psychling
Well-Known Member
This may have some relevance to what Paul Brown reported in another Vendetta thread.
After an 8 day forced restriction from anything involving my left knee I returned to cycling about a week ago. I twisted my knee moving 50 lb bags of rock and dirt in some home landscaping. Had nothing to do with the bike.
I kept repeating the advice of more experienced and learned cyclists than me: `resting' is as much a part of training as `riding.' Well ... they are correct.
Before the knee injury I was anxious to prove to myself that I'm more than a match for the local mountainous terrain. We relocated from the midwest flatlands in July and I wanted to shorten the learning curve (and make it steeper and more demanding). Well, I have done that and I feel both confident and ready for bear. At this point I can relax into a thoughtful training program that is sharp and to the point.
The Cruzbike Silvio and Vendetta are the best climbing bikes I've ever ridden. Others are good, too. This is just my experience. Mastering the front wheel drive process, having come from a rear wheel drive history, took some time in the twisty, curvy, steep mountainous grades of my new location. I made many mistakes, most of which simply retarded my comfort level on the bike.
For the past several days I've been training on the same 33 mile rolling course. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/121125041 (Skull Valley - Wilhoit - Skull Valley Out and Back). No spikey mountain twists, ascents and descents.
It has allowed me to experiment, especially with the Vendetta, in getting the most out of the steeply (23 degrees) reclined seat and the very maneuverable and responsive front wheel drive.
Late in my ride yesterday and all day today I had the experience of finding my `sweet spot' with the Vendetta. I had earlier been unconsciously`fighting' the recline by pushing myself up higher in the seat. It's what I had been used to with the RWD bikes. When I tried, in the earlier part of this year, to experiment with one of my favorite RWD bikes by making significant modifications to the position of the handlebars, the location of the seat, so that I could be more reclined ... I kept knocking my knees against the handlebar. Worse, my view of the road before me became even more restricted because the riser and handlebar stuck up right in front of me. Just couldn't see well.
Being a `masher' on the RWD bikes I was used to shifting up into a higher gear and applying powerful pressure on the pedals for fast acceleration, especially when going downhill or when I wanted to sneak up on a person in front of me and pass them so fast they couldn't grab my wheel and draft behind me.
Sudden, powerful `mashing' on a FWD bike is probably going to push the wheel too far left or right and generate a wobble. Wobbles `BAD.' So I've learned, in these situations, to shift into a high gear, test that I've got solid engagement with the pedals and drive train and gradually apply wattage so that I can achieve the same thing on a FWD as on the RWD. Same result, just different way of doing it.
When employing this technique I can literally ride the white line on the side of the road for dozens and hundreds of yards, all the while accelerating or climbing at a fast clip.
Having mastered the skill of fast acceleration on my Vendetta I began sitting deeper in the recline, further centered over the front wheel. My hips drew closer to the bottom bracket as my pedal stroke caused my knees to rise higher to meet the pedals. (To complement this `sweet spot' I adjusted the Movable Bottom Bracket to bring it closer and a little higher). This has `tapped' what I have come to know as my most powerful stroke and the greatest stamina in using it - my `sweet spot.'. Just as important, I've also found myself feeling much, much, much more centered, balanced and stable on the bike. And because the Silvio and Vendetta don't restrict my legs in a `cockpit' surrounded by handlebars I don't have to deal with an obstructive riser and handlebars.
I feel like a bullet. Really: A BULLET.
I've had a few moments on my RWD bike where this was possible. But it wouldn't last because I couldn't get the seat close enough to the bottom bracket. Worse, I couldn't see the road ahead of me because of the riser and handlebars.
I'm going to stick with the `periodization' training plan I'm developing, focusing on several events in the next four and five months. But at this point I feel like I've hit my `sweet spot.' And patience, persistence, discipline to the training plan and the Silvio and Vendetta will take me certainly to many Personal Bests and probably to several record performances.
Dan Fallon
http://psychling1.blogspot.com/
After an 8 day forced restriction from anything involving my left knee I returned to cycling about a week ago. I twisted my knee moving 50 lb bags of rock and dirt in some home landscaping. Had nothing to do with the bike.
I kept repeating the advice of more experienced and learned cyclists than me: `resting' is as much a part of training as `riding.' Well ... they are correct.
Before the knee injury I was anxious to prove to myself that I'm more than a match for the local mountainous terrain. We relocated from the midwest flatlands in July and I wanted to shorten the learning curve (and make it steeper and more demanding). Well, I have done that and I feel both confident and ready for bear. At this point I can relax into a thoughtful training program that is sharp and to the point.
The Cruzbike Silvio and Vendetta are the best climbing bikes I've ever ridden. Others are good, too. This is just my experience. Mastering the front wheel drive process, having come from a rear wheel drive history, took some time in the twisty, curvy, steep mountainous grades of my new location. I made many mistakes, most of which simply retarded my comfort level on the bike.
For the past several days I've been training on the same 33 mile rolling course. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/121125041 (Skull Valley - Wilhoit - Skull Valley Out and Back). No spikey mountain twists, ascents and descents.
It has allowed me to experiment, especially with the Vendetta, in getting the most out of the steeply (23 degrees) reclined seat and the very maneuverable and responsive front wheel drive.
Late in my ride yesterday and all day today I had the experience of finding my `sweet spot' with the Vendetta. I had earlier been unconsciously`fighting' the recline by pushing myself up higher in the seat. It's what I had been used to with the RWD bikes. When I tried, in the earlier part of this year, to experiment with one of my favorite RWD bikes by making significant modifications to the position of the handlebars, the location of the seat, so that I could be more reclined ... I kept knocking my knees against the handlebar. Worse, my view of the road before me became even more restricted because the riser and handlebar stuck up right in front of me. Just couldn't see well.
Being a `masher' on the RWD bikes I was used to shifting up into a higher gear and applying powerful pressure on the pedals for fast acceleration, especially when going downhill or when I wanted to sneak up on a person in front of me and pass them so fast they couldn't grab my wheel and draft behind me.
Sudden, powerful `mashing' on a FWD bike is probably going to push the wheel too far left or right and generate a wobble. Wobbles `BAD.' So I've learned, in these situations, to shift into a high gear, test that I've got solid engagement with the pedals and drive train and gradually apply wattage so that I can achieve the same thing on a FWD as on the RWD. Same result, just different way of doing it.
When employing this technique I can literally ride the white line on the side of the road for dozens and hundreds of yards, all the while accelerating or climbing at a fast clip.
Having mastered the skill of fast acceleration on my Vendetta I began sitting deeper in the recline, further centered over the front wheel. My hips drew closer to the bottom bracket as my pedal stroke caused my knees to rise higher to meet the pedals. (To complement this `sweet spot' I adjusted the Movable Bottom Bracket to bring it closer and a little higher). This has `tapped' what I have come to know as my most powerful stroke and the greatest stamina in using it - my `sweet spot.'. Just as important, I've also found myself feeling much, much, much more centered, balanced and stable on the bike. And because the Silvio and Vendetta don't restrict my legs in a `cockpit' surrounded by handlebars I don't have to deal with an obstructive riser and handlebars.
I feel like a bullet. Really: A BULLET.
I've had a few moments on my RWD bike where this was possible. But it wouldn't last because I couldn't get the seat close enough to the bottom bracket. Worse, I couldn't see the road ahead of me because of the riser and handlebars.
I'm going to stick with the `periodization' training plan I'm developing, focusing on several events in the next four and five months. But at this point I feel like I've hit my `sweet spot.' And patience, persistence, discipline to the training plan and the Silvio and Vendetta will take me certainly to many Personal Bests and probably to several record performances.
Dan Fallon
http://psychling1.blogspot.com/
