Author Topic: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?  (Read 10974 times)

RichForrest

  • T'is I, Silverback.
    • Ramblings of a silverback cyclist
Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #50 on: 21 August, 2009, 04:50:24 pm »
I had my first go on a bent at the weekend :thumbsup:  And I have got to say I'm rather struck.  In fact I'm condidering selling my lovely Airborne Zepp with Ksyrium  wheels and all the goodies to finance one :o Do I need help?

Yes, if you ring Kevin at D-Tek (01353 648177) he can help you.  ;D

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #51 on: 23 August, 2009, 10:19:53 am »
Since I now felt free to ease down into practice and much lower speeds instead of being overly concerned with performance and time limits, I took all of your advice and encouragement to heart got myself a second hand Toxy TT xs. It fits me like a glove (except maybe for the crankset), is reasonably light without ruining me completely and seems to be of a nice temper: I have done the first 67 kilometres and it hasn't thrown me yet, not even climbing at 5,5 km/h.

Climbing really is something else and I am afraid, I will need lots of practise and a good increase in speed if I ever want to finish an audax riding the bent, but hey, a challenge is not all about a personal best, learning a new skill at my age might be just the thing I need. Thank you  :thumbsup:

Welcome to the dark side! As I never rode uprights like I ride my bent I don't know how long it will take to get about as fast as you are on the upright.

Climbing... well, you have seen me uphill, and before this year I never really climbed anything, since there are no hills in the Netherlands. You should take into account I'm a bit younger though.

Getting really used to a bent took me about 1000km. In the first 100km I was really disappointed with my speed, and got muscle pains on odd places, but after that I quickly got faster than I was on my upright, and then found out I could keep going for long quite easily. So then longer rides (100km+) came to mind, and then longer, and longer, and LEL.
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been too many days since I have ridden through the night with a brevet card in my pocket...

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #52 on: 23 August, 2009, 11:01:42 pm »
I started off with a Linear bought second hand from Neatwork in the late 80's and then added a Peter Ross Trice (again just after the square tube had been replaced.... this is me at RNAS Culdrose in 1994.



I also run an early (elastomer suspension) Challenge Huricane and a 2002 Street Machine GT

I donated the Trice about two years ago and upgraded to a Catrike Expedition


Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #53 on: 24 August, 2009, 12:20:22 am »
My second daughter married a Tricer at the weekend and his bestman had tried the Trice the week before and is smitten.
To be happy on the darkside it only takes a Trice :)
Never knowingly under caffeinated

alan

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #54 on: 24 August, 2009, 09:14:44 am »
Marj has a Trice.
We have being holidaying at Coverack for nearly 40 years & can remember when the main road passed thru' Culdrose RNAS & the traffic was halted for aircraft taking off & landing.A bit different to 1994 & now eh Cunobelin?

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #55 on: 24 August, 2009, 10:58:21 am »
Climbing... well, you have seen me uphill, and before this year I never really climbed anything, since there are no hills in the Netherlands. You should take into account I'm a bit younger though.
And you most certainly have longer legs.
Yes, seeing you ride up the Côte de Banneux was quite inspiring. As far as I'm concerned: I would be happy enough if I could stay with Björn while following you up there. :)

Quote
Getting really used to a bent took me about 1000km. In the first 100km I was really disappointed with my speed, and got muscle pains on odd places, but after that I quickly got faster than I was on my upright, and then found out I could keep going for long quite easily. So then longer rides (100km+) came to mind, and then longer, and longer, and LEL.
I could always go for as long as I cared to go, whatever the upright, so I could go back to that, if I don't get fast enough on the 'bent and want to continue doing audax, but at the moment I am busily looking for a training regimen to get me up to the necessary speed while leaning back. It would be so much more fun.

First really joyfull moment: Harsh crosswinds from the winds preceeding a thunderstorm, trees bending, sheding twigs, sand whirling up - and the bent just calmly made it's way. Then, turning right into this wind in a moment of craziness, really feeling the wind go over me, being able to ride steady if slow, not fighting to stay on the road like with the upright and looking up into that wild sky with those first flashes of lightning instead of bearing down, eyes glued to the tarmac.
 

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #56 on: 24 August, 2009, 11:04:58 am »

First really joyfull moment: Harsh crosswinds from the winds preceeding a thunderstorm, trees bending, sheding twigs, sand whirling up - and the bent just calmly made it's way. Then, turning right into this wind in a moment of craziness, really feeling the wind go over me, being able to ride steady if slow, not fighting to stay on the road like with the upright and looking up into that wild sky with those first flashes of lightning instead of bearing down, eyes glued to the tarmac.
 

Wow, that's near poetic. Lovely  ;)
Never knowingly under caffeinated

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #57 on: 24 August, 2009, 04:20:42 pm »
Can I be the first on this thread to say .... don't get a recumbent.  They are expensive, slow up hill and have more non standard parts.

Just imagine what a wonderful diamond frame you could get for the cost of a moderately priced recumbent.

alan

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #58 on: 24 August, 2009, 04:23:32 pm »
Can I suggest that you have a DF & a Recumbent ;D

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #59 on: 24 August, 2009, 07:35:52 pm »
Climbing... well, you have seen me uphill, and before this year I never really climbed anything, since there are no hills in the Netherlands. You should take into account I'm a bit younger though.
And you most certainly have longer legs.
Yes, seeing you ride up the Côte de Banneux was quite inspiring. As far as I'm concerned: I would be happy enough if I could stay with Björn while following you up there. :)

Hm, never heard complaints about leg-length before, in climbs. I am riding with pretty much standard 170mm cranks, but I know at least 3 other people with 155s, two of them are about my length. One of them did PBP07, the other got serious knee issues while doing his series for that. I think after that he got the 155s.

I did ruin my right knee in December 2007, and since then I ride with a cadence meter. While climbing I stay around 90, unless it's really steep. On flats in long brevets 100-105. Otherwise 110-115. With my Rohloff hub in first gear at a cadence of 90 I do 7.3km/h, according Sheldon Browns calculator. I think about getting a 42 instead of a 39 in the front though. I'll do 7.8 then instead of 7.3km/h then.

Weren't you in the big group that I passed in/just outside Langholm, heading to Eskdalemuir? I had magic legs there. Now that I think of it, you probably weren't, since you left Alston when I arrived there.

If I keep up my cycling I'm afraid I'll be a lot faster next year. Maybe I'll take it easy until Banneux for the company, so we can compare braid-lengths again at the bakery, before I take off.  ;)
I will repeat myself here: this was my first randonneur year, also the first year where I did over 10000km(with 4 months still to go), and it's still a couple of years before I'll be 30. I will be a lot stronger next year, if I keep it up.

Quote from: Jedrik
First really joyfull moment: Harsh crosswinds from the winds preceeding a thunderstorm, trees bending, sheding twigs, sand whirling up - and the bent just calmly made it's way. Then, turning right into this wind in a moment of craziness, really feeling the wind go over me, being able to ride steady if slow, not fighting to stay on the road like with the upright and looking up into that wild sky with those first flashes of lightning instead of bearing down, eyes glued to the tarmac.

 :)

Btw, the only pretty good picture I made with others on it during LEL has you in it:
http://arvid.org/lel2009/lel2009a.JPG
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been too many days since I have ridden through the night with a brevet card in my pocket...

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #60 on: 24 August, 2009, 09:55:22 pm »
Marj has a Trice.
We have being holidaying at Coverack for nearly 40 years & can remember when the main road passed thru' Culdrose RNAS & the traffic was halted for aircraft taking off & landing.A bit different to 1994 & now eh Cunobelin?

Certainly is!


Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #61 on: 27 August, 2009, 09:14:50 am »
Hm, never heard complaints about leg-length before, in climbs. I am riding with pretty much standard 170mm cranks, but I know at least 3 other people with 155s, two of them are about my length. One of them did PBP07, the other got serious knee issues while doing his series for that. I think after that he got the 155s.

Crank length is always a very individual matter, but since I do have quite a bit shorter legs than someone your size, I even ride my upright with 165 mm cranks. I am not very comfortable with the 170 mm cranks that came on my bent. I can not spin decently, the whole movement is awkward and my knees do not like that at all. I expect to do much better with shorter cranks.
I'll worry about the perfect transmission ratio when I feel that I can ride the bent properly. At the moment I am happy about every low gear I have got.  :-\

Quote
If I keep up my cycling I'm afraid I'll be a lot faster next year. Maybe I'll take it easy until Banneux for the company, so we can compare braid-lengths again at the bakery, before I take off.  ;)
I will repeat myself here: this was my first randonneur year, also the first year where I did over 10000km(with 4 months still to go), and it's still a couple of years before I'll be 30. I will be a lot stronger next year, if I keep it up.

Most certainly you will become even stronger while I fight to keep, what I have got. That's life. I spent those strong years having and raising three children, so I can see every day, how strong young men get if they put their mind to it. ;)
And, btw: I can see that their hairs grow faster than mine, too.  ;)


Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #62 on: 27 August, 2009, 09:24:34 am »
Wow, that's near poetic. Lovely  ;)
Thank you.
It just felt like that.
I used to find joy in battling and riding the wind or even thunderstorms on my upright before, but that always was about my strength and my skill, and had a very different quality and feel to it.

Re: What does it take to be happy on the dark side?
« Reply #63 on: 03 September, 2009, 12:17:17 am »
My second daughter married a Tricer at the weekend and his bestman had tried the Trice the week before and is smitten.
To be happy on the darkside it only takes a Trice :)

      Well Nobby, they say An ICE is Trice as nice  :thumbsup:  (sorry)
The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, and wiser men so full of doubt.