Bike Forums - Slowing down 1mph. A good thing.

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- - Slowing down 1mph. A good thing. (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/306704-slowing-down-1mph-good-thing.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hairytoes

A cyclecomputer is a great tool for holding speeds down.

I couldn't disagree more. Computers, HRMs, etc allow you to know too much about your performance and the temptation to take things up a notch is just too tempting. Computers cause me to operate at my limits.

For a long commute, I think speed is very important. I have 2 worksites, and one of them is 22 miles away. The majority of the time, I cover the distance in between 1 hr 1 min and 1 hr 4 min in good weather depending on traffic (addition of wind will speed me up or slow me down). Add 10-15 min to that for crummy weather when I'm not on a racing bike. That's a huge chunk of my day and I need to spend some time at home.

The best way to avoid pain is to throw away the computer and just do what feels good. I've found that not using mine only adds 2-3 min to the ride, but the difference in effort/pain is substantial

Quote:

Originally Posted by banerjek

Welcome to the law of diminishing results. Grab a beer after the ride.

My commute is only 3 miles and has maybe 20 feet of elevation change. I feel so inadequate next to some of these 20+ mile rides

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patriot

For the past couple of years now, I've been commuting on a regular basis. At one point, I've gotten pretty quick getting to work. I broke record after record on my time, and kept pushing harder and harder to break that all time avg speed and total time. Well, I have found I tend to average 16-16.5mph when I really push. My record to date is 17.0mph avg. Now granted this is a 23mi commute, on a 30# bike, with 1200ft of climbing. So, all in all, not bad.

However, there is a major drawback to this. When I get to work, I'm very sore, and VERY tired. So, I find myself fighting for 8hrs trying to stay awake on my night shifts, and not being able to get much done. Then, I have to ride home. (ugh!) My job is an office job, but on many a day I need to do physical labor as well. This is very difficult. It has gotten to a point over the last year or so, that I almost don't feel like commuting anymore, because I'm always burnt out at work, starving for more food, and so sore that I don't feel like getting anything done.

Then, a couple weeks ago, it dawned on me....

"Why not slow down?"

It was as if this little 10w halogen headlight came on in my head.

Ok, so, at 16.5mph, it's taking me a total of 1hr & 20mins to get to work. At only 15-15.5mph avg, it takes me about 1hr & 30mins. About 10mins longer. If I'm riding for almost 1.5hrs anyway, what's the big diff? So, I have decided to slow down for the last couple of weeks, and just ride fairly steady, but with little push, and more intent on maintaining a good pace without breaking up a huge sweat. In other words, just try to enjoy the ride.

Anyway, I find myself much more conscious at work, and able to get up and actually go to the bathroom more often without debating on whether or not my bladder is big enough to wait another ten minutes. I no longer need to ask myself "Do I really need to get out of my chair?" The resulting lethargic brain function alone, was enough to make myself wonder if I was still alive and conscious, or had I slipped into a coma? Oh, and I haven't had to blow $5 for extra food at the cafe everyday to satisfy my starvation. My lunch bag actually holds enough food now.

Aside of the fact that my socks still get pretty sweaty... all in all, slowing down 1mph is actually proving to be a good thing. :)

I read an article in Bicycling mag that said that in order to get better from your rides you need three types of workouts... one fast... one thats hilly or use intervals and one thats slow...

the problem with commuting is that on a commute one tends to go "medium fast" all the time so that its not fast enough to build strength/speed and its not slow enough to allow for recovery...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorer75

What I'm saying is, there is nothing wrong with a nice cruise, but also nothing wrong with going as fast as you can at times. I find mixing the two of them up to me a more effective method anyways.

One other thing you might try is just riding different gears on different days. Some days I push hard gears, others, I spin smaller gears. Both make you a better rider but use different muscles and other associated body parts so it's nice to switch off.

+1 To the OP, because you've got some climbs on your route, you can try a controlled pace. That is, do the high RPMs that you're used to but as you go into the decent, let up. As soon as you start to feel out of breath, let up.

Also, if you've got a HRM laying around, it might be time to wear it for a week or two to get a few metrics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter76

My commute is only 3 miles and has maybe 20 feet of elevation change. I feel so inadequate next to some of these 20+ mile rides

uh most of us didn't 'get there overnight', it takes a long time to build up the cardio. Just do what you can do. :)

I bought a cheap "BELL" speedometer a couple weeks ago. It was my first of any kind.
I found myself looking at the speed thinking I could do 1 more MPH. After all, it was only 1!
(I won't post any numbers because they are so low, but I'm in the Clydes & 50+ forums)
I wore myself out!
Mr. body & brain had already done a pretty good job of pacing myself.

Get an electric bike. Instead of pedaling hard to get your heart rate up, smoke Pall Malls and slam espressos.

How to complete a century if you are getting tired or are out of shape.......

Ride slower. Big difference.

Well, I'm lucky enough to have a short commute 7 mi. r/t so I treat it as part of my daily exercise - I want my heart rate up and I want a decent amount of speed, not nutso speed mind, just a good amount above dooddling along at MUP speed. I would probably change my approach if I had a long commute and there are days when I just have no energy and go into "just get home" mode.

My commute is hilly and I'm still not in 100% bike fit shape yet so, my total average is ~13.7 mph - this includes a long steady climb, some shorter ones, one medium flat and a nice downhill with a corresponding 37 mph max. I'd like to see myself get up closer to 17 mph avg over the course of the summer. And yes I am competing with myself, I'm not obsessive about it, but I see nothing wrong with challenging oneself to improve.

Kudos to your slowing down.

I don't agree with those who say commuting miles are "junk" miles. I try to use my commute as low heartrate training miles. Frankly, the vast majority of the cardio training gurus say that most of your training should be done at low heartrates to provide the greatest aerobic benefit. That is training at 60% to 75% of your max heartrate. Speed work, intervals, hill repeats, etc, are important for a complete training program, but they should not be your daily workout.

At 60% to 65% of max heartrate, many feel like they're not doing much; but that is not so. Slow and easy is perfect for bike commuting if you ask me.

When I dude up in my roadie gear and hop on my ti bike, it's a lot harder for me to remain disciplined about going easy...so I say commute slow is smart tactic. I say keep it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter76

My commute is only 3 miles and has maybe 20 feet of elevation change. I feel so inadequate next to some of these 20+ mile rides

If it makes you feel any better, my commute has less than a foot of elevation change. Well maybe 2 feet if you count the slope of my driveway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedalMonger

Get an electric bike. Instead of pedaling hard to get your heart rate up, smoke Pall Malls and slam espressos.

I do that, among other things, without an electric bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huhenio

I do that, among other things, without an electric bike.

I bet those electric bikes are dangerous anyway, I wonder how many people get electrocuted riding them in the rain? You never hear about this, but I am sure it happens. The electric bike conglomerates are probably engaged in a conspiracy to cover it up. http://socs2.org/images/smilies/new2/tinfoil.gif http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eawinkel...infoil_hat.gif http://www.curevents.com/vb/images/smilies/tinfoil.gif

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun

(I won't post any numbers because they are so low, but I'm in the Clydes & 50+ forums)

Don't let that stop you! You should see some to the +50 around here. Puts us whipper-snappers to shame!

My goals on my way to work is to get there without sweating. I have 3.5 miles with a 500 foot climb at the end. I just relax and pedal. Now I'm riding it fixed (42 x 16) but no big deal. The ride home I often push it and take a longer route. Riding fast and racing the clock can be dangerous with the traffic. It usually takes 20 min. to work but have only cut it to 18 by pushing. The fastest home was 12 min. I was late to get my kids off the bus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huhenio

Welcome to the law of diminishing results. Grab a beer after the ride.

+1 heh heh heh. I think Banerjek means don't 'dial up' the wattage every day. Pace yourself on the route

Quote:

Originally Posted by e0richt

the problem with commuting is that on a commute one tends to go "medium fast" all the time so that its not fast enough to build strength/speed and its not slow enough to allow for recovery...

Absolutely.

If you are doing a long commute, it is very wearing on muscles. Slowing down a bit will help, but then the ride takes longer. Speed up, and it is more tiring. There is a medium spot that is sustainable. Only trouble is, it doesn't take much to stray out of this medium spot.

I'm not fast, like some people here (21miles in 1hr 4min, sheesh, I could never do that!). Just managing my 25miles each way, in a reasonable time (1hr 30), is right on the edge of what I can cope with. I have to watch my diet like a hawk, and my speed; on a nice warm day with no winds it is far too easy to let speed creep up - then I only realise how hard I've been hammering my legs when I stop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter76

My commute is only 3 miles and has maybe 20 feet of elevation change. I feel so inadequate next to some of these 20+ mile rides

That's what I was thinking. I'm sitting here saying to myself "I guess I could try and find a job farther away from home!:D But no, since I won't have a car anymore when I start commuting I think the 3.8 miles will be good, especially in the Indiana winter months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aMull

I like going fast on my commutes (mostly on return trips) so i don't agree with captain. Being fast is fun too. When i get tired i just slow down and take it easy, and then race again if i feel like it.

I'm with aMull. There's nothing wrong with speed. Just listen to your body. A swift ride to work wakes me up. The last half mile at 25 mph keeping up with downtown traffic gets me energized.

But if a fast to-work commute drags you down, slow down. Again, just listen to your body.

As to the cyclocomputers debate, they can give you more info on your speed, but I noticed I could get pretty much the same info from other sources because I take only a limited number of routes. For example, there's one light that I always catch red. I know that to catch the next light green (a really long block or two away), I have to really book it. I have to maintain that fast speed, or I'll catch one of the next two lights red. By seeing which lights I make and don't, I have a darned good idea about how much relative effort I am making.