For those of you who DON'T use average speed

[halfspeed]

I've had plenty of days where I've been hammering high volumes for me, and my HR is sky high for some pathetic paces. If I just used HR, it would look like I'm getting a great workout, but in reality, the average speed for that course shows that I'm clearly wayyy off the mark.

Also, you need a device that can accurately record your HR throughout the ride and break it down in time spent per zone, which isn't straightforward - Garmin Connect does not offer this functionality, and you need 3rd party solutions. (Polar does this I think, but they're not as popular as the Garmins.)

Your Garmin records it, you just need software to break it down. Ridewithgps.com does it. Many others do it as well.

[Stealthammer]

Ok, for all you folks who DON'T use 'average speed' on solo rides as metric to gauge your performance:

What do you use to gauge your bike performance?

Overall time, HR, and recovery time.

[JustinNY]

for me, as a relative beginner and someone trying to get in better shape, cadence is most important.

[hhnngg1]

for me, as a relative beginner and someone trying to get in better shape, cadence is most important.

Not a beginner here and cadence is the least important stat to me. Doesn't matter if I spin/hammer for the most part - effort/HR is the same, and body adjusts to match.

[Brian Ratliff]

Time + perceived effort.

[Seattle Forrest]

This forum is way too obsessed with "performance."

Ok, for all you folks who DON'T use 'average speed' on solo rides as metric to gauge your performance:

What do you use to gauge your bike performance?

I can think of
1. Powermeter (win if you have one, no contest there)
2. How fast you are relative to your buddies (in my opinion, a far poorer metric than average speed)
3. Your race results (pretty good but still depends on how strong the field is)
4. You don't care how fast you go (also legit but don't plan on racing any time soon.)

[Machka]

Ok, for all you folks who DON'T use 'average speed' on solo rides as metric to gauge your performance:

What do you use to gauge your bike performance?

4. You don't care how fast you go (also legit but don't plan on racing any time soon.)

This one.

This is the Road forum, after all ... not the Racing forum.

I don't really care how fast I go. I have no interest in racing anymore.


However, that said, I do like to cover 200 km in 13.5 hours or less, maintaining a minimum speed of 15 km/h over 200 km, including all breaks.

And with those numbers in mind, I also like to complete a century (160 km) within 10 hours and 40 minutes, including all breaks.

My "measure of performance" is whether or not I can do a century (160 km) or 200K with some time to spare ... at least 2 hours is good. It usually means I'll be able to handle a 300K relatively comfortably.

[save10]

I use a PM when i'm actually actively doing intervals. But i do use time for one particular stretch of road (i'm not on strava) - my after work loop in the south bay includes alpine ride out of palo alto and I time myself from the stop sign at the free way to the stop sign at portola valley road. its my own personal 3 mile false flat stretch of hell.

The rest of the time the PM is for data collection and analysis post-event

[JustinNY]

Not a beginner here and cadence is the least important stat to me. Doesn't matter if I spin/hammer for the most part - effort/HR is the same, and body adjusts to match.

I'm trying hard to keep my gearing inline with the changes in grade and maintain as consistent a cadence (between 80-100) as I possibly can. Obviously theres times where I have to mash.

But actually caring about cadence helps me mentally to avoid cruising on flats and downhills and forces me to keep pushing throughout my ride

[Machka]

This forum is way too obsessed with "performance."

+1

These sorts of performance questions should probably be asked in the Racing forum. This is the Road forum for people who like to get out there for rides on the road.

[JustinNY]

+1

These sorts of performance questions should probably be asked in the Racing forum. This is the Road forum for people who like to get out there for rides on the road.

I have no intention of ever racing, but I do care very much about my performance and always looking to improve.

I do think 10 threads on page 1 about average speed is a bit excessive though

[Machka]

I have no intention of ever racing, but I do care very much about my performance and always looking to improve.

I do think 10 threads on page 1 about average speed is a bit excessive though

Must be a bad spring for cycling in the northern hemisphere.

[halfspeed]

+1

These sorts of performance questions should probably be asked in the Racing forum. This is the Road forum for people who like to get out there for rides on the road.

Now there's a good idea. An average speed thread in the 33 ought to be a hoot.

[ColinL]

I can see the slow upward progress jmx talked about in an early reply. I have a lot less data, though. My HR meter is connected to my cyclocomputer, whose software (sigma) absolutely sucks and isn't worth using. I gather data with endomondo on my smartphone, but all I can see is splits, gps-based elevation and speed.

I train based off HR. Every so often I'll try a long sustained TT-like effort.

I'm not trying to race, I'm just trying to get better. I'm still not in awesome shape but I doubt I'll suddenly become uninterested in riding hard if I do reach some level of competence.

[popeye]

1. I have 4 years of power data. This is the gold standard as far as I'm concerned, I track short and long term stress and how my body responds to training stress. I have a graph that shows my personal best power vs time so if I do an interval of 1 sec to hrs I know instantly how my effort compares to the best I have ever done.
2. A 10min climb at 6% or greater seated. This is almost equal to power. Wind is a factor but much smaller and I can't go very far anerobic to cheat.
3. Heart rate monitor. I rarely wear it these days but it is a good tool to gauge if I need rest. If the heart rate does not come up with effort it is time to take an easy spin day or two or just rest.
4. Perceved effort for me is just about worthless unless I know I'm fully recovered which is rare for me unless I have a couple of days off and even then it is suspect.
5. Average speed will vary by 4mph depending on wind.

[bikepro]

You ability to analyze your performance improves with your experience and willingness to spend money on doing it. On day one, your basic measure is "I completed 5 miles, 10 miles", etc. $25. dollars later you start comparing average speed for your rides. $100. later, you are interested in Heart Rate and how long you ride in the various Zones. $1000.+ later, you are interested in power and the dozens of statistics it provides.

[HokuLoa]

This forum is way too obsessed with "performance."

Must be a bad spring for cycling in the northern hemisphere.

Yes, and no. Weather has been fantastic this spring and the riding is wooo-to-the-hooo great! Of course it is still spring so all the just-started-riding-why-am-i-so-slow-let-me-compare-to-others cyclists are swimming in a pool of new found desire for performance improvement. Makes sense if you see it from their point of view staring at the computer and Strava, getting smoked on the road by people who trained all winter, seeing day by day improvements in AVGs and excitedly reading too much into some of the figures... It is all natural and frankly good as long as peeps are still motivated and out riding.

For the few who are serious about training (racing or other) I figure it is fine for those who know in the 41 to help dispel a few myths and misconceptions to try and steer folks in the right direction. Sometimes we forget that for us year round, longtime cyclists a lot has become 2nd nature and we "know" by experience and listening to our bodies. I see nothing wrong with people who are not in that position obsessing a little over gauging fitness/performance since the ultimate goal is usually riding faster/better so they can ride farther and more interesting/difficult terrain. Especially for those who have limited ride time and want to maximize their training.

Oh, for me personally I no longer use PWR or HR but that is for some specific personal reasons. I'm just happy to be riding after a lengthy forced hiatus. Only thing I use is a speed comp to stay right with LEO.

[Seattle Forrest]

^ The problem, for me, is that all the "I'm going to raise my average speed" threads, and all the "training threads" crowd out the more interesting ones. And when somebody who's completely uninterested in training posts a general cycling question, a lot of the responses that come in are useless and boring to them.

It would be nice if there was a forum for people who wanted to talk about riding bikes, but not about how they should be training with a PM or HRM, or what they should be buying. More threads about things like your idea about compiling a list of climbs by state, pictures of your bike with water, where people ride, tips about climbing or riding in urban vs rural environments, or nutrition or hydration, or group riding skills, or whatever... There's a lot more to road riding than an overriding obsession with speed for its own sake.

[Seattle Forrest]

These sorts of performance questions should probably be asked in the Racing forum. This is the Road forum for people who like to get out there for rides on the road.

Believe it or not, pcad actually said something wise and useful once. And I use the pcad system to determine the grade of a hill:

• made it to the top = pass
• fell over clutching your chest, gasping for breath = fail

If I get a passing grade, I'm happy. If anyone wants to measure my progress, they could do it by asking which mountains I've biked over.

[JustinNY]

^ The problem, for me, is that all the "I'm going to raise my average speed" threads, and all the "training threads" crowd out the more interesting ones. And when somebody who's completely uninterested in training posts a general cycling question, a lot of the responses that come in are useless and boring to them.

It would be nice if there was a forum for people who wanted to talk about riding bikes, but not about how they should be training with a PM or HRM, or what they should be buying. More threads about things like your idea about compiling a list of climbs by state, pictures of your bike with water, where people ride, tips about climbing or riding in urban vs rural environments, or nutrition or hydration, or group riding skills, or whatever... There's a lot more to road riding than an overriding obsession with speed for its own sake.

so you're essentially looking for a a forum where people only talk about the topics that interest you?

[jsutkeepspining]

i use 1 and 3. i rarely average above 20 on any ride, but i have been doing pretty well in 1/2/3 races lately.

[mazdaspeed]

I frequently ride the same routes and to test my fitness I just see how long I can hold a certain speed over a section of road. Try to sustain 24mph for as long as possible, that should tell you how fit you are at the time imo.

[HokuLoa]

^ The problem, for me, is that all the "I'm going to raise my average speed" threads, and all the "training threads" crowd out the more interesting ones. And when somebody who's completely uninterested in training posts a general cycling question, a lot of the responses that come in are useless and boring to them.

It would be nice if there was a forum for people who wanted to talk about riding bikes, but not about how they should be training with a PM or HRM, or what they should be buying. More threads about things like your idea about compiling a list of climbs by state, pictures of your bike with water, where people ride, tips about climbing or riding in urban vs rural environments, or nutrition or hydration, or group riding skills, or whatever... There's a lot more to road riding than an overriding obsession with speed for its own sake.

I hear ya. After all there are training, racing, and gen cycling sub forums. But Road is more frequented so I understand why the volume. I consider it seasonal somewhat. Nothing like experience to educate and weed out the early season/career misconceptions. I actually participate in a lot of these threads in the perhaps naive hope that we can collectively put them to rest early and get on with the other more interesting road threads.

Oh the joys of 41...

EDIT: When I say "these threads" I mean one's regarding common newB misconceptions. Not this thread specifically hhnngg1.

[Machka]

^It would be nice if there was a forum for people who wanted to talk about riding bikes ...

More threads about things like your idea about compiling a list of climbs by state, pictures of your bike with water, where people ride, tips about climbing or riding in urban vs rural environments, or nutrition or hydration, or group riding skills, or whatever ...

This week's weekend ride thread has been started ... feel free to get in there and start talking about your rides this weekend. Talk about where you ride ... the terrain, the weather, the urban or rural aspects.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-May-26-27-28

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And here's a list of the photo threads ... ride and post pics ...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-Photo-Threads


I've just recently started a You on Your Bicycle in 2012 pics thread to get some photos of us riding our bicycle this year.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...icycle-in-2012


And one pics thread that isn't in that collection, is a "Pictures of Your Bicycle and Flat Prairie Landscape". If you can't start that one, I certainly could.

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If you want to talk about nutrition or hydration, go to the Training and Nutrition forum ... lots of that sort of talk over there.

[Dudelsack]

I consider a ride successful when I crush the enemy, see them scatter before me, and hear the lamentation of their women.