneration week.....but, not sure how much I'll be able to ride. If I could hit 140 miles this week, I'd probably be doing ok.....ideally, I'd like to hit 225, but that ain't gonna happen.

My next goal is 300 miles in a week. I think that one might be a bit rough though. Damn work always gets in the way somehow, which is why I really need to win Powerball...so I can ride full-time. Probably wouldn't be until late Jan. or Feb, but that depends largely on the weather. If we keep getting no snow (which I don't mind at all), then it might be doable. But, I'm not gonna be doing mega-distance rides on sand-covered roads.

My pulse is fairly normal this morning though, so hopefully I should be ok with a rest day. My heartrate was pretty low for the ride yesterday though....I think I averaged 135 bpm, with a max of 160 for over 2 hours 20 min. But, my HRM has a habit of "freezing" at a random number for short to long periods at a time, so I don't know if it got stuck at say 93 bpm for 15 minutes (I was wearing it underneath my jacket).

At any rate, I'm pretty happy with the whole base training thing. Seems to be working well.

Hey guys, hows it going?? Im new to the whole bike scene and dont even have my bike yet, but as soon as I get it ill be hitting the trails.

Now, I read a couple of posts on the first page and it seems you guys are riding on the roads right?? What kinda bikes are you riding?? Just curious, as im getting a MTB.

by the way, im in Hartford.

My bikes are in my sig....and yep, we ride on the road.

Just got back from Myrtle Beach....still managed to get over 100 miles in while being on vacation. Flattest rides I've ever done in my life. Bagged 563 miles for the month of December, although I was hoping for over 600. Oh well....