February 2017 Biking Cycling Bicycling Challenge!

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Replies

  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @Elise4270 I asked my hubby (the more experienced cyclist) about loosening the tension. Have you tried to loosen the tension on the pedals? I did this when I was first learning how to clip in and out as I was having trouble unclipping.

    Speedplay is most definitely a good option. Hubby said that several of the guys in his riding group moved to that brand after back, knee, and hip surgeries.

    Look pedals have an adjustable flow. They might work for you.

    Hubby recommends trying to loosen the tension on your current pedals first - before investing in the Speedplay (which may require you to purchase new shoes too).

    I can definitely change the tension on the clips. I'll check that out, they may have been set too tight from the get go.

    I don't think I'll need new shoes with the SpeedPlay. But what girl who doesn't want new shoes gear? 8 months with no new gear and I'm set to shop!

    Tell your hubby thanks!
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
    Mon 20 - 27.44 miles: MTD 368.15 / 250, YTD 529.77 / 4000

    That's my target beaten by 100 miles, let's see if I can make it 200! :)
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,376 Member
    edited February 2017
    @Elise4270 I talked to my bike-fanatic colleague today. What I learned:
    - Time is a French company, they might be less common in the US/harder to find
    - Speedplay: he said you'd probably want the Speedplay Light Action, they have a very low release tension and "normal" angular freedom. With the Speedplay X, you have to rotate your feet twice as far to unclip, so maybe if rotating your feet outward is still hard, they wouldn't be the best choice? And for the Speedplay Zero, you can adjust the angular float, but unclipping needs more force than with the Light Actions. Don't know if there are any other Speedplay models, those are the ones he knew (already enough to impress me ;) ).
    - And some numbers, for what it's worth: my old Look pedals had a tension that could be adjusted between 12-16Nm, my Time RXS have a tension of ~4Nm, and the Speedplays LA/X are apperently more like 1-2Nm.

    ---

    1.2.17 - 10.1km commute
    2.2.17 - 5.3km (14min) indoor/rollers
    3.2.17 - 12.7km commute
    5.2.17 - 2.5km (8min) indoor/rollers
    6.2.17 - 7.2km (20min) indoor/rollers
    7.2.17 - 7.4km (20min) indoor/rollers
    11.2.17 - 12.8km (38min) indoor/rollers "Half is Easy"
    14.2.17 - 8.0km (23min) indoor/rollers "Igniter"
    15.2.17 - 11.2km commute
    18.2.17 - 13.5km (42min) indoor/rollers "do as you're told"
    20.2.17 - 8.0km commute & 7.2km (20min) indoor/rollers "Extra Shot"
    ---
    105.9km (of 150km goal)

  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @Elise4270 I talked to my bike-fanatic colleague today. What I learned:
    - Time is a French company, they might be less common in the US/harder to find
    - Speedplay: he said you'd probably want the Speedplay Light Action, they have a very low release tension and "normal" angular freedom. With the Speedplay X, you have to rotate your feet twice as far to unclip, so maybe if rotating your feet outward is still hard, they wouldn't be the best choice? And for the Speedplay Zero, you can adjust the angular float, but unclipping needs more force than with the Light Actions. Don't know if there are any other Speedplay models, those are the ones he knew (already enough to impress me ;) ).
    - And some numbers, for what it's worth: my old Look pedals had a tension that could be adjusted between 12-16Nm, my Time RXS have a tension of ~4Nm, and the Speedplays LA/X are apperently more like 1-2Nm.

    Thanks @_nikkiwolf_ ! Spectacular information! You're a doll!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    I tried to loosen the set screws on my Shimano 105 pedals and no luck. I think they are stripped. Sure I didn't do it. By the window in the back, they do look to be set tight. It's 3/4 red.

    Guess I'll get new pedals... Suppose if I ride this week I can leave my shoes loose, or kick inwards.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,707 Member
    Review ...
    (Distances include cycling + walking)
    March: 489.8 km (304.3 miles) = 38 hours 4 min
    April: 491.94 km (305.6 miles) = 43 hours 6 min
    May: 361.81 km (224.8 miles) = 35 hours 50 min
    June: 569.53 km (353.9 miles) = 41 hours 53 min
    July: 230.7 km (143.35 miles) = 32 hours 45 min
    Aug: 211.3 km (131.3 miles) = 28 hours 8 min
    Sep: 306.7 km (190.6 miles) = 35 hour 2 min
    Oct: 441.82 km (274.5 miles) = 47 hours 43 min
    Nov: 660.21 km (410.23 miles) = 60 hours 41 min
    Dec: 499.91 km (282.8 miles) = 54 hours 56 min
    Jan: 864.79 km (537.35 miles) = 65 hours 36 min
    Feb: 470.53 km (292.4 miles) = 40 hours 39 min
    March: 917.73 km (570.2 miles) = 66 hours 13 min
    April: 417.83 km (259.6 miles) = 40 hours 23 min
    May: 267.09 km (165.9 miles) = 36 hours 10 min
    June: 552.1 km (343 miles) = 54 hours 48 min
    July: 709 km (440.5 miles) = 60 hours 41 minutes
    Aug: 775.9 km (482.1 miles) = 54 hours 52 minutes
    Sep: 371.3 km (230.7 miles) = 32 hours 20 min
    Oct: 649 km (403.3 miles) = 49 hours 46 min
    Nov: 403 km (250.4 miles) = 52 hours 16 min
    Dec: 511.05 km (317.55 miles) = 52 hours 2 min
    Jan: 741.9 km (461.0 miles) = 70 hours 3 min


    So ... the goal is more than February last year!

    Feb 1 - 8.6 km (105 min) walking + 16 flights of stairs (13 min)
    Feb 2 - 6 km (75 min) walking + 16 flights of stairs (13 min)
    Feb 3 - 9.4 km (115 min) walking + 20 flights of stairs (16 min)
    Feb 4 - 4.5 km (55 min) walking + 48 km (150 min) cycling with 728 metres of climbing
    Feb 5 - 73.4 km (328 min) cycling with 1636 metres of climbing. Up Mt Wellington!
    Feb 6 - 3 km (35 min) walking. Rest day.
    Feb 7 - 6.6 km (80 min) walking + 24 flights of stairs (19 min)
    Feb 8 - 6.7 km (80 min) walking + 25 flights of stairs (20 min)
    Feb 9 - 5.4 km (65 min) walking + 30 flights of stairs (24 min)
    Feb 10 - 1.2 km (15 min) walking + 20 flights of stairs (16 min)
    Feb 11 - 161.3 km (509 min) cycling ... my 100th century! :) 100 rides of 100 miles. I've cycled a century of centuries now. :)
    Feb 12 - 3.2 km (40 min) hiking up the Stanley Nut. The town is Stanley, and the Nut is a great round land feature with great views from the top.
    Feb 13 - 2.7 km (30 min) walking
    Feb 14 - 7.6 km (95 min) walking + 25 flights of stairs (20 min)
    Feb 15 - 5.6 km (70 min) walking + 25 flights of stairs (20 min)
    Feb 16 - 5.6 km (70 min) walking + 39 flights of stairs (30 min)
    Feb 17 - 6.7 km (80 min) walking + 25 flights of stairs (20 min)

    Feb 18 - 36.5 km (115 min) cycling!

    Feb 19 - 26.3 km (80 min) cycling!

    Feb 20 - 3.2 km (40 min) walking
    Feb 21 - 7.7 km (95 min) walking + 20 flights of stairs (16 min)


    February Totals
    Walking Distance (km): 93.7
    Walking Time (min): 1171.3
    Cycling Distance (km): 345.5
    Cycling Time (min): 1187.3
    Stairs Climbed Number: 285.0
    Stairs Climbed Time (min): 228.0

    Totals
    Total Distance (km): 439.2
    Total Distance (miles): 272.9
    Total Time (min): 2586.5
    Total Time (hr): 43:06:31


    I made my goal!! More than last February. :)
  • SteveCro
    SteveCro Posts: 788 Member
    I'm in.... Goal 200 again. Fell a little short last month.. Never know what the winter weather will be like.

    I'm only counting my outdoor miles because that is all I can count on a LBS challenge.

    2/1 - 20.58 miles 37*F
    2/2 - 12.65 miles 25*F winds NNW @ 10 feels like 9 accordingly to weather bug lol.
    2/6 - 18.18 miles 45*F
    2/7 - 5.49 miles 52*F so windy 20 mph gust to 30+
    2/9 - 8.38 miles 13*F winds 11 mph feels like 6*
    2/10 - 14.95 miles
    2/11 - 30.67 miles
    2/14 - 10.53 miles
    2/16 - 12.32 miles
    2/17 - 6.27 miles
    2/20 - 15.67 miles

    MTD - 155.73

    YTD - 327.88

    Jan - 172.15
  • ending_start
    ending_start Posts: 20 Member
    Still having a hard time finding the motivation to get on my bike and ride, esp indoors. I will be coming in under my goal this month, but that is alright.

    Feb 1-5: 42.1km
    Feb 6-12: 148km
    Feb 13-19: 48.1km
    Feb 20 - 26: 15km (on going)

    Goal: 550km
    KM left until Goal: 296.8km
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
    Tue 21 - 24.8 miles: MTD 392.95 / 250, YTD 554.57 / 4000. Judging from the weather forecast for the rest of this week, my target+200 idea is looking a bit of a stretch.

    On another tack entirely, has anyone else noticed that their calorie figures reported by Garmin Connect have been drastically reduced over the last month or so? It used to be that they were a bit higher than Strava, now they're half what Strava reports and way lower than Garmin reported in equivalent rides back in December. I've noticed that my Garmin device used to report my homeward commute as around 550-700, depending on how hard I pushed it, and exactly which route I took - today, it was 337!
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Has Spring sprung in southern England? :glasses: Double digit temperatures this weekend.

    Hold that thought through the next few days: Thursday is due mild rain and 50mph winds, Friday sub-zero in the morning, Saturday rain and 50mph winds.

  • sijaeabc
    sijaeabc Posts: 43 Member
    Second ride of the month and loved every minute of it. Why did I ever stop?

    02/18/17 10 miles, 46 minutes
    02/21/17 12.7 miles, 1:05 minutes
  • twenaj
    twenaj Posts: 37 Member
    January - Achieved 181.79 Miles - No target set.

    1st Feb – 0 Miles
    2nd Feb – 21.17 Miles on Rollers
    3rd Feb - 11.08 Miles on Rollers
    4th Feb - 26.10 Miles on Rollers
    5th Feb - 35.12 Miles on the Road - Eastwood Town to Matlock Bath return.
    6th Feb - 0 Miles
    7th Feb - 14.03 Miles on Rollers
    8th Feb - 0 Miles
    9th Feb - 0 Miles
    10th Feb - 31.04 Miles on Rollers
    11th Feb - 0 Miles
    12th Feb - 40.68 Miles on Rollers
    13th Feb - 13.58 Miles on Rollers
    14th Feb - 0 Miles
    15th Feb - 0 Miles
    16th Feb - 0 Miles
    17th Feb - 0 Miles
    18th Feb - 6.49 Miles on Rollers
    19th Feb - 20 52 Miles on Rollers
    20th Feb - 0 Miles
    21st Feb - 26.03 Miles on Rollers

    Total so far 245.84 Miles
    Target 300 Miles
    54.16 Miles to go
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    February 1st 8.53 Miles -- Duration 0:50:31 (MTB)
    February 3rd 18.1 Miles -- Duration 1:00:01
    February 5th 40.6 Miles -- Duration 3:05:57 (MTB)
    February 6th 18.4 Miles -- Duration 1:13:18
    February 9th 26.0 Miles -- Duration 1:30:00
    February 11th 37.3 Miles -- Duration 2:33:09 (MTB)
    February 13th 48.8 Miles -- Duration 4:00:04
    February 14th 5.94 Miles -- Duration 0:31:35
    February 15th 12.4 Miles -- Duration 1:05:36 (MTB)
    February 16th 11.0 Miles -- Duration 0:59:37
    February 17th 6.0 Miles -- Duration 0:32:22
    February 18th 30.9 Miles -- Duration 2:14:17
    February 19th 36.1 Miles -- Duration 2:25:46
    February 21st 28.4 Miles -- Duration 1:48:43

    February Total Miles: 328.37
    February Total Duration: 23:51:55
  • SteveCro
    SteveCro Posts: 788 Member
    I'm in.... Goal 200 again. Fell a little short last month.. Never know what the winter weather will be like.

    I'm only counting my outdoor miles because that is all I can count on a LBS challenge.

    2/1 - 20.58 miles 37*F
    2/2 - 12.65 miles 25*F winds NNW @ 10 feels like 9 accordingly to weather bug lol.
    2/6 - 18.18 miles 45*F
    2/7 - 5.49 miles 52*F so windy 20 mph gust to 30+
    2/9 - 8.38 miles 13*F winds 11 mph feels like 6*
    2/10 - 14.95 miles
    2/11 - 30.67 miles
    2/14 - 10.53 miles
    2/16 - 12.32 miles
    2/17 - 6.27 miles
    2/20 - 15.67 miles
    2/21 - 25.63 miles

    MTD - 181.36

    YTD - 353.51

    Jan - 172.15
  • teicu1
    teicu1 Posts: 71 Member
    Did an hour this week. Finally up to my hoped-for level! Intensity of back problems diminishing noticeably. I think I’ll try a real bike on my CycleOps trainer this coming week and see how that goes.
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
    edited February 2017
    Here's an example of what I was posting about earlier - recent ride on the left, January ride on the right:

    vovqwm3dhcdu.png

    I get that the one on the right is a bit longer a bit harder (though virtually the same HR average), but half the calories for the new one?
  • cathyge6983
    cathyge6983 Posts: 84 Member
    @35dollars not sure why the difference is showing. Did you change any of your settings recently? Update your weight recently?

    As you loose weight it will take more effort to burn calories.

    The other thing I noticed from your graphs is that on the left you spent 42 minutes in Zone 2 vs the right where you spent over an hour in Zone 3. This means that for that hour you were at a higher heart rate burning more calories. (Zone 3 = aerobic). Maybe this is why the calories are so different.

    A Zone 2 average (left) is definitely a different ride than a Zone 3 ride (right).

    I've lost over 10 lbs since I started riding in January. As I continue to loose weight I make sure to update my apps - especially Zwift - so that my power, and other results more accurately reflect my efforts. A ride that I did in early January is not necessarily comparable looking at exact numbers as you did above. I've been able to look back at my times on routes, personal records, etc. to see how much I'm improving as my legs get stronger and my body gets smaller. But power to power on the same course January vs. today is different. It would have taken more power (effort) to get the pounds through the route last month, and I would have likely burned more calories last month because of the effort. (I hope this makes sense. I don't know if it helps your situation.)

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    35dollars wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Has Spring sprung in southern England? :glasses: Double digit temperatures this weekend.

    Hold that thought through the next few days: Thursday is due mild rain and 50mph winds, Friday sub-zero in the morning, Saturday rain and 50mph winds.
    @35dollars

    Doris certainly does have bad wind. :)

  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,376 Member
    edited February 2017
    @35dollars
    Like @cathyge6983, I think it might have to do with the heart rate distribution. The "suffer score" from Strava is also just half as high - I don't have Premium, so I don't get that score and am note really sure what it means, but I remember reading it's something to do with HR.
    Have you checked how your heart rate zones are set (both on Garmin and Strava)? I use my HRM only for running, but there the default zones were completely wrong for me.

    By the way, I think I stole your nice weather today B)
    All of a sudden, today was 19°C and sunny, although a bit windy. Tomorrow the forecast is 8°C and rain again; I have no idea where this spring day came from. Weird, but still nice... Nice enough that I took the road bike to work. Which turned out to be a great decision: I got an invitation to dinner with a few colleagues, which doesn't leave me enough time to go home, do the 90min run I had planned, shower and be on time. But since the weather was so nice and I had the "fun" bike with me, I could at least do the first long (for me) outdoor ride of the year :)
    It wasn't perfect - blouse and jeans weren't the most ideal clothes, and I found that I couldn't stand up without my sneakers slipping of the pedals. But still more fun than rainy days or indoor rides!

    ---

    1.2.17 - 10.1km commute
    2.2.17 - 5.3km (14min) indoor/rollers
    3.2.17 - 12.7km commute
    5.2.17 - 2.5km (8min) indoor/rollers
    6.2.17 - 7.2km (20min) indoor/rollers
    7.2.17 - 7.4km (20min) indoor/rollers
    11.2.17 - 12.8km (38min) indoor/rollers "Half is Easy"
    14.2.17 - 8.0km (23min) indoor/rollers "Igniter"
    15.2.17 - 11.2km commute
    18.2.17 - 13.5km (42min) indoor/rollers "do as you're told"
    20.2.17 - 8.0km commute & 7.2km (20min) indoor/rollers "Extra Shot"
    22.2.17 - 12.4km commute
    23.2.17 - 28.2km commute (with extended ride home)
    ---
    146.5km (of 150km goal)
  • tcaley4
    tcaley4 Posts: 416 Member
    02/06 05.65 mi
    02/07 10.98
    02/08 10.89
    02/10 14.54
    02/11 04.66
    02/13 12.17
    05/15 15.04
    02/16 14.79
    02/22 11.22

    Month total: 98.52
    Year total: 160.40