AustinBike

Super duty is best if you primarily haul 2 bikes. The benefit of the more modular one is that for me, 95% of the time I have one bike on it, and that means I can leave the rack on my car and still open the rear hatch. The bigger one would block my hatch. 

That is a good way to do it, build up to the big number.

I wonder if it has a smartphone app. I can see the danger of an update screwing up the firmware. Code issues are the biggest reason that I would not be comfortable with electronic technology on my bike. On a recent road trip I had the intelligent cruise control on my car go out because of a bug. Literally. A bug hit the sensor screen on the grill just right and blocked the radar. Luckily I was able to diagnose and fix that issue because 12 hours without cruise control is a beast. Don't really want that situation on my bike.

I'd bet it is a little from column A and a little from column B. Also, as a manufacturer if the cost of aluminum is going up, now is the time to close the gap with carbon a little more and push your customers to carbon, which will be more stable over the next 2-3 years.

That being said, it seems like people just don't break frames like they used to. In the old days of mojo, it seemed like every month someone I rode with broke a frame. These days it is an oddity. Progress moves forward, glad we were all able to help the industry get that sorted out.

You said dropper - you are out of the competition. We will only allow Hite Rite.

Hmmm, what about both. Based on the fact that this is Fox and they do a lot more than bikes, I would think they have a pretty good handle on how this should work. 

But, based on the fact that I never touch my suspension regardless of any of the trails that I ride. 

Apparently I already have something that adjusts on the fly for anything from pavement to Walnut Creek to city park. It's MY brain. And apparently it works well. At least for me.

While I am a tech guy at heart, I prefer to leave tech out of my biking. Mostly because I don't want issues from the tech getting in the way of my fun. There is already electronic shifting, which always seemed to be a stupid proposition for the trails. This seems slightly better than the idea of electronic shifting, but, for me, it feels like it is trying to solve a problem that I do not have.

Looking at this, it appears to be a competitor to Google Maps more than anything. Giving me a route to and from something seems to have little value. I want to see where to ride, not how to get there.

I do a few of these, increasing in the intensity.

Today I was off of 10 days in CO where I only biked a few times (SS on paved path pulling a dog trailer and the slug dog.) Man, the heat hit me. I did not eat enough and started to bonk around the same spot as the last EB (right around the S16 gravel pit.) Luckily I had a few stinger blocks in my pack to give me some quick energy. Need to up my breakfast game. Today was a dozen homemade full grain crackers with peanut butter and a bowl of low-fat greek yogurt with home made granola on top. Really low carb, only medium on the protein side, I needed more.

There are typically 3 groups:

the ~4:30 “early” group

the ~5:30 “social pace” group

the ~5:30 “fast” group

Showing up and hanging out to be ready around half past should allow you to find people to ride with. Showing up at :25 after means you will probably ride alone. Post up on this thread and people will tell you when they are riding. 

Maybe it was an ebike......

3 hours ago, Anita Handle said:

skinny bitch. 

You forgot bald

On 8/27/2018 at 12:51 PM, FJsnoozer said:

With much respect for you, your racing experience and your contribution to the austin biking...Everything you posted basically goes against the science of racing and your recent experience is probably a representation of a poor nutrition strategy.  I am also a traveler such as yourself and have to come back and race marathons in the fall after weeks of Hotel time. 

Even PRO cyclist on the Keto kick, are using sugar on the bike in hard effort formats.  The only piece of science that backs your strategy are the cherry picked studies supporting Keto and similar strategies.  If you ride a lot of zone 2-3, you can ride without being reliant upon carbs. 

Carb loading is a real thing,  Just not everyone truly understands how to do it. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not a racer by any stretch and I don’t know jack about nutrition as it relates to biking or racing. 

What I do know is a ton of people that call beer and pizza “carb loading” and it is hurting more than helping. Most people don’t understand it and hunk just loading up on carbs the night before is the key. It isn’t. 

People should learn from the experts. Luckily that is not me. 

yeah, you're right, I am not that great of a rider

9 hours ago, notyal said:

Practicing in a forced compromised position does not improve skill. It just makes you better at something that doesn't really have a practical application anymore. 

If you ride an old KSi950r dropper then the practical application is when the dropper fails to work properly.

I like to compare the dropper to my singlespeed vs. my FS.  Different bikes with different feels. Being forced to use your body to help you navigate features helps me a better FS rider. Also being able to clear obstacles with or without the dropper makes me a better rider. And more riding makes me better. 

21 hours ago, Anita Handle said:

ok, serious question (I have to preface since I make lots of jokes...), do you rely more on fat during easier efforts (think, sustainable pace, easy breathing, low-ish heart rate) and burn through carb stores during higher efforts (think, rapidly climbing heart rate, legs feeling the burn, can sustain for only 1-10 minutes)? I've read that but wondered what you people thought.

I'd guess that you need to avoid going into the "red" on a super long ride like the EB. 

As an experiment, I rode my mtb for 4 hrs on the road yesterday at a steady, easy pace. I brought a sandwich just in case I started to bonk but since I'd kept the pace pretty easy, I felt fine, calorically, with only 1 bottle of hydration drink, probably 200 calories. I did start to feel various aches and pains as I spun away for longer and longer, but didn't feel hungry per se.

I know if I'd been smashing myself on a hard trail for 4 hrs of pedalling, I'd have eaten a whole pizza.

Well, you know me and my diet. I am pretty much fat adapted, meaning my body gets its energy from fat and not carbs. I can do a 3-4 standard ride (15-20 miles) without touching anything other than water. On my 50 mile EB training rides I can usually get by without any nutrition either. 

When I did the EB last year I bonked because I had been in Portugal for 2+ weeks and was only back in Austin for a few days and my body was out of whack. I ran out of energy ~25 miles in and had only planned for fat/protein - and that takes too long to convert. Luckily I found some cliff shots in my pack and those carbs gave me enough power to get to the CP stop. There I carbo loaded and continued on.

With protein you can sustain longer periods of time and with carbs you can "jolt the system" with instant energy. It is best to understand the two and use them appropriately. The idea of carbo loading the day before is stupid because your body has consumed all of the carbs, used what it needed and converted the rest to fat. Your body will not store carbs, so a pizza the night before will not help you. Other than it is tasty. Especially if it is real pizza.

13 hours ago, MrTheCatLady said:

On what local trails would I need a dropper?

-cls

Any trail I have ridden with a dropper I have also ridden without a dropper (for years).

Never really use it at WC, typically use it at other places. BCGB is my main trail and there are plenty of times that I could do an entire ride without engaging the dropper, but it gives me more confidence, especially on the SS because it has a hardtail and those drops are less forgiving without a rear shock.

While I have it on my bike I purposely see how long I can go without using it in order to improve my skills.

I have been using Stan's forever. A couple ounces every few months. I typically only have problems for the first 2-3 weeks as the bead gets acclimated. I don't lose anything on the trail, but after 2-3 days a new tire will be flat. I just pump it back up and ride. After 3-4 of those it will hold the air for weeks.

If you can do a 60, you can finish the EB. Adding in the trails is a good idea. The WC > BCGB gets you a lot of saddle time without having to stress, definitely a leg stretcher as it is all down hill for the most part and racks your miles up. You're already ~10 miles in before you hit any real technical trail.

Also, if people cut the track, and many do either on accident or on purpose, they are only cheating themselves. In my opinion we only need to care about the “winners” - if you want to claim the top spot then you need to be able to prove you rode it all. For everyone else, it’s really all about you.

I have finished it four years in a row, so my gut says that most riders in Austin probably could, I am not an expert rider by any means. 

Make it harder? No. If you want more of a challenge then ride the nutcracker or another longer ride. Don’t make it easier, don’t make it harder. Nobody ever says “hey, how about the Indianapolis 600...”

i would be all for an EB+ route for people who want more of a challenge, but the current configuration is a sweet spot with most able to finish it in <12 hours. 

Trust me, it is not too easy. When we get to the point of having too many riders then maybe that becomes a consideration but we are a long way from there. 

My thought on this is that the hardest part is not the ride, it is the saddle time. My legs made it with no problem but my ass was the thing I had the most challenges with. 

My recommendation is start training, start riding long distances. 40miles. 50. 60. And so on. If you can get yourself used to riding 60 miles befor the event, you can do 80 miles on the day. 

Chamois butter is sold in single serving sizes, bring a couple with you. I cannot overstate the shorts issue.  Shoes as well. 

I put bar ends on so I have extra positions for my hands to keep things fresh. 

The trail did not change as much from the concrete path, but the "typical route" did. Most people just rode the standard race loop so they were typically going in the same direction because of habit. The path changed some of that, but now most people ride a new typical route.

I started my training because I will be out of town for a big chunk of time between now and the EB. Most of my training rides will be weekdays. If anyone wants to join, ping me. My typical route will be from central Austin to the GB, up 360, all of the steep climbs, a lap around CP and then back. ~50 miles and 3K+ of climbing. That will put you in shape.

Doubtful, I believe he left Austin a few years back. Most likely not by chopper.