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#1
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Training Cycles Question
Quick history. From an exercise perspective I am mostly either a runner (or
nothing). But back in the 90's I ran into some injury problems and turned into a road biker (even rode in a couple of Cat IV age group events). But for a number of reasons that didn't last. Fast forward 15 years (and maybe more than 15 pounds) I am now neither a runner or biker (retired and a golfer which I enjoy, but ...). So I need to get back to a better exercise regime. When I was biking I spent a goodly amount of time on a traditional sport club magnetic exercise (upright) bike. So I am considering doing that again (along with some weight/kettlebell work focused on what will help my golf). And I am trying to make a 'spinner bike' vs. magnetic resistance bike decision. I have never been on a spinner, BTW. From my perspective the spinner is the obvious choice - it is more like a bike (even though I have no plans to get onto the road again). The only drawback to this choice is feedback. I am a goal motivated guy and can do well when I can measure progress - stuff like run my 6 mile route faster, speed on a road bike, progressive weights when lifting, etc. That works quite well even with moderately priced magnetic resistance bikes (time and power). I don't see how I can get this with a spinner as the resistance level is kind of unknown, although I suppose you could just mark turns on the resistance knob and assume that the resistance really isn't changing with wear over time (doubtful). Comments on this? My budget is not high - maybe $500. Thanks. dave ps. Back in 'the days' the club that I used had Lifecycle upright bikes. They were really nice in that the 'required power' was speed independent - you set a level and it took a mostly fixed level of power input to make the pedals turn no matter what the rpm (within limits). So you could easily simulate climbing, although as my fitness improved I could max the thing out. I won't be able to afford a magnetic device that would do that (nor would even a high end spinner, I assume). |
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#2
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Training Cycles Question
Sounds like you're looking for better fitness overall and not really into cycling. Without a cycling specific goal or love of the sport it will be hard just to have one piece of equipment and use it often enough to meet your goals. Probably best to use that money at a health club. It will go further. Alternatively you can buy a kettlebell set and after repeatedly hitting yourself in the head to cause significant brain damage you can come to RBR and post 'thoughts'. There is least one person that does that in this forum. |
#3
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Training Cycles Question
"Anton Berlin" wrote in message ... Sounds like you're looking for better fitness overall and not really into cycling. Without a cycling specific goal or love of the sport it will be hard just to have one piece of equipment and use it often enough to meet your goals. Probably best to use that money at a health club. It will go further. Alternatively you can buy a kettlebell set and after repeatedly hitting yourself in the head to cause significant brain damage you can come to RBR and post 'thoughts'. There is least one person that does that in this forum. Regarding the single device, I can make that work for me. I was into cycling for about 4 years (work around for my running injuries) and only owned a bike about half that time. But the sport club is a very poor choice for me as I won't make the trip, but I will go into the next room (live in a small area - choices are limited and not that close by). It was perfect for me while in California as the only way to make my commute manageable was to leave the house around 4:45 a.m. (50 minute drive with no traffic) and stop at a sports club near work before starting my day (now retired). I have just started with kettlebells (they seem to me to be very good core training devices) and I have not YET hit my head with one. But I have smashed a $8 plastic digital watch doing cleans with a kettlebell :-) I would still be interesting in other comments - thanks. dave |
#4
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Training Cycles Question
"Dave Lee" wrote in message m... Quick history. From an exercise perspective I am mostly either a runner (or nothing). But back in the 90's I ran into some injury problems and turned into a road biker (even rode in a couple of Cat IV age group events). But for a number of reasons that didn't last. Fast forward 15 years (and maybe more than 15 pounds) I am now neither a runner or biker (retired and a golfer which I enjoy, but ...). So I need to get back to a better exercise regime. When I was biking I spent a goodly amount of time on a traditional sport club magnetic exercise (upright) bike. So I am considering doing that again (along with some weight/kettlebell work focused on what will help my golf). And I am trying to make a 'spinner bike' vs. magnetic resistance bike decision. I have never been on a spinner, BTW. From my perspective the spinner is the obvious choice - it is more like a bike (even though I have no plans to get onto the road again). The only drawback to this choice is feedback. I am a goal motivated guy and can do well when I can measure progress - stuff like run my 6 mile route faster, speed on a road bike, progressive weights when lifting, etc. That works quite well even with moderately priced magnetic resistance bikes (time and power). I don't see how I can get this with a spinner as the resistance level is kind of unknown, although I suppose you could just mark turns on the resistance knob and assume that the resistance really isn't changing with wear over time (doubtful). Comments on this? My budget is not high - maybe $500. Thanks. dave ps. Back in 'the days' the club that I used had Lifecycle upright bikes. They were really nice in that the 'required power' was speed independent - you set a level and it took a mostly fixed level of power input to make the pedals turn no matter what the rpm (within limits). So you could easily simulate climbing, although as my fitness improved I could max the thing out. I won't be able to afford a magnetic device that would do that (nor would even a high end spinner, I assume). The obvious question is why not simply ride a bike on the road? It's far more exciting than riding a trainer, and you can use a heart monitor and your speed to judge your progress. If you've got a hill to climb, even better. You can also incorporate riding into your daily regime, commuting to work, running errands, whatever. When we had both of our shop vehicles die simultaneously, I found it surprising how easily I could substitute a bike for a car, despite having to haul all sorts of stuff back and forth from home to work. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com "Dave Lee" wrote in message m... Quick history. From an exercise perspective I am mostly either a runner (or nothing). But back in the 90's I ran into some injury problems and turned into a road biker (even rode in a couple of Cat IV age group events). But for a number of reasons that didn't last. Fast forward 15 years (and maybe more than 15 pounds) I am now neither a runner or biker (retired and a golfer which I enjoy, but ...). So I need to get back to a better exercise regime. When I was biking I spent a goodly amount of time on a traditional sport club magnetic exercise (upright) bike. So I am considering doing that again (along with some weight/kettlebell work focused on what will help my golf). And I am trying to make a 'spinner bike' vs. magnetic resistance bike decision. I have never been on a spinner, BTW. From my perspective the spinner is the obvious choice - it is more like a bike (even though I have no plans to get onto the road again). The only drawback to this choice is feedback. I am a goal motivated guy and can do well when I can measure progress - stuff like run my 6 mile route faster, speed on a road bike, progressive weights when lifting, etc. That works quite well even with moderately priced magnetic resistance bikes (time and power). I don't see how I can get this with a spinner as the resistance level is kind of unknown, although I suppose you could just mark turns on the resistance knob and assume that the resistance really isn't changing with wear over time (doubtful). Comments on this? My budget is not high - maybe $500. Thanks. dave ps. Back in 'the days' the club that I used had Lifecycle upright bikes. They were really nice in that the 'required power' was speed independent - you set a level and it took a mostly fixed level of power input to make the pedals turn no matter what the rpm (within limits). So you could easily simulate climbing, although as my fitness improved I could max the thing out. I won't be able to afford a magnetic device that would do that (nor would even a high end spinner, I assume). |
#5
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Training Cycles Question
On 1/10/2011 9:30 AM, Dave Lee wrote:
"Anton Berlin" wrote in message ... Sounds like you're looking for better fitness overall and not really into cycling. Without a cycling specific goal or love of the sport it will be hard just to have one piece of equipment and use it often enough to meet your goals. Probably best to use that money at a health club. It will go further. Alternatively you can buy a kettlebell set and after repeatedly hitting yourself in the head to cause significant brain damage you can come to RBR and post 'thoughts'. There is least one person that does that in this forum. Regarding the single device, I can make that work for me. I was into cycling for about 4 years (work around for my running injuries) and only owned a bike about half that time. But the sport club is a very poor choice for me as I won't make the trip, but I will go into the next room (live in a small area - choices are limited and not that close by). It was perfect for me while in California as the only way to make my commute manageable was to leave the house around 4:45 a.m. (50 minute drive with no traffic) and stop at a sports club near work before starting my day (now retired). I have just started with kettlebells (they seem to me to be very good core training devices) and I have not YET hit my head with one. But I have smashed a $8 plastic digital watch doing cleans with a kettlebell :-) I would still be interesting in other comments - thanks. dave Dave, if you are as goal orientated as you say give road biking a try. I am a ex-runner due to major knee injuries started riding back in the mid to late 80's until the early 90's. I ave up riding because at the time the saddle really hurt my groin area to the point I couldn't sit on the saddle nor did I want to. A few years later talking to my best friend living on opposite coasts suggested that I get an ergonomic saddle, at the time I had no idea what it was but a few years latter did find one and put it on did a ride and no pains. However, I only did one ride and decided I didn't really want to ride because of previous memories. Would from time to time take the bike out for a short ride especially when all my vehicles were down and had no choice. Fast forward several years, do to the earlier knee injuries and the other activities I was and had been doing my knees got to the point I couldn't any real physical activities that required leg work. I finally had got to the point my health was in real jeopardy (blood pressure through the roof, death bed levels) and my knees to the point simple walking became difficult. I knew I was in a bad situation all the way around and needed to do something and fast. With the urging of my three best friends; Marianne, Jim and Eric I started riding, slow and short at first as my fitness and strength wouldn't allow anything more. I continued to worry if my knees would give out on me on every ride and even today a year later I still worry. That saddle worked wonders plus learning all the new things about bike fit made a huge difference to bike comfort. From riding speed 6-12 mph in the first few months I started to ride progressively faster and longer. I went out for a 25 mile ride and met up with some riders doing a 265 miler as part of a larger group. I rode with them for about 15 miles taking me the totally wrong direction, I ended up riding 45 miles and missed a dinner party. Riding with these guys was great and I wanted to do it more! I had to go down south on a trip but the day before the trip I found a group ride and didn't know anything about it. They asked how fast could I ride? I told them between 18-20mph; did I know the area? I said yes since I spent my earlier days as a runner in that area; and how familiar was I riding in a group? I said not to familiar as when I rode years before it was either solo or with a few friends that also rode solo. They gave me a real quick run down on what to expect and the different hand signals and advised me that maybe I should do their other ride the next day., the these riders try to drop each other as they are all season racers. Now I was on an old heavy aluminum framed bike and they all had brand new custom carbon fiber Cannondale racing bikes! Little did I know the difference. I hung with them for about 4 miles they smoked me going up a hill riding faster than I could on the flats. They waited up for me at the top of the hill mainly because there was a traffic light and it was red as soon as I got up the hill they took off as I followed about another mile down the road was another traffic light, I caught up with them again. I knew I was in trouble at this point but figure what the hell how fast can they really go. I found out once we crossed the intersection, I am riding as fast as I could doing about 21-22 mph and they pulled away like I was standing still, They made a turn I followed about another mile they made another turn an dI could still them, I made the turn and that was the last time I seen them until I figured my way on the routed course. They were all ready to leave when I finally got back to the bike shop. I had never been so out classed, beat up, embarrassed, humiliated as an athlete but I needed that! It put me in my place and gave me a new found drive to push even harder and to make it a goal to be able to ride as fast as them and in a year come back and not get dropped. My best friends told me not to let it get me down and they all have healthy knees and bodies plus they were half my age (only one was in his 50's) and they had been competitively riding for years! To me that was no excuse, I would work this broken down body and get it back in to working order. When I got back from the trip, I really got serious about my riding and started to put on the miles, started to ride with groups that I could hang with which were classified as B groups (ride distance between 25-50 miles at 16-18 MPH average but riding speed up to 23 mph with break away going as fast as the rider could handle. It took me a several rides to learn the in and outs of the group dynamics. I got tot he point I was able to lead group rides and now I lead the B and B+/A- rides. I believe I am on track in my training that I will be able to hang with that race team and not get dropped. I have done some research on the team and most of the riders are cat 2 & 3 with a few cat 1 and 4. I know I will not be able to blow any one away but at 57 1/2 I'll be able to hand and not get dropped and the ride is only 24 miles long. I will still be at a disadvantage with my bike but that's life, as all the riders that I ride with now all have carbon fiber bikes and I have been able to hang with them except in an all out sprint as my knees have not got strong enough to stand and crank, all my riding is done in the saddle. I am now averaging 150 per week and get in a 50-70 miler once per week. As matter of fact I am about to got out and do a 60 mile in a few minutes, will be finishing in the dark. So Dave if you are goal orientated ex-runner like myself biking is the way to go and it's great for for your knees and legs. My number one advice would be to make sure your bike is fitted to your body. Google Veloist, it is an open cycling group that is pretty new and for all sorts of riding come and join us there! Go ride and enjoy the outdoors... -- Ride fast, ride hard, ride for health and enjoyment... JQ Dancing on the edge |
#6
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Training Cycles Question
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JQ, I have done road biking in the past and enjoyed it. But for reasons that I am just not willing to put in a public forum that isn't the best choice for me right now. Thanks for the comments. dave "JQ" wrote in message ... SNIP Dave, if you are as goal orientated as you say give road biking a try. I am a ex-runner due to major knee injuries started riding back in the mid to late 80's until the early 90's. I ave up riding because at the time the saddle really hurt my groin area to the point I couldn't sit on the saddle nor did I want to. A few years later talking to my best friend living on opposite coasts suggested that I get an ergonomic saddle, at the time I had no idea what it was but a few years latter did find one and put it on did a ride and no pains. However, I only did one ride and decided I didn't really want to ride because of previous memories. Would from time to time take the bike out for a short ride especially when all my vehicles were down and had no choice. Fast forward several years, do to the earlier knee injuries and the other activities I was and had been doing my knees got to the point I couldn't any real physical activities that required leg work. I finally had got to the point my health was in real jeopardy (blood pressure through the roof, death bed levels) and my knees to the point simple walking became difficult. I knew I was in a bad situation all the way around and needed to do something and fast. With the urging of my three best friends; Marianne, Jim and Eric I started riding, slow and short at first as my fitness and strength wouldn't allow anything more. I continued to worry if my knees would give out on me on every ride and even today a year later I still worry. That saddle worked wonders plus learning all the new things about bike fit made a huge difference to bike comfort. From riding speed 6-12 mph in the first few months I started to ride progressively faster and longer. I went out for a 25 mile ride and met up with some riders doing a 265 miler as part of a larger group. I rode with them for about 15 miles taking me the totally wrong direction, I ended up riding 45 miles and missed a dinner party. Riding with these guys was great and I wanted to do it more! I had to go down south on a trip but the day before the trip I found a group ride and didn't know anything about it. They asked how fast could I ride? I told them between 18-20mph; did I know the area? I said yes since I spent my earlier days as a runner in that area; and how familiar was I riding in a group? I said not to familiar as when I rode years before it was either solo or with a few friends that also rode solo. They gave me a real quick run down on what to expect and the different hand signals and advised me that maybe I should do their other ride the next day., the these riders try to drop each other as they are all season racers. Now I was on an old heavy aluminum framed bike and they all had brand new custom carbon fiber Cannondale racing bikes! Little did I know the difference. I hung with them for about 4 miles they smoked me going up a hill riding faster than I could on the flats. They waited up for me at the top of the hill mainly because there was a traffic light and it was red as soon as I got up the hill they took off as I followed about another mile down the road was another traffic light, I caught up with them again. I knew I was in trouble at this point but figure what the hell how fast can they really go. I found out once we crossed the intersection, I am riding as fast as I could doing about 21-22 mph and they pulled away like I was standing still, They made a turn I followed about another mile they made another turn an dI could still them, I made the turn and that was the last time I seen them until I figured my way on the routed course. They were all ready to leave when I finally got back to the bike shop. I had never been so out classed, beat up, embarrassed, humiliated as an athlete but I needed that! It put me in my place and gave me a new found drive to push even harder and to make it a goal to be able to ride as fast as them and in a year come back and not get dropped. My best friends told me not to let it get me down and they all have healthy knees and bodies plus they were half my age (only one was in his 50's) and they had been competitively riding for years! To me that was no excuse, I would work this broken down body and get it back in to working order. When I got back from the trip, I really got serious about my riding and started to put on the miles, started to ride with groups that I could hang with which were classified as B groups (ride distance between 25-50 miles at 16-18 MPH average but riding speed up to 23 mph with break away going as fast as the rider could handle. It took me a several rides to learn the in and outs of the group dynamics. I got tot he point I was able to lead group rides and now I lead the B and B+/A- rides. I believe I am on track in my training that I will be able to hang with that race team and not get dropped. I have done some research on the team and most of the riders are cat 2 & 3 with a few cat 1 and 4. I know I will not be able to blow any one away but at 57 1/2 I'll be able to hand and not get dropped and the ride is only 24 miles long. I will still be at a disadvantage with my bike but that's life, as all the riders that I ride with now all have carbon fiber bikes and I have been able to hang with them except in an all out sprint as my knees have not got strong enough to stand and crank, all my riding is done in the saddle. I am now averaging 150 per week and get in a 50-70 miler once per week. As matter of fact I am about to got out and do a 60 mile in a few minutes, will be finishing in the dark. So Dave if you are goal orientated ex-runner like myself biking is the way to go and it's great for for your knees and legs. My number one advice would be to make sure your bike is fitted to your body. Google Veloist, it is an open cycling group that is pretty new and for all sorts of riding come and join us there! Go ride and enjoy the outdoors... -- Ride fast, ride hard, ride for health and enjoyment... JQ Dancing on the edge |
#7
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Training Cycles Question
Attached
Mike, I have done road biking in the past and enjoyed it. But for reasons that I am just not willing to put in a public forum that isn't the best choice for me right now. Thanks for the comments. dave "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message m... SNIP The obvious question is why not simply ride a bike on the road? It's far more exciting than riding a trainer, and you can use a heart monitor and your speed to judge your progress. If you've got a hill to climb, even better. You can also incorporate riding into your daily regime, commuting to work, running errands, whatever. When we had both of our shop vehicles die simultaneously, I found it surprising how easily I could substitute a bike for a car, despite having to haul all sorts of stuff back and forth from home to work. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com "Dave Lee" wrote in message m... Quick history. From an exercise perspective I am mostly either a runner (or nothing). But back in the 90's I ran into some injury problems and turned into a road biker (even rode in a couple of Cat IV age group events). But for a number of reasons that didn't last. Fast forward 15 years (and maybe more than 15 pounds) I am now neither a runner or biker (retired and a golfer which I enjoy, but ...). So I need to get back to a better exercise regime. When I was biking I spent a goodly amount of time on a traditional sport club magnetic exercise (upright) bike. So I am considering doing that again (along with some weight/kettlebell work focused on what will help my golf). And I am trying to make a 'spinner bike' vs. magnetic resistance bike decision. I have never been on a spinner, BTW. From my perspective the spinner is the obvious choice - it is more like a bike (even though I have no plans to get onto the road again). The only drawback to this choice is feedback. I am a goal motivated guy and can do well when I can measure progress - stuff like run my 6 mile route faster, speed on a road bike, progressive weights when lifting, etc. That works quite well even with moderately priced magnetic resistance bikes (time and power). I don't see how I can get this with a spinner as the resistance level is kind of unknown, although I suppose you could just mark turns on the resistance knob and assume that the resistance really isn't changing with wear over time (doubtful). Comments on this? My budget is not high - maybe $500. Thanks. dave ps. Back in 'the days' the club that I used had Lifecycle upright bikes. They were really nice in that the 'required power' was speed independent - you set a level and it took a mostly fixed level of power input to make the pedals turn no matter what the rpm (within limits). So you could easily simulate climbing, although as my fitness improved I could max the thing out. I won't be able to afford a magnetic device that would do that (nor would even a high end spinner, I assume). |
#8
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Training Cycles Question
JQ, I have done road biking in the past and enjoyed it. But for reasons that I am just not willing to put in a public forum that isn't the best choice for me right now. Somehow that just screams "insurance fraud" |
#9
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Training Cycles Question
"Anton Berlin" wrote in message ... JQ, I have done road biking in the past and enjoyed it. But for reasons that I am just not willing to put in a public forum that isn't the best choice for me right now. Somehow that just screams "insurance fraud" I'm curious. Is this a joke or some RBR thing that a guy like me (who hasn't been here since sometime in the 90's) wouldn't understand? dave |
#10
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Training Cycles Question
On Jan 10, 8:30*am, "Dave Lee" wrote:
Regarding the single device, I can make that work for me. I was into cycling for about 4 years (work around for my running injuries) and only owned a bike about half that time. But the sport club is a very poor choice for me as I won't make the trip, but I will go into the next room (live in a small area - choices are limited and not that close by). It was perfect for me while in California as the only way to make my commute manageable was to leave the house around 4:45 a.m. (50 minute drive with no traffic) and stop at a sports club near work before starting my day (now retired). I have just started with kettlebells (they seem to me to be very good core training devices) and I have not YET hit my head with one. But I have smashed a $8 plastic digital watch doing cleans with a kettlebell :-) I would still be interesting in other comments - thanks. It might be a good idea to check out a one-time pass or one-class arrangement at a club or two, so you can try as many equipment choices as possible. Some Spin classes are (IMHO) nasty, getting yelled at sessions but I've "spun" with a few instructors who didn't crank up the (usually stupid) music and then use a microphone to be heard over the din. They welcomed newcomers, too, no "hey you in the back, let's keep up here!" stuff. IOW, I saw what you wrote but maybe you'd want to check out Spin sessions; it can be like riding the road in the sense of having a social setting to work out in, "the miles fly by". Is there a "sports store", either large or small, anywhere nearby where you can get a test ride? Second-hand shop that sells used sports equipment? A new one of these: http://concept2.com/us/indoorrowers/default.asp? gclid=CIGW2I_JsKYCFZJa2goddUyZmg is way over your stated budget, but it's something to think about and maybe try out, if available. I've used one of these fine machines; they have a variety of modes on a readout screen for measuring your workout, which seems to be what you're looking for. An "erg" as the rowers call them, is ideal for the strongly self-directed g. A half-hour on the rowing machine will find you reaching into your suitcase of motivation, for sure. Low-impact, low noise level, can be used to focus on core strength; not as tough on the legs as cycling but better for everything else IMHO. There is some technique involved. I was fortunate to have a young woman who was a varsity rower get me lined out on what's what-- good technique really helps the focus, and it hurts more, too g. Um, easy on watches, etc., and no helmet required. --D-y |
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