In a comment to my Birthday Ride post Keith asked the following question. The answer is long so I am posting it here instead of in a comment. Oh, and I only speak as me, not as an expert.

A note about Keith: I rode with him and his son on an organized ride not too long ago on the LLT. Well, let me tell you, he is fast. We sort of competed in the last 5 miles and he was a bullet, out of my site in no time, and I did not see him again until the finish. I should be asking him this question.

Keith’s Question:

Which improvement has added the most, in you opinion, to your average mph on you LWB?
1. Rotor Rings __
2. Clip-on shoes/pedals ___
3. Fairing ___
4. Aerotrunk ____
5. Engine “Break in” Mileage ____
6. ________ other _____

Answer:

1. Engine “Break in”
In case you don’t know, the “engine” refers to the rider. So, about me: I retired in June, turned 66 years old in October and currently ride 100 to 170 miles per week. I weigh 250 pounds, up from 245 a couple months ago but I can wear pants that were too tight then. I think I have lost fat but gained body mass. Since the first of the year my max heart rate has increased from about 162 to 174 (watching my heart rate flat-line on the Garmin’s data plot). Since I retired, my bike performance has significantly improved.

Since I just started riding last summer I am in the high-slope portion of the engine improvement curve. Since June I have been riding a lot, anywhere from 100 to 170 miles a week. I will very likely hit 4,000 miles for the year and will target between 5,000 and 10,000 for next year. Since June my average speeds have gone from 14 mph to 17 or 18 mph. Of course the type of ride (training, family, social, etc) helps determine the speed. When training or riding alone I regulate my effort by monitoring my heart rate. Early in the year I kept the rate low to build a strong base. Later I did sprints and then longer and longer periods at higher speeds. I pay special attention to nutrition; consuming sufficient protein to build my legs during and after the ride. I also make sure I take off-days between rides (I consider the Sunday ride with the family a rest day). I remember someone’s comment that you don’t build muscles while riding, you build muscles while resting.

2. Fairing
Adding a fairing gave me an instant improvement in speed, especially into a head wind. I’d say 1.5 to 2 mph increase at 17 to 20+ mph. It also improved my riding comfort, especially during the winter. As a result I rode more. I only have a fairing on the Stratus XP, but I mostly train on the Rocket (except when cold). When I train I am more concerned about effort/heart rate and not absolute speed. When speed is important to me then the fairing is a must, e.g. when riding with faster riders. However, if my next bike is extremely aerodynamic, e.g. Corsa (?), then maybe I will not bother with a fairing for it (of course a fairing is still nice in cold weather whether aerodynamic or not). If my next bike is an X-Stream (not as high a BB) then maybe yes to a fairing.

3. Q-Rings
I have not had these long enough to really tell if they have contributed to an improvement or not. However, they are candy to my legs. My normal ride is 32 miles which I try to do 2 or 3 times a week (currently I’m training my wife and riding with her every other day; tomorrow we will ride 16 miles; getting her ready for the birthday ride on 1 November). Then there is my Saturday ride, which was 62 miles but after installing Q-Rings is now 82 miles with about the same fatigue. After my experience with Q-rings I’m thinking about Rotor Rings for my next bike, whatever/whenever that will be. I instantly liked the feel of the Q-rings.

4. Clipless
I’d buy clipless shoes and pedals with any bike except maybe for some very low BB bents to ride in town. I’m not sure of the effect upon average mph but I do know that I am more comfortable approaching 30 mph when clipped in (it is a little scary to have a foot fall at that speed). It seems to me that when pulling as well as pushing on the pedals I reach a little higher speed a little quicker. Pulling up definitely helps me obtain a more circular motion and more constant pressure instead of impulse/pumping. Pulling up may just help me mentally define the spinning circle.

I use combination platform/clipless pedals. It is clear that I can maintain a higher average speed for longer distances when I have the ability to unclip, place the platform side at my instep and, thus, relieve hot foot or other leg stress; sometimes turning my feet at a slight angle and sometimes placing them a little further out on the platform (obtaining a slightly greater distance between feet). It is a little like taking a break while still riding.

5. Aerotrunk
Not sure where this goes in the list of desired improvements but it probably adds a little speed when approaching 30 mph. I don’t know about the speed improvement but my Stratus XP looks naked without it.

Saturday, I passed a couple on the trace. I was on the blue Stratus XP with the blue Aerotrunk wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt.

Me: “On your left. Good Morning”
She: “Awesome”
Me: “Thank You”
Me: (back over my shoulder)
“You do mean the bike. Right?”
Husband: (Still laughing as I sped over the top of the hill)

They caught up while I was stopped, talking to a friend having a snack.

As they approached:
She: “Mr. Awesome!”

They stopped and talked and I met a most enjoyable couple. I then rode with them for a while. They live about an hour away and were in the area visiting their son. I hope to run into them again soon, but will probably see him at the Long Leaf Trace Birthday Ride on 1 November. She has other commitments.

So, speed improvement or not I’m not giving up my Aerotrunk.

Additional comments:

For me the number one factor for performance on an individual ride (of 1 hour or more) is proper nutrition/hydration (with a given bike configuration). I drink enhanced water (GU, Gateraid, etc) on the bike and eat something every hour, maybe stopping for 5 or 10 minutes. This is not so much a rest stop as a bathroom/nutrition/refill-water-bottle break. My performance does not tend to decrease as I ride if I feed my body what it needs. Of course this may not be true if I were to ride farther. On a recent 82 mile ride my fastest average (17+mph) was over the last 30 miles. The reason I pay so much attention to nutrition is that I bonked bad once; actually lost muscle mass that took months regaining.

I think an important factor for conducting or evaluating your improvement/training is to be aware of your body’s state of being. Earlier this month I got up just after sunrise, gathered up my gear, snacks, water, etc and went outside to prep my bike. As I started down the drive way I checked my heart rate and it read 58. I had a great ride, all the energy I needed and I pushed my speed and distance a bit. About two months ago I started out and my heart rate was 130+ and I had just reached the trace. My body must have been dealing with something but it was not the bike ride. I just took it easy and forgot about training that day instead of feeling bad over stifled performance. I use my average speed as an indicator of condition/performance and not for a rush, but maybe for just a little bit of one.

My current riding goals:

I would like to be able to ride with some people I know at their 20 to 22 mph average. I don’t want them to have to slow down for me. However, I am not a speedster. I do not care if I ever hit 40 down hill. 30 is fast enough.

I would like to go on week-long tours traveling up to 100 miles per day. Maybe one day going on a really long tour. I would like for my wife to join me.

I would like to experience more recumbent bikes and recumbent innovations.

I want to meet more people with recumbent grins, on rides and at organized gatherings.

I look forward to what tomorrow brings.
Gary

Another perfect day. The ride was short but the enjoyment was not. Here are three observations from the ride.

New Rule

Jeanne says it’s OK to clash if you have at least 3 clashing colors.

New Animal on the Trace

It was good having Kurt join us again for a ride. It has been a while.

New Love

This was on the inside wall of the tunnel under 7th street. Jenna must be a biker, a skater, a walker, or someother trace user (we hope). We don’t know what their song is but we do know where their tunnel is. The word cut off in the photo is “cake”, not “coke”.

Ran into Joon on the trace
Wednesday and we rode to Sumrall together. That is an hour to an hour and a half one way. Nutrition, and drinking, is important when riding and I try to snack every hour and maybe some nuts and berries while on the bike. On this ride I had some Boost and a couple bananas with me. At the turn-around rest stop, i.e. Sumrall, I asked Joon if he had any food and he didn’t. I got onto him for improper care and then offered a banana which he took. On the ride back to Hattiesburg he said he wanted to buy me lunch at Mug Shots. (I’ve got to start carrying more bananas when I ride.) I protested but then he said it was because of my birthday last Saturday. I said OK. Then he suggested I call Jeanne and invite her. Oh yea, my birthday, that’s right. When the 3 of us ride together Jeanne and Joon almost always ride side-by-side and talk politics. She likes that because she can rehash all the stuff she has already made me memorize (just kidding; kind of).

Where is Joon’s wife Suki during all these bike rides? She still works. Poor Suki. When just Joon and I ride we mostly talk about bikes, religion, and personal history. Joon has a lot of personal history. He was born in a very poor Korean village, so poor that during the Korean war nobody bothered them, from either side, even though the village was not that far from the border. His family had meat 2 or 3 times a month and the rest of the time ate mostly rice soup (I never ever try to tell any hard-luck stories to Joon. They would probably sound like a vacation). Suki is from north Korea and is very independent minded, and the two of them do not share political views. He and Jeanne do, however. Instant camaraderie.

Back to the ride. I called Jeanne and we agreed she would meet us and I would call her when we got close. In the meantime Joon and I talked religion just a tiny bit. I said, "If I forced my family to worship me, what would you think of me?" Joon said: " I’d think that you’d have a better chance than me." (paraphrased)

The lunch was nice, another perfect day. He and Jeanne talked politics and I enjoyed the $8 burger.

My bike takes a break in Prentiss at the halfway point.

Had a great birthday ride yesterday. I became 66 years old and did 83 miles in celebration. It was mostly on the Long Leaf Trace (LLT), riding from home (1.1miles) to the USM campus (Hattiesburg) to Prentiss (40 miles) and return. The weather was sunny, with clouds, and cool. I saw 9 other recumbents on the trail with 9 other oversized grins.

I also met several people enjoying the day at the rest stops, at the three stops I visited. Upper left: Retired and doing part-time maintenance work for the trace organization. Left: Not retired but riding to slow down the advance of a serious medical condition and for general health. Above: Not retired, still practicing law, Bobby was the lawyer involved with obtaining the land for the trace. They even named one of the stops after him. He was riding an electric assist bike called an E-bike which would be nice on the tough hills. I greatly enjoyed the conversations with these and the others I met.

It was a strong day for me; I think my leg muscles have advanced a notch. My average for the last 30 miles was the best of the ride, i.e. a little over 17 mph. (I was not particularly pushing but tried to keep my heart rate between 125 and 133, most often 125. My max heart rate is probably a little over 160) Maybe paying attention to nutrition and especially protein intake is paying off; along with taking rest days. On this trip I ate/drank chocolate milk, Boost with extra protein, Gu, bananas, electrolyte water, and a beef burger with milk shake for lunch. I ate every hour and at the turn-around. I drank plenty of the electrolyte-water mix while on the bike. I had no body issues and felt great afterwards, felt better than if I’d watched TV on my go-to-sleep couch all day.

I rode my Stratus XP. That is one smooth ride. I do like the low BB for long rides although I ride my Rocket up to 10 times as often (lately) for twice the total miles. The Rocket is my choice for short rides (especially off the trail). For example, I rode it Friday for 2 miles to lunch with a pre-retirement work mate (his treat, thanks Wayne).

Back to the Stratus. I’m faster on it than on the Rocket, at least for the long mileage. I’m sure some of the increase in speed is due to add-ons and not just new muscles. I already had a fairing and an AeroTrunk and just added Q-Rings. And TerraCycle idlers. This was my first really long ride after installing the Q-Rings in September. They are not round but are elliptical and smooth out the impulse when pedaling and are generally more efficient in the application of power. My legs did not burn on this trip and my knees did great, maybe due to the new rings. (I did pay particular attention to relaxing my feet and leg muscles not directly delivering power, something I learned a long time ago when running. Also my shoulders and arms.) I had also oiled the chain before the ride. I can’t get over how easily I reached 20-mph-plus speeds. It would be interesting to know what the bike would do with a better motor, or one that weighs less than 250 pounds. Maybe I’ll find out if I continue to lose weight.

Most peoples’ favorite downhill run on the LLT? Perhaps the 6 miles from Carson to Prentiss! Too bad that wasn’t part of my last-30-mile average.

It was a great day and a great ride. I still smile just thinking about it and the fun continued with Jeanne, Kurt, Kevin, Regina (Kevin’s wife), and Robbin (Regina’s brother) waiting at home to celerbrate.

What’s Kevin smiling at? Could it be … me? you’ll have to click the small picture to see. I told Jeanne I didn’t want a cake but she insisted and there was singing (you know the song), candle blowing, and cake eating (of sorts). I didn’t hate it.

BROL post and replies.

On BROL someone posted a link to a “Recumbents for Obama” button on the Democratic Stuff web site. It is exactlly the kind of thing my politically minded wife likes. I sent her the link, across the room, and asked her if she would like one. My thank-you post back to the originator on BROL explains how things went from that point on.

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So I asked my wife if she wanted a $1.00 button. Well, she wanted 10, plus 2 T-shirts. She asked me if I wanted a T-shirt. I first said no but her reaction told me that was the wrong answer. I ordered a long sleeved one since I have been thinking about covering my arms on the sunny days. Needless to say, that $1.00 button quickly became $75. My wife thanks you for the link which she sent to Janis of our friends Jim and Janis in Texas. Sorry Jim.
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