Erzulis Boat 

I have been riding the same course every morning, and alternating bikes.

Bike No. 1- Single speed, with 48-17 gearing. I would consider this a "medium" to "medium fast" ratio for Santa Barbara, California.

Bike No. 2- Trusty Pinarello, conventional road gearing.

Non scientific results.

Better average time and speed goes to the SS around 75% of the time. I was shocked, but then I started thinking about it.

I am a dyed in the wool Masher, and have struggled with this affliction all my life. I believe this is why I am getting these results.

When I mash, my HR spikes, and recovery is slower. The SS bike keeps me at a basic constant HR, with the spikes being not so intense, even spinning out is less taxing than mashing. My recovery on the SS is almost instantaneous (in a cycling sense).

If I can cure myself from mashing (at least not so much), my geared setup will be much "faster" than my SS. I have been cycling since 1984, and still have a lot to learn!

Anyway, this is a fun Strava game to play, and switching up the bikes has added something new to my program.

Forgot to add- This is the average, of course the geared bike peaks out speed/time much higher than the SS, but at the end of the ride, the SS usually comes out on top. Tortoise and the Hare if you will.

caloso

I was going to suggest that the times are faster because you are constantly pedaling. This is consistent with my observations on my FG. But then I noticed that you describe it as a SS, not FG, which implies you have a freewheel. Is that correct?

garciawork

Which route in SB? Care to post the strava link? I went to school there for a couple years and miss the riding every day...

dcsix

This reminds me of my ride to work and back, 17 miles each way. On the way down in the morning, there's a few downhills, dropping about 7-800 feet in elevation to the coast. On the way home in the afternoon, same 17 miles, same route, I consistently have had slightly better times than in the morning. I realized it's due to the more constant pedaling with the mostly slightly uphill direction.

popeye

Mashing works the legs and spares the cardio so I would have expected the opposite but if you are actually doing less work spinning that could explain a lower heart rate despite the improved times. I wish I had power on my track bike.

Voodoo76

Continue the experiment, add a tooth or two to the back (18T or 19T) and start to really spin. 48X19 is about a 10 rpm jump from 17 at the same speed.

DinoShepherd

My lap times in SS and geared CX races are virtually the same. Crazy.

Erzulis Boat 

Yes. Freewheel.

Erzulis Boat 

Maybe mashing isn't the right description. I tend to push gears that are "harder" than the situation dictates. Always had this problem. It's a constant battle to keep my cadence. The SS forces me to deal with what I have, and then I become more efficient.

Great eye opener to technique and cardio being such a huge factor.

The difference in overall time is within a minute or two over a 60 minute effort.

hueyhoolihan

you may find it more comfortable to strain your legs for a given amount of time than run out of breath for the same amount of time. i can relate to that.

popeye

It's a sad fact you can't cheat on longer climbs. You can only go anaerobic for so long and then you have to pay.