those look like the ones!!! I went from talking Tarkatina out of them to thinking I want a pair now!!! Im such a douche!
These Are supposed to be good also. Something about no moving parts in the mechanism… and they function longer with cleat wear… still expensive!!
regular clipless is just as good and half the price. next you’ll be talking about trying to score a pair of Cinelli M71’s.
Yeah those MKS’s are a bit of a solution to the fact that you have to scrounge for cleats on the PD-7400’s.
I do know a few people who are really die-hard about them at the track but all in all I think I want a pedal that I can use track and road, and having to be extremely careful about walking on the road on a cleat that will never be back in production seems like no fun. I guess I could still ride the DA pedals for 2 weeks on the street and flip it at profit though…
[quote=“jitensha!”]regular clipless is just as good and half the price[/quote] The keywins have a lock so you cant pull out… otherwise yes the same, and admittedly unnecessary…
The mks exas are possibly the biggest hassle ever. Not only do you have to clip in AND tighten straps but you have to loosen straps AND manually release the cleat to get out. Definitely worthless for anything other then your most important tt/pursuit of the year.
WOW! Just did my first LSD ride! I had a 38t chainring that I threw on my fixed gear with a 14t on the back… And it was too big! Its funny to think that anything with a 38t could be to big! Its only like 3gi smaller than the 48x17 I had on before! I think the 38x15 (68gi) should be close! I did about 40 miles and I felt that it was slightly more work than it should have been. I am going to set up a free week at a gym near here to make sure its not too crowded, and I should be able to start weights by Monday!
lsd? are you sure you were even riding the bike?
LSD = long slow distance
I’ve been hitting the weights since Tuesday! Fuck I’m sore! But come March/April I think I’m going to be much, much stronger than I am now as long as I can stick with the plan. Gotta weight train atleast 2x a week right now cuz I signed up for the class. Goal for next year is to upgrade to cat 3 track and start racing road!
Lets talk about this a little. Can you outline these workouts? and are you doing them after all 3 gym days?
I ride home hop on the rollers and spin as fast as I can in an 81 for 30s then I spin slow for a few minutes and repeat.
Thats what I thought… Thanks for clarifying!
Just did my second LSD ride today… 4.5 hours on 38x15 (68.4 gi). I was not wearing a hr monitor, but it felt pretty good. I think I could reduce the gearing even more. I didn’t feel like it was too hard, but I felt that my cadence could be higher… I am going to start my gym work on Monday…
I heard from somewhere or another that that traditional gear used by the pros in Europe for fixed gear winter/base training was 42x16… which is pretty close to what you were pushing.
ok just finished my first workout at the gym…
did some leg curls, a little rowing (for core) and spun on the stationary bike (for cadence). i was able to spin at 120 rpm for 5 minutes straight with a little resistance two times. eventually i want to move the rpm up and the resistance as well. not gonna overdo it since its my first day back at the gym.
So, I’m really interested to start traveling and track racing next year. I’ve got a great bike (I’ll need to get some clipless pedals though).
I’m about 20lbs overweight right now. What would you guys suggest doing to get in shape and ready to race some beginner races next year?
I’m also curious about racing in the drops is there a good way to measure where your drops should be in a racing position? Also, what is a typical track gear ratio?
I’m schooled in all things tarck but I really want to get serious about riding on the track as well.
Ps. I got new wheels:
Awwwww, shucks… but what if I wanna bike with tangerine trees under marmalade skies, perhaps occasionally seeing a girl with kaleidoscope eyes? Can I do that too?
But seriously, mad respect for all of you who’re hitting the weights hard, doin’ intervals and actually stickin’ with it. I don’t think I’ll ever have that sorta discipline. I’ll probably just keep ridin’ where I need to go without much prospect of hittin’ the 'drome anytime in the near future.
Just eyeing your setup, your bar to saddle drop looks a bit steep for cranking out 30 or 40 laps at the track strictly in the drops.
As far as bike fit, you can either go to a shop knowledgeable in track fitting, or personally make adjustments/gauge how they feel yourself. Obviously the second option is cheaper but the first is better in the long run. Handlebar width is also really important, I personally don’t like to go over a 38 or 39 or I feel like my arms are too spread out and the bike doesn’t feel right if I stand up to sprint.
Gearing, start out with a little above 80" and work from there. I really liked the 53x16 I was racing on last season but I also started training in it awhile before I started racing it so my legs were well adjusted. Never suddenly up the gearing before an event if you haven’t worked out in it before… recipe for disaster. Undergearing will help you learn bike handling on the track and staying proper in a paceline.
Base miles will be the perfect thing to get in better shape. Long slow distance… consistency is key, in both speed and regularity. For diet, cut out refined carbs. That’s about all I can think of off the top of my head.
I’m with Andre - I’d strongly suggest getting a positive rise stem. No offense, but anyone 20 lbs overweight is going to have trouble hanging out that low for a long time.
Likewise, I’d suggest lots of base miles and, of course, a proper diet. After just riding a lot, running is probably the second most important thing you can do if you want to be “in shape” by racing season. I lost nearly 40 lbs over the last two years without any real effort, only by commuting by bike and eating a lot less junk food. That is to say, those were the only two things I changed. Imagine what one can do with actual effort?
As stated, the drop on that concept will be tough on the track! Flip the stem, and if it is still to deep, swap out those track drops for road drop bars. While we are at it, put a book on top of that saddle, throw a level on it, and center the bubble! Otherwise the setup is fine. For now do base miles like everyone else said. I would also do a standard weightlifting routine, with 3 sets of 20 reps of all exercises. No need to crank out any really power oriented lifting, just get strong and build up a huge base! same goes for on the bike. lots of hours on the saddle, inside or out. Im averaging about 12 hours a week right now, never going above 140 bpm. Do this till january, then start on the bike strength training, and trying to get fast.
Andre and I differ on the best starting gear. I think 80gi is so small that it will make accelerating/decelerating too easy, that makes you a really choppy rider! I would just start with around 88gi. I am assuming you are going to do exactly what we have told you to do, so by the time you get on the track in Jan or feb you should be pretty strong and an 88 will be fine.
for me I just started my 4th week of lifting. I am really enjoying the gym work and the feeling of getting fit in a different way than on the bike. I am doing my first LSD century on friday, but I have been doing 70 miles twice a week for the last month.
I appreciate the answers guys. I’ll keep you updated. I just moved the saddle forward a bit and it feels better. There’s a school track nearby and I’m going to play around with the drops and stem fairly soon.
I’ve been riding around 12 miles a day (which isn’t a lot). I think I’m going to get a computer and keep better track of everything I do and keep a blog to hold myself accountable.
I’ve cut out caffeine and refined sugars recently. Refined carbs? What should avoid here? And what do you guys eat?
for base miles think “time” not “distance” a heart rate monitor would be a better investment at this stage of the game.
as far as diet goes: i cut out sugar. It seams to be a trigger for me. If i eliminate sugar as much as possible everything else seams easier. Limit your refined carbs, fats, blah blah blah, the usual. it all adds up! but for me sugar is the biggest step!
I would sooner die than give up caffeine/espresso!