Technique « Bike Noob

Getting better at climbing

August 5, 2009 at 5:38 pm | In Technique | 16 Comments
Tags: hills, Technique

When we did our city tour two weekends ago, one of the highlights was Mt. Bonnell. I’d never climbed it before, and I was looking forward to it, for some reason. I guess I had an unrealistic idea of my climbing ability.

Going through neighborhoods on the way there, we came upon a short, steep hill on a residential street. I downhifted to a low gear, but was up out of the saddle, standing on the pedals, struggling to mash the pedals down and keep the wheels turning. I could have gone down two more gears, but because the bike was straining already, I figured I’d lose all my momentum if I tried a downshift, so I kept grinding away. The bottom bracket made a creaky noise I’d never heard before. As long as I could make the bike protest, I thought, I had enough left in me to get up the hill.

And I did. Man, that was a tough one, and with car traffic coming from behind, I had no choice but to go straight up the road — no chance to zig-zag up the hill.

On Mt. Bonnell itself, we had a challenging grade to a right-hand bend, and then the grade steepened. I pulled into a driveway, did a loop, then shot back onto the street with some forward momentum. That momentum carried me, oh, maybe 10 yards or so. This time, I shifted down all the way into the granny gear. I was still tired from the earlier hill, but there was no traffic this time, and I used the width of the street to zig-zag my way up. It seemed like it would take forever, but I finally made it to the top.

An experienced biker riding with us guessed the grade was between 16-20 percent. I decided I wouldn’t be in a hurry to tackle it again (you might recall that I made a wrong turn, and we wound up climbing Bonnell again from the other side — but we walked our bikes this time, too pooped).

My conclusion is that I don’t do enough challenging hills as part of my regular rides. I’ve got some routes that include hills, but nothing like Bonnell. So I suppose I was just undertrained for it.

But if I have to mash pedals in the granny gear time after time, I’m not sure I want to get much better at hills.

What do you suggest for a noob to become at least a little more adept at climbing?

Ever forget how to shift?

August 1, 2009 at 4:00 pm | In Technique | 8 Comments
Tags: shifting, Technique

The other day, I was out for an easy morning ride with Pat. This is the one where we get to the Veloway, and I speed away from her to complete three laps, while she does two.

So I’m on the backside of the track, approaching the pesky little hill that provides the only real challenge to riding here. Usually, I’m in the small chainring, moving about 21 mph in one of the smaller cogs. I shift down two or three gears to be able to get up the hill without coming up out of the saddle.

This time, though, I zoned out. I pushed the left brifter in — but that’s the one that shifts me into the large chainring on the front. Startled, I realized I was screwing up, and mashed the right brifter in, snick, snick, snick.

hill

By now, I had reached the bottom of the hill, and had to negotiate a sharp right turn to start the climb. But a lady on a mountain bike was in the right lane. Instead of starting in the left, picking the apex of the turn, and shooting across to the right lane to smoothly attack the hill, I had to keep to the left lane.

I hit the hill in the large chainring, several gears higher than I normally ride it. I wound up standing on the pedals this time, pushing hard to get to the top of the short grade, and watching as the lady’s mountain bike stalled halfway up, in the middle of the track. She put a foot on the ground, and I went by her. (In her defense, I well remember when I first rode the Veloway on my mountain bike. I didn’t stop, but I strained to get the pedals around on that hill.)

I’ve done this route so many times that even in the wrong gear the hill wasn’t a problem. It just wasn’t as smooth a job as I’d like. What bothers me is that it’s not the first time I’ve missed a shift like this. Most often, I’ll mean to downshift with the right brifter but click the little black paddle instead — the one that upshifts. This time, I got the wrong side altogether!

Has this ever happened to you, or is this a case of my Oldsheimer’s taking over?

Riding in pacelines

July 23, 2009 at 8:16 pm | In Technique | 8 Comments
Tags: Technique

Pace A paceline in nice, cool weather

A couple of weeks ago, the B ride from my club started 45 minutes ahead of the A group. Since we rode the same route, we had a chance to watch them pass by us while they were heading out to the turnaround.

The first six riders had formed a paceline, and what a sight they were! Really moving fast along a country road, and visibly putting distance between them and the less organized group following.

Paceline riding is something I haven’t done much. In the MS ride, I latched onto a couple of small lines, and found that I could keep up with them, but I only got to pull once. They quickly fell apart.

Apparently, most of the riders I encounter haven’t done a lot of paceline riding either. We tend to bunch up in clusters, rather than lines. Even in a bunch, there’s some wind blocking, but it’s nothing like it could be if we were in an organized line.

But then again, one thing I do know about pacelines is that you must be confident in your co-riders. If you don’t know how they’ll behave when you’re wheel-to-wheel, it’s probably not a good idea to form a line with them.

Watching the Tour has inspired me to try to get into some pacelines again. There’s plenty of info online about how to do it, such as this item from Examiner.com, a site featuring articles by experienced freelancers.

I’ll also bet a lot of Bike Noob readers know something about pacelines. How about sharing your insights on it? Let’s all get better together.

Looking back — and trying not to swerve

June 14, 2009 at 1:52 pm | In Safety, Technique, crash | 8 Comments
Tags: crash, Safety, Technique

We were on the way back from our club ride this morning (just two of us were in the B group today) when talk turned to the difficulty of checking over your shoulder for traffic.

The discussion was prompted by what I consider the toughest left turn on all of our routes. Traveling northbound on a busy two-lane road, the bike lane runs out. Now, we have to ride the right edge of the road, and hope there’s enough room for cars to get by us. Several blocks before we would hit a stoplight, we make a left turn into a nice subdivision that lets us avoid the busy intersection. It’s this left turn that can be a problem, because the cars are passing us as a steady rate.

We got to the turn. I was still at the right edge of the road. Oncoming traffic was heavy. My riding companion, Bob, was behind me. He called out, “OK!” I glanced over my shoulder and saw that he had already taken the lane. I moved into it, and got as close to the center line as possible as cars zoomed by, now on my right. When a small gap opened in the oncoming traffic, we could make our turns.

Safely in the residential subdivision, we rode slowly. Bob said, “I always have a problem looking back. Your bike goes the direction you look, and I don’t want to swerve into traffic — not on that road.”

We compared notes on how we look back. He’s comfortable with lowering his head and peering back past his left shoulder. I like to do it in two moves — I’ll look left about halfway, then forward again, then complete the look over my shoulder. I find it’s easier for me to get a glimpse of what’s behind if I do it that way.

The key is to avoid swerving the bike. Last year, when I took the Road I biking class, we spent some time practicing that very move (“scanning,” they called it). If you do it often enough, you can keep from pulling your bike left. But we get lazy from time to time, and fall back into bad habits.

We went through a high school parking lot, and approached a busy four-lane east-west road. Normally, the club riders will form a “bus,” riding two-by-two in the right lane, three to four deep. By taking up the same amount of space as a car (or bus), we force motorists to use the left lane to go around us. They’re also less inclined to shout at you when you’re in a big group. But with just two, Bob suggested we ride the sidewalk. That was fine with me. I’ve done that here before, too.

We had gone perhaps a half mile, and another major intersection was coming up. I was about to ask Bob if he wanted to stay on the sidewalk after the intersection, or ride in the road again. I looked over my shoulder, and saw that he was too far back to hear me. Sure enough, my bike swerved — right off the sidewalk and into the narrow strip of grass between it and the road. To my surprise, the grass didn’t cause the bike to tip over. I kept it going straight for a short way, then eased it right to climb back on the sidewalk.

The tire hit the edge of the walk, which protruded about an inch above the grass. It got caught on the edge — and now I went down.

I haven’t fallen from my bike on the sidewalk since I was in grade school, and the lower grades at that. All I could think of was, “Oh no! Not in these shorts!” I was wearing my expensive Sugoi shorts, which I’ve had for only a few months.

No tear in the shorts. Not even any road rash. Bike was okay, too. But it’s obvious to me that on my short rides this coming week, I’ll be practicing my scanning, keeping my bike straight, and I’ll be doing it on something wider than a sidewalk.

Smoked by a smart gal

March 16, 2009 at 9:00 pm | In Rides, Technique, training | 6 Comments
Tags: Mopac, Rides, Smoked, Technique, training

I took advantage of the first day of Spring Break and the first really nice weather day in Austin in some time, to get in some real bike mileage this morning. I went out to Mopac, planning to do a few loops. Since I have the week off, I plan to be riding every day (well, almost — golf tomorrow) and beef up my mileage and endurance.

On my second loop of the eight-mile route, I saw a biker pull out onto the road about a half-mile ahead of me. Aha, I thought — here’s a chance to see if I have what it takes to catch him. I picked up the pace a little.

It was going to reach a high in the mid-80s(F) today, but at the time of the ride, it was still in the 50s. I was nicely warmed up, but didn’t plan to push too hard to catch the rabbit — just a bit more than my usual pace. When I rounded the turn at Route 1826 for the return leg, the other biker was out of sight. But I soon saw him emerge from a swale in the road. It looked like my chances of catching him were pretty good.

Several hills mark this stretch of the route. Not big hills, but enough to make you work. The other biker was not pumping very hard, but keeping a steady, even pace. I was closing the gap.

Toward the end of the eastbound leg, there’s a nice downhill that lets me exceed speeds of 30 mph. Not so today, with a southeast wind blowing in my face. I got up only to 30, but was still gaining. I expected to catch him on the level ground at the bottom of the hill.

It was then that I realized — the other biker was female! (That’s fine — one of the strongest riders in my bike club, who regularly leaves most of the guys behind, is a female.) And since she was obviously younger than me, she was probably stronger than me, if she’d had any kind of experience on a bike. Heck, I was pleased to be able to catch anybody.

“On your left,” I called, as I closed on her. She barely gave her bike a flick over to let me by. I passed, still gaining speed, and gradually eased over into the center of the paved shoulder. The road was approaching a sweeping left that would turn us north, and up another series of moderate hills. I kept up the same pace I’d been riding, and attacked the first hill.

My legs must be getting stronger. I actually gained speed going uphill, at least for a bit. I felt good — what a great day to be out on a bike ride! Then I heard a telltale click.

It was a bike changing gears, and it wasn’t mine. I looked back, and there she was — inches behind my rear wheel! She’d grabbed a draft right after I passed her. That gave her a chance to recharge her batteries.

I saw her wheel pull up on my left side. We crested a hill, and started down. She pulled in behind me again. At the base of the hill, I downshifted and applied more power. Again the click just off my ear. And then, that nice silver Merlin with the rider in the purple and white jersey slid by me.

I figured I’d use her tactic, and grab her wheel. But I was losing ground climbing the hill, and she was pulling away. By the time we reached the top, she was out of reach.

I’ve been smoked by old guys, smoked by young gals, smoked by mountain bikes, and now I was smoked by someone who really knew what she was doing. Good for her, and good for me — I learned something today. I learned that I’m not as young as I feel, and I learned that I still have a way to go conditioning-wise (as if I didn’t know that already).

I finished another loop of the Mopac route, then headed home. Good average speed today — almost 16 mph. It’s going to be nice for the rest of the week. I hope I have several repeats of today’s ride. But this time, I’ll grab the other rider’s wheel and save my strength for when it counts.

Stiff winds cause trouble

February 1, 2009 at 4:16 pm | In Safety, Technique | 6 Comments
Tags: Safety, Technique, wind

I’ve had a question or two from readers about the name of the blog — Bike Noob. Since I’ve been riding for well over a year, is it realistic to still consider myself a newbie? But I still manage to come up with newbie questions, and I’ve got one for you today. First, some background.

I had a great ride today. The weather turned out to be even nicer than had been forecast. I took off for Southwest Parkway, because I wanted to get in a hillier ride than I have been lately.

But I wound up cutting the ride short. I had planned to go about five miles farther, but I was bothered by one factor: the wind.

It came out of the southeast, at a steady 10 mph. But the gusts were much higher, maybe even 30. I’ve noticed on several recent rides in strong wind that I start feeling uneasy when I’m going downhill in a stiff crosswind or a quartering wind. The bike starts to feel unstable.

There’s no good reason for this. I do the ABC Quick Check before each ride, so I know my tires are at optimum pressure, the quick releases are tight, and the wheels are rolling true. So I don’t think it’s the bike.

I used to look forward to downhills. I’d pedal like mad to see how fast I could crank up the bike. Today though, I coasted, and even feathered the brakes to keep the speed in what I felt would be a controllable zone. My top speed was 32 mph, and under other circumstances I could have topped 35 or 36 along these same stretches of road.

This is a different sensation than getting hit by a stiff crosswind gust that threatens to knock you over. Today, I got the sensation that the bike would go out of control before I was knocked over.

Finally, on a nice downhill stretch heading west, the sensation got to be too much. The wind was hitting me on the left side. I got that uneasy feeling, and decided to bag it.

By the way, I still considered this a good ride. The hills made me work hard, and physically, I felt good throughout and afterward.

I wonder if this feeling is left over from my crashes last fall, which led to some less aggressive riding than I typically did before the crashes. I’ve been riding with a bit more verve in the past couple of weeks, attacking corners and building speed. It’s just the downhills in the wind that are getting to me.

So, loyal Bike Noob readers: Any suggestions on coping with a stiff cross wind? My inquiring mind wants to know.

“Fartlek” for bikes

September 30, 2008 at 10:22 pm | In Technique, training | 1 Comment
Tags: fartlek, speed, Technique, training

Back when I was a runner — okay, I was never anything more than a jogger — interval training was considered the way to go to train for a race. I entered my share of t-shirt runs, and sometimes I even got serious about training for them. But intervals put me off. They seemed too regimented — too serious.

Then I read about an alternative method of training. It’s called fartlek — from the Swedish for “speed play.” A fartlek trainer runs at a certain pace, or tempo, for awhile, and then turns on the gas and runs hard for awhile. The bursts of speed are not over set distances, and recovery times are always different. That’s the kind of training I enjoyed doing.

I thought about that today when I was out for my regular Tuesday ride on the Veloway. I had fully intended to do intervals. I even had the fast sections mapped out in my head. I knew approximately how long my recovery times would last. But when I started my first interval, I just couldn’t get enthusiastic about it.

Then it occurred to me — do fartlek. I started pulling on the pedals through a twisty inclined stretch, a little less than a mile. At the high point, I backed off. I rode through a relatively flat area without pushing hard. On another twisty incline I stomped on it again, and held the fast pace for almost another mile. On an ess curve that features a right-angle left followed by an acute-angle right, I laid the bike as far over as it would go without falling (great fun). Then I coasted back to the start.

I did five laps, and did fartlek for four of them. Each time, my fast and slow sections were different. I got the training benefit without the regimentation that takes the fun out of biking. Tonight, I can feel it. I fell asleep in front of the TV. I’m going to bed earlier than usual. This might partly be because I haven’t had a real bike ride in a week, but it’s also because I had a tough workout. I like the feeling. I plan to do it some more.

Pedal in a circle

July 15, 2008 at 9:30 pm | In Technique, training | 6 Comments
Tags: climbing, hills, pedaling, Technique

I’ve been hearing this advice ever since I got back on the bike — but it never really made much sense, even after I got my first set of clipless pedals.

But on one of my weekend rides, it all came together.

I rode a route with long hills, and tried to make more of an effort to attack them than I usually do. As part of that, I pulled up on the pedals rather than pushing down. No, I’m not a complete idiot — I’ve been pulling up on the pedals since I went clipless, but in a jerky manner. This time though, everything seemed smoother. Suddenly, it occurred to me: “This is what they mean by pedaling in a circle.”

I could feel the pedals move in a circular motion, with constant pressure throughout the entire revolution. I could feel the bike surge forward a bit. The cyclocomputer had the speed rocket up from 5.6 mph to 6.2, to 6.8, to 7-point-something. I could feel my thighs burn.

On the way back, there is one longish hill that has been my nemesis since my first time on this route. I’ve always been able to pedal all the way to the top, but it’s been a struggle — pushing down hard in 34 x 28 — the lowest gear combination I have.

This day, I started two gears higher, and made an effort to pedal in a circle. I could feel the difference. I eventually had to shift down to 34 x 28, but maintained cadence as well as I could. I got to the top of the hill in better time than I have yet, and less winded.

Pedaling in a circle. A simple concept, and once I got it figured out, one that really helps.