Dave's Good Stuff

I’ve gotten pretty good at the rollers^*. Every day I ride a little longer and a little harder. There’s no doubt that it’s good preparation, even if it’s neither ideal, nor as enjoyable as actual outdoor riding.

Still, I miss my new bike. It’s hanging on the wall in the little bike alcove I made last year, and hasn’t seen any action in weeks. I console it every day as I pass by, knowing that at my approach, it’s gears start to vibrate and it’s chain starts to glisten, but I continue on my way, and it’s left hanging. Poor thing. I’m a bad bikefriend.

But it’s just too cold out for me. I proved I could do it last year, and realized that it just wasn’t any fun at all. Furthermore, I don’t have any way to have a car both at work and at home when I commute by bike these days. I could feasibly stop with the wussing, and deal with the cold, but the logistics of needing a car here and there, and only having the one for both places are, at least for the moment, prohibitively difficult to overcome.

When it warms up, I may find a way to commute a couple two or three times a week into work, but I think, at least until I find myself with either two cars, or a roommate with a car I have evening access to, cycling to work full time is so very 2008. The latter may happen this summer. That would be cool.

At least, when it warms up, I’ll be able to take her out for evening and weekend spins. I know she’d enjoy it, and I know I would too. She really is quite pretty, and deserves the attention. She may not be able to see it now, but she’ll get it. Of that I have no doubt whatsoever.

^* Some notes on the roller activities on motionbased.com… The mileage, while accurate in terms of GPS data, doesn’t reflect the equivalent miles, given the amount of time, and speed while on the saddle. The moving time, similarly, doesn’t appear to be accurate at all, leaving the total time as a better guage of actual saddle time. Elevation schmelevation. The Edge 705 is fantastic for outdoor riding statistics… not so hot for indoor stats.

I rode for a little over an hour this afternoon, with a single break around the 34 minute mark. That’s my best so far in terms of roller endurance. I’ve not been able to go over 30 minutes before, and that only once. Prior to that, I had to break after 20 minutes on a good day, or 10 to 15 minutes on an average day.

The secret? Motivation.

For me, I use two primary forms of motivation, also known as "distractions."

The first is television. Like The Fat Cyclist, I will typically throw in a couple episodes of my favorite-show-of-the-month and ride while the plot thickens and the bike goes nowhere.

The second is music. Today, this is the motivation/distraction method I used, and at least today, it worked better for me. First, I chose exciting tunes out of my music library with tempos between 85 and 105bpm (determined using MixMeister BPM Analyzer), and set them up on a Nano playlist so that they started off slowish at 85bpm, slowly sped up to 105bpm, and then relaxed back down to an easy 85bpm. Setting them up this way allowed me to easily maintain my own rpm, as it is my natural tendency to spin at a tempo that matches whatever song I’m listening to.

One might use headphones in order to transfer the music from the mp3 player to the ears if one wishes. I prefer portable iPod compatible speakers, myself.

Regardless, being able to just zone off to good music and let my mind wander back on a fantastic weekend was just what the doctor ordered today.

Last year, my focus was on getting as many miles in as I could. I had twin goals of increased fitness and minimizing the use of my car, at least insofar as getting to and from work.

This year, I’m simplifying a bit. Both life at work and life at home have changed, and I’m in a position where I have need of my car during the day while at work, and during the evenings while at home. That makes it difficult some days to ride in. I’m the first to admit that the frigid temperatures have something to do with it. As I said, I just don’t care for riding in the cold. Moreover, I’m still fighting a very persistent and frustrating low grade sinus infection, which I don’t want to exacerbate through exposure.

However, I’m going to maintain my goal of increased fitness. That has always been my primary goal, and was why I started commuting by bike to begin with. So.. this morning was the beginning of something a little different. Since I won’t be/can’t be riding my bike to work every day, on those days I don’t ride on the streets, I’ll roll.

You may recall I recently conquered the unassisted mounting on the rollers. I’ve rolled a few times since then, but not regularly. This morning was the first morning that I put into action my plan to roll when I don’t ride. Every day I will either roll, or I will ride. Also, for the record, I will be keeping stats, and won’t distinguish between roller training and road/trail training. I believe the miles are relatively accurate when I’m rolling, but who cares. It’s more about time and effort, speed and heart rate, than actual distance. Still… I’ll keep track.

Moreover, at least three days a week I will do some strength training in my home gym. I did such a thing this morning, for instance.

This afternoon, since I won’t be riding my bike home, I will roll again.

Every day. It’s either ride, or roll. Roll or ride. One, or the other.

Those mountain passes are looming, and my brother is training hard. I have to keep up.

Of course, I also have to rid myself of this… how did I put it… very persistent and frustrating low grade sinus infection. I’m officially tired of it. I’ll go back into the doc this morning and see what they can do. Again.

After having seen the video today of duder mounting and dismounting the E-Motion Rollers, I decided that I was tired of having to rely on walls to balance myself when I, myself, mounted the rollers. I decided I was tired of having to use a crutch to get started on my indoor workouts. I decided that I was tired of requiring assistance in order to get the aluminum drums rolling and my wheels flying on them. I decided that I was going to learn how to ride them alone.

Without aid.

Without hesitation

And without fear.

And on my own.

Imagining myself mounting the rollers as effortlessly and naturally as the honorable man in the video, I set about slowly and patiently. I took heed to his example and first mastered the initial spin. I spun the wheels and balanced the bike until the rollers stopped and the bike threatened to fall. I did this until I could perform the maneuver as easily as switching from G to C in the first position.

Then, just as slowly, and just as patiently, I began to move my left foot to the pedal. Not to clip in, no, but only to increase my confidence that I could clip in if I so desired. I practiced this until it came just as naturally as the initial spin, as if moving from C to F.

Finally, having mastered the first two movements, I began work on the third. All the thousands of times I’ve clipped in while on the road gave my left foot the knowledge it needed to find the pedal, clip in and before I knew it, without even having to tell my leg to push, I was spinning. The move from F to A minor was mine.

I was spinning. I’d gone from A minor back to G. Without aid. Without hesitation. Without the use of a wall, or a crutch, or a helpful hand. I had done it.

And I had done it.

On.

My.

Own.

(so now I reward myself with a glass of Pinot Grigio, some corn chips, and Babylon 5 – so much for 50 minutes worth of rolling)

So, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s pretty cold. It’s been in the single digits for a while now, and in case I haven’t mentioned it, I’m not a fan of riding in the cold. My excuse the last week or so has been b/c I’ve been sick with a minor upper respiratory tract infection. My excuse this week is that it’s Christmas week, and as such, is pretty hectic. My excuse next week will be b/c it’s New Years, and I’ll be very tired because of it.

I know, those are excuses, not reasons. After all is said and done, the truth is if I wanted to, I’d find a way. But unlike others, I’ve had to face the cold (ha!) harsh reality that riding in the sub-zero cold is too harsh for me. I won’t whine about why it’s too harsh for me, suffice to say that for daily outings, it just is. Riding should be fun. Riding in tear-freezing temperatures, at least for me, isn’t. That’s my burden to bear, and I bear it without shame.

But that leaves me with a problem. I do love to ride, and I love the benefits of riding. I’m healthier and happier. That’s what got me into it to begin with, after all, and that’s what will keep me in. But how to ride when the weather doesn’t allow, or when one allows the weather to stand in the way (as is my case)? There are three main choices… stationary bikes, trainers, and rollers.

I prefer rollers over stationary bikes and trainers b/c rollers force you to stay balanced, while the more traditional trainers keep you upright on their own. Rollers train your riding form as well as your fitness level. I currently have a set of rollers I use when it’s too cold out, but they aren’t perfect. They’re not bad, mind you, as far as rollers go, but they suffer from the same thing most other rollers suffer from… they’re rigid. They just sit there holding the wheels in place, and as such, they don’t feel natural. Sure, you can move side to side, and mine have wheel guards to keep me from rolling off the cylinders, but there’s no forward/backward motion, so it feels stiff and unforgiving. Moreover, they don’t allow for out of the saddle sprinting very well. Once I’m up and rolling, I’m stuck in the saddle until I stop.

I’m here to tell you, that’s not natural at all. My future gf/fiance/wife will appreciate the benefits of occasional out-of-the-saddle riding.

The other problems rollers present are all easily overcome.

• Bored? Sit them in front of a television (or sit a television in front of them). Better yet, sit them in front of a television with a DVD player attached. If that’s not your thing, put on some music and ride to the rhythm.
• Getting too hot or staying too cold? You’re indoors… I’m going to assume that being able to afford a bike and rollers means you can afford to control your climate. You can always put a fan up to give you the illusion of wind (or to just keep you cool). Consider a headband to keep the sweat out of your eyes. If you’re rolling as you should be, you’ll sweat.
• Can’t mount or dismount? Well… this remains a bit of a struggle for me. I still need a wall for support, but I’m making it a goal for January to conquer that weakness. More on that later…

However, as I said, the one thing I’ve found that the rollers simply don’t do is feel natural. In a fixed position on the ground, they don’t let the bike move naturally as you pedal, which (unless you’re like me and have a perfectly flawless stroke), becomes very obvious after the first few revolutions. This fixed position also makes it difficult to stand up while riding. Not impossible, but you have to be really really careful and know what you’re doing. I’ve not tried it yet, b/c I’m not keen on launching myself off the rollers and into the television stand. Maybe someday…

And that’s why I really want to find myself in possession of an E-Motion Roller. The videos on the site highlight the natural movement of these rollers, as well as the bumper system that makes out of the saddle and in the saddle equally natural.

The only problem is that they’re not cheap. Still, one gets what one pays for, and since I’m dead set on hitting the mountains again next year, not to mention staying in shape in the meantime, I’m seriously considering dropping the not-insignificant cash for these things. Perhaps the most important point, however, is that since they’re good enough for The Fat Cyclist, they’re certainly good enough for me.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to trying out the mount/dismount technique shown in the last video on their video page.

It’s been an incredibly slow week for riding. I drove, for a variety of reasons, three entire times this week. This is the first week since February that I’ve driven more than ridden in a given week. I think I just really needed a bit of a break. That, and having all but made up my mind to go from an old mountain bike commuter to a roady commuter makes getting on the Kona a little less joyous in the mornings. I really yearn for the feel of a roady again. Quite a lot, actually.

Given the rain, I may or may not make it out this weekend for a long ride. If I don’t, I’ll substitute miles for quality roller workouts. I may not get the miles in, but the concentrated effort will be just as good in terms of preparation and training. Just because it’s not as impressive on paper doesn’t mean it’s not as effective.

… again. So it looks like I won’t be getting out for a long ride today. It’s rollers again in front of the television.

A cool 40°F kicked off the 2008 Bike to Work Week work week this morning. There are various activities set aside for the week, but my schedule is going to keep my from doing… well, any of them, really.

The Commuter Convoy that others are having great success with was a bust for me (and others) this morning. I arrived at the Walmart parking lot at about 06:05 this morning and hung out until 06:15. No one showed, so I took off. On Quivira at around Monrovia, I passed the news crew that interviewed Noah. They didn’t even raise their heads for a lone cyclist not part of a convoy. I guess that’s not news.

This weekend was similarly news unworthy. With the rain on Saturday and the wind on Sunday, I stayed indoors and watched much of the television with the GF. I did get on the rollers for an hour or so on Sunday, pulling the equivalent of about 20 miles. It’s a shame really, the rollers marked the first time the new Edge 705 met the Torelli, and the maiden voyage of the new Triple cranks. They work, at least on the rollers, like a champ. I love the fact that I lost nothing on the high end, but gained a lot of wiggle room on the low. I am so not worried about the Triple Bypass now.

While watching the Buffy, and since I couldn’t/wouldn’t get my newly transformed Torelli out into potentially nasty, bottom bracket chewing weather, I, instead, revamped a process that had, up until this point, been somewhat cumbersome. Previously, to update my mileage and expenses pages, here and here, I updated an Excel spreadsheet, and then copied and pasted the results of the formulas and calculations into my site. I’d built an elaborate and complicated set of concatenate functions to distill the many numbers into an easily copy/paste format. While such an endeavor did teach me much in the ways of Excel Love, it was a process much less than streamlined.

So, I converted that locally bound Excel spreadsheet to a Google Docs spreadsheet, and then took advantage of the publishing options, and embedded choice bits and pieces straight into my site. While this does offer the disadvantage of being reliant on the availability and accessibility of Google Docs any time one visits my site, as well as being somewhat limited in formatting options, it offers the advantage of merely having to update the spreadsheet online once, and simply being done. My updates show up here automagickally.

Yet another weekend has come and gone with little in the way of riding. At this rate, I won’t even make it up the first pass.

Saturday was about cleaning the house, putting stuff out to the curb for the bi-annual free trash pickup day, and relaxing in front of the television. The GF was amazed at how many people drove around the neighborhood with trucks and trailers waiting to see what people would put out on their lawn. It’s dumpster diving on steroids. We had a spare mattress and box spring that we had no use and no room for. They were nice, but they were the least of what we had, and they were taking up room we needed for other things. Out to the front lawn they went, and maybe 30 minutes later, they were strapped to the top of a van, on their way to a good home. I love free trash pick up day.

I did get on the rollers for about 50 minutes on Sunday. Laid them out in front of the television and rolled to a BtVS episode. Hush, to be exact. It wasn’t an epic ride, by any means, but it got me worked out. The motionbased.com activity is pretty funny. If you look at the map, you’ll see what looks like me frantically darting around the house and across the street for an hour.

Recumbum has finally passed me on bikejournal.com. I’m really going to have to step it up. ;)

Assuming that tax season doesn’t hurt as bad as I fear it will, I’m thinking about turning the spare bedroom into a small home gym of sorts.

Populating said gym could be the following:

The Weider Max
The Kreitler Challenger Rollers with Forkstand, Flywheel and Killer Headwind attachments.

Anyone out there have any thoughts on those? I’ve been reading reviews all over the place online and haven’t seen anything to rule out these two. It terms of price for value, they seem like a pretty good deal, with all of the above coming in for less than $1,200.

I’d rather go with something like the Max vs. free weights for a variety of reasons including price, safety and space available.

I’d rather go with the Kreitler rollers vs. a fluid or mag trainer b/c it trains not only the endurance, but the balance as well, and from all accounts the headwind and flywheel attachments make for a very realistic road-like experience. I can expect some adjustment time as I get used to it, but once I’m there, I should be golden for a long time.

I’m leaning towards a home gym setup vs. continued gym membership for convenience, long term cost savings and the ability to train on my own bike vs. a stationary. I do like the gym I’m a member of. It’s no meat market, and the people are nice. However, it does have it’s crowded moments, and simply getting there in the morning has proven to be more than half the battle.