Advice Please Fellow Cyclists

[fizzwheel]

I've been laying into the pies a bit to much recently so in an effort to get a bit fitter. I have fished my pushbike out of the kitchen ( seriously it does live in there ) and have started cycling again.

I'm after a bit of advice. I have currently got a cheapo from halfrauds cycle computer. It tells me basic stuff. Current Speed, Trip distance, Total distance, Avg speed, time elapsed.

Being the geek I am I have been looking at upgrading this to something that will do all of the above but also cadence and also a heart rate monitor. No particular reason I just want some way of keeping me interested in cycling as I get bored quickly. Also I like the idea of monitoring what I'm doing and trying to beat PB time on the route that I am riding.

I dont have an unlimited budget. I've been looking at some of the ones made by Polar.

Does anybody have any recommendations.

Cheers

Fizz

[Vfr400]

I've been laying into the pies a bit to much recently so in an effort to get a bit fitter. I have fished my pushbike out of the kitchen ( seriously it does live in there ) and have started cycling again.

I'm after a bit of advice. I have currently got a cheapo from halfrauds cycle computer. It tells me basic stuff. Current Speed, Trip distance, Total distance, Avg speed, time elapsed.

Being the geek I am I have been looking at upgrading this to something that will do all of the above but also cadence and also a heart rate monitor. No particular reason I just want some way of keeping me interested in cycling as I get bored quickly. Also I like the idea of monitoring what I'm doing and trying to beat PB time on the route that I am riding.

I dont have an unlimited budget. I've been looking at some of the ones made by Polar.

Does anybody have any recommendations.

Cheers

Fizz


yup! sell the bike and buy something nice for the Gixer :D

[donkeykong]

tell you what mate, couldnt give you a price or nothing, but
I got the Polar T61 transmitter (straps below your tits, bit of spit like) and watch.

very good kit. theres a watch battery or something in the chest thingy, when it runs out (after X years) they replace it free of charge.

The watch does stuff like warm ups/cool downs, beeps if your heart rate goes over a preset rate, beeps if your heart rate gets too lazy(!), tells you how many calories youve worked this sesh, and of course, your current heart rate.

Oh yeah, those polar things work with the machines in the gym too, so you dont need the watch if your off for a jog on the treadmill, just the chest strap thing.

I used to have a habit of going well over my max safe heart rate, soon got that in check. Highly recommended.

think they all do pretty much the same thing, just the watches differ.

[mattSV]

I agree with the barrel-chucking chimp - can't go wrong with Polar

[kciN]

I agree with the barrel-chucking chimp - can't go wrong with Polar :lol: :lol:

Instead of buying a heart rate monitor, go do a bit off roading, up hill down dale, as they say oop north! :wink:

It's good fun. I get out on my mountain bike a lot and enjoy road riding but the occasional back lane and through the wood blast does wonders for your fitness and heart rate!

[greeno76]

Don't forget Garmin

http://www.garmin.com/products/edge305/

I think Wiggle do them.

- Jason

[DanDare]

Fizz, you body has its own way of telling how well your doing.

1. If your not sweating then your not doing enough. :roll:

2. If you've a sharp pain in your chest, then you pushed yourself too far and your having a heart attack. :lol:

Seriously though, running burns off carbs and cals quicker better than cycling.
Fetch you trainers out of the cupboard and go for a jog. :smt005

[fizzwheel]

Seriously though, running burns off carbs and cals quicker better than cycling.
Fetch you trainers out of the cupboard and go for a jog. :smt005

I have bad knees I always find running leaves me with sore knees for a few days. I've always found cycling is better for me and also its nowhere near as tedious.

[DanDare]

Seriously though, running burns off carbs and cals quicker better than cycling.
Fetch you trainers out of the cupboard and go for a jog. :smt005

I have bad knees I always find running leaves me with sore knees for a few days. I've always found cycling is better for me and also its nowhere near as tedious.

Your just itching to get your Grifter out complete with Spokey Dokeys! :lol:

[Filipe M.]

Fizz, can you find SigmaSport cycle computers and heart rate monitors around? Not the very best, but they're good value for money.

[fizzwheel]

Instead of buying a heart rate monitor, go do a bit off roading, up hill down dale, as they say oop north! :wink:

It's good fun. I get out on my mountain bike a lot and enjoy road riding but the occasional back lane and through the wood blast does wonders for your fitness and heart rate!

I've done a fair bit of mountain biking, But I dont have an off road bike anymore. It is good fun however I dont really have enough spare cash to shell out on a reasonable mountain bike and I refuse point blank to buy a cheap sh*t one.

This is my roadbike, I'm going to change the bars back to standard drop bars though.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/fizzwheel/push.jpg

[DanDare]

Fookin 'El :shock:

That looks a bit good! Albeit a little painful looking on the saddle side. :cry: :oops:

[philipMac]

Alright Fiz mate.

There are a couple of options with pulse monitors... but you mentioned you would like a cadence monitor too. Those boys are a little more pricey, obviously there has to be a monitor on the crank and the wheel.
I would just forget about the cadence bit. None (I think?) of the lads used them when I was racing a few years back.
So that leaves the pulse only guys. (There are also power monitors... which, to be fair, are seriously cool.)
Anyway, personally I would go out and pick up a cheap cateye or polar. The more moneyed ones give you more features... which, realistically you are not going to use. Simple, trusted name (since the monitoring internals will be similar), big numbers.

Then you have to learn how to use it.
Get your max pulse. Mine was about 207 bpm. Go out on a spin, and find a drag that ends in a hill. Ride reasonabley strongly up the drag, and push hard at the hill. You shold be pushing for at least five minutes. Watch the pulse all the time.

Then you get... arrrg, I forget, about 80% of that number, I can find out. Mine was 165. This is your anerobic threashold. This is where you start to respire with out O2. You can ride all day below here, and not cramp. Above that line, the clock is ticking.
Then.. you just calibrate your riding to this. Again... I sort of know (knew) what I was talking about re this stuff. PM me if you wnt more info.

The funny thing about monitors is... when you wair one for a while, you know

exaclty what bpm your body is doing at any point in time, and then you dont need the monitor any more. :lol:

[fizzwheel]

-Lots of useful stuff -

Thats great thank you.

I've been looking at the cateye & polar ones. Cateye seem slightly cheaper but give the same features. I see some of them also calculate calorie burn as well.

I'm sure I read somewhere that you can use the cadence measurement to calculate your max power output which is why i was interested in being able to monitor that to.

[fizzwheel]

Albeit a little painful looking on the saddle side. :cry: :oops:

Thats what cycling shorts are for :wink:

[philipMac]

This is my roadbike, I'm going to change the bars back to standard drop bars though.


Emm. I am not sure how to put this politely. Please understand I am a bike *****... but, genuinely you would be doing yourself a favour if you had a bike with a differant frame. Those frames are just not that great. I mean, the wheels look reasonable, and you have look pedals, but yeah, that frame is not being good to you.
Sorry Fiz! :oops:
Trust me, or even, see if you can get a loaner to see the differance between that and something... else.

[philipMac]

-Lots of useful stuff -

Thats great thank you.

I've been looking at the cateye & polar ones. Cateye seem slightly cheaper but give the same features. I see some of them also calculate calorie burn as well.

I'm sure I read somewhere that you can use the cadence measurement to calculate your max power output which is why i was interested in being able to monitor that to.

Yeah. But, they will be guesses at power.
You just want to ride at least 90 rpm. And, be comfortable at 100. I suppose... if you watch the tour say, em, you will see what 100rpm looks like. Learn to keep that spinning up. Lance was a great spinner. Even on hills. Dancing we called it. :wink:

One lad I know had a power meter, it would plug into a lap top, and read all the info for the day into it, and super impose this onto the route map. Freaking outstanding. :wink:

[fizzwheel]

This is my roadbike, I'm going to change the bars back to standard drop bars though.


Emm. I am not sure how to put this politely. Please understand I am a bike *****... but, genuinely you would be doing yourself a favour if you had a bike with a differant frame. Those frames are just not that great. I mean, the wheels look reasonable, and you have look pedals, but yeah, that frame is not being good to you.
Sorry Fiz! :oops:
Trust me, or even, see if you can get a loaner to see the differance between that and something... else.

No I know its not the best frame. I bought it years ago 2nd hand so and didnt pay a huge amount of money for it. I want to get fit so for that it'll do just fine.

Rims are Mavic Open4CD. I has a Shimano 105 group set on it. Its all pretty old stuff as I havent upgraded it since I bought it.

I have been looking at frames but I'm just as much of a tart as you seem to be :wink: I cant really justify the cost unless you can make some recommendations that arent ridiculously expensive.

[fizzwheel]

Learn to keep that spinning up. Lance was a great spinner. Even on hills. Dancing we called it. :wink:

Thats pretty much how I have always ridden. Feels better spining the gears round rather than labouring along in a big gear.

[philipMac]

Rims are Mavic Open4CD. I has a Shimano 105 group set on it. Its all pretty old stuff as I havent upgraded it since I bought it.

I have been looking at frames but I'm just as much of a tart as you seem to be :wink: I cant really justify the cost unless you can make some recommendations that arent ridiculously expensive.

Ok. Yeah, 105 is fine. Look after it and keep it clean, and I have seen lads racing on it. Those open 4CD rims are good. You are bringing me back now... ha ha.

Let me ask my mate about cheap good frames. I am a bit out of the loop these days.
If I dont get back to you in a week, and you are still wondering, pm me. (His sister worked for the US Postal team... god knows what she has in her garage.)

Here, listen to this, my mate rode in the olympics, 2 custom bikes for it were built. Then he moved out to the US. Came back to Ireland a few years later... and...



his old man had thrown them all out. He thought that he didnt want them any more, and they were just taking up room, sure didnt he have a new bike anyway.

I nearly got sick when he told me.

[fizzwheel]

Ok. Yeah, 105 is fine. Look after it and keep it clean, and I have seen lads racing on it. Those open 4CD rims are good. You are bringing me back now... ha ha.

Let me ask my mate about cheap good frames. I am a bit out of the loop these
days.

If I dont get back to you in a week, and you are still wondering, pm me. (His sister worked for the US Postal team... god knows what she has in her garage.)



OK that would be great. Thanks for your help


Here, listen to this, my mate rode in the olympics, 2 custom bikes for it were built. Then he moved out to the US. Came back to Ireland a few years later... and...

his old man had thrown them all out. He thought that he didnt want them any more, and they were just taking up room, sure didnt he have a new bike anyway.

I nearly got sick when he told me.

OMG how bad is that. I would have been well upset if that was me.

[Filipe M.]

Here, listen to this, my mate rode in the olympics, 2 custom bikes for it were built. Then he moved out to the US. Came back to Ireland a few years later... and...

his old man had thrown them all out. He thought that he didnt want them any more, and they were just taking up room, sure didnt he have a new bike anyway.

I nearly got sick when he told me.

OMG how bad is that. I would have been well upset if that was me.

I guess there would be deaths involved if it was me! :shock: :evil:

[philipMac]

Here, listen to this, my mate rode in the olympics, 2 custom bikes for it were built. Then he moved out to the US. Came back to Ireland a few years later... and...

his old man had thrown them all out. He thought that he didnt want them any more, and they were just taking up room, sure didnt he have a new bike anyway.

I nearly got sick when he told me.

OMG how bad is that. I would have been well upset if that was me.

I guess there would be deaths involved if it was me! :shock: :evil:
I know. Think about it... the best frame builders in the world, measureing you up, having a consultation with the team, and building the bike for you.
Then signing the frame, since each one is a one off.
Then putting his name, the Irish flag, the olympic symbol.

And then both of them (one track, one road) are put out for the bins.

It wasnt jut those bikes either. He had about 12 bikes hung up on the walls in the garage.

And the worst part of it was, the old man didnt even need the space. He just thought he would give the place a bit of a clean.