Farmpunker

The people who are against people posting their numbers (insert whatever abbreviation in here you like) now seem overly concerned with the numbers themselves.
Heh, just poking people. But, really, why this obsession with numbers? Do you ride a bike or a calculator\computer?
Myth. Cyclists as concerned enviromentalists in re fosil fuel.
Truths, me? I'm a fit looking out of shape rider who likes to go fast but can't for as long as he wants.

SteveE

While I do agree with you, it's just not my style. Lots of folks are analytic about their cycling, but it would take the fun out of it for me. YMMV

Vinokurtov

You, my friend, are my hero.

Having lost 50 lbs over the last few years I can somewhat relate to how much harder it is to ride that extra weight around, how just plain uncomfortable and slow it can be to work yourself into shape.

I'm as much in awe of people who are willing to go out and ride for their health and well being as I am of the top racers. Maybe more so, because there's always going to be some small person who's going to point and snicker under their breath. So if you're out there on that century and someone comes by with an encouraging word, it's meant for real.

You've got more fans than you realize.

dawgfanclark

I would agree with this completely. I did some interval training 8 years ago to drop 30 lbs. (never over an hour) and got my heart rate REAL LOW.. high 40s.

Currently, I am in the worst shape of my life at 6' 222 and have done no major exercise in over a year and yet my resting heart rate is still high 40s, low 50s. My medical buddies still cannot figure it out... I think it got even lower when I gave up corp. life.

531Aussie

you probably know that RHR varies a bit during the day: it can rise after large meals or certain foods, coffee, dehydration, etc.


Also, resting and maximum heart rates vary quite a bit amongst the pros

bijut2008

dude....i've got a sweet all carbon beach cruiser. which goes nicely with the 8 panel bibs stretching over my manly curves. i don't think i've ever had less than 17 bf . and that was after a long bout with denge fever and endless days of very expressive diahrrea.

unless your on a TDF team, none of it don't mean nothin', not body fat, not your equipment, not your age..nuthin'

i know plenty of old dudes in their 50's and 60's. with crappy old bikes, riding off an early morning buzz who can beat my ass silly. and I'm a good rider.... BF /SRM readings etc. are all a bunch of horse pucky...

start a new thread after you do one of the numerous group rides anywhere in the country. let us know how it goes against real people. if you're still hot ****e. and you got someone to back it up. I'll send you a cs of Fat Tire Ale.

now, go ride your bike

furiousferret

That makes me feel better, going up a 8% + for any amount of distance is about my limit on my 39x23, I have a %16 near my house I haven't even bothered to attempt yet.

terrymorse 

Those guys don't exist...yet. That climbing rate would require 650 watts or more, or at least 10 W/kg.

jur

My RHR has been 38 for months now, on waking up in the morning. 44 when sitting at my office desk. I'm not particularly super fit, nowhere near terrymorse, going by vertical climbing speed. Some chaps just have a low rate, case closed. No boasting involved. If you call that BS, then would I detect a note of envy, perhaps?

2Rodies

Nah RHR isn't a direct indication of fitness, like you said some people have naturally low RHR, kinda like blood pressure. The only thing I use my RHR for is to measure how tired I may be. For instance if I wake up and my RHR is 55, when it is normally 43, then I'll alter my morning workout to be less strenuous.

SoonerBent

Exactly. For a long time I thought I was quite the athlete because my RHR is in the low 40s and my BP is around 60/90. In fact many times during our required company physical the EKG would go into error because it wasn't expecting such low numbers. Then I found out my mother's RHR and BP is the same, she's 83 and hasn't exercised a day in her life. So, my low RHR and BP is genetic.

SS

GuitarWizard

As far as I know, resting HR has a lot to do with your genetic makeup. Some people can exercise their balls off, and still never get below 60 BPM for a resting HR. In fact, I'm one of them .

terrymorse 

Yes, I've noticed RHR on an individual basis doesn't tell you much. But reportedly there is a statistical correlation between RHR and VO2max. That's what Polar uses in their "OwnIndex" test, which measures RHR value and variability, then spits out a number equivalent to VO2max.

According to the Polar VO2max study, the "mean deviation" (sic) in their test is less than 12%. That's pretty decent, considering the alternative is a tiring and expensive exercise test in a lab.

How accurate is the Polar OwnIndex test for real? Well, I can tell you what it tells me with my inputs (48-yr old male, 5'11", 135 lbs, "top" activity level, 40 RHR). I've run the test a few times over the past 3 years, and it's reported 66-68 consistently. But what does VO2max tell you about performance on the bike? Well, Arnie's Formula (Arnie Baker) can estimate power-to-weight ratio based on VO2:

Power-to-weight (W/kg) = V02/12 - 0.275

Arnie's Formula thus predicts my power-to-weight at 5.2-5.4. That range seems reasonable, based on what I've measured in time trials. I must be one of those people who is well inside Polar's "mean deviation". If you have a naturally low or high RHR, the test probably won't be as useful.

I found another interesting chart on the Polar web site, which lists VO2max levels for different age groups and fitness levels. That's encouraging, I'll bet everyone who rides regularly is way above average.

fuzzthebee

I think you misunderstand my point. I mean if someone who's threshold is 300w tries to ride at 350w, they might last 4-7 minutes, yet they could last ~1hr at 300w. Someome who's threshold is 350w can hold it for ~1hr but they wil only gain 2-3 km/h.

Also, I didn't say all the claims were true. I said alot of the claims are probably true. I know what my true numbers are, and I know I ride with a lot of people who are way faster than me.

Trev Doyle

Hi my name is Trevor. I love beer and 80's thrash metal, I ride a sweet Scandium XC bike, and ride a really light Italian road bike. I have only ever won 1 race and it was a 2-man MTB 8 hour, I also came in 4th place once. I have never raced road. I used to do a lot of cool martial arts like Jeet Kune Do and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, now I have a sore back. I don't have an impressive heart rate, and I don't generally get great results. But I sure do have cool bikes (IMO) and I love riding as fast as I can.

No lies. No fightin' words.

mirona

I think the problem is that there has been no BikeForums Super-God to base everyone else's performance off of. If you'll have me, I would like to be your Super-God. Here are my credentials:

- 57mph avg over 300 miles
- 1.21 jigawatts/kg
- 0.3% body fat
- 0 bpm resting hr

Thank you for your consideration.

thewalrus

Yes, but can you ride the Galibier pass on steel single speed Huffy, on a hot summer day, towing a St. Bernard behind you in a kiddie trailer? Bonus points if you do it wearing a polka-dot jersey.

Starclimber

Pfffft...I can quite easily toss a St. Bernard over the Galibier. Perhaps you have all forgotten the time I threw a shotput to the moon. This of course pales beside my submerged and unsupported trek across the Atlantic, where I was forced to suck out the flotation bladders of passing fish for respirative purposes...easy? Yes. Relatively.

You cyclists can only DREAM of the sufferings I wholeheartedly embraced when I undertook the first pogo stick ascent of Everest...

I must pause a while to sneer.

Belugadave

I think this says it all regarding this thread. I like to think of myself as a pretty strong rider, but I'm not one of those fast people and the reason I know that is that I've seen them out there flying by me. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and tend to believe them. There are a lot of really fast riders out there.

cyclintom

1) if you consider 29 mph average speeds on a stage 150 miles long a "cakewalk". The fact is that in the Tour de France that pace is absolutely FRANTIC from the start. The reason is that there are all sorts of strategies going on designed to put the teams and their stars into certain tactical positions in late stages.

2) Because most riders can barely ACHIEVE 25 mph and the last slow stage averages that speed.

3) Some Cat 1's CAN average 24 mph for 100K. On a CENTURY I was sagging I watched a Cat 1 Master
(who must have been in his 50's) ride 100 miles in barely over 4 hours which included about 2000 feet of climbing. He hit all but the first rest stop before they opened. And he only stopped at the first and third for a minute or less to pick up something.

Those who are genetically talented and have trained themselve up can do things that the rest of us can never hope to achieve regardless of all the training in the world.

However, most of us can achieve a level that we do not believe we can if we train properly. The fastest sprinters in the Cat 4/5 group I was in could hit 40 mph and Cipollini was only timed at 42 mph.

I started racing at 49 or 50 and raced for three years. During that time I became absolutely amazed at the strength and power I developed. After three years of weekly racing in the summer I could spin up to 32 mph or faster and could ride at 25 mph for an hour or more. I led the pack after a sprint one time for three or so miles at 28 mph.

And yet that was chicken feed. When I tried to ride in the Cat 4 Senior pack I couldn't even hold on to the tail end of the pack. In two laps I was off. Now, mind you, the pack was led by about ten guys who should have upgraded to Cat 3 and were cherry picking, but the REST of the pack (all younger guys) could stay up with them if just barely.

At the time I remember riding up a 6% grade in the big ring and thinking to myself, "This used to be a hill!" It felt like a flat at the speed I was going - around 12 mph.

So there ARE cycling myths - "Eat a steak the day before a big ride" (sure, if you want to be slower than a crippled moth the next day), "Train in the small ring all winter" (Does anyone really believe that?), "Riding a fixed gear in the winter time improves your stroke" (No, it makes you stroke look better on the fixed gear as you learn not to fight the circles by stomping). etc. etc. etc.

But there are also things people consider myths that aren't: aged tubulars are a great deal more flexible than new ones IF YOU KNOW HOW TO AGE THEM. The real effect of riding a fixed gear in the winter was to limit the effort you would expend by forcing you into a smaller gear and limiting your top speed. A winter layoff may allow your body to fall back, but there's a psychological boost from looking forward to when you can ride again. And you can always sneak out on your 'cross bike in the snow, sleet or rain.

ImprezaDrvr

Sorry about your balls.

Vinokurtov

Great post, and I think I get it.

For me numbers are pretty meaningless except in context and members quoting TDF-like numbers is just kind of funny.

But if you're one of the people who works their (insert body part here) off to get better, it could be kind of annoying for someone to claim Cat 1 numbers just to flex (or because they really don't know better), then in the next thread state that they just started riding 4 months ago, and should they pull off the handlebar streamers on their Huffy.

(no)

I imagine it's like telling a working pro golfer that you don't practice, play a couple of times a week, drive 300 yards and shoot in the 60's. It could be taken as disrespect to the time and effort expended to become a pro, unless of course, you really can. Then you're just rubbing your genetics in their face.

23 MPH average over a 100k is not 24 MPH is not 25 MPH and is not 26 MPH. It's 23. No "ish" about it. Grabbing an extra 1 or 2 MPH isn't a casual thing, as anyone who worships at the Church of TT will tell you. An extra 1 or 2 means more training, and a lot more drool, slobber, and pain. 0.5 MPH is the difference between 1st and 9th or 29th in a lot of cases.

I have to go do my 400w intervals now.

2Rodies

Perhaps if I had stated my case like this to begin with I might have got my point across better!


As one of the earlier posts said the difference between 300w and 350w is only 2-3kph. Well in a one hour TT that's pretty significant.

rhodeshg

This has got to be one of the most hilarious posts ever. I feel like I am reading something off of Napolian Dynamite. A true classic!

LowCel 

What a lot of people don't is realize that an increase of just 10 watts over an extended period of time is actually pretty significant. Before I got my meter I had no idea what those numbers meant and how much work it takes to improve them. Actually, I'm still pretty much clueless about it all but I am learning.