I finally finished the first box of cliff shot gels. Although I still find it sweet, the mocha flavor is good. I can't stand fruit punch flavor that is sickly sweet. The last few weekends I've climbed Wachusett summit a couple of times and each time I ate a gel 10-15 minutes from mile hill road.
What I find is that half way up, my legs don't feel like led weights. In the past, I would eat a cliff bar about the same time. Sometimes if the group stops I can eat the whole bar. If we don't stop, I can maybe chew down half a bar. The thing is, 10 minutes from mile hill road isn't enough for the sugar to get into the blood stream.
Cliff shots on the other hand do and it definitely gives you a sugar + caffeine rush. The last three times I climbed the summit, I ate a gel before the climb. Each time I improved my PR for the summit climb up the down road. On Wednesday, I ordered another box of Mocha cliff shot gel.
Another side effect I noticed is that I've lost about 2 lbs the last 3 weeks. In June I rode 825 miles. This month I've logged 658 miles so far. This is unscientific, but here's my guess. Using the gel I'm able to push harder on my lunch rides and go harder on weekend rides. As a result, my fitness level has gotten better, which means I'm burning more calories. I haven't changed my diet this month, so it's not due to that. One downside of burning more calories, so I have to eat more at meals.
That brings up a point about cycling and why I don't race. I ride because I am addicted to it and I love the feeling of spinning on my bike. I don't care if I'm going fast, medium or slow. If I were to become competitive and race, I'd have to drop weight and count calories. I really love to eat, so counting calories doesn't sound or feel pleasing. Plus, I don't get all psyched about beating someone else. I get more enjoyment from taking a good pull and helping the group keep a strong pace. Though I'm small, so it's not much of a draft.
Overall, I'm happy with Cliff Shot mocha gel. It tastes like a strong mocha and isn't so thick your tongue is glued to the roof of your mouth. Wish a quick swig of water and rinse, it washes down quickly. I also like that cliff shot is 90% organic.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Aero wheels
I've been reading up on aero wheels and found a couple of links
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1099
http://bikehugger.com/post/view/aero-wheels/
The question I am struggling with is "are they worth it?" Since I don't race, my immediate answer is NO. Looking at the articles above, a saving of 20-30 seconds over 40Km doesn't really make a difference. Put it another way, is 30 seconds worth 1K bucks? The answer to that is "hell no!"
I've been getting dropped going down hill on group rides, so I wondered "would aero wheels help?" Well, my friends tell me in a pace line, aero wheels don't help. You're already benefiting from the slip stream, so that alone beats any aero wheel advantage.
It would seem that aero wheels give you a slight advantage when you're going faster than 18mph and by yourself. Much of the literature say you save x watts per x miles. My main focus is loosing weight and staying healthy, so burning more watts is what I want.
Actual performance benefit aside, aero wheels do look nice, but not nice enough that I want to spend 1,000.00 bucks on them. If the bike came with a set of aero wheels, I wouldn't return them, but at the same time justifying an extra 1K feels silly to me. I'd much rather put that to retire or the kids college fund.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1099
http://bikehugger.com/post/view/aero-wheels/
The question I am struggling with is "are they worth it?" Since I don't race, my immediate answer is NO. Looking at the articles above, a saving of 20-30 seconds over 40Km doesn't really make a difference. Put it another way, is 30 seconds worth 1K bucks? The answer to that is "hell no!"
I've been getting dropped going down hill on group rides, so I wondered "would aero wheels help?" Well, my friends tell me in a pace line, aero wheels don't help. You're already benefiting from the slip stream, so that alone beats any aero wheel advantage.
It would seem that aero wheels give you a slight advantage when you're going faster than 18mph and by yourself. Much of the literature say you save x watts per x miles. My main focus is loosing weight and staying healthy, so burning more watts is what I want.
Actual performance benefit aside, aero wheels do look nice, but not nice enough that I want to spend 1,000.00 bucks on them. If the bike came with a set of aero wheels, I wouldn't return them, but at the same time justifying an extra 1K feels silly to me. I'd much rather put that to retire or the kids college fund.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Raleigh Militas 3
On monday, Raleigh bicycle was kind enough to bring a bunch of Militas 3 for people to try. About 10 people tried the bikes and everyone agreed the bikes were fast.
I rode a 50cm with SRAM Red and full carbon everything. I lowered the seat and moved the saddle forward, but I am short so the position wasn't ideal. The front derailleur on the demo bike wouldn't shift up to the big chain ring. Before I left, I should have checked the front wheel, but I didn't. It was a bit under-inflated, but even then I still average 20 mph on reservoir street. On my giant, my previous best time was 18.2 mph, which is a decent speed.
Dave took off early and was at the front. I was able to catch up to him, so the higher average wasn't due to drafting. The biggest difference is the stiffness of the frame, race geometry and weight. The bike weighed about 14-15lbs, which is about 3.5lbs lighter than my giant.
I put my cheapie nasbar look pedals on it and the water bottle in my back pocket. If I there was time to adjust the bike to a proper fit, fix the front derailleur and inflate the tire, I'm sure I could have gone faster. For me, a 1 hour ride wasn't enough time to "get used to" SRAM. I don't know if I could get used to double tap, but it definitely didn't feel as natural as Shimano 105.
Comparing SRAM to Shimano 105, I had absolutely no trouble adjusting to the 105. In fact, it felt perfectly natural. I also didn't like the feel of the SRAM Red. It took much more effort to shift compared to the 105.
Ignoring the SRAM groupo, the Raleigh Militas 3 is a fast bike. It is very stiff and my butt did feel the difference on a few pot holes. For a long century ride, I would choose my giant. For the 7HW wednesday nite rides, a bike like Militas 3 would come in very handy.
This year I can't afford to get a new bike and probably not even next year. When I do, I will definitely consider a Raleigh Militas 1. The Militas 3 is the top end, which I don't need. If someone gave it to me as a gift, I'd take it, but I'm frugal. The Militas 1 or 2 with Shimano ultegra or 105 is more than sufficient.
Militas 3
I rode a 50cm with SRAM Red and full carbon everything. I lowered the seat and moved the saddle forward, but I am short so the position wasn't ideal. The front derailleur on the demo bike wouldn't shift up to the big chain ring. Before I left, I should have checked the front wheel, but I didn't. It was a bit under-inflated, but even then I still average 20 mph on reservoir street. On my giant, my previous best time was 18.2 mph, which is a decent speed.
Dave took off early and was at the front. I was able to catch up to him, so the higher average wasn't due to drafting. The biggest difference is the stiffness of the frame, race geometry and weight. The bike weighed about 14-15lbs, which is about 3.5lbs lighter than my giant.
I put my cheapie nasbar look pedals on it and the water bottle in my back pocket. If I there was time to adjust the bike to a proper fit, fix the front derailleur and inflate the tire, I'm sure I could have gone faster. For me, a 1 hour ride wasn't enough time to "get used to" SRAM. I don't know if I could get used to double tap, but it definitely didn't feel as natural as Shimano 105.
Comparing SRAM to Shimano 105, I had absolutely no trouble adjusting to the 105. In fact, it felt perfectly natural. I also didn't like the feel of the SRAM Red. It took much more effort to shift compared to the 105.
Ignoring the SRAM groupo, the Raleigh Militas 3 is a fast bike. It is very stiff and my butt did feel the difference on a few pot holes. For a long century ride, I would choose my giant. For the 7HW wednesday nite rides, a bike like Militas 3 would come in very handy.
This year I can't afford to get a new bike and probably not even next year. When I do, I will definitely consider a Raleigh Militas 1. The Militas 3 is the top end, which I don't need. If someone gave it to me as a gift, I'd take it, but I'm frugal. The Militas 1 or 2 with Shimano ultegra or 105 is more than sufficient.
Militas 3
Friday, August 10, 2012
Up the down road
Last weekend I climbed Wachusett summit with Old Fast Don. Instead of the up road, we went up the down road. The up road is a CAT3, the down road is CAT2. On Sunday, I rode up to wachusett again and saw Dale and Lynn. It was funny, as I was going down Mile Hill Road, I saw them climbing up and I thought "that looks like Dale and Lynn."
When I got up to the summit, Dale and Lynn were up at the parking lot. They were just about to head down as I got to the top. I didn't rest at the top and headed down to the rest area. When I got down, Dale and Lynn were heading up again. Both of them are stronger riders than I am.
When I got up to the summit, Dale and Lynn were up at the parking lot. They were just about to head down as I got to the top. I didn't rest at the top and headed down to the rest area. When I got down, Dale and Lynn were heading up again. Both of them are stronger riders than I am.
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