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Tips for Solo Riding?

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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

Tips for Solo Riding?

Old 04-18-13, 12:13 PM
  #26  
pjdizzy
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
When the pedal comes up, you push it back down.
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Old 04-18-13, 12:52 PM
  #27  
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I usually hate wind.
But when I was training for the Devil Mountain Double I wore a heart monitor when I was doing TIME CRUNCHED CYCLIST program workouts and the wind didn't bug me.
My goal was to work within specific heart rate zone, so it didn't matter if I was slow or fast, what mattered was that I hit the right zones.In an odd way it was liberating.

My solo ride tip is: Make sure you carry enough crap that two flats won't strand you. I accidentally ley my patch glue go bad and got stuck on a no-cars road. I had to chose: Ride on a flat, walk in my cleats, or walk barefoot. All bad choices.
Don't let me be you.
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Old 04-18-13, 01:24 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by aruban
What do you guys think is more aerodynamic?

- Hands on the hoods but elbows bent and tucked in (Praying Mantis position)
- Hands in drops with elbows straight and tucked in

And assuming that head is in the same position for both.
I personally get lower with my palms on the hoods and forearms on the bars,tucked; as opposed to riding in the drops.
I know a lot of guys like to go 'pro' and just lay the forearms on the bartops alongside the stem, but with our road conditions, just laying the forearms down with hands haging off the front, is too sketchy for me and also too bruising.
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Old 04-18-13, 02:18 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by cyclezen
I personally get lower with my palms on the hoods and forearms on the bars,tucked; as opposed to riding in the drops.
I know a lot of guys like to go 'pro' and just lay the forearms on the bartops alongside the stem, but with our road conditions, just laying the forearms down with hands haging off the front, is too sketchy for me and also too bruising.
No, this is what going pro is now if you're talking aero.

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Old 04-18-13, 02:30 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by pjdizzy
So I've been riding strictly on my lunch break at work, (goal of 20 miles in an hour), doing fairly well but struggling with the head wind. What are some tips for solo riding when in heavy head winds?
Don't set speed goals when you're fighting Mother Nature. She wins every time.
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Old 04-18-13, 02:33 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Don't set speed goals when you're fighting Mother Nature. She wins every time.
That's great advise too..... I'll just keep riding hard, maybe one day I'll trek up to Napa and do a 20 mile ride to see how I do!
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Old 04-18-13, 02:36 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by jsharr
My best tip for solo riding is to do it by yourself.
Don't go blind!
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Old 04-18-13, 02:43 PM
  #33  
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wow, from seeing pictures of time trial type setups I was under the impression a stretched out posture with flat back on hands on aero bars was more "aero". This guy has rounded back and elbows down.

re the OP, headwinds just use a lower gear. it's the side winds that really bother me, especially on roads with traffic.


Originally Posted by kv501
No, this is what going pro is now if you're talking aero.

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Old 04-18-13, 02:47 PM
  #34  
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I did a loop last week and was into the wind the whole time it seemed... wind can change here pretty quickly. I have been riding solo recently and just try to believe that the wind is helping my training. I will be that much better when I have a wheel in front of me again.

When I ride/drink alone, I prefer to be by myself.
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Old 04-18-13, 02:49 PM
  #35  
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^I ride with my good buddy Wiser.
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Old 04-18-13, 02:50 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by bikebreak
wow, from seeing pictures of time trial type setups I was under the impression a stretched out posture with flat back on hands on aero bars was more "aero". This guy has rounded back and elbows down.

re the OP, headwinds just use a lower gear. it's the side winds that really bother me, especially on roads with traffic.
Yeah, I guess I should appreciate the headwind more... like running in a weighted vest or something....
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Old 04-18-13, 02:51 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by bikebreak
wow, from seeing pictures of time trial type setups I was under the impression a stretched out posture with flat back on hands on aero bars was more "aero". This guy has rounded back and elbows down.
Joke photo. That position is for non technical non-pedaling descents only.
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Old 04-18-13, 03:14 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by jsharr
My best tip for solo riding is to do it by yourself.
This....................I could not have said it better.
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Old 04-18-13, 03:19 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by pdxtex
reducing your profile helps as others have said. in windy conditions i bring my hands to the center of the bar and tuck my elbows in. i find this more comfy then slogging it out in the drops.
Yes to this. I've never done any real testing, but anecdotal observation (occasionally looking at the wattage display on my Garmin) indicates that this is a more aero position than the drops.
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Old 04-18-13, 09:34 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Ferrous Bueller
Joke photo. That position is for non technical non-pedaling descents only.
Non joke photo.

i don't know where you're coming up with "non-technical" here. Sitting on the top tube with your chin on the stem, hands on the flats, doing 55 miles an hour is quite "technical." Pedaling or not.
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Old 04-19-13, 03:35 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by pjdizzy
I'm dropping on my bars as low as I can, and making sure my top is zipped up. Anything else?
Relax and spin when riding into the wind ...

And each time there is a break from the wind (trees, buildings, passing vehicles, etc.) ride as hard and fast as you can.

Then when you're back into the headwind again, relax and spin ...
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Old 04-19-13, 03:39 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by DaveWC
Ignore your speed and just hammer into the wind.
This.

Just ignore it.
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Old 04-19-13, 06:16 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by kv501
Non joke photo.

i don't know where you're coming up with "non-technical" here. Sitting on the top tube with your chin on the stem, hands on the flats, doing 55 miles an hour is quite "technical." Pedaling or not.
You misconstrued my comment. Its inclusion in a thread about cycling into headwinds was a joke. Perhaps unintended.

And I said "...for non technical... descents". By this, I meant that riders don't use the position on technically challenging descents. A technical descent is one with steep bits, tight corners, imperfect asphalt etc. Get it?
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Old 04-19-13, 10:10 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by cccorlew
My solo ride tip is: Make sure you carry enough crap that two flats won't strand you. I accidentally ley my patch glue go bad and got stuck on a no-cars road. I had to chose: Ride on a flat, walk in my cleats, or walk barefoot. All bad choices.
Don't let me be you.
Yes, this is great advice. I carry a tube, and a patch kit, and compressed air. I once had to change two flats. I also carry my debit card with me just in case. I figure worse comes to worse I can always hitchhike back to my car, and in the case of a big emergency I've got the card to pay for any expenses.
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Old 04-19-13, 10:14 AM
  #45  
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Iowa, a good place to be FROM...
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Old 04-19-13, 12:27 PM
  #46  
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Shave your legs for reduced drag.
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Old 04-19-13, 12:34 PM
  #47  
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Tip = have fun.
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Old 04-19-13, 12:49 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by kv501
I live in a place where the wind is 25 mph+ at least 3 days a week, and 10+ the rest of the days. If you want to ride a bike here, you are going to ride in the wind, period. Here's what I do to put up with it.

1. If at all possible, plan the first half of your ride to be into the wind, and come back with a tail wind. This lets you do the hard work when you are fresh, and you get the mental benefit of sometimes averaging 25-30 mph on the way back home. You can still work just as hard with a tailwind, you just go faster.

2. Spin. Get your cadence up to 85-95 and just grit it out. Trying to push big gears into the wind is both counter productive and mentally draining.

3. Think about rule 9. When you meet cars on the road and the driver has that "What a dumbass" look on his face let that be a source of pride, not embarrassment.

Most experienced riders will tell you that wind and hills are 90% mental. Wind more so because there's not usually a "downhill." Just concentrate on what a badass you are when that 30 mph gust hits, and remember that no one said this cycling thing was going to be fun.
I'm from Ames, and I don't remember Iowa to be that windy, to be honest. Sometimes, we get that gnarly wind from the west, but that's about it.
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Old 04-19-13, 12:55 PM
  #49  
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I've read that it's more aero to bend your elbows on the hood than it is to have straight arms in the drops. I think it's referring to reducing your profile by tucking in your elbow, so your forearm is not catching any extra wind when it's straightened out on the drops. It makes sense, but only if you're racing, imo
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Old 04-19-13, 12:56 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by pjdizzy
what an honest answer. most people just say what they are, as opposed to what they DO for a living.
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