Alot has happened since my last post. First I retired in May of 2011 and then my wife and i decided to become full time travelers in our fifth wheel RV. We spent last summer preparing for our adventure and then last August started out. We traveled first to Oklahoma then on to Arizona for the winter.
We stayed in Tucson for the winter at Desert Trails RV Park west of Tucson. The RV park backs up to Tucson Mountain Park which has 20,000+ acres of great mountain bike trails. We were there from late October until the first of April this year. I managed to ride about six days a week. I also met a number of other bikers there and did some great upgrades to my bike.
When I arrived in Tucson I was still using tubes so I went to a tubeless setup for my tires. Next I changed my crank. I now have a White Industries single speed crank and bottom bracket. It is the best crank I have ever used and recommend it without reservation. Since using this crank I have not had a single issue with my drive train.
Along with the equipment I have been able to get into very good condition. This coming weekend is the first of the WORS (Wisconsin Off Road Series) races. This one being at Iola. Last year I rode this race but with a 1x9 gear setup. This year all my riding will be as a single speed. Saturday is the preride and I will determine my gearing for the Sunday race.
I will let you know how things go.
Mike
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Spin and Coast
In my last post I mentioned a technique for going fast on flats with a single speed. The technique involved alternately spinning fast and coasting. I have now tried this technique several times and it does seem to work. Over a period of 1 to 2 minutes I can increase my average speed by 10% over a constant cadence. However this does require some training as after a minute I'm starting to slow due to fatigue. With some specific training I think I can extend my time to over 2 minutes with minimal fatigue. That should cover most fast flat sections in races around here.
I am also continuing to work on maintaining momentum in turns and climbs. There is a definite technique needed to ride a single speed fast. The bonus is that it will also help you ride a geared bike faster.
Mike
I am also continuing to work on maintaining momentum in turns and climbs. There is a definite technique needed to ride a single speed fast. The bonus is that it will also help you ride a geared bike faster.
Mike
Monday, July 11, 2011
Eau Claire Sport Race: A Reality Check.
WORS #5: The Eau Claire Firecracker had it all: Rain, heat, sun, fast doubletrack, great technical singletrack, sand, mud, everything you want in a mountain bike race. A thunderstorm passed by from 7:00 until 9:00 am with the sport race starting at 11:30. The rain helped the sandy places but made the new singletrack slick and sloppy.
I started in the last wave male wave with riders 50 and over and the clydsdales. The women started 2 minutes behind us. The leadout was fast doubletrack for about a mile. I pedaled as fast as I could but was one of the last in the wave to reach the first singletrack. My 33x18 gear was prefect for the singletrack but too little for the fast doubletrack.
At the start of the singletrack I was last in the 60+ group of eight riders. I started catching riders in the singletrack and worked my way up to about 4th or 5th place after half of the first lap. At that point I was running with several riders that I usually finish with on my geared bike. However, I was gassed. In the end I finished in 6th. My fellow 60+ riders were shocked to see me on a singlespeed. I had a blast.
After the race I talked with Antony Dombromski who finished 3rd in singlespeed and 25/148 overall. he told me that the way to go fast on the doubletrack is to spin up to speed , then coast, recover and spin up again. I had just tried to spin fast for the entire lead out and that left me exhausted.
The overall winner of the sport race was Rodney Moon riding a singlespeed. Rodney finished over 2 minutes ahead of the second place rider. In the women's race Maria Statz was the overall winner. Brittany Nigh deserves special recognition from me. After leading her through some singletrack, she she said it helped following me. She then passed me in an open section and a big chunk of mud came off her rear tire and directly into my mouth.
Overall it was a great day of racing and riding the singlespeed was lots of fun. I have alot to learn about singlespeed technique but that is what makes it fun.
Mike
I started in the last wave male wave with riders 50 and over and the clydsdales. The women started 2 minutes behind us. The leadout was fast doubletrack for about a mile. I pedaled as fast as I could but was one of the last in the wave to reach the first singletrack. My 33x18 gear was prefect for the singletrack but too little for the fast doubletrack.
At the start of the singletrack I was last in the 60+ group of eight riders. I started catching riders in the singletrack and worked my way up to about 4th or 5th place after half of the first lap. At that point I was running with several riders that I usually finish with on my geared bike. However, I was gassed. In the end I finished in 6th. My fellow 60+ riders were shocked to see me on a singlespeed. I had a blast.
After the race I talked with Antony Dombromski who finished 3rd in singlespeed and 25/148 overall. he told me that the way to go fast on the doubletrack is to spin up to speed , then coast, recover and spin up again. I had just tried to spin fast for the entire lead out and that left me exhausted.
The overall winner of the sport race was Rodney Moon riding a singlespeed. Rodney finished over 2 minutes ahead of the second place rider. In the women's race Maria Statz was the overall winner. Brittany Nigh deserves special recognition from me. After leading her through some singletrack, she she said it helped following me. She then passed me in an open section and a big chunk of mud came off her rear tire and directly into my mouth.
Overall it was a great day of racing and riding the singlespeed was lots of fun. I have alot to learn about singlespeed technique but that is what makes it fun.
Mike
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
First Single Speed Race
This weekend is the WORS Eau Claire, Wisconsin race. It will be my first try racing a single speed. I will be entering my age group so I'll be riding against geared bikes.
I think I'm starting to understand what is needed gear wise for the best results. Eau Claire will be a challenge as it has a very fast, long lead out combined with lots of single track with some ups and downs but no real climbs. Gear selection will be very important.
The race is Sunday and I'll pre-ride Friday starting with a 33x18 gear. First, I want to be sure I can pull the hills. Then I want to be sure I can carry sufficient speed on the flats so that I'm not buried at the start. I really like the Eau Claire course and I think it is an excellent one to try with a single speed.
Let the insanity begin,
Mike
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Right Gear: Part Two
In my last post I thought a 33x19 gear might be the optimal gear for me at the Kettles. Today, I rode the 33x19 setup. My previous best time was 41:22 (41 minutes and 22 seconds) with a 34x19 gear. Today it was 40:10. Just the right gear lets you climb, accelerate and still have speed to cover the course in the least time. it pays to play around with various gears to find what is best for you. And just a slight change can make a difference.
Another aspect of single speeding is maintaining your momentum while minimizing your effort. With a little practice you can learn to take corners without losing much speed and to use just the effort needed to maintain your speed. Since each course is different the technique must be tweaked continually. The single speed really forces this on you as any loss of momentum is paid for with a lot of added effort.
Mike
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Right Gear Ratio
The past ten days have been busy. Last Friday I went to Mt. Morris to pre-ride the course for the WORS Subaru Cup. I was setup with a 32x19 gear. The gear turned out to be a little too tall for Mt. Morris as there are a number of short but steep climbs. Since I didn't have anything smaller, I switched to my 1x9 setup and did another lap. Interestingly the times were the same.
I planned to race the next day; unfortunately, I came down with a flu like illness Friday night so didn't race. By Tuesday of this week I was recovered enough to start riding again. On Thursday I went to the Kettles and rode Loop 3 with a 32x19 gear. My previous best time on this loop was 44:13 (44 minutes, 13 seconds) set two years ago with a geared bike. Thursday with the single speed I turned 42:04!
I felt like I could have used a taller gear as I was spinning out in several places. So today, Saturday, I returned with a 34x19 gear and my time was 41:22. However, I felt like the gearing was too much and that a 33x19 might be perfect. I plan to test that gear either tomorrow or Monday.
The challenge is to find the right combination of climbing power and speed. Each course presents its own challenges and that is what makes riding single speed so much fun.
Next weekend there is a WORS race at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and that course should be a good one for my first single speed race. As I have stated before, I will just ride my regular age group but use a single speed. Eau Claire will be interesting as there are no big climbs and there are some fast sections of double track so gearing will be critical.
Mike
I planned to race the next day; unfortunately, I came down with a flu like illness Friday night so didn't race. By Tuesday of this week I was recovered enough to start riding again. On Thursday I went to the Kettles and rode Loop 3 with a 32x19 gear. My previous best time on this loop was 44:13 (44 minutes, 13 seconds) set two years ago with a geared bike. Thursday with the single speed I turned 42:04!
I felt like I could have used a taller gear as I was spinning out in several places. So today, Saturday, I returned with a 34x19 gear and my time was 41:22. However, I felt like the gearing was too much and that a 33x19 might be perfect. I plan to test that gear either tomorrow or Monday.
The challenge is to find the right combination of climbing power and speed. Each course presents its own challenges and that is what makes riding single speed so much fun.
Next weekend there is a WORS race at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and that course should be a good one for my first single speed race. As I have stated before, I will just ride my regular age group but use a single speed. Eau Claire will be interesting as there are no big climbs and there are some fast sections of double track so gearing will be critical.
Mike
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Comparison: Singlespeed vs Geared
Last week I had ridden the singletrack at the Northern Kettles using a 9 speed (1x9) setup. Yesterday, I switched to a singlespeed setup using a 34x19 gear. I wanted to get a good comparison between the geared setup and the singlespeed. I also had data from last August when I had set my fastest times ever over the same trails.
The bottom line is that I was faster with the singlespeed. However, just being faster doesn't mean alot as course conditions can affect times dramatically. So I also compared the power readings from my PowerTap. Over the same trails, I averaged about 10 Watts more power with the singlespeed than with the geared bike. This is approximately the amount of power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur as measured on my bike about a month ago. I had measured 12 Watts as the power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur.
Because the power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur is not power that reaches the rear hub the PowerTap does not measure it as part of the power data. The PowerTap only measures power to the hub. If you can eliminate losses before the hub, then the power will pass on to the hub and be recorded by the PowerTap. In otherwords, that power is now available to move the bike instead of just pull the chain through the derailleur. More power should translate to quicker times and more speed.
When all the frictional losses are considered on a bike, a 1% increase in Power should translate to about 0.5% increase in speed. My overall power increase with the singlespeed was 8% while my speed increase was 4%. Excellent agreement.
Of course this is just one example and relates to just this course. The Kettles trails do not have big climbs although there are many very short uphill parts. I plan to do some more runs at the Kettles and try other areas also. I also want to try with a slight gearing change as I think I can do better with a 33x19 instead of the 34x19 gear.
As I collect more data I will give you more specifics.
Mike
The bottom line is that I was faster with the singlespeed. However, just being faster doesn't mean alot as course conditions can affect times dramatically. So I also compared the power readings from my PowerTap. Over the same trails, I averaged about 10 Watts more power with the singlespeed than with the geared bike. This is approximately the amount of power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur as measured on my bike about a month ago. I had measured 12 Watts as the power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur.
Because the power needed to pull the chain through the derailleur is not power that reaches the rear hub the PowerTap does not measure it as part of the power data. The PowerTap only measures power to the hub. If you can eliminate losses before the hub, then the power will pass on to the hub and be recorded by the PowerTap. In otherwords, that power is now available to move the bike instead of just pull the chain through the derailleur. More power should translate to quicker times and more speed.
When all the frictional losses are considered on a bike, a 1% increase in Power should translate to about 0.5% increase in speed. My overall power increase with the singlespeed was 8% while my speed increase was 4%. Excellent agreement.
Of course this is just one example and relates to just this course. The Kettles trails do not have big climbs although there are many very short uphill parts. I plan to do some more runs at the Kettles and try other areas also. I also want to try with a slight gearing change as I think I can do better with a 33x19 instead of the 34x19 gear.
As I collect more data I will give you more specifics.
Mike
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