***Official Cycling Thread***

[Cydkar]

Are there many cycling (bike) fanatics on here? Or just leisure bikers? I got into road biking too late in life and with this weather I've been doing some daydreaming about it. I do have an indoor (non-smart) turbo trainer which I use on Zwift. It's actually pretty fun and i usually do that during a game or a movie to break the monotony. I damn near killed myself with a workout last night.

With the indoor training I've become hooked on training with power. Any power meter users out there? They aren't cheap and I have no intention of ever racing but I want to really up my fitness. I'd love any opinions about that and anything cycling related.

 

[kcclones]

Yes i ride outdoor in the summer and in November purchased a Peloton. It is awesome!

 

[JP4CY]

Yes i ride outdoor in the summer and in November purchased a Peloton. It is awesome!

Are you going the monthly peloton payment for the videos?

 

[Cydkar]

Yes i ride outdoor in the summer and in November purchased a Peloton. It is awesome!

I've seen the commercials. I'm not nearly attractive enough to own one
Seriously, good for you and they look fun/challenging.

Funny Peloton twitter thread:

 

[kcclones]

Are you going the monthly peloton payment for the videos?

Yes we purchased the bike and the monthly fee for videos (on demand and live classes) is 39.00. They recently added Yoga and bootcamp classes. The bike is solid quality and you get output data, HR etc during and after each class. One of the classes I was in earlier this year had 18k people taking at one time.

 

[stateofmind]

I am "borrowing" a friends CycleOps fluid trainer, I better pay for it one of these days.

I ride it 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week on the high gear. It doesn't give enough resistance for really pushing me, but if I want my heart rate above 130, I just pedal faster. I started doing this last year to get my butt in shape for RAGBRAI. It did that and then some. Although RAGBRAI was easy and I rode a bit slower this year, I couldn't believe how ready my body was just doing this. I don't wear my padded shorts to toughen the area around my sitz bones.

 

[Cycsk]

Looks like BRR riders dodged a bullet. 60 degrees warmer by Saturday!

 

[capitalcityguy]

Not a "fanatic" but I enjoy biking. Mostly nice weather on bike friendly streets and trails in and around Des Moines. Sometimes will commute to/from work.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Here’s my quiver:

Surly Crosscheck-highly modified for just ranging out on all surfaces
Raleigh 105 road bike
Surly Pugsley fat bike
Motobacon Fantom Cross pro - currently a singlespeed cross racer
Raleigh Carleton

 

[BoxsterCy]

Like the idea of this thread. Hope you have room for some "tweeners" that aren't hardcore yet aren't just leisure riders on comfort bikes either.

Actually heading over to ride one of the generic aerobic bikes at LifeTime club today. Been running on the track there but haven't ridden bike since I hung mine up in the garage at the end of October. They have some cycling studios over there but are a bit hardcore with nothing that I think is in my fitness wheelhouse. That's sort of a problem for me. Even though I rode 1000 miles last summer (mostly 25 mile fitness rides) I am 67 and can't ride 19 - 20 mph. I am more of a 15 mph guy which makes me too slow for all of the organized training rides they sponsor but too fast to bike with my poke along at 11 mph friends. So I ride alone most of the time. Too old to ride with the kids and too fit for my age to ride with my old friends.

 

[Cydkar]

Here’s my quiver:

Surly Crosscheck-highly modified for just ranging out on all surfaces
Raleigh 105 road bike
Surly Pugsley fat bike
Motobacon Fantom Cross pro - currently a singlespeed cross racer
Raleigh Carleton

I'd lose my mind choosing what to ride.

 

[motorcy90]

currently have a Motobecane Immortal Ice, Specialized Stump Jumper 29er XXL frame and an older Cannondale trail SL2 29er in the stable. grew up going on RAGBRAI every other year, but have only been able to do some support driving the last 2 years for our team due to timing. hopefully this year can get back to riding depending on when my child is born, girlfriend gave me an ok after they announced the route this year.

 

[cycloner29]

Did the tressel loop from Ankeny to Woodward the Saturday of the Kansas game a few weeks ago. The most I had ever ridden before is from Madrid to Woodward and back. Was a hard day but enjoyable. Stationery bike at the gym for 30 minutes a day hopefully helped my stamina.

 

[Cydkar]

I would love to hear of some destination routes in Iowa. I'm not a huge fan of actually riding on the streets because I guarantee I'll get clipped by some idiot texting & driving but I get on them when I need to, between trails. I plan on touring through a couple of towns that I spent some younger years in just to see how it looks 40 years later. I'd love to hit some nice trails nearby.

 

[madguy30]

Not an enthusiast but I ride a bit and my bike is up on a trainer right now...can't run due to some stupid injuries from getting older.

I lucked out several years ago, found a random Trek 400 road bike in the storage area of the parking garage of my apartment building that had been left and unclaimed. Took it in one year and got it basically restored with tires, chain, brake lines, etc. for around $200 and it's generally great. Fits like a glove too.

Need to do more biking this summer...it's a great thing to do but I'm always paranoid of the chain having unfixable issues, tires, etc. and being several miles away. Running is easier in that if I pull something or whatever I can just walk back within an hour.

 

[madguy30]

I would love to hear of some destination routes in Iowa. I'm not a huge fan of actually riding on the streets because I guarantee I'll get clipped by some idiot texting & driving but I get on them when I need to, between trails. I plan on touring through a couple of towns that I spent some younger years in just to see how it looks 40 years later. I'd love to hit some nice trails nearby.

Maybe you've already done it but I believe the Decorah area is one of the top places in Iowa to bike. Across the river in WI there's more paved side roads vs. gravel so there's lots of options.

 

[clonechemist]

Are there many cycling (bike) fanatics on here? Or just leisure bikers? I got into road biking too late in life and with this weather I've been doing some daydreaming about it. I do have an indoor (non-smart) turbo trainer which I use on Zwift. It's actually pretty fun and i usually do that during a game or a movie to break the monotony. I damn near killed myself with a workout last night.

With the indoor training I've become hooked on training with power. Any power meter users out there? They aren't cheap and I have no intention of ever racing but I want to really up my fitness. I'd love any opinions about that and anything cycling related.

Former power meter user here. If you’re riding a decent amount and trying to improve your fitness a power meter is really fantastic and I’d highly recommend one. If you keep your eye out you can probably find a decent deal since there’s a lot more competition in the market now (compared to 10 years ago when I started riding). There’s also a pretty robust market for used power meters on eBay (that’s how I bought mine as a broke grad student several years ago).

PS maybe you already know this but if you’re riding your trainer a lot I would recommend buying a cheap thick rear tire. The trainer will eat your tire and there’s no need to waste a good quality (and $$$$) road tire or two each winter.

 

[Cydkar]

Former power meter user here. If you’re riding a decent amount and trying to improve your fitness a power meter is really fantastic and I’d highly recommend one. If you keep your eye out you can probably find a decent deal since there’s a lot more competition in the market now (compared to 10 years ago when I started riding). There’s also a pretty robust market for used power meters on eBay (that’s how I bought mine as a broke grad student several years ago).

PS maybe you already know this but if you’re riding your trainer a lot I would recommend buying a cheap thick rear tire. The trainer will eat your tire and there’s no need to waste a good quality (and $$$$) road tire or two each winter.

I actually do have a trainer tire on the turbo trainer. I actually installed it before my first ride. Luckily, I ran across that recommendation before I ruined a good tire. It's not my good bike on the trainer so it's not a big deal but I've had good luck with the special tire. No wear at all.

I'll check ebay but won't pull the trigger until I see how the tax man fares with me. I may be selling stuff.

 

[jbindm]

I ride a Trek hybrid for now. It's a fine dad bike; I mostly just use it to haul around a kid in a Burley trailer. But once my youngest is old enough to start riding her own I'll be looking to upgrade to a good road bike.

Any suggestions for a decent road bike for less than a thousand bucks?

 

[Gunnerclone]

I would love to hear of some destination routes in Iowa. I'm not a huge fan of actually riding on the streets because I guarantee I'll get clipped by some idiot texting & driving but I get on them when I need to, between trails. I plan on touring through a couple of towns that I spent some younger years in just to see how it looks 40 years later. I'd love to hit some nice trails nearby.

If you can get off the trails there is a lot of epic gravel in Iowa.