sore knees
- Thread starter k turner
- Start date
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purplemoon
New Member
- Location
- Cambs/Suffolk
Crackle said:
It might help if you'd actually attached the file to the email
Crackle - I will PM you my email address. It would be easier and quicker than trying to ride with one hand while studying my watch!
Left leg is the bad one so I mount on the right hand side, offside, facing the bike, and the pavement edge helps me on the saddle. If there is no pavement, I just do one spin with the left leg and hop up, pulling the bike under me with my hands and counteract the righthand wobble by pulling the left hand quickly at the same time putting the right foot on ready to push quickly so I dont stop and fall over. May sound complicated, but I am used to falling and climbing on and off a moving pony. Got to get him to stand some day.
I will sit on a cushion counting teeth tonight. My bike has 3 front gears and 7 back ones, if you can save me the counting. I am not sure I understand the colours in your example,but do understand you must not put a diagonal pull to avoid strain, so I stay in the middle four of the seven all the time and have started changing small and middle on the front.
Left leg is the bad one so I mount on the right hand side, offside, facing the bike, and the pavement edge helps me on the saddle. If there is no pavement, I just do one spin with the left leg and hop up, pulling the bike under me with my hands and counteract the righthand wobble by pulling the left hand quickly at the same time putting the right foot on ready to push quickly so I dont stop and fall over. May sound complicated, but I am used to falling and climbing on and off a moving pony. Got to get him to stand some day.
I will sit on a cushion counting teeth tonight. My bike has 3 front gears and 7 back ones, if you can save me the counting. I am not sure I understand the colours in your example,but do understand you must not put a diagonal pull to avoid strain, so I stay in the middle four of the seven all the time and have started changing small and middle on the front.
Auntie Helen
Ich bin Powerfrau!
- Location
- 47906 Kempen, Germany
Just got in from a nice hour's cycle ride where I diced with death a couple of times getting my stopwatch working. Not dicing with death with traffic (there's none around here) rather the inability I have (same for my husband) to look down/at the back tyre/at one's watch without veering off to the right. Anyway, with a few near misses on the right hand verge I discovered that my cadence seems to be about 62ish on the flat, 70ish on hills (not really steep hills, there were none of them on today's ride, hurrah).
That's clearly a lower cadence than everyone says is most efficient but it feels really comfortable for me. Is there a difference with trikes and the fact that I have smaller wheels or do I need to face the fact that my technique needs considerable improvement?
Thanks for the spreadsheet Crackle, I will study it now!
That's clearly a lower cadence than everyone says is most efficient but it feels really comfortable for me. Is there a difference with trikes and the fact that I have smaller wheels or do I need to face the fact that my technique needs considerable improvement?
Thanks for the spreadsheet Crackle, I will study it now!
Back from feeding deliquent ADHA pony in one piece.
Auntie Helen - isnt it easier to look at the front wheel than the back one?
Cant avoid the hills here, as I do the same route everyday, 8-12 minutes to do the mile there and 6-8 coming home. Wish it was the other way round I am not warmed up till I get there and those hills are murder at 6am. Are hills easier in a trike, I nearly bought one for stability but seem to be managing ok.
Crackle - well my batteries on light/computer are dead after only using it half a dozen times, but from previous rides I can judge the following: 9 to 11mph in small ring in front and 3 and 4 on back ring. Coming home on the flat using middle ring in front and 3 and 4 on back. On the flat I dont struggle with the middle ring, only when the hills are too steep then I do about 4-5mph on small ring with 2 or 3 on back. The numbers on the handles are up to 3 and 7, so 21 speed. Will you tell me how you work that out and I will get counting teeth after I have eaten. I teach computers so I will be fine on Excel formulas.
If I cant get it sorted, my ponys childsharer is back on Wednesday or Thursday from holiday and she can do the watch thing.
Auntie Helen - isnt it easier to look at the front wheel than the back one?
Cant avoid the hills here, as I do the same route everyday, 8-12 minutes to do the mile there and 6-8 coming home. Wish it was the other way round I am not warmed up till I get there and those hills are murder at 6am. Are hills easier in a trike, I nearly bought one for stability but seem to be managing ok.
Crackle - well my batteries on light/computer are dead after only using it half a dozen times, but from previous rides I can judge the following: 9 to 11mph in small ring in front and 3 and 4 on back ring. Coming home on the flat using middle ring in front and 3 and 4 on back. On the flat I dont struggle with the middle ring, only when the hills are too steep then I do about 4-5mph on small ring with 2 or 3 on back. The numbers on the handles are up to 3 and 7, so 21 speed. Will you tell me how you work that out and I will get counting teeth after I have eaten. I teach computers so I will be fine on Excel formulas.
If I cant get it sorted, my ponys childsharer is back on Wednesday or Thursday from holiday and she can do the watch thing.
Nick1979
New Member
- Location
- London (SW11)
k turner said:
Most of the time (on road bikes at least), there is a number on each sproket/chainring telling you how many teeth there are!
As I said before, don't worry too much about the diagonal pull. Try to avoid it for long period of time if you can be bothered but this is much less important than having the right gear to keep your cadence high/constant. Just use your gears, don't worry, you won't break anything
Auntie Helen
Ich bin Powerfrau!
- Location
- 47906 Kempen, Germany
Front wheels, plural. I mean that I'm looking at the back wheel because perhaps I wonder if I've got a puncture or something, then I find myself swerving. I don't have a tendency to look at wheels per se, only when something significant might be happening!k turner said:
k turner said:Nick1979 - THANKYOU SO MUCH for that info, I wont have to count now. I was planning on putting a dab of nailpolish to remember my starting point, and envisaging a nightmare trying not to get dizzy counting.
Hopefully you can see the numbers but...... Most rear cassettes have a standard configuration. It might be enough to count the smallest and largest say 11-28. If it's a seven speed then this site (good old Sheldon), will give you most of the possible combos. So for instance the drop down list says for that range on a 7 speed it's likely to be 11-13-15-18-21-24-28.
As for your shifter indicators, they are merely that, an indication. They signify nothing about the gear you've chosen other than its relative place on the rear cassette/front chainring.
That said, it sound like you're riding a 26-30" gear which at 7-8 mph is a cadence of 80/90, which is perfectly respectable rhythm to aim for in all gears and terrains. If so, well done.
Oh wow, you have made me feel I am back in the land of the living, being at a respectable candence for a beginner. Six months ago I couldnt even climb the stairs in my house and slept in the lounge for a year. I still struggle now, but that is because my weight is on my feet. My mum doesnt understand how cycling can be no strain. Sitting on the pony is all bum and little leg work as well, I just need to keep him slow which is a constant battle. I only have weight through my legs when I stand up for a good stretch. So where is the spreadsheet and how do I do it myself?
Would anyone believe I forgot the attachment again 
