Training Advice

It does sound like you need a week off riding rpm

I guess it's difficult though if you need to ride for work, maybe try to maximize your recovery for a week ? Stay in and relax after work, early nights, no beer etc, no racing or specific training

a race massage helps to restore the body too- the process is tear and repair, and can be a cause of the right foot problem, something's torn and not gone back as should.

What gear do you all commute on ?

From last winter I started riding a 71" on my commuter, and I like to think it's improved my pedaling and leg strength. Certainly seems easier to get on top of my track gear (90") this year, and I'm much more fluid with my pedaling.

Now the track season has started is there any benefit in upping my commute gear ? (76 or 81"). I normally get in a few sprints, some downhill max revs and seated uphill strength efforts on my commute

What gear do you all commute on ?

I've been using 69-70 for a couple of years now, don't like much over 71 on 165 cranks for the road because it gets tedious grinding into the wind or doing lots of stop/start.

means you get to spin a lot if you ride with gearies!

hitting around 180rpm max at the moment, (though I've only had a computer for a week and only tried a sprint once) I'd like to be able to hit 200 on the road, if possible

Tried a 81" on the road for some intervals today. While it had the desired effect for the intervals, it felt horrible warming up and down. Back to 71" methinks for commuting.

Keep meaning to buy a cheapo computer for my commuter, be interesting to work out what revs i'm doing

yeah best to use a flip flop and change to the heavier gear once you are warmed up

I've just dropped back down to 69 from 74 on the road.
Even my chunky legs were struggling to maintain a healthy cadence when tired into the wind, hence the drop back to old faithful.

I'm thinking of entering a new era. The era of the 43t chainring. My new do-it-all solution. Typical that the number I painstakingly arrive at appears to be a bit hard to find.

Does anyone know if Gebhardt do a 43t in their 130BCD track line-up? I'll be giving Sonic Cycles a call anyway, but someone might be able to put my mind at rest...

I've got a 43T here. As usual, I'm ahead of the curve*.

*pre-emtive "shutup bmmf" for the fat joke you'll write now ;)

I know I can get 3/32" 7075 T6 jobbies by Stronglight or TA (not much between them I suppose), but I'd prefer 1/8".

Are you saying your 43t is a 1/8" Gebhardt?

Nope. It's a Sugino and it's 144bcd so no good for you.. unless you buy the cranks off me to suit :)

Well fuck off then.

You think it's that easy? Ha!

*pre-emptive "shut up bmmf" for the fat joke you'll write now ;)

You appear to have forgotten the pre-emptive 'shut up, Oliver' for the inevitable spelling correction that was always going to come from me. ;)

I'm getting wors and wors wiv my spelling these days.

Old age? Lack of care? Doing too many things at once? What do you reckon it might be?

I'm getting wors and wors wiv my spelling these days.

Old age? Lack of care? Doing too many things at once? What do you reckon it might be?

Unconscious desire for cruel punishment?

Fuck it, I think I'll just order a 44t and be done with it. Right at the shortest extreme of my track-ends though; bit of a kerfuffle getting the chain off when removing the wheel...

Interesting, eh.

but the 43 gives you that elusive 89 GI

with all the bravado surrounding 90, and the understated popularity of 88, it might just be what you need to win

I think I'll leave my 90 on for track league tomorrow, if its not too windy. See what happens. Failing any improvement in performance I'm sure it'll at least make me feel more like a man.

but the 43 gives you that elusive 89 GI

with all the bravado surrounding 90, and the understated popularity of 88, it might just be what you need to win

I'm a bit more focussed on the hillclimbing end of the 44t's potential. Track's are for training on.

My gearing yesterday, 48x14 gave me 90 GI and it was the nicest gear I had ridden at HH thus far.

92.

47x14 is 90

ohh your arcane measurements! Means I was on 94.5 before I changed. No wonder I sometimes struggled in the wind

Old school! My 90 = 50x15

47x14 FTSP*

*For the second place, I'm always happy with second so shut up.