Got back from Vacation at the end of March, ready to start ramping up the training. Unfortunately I came down with bronchitis, and was sick as a dog.
Being sick always creates the dilllema of not training and losing fitness, or training through and potentially getting sicker, or delaying recovery. Motivated athletes tend to want to continue to train, and will often push more than they should.
My Coach tends to favor resting and getting well. In the long run, a few missed days of training is better than dragging out the illness.
In this case I was sick enough that I didn't have a choice. When you have trouble breathing standing still, training at any intensity isn't really an option.
Unfortunately as the Bronchitis hung on, I didn't ride, other than a few recovery paced rides for 3 weeks.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Vacation Jackson Hole
Just as we had gotten some base in and ready to start beginning some real training, it was Spring Break, time to ski in Jackson Hole.
Jackson Hole is a beautiful place with lots of black and double black runs. We had tons of snow, over 4 feet of fresh powder for the week we were there.
From a training point of view, it wasn't cycling, but skiing all that deep powder and extreme terrain was definitely a workout.
Jackson Hole is a beautiful place with lots of black and double black runs. We had tons of snow, over 4 feet of fresh powder for the week we were there.
From a training point of view, it wasn't cycling, but skiing all that deep powder and extreme terrain was definitely a workout.
Starting Training.
When we commited to doing Everest challenge on the tandem, we knew we had a ton of work to get from our starting point to being prepared for EC.
I, Bob, at least had a decent base, having already logged a resonable number of miles and done a couple of early season races.
Deb, on the other hand, hadn't ridden with any regularity for a few years.
Also, I had done EC last year, and done a number of long events with climbing. ( Brasstown Bald Century, 1oth place 2005, 14th place 2007, L'Etape De Tour, Silver medal, for example.)
Conversely, Deb has never raced, and has never ridden a century. She has done some reasoably tough rides in the French Alps including climbing L'Alpe De Huez.
Together, we had never done more than 70 miles on the tandem. So it was of course a completely rational decision to sign up to do 2 100mile plus races on consecutive days with 29,000 feet of climbing.
First step was to start getting Deb some base miles. So we started doing some base endurance miles for her, gradually increasing her time on the bike for the first 3 weeks.
Also started working some drills for form. Fast pedal intervals (low gear,120 rpm) and one legged drills.
At the end of the 3rd week, also added muscle tension intervals. (Climbing in a big gear at 50-55 cadence.)
I, Bob, at least had a decent base, having already logged a resonable number of miles and done a couple of early season races.
Deb, on the other hand, hadn't ridden with any regularity for a few years.
Also, I had done EC last year, and done a number of long events with climbing. ( Brasstown Bald Century, 1oth place 2005, 14th place 2007, L'Etape De Tour, Silver medal, for example.)
Conversely, Deb has never raced, and has never ridden a century. She has done some reasoably tough rides in the French Alps including climbing L'Alpe De Huez.
Together, we had never done more than 70 miles on the tandem. So it was of course a completely rational decision to sign up to do 2 100mile plus races on consecutive days with 29,000 feet of climbing.
First step was to start getting Deb some base miles. So we started doing some base endurance miles for her, gradually increasing her time on the bike for the first 3 weeks.
Also started working some drills for form. Fast pedal intervals (low gear,120 rpm) and one legged drills.
At the end of the 3rd week, also added muscle tension intervals. (Climbing in a big gear at 50-55 cadence.)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The new Robusta
The bike was delivered within the time range they estimated. (8-12 weeks.) The bike was as spec'd (except for the tires which were spec'd as 25c, and came as 28c's.) Co-Motion did ship the wrong seatpost, and left out a shim for the stoker's stem. This was discovered Monday afternoon, and replacements were Fed Ex'd and delivered Tuesday morning.The Bike is going to fit correctly when its all dialed in, so the measuring/ordering process worked well. .The Bike is beautiful.
In my personal opinion the 2 tone fade worked out really nicely, and was worth the $100 upcharge. Unfortunately, there's a slight chip in the paint. I'm not too worked up about it. It was going to happen someday anyway. The LBS, however, is going to see if Co-Motion will do something by way of compensation. (ended up comping Deb a pair of shoes, )Weight is just about what I expected at 29lbs 14oz. Co-Motion specs it at 27.7. I'm sure they measure off a 21/18, and ours is a 22/19. Also, I'm sure they weighed one without an adjustable stoker stem.) Considering the slightly larger frame size, and adding 396 grams for two sets of speedplays (and the heavier 28c tires.) would indicate that Co-Motion's claimed weight would be in an acceptable tolerance range.
As for riding it, it is Night and Day between the Co-Motion and the Burley. 20lbs lighter and markedly stiffer, really shows up in accelerating the bike from stops and out of corners. The Burley is like a Dodge Durango, and the Co-Motion is like a Porsche.Cornering, it definitely turns in much quicker. The combination of the Alpha Q tandem fork, and FSA bar and stem is way more stiff than the Burley's setup. The Rolf wheels also feel plenty stiff even with the low spoke count.The Dura Ace brakes stop the bike extremely well, and I'm doubting the need for a disc now (but will reconsider that after some mountain rides.)I tried to purposely induce "stoker wag" (jumping on the pedals, intentionally leaning out of synch) and I really couldn't get the frame to flex, at least to any degree comparable to the Burley.So I guess this report tells you that a 2008 Co-Motion Robusta is light years ahead of a 1994 Burley Duet, which you probably could have guessed.Perhaps after some more rides I can post something a little more insightful.
We've put approximately 600 miles on the Robusta now, including some group rides with the Hammerheads, and some real climbing and descending, and we're starting to get comfortable with the bike.Some further impressions. It definitely handles more quickly than our previous tandems. I'm past feeling that it's twitchy, and starting to appreciate the quicker handling.It is definitely stiffer than the Burley.
At first I thought that the aluminum CO-Motion, with a rigid aluminum frame had a a harsher ride than our previous steel tandems. After getting used to it, the ride does not feel objectionally harsh at all, including riding on dirt roads. I would still likely opt for steel, ti, or possibly CF, if comfort was my number one priority.
Movement by the Stoker definitely has more of an effect on the Co-Motion than on our previous tandems. A little squirming form the back has more of an influence on direction, and is more perceptable to the Captain. I attribute this to 1) the bike's quicker steering, 2) being 20lbs lighter, and being stiffer (thus the movement is transmitted more directly.)As we ride the bike more it's not an issue, but I think it might be initially unsettling to inexperienced teams or people used to a more stable bike. I read one review of a Robusta where the reviewer was complaining about "Stoker wag" and lack of stiffness. In our experience the bike appears to be very stiff. I'm thinking that rather than experiencing flex in the frame, the other reviewer may have been experiencing the effect that the Stoker can have on a very light, stiff, quick steering tandem.
The bike is fast. 20lbs lighter, and wheels that are substantially more aero makes a perceptable difference. We've been able to pretty much keep up on rides with the local fast guys (including Cat 1-2 racers) that we wouldn't have a prayer on with the Burley.As for the Rolf Prima wheels so far so good. They seem acceptably stiff, and tough for our 350lb team weight. Cornering descending, and on fast group rides I haven't noticed unacceptable wheel flex. We also have ridden about 30 miles on them on mountainous unpaved roads without incident.The only time I noticed any flex in the wheel was muscling up a 15-20% grade out of the saddle, the front wheel seemed to be flexing under my effort/weight, but it also could have been the tire squirming.
As for the brakes, the bike brakes fine. However on a couple of descents the rims got very hot. The descents where the rims really heated up were the very first descents on bad pavement, and descending on a dirt road with some 17% sections. I'm thinking that in both of these instances I was braking a lot more than I would routinely do. At this point I'm still undecided on putting on a rear disc.
.All told, we love the bike, and would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a fast, light, quick handling tandem.
In my personal opinion the 2 tone fade worked out really nicely, and was worth the $100 upcharge. Unfortunately, there's a slight chip in the paint. I'm not too worked up about it. It was going to happen someday anyway. The LBS, however, is going to see if Co-Motion will do something by way of compensation. (ended up comping Deb a pair of shoes, )Weight is just about what I expected at 29lbs 14oz. Co-Motion specs it at 27.7. I'm sure they measure off a 21/18, and ours is a 22/19. Also, I'm sure they weighed one without an adjustable stoker stem.) Considering the slightly larger frame size, and adding 396 grams for two sets of speedplays (and the heavier 28c tires.) would indicate that Co-Motion's claimed weight would be in an acceptable tolerance range.
As for riding it, it is Night and Day between the Co-Motion and the Burley. 20lbs lighter and markedly stiffer, really shows up in accelerating the bike from stops and out of corners. The Burley is like a Dodge Durango, and the Co-Motion is like a Porsche.Cornering, it definitely turns in much quicker. The combination of the Alpha Q tandem fork, and FSA bar and stem is way more stiff than the Burley's setup. The Rolf wheels also feel plenty stiff even with the low spoke count.The Dura Ace brakes stop the bike extremely well, and I'm doubting the need for a disc now (but will reconsider that after some mountain rides.)I tried to purposely induce "stoker wag" (jumping on the pedals, intentionally leaning out of synch) and I really couldn't get the frame to flex, at least to any degree comparable to the Burley.So I guess this report tells you that a 2008 Co-Motion Robusta is light years ahead of a 1994 Burley Duet, which you probably could have guessed.Perhaps after some more rides I can post something a little more insightful.
We've put approximately 600 miles on the Robusta now, including some group rides with the Hammerheads, and some real climbing and descending, and we're starting to get comfortable with the bike.Some further impressions. It definitely handles more quickly than our previous tandems. I'm past feeling that it's twitchy, and starting to appreciate the quicker handling.It is definitely stiffer than the Burley.
At first I thought that the aluminum CO-Motion, with a rigid aluminum frame had a a harsher ride than our previous steel tandems. After getting used to it, the ride does not feel objectionally harsh at all, including riding on dirt roads. I would still likely opt for steel, ti, or possibly CF, if comfort was my number one priority.
Movement by the Stoker definitely has more of an effect on the Co-Motion than on our previous tandems. A little squirming form the back has more of an influence on direction, and is more perceptable to the Captain. I attribute this to 1) the bike's quicker steering, 2) being 20lbs lighter, and being stiffer (thus the movement is transmitted more directly.)As we ride the bike more it's not an issue, but I think it might be initially unsettling to inexperienced teams or people used to a more stable bike. I read one review of a Robusta where the reviewer was complaining about "Stoker wag" and lack of stiffness. In our experience the bike appears to be very stiff. I'm thinking that rather than experiencing flex in the frame, the other reviewer may have been experiencing the effect that the Stoker can have on a very light, stiff, quick steering tandem.
The bike is fast. 20lbs lighter, and wheels that are substantially more aero makes a perceptable difference. We've been able to pretty much keep up on rides with the local fast guys (including Cat 1-2 racers) that we wouldn't have a prayer on with the Burley.As for the Rolf Prima wheels so far so good. They seem acceptably stiff, and tough for our 350lb team weight. Cornering descending, and on fast group rides I haven't noticed unacceptable wheel flex. We also have ridden about 30 miles on them on mountainous unpaved roads without incident.The only time I noticed any flex in the wheel was muscling up a 15-20% grade out of the saddle, the front wheel seemed to be flexing under my effort/weight, but it also could have been the tire squirming.
As for the brakes, the bike brakes fine. However on a couple of descents the rims got very hot. The descents where the rims really heated up were the very first descents on bad pavement, and descending on a dirt road with some 17% sections. I'm thinking that in both of these instances I was braking a lot more than I would routinely do. At this point I'm still undecided on putting on a rear disc.
.All told, we love the bike, and would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a fast, light, quick handling tandem.
Ordering the Robusta
There were no Co-Motion dealers in Jacksonville. So we had a few choices; work with a dealer in Inverness Florida, or Birmingham Al, order the bike direct from Co-Motion, or work through our local bike shop.
The dealer in Inverness didn't stock tandems, and didn't have any particular tandem expertise. The dealer in Birmingham specialized in tandems, but did not stock Robustas. We considered flying to Birmingham and test riding other Co-Motions, but decided that it wasn't worth the time or money to test ride a different bike from what we would be getting, and the difficulty of dealing with a dealer 6 hours away.
Our local bike shop Champion Cycles was very willing to work with Co-Motion. We could have bought the bike directly from Co-Motion presumably gotten a little lower price. However working through Champion, we had them to help with measuring in the ordering process, and doing the setup and adjustment once the bike was delivered.
We ordered the bike in February, and it was delivered in May, within the 10-12 week timeframe Co-Motion estimated for delivery.
The dealer in Inverness didn't stock tandems, and didn't have any particular tandem expertise. The dealer in Birmingham specialized in tandems, but did not stock Robustas. We considered flying to Birmingham and test riding other Co-Motions, but decided that it wasn't worth the time or money to test ride a different bike from what we would be getting, and the difficulty of dealing with a dealer 6 hours away.
Our local bike shop Champion Cycles was very willing to work with Co-Motion. We could have bought the bike directly from Co-Motion presumably gotten a little lower price. However working through Champion, we had them to help with measuring in the ordering process, and doing the setup and adjustment once the bike was delivered.
We ordered the bike in February, and it was delivered in May, within the 10-12 week timeframe Co-Motion estimated for delivery.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Which Tandem?
We'd been debating getting a new tandem for a few years. While the Burley Duet was nice, getting on it always felt like a step down from our single bikes (Giant TCR Team Advanced, and a Canondale CAAD 7 with Ultegra.) To get something that would be asunstantial improvement on the Duet was going to be expensive, and we questioned whether we'd use it enough, and the improvement would be enough to justify the expenditure.
Once we committed to doing EC, the answer was clear, we had to get a new tandem, but which one? I had been researching it, looking at catalogs, asking advice in the tandem forum on www.bikeforums.net, looking for deals on Ebay, etc. for a couple of years.
There are several established companies that focus on tandems, most notably Co-Motion, www.co-motion.com, and Santana. Of the two, it appeared that Santana tends to be aimed a little more toward tourists, and fast recreational riders. Conversely, Co-Motion markets several tandems specifically intended for racing. Consistent with this, the general consensus seems to be that Santanas tend to be stable bikes that like to go straight, and that Co-Motions have quicker steering. Thus Co-Motions may feel unsteady at first, and to less experienced teams, but will corner more like a single racing bike. Given that we wanted a bike that road like a single racing bike as much as possible, Co-Motion was the best choice for us. (Also, we were just a touch put off by Santana's marketing hyperbole.)
Our priorities for the new tandem were: 1) lower weight, 2) stiffer, and 3) quick precise handling. For our criteria, the choice was between the Co-Motion Robusta, and the Macciato. Both are made of oversized aluminum tubing; the principal difference being that the Macciato is an open frame design with no lateral tube. Consequently the Macciato is 2.7 pounds lighter.
While saving 2.7lbs was seductive, we were concerned that the Macciato would not meet our desired stiffness requirement, with our team weight of 350lbs. When Gary at Co-Motion told us that a number of Co-Motion employees chose Robustas, that he was about my size and was getting a Robusta, and that he reccommended the Robusta for our size and use, the better part of valor prevaled, and we opted for the Robusta.
Once we committed to doing EC, the answer was clear, we had to get a new tandem, but which one? I had been researching it, looking at catalogs, asking advice in the tandem forum on www.bikeforums.net, looking for deals on Ebay, etc. for a couple of years.
There are several established companies that focus on tandems, most notably Co-Motion, www.co-motion.com, and Santana. Of the two, it appeared that Santana tends to be aimed a little more toward tourists, and fast recreational riders. Conversely, Co-Motion markets several tandems specifically intended for racing. Consistent with this, the general consensus seems to be that Santanas tend to be stable bikes that like to go straight, and that Co-Motions have quicker steering. Thus Co-Motions may feel unsteady at first, and to less experienced teams, but will corner more like a single racing bike. Given that we wanted a bike that road like a single racing bike as much as possible, Co-Motion was the best choice for us. (Also, we were just a touch put off by Santana's marketing hyperbole.)
Our priorities for the new tandem were: 1) lower weight, 2) stiffer, and 3) quick precise handling. For our criteria, the choice was between the Co-Motion Robusta, and the Macciato. Both are made of oversized aluminum tubing; the principal difference being that the Macciato is an open frame design with no lateral tube. Consequently the Macciato is 2.7 pounds lighter.
While saving 2.7lbs was seductive, we were concerned that the Macciato would not meet our desired stiffness requirement, with our team weight of 350lbs. When Gary at Co-Motion told us that a number of Co-Motion employees chose Robustas, that he was about my size and was getting a Robusta, and that he reccommended the Robusta for our size and use, the better part of valor prevaled, and we opted for the Robusta.
Monday, June 16, 2008
the old bike
Our 1994 Burley Duet was clearly not going to be adequate for the challenge of Everest Challenge. It was actually a great bike, hitting the sweet spot of being relatively affordable and a very capable tandem. Going cheaper than the Duet, and you may not get a bike capable of serious rides, and spending more you're heading into an ever steepening curve of dimishing returns.
But at 50lbs, with 48 spoked wheels that needed rebuilt, 7 speed gearing, and braking that at best could be described as suspect, the 14 year old Burley was clearly too long in the tooth to stand up to EC.
But the good news, This was clearly a buying opportunity!
But at 50lbs, with 48 spoked wheels that needed rebuilt, 7 speed gearing, and braking that at best could be described as suspect, the 14 year old Burley was clearly too long in the tooth to stand up to EC.
But the good news, This was clearly a buying opportunity!
The Challenge
29,035 vertical feet over 206 miles in two days. http://www.everestchallenge.com/
Purportedly the hardest 2 day U.S.C.F. race in existence. And most of the climbing is between 5,000 and 10,000 feet above sea level.
Despite being in pretty good shape, albeit carrying too many pounds, I struggled to finish last year. Actually raced the first day, marking the other clydes, and thought I won the stage in my division (turns out there was an issue with the timing, and my originally posted stage win got reversed, with apparently another rider up the road I didn't account for.)
Unfortunately I paid for my first day effort the second day. I had nothing on day 2, and knew I just had to ride in survival mode if I was going to finish. So when the winner in my division rode by me on the second climb of the second day, i could do nothing but watch him go.
I eventually finished, after walking a 17 percent section of the last climb.
So we start this year with the proposition that my gravity challenged, sea level living, self is marginally capable of finishing this race by myself, then add in the complexity of doing it on the tandem.
My wife, Deb, is a recreational rider. She's done some hard rides, most notably 5 years ago on a trip to the French Alps, during the Tour de France, which included cimbs like L'Alpe du Huez. But she hasn't actually trained, or done any serious riding to speak of since that trip 5 years ago.
As we started this plan, we were definitely much slower together on the tandem, than I am by myself, our long ride together on the tandem was 70 miles, Deb had never done a century, we rode a 1994 Burley Duet weighing 50lbs, and we had just commited to doing 2 100 mile races on consecutive days with 29,000 feet of climbing. So we had a few obstacles ot overcome, and limiters to work through.
Purportedly the hardest 2 day U.S.C.F. race in existence. And most of the climbing is between 5,000 and 10,000 feet above sea level.
Despite being in pretty good shape, albeit carrying too many pounds, I struggled to finish last year. Actually raced the first day, marking the other clydes, and thought I won the stage in my division (turns out there was an issue with the timing, and my originally posted stage win got reversed, with apparently another rider up the road I didn't account for.)
Unfortunately I paid for my first day effort the second day. I had nothing on day 2, and knew I just had to ride in survival mode if I was going to finish. So when the winner in my division rode by me on the second climb of the second day, i could do nothing but watch him go.
I eventually finished, after walking a 17 percent section of the last climb.
So we start this year with the proposition that my gravity challenged, sea level living, self is marginally capable of finishing this race by myself, then add in the complexity of doing it on the tandem.
My wife, Deb, is a recreational rider. She's done some hard rides, most notably 5 years ago on a trip to the French Alps, during the Tour de France, which included cimbs like L'Alpe du Huez. But she hasn't actually trained, or done any serious riding to speak of since that trip 5 years ago.
As we started this plan, we were definitely much slower together on the tandem, than I am by myself, our long ride together on the tandem was 70 miles, Deb had never done a century, we rode a 1994 Burley Duet weighing 50lbs, and we had just commited to doing 2 100 mile races on consecutive days with 29,000 feet of climbing. So we had a few obstacles ot overcome, and limiters to work through.
background
Despite being an overweight middle aged CatIV, living in Florida, where bridges are the climb du jour, I have a bad habit of signing up for Cycling events involving major amounts of climbing.
Given my obssessive compulsive tendencies, I need a goal to work toward, and picking a big race or event each season helps motivate me.
Last year, I did Everest Challenge in the Clydesdale division, finishing 3rd, simply because only 3 finished, (although I did manage a 2nd place finish on the first stage.)
EC was the hardest thing I've done on a bike. Going into this year, I thought I'd like to take another crack at it, this time lighter and in better shape. However, I wasn't sure I was sufficiently motivated to put in the work necessary for a race of EC's length again.
So I had the bright idea of asking my wife to do EC with me this year on a tandem. I really thought there was no way she would ever take me up on it. To my surprise, she agreed to do it.
Now we have to figure out how we're going to prepare to survive, finish within the time cut, and possibly win (if we're fortunate enough that no other tandem teams enter.)
Given my obssessive compulsive tendencies, I need a goal to work toward, and picking a big race or event each season helps motivate me.
Last year, I did Everest Challenge in the Clydesdale division, finishing 3rd, simply because only 3 finished, (although I did manage a 2nd place finish on the first stage.)
EC was the hardest thing I've done on a bike. Going into this year, I thought I'd like to take another crack at it, this time lighter and in better shape. However, I wasn't sure I was sufficiently motivated to put in the work necessary for a race of EC's length again.
So I had the bright idea of asking my wife to do EC with me this year on a tandem. I really thought there was no way she would ever take me up on it. To my surprise, she agreed to do it.
Now we have to figure out how we're going to prepare to survive, finish within the time cut, and possibly win (if we're fortunate enough that no other tandem teams enter.)
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