Sharon's ride update

Not a bad outing for my first race of the year. Now, I wish I had participated in other races this year.

The Master's 35+ group had 20+ riders. It felt good to be back in the peleton. I took my typical position within the top 7-10 riders. I don't like to fall too far back in the group because you never know when someone is going to attack.

Many teams from LAMBRA were well represented. It was nice to see these guys again. Last year, I raced 8-10 races and got to know them very well. It's a great sport and it's always good to race in the LAMBRA division.

iBike info: Avg watts 198, Peak watts 1210;

I need to download the info into cyclingpeaks to do a true analysis of my critical power values.

I ended up somewhere around 6th in a bunch sprint.

Great Rooster

Another great rooster ride. There's nothing like the pain of maximum ventilation and lactic acid. I don't know what keeps riders coming back. It's obvious that cyclists love pain and suffering. It takes a special kind of person to get up and put themselves through this type of punishment. Personally, I love it.

This morning didn't disappoint on speed. I was glad to hang on 'til the end on both sections. I took a hard hit on a pot hole and cracked the rim of my rear zipp 404. I'm a bit wheel poor.

1) Front Topolino c19 hub problems
2) Front Velomax ascent II broken spoke
3) Rear Zipp cracked rim

That hurts the wallet.

ibike: 959 maximum watts, 189 average watts, 1258 calories

Let's hear it for Floyd

Was that a huge effort or what. Floyd is incredible.

We watched the full stage Saturday just to see him ride into the record books. Afterwards, I was pumped and thought I would go out for a ride. Overall, my ride was uneventful other than the oppressive heat. My computer was reading 99 degrees and probably 80% humidity. The ibike recorded a 178 watt average. Just for the heck of it, I sprinted to try to follow a truck. I didn't connect but I was able to put out a 1300+ watt effort. It didn't last long.

Yesterday, I went out for a short ride to work on technique with a client. I need to work on technique more often. At the end of the ride, I felt like I had been to the gym. It was a rather intense leg workout. It's all about being able to apply effective power around the entire pedal stroke.

I finished the weekend with a moderate intensity ride on the rollers for an hour. I did this as a calorie burner. I was still able to work on balance and pedaling efficiency on the rollers. I kept my HR in the 150's.

Here's a warning: Don't ride rollers while watching a bike race on television. I did this last year during the TdF. I fell of twice. You get into a virtual reality experience and when the peleton turns, you turn. It doesn't work so well. Last night, I was riding and they showed a clip with riders going down hill. I had to look away or I knew I was going to bust it again. Luckily, no VR induced injuries.

Ed pips Tom at the line.

I must say that last night's bean burrito eating contest was very exciting. It was dominated by a strong Mobile Velo presence. The two-man breakaway formed early. It was the brother's Chapman off the front. This was a sprint event and Tom and Ed were in a class by themselves. Nick and Willie did an effective job monitoring the peleton and maintaining order.

At the 2-minute mark, Ed was working on his second burrito and Tom was finishing his first. Ed was being forced to do all the work on the front while Tom remained about 1 bite behind. Ed was spirited on by Floyd Landis' huge victory at the Tour de France today.

Vomit buckets were provided by the race organizers. However, they weren't nesessary during the competition.

The 5-minute mark was announced and Ed was well into his 3rd burrito. Tom was closing. With three bites to go, Tom surged and tried to take the lead. He got pipped at the line when Ed took the last two bites to finish the race. Tom finished 1/2 bite behind only to see his brother move on to district competition.

Nick and Willie DNF'd. But their work was done and it was another great team victory.

Thanks to Mo's Southwestern Grill.

Provisional finishing times:
Ed 5:50
Tom 6:00
Nick DNF
Willie DNF

Previous record set at Shillinger Rd: 6:47. Ed surpassed this time by almost a minute.

New way of thinking

I appreciate all of the questions about the ibike over the last couple weeks. As I mentioned in earlier posts, it seems to be more reliable now that I have the calibration process down. To this point, it's been a bit of a novelty. It's nice to have wattage measurements available during a ride but, so what? Novelties have come and gone during the history of cycling. What is going to keep this thing from going the way of those funky Scott handlebars that curled in from the drops towards the headtube. Here's the answer: Effectiveness and Utilization by owners that makes a difference.

Let's say a thousand of us purchase ibikes. Yet, we don't change the way we ride. The ibike will be relegated to the realm of "fancy computers". In the same vein, if I rode my computrainer like any other trainer without taking advantage the ability to define workouts based on my fitness, I've wasted my cash.

So, what's the point. I'm letting you in on my thinking. Is the ibike the greatest thing since sex and the wheel. Probably not. It has it's quirks. Like any good marriage, you have to learn to live with the good and the bad. Now that I've defined the quirks, it's time to change the way I use the device. I'll continue to ride my typical road schedule with the groups. Most of the time, that is Saturday and Tuesday. However, I rode today(Thursday) and it was fun and challenging. Other road rides will be dosed based on what I am trying to achieve. I'll know my wattage ranges and durations based on testing. I'll be able to monitor my progress by using Cyclingpeaks software. It should be fun. Let's see if this thing actually makes a difference in fitness. I'll keep you posted.

Another good ride with the ibike

Here's todays ride file.
Red is elevation
Green is Speed
Blue is Power

Ok, Maybe I should be Floyd fan

Go Floyd, Go!

iBike performed well

I know this is a bit late. But, I wanted to let you know that the iBike performed very well on the Tuesday morning Rooster Ride. I'll post a profile of the ride later this evening. I clearly shows the warmup, fast sections and cool down. I can't say that it was a great ride for me but... the ibike did it's job.

Once I few rides recorded, I'll be able to track and trend efforts for training purposes. I plan to race with the ibike this weekend. It should be interesting to see how it works.

New power meter from Anonymous!

I rec'd the comment below. I liked it so much that, without permission, I chose to post it as a blog entry. Thanks goes out to Anonymous!

Anonymous said...
Good News, I'm coming out with a power meter for only $250! The uBike should be shipping August 15th! To keep our costs low we don't have an actual office, web site, phone number, engineers, description of the meter, etc., but we do have really cool custom car tag.We're SO confident that if the uBike doesn't work equal to or better than the more expensive iBike that we'll refund twice the purchase price minus the purchase price times two!!! (S&H not refundable)Be sure to catch a glimpse of our actual mocked up prototypes outside Interbike this year!--uBike (I'll drive)

Tom and Ed's great bean burrito adventure

Tom and Ed have a chance to win bean burritos for life if they win a burrito eating contest this Thursday night at Mo's on Azalea. I think Tom told me that the contest starts at 6:30pm. Let's turn out to support them.

Hacked

This morning was going to be the best test for the ibike since I rec'd it two weeks ago. I was hopeful that the aerodynamic drag calculation was working correctly and things were ready to go for a real test.

Through out the ride, the wattage readings appeared to be in the appropriate range for the heart rates that I was experiencing.

I got home just before 0900 and cooled off for about an hour. Even though the thermometer on the ibike said it was only 84 deg., it felt much hotter with the heavy humidity. I hooked up the ibike to the computer and did a search for stored rides. It showed one ride with "0" miles. That wasn't a good sign. I tried to download the ride and the ibike locked up and gave me an error message. That's why I call this post "Hacked".

I contacted John at Velocomp to get info. Previously, I had loaded a new firmware package on recommendation of Velocomp. He recommended that I clear the memory, reset the device and do a test ride.

Well, it looks like the test ride data stored correctly. However, I don't have any information from today's ride other than a 20.7 mph average.

One day, I hope to be able to send gleaming reviews of the ibike. So far, it's like living on the bleeding edge of technology.

Thanks for your patience

It's been an incredibly hectic week at work. Long days, busy days. Evening have been filled with family events. My training and research has taken a huge hit. This week, I've been able to get out late and do a couple 23 mile circuits. The rides have focused on 1-3 minute intervals.

I think I've narrowed down the ibike issues. I plan to take a long ride with the ibike this weekend. Hopefully, I'll get good numbers now. I'll have more data over the weekend.

ibike update

I've been a bit vague with regard to the ibike. Mainly because I didn't completely understand what was going on with the device and I didn't want to speak negatively until I had all the facts. I knew that it wasn't working properly, but didn't know why. As it turns out, the ibike was measuring wattage on acceleration and on climbs, but it was showing "0" for wattage on the flats. I exchanged a couple emails with John Hamman of Velocomp(manufacturer of the ibike). He cleared it up for me.

On July 4th, Velocomp sent out a firmware update. I loaded it but I didn't follow the instuctions completely. I completed the task correctly and things appear to be working correctly on cursury review. I rode the bike around the neighborhood with the kids and I was getting a wattage reading the entire time. Things look good.

1) Is the ibike a viable power training tool. Yes, I think so. I still need to go out on a training ride now that the problems are fixed.
2) The firmware update appears to have fixed the problem once I followed the procedure correctly
3) The issues appear to be fixed.
At this point, I'm looking forward to using the ibike on a regular basis to gain a greater understanding of the device. Now that the problems appear to be fixed, it looks like I'll be able to pass along viable information.

Return to Computrainer workouts

I'm doing better with more sleep. Last night, it was time to return to the Computrainer workouts. (I hope you can tell from some of these posts, I make training mistakes and try to learn from them.) Last night I made another mistake. I tried to pick up on the cp20 workout that I completed before my trip to TX. It was a mistake. 282 watts was tooooooo much. I was able to complete 11 minutes. Afterwards, I decided to change the pace a bit. I finished my workout by riding on the rollers.

After meeting with Jaqcui and Jeff last week, I have a renewed interest in riding the rollers for neuromuscular training.

Jeff trains his athletes so well that they are able to ride rollers no hands and play catch with a ball. That is total control the translates to pedaling effectiveness on the road.

Tomorrow, I plan to ride with the Saturday morning group. It will be the first long trial with the ibike power meter. It should be fun.

Sleep

It would have been great to get on the computrainer last night but sleep was more important.

I finally feel like I'm in the land of the living again. I was able to get about 8 1/2 hours sleep last night. I seriously needed it after two nights of about 4 hours each.

There's been quite a bit of discussion about the ibike on the Topica wattage list serve. Much of the discussion is over my head when it comes to statistical analysis. It's obvious that the ibike won't make the lab standard. But, is it an effective training tool for cyclists? Much of the discussion revolves around the ibike latency related to short burst efforts. I've noticed the same thing. There is a bit of a lag with regard to recorded wattage with the onset of a burst of power. But, does this really matter when it comes to "Joe racer"? To date, cost of power meters has been the factor. Now that the ibike it on the market, validity has to be addressed. Just how much accuracy am I willing to give up when the ibike is 15% the cost of a SRM. I would say that I'm flexible since I'm not in the $3500.00 power meter market.

ibike handlbar mount option

Here's a consideration for mounting the ibike on a 31.8mm handle bar.

http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?layout=product&taxid=41&pid=241

ibike vs powertap

I saw a post on the Topica Wattage listserve. It had a file that compared the ibike to the powertap. The graphs were very simular. It was impressive.

If you are interested in the discussion, click http://lists.topica.com/lists/wattage/read.

ibike note

I thought I would add this note.

It is obvious that the ibike is sensitive to changes in acceleration and speed. I was concerned early on that it would give me credit for wattage when I wasn't pedaling. Currently, there isn't a cadence sensor to determine cadence.

The ibike was pretty much spot on. Each time I looked down when coasting, the wattage reading was "0". That's good.

Early thoughts about the ibike

I rec'd the ibike power meter on Monday(July 3rd) evening as promised and I wanted to give some initial thoughts on the product.

As promised, it was easy to set up. The product comes with everything needed to get rolling. I would recommend that you skip the quick start instructions and read the detailed set up info. For those of us that are on a 3rd grade reading level, it has pictures. Seriously, the pictures are very helpful.

To make this entertaining, you have to realize that I've been waiting for the ibike for 3-4 months. And, the night that it arrives, my wife requests that we go out to dinner and run a few errands. After that, we agreed to shoot off fireworks with the neighbors. I ended up putting everyone to bed at 10:30pm and I returned to the garage to "my project". I didn't finish playing with it until 12:30am. Yesterday(July 4th), we spent the day and evening with family. We didn't get home until 11:00pm and I stayed up until 12:30am again. I need more sleep.

Overall, the ibike appears to be a first class device. I was disappointed that the handle bar clamp is designed for a 26.0mm bar without option for a 31.8. To compensate, I had to move the ibike to the right until bar narrowed down to allow installation. This is a rather serious oversight in my opinion.

Setup and calibration are pretty straight forward. I've only ridden with the ibike on one occasion (more on that pathetic performance later). I recommend that you calibrate the ibike immediately before each ride. I had a bit of a problem with the inclinometer readings that determine hill slope. I had calibrated the tilt the night before the ride. So, I didn't re-do the tilt test before the ride. By the time I got into the ride, I could tell that it was off a bit. I need to do more evaluation on this aspect of the device.

After I got home from the "pathetic" ride, I was able to download the ride file very easily. The ibike comes with it's own software to view the ride data. Don't expect much from the software. Compared to Cyclingpeaks, it is a very limited product. I have to find a way to get the info into Cyclingpeaks to truly analyze the information.

Typically, it's still dark when I get on the road during the week. It was hard to view the display to determine my effort. I'm going to get a single LCD light for my helmet. I hope this will be enough light to see the display as I'm riding. So, I still have more evaluation before I get I real feel for how the ibike is going to help me on the road.

List of things to do:
Get more sleep
Purchase a LCD light for my helmet
Get more sleep
Calibrate the ibike before each ride
Get more sleep
Find a way to get the information into Cycling peaks for true analysis.
Ride and use the ibike often.

Rest week and vacation become a seductive mixture

sodas, food, sodas, lots of food, sodas etc.

As vacations go, it was good to be away from the grind for a while. However, it was a horrible rest week. I ate and drank like each meal was my last. From a nutrition stand point, it was a plus 3lb. week! Resort meals and fast food pack it on in a hurry. It's no wonder that the fast food generation is overweight.

We drove 12 hours from Corpus Christi to Mobile yesterday. As you can suspect, I didn't complete my Sunday evening workout. Or, lets say that I completed my workout by laying on the couch.

It's so good to be home. My house, my couch, MY BED!

On the training front. I eagerly wait for the ibike today. My wife is on order to call me as soon as it arrives. I'll start the next training period with the Rooster ride in the morning. It will be a rude awakening to rested muscles.

ibike update

The waiting should soon be over. I rec'd an email from ibikesports. They informed me that my power meter was shipped yesterday. It should arrive on Monday. I hope to have it configured and ready to go for the Tuesday morning Rooster Ride. More info to come.