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Power Output vs. Bikes

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Power Output vs. Bikes

Old 09-23-20, 02:35 PM
  #26  
rubiksoval
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Originally Posted by prj71
Just ride fercripesakes. Meaningless data unless you are a pro racer getting paid.
Hahahaha, no.
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Old 09-23-20, 02:37 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by surak
I I don't know that it's worth the $5k minimum it costs to get a good aero bike, but I know my next road bike will be more aero for sure.
​​​​
I bought a brand new Felt AR5 on ebay for $1500 a few years back. There are lots of Felt ARs, Scott Foils, etc., etc. to be had.
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Old 09-23-20, 03:49 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by surak
I also want an aero bike, but for different reasons. Many of the nicer climbs are a ways out from where I live. Most of my riding time is just getting there on uninteresting, flattish roads that I've taken many times. I literally had to ride more than a metric century the other weekend just to include one Cat-1 that I'd never done. The way there and back on a windy day was tiresome, even when trying to get as low as possible (crosswinds making going IAB too twitchy). So a modern aero bike is appealing to me because it would reduce the time riding that I don't care about, at a slight - if any - slowdown to the riding I enjoy. The time saved with more aero actually increases the slower I ride (and I would be going slow to save energy for my destination hills), so the argument for aero being useless under racing speeds doesn't hold water. I don't know that it's worth the $5k minimum it costs to get a good aero bike, but I know my next road bike will be more aero for sure.
​​​​
Solid logic, at least without bad side winds, but … do you ride from home to everywhere you want to ride?
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Old 09-23-20, 04:03 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by prj71
The answer is Justin Bieber.

Just ride fercripesakes. Meaningless data unless you are a pro racer getting paid.
I've read this countless times on BF and it still makes no sense to me.
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Old 09-23-20, 04:07 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Rides4Beer
Def don't need to spend that much, unless you want new of course. There are some used Felt ARs out there pretty reasonably priced, it's at the top of the list for aero bikes, only 2w behind the SystemSix, which is the "fastest" at 203w (and disc, Cannondale def nailed it). The Felt is rim brake, but for where I want to ride fast, that's not a concern.

Agreed, my next bike with be aero and focused on speed. I have the gravel bike for all around use.
Originally Posted by rubiksoval
I bought a brand new Felt AR5 on ebay for $1500 a few years back. There are lots of Felt ARs, Scott Foils, etc., etc. to be had.
Right on, that's a much better price. I have only thought about an aero bike recently so haven't explored beyond the major new options. I'm leaning toward waiting for this newer generation of lightweight aero bikes that should offer easier integrated cable management, optimized for wider tires, and discs since all my other road bikes run discs. But $1500 to get in the game is mighty tempting!

Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Solid logic, at least without bad side winds, but … do you ride from home to everywhere you want to ride?
If I'm riding solo, yes. I loathe driving; the only time I do is when a group ride starts on the Eastside at 8am and I sure as heck won't get up at 6am on a weekend. I'd much rather complain about 3 hours of crosswinds than drive through the city for an hour. That's why my street-parked car has moss growing on it. I'd be happy LCF if I didn't have a dog (R.I.P.) and a partner who thinks we ought to own a car, even though she hates driving in the city even more than I do and makes me the DD on all trips. Sometimes I think it'd be nice relocating to the burbs where the nicer hills and roads are, but then I'd have to drive instead of being able to walk everywhere, so nah.
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Old 09-23-20, 04:15 PM
  #31  
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@surak I feel the same way about driving to, say, Tiger Mountain. It's real worth driving to Rainier or Washington Pass to ride though.
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Old 09-23-20, 04:33 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
@surak I feel the same way about driving to, say, Tiger Mountain. It's real worth driving to Rainier or Washington Pass to ride though.
Tiger is actually where I last rode to.
Won the lottery to ride RAMROD this year and I would've found a place to stay the night before, but anything over 1 hr drive to is something I'd lean towards doing once, ever. In fact, picking up road cycling has gotten me to way more places within a day's riding than I'd ever visited by motor vehicle in the 15 years I had lived here pre-bike.
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Old 09-23-20, 05:12 PM
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@surak Do you have a bike you can ride on hard packed dirt roads? And do Garmin Connect routes work for you? I'm going to try to peer pressure you into a once ever ride.
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Old 09-23-20, 05:37 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
@surak Do you have a bike you can ride on hard packed dirt roads? And do Garmin Connect routes work for you? I'm going to try to peer pressure you into a once ever ride.
I'm sure you have an excellent suggestion that I will have to ride. Whether I have the means to ride it depends on the tires and gearing that I'd need. The max clearance on any of my single bikes is 35mm and came with 33mm nubbed Schwalbe X-Ones that I've never used, with CX gearing, 40-36 lowest gear. I'm fine riding it up Tiger, as a point of reference. And I have survived a misadventure riding single-track in the hills above Snoqualmie on my Roubaix with 25mm Corsa G 2.0s, which was a bit beyond what that bike could handle without losing traction and falling a couple times.

The best off-road bike in my stable is my Santana 26" tandem, which I'm running with 1.75" Marathon Plus Tour tires, but it comes with a stoker who isn't fond of hills.
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Old 09-24-20, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by surak
Tiger is actually where I last rode to.
Originally Posted by surak
I'm sure you have an excellent suggestion that I will have to ride. Whether I have the means to ride it depends on the tires and gearing that I'd need. The max clearance on any of my single bikes is 35mm and came with 33mm nubbed Schwalbe X-Ones that I've never used, with CX gearing, 40-36 lowest gear. I'm fine riding it up Tiger, as a point of reference. And I have survived a misadventure riding single-track in the hills above Snoqualmie on my Roubaix with 25mm Corsa G 2.0s, which was a bit beyond what that bike could handle without losing traction and falling a couple times.

The best off-road bike in my stable is my Santana 26" tandem, which I'm running with 1.75" Marathon Plus Tour tires, but it comes with a stoker who isn't fond of hills.
I have a friend who rides out to do Tiger regularly from Lake City. It's the only cat 1 climb I could think of in riding distance.

I've only got one bike, and I use tires that measure out to 33 mm. I'm not about to recommend you anything I haven't been able to ride like this, so you're golden. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me, though. I won't be offended if you have better sense than I do and don't want to spend half your day driving.

We have this breathtaking fall color on the eastern slope, trees that look like evergreens, but the needles turn a brilliant gold in October, and then fall. On a nice day, when the sun shines through those golden needles, it's pretty special. They only grow at higher elevations, so they tend to come with nice views. The more accessible ones should peak around the 3rd weekend in October. It's impressive enough that I spend pretty much all my free time every October hiking and riding with them.

Here's an all pavement route that will get you two mountain passes and a lot of larches. 97 is a fairly busy highway, with wide shoulders.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/43037660

Here's a similar loop with some hard packed dirt, and less 97. This one has better views. Also two passes, more climbing this way.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/43038043

It's about 2 hours drive, each way, from downtown.

This is from the gravel version, just off the road, the road itself is much better than the ground in this pic, but I needed something to hold the bike up for a pic.

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