I'm 45 and have hit 198BPM, twice, on the MTB. We have a seriously long, steep climb on one trail that most people walk. I grind it out and, then, collapse at the top. By the time they make it up, I'm fairly recovered. It's a pride and accomplishment thing.
Third option; find a used CAADX from when they were still built in the US (2010 was the last year if they followed the same as my road CAAD frame) I'm somewhat similar. I have no qualms selling my Taiwanese frames and parts but you will have to pry my cold, dead fingers from my CAAD9 and Moots frames... Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the ride of my steel hardtails and SS from Soma and Vassago, but they are just missing that soul and sense of character that comes from seeing the "Handmade in USA" on the seat stays of my CAAD or the "In Moots we trust" from my Psychlo-X...
There's an extremely steep climb at the Mt. Dora trail that I do occasionally. By the time you get to the top, even riders in very good shape are barely pedaling fast enough to keep the bike upright. For some reason I can do climbs like that, but not the much longer, flatter slopes. It almost seems as if my body is only capable of generating a lot of power for about five minutes, after which there's nothing left in the tank.
Back before kids my wife and I used to go to an aerobics class, they gave me this target heart rate I was supposed to hit. I did the exercises everybody else was doing at double time, and still couldn't hit that target. Back then my resting pulse was about 25. Extremely low blood pressure and I was riding 1,200 miles a month over varied terrain. My version of a light day back then was a 50 mile ride where I just sat and spun over rolling hills. There was always wind. I rode a straight block in the back a 12-18 with a 52/39 up front. I think that target back then was 140 or 150 or something. Nothing I did could hit that other than intervals on a quarter-mile long 7% grade hill. And I was not using a monitor then. Not even sure they existed yet. I'd stop pedaling and check my pulse at my neck. When I get my HRM that will give me something else to do on my rides. That Heart Rate Zone test seems pretty interesting. I figure after this first thousand miles I'll have gotten my off the couch burned off, and with a little hill training begin to build up the strength. The monitor and figuring out the zone will give me maybe a better idea of a target. Up to the point of a monitor and knowing a number I just push at a pace I am comfortable at. I gauge that based on how my legs and joints feel, and how hard I'm breathing. For example last night pedaling out into the wind I was spinning at only about 16 mph, and would dip under with gusts and slight bumps to spin over. Once the path turned so the wind was not directly into me I could pick up the pace and 17 felt comfortable in one gear taller. My legs seem to be doing about the same RPM for "comfort", but I can go up a gear or two and the speed increases. I also know I can hold back at about 15 mph and go for hours and hours with very little wind. With my knees having had several re-work jobs done on them I tend to error on the side of not hurting them. Back when I lifted in my off-season, I'd only do 20% squats, or presses and extensions. That would drive the lifters at the gym crazy. I was focused on building cycling muscle not destroying my knee joints. Much of this direction came from Andy Pruitt, after I injured my knee in an early season TT where a storm blew in just before the turn around and I tried to force things. I'd been working full time and carrying 18 hours of engineering classes, so training was what got cut back on. I really should have skipped the TT's. That injury took two months to heal, one of those months off the bike completely. Then When I went back to it I was back at ground zero, but lifting light weights at those short ranges. Worked wonderfully, and I incorporated the limited range lifts into my regular off season workouts which put me into the start of the next season stronger than I'd ever been. Then I graduated and work got more and more and after about 8 years the training fell off a lot, then to nothing when I began commuting more than an hour each way, along with working a twelve hour day. I no longer lift since I'm not racing I can ride all year round so there isn't really any reason for me to stop riding to rest up. My plan for cycling is to burn fat, and keep that going as well as develop the habit of riding and continue until I can't anymore. Don't work a twelve hour day. Andy Pruitt
The SO wants to get into cycling with me (I'm a mountain biker) and I need to get him a bike. I haven't really ridden or raced in a few years, but still take leisurely rides on local trails and need to get him into cycling as rehab for his knee (PTist has cleared him for this.) Haven't really looked at what's on the market the last few years, and not opposed to going used. Looking for FS, decently built to handle a 220lb guy. Nothing too race-y in the geometry, 3-5 inches of travel in front. What all is out there that's the best bang for your buck?
Having had one knee surgery, FS is a certain. 220lbs is probably going to blow through short-travel XC bikes. Probably need to get up into the 125mm range, which is trail bike territory. That'll, also, get him onto a more relaxed/stable geometry. Hit up MTBR, for model feedback. His weight is borderline, IMHO, for proper suspension performance. He may need to get into a rising-rate rear suspension design. Some designs, like on the Trek Fuel range, are digressive, which means they soften up as they get deeper into the travel. He'll need something that has a linkage ratio that ramps up, as it compresses. I'm not up on what all bikes have that design, but, some of the others here may know more. Also, do searches on MTBR for "Clydesdale" and "rising-rate suspension". You'll find recommended models and info, there.
Definitely yes on the trail bike. Wish I still had my old Intense Tracer for him to ride. I've been looking at the Trek Fuel and Specialized Epic... even halfway batting around the idea of a 29er for him. He's He's 220 right now, but is about 50 pounds overweight after nearly a year of not being permitted to do any physical activity at all due to injury. He's not planning on staying at 220... should be back down to around 175 now that he's cleared to do cardio again. Have been searching MTBR a bit, but wanted to hear some personal reviews and suggestions, too. Thanks!
I'd say 29er, you can get away with going up and down 20mm of the fork, honestly though it has to get pretty bumpy before I unlock my forks, and I'm 210" usually riding with at least 10lbs of crap, and/or commuting with 30lbs of school books and work clothes. I just got a mid-level Trek that works for me, eventually I'll have to upgrade the fork if I want to do anything really silly with it, but all of the trails near me are primarily sand. Just make sure that whatever you get point him at has double walled wheels.
Remember that your legs are composed of a series of muscles and you need to have them all working equally. Goblet Squats.
That's almost entirely, IMHO, a function of HR. Once you figure your HR zones, you'll want to make sure you stay in Zone 4 or so for long climbs. If you punch it and go as hard as you can on a long grade, you'll pin your HR into Zone 5, go anaerobic and your muscles will just give it up. I would suspect that this is what's happening to you on long grades. If your HR is too high, your muscles aren't getting nourished and you get fatigued quickly. I can climb any hill if I hold back and ride according to my HR. I may not be fast, but that's not really the point of how I ride, I'm looking to ride a crazy long distance at a moderate effort level. On rides where I've spent some time in Zone 5, I've paid for it later, gradually losing my endurance ability toward the end of the ride. Around here, there's always going to be a climb that will punch you up into 5 and remove your ability to control your HR, especially if you want to keep moving, but if you allow yourself some "active recovery" and get your HR back down into Zone 3, you should be able to keep riding. I think we're often accustomed to considering climbing as a leg strength issue, but that's really only part of it. HR is crucial and if there's one thing I've learned while climbing 150K+ this year, it's that. This weekend on Death Ride, it's all going to be about getting into my endurance pace and living there as often as possible.
+1 A million really. That is nice. Reminds me of the rail to trail near my brothers place in Iowa. Very nice. I ran on some un-improved trail in Wichita that was rail to trail, but jumped some rubble and hit my heel on a small stone, that hurt for months. But, it was fun to run in some woods at the edge of a city.
Interesting. I'll be wearing my HRM the next time I go for a ride and see if that's what has been happening.
You don't feel any knee pain when you do those? When I was weight lifting, deep squats were something to be avoided because of the extreme stress it places on the knee ligaments. The approved technique was to stop at the point where there thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
Exactly. I drop down to thighs parallel to the floor with weight back on my heels. Feet should be apart shoulder width apart. When you come back up, clench your glutes and drive straight up.
Zippo ill add I'm 275 and have my fox suspension set up perfectly for my weight on my giant reign. Fox supplies shims your lbs can install in the rear shock to allow it to handle higher pressures for weight. I don't think your boyfriends weight will hurt him, so long as he's somewhat smooth.
I used to do three sets of 12, with 60 to 90 seconds between. Took the younger boy out for a ride yesterday in our fabulous city forest. A wee spot of vid (click on it for action): Later on, we had a "learning curve" moment: Thankfully we were far enough away from home that he got over the worst of the emotional trauma ("I'm never doing that again!") and came to accept it as a learning experience before we got home to Muriel (Ma). Now he's asking if he'll have a bitchin' scar when it heals.
Just won this TT helmet on e-bay for $147. I'll be wearing it to my next racing class. I'm hoping it will make me at least 2 mph faster on the trainer.
