Windbreaker

Fatty, do you still use them? If not why not?

Mmm now I'm not so sure ....

Holy sh*t - they are ugly! Or is it just because that is a triple? Gasant, are all three rings oval? Can you set them independently of each other?

WW, what do they cost?

Popeye, Try to borrow an iBike and a PT for a week. Put them both on your bike at the same time. If you are happy with the correlation (i.e. that they give you the same answer) meaning that the accuracy is similar then consider the pro's & cons of each - specific to you. If there is a difference in the data then you really need to consider this carefully before you fork out your bucks - an unreliable power sensor is worthless. Windbreaker2007-02-15 07:08:55

So I'm one of the few. My first PM was a Polar Power sensor, and I bought it based on a price consideration. Although it was difficult to set up the main downfall was that it was useless on an indoor trainer - it has issues with trainer vibrations. In the winter I do a lot of training indoors so it became a serious issue for me. The next biggest problem is that it only records data at 5s intervals. I compared the Polar data with that of my newly acquired PT for a couple of weeks and the comparative average & NP data for rides was fairly consistent. So accuracy of data is not a big Polar flaw in my opinion. I understand the principles of operation of all the PM's and am very acquainted with the failings of the Polar. This makes me all the more suspicious of the iBike although I admit that I have never tried it myself. If I was price conscious (again) and happy enough to accept that I could live with a PM that could not operate on an indoor trainer then I would probably opt for the Polar again as opposed to the IBike. The variables that the Polar technique has to deal with are far fewer than the iBike so IMO opinion it will be more accurate than the iBike. Yes the Polar is an ugly SOB but I am past the stage of placing "bling" above functionality in terms of attractiveness.

Never thought I'd say this but my experience has been that particularly taxi drivers seem more considerate of cyclists' date=' how's that for a scary thought?[/quote'] I have a similar impression of taxi's of late. I also get the impression that most non-sporting cyclists (black or white or green for that matter) do get more consideration from most motorists and I guess that it has something to do with the reputation that us sporting cyclists have. Whether this reputation is earned or not is another debate but we have to deal with it. So be considerate & polite to motorists and you'll start to see a difference.

And to summarize about 50 pages of previous threads there is debate about whether core training actually improves your cycling or just general fitness and body tone.

So this tale has a twist in it. Didn't think that I was up for racing with the Vets just yet and decided to ride in my seeded group. Not that the C bunch aren't challenging enough - just that I wouldn't feel too bad if I slipped off the back of a "non-racing" group. Anyway to get to the point. Had quite a hard ride and on the last leg of a fairly grueling ride, Ou Kaapse Weg, (again) I suddenly realise that the guy just in front of me is my buddy from Red Hill the other morning. a) HE IS A ROADIE TOO! b) On this occasion we both had the same time under the belt and again we were just as evenly matched. I'm a happy roadie again!

Also thought about it for the altitude but the main problem that I see is that you would manually have to "synch" the Polar and PT. There are a coupleof options but it makes it a bit of a schlep.

Marius - you say that you use your polar for HR. You mean the watch as well or just the strap with the pt? I noticed that the HR on the pt is a little less robust than the polar but I always assumed that it's because it's not coded. The only time I have hassles is when I ride in a group.

Thanks Thug but when I look at my numbers they tell a story!! I was quite fresh (20 min warm up) so taking that into account I am off my previous form but they are not that bad meaning that this guy was STRONG (well relative to me anyway) See the Scarboro numbers below. Sometimes you just gotta face facts. If I could do these numbers after a 4 hour ride I'd be very, very content.. Red Hill (Simonstown side): Duration: 15:35 Work: 272 kJ TSS: 33.1 (intensity factor 1.129) Norm Power: 293 VI: 1.01 Distance: 5.122 km Min Max Avg Power: 0 454 291 watts Heart rate: 141 184 177 bpm Cadence: 50 99 76 rpm Speed: 12.3 27.5 19.7 kph Pace 2:11 4:53 3:02 min/km Hub Torque: 0 31.3 18.1 lb-in Crank Torque: 0 72.6 36.9 N-m Recovery: Duration: 8:38 Work: 35 kJ TSS: 2.7 (intensity factor 0.434) Norm Power: 113 VI: 1.66 Distance: 5.995 km Min Max Avg Power: 0 209 68 watts Heart rate: 114 183 138 bpm Cadence: 37 98 80 rpm Speed: 9.4 61.2 41.7 kph Pace 0:59 6:23 1:26 min/km Hub Torque: 0 16.7 2.4 lb-in Crank Torque: 0 47.2 8.5 N-m Scarboro to top of Red Hill: Duration: 17:27 Work: 288 kJ TSS: 33.2 (intensity factor 1.069) Norm Power: 278 VI: 1.01 Distance: 5.669 km Min Max Avg Power: 62 529 275 watts Heart rate: 138 189 173 bpm Cadence: 53 108 74 rpm Speed: 12.6 30.4 19.5 kph Pace 1:58 4:46 3:05 min/km Hub Torque: 2.9 30.6 18.2 lb-in Crank Torque: 6 62.7 35.8 N-m

So this morning I'm out there on my third ride after a long lay off. Goal is to do Red Hill "there and back" hard so that I can compare the power numbers with those from rides before the layoff. From Glencairn side it's solo all the way and I pass one or two slower guys. Battling to keep focussed. It's a hard push, but not too bad. Carry on over and down to Scarborough to get enough recovery time. Turn around and think to myself ... ok I'll just try and maintain the upper end of threshold (what is was before the layoff) and see how it goes. As I hit the left hand bend I see a huge oke on a MTB about 100m ahead. Must've come from Cape Pt side. He is cruising so it takes me about 30s to catch him. He hears me coming and without looking speeds up a bit, but is still slightly below what I want to do. I can see that this guy is no palooka. Mmm what to do?? Pass him and he thinks that I am being windgat, but I really have no choice so I pass and greet (and in the back of my mind I think to myself - just tell him that you are riding to training zones and he will let you go). The inevitable happens. I can almost hear him thinking "I'm not letting this roadie get away". He puts on the pressure to repass, and I match him, he weakens and I put the pressure on etc. etc. Soon I'm just above 4w/kg and we hold that all the way to the top with him matching me (and not draughting either). Note that he is also at 4w/kg if he is riding at my speed on the same section of road. The whole time there is the whining of those f****ing MTB wheels just to remind me that he is right there. Ok, almost at the top and I give it everything - 400w average for 30s and he doesn't respond. Yes please!! So we cruise down and at the bottom we chat. You training for the Epic? Ja, but battling to get the miles in. Finding the time must be difficult? Ja, but this morning is ok - got 4 hours in so far............................ I'm sure he could hear my ego deflating with the sound that balloons make. So now I'm hoping that I'll find out that he is a pro (or something)

I definitely don't advocate riding 3 or 4 abreast on busy roads BUT think about this ... Over the past few days there were a number of foreigners cycling along the Fish Hoek, Simonstown, Cape Point route in groups of 3 & 4. And won't you believe it they were riding 2&3 abreast!!! My wifes first instinct was to become annoyed as they were giving "us cyclists a bad name". But think about it. They were doing what they naturally do in their part of the world and the only difference is that in their part of the world cyclists are ACCEPTED road users who aren't abused at every turn. And it wasn't only the tourists - Team Rabobank had groups of 3&4 riding abreast on the same stretch of road. Same thing - it's not as if they think now that they are in lawless Africa they can get away with breaking rules that they are forced to adhere to at home. Cycling is a social pastime too. Why should we not be able to cycle 2 or 3 abreast on quiet back roads without having to worry about some idiot scaring the crap out of you with his hooter when he could just as easilly pass you as if you were a slow moving vehicle (and only when it is safe to do so)? I am sure widget is going to quote the traffic regs. But they also say that you must adhere to the speed limits and they also say that no vehicle may travel in the yellow line. None of which are adhered to by the vast majority of motorists (including the members of this forum).