TimothyH

Today I found out that I have a blunt costophrenic angle. The radiologist report from my X-rays reads..

"Six radiographs. BB markers placed next to the lower right rib cage. Acute fracture of the anterior lateral right 8th rib next to the BB markers. Edema bruising blunting the right costophrenic angle. No pneumothorax identified. Review of the remainder of the right rib cage is normal. No collapsing pneumothorax. Review of the right clavicle and right shoulder is normal."

So my question to the doctor was, "What should I do?" She said to ice it and get X-rays.

So I spent $148 for X-rays yesterday and the doctor's report was placed on their portal - the answer hasn't changed - just ice it.

So why did I get X-rays? I already knew I had at least one broken rib. Now I know it is the 8th one. That's comforting.

Anyway, I rode 50 miles today on a very smooth rail trail. No sprinting or hard riding. 2 Advil and I was fine.


-Tim-

hairnet

I'm not sure on the age but it looks to he from the 60s. It is small but I can get by just riding slow.

SquidPuppet

Keep an eye on the seat post. The thin cheap steel doesn't' like to be that far out. I speak from experience.

labcoat

I spent an hour and a half washing my new to me IRO Mark V. Who knew the chain was silver would have swore it was black when I got it.

It is clean and lubed now looks better and I am happy.

JohnDThompson 

"No pneumothorax." That's why. If the xray showed a small pneumothorax, they probably would have had you return the next day for a repeat xray to see if it had enlarged. If it did, that's an indication for a chest tube to re-inflate the lung. If it showed a large pneumothorax, they probably would have put in the chest tube right away.

TMonk

I did my same 4th of July routine for the last few years. Ride, BBQ and free beer at Karl Strauss (club sponsor) then more of the same with my cousins in Mission Bay. But with 60-70 miles of riding before, during and after . Rode my steel fixie road bike all day and had a blast, tons of compliments on the group ride.

I think it was ~1:00 AM when I left MB and rode my ass up Presidio to get back to N Park. Had a moment high up on Presidio hill just sitting on the grass and taking in the views of the city. Crazy thing is, I was considering stopping into a local bar for last call as I was nearing home .

The Karl Strauss BBQ also serves as some of my volunteer requirements b/c I like to 'man the grill'.

hairnet

thanks for the heads up

SquidPuppet

It's an oddball size and you'll never find a quality replacement. If you need it, this was my solution. Cheap and strong.

https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchan...p=2&top_cat=60

SquidPuppet

I took a spill once and broke 4 ribs (and my clavicle, tibia, and fibula). The pain was no big deal. Unfortunately one of the ribs punctured my lung. So after my helicopter ride to the ER the Docs placed a chest tube (20 French IIRC) in me. Something about keeping me alive or some such. No anesthesia allowed for some reason or another. Before inserting it they asked if I wanted my arms and legs tied down. I asked why would I want that. They said that some people are not capable of tolerating the intense pain and that their limbs flail due to the shock, and that some patients even attempt to strike the staff members. Gee, thanks for the warning. I declined the straps and promised not to punch anyone.

There are no words in the English language to accurately describe the pain caused by a pipe being forced in between your ribs, separating them, and then onward into the cavity.

hairnet

Looks good. My buddy has parts manufactured to fit old Schwinns for klunker builds and his line of Schwinn-esque BMX cruiser bikes.

https://www.genuinebicycleproducts.com/seatposts.html

JohnDThompson 

Been there, done that. Went home with a chest tube and a Heimlich valve for a week.

SquidPuppet

Ouch! I guess I was lucky then. 3.5 days in the hospital and it was removed before I went home.

bonsai171

Today I did my first fixed gear metric century! 68.2 mi at 14.2 mph average.

Dave

TMonk

nice ride Dave

bmwjoe

I am recovering from the 200K PA Rando ride yesterday.

It was a great ride with perfect weather. I was the only fixed gear. With 7500' of climbing I had my work cut out for me. I had a great time.

Ride Safe,

Joe

labcoat

I got a chance to really get out and ride after a few years off of a bike. wow am i out of shape but my race against the sun tonight was fun even if I want to puke now.

Broctoon

Impressive! 128 miles on fixed gear? More than I can do. You must have a very comfy seat, and everything else set up just right, too.

Broctoon

Today I am contemplating.

I carefully timed myself a few weeks ago on a 28 mile ride with my Parallax track bike. The route was absolutely flat and almost totally straight. I wanted to see how far I could go in one hour, under time trial conditions. Turns out, it’s only 20.94 miles. I was a little disappointed, because two years ago I did the same route on a clunky old hi-ten road bike converted to fixed gear, and I got about the same distance. My Parallax is stiffer and several pounds lighter, and I’m now in considerably better shape overall.

So, what gives? Three things, I think. Two factors are inherent in the bikes themselves: the old clunker was geared just a little higher (87 gear inches vs. 81). And it put me in just a little more aero position. I had a -17 degree quill stem and track drop bar on it, which placed my hands a few inches below the top of the head tube, or somewhere between the fork crown and top tube. My Parallax has a +6 degree stem and bullhorn bar, locating my hands an inch or so above the top tube. It’s more comfortable, but only slightly. The biggest difference was the fact that I had a steady, moderate breeze this time around, and if I recall correctly, it was calm on the trial two years ago.

All this drives home the fact that those Triathlon and TT riders really know what they’re doing with their stupid aero bars, slick helmets, etc. They put aerodynamics ahead of all else… comfort, handling, even weight. Since they can’t draft, riding position becomes of paramount importance. I know you’re all well aware of this already. I’m just reviewing the experiment that made it real to me.

I was also surprised to find that yesterday on the same bike, with 78 gear inches, I averaged 20.1 mph (a new PR) on my somewhat hilly 13.5 mile course… that’s less than one mile per hour slower than my average speed on the flat course with just a little wind.

Next experiment: go up a few more gear inches on the Parallax, put a really low bar on it, and do the hour trial again on a perfectly calm day. I might even forego the helmet in favor of a cycling cap. I want to see if I can get at least 23 miles. I know a decent rider can do a 25 mile TT in about one hour flat, and since I’m not highly trained/conditioned, I’ll be happy if I can get to 90% of that speed. I don’t have a power meter but I’m really curious, just for curiosity’s sake, about my Functional Threshold Power. That’s the average power output a rider can sustain for one hour, and it tells a lot about your fitness level. I’m guessing for me it’s between 250 and 300 watts, or around 3.8 w/kg for my 72 kg body.

I now return you to regularly scheduled FG/SS programming.

TMonk

Body position and tires affect speed big time, and are among the cheapest to implement correctly. Are you willing to put a pair of aerobars on there for your TT effort? Also, are you running fancy tires?

What was the wind direction during your effort down the straight road? What is the pavement quality like?

Riding 25 MPH solo is no easy feat and not attainable by non-trained athletes unless you're the next Lance. Once or twice a month I'll do a set of 2x20' intervals and hit around that speed (or slightly less) for 20 very difficult minutes at a time. Could I do that for an hour on my road bike in an all-out effort? Maybe, doubt it though.

For reference I'm 70 kg and have an FTP near the top of that range (295 w) and feel that I am a fairly "slippery" rider.

EDIT: Also remember that power requirements have a cubic relationship with respect to overcoming wind resistance on a bicycle. The difference in power (all else equal) to go between 24 and 25 MPH is much, much greater than the requirements to hit 23 from 22 MPH, for example.

As with anything else it takes practice and experimentation! I would encourage you to get out there more often and hammer your brains out for an hour trying out different things .

Broctoon

Thanks, Monk! I was hoping you might chime in.


Aerobars, prolly not. Tires? I previously had the Parallax rolling on 700x23 Rubino G+ @ 120 PSI, but I moved them to my road bike and put on 25mm GatorSkins @ 100 PSI.


The route is actually a seven mile stretch that I do as an out-and-back twice. The wind was almost directly head-on half the time and almost a perfect tailwind the other half. Of course, the tail wind never helps as much as the headwind hurts. The pavement is excellent, very smooth.


I believe you. 25 MPH doesn't sound that tough while I'm sitting here typing, sipping a Pepsi, and watching some dumb movie on the TV. It becomes very real as soon as I swing a leg over the bike and start pedaling.


Sounds like you're about 5 lbs. lighter than me. I think you're also an inch or two shorter, and almost certainly more muscular. I have a little bit of a belly and unimpressive muscle mass. Let's just say the ladies aren't wearing themselves out trying to chase after me. I do have pretty healthy lungs and heart.


This is true. Doubling your speed requires four times the power. Trebling it requires nine times.


I'll have to commit myself to that. I do it more often than once every few years, but not regularly. I have been doing my interval course about once a week (rolling hills, 1.3 mile laps around a beautiful park). This is my favorite workout, and I'm really getting my technique on it nailed down. Riding flat, straight roads for an hour or more with consistent effort is boring to me, and I have to talk myself into it.

TimothyH

This is a 7% difference and I'd be willing to bet that is accounts for most of what you are seeing.

I run both 16 and 15 tooth sprockets which is also 7% difference. The 15 allows me to keep up with roadies on a fast, flat 30 mile training ride but I get dropped at the fastest part of the ride with the 16. 7% is enough to make a big difference time trial type efforts.


If you really want to see what makes speed then change one thing at a time - gearing or position but not both.


-Tim-

Broctoon

This is good, sound advice.

Of course, I'm not being very scientific.. I just want to see how fast I can go. I'll probably change two or three things and try again. But you're probably right that the gear ratio is the most significant factor on a ride like this.

LesterOfPuppets

Today I hit some gravel on the new Raleigh.

hairnet

I went on my first ride tonight since knee surgery 10 weeks ago. 10 good night time miles, but that's about all I had in me It's good to get out

TimothyH

^^ Congratulations. That must have been a very rewarding ride.

Today I did a fixed-gear century.
48x16 gear
101 miles @ 16.8 MPH.
2350 ft climbing
6:03 moving time
7:15 total time
4000+ calories burned
No dog pepper spray deployed

-Tim-