Category Archives: cycling

All things related to bicycles.

Wednesday Rides

Posted by xaminmo

With these two rides, I hit my 70 mile weekly goal, and I hit 817km for the month of July. Pull stats from the websites. Nothing fancy.

My new bike frame came in. It’s longer than my Fens, and shorter than my Nashbar. Once a properly sized seatpost and friction paste show up (friday), I’ll begin cannibalizing my other bikes to build this up. To save from spending too much money, I’ll probably go 2×9, and the nashbar will not be usable.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/553559840
http://app.strava.com/activities/173334303
2014-07-30 CCC IBC Ride: Last ride with Sharon for 10 days.  She’s going on vacation.  She’s trying to prep us all to ride a fixed speed, so 3 or 4 of us can help set the pace while she’s gone.  This is much slower than she normally drives us, but some speeds way past what many people realize they are doing.  At one point it was 21.7mph, 1% positive grade, and everyone was pulling away from us (slight tailwind).

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/553559853
http://app.strava.com/activities/173334297
2014-07-30 Lunch Ride: Checked out Scott’s super steep driveway, and had some cake at Mark’s.  Long discussions and stuff.


2014-07-29 Lewisville Music

Posted by xaminmo

Strava is broken as of sometime after lunchtime, so only uploading from Garmin. Our route map looks kind of like a slug, with eyestalks. Went to see the Kildares, but Lewisville moved it inside.  There was not enough seating, so after snacks, we went to DQ, then ended the ride.  Temps were cool, and partly cloudy.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/552798254
Distance: 20.73 mi
Calories: 685 C

Time: 1:33:21
Moving Time: 1:32:36
Elapsed Time: 2:35:10
Avg Speed: 13.3 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 13.4 mph
Max Speed: 29.3 mph

Elevation Gain: 653 ft
Elevation Loss: 630 ft
Min Elevation: 503 ft
Max Elevation: 678 ft

Avg HR: 102 bpm
Max HR: 156 bpm

Avg Power: 143 W
Max Power: 1,102 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 140 W
Normalized Power (NP): 213 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.824
Training Stress Score (TSS): 104.7
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 795 kJ

Avg Bike Cadence: 71 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 121 rpm

Avg Temperature: 83.0 °F
Min Temperature: 80.6 °F
Max Temperature: 86.0 °F
Weather 82° – 0 mph N wind – Humidity 40%

http://www.strava.com/activities/172909469
A day later, some stats show up, but some places say my distance is zero.
There is still an error on the site about delays.

20.7mi Distance
1:33:57 Moving Time
653ft Elevation (?)
26 Suffer Score
178W Weighted Avg Power
743kJ Total Work
86 Training Load
69% Intensity

Heart Rate Analysis
Z1 Endurance < 106 57:13 61% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 36:15 39% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 29s 1% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 0s 0% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 0s 0%

Power Zone Analysis
Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 52:48 56%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 12:51 14%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 7:47 8%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 5:33 6%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 3:54 4%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 5:16 6%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 5:38 6%


Read Derailleur

Posted by xaminmo

Rear derailleur was acting up after a chain issue saturday.

Figured outnthe problem. The index adjustment screw was torn loose, so the indexing was off. Also, one of the pulleys was worn to nubs.

I swapped it for a Deore SGS M5591 I had in the parts pile for now. Same device, but a longer cage and a weaker spring. Should be fine, but I will probably get something with a clutch later.

It’s nice that mountain 9-speed RDs are interchangeable with road 10-speed.

Eventually, I may re-tap the threads on the rd-5700sg and replace the pulleys.


CO2 in tires

Posted by xaminmo

SUMMARY: CO2 is *not* bad for your tires. It *does* leak out 11x faster than air, assuming your leaks are not just from the valve.

DETAILS: I heard it said to never fill your tires with CO2 because it’s bad for them. “You should deflate your tires and reinflate them with air when you can.” I wasn’t sure, but I could imagine possibilities, since CO2 is used for oil well secondary reclamation. Maybe it did something to the rubber?

I did research, and many anecdotes, justifications, etc abound. Reasons stated include: “Degrades the rubber”, or “it’s a more dry gas”, or “CO2 forms carbonic acid with the moisture in the tire which degrades it”, or “CO2 expands so much that it will rupture your tire.”, or “Diffuses out of the tube faster”.

In researching actual scientific literature, most of this is completely false.
* Butyl rubber is very resistant to all atmospheric gasses, refined or not.(1) There is no degradation from using CO2.
(1)Encyclopedia Of Corrosion Technology edited by Philip A. Schweitzer, P.E. http://books.google.com/books?id=gzlfdieJISMC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=Butyl+rubber+carbonic+acid&source=bl&ots=6lzsX-QLQa&sig=2hIVYqaAJKaThiHFYTR1A0My_kQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=w2vVU4KmOYHa8AGmhYCAAg&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Butyl%20rubber%20carbonic%20acid&f=false

* ALL refined gasses are very if not completely dry due to the procedure of separating them. Even so, a bike tire takes about 16g of gas to fill up(2). At most, air can contain 4.25% water vapor(3) (think Atlanta summers). That’s 680mg of water vapor. That’s not going to hurt a butyl tire because water is polar, and butyl is non-polar(1). Butyl rubber is used for radiator hoses, and last for decades under heat and pressure. Plus, water vapor permeates rubber 200 times faster than air (or liquid water 400x), so you don’t have to worry about it for very long.
(2)http://genuineinnovations.itwgbx.com/co2chart/ (3)Michael B. McElroy “The Atmospheric Environment” 2002 Princeton University Press p. 34 figure 4.3a

* Any carbonic acid, a) it would be a minute amount, and b) butyl rubber is resistant to carbonic acid up to 150F. (1)

* Over the entire operating temperature range of tires, you would see at most 2 psi difference between gasses(4). At the temperatures and pressures used for tires, no one will even notice the difference between these gasses.
(4)https://powertank.com/truth.or.hype/

There is truth in diffusion rates being higher.
* CO2 diffuses through rubber much faster than air(5). Hydrogen is the standard “1” at roughly 11L/m^3, gas. Nitrogen is 0.16. Air is 0.22. Argon, 0.26. Oxygen, 0.45. Helium, 0.65. Carbon Dioxide, 2.9. Ammonia, 8.0. Water Vapor 47-110, depending on thickness.
(5)Scientific Papers of the Bureau of Standards, Vol. 16, 327-362 (1920) Scientific Paper 387 (S387), “Permeability of Rubber to Gasses”, July 12, 1990. https://archive.org/details/permeabilityofru1632unse

* The relative diffusion rates between natural rubber and butyl rubber are as follows(6):
Helium = 27%, Hydrogen = 15%, Oxygen = 5.6%, Nitrogen = 5%, Air = 4.8% and CO2 = 4%.
(6)Exxon Chemical, quoted by Timco Rubber http://www.timcorubber.com/rubber-materials/butyl.htm

* Combining these, Butyl lets through this many litres per m^3: CO2 = 1.276L; Air = 0.116L; Nitrogen = .088L.

SUMMARY:
While butyl rubber (IIR) is less permeable than natural rubber by far, CO2 diffuses through rubber 11x faster than air. If you have to air up your tires every 9 days, then expect CO2 to last you a day. If you have to air up your tires daily (latex tubes), then expect CO2 to last you a few hours.

RELATED
On a related note, as you keep airing up the same tube, eventually it becomes higher concentration of Nitrogen, because all of the other atmospheric gasses diffuse out of the tube at a faster rate.(5)

Note that Nitrogen is 3/4 of Air(7)(8), and is within 3% of the same Gas Expansion Constant(9). Really hot rubber, has a higher permeability than cold rubber(5). So it is easy to see using Nitrogen in tires is not because of expansion differences, but because it leaks out more slowly.

(7)http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/10582/air
(8)http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html
(9)http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/individual-universal-gas-constant-d_588.html


2014-07-26 Duncan Dehydrator 80mi

Posted by xaminmo

A great ride with Sharon’s group. Sharon is the navigator and planner. Charles is the Gofer/Dufer/Pilot/Moral Support and most of all, the Grasshopper Remover! :) Also along were Becky, Karl, Steve, Theresa and me.

I started off finding my own cadence which was quite a bit faster than the group; however, around mile 18 they all caught me. Around mile 27, I dropped my chain and wrapped it in the rear derailleur. Took me till the rest stop by the Waurika Dam Bridge Road to catch up. I was pooped.

It was hard to keep salt and calorie levels up. I like going faster downhill, and maybe a little slower uphill. Most of the others were the other way around. We’d usually have a gap of about 100 feet as a buffer, but sometimes I had to use brakes.

We stopped at 30, 50, and 60 mile rest-stops. 60 had flavored ice, and it was good. That helped a lot. I got my second wind and pulled ahead. Karl zoomed, and pulled for a while. I fell off the back, and was passed by Sharon. Karl gave her a run for her money. The rest of the group wasn’t far behind, relatively speaking. I think Sharon & Karl beat me by 3-4 mins, and the same for the rest of the group.

Becky’s been very tired, and wasn’t in the front for the last 15 miles. The tired PLUS the heat were too much. Around 15 miles, I opened a water bottle that was just ice, and dumped it into my shirt. That helped, but not as much as the snow-cone.

Steve and Theresa were a pretty steady, consistent pace. Steve pulled for quite a while too. Throughout the ride, we had several masses of riders join the double-paceline of the CCC group. Sometimes we were the minority of the group, but generally Karl and I… hrm… swept, and the others pulled. They got lots of thanks after the ride.

Overall, the ride had 624 bikers. If the Goatneck wasn’t the same day, it probably would have been bigger. Support was great. Lots of volunteers, perfect snacks, facilities, etc. The best part was use of showers, hot tub, and pool at the Duncan Rec center after! Also, the Chicken Spaghetti was good stuff. Everyone was nice and helpful too.

A++, would ride again.

For HH100, I need to get a long-sleeved sun shirt, stay on top of ride-week stretching, pre-load salt, and get better with rolling snacks. But really, the key is staying cool. At 11am, it was just getting bad, and eating shaved ice, or dousing with cold water was the only way to stay alive.

http://omnitech.net/xaminmo/2014/07/26/2014-duncan-dehydrator/ ‎

Not sure what I think about the elevation. It’s about 1000ft higher than Karl’s. I used Baro, and he used iPhone 4S GPS. Both have issues. My + and – match, but who knows. We’ll see if other people post stats for comparison. 24 seconds ago

Also, if I’d thought more, I would have added a couple of miles on the end so I could get another Grand Fondo ride for the year. *sigh*

http://app.strava.com/activities/171381674
80.1mi Distance
4:37:40 Moving Time
2,671ft Elevation (?)
269 Epic Suffer Score
147 Points in the Red
219W Weighted Avg Power
3,306kJ Total Work
353 Training Load
85% Intensity

Heart Rate Analysis
Z1 Endurance < 106 4:08 1% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 49:11 18% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 2:16:25 49% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 1:27:24 31% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 32s 0%

Power Zone Distribution
Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 1:03:18 23%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 1:00:03 22%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 56:43 20%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 37:52 14%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 24:22 9%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 21:50 8%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 13:33 5%

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/550259488
Summary
Distance: 79.95 mi
Time: 4:37:42
Avg Speed: 17.3 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,671 ft
Calories: 4,327 C
Avg Temperature: 92.4 °F
Details
Timing
Time: 4:37:42
Moving Time: 4:37:25
Elapsed Time: 5:20:43
Avg Speed: 17.3 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 17.3 mph
Max Speed: 37.8 mph
SpeedPace
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 2,671 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,690 ft
Min Elevation: 953 ft
Max Elevation: 1,208 ft
Heart Rate
Avg HR: 151 bpm
Max HR: 177 bpm
Zones% of Maxbpm
Power
Avg Power: 203 W
Max Power: 895 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 258 W
Normalized Power (NP): 237 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.915
Training Stress Score (TSS): 385.7
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 3,375 kJ
ZonesWatts
Cadence
Avg Bike Cadence: 83 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 113 rpm
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 92.4 °F
Min Temperature: 77.0 °F
Max Temperature: 111.2 °F
Weather
73°
Feels like 73°
0 mph N wind
Humidity 89%


2014-07-23 CCC IBC

Posted by xaminmo

Today was the day for flats. Some before, some during, some after.
Hot and humid, but the sun was blocked.
We missed the rain though.

http://app.strava.com/activities/170127007
24.7mi
Distance
1:27:58
Moving Time
633ft
Elevation (?)
46
Suffer Score
218W
Weighted Avg Power
1,069kJ
Total Work
115
Training Load
84%
Intensity
Show Less

I think my HR zones are off… Compare them to my power zones, which seem more accurate based on fee.

Heart Rate Analysis

Z1 Endurance < 106 2:43 3% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 1:01:05 69% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 20:51 24% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 3:19 4% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 0s 0%

Power Zone Distribution

Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 24:56 28%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 16:52 19%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 13:04 15%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 11:19 13%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 7:25 8%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 6:59 8%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 7:11 8%

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/548240591
Summary
Distance: 24.67 mi
Time: 1:27:21
Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Elevation Gain: 633 ft
Calories: 1,161 C
Avg Temperature: 96.5 °F
Details
Timing
Time: 1:27:21
Moving Time: 1:26:51
Elapsed Time: 1:59:06
Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 17.0 mph
Max Speed: 28.7 mph
SpeedPace
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 633 ft
Elevation Loss: 656 ft
Min Elevation: 466 ft
Max Elevation: 609 ft
Heart Rate
Avg HR: 133 bpm
Max HR: 168 bpm
Zones% of Maxbpm
Power
Avg Power: 205 W
Max Power: 869 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 218 W
Normalized Power (NP): 244 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.942
Training Stress Score (TSS): 128.0
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 1,072 kJ
ZonesWatts
Cadence
Avg Bike Cadence: 81 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 106 rpm
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 96.5 °F
Min Temperature: 93.2 °F
Max Temperature: 100.4 °F

Weather
95°
Feels like 100°
5 mph NE wind
Humidity 42%


Lewisville Music Ride

Posted by xaminmo

Ride with several friends, and an unrelated but same surname friend-of-a-friend.
Music was country, but it was good anyway.
Karl and Sharon got photos by some squad cars lit up while the officers were roaming around the bank, looking for someone.

Today was a generally stressful day, so the bike ride was good.
I had a quart of fluid before I rolled, so I didn’t need much in the first half of the ride.

http://app.strava.com/activities/169638092
19.7mi Distance
1:27:34 Moving Time
679ft Elevation (?)
33 Suffer Score
180W Weighted Avg Power
733kJ Total Work
80 Training Load
69% Intensity
Pulse Zones
Z1 Endurance < 106 23:04 26% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 59:11 68% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 4:25 5% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 54s 1% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 0s 0%
Power Zones
Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 45:25 53%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 12:13 14%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 7:43 9%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 5:27 6%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 4:18 5%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 4:56 6%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 6:21 7%

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/547537974
Summary
Distance: 19.74 mi
Time: 1:25:52
Avg Speed: 13.8 mph
Elevation Gain: 679 ft
Calories: 824 C
Avg Temperature: 94.6 °F
Details
Timing
Time: 1:25:52
Moving Time: 1:25:13
Elapsed Time: 2:52:28
Avg Speed: 13.8 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 13.9 mph
Max Speed: 27.8 mph
SpeedPace
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 679 ft
Elevation Loss: 666 ft
Min Elevation: 492 ft
Max Elevation: 650 ft
Heart Rate
Avg HR: 117 bpm
Max HR: 169 bpm
Zones% of Maxbpm
Power
Avg Power: 153 W
Max Power: 1,227 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 150 W
Normalized Power (NP): 211 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.816
Training Stress Score (TSS): 94.4
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 785 kJ
ZonesWatts
Cadence
Avg Bike Cadence: 71 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 128 rpm
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 94.6 °F
Min Temperature: 84.2 °F
Max Temperature: 98.6 °F
Weather
97°
Feels like 97°
11 mph ESE wind
Humidity 37%


Rough Day

Posted by xaminmo

I think I like riding bikes most because there are no customer demands when I’m riding my bike. No taking calls in the middle of the road. Just me, some friends, a beautiful machine, and personal challenge.

At least for a few hours, I can pretend everything is awesome.


CCC Route Cut Short

Posted by xaminmo

I had a brief warm-up, and then we started on the B-route. All of us were suffering with the high density altitude, and we bailed at Leland instead of trekking out to 161.

Work is crazy already this week, and very frustrating, so I ate ALL OF THE THINGS at RaceTrack prior to coming home.

http://app.strava.com/activities/169185560
27.1mi Distance
1:37:31 Moving Time
794ft Elevation (?)
86 Suffer Score
39 Points in the Red

222W Weighted Avg Power
1,192kJ Total Work
137 Training Load
86% Intensity

Heart Rate Zones:
Z1 Endurance < 106 3:16 3% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 19:13 20% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 51:49 53% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 22:27 23% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 46s 1%
Based on peak heart rate of 181.

Power Zones:
Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 26:57 28%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 17:07 18%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 15:21 16%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 12:05 12%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 7:58 8%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 8:51 9%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 8:36 9%
Based on an FTP of 259.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/546833919
Distance: 27.12 mi
Calories: 1,552 C

Time: 1:36:26
Moving Time: 1:35:48
Elapsed Time: 2:08:48

Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 17.0 mph
Max Speed: 28.8 mph

Elevation Gain: 794 ft
Elevation Loss: 837 ft
Min Elevation: 451 ft
Max Elevation: 596 ft

Avg HR: 148 bpm
Max HR: 179 bpm

Avg Power: 207 W
Max Power: 946 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 221 W
Normalized Power (NP): 249 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.962
Training Stress Score (TSS): 147.4
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 1,193 kJ

Avg Bike Cadence: 82 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 113 rpm

Avg Temperature: 97.3 °F
Min Temperature: 91.4 °F
Max Temperature: 100.4 °F
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 93°F, 9 mph SSE wind, Humidity 47%, Feels like 99°F

CCC Route Cut Short


Shorter ride

Posted by xaminmo

The humidity was tough. Density altitude for Denton was around 3000′ today. Just enough to make everything burn. That, and Sharon was pushing full steam ahead.

On the flip side, 2 of our riders needed to SAG back early, so we didn’t go to Krum. Sharon, Karl and Becky probably got 65 miles, and I got around 48 miles.

I tried to push at max sustainable pace from Orchid Hill to home. That was around 272 watts, which matches my estimated FTP (functional threshold power), an a little higher than my NP (normalized power).

Shorter ride

Funny, the route map looks like a big lasso.

http://app.strava.com/activities/168045899
128 Tough Suffer Score
46 Points in the red
227W Weighted Avg Power
2,107kJ Total Work
218 Training Load
83% Intensity
9 personal records
8th overall “Bev’s to Fry Street”

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544868479

Distance: 48.50 mi
Calories: 2,567 C

Time: 2:52:20
Moving Time: 2:51:46
Elapsed Time: 3:52:14

Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 16.9 mph
Max Speed: 33.5 mph

Elevation Gain: 2,034 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,083 ft
Min Elevation: 503 ft
Max Elevation: 759 ft

Avg HR: 144 bpm
Max HR: 176 bpm

Avg Power: 209 W
Max Power: 963 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 229 W
Normalized Power (NP): 255 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.928
Training Stress Score (TSS): 245.9
FTP Setting: 275 W
Work: 2,157 kJ

Avg Bike Cadence: 81 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 118 rpm

Avg Temperature: 75.6 °F
Min Temperature: 71.6 °F
Max Temperature: 86.0 °F
Weather: 70°, 0 mph N wind, Humidity 83%