Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have the Pluses on all my bikes ranging from 25mm up to 38mm, great tyre, though some like @fossyant think they are the creation of the devil

you can add me in on that as well... had 1 on my expedition bike for a while. Hated the thing; it was horrible - handling went to pot as well. Actually preferred the Marathon Extremes to the Marathon pluses! now on Durano pluses on my road bike and very happy with the grip and fairy resistance!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

They are. For use by farmers. Even my MTB tyres are half the weight of Marathons.

you can add me in on that as well... had 1 on my expedition bike for a while. Hated the thing; it was horrible - handling went to pot as well. Actually preferred the Marathon Extremes to the Marathon pluses! now on Durano pluses on my road bike and very happy with the grip and fairy resistance!

Caught two little fish .

We need a fishing smiley

 

[Mo1959]

you can add me in on that as well... had 1 on my expedition bike for a while. Hated the thing; it was horrible - handling went to pot as well. Actually preferred the Marathon Extremes to the Marathon pluses! now on Durano pluses on my road bike and very happy with the grip and fairy resistance!

Ditto. Whilst they may not be the lightest out there, they fill you with confidence. Grip well and as puncture resistant as a reasonably rolling road tyre can be expected to be I think.

 

[brand]

As I have said many times before if you only use Marathon Plus you will never notice the difference! I have just put my 3rd pair on last week and I have 1 pair left. I never notice the difference, well I wouldn't do! Have you ever thought you are looking for faults? Other than weight (fair one). I bet the difference in handling is imaginary.
The only other tyres I use are the schwalbe spikes in the winter which clearly have advantages.

 

[brand]

You want to be reducing calories over the same work rate to show an improvement as your body is becoming more efficient, using more just shows you worked harder, a good way to work out how hard you worked and this will include everything, divide your avg hr by your max hr for example, I have a known max of 183 (work out my age from that if you want) this is from a couple of readings over time so is not a spike, so todays riding of
39.9miles avg sp 14.93mph 1624ft elev 40.7ft/mile 10-12mph n or ne winds avg cad of 82rpm avg hr 140.25 % of max hr 76.64% cals 2341 cals/mile 58.67
wed
53.23miles avg sp 15.66mph 1525ft elev 28.65ft/mile wind 5-6 mph s/se avg cad 85rpm avg hr 143 % of max 78.14% cals 2784 cals/mile 52.3

So I actually worked harder on wed than today but was more efficient, is this due to the wind probably, plus I was carrying extra weight in panniers for 10 miles today

Huh
nine sprechen sie deutsch!
I don't like smiley faces but
I get the gist you go for 39.9miles ride and spend an hour working out how well you did. Okay an exaggerated.
When I got a bit of Arthritis I decided to use a ski machine so my knee wasn't knackered for a game of Rugby on Saturday. I put in the settings and never changed them age weight stayed the same. Although my weight didn't change anyway if I was able to burn more calories in 1 hour session then my ability/fitness had improved. I could break off from the scrum and get to the break down. Instead of waiting for the next break down to come to me. I could see that my fitness had improved as the machine showed an increase calorie consumption and my fitness on the pitch.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@brand most of us can burn more calories in an hour just by working harder, it doesn't necessarily mean you are fitter. If you do the same work load over the same time and use less calories your fitter as your body is converting stored energy into used energy more efficiently, providing everything else is the same, which in cycling never is.

 

[brand]

@brand most of us can burn more calories in an hour just by working harder, it doesn't necessarily mean you are fitter. If you do the same work load over the same time and use less calories your fitter as your body is converting stored energy into used energy more efficiently, providing everything else is the same, which in cycling never is.

Yes but if you can burn more calories in an hour then that also means your fitter as you are able to convert more calories in an hour. If you do the same work load and use less calories then your not pushing yourself although that is very very good way of measuring an improvement... all things being equal? which you say and are and obviously correct, never are. So why not just keep it simple. I just did an hours ride and used 250 calories. Up to now I was never capable of burning 250 calories in an hour so I am fitter.
My point is you cannot sort out all the variables so don't bother keep it simple. OR use an exercise bike every now and again (always on the same programme) to see if you have got fitter.
This worked for me when recovering from an illness. Each day I would set a programme some times different ones. Also setting time and calories. When I got to the hour I noted the calorie consumption. As the calories used increased I was clearly get fitter.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Yes but if you can burn more calories in an hour then that also means your fitter as you are able to convert more calories in an hour. If you do the same work load and use less calories then your not pushing yourself although that is very very good way of measuring an improvement... all things being equal? which you say and are and obviously correct, never are. So why not just keep it simple. I just did an hours ride and used 250 calories. Up to now I was never capable of burning 250 calories in an hour so I am fitter.
My point is you cannot sort out all the variables so don't bother keep it simple. OR use an exercise bike every now and again (always on the same programme) to see if you have got fitter.
This worked for me when recovering from an illness. Each day I would set a programme some times different ones. Also setting time and calories. When I got to the hour I noted the calorie consumption. As the calories used increased I was clearly get fitter.

I was in hospital April 4-6, and I have just completed 490 miles between 16/04-02/05 an avg of 35 miles for each day ridden avg speed various, however my avg hr% of max has gone done from 85% to 76%, if you really want I can tell you how hard each ride was ft/mile cals used hence cals per/mile per hr ect, so I know from varies bits of data how one ride compares with another, and how i felt on each ride, as some rides you do well some you dont, tiredness comes into, then it becomes the ability to keep going which is also a sign of fitness, there are to many things in CYCLING that effect things, riding a stationary training proves nothing on the road.

 

[brand]

I was in hospital April 4-6, and I have just completed 490 miles between 16/04-02/05 an avg of 35 miles for each day ridden avg speed various, however my avg hr% of max has gone done from 85% to 76%, if you really want I can tell you how hard each ride was ft/mile cals used hence cals per/mile per hr ect, so I know from varies bits of data how one ride compares with another, and how i felt on each ride, as some rides you do well some you dont, tiredness comes into, then it becomes the ability to keep going which is also a sign of fitness, there are to many things in CYCLING that effect things, riding a stationary training proves nothing on the road.

That is kind of the point! An exercise bike is a reliable measure of improvement.
Now bugger of I am going to the pub and I don't care how long it takes to get there but I will note all the variables for the way home and relate them to the time taken and see if theres been an improvement (all things considered).

 

[Nigelnaturist]

For example the riding I did yesterday (as a total) was more than twice as difficult as Wednesdays per mile diffculty/mile 5.77 compared with 11.56 (or 28.65ft/mile and 40.7ft/mile but I also rode further), yet my %hrmax was down from 78.14% on Wed to 76.64% yesterday, however I used 58.67cals/mile yesterday compared with 52.3 on Wed and I used 818.23 cals an hr on Wed and 876.23 cals an hr yesterday,
So the ride yesterday was harder, and I used more cals per hr and per mile, but I used them with a lower heart rate, so it stands to reason I was fitter yesterday than Wed, if you want I will give you the avg cals per H.B.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

That is kind of the point! An exercise bike is a reliable measure of improvement.
Now bugger of I am going to the pub and I don't care how long it takes to get there but I will note all the variables for the way home and relate them to the time taken and see if theres been an improvement (all things considered).

I give up, I dont particularly care about it, I just log my rides the database does the rest, I ride because I enjoy it.
By the way its you that is "Buggering off" if your off to the pub.

 

[welsh dragon]

Wow. Just wow.

 

[Mo1959]

That is kind of the point! An exercise bike is a reliable measure of improvement.
Now bugger of I am going to the pub and I don't care how long it takes to get there but I will note all the variables for the way home and relate them to the time taken and see if theres been an improvement (all things considered).

Remember and ask the barman how many calories are in your beer

 

[welsh dragon]

Remember and ask the barman how many calories are in your beer

nice one Mo1959

 

[Stonechat]

I distinctly feel after all recent rides much better than I did after lesser rides a few months back
I feel I could work harder at my rides, but not sure how much it matters