Thanks for this video.
It reinforces the concept behind this pedal:
https://pedalinginnovations.com/
I switched over to this pedal in 2019 for use in ultras. I find it just as effective as cleats.
Thanks for this video.
At 58 and still with a penchant for very technical trail riding, falling down holds decidedly less appeal these days. I equip myself with the best tools for the job these days in order to minimize the risk and likelihood of falls, while still doing the same sort of MTB riding I was doing 25 years earlier. Yet even with those precautions, sh*t happens...
Three weeks ago I had an awkward slow speed front wheel washout and fall after approaching a frost-slicked log-over at too much of an angle. As my forearms and chest hit the ground withought incident during the fall I thought I was gonna be fine, but then my left quadriceps muscle thumped down onto a large pointy rock.The bone-deep bruise and softball sized knot of inflammation is only just beginning to ease up now, but the injured muscle still won't allow enough range of motion to pedal comfortably. It will likely be a full month before I can get back on my bike.
The moral of my reply @rando is that while I still take risks, I manage those risks and I don't take "Johnny Knoxville-dumb" risks.
Yup that first month post-op really sucks! The doc explained it as you having functionally had an amputation insofar as the bones and the trauma to the surrounding tissue goes.@MTB Vince thank you for the heart-felt post. I have a Stryker appliance myself. Surgery #4 for me: three re-builds and now the replacement after bone-on-bone for 25 years or so. And yes, the existing scar tissue is a bastard to work around. I am actually doing pretty well, but the ice-age is beginning here in upstate NY, so not a great time to test outside yet. Full-on snow will be better.
For those of you reading along and contemplating knee stuff, the few weeks post-op is wicked, but tapers (for me) after a month or so, and re-hab sucks. Worth doing. The atrophy in the quads is mind blowing, but it's a nice titanium upgrade. Gotta keep on rolling somehow...
Many years back I decided I really needed to improve my hill climbing. I am a reasonably sized guy at 6ft 2in, 200 pound so of course I was getting smoked by the smaller “bird body“ cyclists on the hills. For training, besides all the other endurance type of work, and work on the bike, I did a lot of explosive lunges straight up, launching a heavy ball into the air as fast and as hard as I could from a deep squat position. A couple sets of those, with a 15lb heavyball, several times per week had a huge impact on my power output. The bird body guys still beat me to the top, but sitting round having a brew afterwards I was complaining my climbing still needed work some of the smaller guys complimented me saying I kept them in the pain cave and they were amazed a big guy climbed so well.
Many years back I decided I really needed to improve my hill climbing. I am a reasonably sized guy at 6ft 2in, 200 pound so of course I was getting smoked by the smaller “bird body“ cyclists on the hills. For training, besides all the other endurance type of work, and work on the bike, I did a lot of explosive lunges straight up, launching a heavy ball into the air as fast and as hard as I could from a deep squat position. A couple sets of those, with a 15lb heavyball, several times per week had a huge impact on my power output. The bird body guys still beat me to the top, but sitting round having a brew afterwards I was complaining my climbing still needed work some of the smaller guys complimented me saying I kept them in the pain cave and they were amazed a big guy climbed so well.
Now to get back to that for next season! Ugh! Turned 65 a couple months back, but retiring soon (other than my current gig hosting auditions in the music room), so perhaps see if I can’t best my prior time up Hurricane Ridge.
I am very glad you are well again. Count your blessings and be happy you missed that one. A fasciotomy is NOT fun.I went to the ER as it fit the description of compartment syndrome.
That is an amazing story. Glad to hear you are back in action.At 44 years old I had a total knee replacement of my left knee. At the time both the ortho and the in-theater consultant from Stryker (manufacturer of the replacement knee) described my grotesquely arthritic knee as among the very worst they'd seen. The knee replacement was the seventh surgery on that knee and I had a tough recovery, apparently due to the built up scar tissue. After six months of physio I only managed 110 degree max range of motion with about 105 degrees pain-free movement. This was not near enough range to accommodate the 175mm MTB cranks I'd ridden previously. One year post-op some work with a professional bike fitter resulted in me moving to 160mm cranks which allowed me to pedal smoothly and comfortably through the entire pedal circle. At the time 14 years ago, high-end MTB and road cranks in lengths shorter than 165 essentially didn't exist. The folks at Lightening Recumbent Bikes made me two sets of their crazy lightweight custom composite crankset & BB in the required 160mm length and I've used them ever since. There are more choices in the market now in sub-165mm lengths including high-end Ebike cranks.
I've made a living as an enthusiast bike shop owner (30 years) and I'm a certified PrecisionFit bike fitter as well. Feel free to reach out privately if you'd like to discuss any issues you may have getting back onto the bike comfortably @MarkusBarkus.
I am very glad you are well again. Count your blessings and be happy you missed that one. A fasciotomy is NOT fun.
Thanks for the beautiful pics!
Think it's been a fair while since the Pros have ridden less than 25mm, the majority are now 28mm and tubeless. Better rolling resistance and more aero on the wider rims more favoured these days. Even in MTB it appears the XC racers are going larger, Nino has been on 2.4s for the most part. Again, counterintuitively they role better over non smooth surfaces.UPDATE ON TIRE WIDTH
After looking at some videos of bikes being used at TDF 2023. It does appear that tire width is creeping up.Empirically about as much as 25mm front and as high as 28mm rear. (tire width was measured with a digital caliper.) There could be any number of reasons. It could range from :That's what the sponsor gave them . They are more reliable against puncture. Better able to go tubeless. Better traction. Speed is everything. They bikes are definitely not slower. There were no discussion on the relative speed. Moreover, any speed could be overcome by other significant advances. Gravity and wind remain the major obstacles.
Studies show a wider (to a point) tire on a wide(r) rim creates a shorter, wider contact patch (rather than long and narrow) which requires less force to roll. Higher pressure in tires is great on a perfect surface, in the real world, studies also show that lower tire pressures, again up to a point, roll over imperfect surfaces with less force required.There must be more at play. The laws of physics dictates greater width means increased surface area. That means greater rolling resistance. 28mm is not common In this years' TDF. A few rear tires went to 28mm. That vas considered extreme. Of course, I am talking about the TDF. There are a lot of pros out there. I have no idea what they are doing. All things being equal those European roads require a hefty tire. I can't imagine riding a 23mm over the pave'(cobblestones). An untimely puncture can ruin your race.
Yes, agree it's hard to get one's head around, one of the reasons I held off so long. Can't argue with the fact that I'm a lot faster, really substantially so, despite not being at peak fitness on the new bike, a clutch of KOMs to prove itYeah I know. But where the rubber meets the road proving skinnier tires have less rolling resistance is trivial. Not to mention less pressure means tires defelct under load (downward pedal stroke).. My videos and some of those studies have already been discussed here. For me thinner tires with high pressure yields the most speed.
That being said you can't argue with science or the pros.
Wider tires can have a smaller contact patch. Wider, but not as long. So if properly inflated, they can have a lower rolling resistance.There must be more at play. The laws of physics dictates greater width means increased surface area. That means greater rolling resistance. 28mm is not common In this years' TDF. A few rear tires went to 28mm. That vas considered extreme. Of course, I am talking about the TDF. There are a lot of pros out there. I have no idea what they are doing. All things being equal those European roads require a hefty tire. I can't imagine riding a 23mm over the pave'(cobblestones). An untimely puncture can ruin your race.
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