[Suvacrew]

As a Strava addict and advocate…I knew this suit was a while in coming. The local newspapers/blogs milked it for a bit as well. There may be another unrelated event that grabs Strava for another suit one too, as a cyclist in SF ran over an elderly man in a cross walk and killed him, he then posted it up on Strava.
But that said, Strava didn’t make him (the late Mr Flint) put his leg over the bike, clip in, strap on the helmet and then bomb one of the steepest paved roads in the SF Bay Area for him to cross the yellow line and then go splat!!

The family grieves as the bread winner is gone….I fault the attorney that either stirred this one up themselves or didn’t tell the family they were unreasonable and would be hard to find a real legal theory to apply.

America is losing it…and no one wants to take responsibility for their actions.

New headlines…yes they are fake but along the same lines as the Strava headlines.
Obese man sues spoon makers!!
Class Action Lawsuit by Type II Diabetes patients against Coke and Pepsi and Dr Pepper!!
Ugly girl who finds cosmetics too complicated to apply, sues mirror company!

Cheers,
Suva

[Suvacrew]

Strava will run almost any Garmin, but has apps for both iPhones and Androids so can you dispense with investing in another gps cycling gadget.
What Strava offers that other sites don’t is the ability to create segments of rides…climbs, descents or sprints…whatever, and then it will rank your ride through those segments on a leaderboard when compared to other riders data submissions.
It will cover most of the other data you’ve uploaded to the likes of GarminConnect, training peaks etc..it will capture Watts from a powertap, providing you have a recording device, they will even estimate Watts per weight of rider/bike and grade….
I’ve found using it this year, it provides a better gauge of my fitness when comparing segments, and teaches you how to budget your efforts better so you can be there at the end to contend.

[Suvacrew]

Mountaindan, grabbing an MTB to play on the trails you hike and still maintain an aerobic heart rate, will be a challenge for sure.
At 125BPM you’ll be tapping body fat vs glycogen and would be able to ride for a long time..on the ROAD but any good grinds will send some good spikes into the ticker. Understanding what your Lactate Threshold is, may provide a better guide and a more appropriate range of HRs to apply, while riding an MTB on your desired trails.
HR monitors are pretty inexpensive and accurate these days and a properly spec’d bike for what you want to do will get you closer to that HR target. Ala..hardtail carbon 18 LBS vs a 35LB Long Travel Full Suspension monster with platform pedals…then again you need to monitor your heart for price shock too if you want to go light.

For those poster’s seeing stars….my stars start to set at about 210BPM from a resting HR of 50….I will usually avg 165 on a solid ride and race day regularly spank 190s on climbs.
HR targeting has so many pitfalls IMHO, as it is greatly effected by sleep, fatigue, diet and how many brews you had before you ride.

So get that bike you want, don’t get hung up on the 125…your real target may be higher.

Cheers

[Suvacrew]

FWIW…I latched onto Exposure Lights a few years back…paid a premium on the front end, but have bullet proof milled bodies with cordless technology using CREE LEDs.
On the helmet, I run a Joystick (240 lumens) with a White Eye add on for another (240 lumens)..so 480 on the head. 3hr burn on Hi, 10 hr on low.
On the bars…Enduro Turbo/MaXx @ 720 lumens 3 hr on Hi, 10 hr on low.
These in combo gets you a great dispersion from the bars and a deep bore from the head….allowing for 25MPH plus speeds without needing a full moon.
I’ve concluded the best bang for the buck is to pursue the CREE based lights versus the HIDs/Halogens etc.
Lighting is definitely a place where you get what you pay for…lower priced units will trade off on lumens, battery types/formats, light source, hot spots in the field of vision and differing dispersions plus varied running and charging times.

ONLY add on…if riding in the dark, DON’T RIDE ALONE! A guy went night riding at my local trail, fell and broke his femur. Spent the night throwing rocks and mud clods at a pack of coyotes until he was found by a hiker the next morning.

Good luck…always better than spinning in a studio.

[Suvacrew]

Now tell me is that illegal single?? LOL!
Was pondering if John Muir would cry if he saw an MTB there in Yosemite.

As for vid…tough to smooth out a handlebar point of view. On an FS the seat post rear view will smooth the image, but the best will be on the helmet.
Nice…

[Suvacrew]

Gunners,
26 vs 29er…not to sound off, but your height may preclude you from a 29er.
I’d suggest you get a proper fit, but in my understanding the 29er geometry play out at 5’8 on up.
I ride both, a 26 Blur LT2 and a 29 Orbea Alma World Cup hard tail.
They both have their pros and cons, and if your starting out, I’d suggest a hard tail to make you a good rider and develop your skill.
29ers climb great and slog through sand amazing and will knock the edge off of most boulders and obstacles…..BUT you do lose 1-1.5 gears due to the same 26gears on a 29inch wheel. Climbing is about legs, lungs and line.
Go to your local bike shop and take a roll on what they’ve got to demo.
Cheers,
D

[Suvacrew]

We seem to have some tall poppies here on this thread.
Guys, I’d dare any of you to go elbow to elbow with a 189 other riders on a 2000 yr old roman cobblestone rd, all out and knowing that you have the potential to fall and end your year of racing if not your career. I’d say some of the adjectives put forth by Ligget and Sherman are appropriate.
As for them being pampered pansies…HMM their pain threshold and mental stamina may rival a birthing mother whom has refused an epidural…but they do it every day. Considering here in the US that the drop out rate after 1 yr for Cat 4 is 90% in US Cycling….it may be due to the criterium experience and the risk of not being able to go to work on Monday.
Cyclocross for a blend…. many of the tour riders in euro play the CX game in Winter.

Those same adjectives verbalized by the Tour commentators have also been used by golf announcers to describe a 6 ft putt at Doral or Pebble Beach, clearly not comparable.

MTBing has the ability to handle the "rumble" of the trails, but the Tour caliber rider was cut from a different fabric. Look back to find the MTB rider whom has come to dominate the road…..some have had some great successes but not at the pinnacle….Larsen, Landis (he cheated), Tomac, and Armstrong dabbled for cross training. Anecdotally the boys that are on the podium at your local XC races in the Winter are actually racing Cat 2+ during the Summer.

Wusses?? Hardly.

Just some balance.
Cheers

[Suvacrew]

You have to count roadies too right? Then 6 is the number…
MTB
Orbea Alma World Cup 29er-XTR
Scott Spark 20-XT
Santa Cruz Blur LT2-Sram XO

Roadie:
DeRosa King-Sram Red
Felt DA TT-Dura-Ace
Giant Bowery fixie for riding on the miserable wet days.

For whatever mood I’m in.
Cheers, D

[Suvacrew]

That lunatic has been outspoken for years and the local MTB crowd were ecstatic with this development. Berkeley has it’s fair share of foil hat wearers and some are eco-terrorists.
Who in their right mind attacks someone with a hand saw???
There are tales of booby traps on trails in the local area, I’ve been trashed by one and have witnessed another rider being injured….beware….these people aren’t just here in Berkeley. Too bad the riders didn’t have helmet cams.

[Suvacrew]

I’ve been racing the LT2 for almost 2 years on the 12/24 series in which the terrain can really take it’s toll. I’d still consider the LT2 as a XC-Trail bike and you can squeeze weight out of it with lighter wheels, tires, 2 piece rotors and carbon peripherals. My Blur LT2 pops in at a smidge under 28LBs
On the shorter (24-35mile) XC multi-loop races…I’ve gone 29er with an Orbea Alma World Cup. It’s a hardtail, but the 29er with Carbon Frame and the Orbea 4 point rear triangle makes it feel like a soft tail. There’s a reason the 29ers are populating the podiums around the world…..they work. 22 LBs with XTR, Zeus carbon and Spinergy Xyclone 29 wheels wrapped with Jones ACX.
Don’t shy away from the HT option, they make you a better and more honest rider.
XC racing is about the climb and choosing the best lines. Good luck..the right choice will take some time to experiment and deliberate.

[Suvacrew]

Depending on terrain, you may want to play with your Lactate Threshold. When you start to "bonk" and are looking for those cubes to keep you going, you’ve exhausted in most cases your muscle glycogen which happens in an Anaerobic state (LT and beyond).
If you train a little longer below LT and do plenty of LSD (long slow distance) you’ll train your body to metabolize fat in an aerobic state and build your foundation. Then if you proceed to doing intervals as you progress in fitness, you’ll get your body to adapt to both energy sources.
In the off season many of the Tri-geeks I race and train with have to really restrain themselves from delving into the LT and beyond. On the most basic level a HR monitor would be the good gauge to work from vs miles ridden or pace.
Work on foundation fitness first and as the weight falls away your power (watts) per KG ratio will fall in line. Plenty of literature written on the topic from MTBing to Tri and beyond.
Best of all you’re back on the bike…keep on rolling.

[Suvacrew]

"What taxes that you are paying go to pay for trails? Give me an example. Tell me what trail it built."

My family pays upwards of $110k a year in Property Taxes at homes in NorCal, SoCal and Glenbrook NV. Some of those funds are designated for preserving open space and used to purchase private lands we don’t want development on, want public access to or desire to preserve ridge-line profiles. Also there are fees levied by the utilities (water, power) that "own" some of the lands that are open for public uses. These "fees" are embedded in the bills or a line item within a surcharge.

Which trails have these fees/taxes built?? Most regional and local parks that have trails in this region were once upon a time, privately owned or descending titles from Spanish Land grants. These parks and preserves have grown through public land grant initiatives funded by both local taxes and donations. These donations to non profit 501(c)(3) entities are tax deductible. This would account for much of the trail networks in the SF Bay Area in addition to the watersheds operated by the water districts.

Donations of private lands into land grants and park systems are done not always from the standpoint of benevolence but for strategic tax planning purposes and cost containment. Just think San Simeon and Hearst Castle for an obvious example.
THEN you have all of the swaps/trades that take place between the Bureau of Land Management and property developers in which they (developers) trade pristine undeveloped private lands for BLM owned land near metropolitan areas. The expansion of Las Vegas was a result of such transactions which opened up 1000’s of acres in the Sierra Nevadas. Thunderbird Lodge on Lake Taheo is an example of such a transaction, http://www.thunderbirdlodge.org/history.html
Last time I checked I pay Fed taxes ,that fund in an incremental fashion these BLM activities.

All of your taxes or targeted tax deductible donations on some level are contributing to "trails" of some sort, even those being hammered by DBs.

[Suvacrew]

Not to hijack this thread….but don’t DBs do far more environmental damage to trails and terrain than MTBs on so many levels?
MTBers pay fees to enter many maintained trails and in no small order, our taxes contribute to trails. Many of the large land parcels that are worth riding here in Ca are owned by utility companies or land trusts/State Parks and they govern those lands for multi-use. Personally I think DBs and MTBs is an Apples vs Oranges comparison.

[Suvacrew]

Not ONE 9 per se, but…
Not sure TT length is a good point to start at since they are all slope (roadie compact format) design. You can do the virtual TT length (VTT), but then the different manus have their designs that impact wheelbase and head angles etc…Fisher and their Genesis stays, Orbea 4 point rear.
I’m 5’10" and ride a medium 18" Ordea Alma 29er, 110mm stem and a no offset seat post. I have a longer torso.
One of my buddies is 5’11" riding a Medium Cannondale Flash 1 with room to grow with a 100mm stem and no offset post. 6’0" friend is on a Fisher Superfly Lrg at 19" complete stock at 105mm stem and feels he could have snuck into a Medium Frame!!??
We have all interchanged our bikes on rides to test, and the only thing we have really been adjusting is seat height or set back.
I’d suggest riding a the Medium and Large on a trail vs a parking lot test. Cusp decisions are hard but when I’ve been close in the past, I’ve opted down and captured fit in stems and seatposts….and that was after doing a studio fit for a roadie TT.
Good Luck.

[Suvacrew]

I guess when Trek starts to name touring bikes after wine regions of the world or has a color scheme named Merlot there is a conflict. Oh no…I hope they don’t use the color name champagne!! I’m so confused is Trek a wine or a whining bike company?
Agreed, the public domain aspect really overrides this branding. I can’t believe the heirs of Roddenberry haven’t stepped in and sued Trek for using the name from from Star Trek.
I’d say the in house counsel had been drinking too much of the grape juice.
Note to legal team…go ride your bike to the next wine tasting in Chalk Hill.

[Suvacrew]

[quote="ChiliPepper"]Just another gadget for lazy or couch potato people…..:lol: 😆 :lol:[/quote]

Chili, you can’t take your Huck Rig under your arm to the office or onto the subway.

[Suvacrew]

I play with watts for Time Trialing and you’ll want to address a few things to gauge yourself first.
Goose has you to a site that will give you some passive retrospect, but tell us how are you capturing your watts? If your stationary bike isn’t a strain gauge based unit like Cyclops/SARIS, SRM or Quark then you’re dealing with some algorithm and the accuracy of your output may be way off. So there…your readings may be wrong. It cost some $$ to play the watts game with accuracy.
Powertaps are accurate to within+/- 1.5%. I use PT SLC+ on my roadies and a 300Pro indoor. If you’re training right you’ll get immense gains with the watts approach, providing you’ve got the right feedback on an instant basis.
First you need to know what your LT (VO2Max) is and will be referred to as FTP, functional Threshold Power. Most experts will advise you to do an all out Time Trial for 60 minutes to get your 1hr AVG FTP. There are shorter tests or ramp up tests but they aren’t as accurate That will be your Lactate Threshold and the watermark for your work outs. Then your workouts will be configured around this LT so you get the most benefit and don’t blow up.
Powertap has recently come out with a Disc hub for MTBs if you want to go that far.
If you’re going to be climbing tons, watts/kg will be a very important metric. Big guys with more muscle will make huge watts numbers but will suffer in the watts/kg ratio unless they are very lean. Great sprinters (1600 watts +) and great Time Trailists are rarely great climbers on avg. Yes Lance, Fabian and Levi aren’t avg.

Some links to peruse:
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac … thresh.htm
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac … obench.htm
http://www.saris.com/t-sciencePower.aspx?skinid=2
http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-to … -max-test/
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training- … allen.aspx

The beauty of watts is that it is pure output and overcomes the drawback of just HR based training. If you always try to keep your heart rate in a range, your output will continue to drop as you fatigue. On a watts basis, you’ll hold steady on your output and then contend and manage the HR creep under the LT. Knowing the FTP/LT will find you training properly for the goals you may have.

Resources are Coogin and Hunter Allen

Good Luck

[Suvacrew]

http://norcalmtb.org/teams/index.htm
On a roll here in Nor Cal. Fees are reasonable, talent pools are motivated and the lawyers haven’t glombed on yet. It all starts from having motivated parents whom volunteer their time, resources and talents to make it happen and overcome the barriers set in place by the school districts.
All training rides are done under adult coach or parent supervision…courses are all XC oriented.
In my HS days we had surf teams under the auspices of NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Assoc) with a format and governing body that transferred with us into college/univ. NSSA still going today after 30yrs….
Hopefully the HS MTB scene has staying power and continues to grow.

[Suvacrew]

SRAM and their extended line for MTB..IMHO hands down..XO is tough to beat. But you have to like the "shadow" aspect to Shimano’s XT/XTR…keeps the RD from getting snagged.

Shimano for roadie action, Dura Ace has a noticeable difference in feel to Campy and SRAM red but lacks the nice carbon aesthetics . SRAM Red’s price point compared to Campy Record and new DA, my next rig may be spec’d Red, the delta is pretty big between the top line groups.

Anyways….Shimanos issues IMHO are more macro factors vs SRAM nibbling away at their market share. What would happen if SRAM went after fishing reels?

[Suvacrew]

. No need for that form of demeanor Suvacrew. Play nice or do not post! :wink:[/quote]

I’m at a loss on what I posted that was offensive but glad to see you can be my personal censor ❓ I do know that my post occurred unedited when my cat strolled across the key board…that would explain a sent note but not the choice of words. I’ll use American vs Kiwi words..it’s tough to do but helps with translation. My bad..will try to avoid such forum faux pas but I’m thinking it’s genetic.
Cheers

[Author]

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