This continues a new category of posts: Guest columns where friends and readers share how technology is reshaping their hobby – basket weaving, rugby, running – whatever.
This time it is my "almost-neighbor" in Orlando, Paul Wiest of Siemens Enterprise Communications. Fairly intense hobby – some years he bicycles 4,500 miles!
“I started riding a road bike when I lived in East Tennessee 12 years ago. All I could manage then was 4 mile rides. Today if I don’t do at least 50 miles on a ride even in humid Florida where I now live, I feel that I haven’t done enough. During those dozen years I have put on over 35,000 miles and have done more then 30 rides of 100 miles or more. In that time frame, I have had chance to see interest in bikes really spike thanks to athletes like Lance Armstrong and his streak at the Tour de France (the picture with him was in the 2006 Ride for the Roses in Austin, TX) and that has also helped technology evolve rapidly in bikes.
The Bike Frame
Twenty years ago you had pretty much one or two options when it came to road bikes. You were able to purchase one made of steel or one made of aluminum. Today there are many more options available including titanium, carbon fiber (and even some made from bamboo!) Although some of the “old timers” still prefer steel frames because of the ride, most people today have moved to carbon fiber frames.
With carbon fiber you get better absorption of road vibrations and the bike is lighter. The first steel bike that I had weighed 25 lbs and the second bike, an aluminum one, weighed 19 pounds. Today my carbon fiber bike weighs 17 pounds.
In addition carbon fiber doesn’t rust – but if a frame cracks then you really don’t really have many repair options.
Components
Today there are essentially three main component suppliers to the biking community. They are Campagnolo ( Italy), Shimano (Japan) and Sram ( U.S.) -with Sram being a relatively new player.
You have the ability to purchase 3-4 different grades of components from each supplier. So Shimano has its S105 series for most low end road bikes, Ultegra in the middle and Dura-ace at the high-end. The major difference between the three are weight and cost. People have been known to spend thousands of dollars just to get an additional 100 or 200 grams of weight off a bike.
Additionally bikes have either a double or triple front derailleur and a rear cassette in which you have the option of having different gear sets depending upon the type of riding you do.
Clothing
The major function of clothing is to pull moisture away from your body and to keep you comfortable during the ride. Most modern cycling shorts are often made of spandex with chamois lining and with cuts that help cling to the skin. There are lots of brands of clothing that you can chose from but many serious riders today seem to wear a brand called Pearl Izumi.
Another area which has seen tremendous evolution is the helmet. Forty years ago helmets were just a leather cage which protected your head from scrapes and cuts should you fall but offered minimal impact protection. In the early 90’s a new construction technique was invented: in-mold microshell. In this process a very thin shell is incorporated into the molding process. This allows for larger vents (which keeps your head cool when its hot out) and the ability to make more complex helmet shapes. Additionally new fitting systems allow for micro adjustments so that you can achieve the optimum fit. Today Giro is the preferred helmet by many professional bike riders.
Training
In the last 5-10 years training has really become a science. Companies such as Vision Quest and Carmichael Training Systems (Lance’s Nutrition/Fitness Coach) have put together programs where you can target areas which you want to improve. These include burning fat, general nutrition, building strength and base training. Classes establish your base wattage burn and heart rate zones and then build on them using stationary bikes along with video.
Diet
Much has been learned about sugar highs and “hitting the wall” and bikers swear by food like carbs (like pasta) before a ride. Most professional riders today have their own nutrition coaches on staff to manage everything that they eat. Normally you figure that you need to consume about 27 ounces of water for each hour you ride just to keep hydrated and have an energy bar at least ever 2 hours of riding to keep your energy levels up. My personal preference is Cliff Bars for energy and Cytomax as the sports drink.
Cycling Clubs
If you are just starting to ride, I would recommend that you consider joining a cycling club. The advantages of riding with a club are that you get to meet new friends, have somebody to help fix your bike if you breakdown during a ride. Most clubs have low dues ($25 a year or less). Additionally there are lots of touring rides available where you ride across a state over 5-7 days. One of the more well known rides RAGBRAI which stands for Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is held in July and has up to 10.000 riders. Of course, clubs are also evolving into Web 2.0 social networks like WorldCommute.com
Tracking
Most clubs have weekly scheduled rides along with a ride leader and provide ride maps at the beginning of each ride. But trip planning has gone electronic. I use BikeRouteToaster to plan my trip then upload to my Garmin GPS. Then at end of trip I overlay my route on Google Earth and re-live the ride. Surprisingly, GPS has not caught on with riders – I estimate only about 2-3 percent of riders have GPS units today as costs are still relatively high $200-600 for a unit as compared to a standard cycling computers cost of $35. But with cheap cycling applications in the iPhone store, I imagine we will see that change rapidly.
Summary
As I mentioned, I started with a 4 mile ride and have kept going. Cycling is generally a low cost sport. Once you purchase the bike (which can cost from $500 to $6000 dollars) there really isn’t continuing costs like you would find with golfing, skiing, etc.
Hope to see you on a ride some day.”
Comments