I had an appointment with an agent this morning who said he would show me a property at Kasinay. I biked through Quarry Road and went up via Ynares Avenue. You turn right after passing through Sunnyvale 2.
I broke my chain on my way up here the first time. Its only 200 meters ascent. So it has been awhile since and never really tried to climb this. The road look unbikeable to me. I had a road bike with me and its largest cog was only 34t.
But climbed I did and there was no tulak.
Then the agent did not come on time and he was late for 20 minutes> I did two laps from Barangay Hall to Kasinay Macamot intersection twice. And if you have gone this way, this place is a place to practice your climbing skills
The video that you are about to watch explains why we need to: 1. lighten our bike (buy a bike whose parts: wheel sets, frame, tires, BB, fork, headset must be light. 2. why we should exercise some more, diet etc. to lose weight. We spend about $2/gram that we say (about $2,000 for every kg. That is lot. It should be easier and cheaper to lose weight of the engine (the biker)
VM Jun Vic mentions this findings very often. This justifies why he opts for lighter bikes and wheel sets/tires always
There was an experiment conducted. One bike was used and rode up 8% gradient, for a minute and the power was measured. Two rides were made: the basic bike (about 16 lbs) and for the second ride, 2.6 kg water bottle was added. Two rides were made: one at 8 kph, and second at 16 kph The second rider who was bulkier repeated the ride.
What were the findings?
1. For the first rider, riding at 8 kph and 16 kph, doubling the speed added output of about 40 watts. The heavier bike (or the water bottles) increased the power output by 9 watts. That is huge
2. For the second rider who was heavier results were the same for the heavier and lighter bike. However, his heavier mass caused an increase of 40 watts. Hence, if you are overweight, or not lean, you tend to tire out faster because you have to have higher output.
3. We should rid our bikes of unnecessary weight and excess baggage. You now know why TDF riders dispose of most of their water bottles prior to a climb. For TT riders, the advice is not to bring tools or spares or even a water bottle. That is to conserve energy
Advice
1. Work on the engine, reduce body weight by eating healthy foods, going to the gym, cross exercise, push ups, crunches or doing cross exercises: swimming, jogging etc
2. Lighten your bike. But lighter interior, wheelsets, chain, pedals, shoes. On a slow staggered basis. Unti unti. EVERYDAY WE MUST IMPROVE
I originally bought the SAVA 580 MTB for the following purposes:
1. use in buying pan de sal and doing other errands;
2. to use in island tours with Molong; a high end MTB neighbor.
3. to go back to Sagada or Legazpi in the future
4 to assist a group of MTB who does the last mile in relief and rescue operations.
I still want to be a roadie considering the challenge of riding an MTB though how light it is (12.5 kg) However as I ride the MTB I know that I have to learn a lot of things.:
1. Essential skills: climbing, bunny hop, drifting, (from skidding) how to take switchbacks, endo, doing the willie, etc. pumping (unweighting and weighting the bike as you do the uneven trails.
2. Some tips:
Thus I see many MTB riders have this configuration, it ergonomic
1. Angle your brakes downward and not level as you get from the store. Dapat ergo friendly bike. I did this all ready with my bike
2. Observe the proper seat height (as in roadie). So that there is more power; a low set cramps your legs, thighs and you cant deliver much power
3. As much as possible, have short stem and low head post for proper balance
4. There is a huge difference in handling with lighter bike, more agile, faster (so a 12.5 kg bike which I have is better than l6 kg bike (for those who prefer cheaper versions)
5. No clips, or cleats is better than with cleats as you can easily avert falls if your feet are free.
6. Wear helmet and protective gear: knee and elbow protector
