Welcome
The idea for this area is that it be a forum for comments, ideas, reviews of Bike rides plus all the things you wanted to ask or say on the ride but didn't have the breath to do so.
Ian
Ian
Terrrific idea. Let's rock & roll.
Reply to this
Good looking page. Still have to review this so it becomes automatic for SOBs.
And must alert members for fear they think it's a scam.
Reply to this
Agree. I will also add a link to easily get back to the http://www.santafesobs.com page.
Reply to this
I decided I need more low gears. My current gearing in terms of GEAR INCHES is 99-33.6, unchanged from when I lived in the east. Current chainrings are 49-45-32, cassette is 13-14-16-18-20-23-26.
I'm interested in knowing what range and what chainrings and cassettes those of you who ride hills out here use. Triples? Compact doubles? Haven't found any useful advice from any bike shop yet.
Reply to this
My estimate is that 90% of our active riders use triple rings and 10% compact doubles. Re the ratios, I'm not sure, but I believe one manufacturer ( not sure who) is coming out with a bigger gear in the rear cassette to provide a lower ratio for the compact setup. A while back I was considering going to a compact, as I thought I needed to replace my triple ring, but after discussing it with users of compacts in the group, decided to stick with the triple. Nice when attacking Heartbreak Hill and the like.
Reply to this
Good looking site. Nice job, Ian
Reply to this
Thanks, Ian. I'm really interested in what actual gear inches and cogs people have. There are dozens of possibilities with either a triple or a double. I've chaarted them all but don't really know how much lower I need to go than my current 32/26 ratio that gives me 33.2 gear inches.
Reply to this
For what it is worth; been a cyclist for 55 years and a competitive cyclist since the 70's. I'm 60 years old. Some general rule's of thumb.
A gear ratio of 33 inches is quite sufficient for the typical serious rider, 75+ miles a week, without specific health issues. While sitting and spining is more efficient on long climbs, standing is more efficent on shorter steeper hills. My heart rate rises six to ten beats when I stand on the steepest climbs, above nine or ten percent. For maximum exercise and strength development, I try to stand one or two times on most hills.
Four years ago on a Seattle sojourn I converted to compact cranks in order to keep up with the hill climbing geezers up there. I have found them very efficient. I also converted the grandkids and daughter to compact cranks to protect their knees.
Hope this helps.
Reply to this
Weather conditions look great for a bike ride on Monday, Nov. 19. This may be our best day on the bikes considering Thanksgiving and and weather predictions for later in the week.
Reply to this
Anyone in the B group or A group interested in a tandem experience? My Melody prefers quilting projects these winter days, so I occasionally look for an alternate stoker. If you would like to give it a shot contact me and I will bring the long bike.
For couples thinking about a tandem, I’ll be happy to take each team member, captain and stoker a.k.a rear admiral, for a ride or two. I recommend that a prospective captain first pedals as a stoker in order to experience the stoker’s position and understand the responsibility of safe tandeming.
Reply to this
Hi Carl,
I have to go out and count my gearing to answer your question but I have both a double and triple crank and what I found was when the hill gets steep I drop into my lowest gear. What I have noticed with the good climbers they have high spin rates and get off the saddle. It takes a while (maybe 2 or more years) to really get use to this altitude. I have noticed over the last 7 years I have lived in Santa Fe that my climbing has improved not because of my gearing but because of my conditioning.
I'll get back to you on my specific gearing later.
Reply to this
Rule of thumb. Hill climbing strength is directly porpotional to training effort. A simple way to look at it is with regular, read twice a week efforts, on any of the hills around here, climbing strength will improve equal to effort, I promise.
Re altitude, red blood cells, the oxygen cariers, die and are replaced constantly. The simple view; exercising requires more oxygen at 7,000 feet. The down side is although cells die at the normal rate, it takes, at our age, four to six weeks for our marrow and other systems to adapt and replace the oxygen carriers with more robust and efficient cells. The up side is once your system is producing those robust oxygen cells and you enter an event in the low lands, you will kick butt, and they may ask you to take a drug test
Depending on riding or training discipline, muscle strength or climbing improvement will take a minimum of six months to develop.
Reply to this
Thanks, Edwin. On my first trip west, visiting the 5 NPs in Utah in 1986, I was one of the best climbers, though a female. And I cranked in a lower gear and passed the guys who were standing on their pedals. But those roads have perhaps a max 7% grade.
In England I was second best climber in 1996 on grades up to 20%. But now I seem to have less leg strength, probably due to much less riding, so the steeper roads here, like "Heartbreak Hill" defeat me. I have a triple, but it only duplicates my old double with a 34-99 gear inch ratio. I could use both a lower and a higher one here, but I don't know how low or how high.
Haven't found a knowledgeable person in a bike shop yet—they just want to sell me something, not help figure out what I really need. And aren't at all knowledgeable about gears.
There was a guy in my NY bike club who knew EVERYTHING about gear, but he succumbed to prostate cancer some years ago.
caryl
Reply to this
Anyone interested in a ride on Monday, May 5 leaving Eldo Agora at 9:00am heading straight south on 285 for thirty miles and back. Total of 60 easy miles. Moderate pace.
Reply to this