GCN cycling network had an episode on sports nutrition at the gas station.
I gotta give credit where due. Praising your sponsor's products is SOP in media. Our motorcycle magazines aren't going to be really critical of the new Gold Wing when Honda pays for a dozen 2 page ads.
GCN is no different, but this time they got an expert from a company that sells athlete fuel ( easy to digest carbs etc. Aka runner candy ) to comment/analyze on what gas station snacks are good for cyclists.
Sure, they did, repeatedly, show neatly arranged rows of the guy's products, with the # of carbs or whatever the packet of sugary goo is to replenish prominently displayed.
But rather than the typical "you need to buy our stuff, because regular food isn't patented!" Schtick, he gave intelligent answers on what works and what to avoid on real world shelves.
These companies sell what I call "diabetic coma snacks" to refuel athletes in endurance sports. Mostly flavored gells you can squirt in your mouth when running or cycling without stopping & power bars, drink mix, ditto.
Low residue stuff so you don't have to stop for a restroom.
If you're an athlete, pro or amateur, who does any long distance/time exercise, like walking the Appalachian trail or marathons, then keeping from shifting metabolism gears and burning carbs in a controlled manner is really useful and healthy technique.
I'm too old and a metabolic disaster to use the Sports Fuels, mostly. But it was a good primer on the subject. And surprisingly little commercial content.
Next video on sports eating, had the volunteer ex-racer "journalist" pound down the SAME number of carbs a racing pro would, like 5000 calories, and a diabetic coma of sugars, on a planned 6 hour ride.
At 3 1/2 hours, the fast guinea pig commented that he felt fine, had plenty of energy, and in retrospect, hadn't eaten enough during the race in his past career.
Then the control dude passes him a 90 Carb high tech semi-liquid pack to squeeze into his mouth.
Cut to retching rider leaning on a wall clinging to his bike.
The moral isn't that the speed fuel is bad stuff. It's actually really good, and mostly tastes decent, I tried a honey-coffee-mocha squeeze pack with enough caffeine to wake me from a coma, and enough carbs to last all day, if delivered in small doses, and it was quite palatable. Good even. Unless I'm actually running a marathon, it's WAY too much sugar in one hit, and I vibrated for a while, but keeping you going during serious exercise, in one easy to digest slam is the reason they exist. It's a science thing, the carbohydrate metabolism is quick to refuel, and you "bonk" when you run out and switch gear, metabolically. A fast to absorb sugar rush is a good thing, where needed.
But unless you are a pro or gifted amateur athlete putting out over 300 watts continuously, ( about 3 times normal ) you don't need that much fuel all day. A couple packs, or power bars and lots of water will do you fine.
Common sense is often overcome by marketing. Unless you work like a farmer, you don't need the farmer's food quantity. He does.
And... the Brit Bike Nut Channel does a photo competition, weekly, and while it's a plus to have a high end bike, the judging is actually based on posing the bike the way they think it should be, based on arcane lore. Or a marketing guru from the 19th century, No one knows, it's just the Way It Is. If you follow the rules, they ring a bell and praise you, your picture goes online to show off to your buddies. If the wheels aren't posed right? Loser!
The weirdest part is how old the cult of posing is! My typical ride with my house mates, ( Young adult hetero males, btw ) was 15-20 miles at speed, then a stop to drink a beer and brag. Or mock. Repeat. But we posed our bikes, at least the cranks aligned, and wheels posed to show off the Brand Name, although we didn't shift into a particular gear, ( You want to just get on and ride ) or go for Photo neat backdrops, leaning against a tree was fine. It was a combination of ironic humor, and faked conformity. ( If any pros came by, our bikes looked Right ) And the weirdest part, none of remembered who TOLD us to do it... it came from the magazines?
Project 2 complete, "The Greyhound Bus"? except for cockpit adjustment, it's got very adjustable handlebars and I'm riding with a Park allen key set for a while so I can fiddle.
Photo to come, It's a Rans Stratus XP loooong wheelbase dual 26" wheel recumbent. It's a classic Touring bike, with capacity to carry excess luggage, ( I only have a seat bag, that's plenty for me ) and might be considered the Gold Wing of bicycles.
Stock, it was a 3x9 drivetrain, Sram X9 ( once upon a time the top of the line ) with twist grip shifters, which, after cleaning perhaps a decade of barn funk, worked fine. But...E Bike time, I swapped for a Bafang 750 Watt mid-drive and Shimano Deore XT mountain bike 1x11 speed gearing.
With a 70.5 degree head angle, and a raked fork, the Stratus XP has wheel flop at zero to low speed, a Lot like a Honda Shadow, which just means you have to actually steer/hold it straight when starting off and stopping. At speed, it's stable and it's pretty solid at 30+ which is good, since the steering setup is long and flexible, an invitation to PIOs if it was unstable.
I bought a pair of 26 x 2" Continental Race King mountain tires, for the gravel trails, but the rear didn't clear, just, so I'm waiting for another slightly smaller, from the shop, while running the 1 1/4" ( 559 x 32mm ) touring tire in back it came with. ( Pity, it looked cool with the big knobbies )
Definitely a case of "If I'd known then..." as the long wheelbase acts like the whole frame is a big spring, on bumps, so even the 32mm tires don't beat me up like they did on the stiff V-Rex. Also a much easier learning curve with a lower crank than the short wheelbase V-Rex.
OTOH, that was good training on the quicker steering machine, and it's running just fine.
Nice run today, a few stops to recline the seat more, and a mellow 12.9 mph average. ( 23 mph top ) On trails, I'm still running in 2 of 5 on the power boost, until I get more miles, and it just climbs up the hill back to the house like I'm on the flats. ( the top speed was on gravel, I reset the computer at the trail head ) Not as fun as....
Still doing cable management, so a few untrimmed zip ties, disc brakes are probably next, plus more lights. I got a 42 tooth front ring with the motor, but the 52 tooth ( Aussie ) ring was loaned by a buddy, and I want to see what the top end is, but want to get a few more miles in first.
That's 2 entire uncut Shimano Linksys chains, 252 links plus 2 masters. Waxed, of course.
Rear hub internal transmissions are very popular with touring bicycle riders. There's less hanging off the rear wheel to smash on rocks & logs & curbs, etc. Fewer external parts to get jammed with debris. ( I have to pull weeds out of my rear derailleur fairly regularly )
Read hub trannies are popular with Trikes in particular, plus returning riders who want simplicity and don't want to learn the tricks/technique for getting the best out of a dual part drive train.
I'm used to a typical mountain & Road bike drive train with a 2 or 3 speed range system, which gives overlapping gear ratios, and in trucks. The "3x9" or "2x12" systems with front and rear derailleur don't have 27 or 24 usable sequential gears, in practice. You treat it like a multi range system.
( unless you're a serious gear geek and custom build your drive train to use double shifting to get close spaced sequential gearing. I've had gear charts with shift sequence taped to my handlebar. After going to the effort I understand why they don't do it commercially. Not a beginner friendly thing. )
The Downside to rear hub internal transmissions is weight and cost.
Gear range, from lowest to highest is another issue, But for now let's go with "more costs more", and ignore it.
Crank/center mount transmissions share the downsides of weight and cost, but it's low centered mass, and not unsprung mass like a rear hub trannie. ( if there's suspension ) As Buell riders should know, centered mass improves handling.
It's a bit more complicated when you add a motor.
I'm riding 2 different systems.
My Catrike has a rear hub motor with a "regular" 3x9 mountain bike front and rear derailleur. Extra mass in the rear compared to the acoustic version.
My Rans bicycles use a "mid-drive" motor that replaces the foot crank bearings, and a 1x11 rear derailleur. More mass than no motor, but on a mountain or road bike, low and centered. ( on my recumbents, forward and higher, but the different geometry is part of the price for comfort and aerodynamics )
The Pinion system in the video above tries for the best compromise, most centered mass, etc. It's pretty impressive and probably the wave of the future for Performance E-bikes. Cheap ones will use rear hub motors.
But there's competition for the easiest to use system. The combination of mid drive motor and CVT rear hub, computer controlled, ( Shimano & Enviolo ) offer no thought automatic gearing. You can set your desired cadence ( leg spin rpm ) and it just changes itself.
Anecdotal... The founder of ICE trikes in the UK is an expert rider, and perfectly comfortable with traditional gearing systems. Wasn't interested in riding the new tech, despite his company using it in trikes. ( smart and innovative guy, if it sells, he'll make it ) Then his engineering minions handed him the latest product to test drive. Computer controlled CVT with electric boost. Set it to his preferred cadence, and no further thought needed. Automatically downshifts at stops. 100% of attention can go to navigation and collision avoidance. He's a convert.
BTW. Credit to Utah Trikes for the motor reaction arm to the frame, that replaces the Bafang serrated ring that digs into the Bottom Bracket to keep the motor from spinning/slamming into the frame.
The stock part offends me, it scars up what should be a smooth flat machined ring of alloy in perfect geometry. Parallel with the opposite end of a hunk of tube and exactly perpendicular to the thread Axis. Literally the blueprint Datum you measure everything else from.
And high praise for TerraCycle ( T-Cycle division ) for the battery mounts. Pricy, perhaps, but solid, American Made CNC mounts that hold the single heaviest object on the bike, ( except me ) and are little works of engineering art.
The Direct Mount battery thingee has a series of offset threaded holes that allow positioning as desired. I'm running 2 in mirror flipped orientation and get a nigh perfect alignment. Impressive precision.
It has more power than it needs for hood riding. I spun the freewheel on the drive yesterday and all the bearings and some threads evacuated the premises. New drive is coming Friday. I will probably tack weld the threads on it to keep it together. Had an incredible rear wheel death wobble when it let loose. I know what that warning sound means now.
Here is a pic of the original REAPER, built in 1981. This image has it down to one motor. It lost the second engine running too much nitromethane and propanol. The tips of the 24" props were going sonic. On pump gas it ran 24 MPH on a 28cc 2-smoke.
Yes, Those are real Lester mags. I found them in a pawn shop in LasVegas in the late 70s. Only bike I have kept over the years.
Future plans are for drives on both tires and higher voltage. I'll run a throttle in each hand. But first I need a front brake. Yes, you can rock it like a hobby horse while riding it.
I was always into short wheelbase, quick steering machines. Cyclone vs. Shadow? My old racing bicycle is a 74 deg. criterium style. ( short course, tight turns )
That's nuts. Takes real skill. Neat!
I didn't have any bicycles with disc brakes, never felt the need, but when I started the Stratus XP re-build, frame & wheels were set up for discs, so I shopped around & found a cheap set on Amazon, put in "save for later" and forgot about it.
Got the electrics and drivetrain all installed and Am quite happy with the handling and performance so far, but I was having poor braking performance with the really long cable run to the rear, I'm going to blame that on my incompetence mostly. And old re-used cables?
Local bike shop doesn't like hydraulic brakes, messy & fussy. On the Greyhound length bicycle, I'd have to buy a full roll of brake line since none of the stock ones reach, plus tool & fittings, plus rotor, levers, calipers.
All the touring nuts like mechanical, cable operated brakes since they can fix it with a multi tool & a rock on a trail in Siberia, and the Avid brakes on my Catrike work fine, so, mechanical it is.
I start buying high tech "compressionless" cable housing by the roll, tandem cables, and the biggest discs that fit ( 203mm ) all Jagwire. because if you're going for brake upgrade, go big. And I'm cruising over 20 & looking at 40+ on downhills.
The Youtube Touring nuts like the $400 a piece CNC calipers, but that's more than I spent on the bike, and while I don't mind bling, that's a bit pricey. I end up choosing TRP Spyke dual opposed piston ( ball bearing ramp, not fluid ) calipers @ about $99 each, but before I ordered them, I was on Amazon for something else, and saw the saved cheap brakes. TOBWOLF? How do I pronounce that? Hmm, dual piston, with 160mm rotors, ( Hey, that's the size I need for the Catrike wheels ) and $35. A pair.
What can It hurt? ( Me, yeah ) A lot of Youtubers buy & wreck cheap Chinese parts, so I push the button.
Monday I get all the parts delivered so it's wrench time. I had to file a millimeter off the caliper casting on one where it just touched the brake disc, but other than that setup was really easy and they seem to work...
And it's rained for 3 days. Starting Monday after I finished the bike, power out for 6 hours, trees down, trail flooded.
I've spent the day picking up branches and hacking at plants, Mowing, dropped my phone in the mud, Sigh.
Posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - 09:08 pm:
My plan is that if I keep the car I'm driving I'll get a Yamaha XSR700. If I upgrade the car to a 2019 or later Miata I'll get a 43mph rated E Mountainbike. I've seen one go for $950 with good reviews.
My boy is looking at $4-5k dirt bikes that go 50+mph, and I have no use for that. You can buy a hell of a used bike with that kind of cash.
All the quality/tech stuff, forks, shocks, etc. are more or less the same on a mountain bike, motor or not.
Suntour, Rockshok, Manitou, Fox, all good forks from entry level to pro. Chinesium knock offs will die. But it's an easy replacement.
The mountain bike scene has Balkanized a Lot in the last couple of decades. Marketing and racing slicing the pie into smaller segments, basically around suspension travel and weight/gearing.
( quavery old man voice ) Back in the '90s! is when the first branch split, cross country and Downhill. You didn't want to ride Up a hill on the long travel heavy Downhill bikes. Take a truck or ski lift up, speed down.
Since no place near me had a lift up, and I was a 200 pound older fart, I never got into the gravity game of Downhill. Doesn't mean I don't like bombing down a mountain, just had to ride Up it myself.
Cross country vs. Downhill skiing, pretty close analogy.
Today there's 4+ divisions and none of them apply to recreational E-Mountain bikes, so... Ignore.
The big difference is "where is the motor?". ( and battery pack ) Hub motor vs. Mid-drive where the cranks are.
The entry level street E bikes use rear hub motors, and front frame mount ( internal or in triangle ) batteries. The hub motors are independent of the rest of the drive train, controller and rpm limited.
High end use mid-drive Motors that feed power through the chain & gears. Faster and more versatile, more wear on parts, More Expensive, and speed is controller limited. ( which can be changed, usually. My Bafang mid-drive is adjustable. I've got it set to 36.6 mph for now )
Either cadence ( crank rpm ) or torque controlled.
Torque is more natural feeling, pedal harder, go faster. Cadence control lets you downshift and lazy spin while the motor does all the work.
I've got both, and there's a learning curve, ( pretty short and easy ) for the cadence systems, as initially I had the bike lunging forward at lights, etc.
I constantly switch both gears And power assist levels, on my mid-drive ( cadence controlled ) bikes, shifting & switching down at stops, ramping up as I go. Easier on drive train and smoother overall.
The hub motor ( torque sensor ) trike I just leave assist level at 1-3 of 5. Top throttle only speed is the same, and that's enough for hills with good range.
And balance! Rear hub motors may be tail heavy. Depends on where the battery is. Rear rack battery and hub motor? Very tail heavy.
Lovely ride Monday, 20+ miles on nice groomed gravel, Genesee Valley Trail, getting more used to the long wheelbase "Greyhound" and keeping assist level low to get the workout.
Mostly floating along in a tunnel of fall colors, ( albeit peddling fairly hard ) with occasional adrenal gland workout as the trail disappears under multi colored leaves. @ 18-20 mph.
My riding buddy on his hardtail mountain/commuter bike commented on how much flex my frame has as we bounced over irregularities. With 3 rides over a dozen miles without recharging, I'm pleased with the battery size, except when I have to carry it.
I have repaired the Reaper II. Wheelies got away from me. I'm healed now. I took the big battery off the Reaper II and put a smaller 24 volt on it that keeps the flat ground speed below 12 mph. It doesn't pull wheelies now. BUT, the red sissy bike is a beast running 48+ volts. It was a 24 volt bike. Now has a 48 volt controller in it. I'm getting enough experience with e-toys. I may make something wicked in the spring.
Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - 10:54 am:
I just learned that the short double wheel steering bike above is called a "Circus bicycle".
I've been doing about one ride a week with a much stronger rider, and getting very slowly more confidence in returning skills as he pushes the pace.
So I've been carefully ramping up the power, both electric assist and painfully recovering muscle.
On wet leaves, I'm still properly cautious, turning the assist level down as 3 of 5 electric boost & high cadence gives a "surging" ride that spins the rear wheel and I fishtail on the low traction surface. Tire choice doesn't help when leaf slides on leaf.
Seems silly to brag about speed, @ 100 mph slower than my Cyclone.
