Mario, hope you get better quickly. I know from first hand experience that it can take a while, it can be a real pain in the neck, ha ha. Seriously, after my last crash I had neck pains too, but they seem to gradually get better. Patience with the tendonitis. What have the doctors told you? When do you think you'll be back in the saddle? Inter, you're bringing along a friend for our next ride. If he's anything like my riding buddies from Ferrol we'll be following him, ha ha.
Not a friend of mine but of Bigsome´s. His names Álvaro. While on vacation, Big knew some bikers in Galicia. This is one of them, and like most of them he´s a strong biker, that´s for sure, especially at climbing walls as Big tells me in his lastest pm. :bond
Mario, how's it going? Today Inter got another string to his bow, has conquered la Morcuera on his road bike! I couldn't go because my bike broke down on the way there. Weirdly, the nut that holds the rear cassette together came loose, so I hobbled home on the big cogs. I have a special tool at home and with that I fixed it in a flash, but missed the ride. Hmm, I seem to be jinxed lately. So here's the fearsome four. Ver el archivo adjunto 3552534
Yeah, no matter how carefully you plan a ride, setbacks happen to all of us, but that´s minor misfortune, Chain. It was a pity that your whole ride was wasted just because we didn´t have the tool we needed. Back home, you fixed it in a blink of an eye. I´m sure you´d have had a blast riding to Morcuera, but we´ll have more days to share the experience. And thinking and talking about cogs, I could feel first hand how our rear cogs aren´t made to climb. Runing a compact setup like that of Alvaro´s ( 34x28 ) is by far a better choice to make when you face a gradient of 12.5%, that´s exactly Morcuera´s maximun gradient. Alvaro´s setup worked much more fine than ours. Now, change gears and get ready for tomorrow´s enduro battle! ;-)
I was checking out gear ratios on road bikes and found the below chart at this site. http://philsroadbikingblog.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/oh-change-cassette.html The way I understand it, the gear ratio is the number of times the rear wheel turns for one turn of the pedals. For example, if you have a 34-tooth chainring and a rear cog of 34 teeth, you divide chainring by cog, 34÷34＝1. Your gear ratio is one. In the chart below you can see that with standard cranks you have 39x25 for steep uphills, which gives you a gear ratio of 1.56. On the other hand, if you have a compact, you'll have a 34x25 with a gear ratio of 1.36. So for each turn of the pedals you go for a shorter distance so it's easier. So if you're going to be tackling steep hills or just want to have an easier time of it, a compact might be in order. Of course, you might lose out on top speed. On standard cranks for top speed you have 53x11＝gear ratio 4.82, while with compact cranks you have 50x11＝gear ratio 4.55. So with a standard system with one turn of the pedals you go farther (and can go faster). I personally prefer to stick with standard cranks. So the crux of the question is, do you want a granny gear? Ha ha, just wanted to say 'granny gear'. In Spanish you say 'molinillo'.
I also hope so, Chain. Nowadays I'm not feeling sooo bad, the point is that I need to remember how running is, because I have to pass some tests, nothing difficult, but I prefer not to suffer quite much. So, every other day I go running, and that's my only sport activity... well, apart from riding my urban bike to the phisio, because that is my treatment, and I do believe it is working, but little by little. Right now I believe I could take a ride, but I'm talking about something easy wide tracks and all that stuff. I think I'll start riding on November. It is true, but the problem Chain had is not so common as to take that tool on every ride, is it? As you say, shit happens... Nice! Really good to know.
Mario, good to hear from you! Sounds like you're on the road to recovery, and I'm sure you're doing the sensible thing by taking it easy. I know that sometimes I find it difficult to be that way, but I do what I can, ha ha. Today went for a ride in El Escorial: a beautiful day and a nice ride!
Wow, what a nice photo there, Chain!. Great views over the valley. Thanks for the chart and link. Hmmm... A higher top gear of a standard crank versus a lower low gear of a compact casette. I´ve deliberately used the word "standard" as it doesnt´carry further connotations as if I were to use "professional", since some professional road bikers can also use it. In fact, they use it and some of them love it!. So let´s no make the mistake of saying professional if it has nothing to do with professionalism. Not in the USA but in Spain we have been used a word which could lead to a mistake. Proffesionalism is in their work, not in the tools a professional use. For a wide spectrum of bikers that as you say aren´t Cancellara, going granny gear is good for a better speed and a better use of the human energy as well when on climbing. As for descending, gravity is on their side not to make a great difference, or at least not to affect their average speed as climbing does!. I´ll give more thought to this, but a right decision is always dictated by terrain. Standard for the flats and compact for hills. Now, it´s your decision to consider Madrid-Pt. Morcuera-Madrid flat or hilly. With such a mountain to get through I´ve no doubt it´s hilly and most of the bikers out there can take advantadge of compact setups...:whistle Anyway, I´ve recently bought another 11-25 cassette, not bad for our Friday road bike rides. If ride´s gradient changes I can always take the crank apart and put in a smaller ring! ;-) .People have had their say on this!: http://www.foromtb.com/showthread.php?t=744936 Cheer up and get well soon Mario!
Sorry to say tomorrow I won´t be in Madrid for our bike ride. There will not be a Friday´s adventure for me. I will miss it more than just a little bit !!! :compress
Hey Inter, you're missing from the picture. Where are you? You should be there. Ha ha, I suppose you were busy. In any case, it was a fairly demanding ride, and I'm happy I kept up with Juan Carlos. In fact, I even passed him up going up to Bustarviejo. Then he passed me up but still, I was making him work hard :boom Here's a pic of the two of us at the fountain/restaurant by Bustarviejo.
:aplauso2 After your roadie ride it comes your enduro one... where will you show up this time, Chain?
Hi Marío! Hope you're getting better and better. This time I've shown up in a favorite place: Cercedilla! Actually it was raining hard this morning in Madrid, but we took a chance and went to the Sierras anyway, and were rewarded with a beautiful day! Here's the group. We were by the Poets' Lookout. And here I'm going down Vereda de Enmedio. At this time of year you have to worry about wet roots, and you can see there are a few of those here. Hey Interaptor! Where are you?
Hi, After a busy weekend outside, I´m back in Madrid again. That pic with you on the run and the wet roots in your way looks like a scene from Jurassic Park. In fact, those places where you go to practice some enduro are pretty similar to a scenery from a fairy tale as we know it, aren´t they?. Mmm I see, you had a hard time on your roadie but I´m glad to hear you managed to get your own respect after your confidence was not at it´s best. So, the collateral effects of your last fall seem to be disappeared. Great!, Bad news to the group: you are pushing harder! ;-) I hope Mario´s recovery process goes as successful as Chain´s went. Just a little patience there, time heals all wounds! Clouds and tons of rain forecasted for this week. Under these conditions neither recovered nor bikers in the process of recovery are willing for a ride, so we are all treated equally to some degree to be at home!. ;-(
Hi Inter! So you've been away. Seems like you're doing a lot of traveling these days. Were you abroad or just elsewhere in Spain? In any case, you're back! just in time for the rain, ha ha. I'm glad I've been getting some good rides in before the bad weather (tho obviously the forecast could be wrong). Now that you mention it, the above pic does have a sort of Jurassic or fairly tale look. Things are different in the Sierras (and in the pic) these days: it's cloudier so less light, there's been rain so less dust, but more humidity. Actually I think it's nicer, tho as I mentioned above, you now have to worry about slippery roots and rocks and stuff. Actually I had a good ride with JC last Friday, was gratifying to see that I could keep up with him, and even challenge him a bit!
Cádiz. Not abroad this time but still several hundred kilometers from Madrid in the exact distance and conditions to miss it out and I´ll tell you why. You know, sometimes we call a flat city a bike paradise due to its lack of hills. I know everyone means well by saying it. Even I myself said it out of newbie ignorance. You tend to show complete ignorance when you are new to something. Now that I am into biking for more than two and a half years, I think the opposite. Flat cities are boring, dull and unteresting for a good cycling practice. I mean Cycling as a sport not commuting to work. They may be good for getting from A to B by bicycle but they don´t represent any significant challenge to us bikers. I can´t believe I can say this but I´m ready to say it: Hilly cities are generally not just much nicer to look at but better for cyclist to improve on their bike. It´s a pity that the Netherlands is so flat. Too flat to be a bike paradise! ;-)
Blasphemy! You shall burn in hell. You are expelled from the biking brotherhood for your heresy istolas Ha ha ha, just kidding. So seriously, what brought this on? I mean, is it something to do with Cadiz? I visited the city once and I don't think it was particularly flat. In any case, in Madrid you must be as happy as a clam, plenty of hills around here, so start commuting! Besides, with this rain the air must be clean, and air pollution is one of the main drawbacks to city riding. Unless, unless, everyone starts doing it!
Hahahahahaha... Burn in Hell! Flat as a pancake ;-). Anyway, I´ve reconsidered my position not just on the "flat vs hilly" matter but on some other security aspects which a city has to have to be considered a bike paradise... For instance... Which´s better?: A city full of bike lanes side by side with road lanes or a city with no bike lanes whatsoever in which cyclists are extremely respected by drivers? Would you rather ride just on narrow bike lanes with not much respect towards cyclists or ride on wide road lanes being extremely respected by drivers?. I know it´s better to get both sides of the coin, but if you had to choose just one, which one would it be? Infraestructure or respect? I´ve notice a change if its a newbie or a professional cyclist who gives the answer, from mere infrastructure to a more "just kinda" respect, a social consciousness towards ciclism... That said, I don´t feel specially unsafe in Madrid. The City Hall is thinking about new infrastructure for cyclists, the so call M-10 inner bike ring, but considering the above, 1%more respect to cyclists is equal to 100 bike rings! ;-)
Wowwww! i've been lettin' you aside for so long i can't fairly remember! So, i've been watching Geordie Shore -you know it gie'd us such a big time' and suddenly i was striken by the idea of gettin' back to this thread and fine, i love seein you all there and all, and i promise myself -no crossed fingers- to write and read at least an 'hebdomadaire' report of whatever comes into my sick mind. I'm pretty much looking forward to meet you again, i miss these rides at El PArdo and of course i can't help myself from scratching the floor with my teeth as i see those gorgeous trails you ride on. So cheers I'm back! PS: some nice vid I scrounged from a matey, help us out with the slang! [video=youtube;WPVRU7jSYkQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPVRU7jSYkQ[/video]
I suppose I'd choose respect. I'd rather ride on roads with the cars cos I like going fast. On bike lanes you get kids or even people going for a stroll, ho hum. Jorge's back in town! Good to hear from you again. Yeah, Jordie Shore, that's pretty deep stuff, ha ha. But hey, it's kinda fun to watch, and I like hearing their accent. Hey, cool vid you've come up with there. Pretty hilarious, like when the narrator says to let your significant other know that you'll be turning your bedroom into a bike storage room, and the guys says, 'That's right honey, we can sleep in the living-room'. In any case, I'll do my best to help you with slang, tho I may be lacking a bit in coolness, for example, had to google 'tranny' to figure out what they were talking about. Looks like it means 'transsexual', and it's also a bike made by Ibis. Oops, wait a minute, they say it's a transvestite on a transition. Another good moment: the narrator says that after buying five bikes, spend the rest of your money on bike parts. So the guy turns to the customer and says, 'That'll be $700', and the customer says, 'Wow, what a great price, I just saved 20 grams.' Wheel sizes: 'Now choose your favorite size and be a dick about it'. Looks like our ride on road bikes will be rained off tomorrow, but not to worry, I'm stoked cos on Sunday I'll probably go to the Sierras and ride on some rad trails. You know, just really shred, should be totally gnarly, tho maybe a bit muddy. Yeah, we can do El Pardo sometime. Haven't been there much lately, but it's always a nice place to visit.
Well, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are my main biking days, but on Fri and Sat: rain. Went running instead. I'm OK on a bike, but running is kind of embarrassing, like pimples. I'm going to have to pick up some speed before I can do any duathlons. Anyway, finally went for a good bike ride today, so I'm feeling better! Here's the gang at Moralzarzal.
