Sep 19, 2023

C'MON ROOKIE episode 1 + BONUS: P = F x V

AT 8:00PM, I started getting the gear together the 5:35 roll out. Going over the bike, I noticed the rear tire tread was shot. Time to replace it. Off with the old, on with the new...

... bike is ready.

Right?

I mean, if a new tire is on...

... everything else must be good.

Just as we're showing up to meet the group for our weekly social ride my shifting is weird.

Unresponsive.
Then, responsive.

Hmmmmmm

Mind you, I always check all of my batteries the night before each ride.

Computer
Shifters
Derailleurs

Always.

It's so easy.

Tap 'em,
they light up.

Green for go.
Red for replace.

Except this time,
when I was rushing to swap the tire.

You'll never need to know this, because you are smarter than me, but if you are ever on a ride and your SRAM shifting starts misbehaving it is probably because your shifter or derailleur batteries are dying...

Tap the shifters, check the lights.
If red, acknowledge the issue on your computer - my Wahoo asked me to confirm I knew they were low.
You have a lot of shifts left.

... that was all new to me.

At first, I panicked a bit and just tried to shift a lot less so I could finish the ride. This left me grinding and spinning a lot.

However, once I confirmed, the shifting returned to normal and I rode hard for 2 more hours.

No prob.

BONUS -> P = F x V

Reader, and smart dude, John Jonas, had a comment on my post regarding cadence.

It's simple physics dude.

How so?

Power is a function of Force multiplied by Velocity. If you spin faster (Velocity) with the same pedal Force you generate more Power.

Ahhhhh

So, it's not just my Broscience intuition...

... it's actually science.

In fact, today, once I got the battery/shifting sorted out I noticed on the hardest parts of the ride...

... my sweetspot RPMs were closer to 110.

John also confirms this.

Most people can't produce power because they don't have a smooth pedal stroke. They aren't applying force all the way around. You probably do that becuase of so many years of riding.

If at any point you feel like your'e pushing on the pedals, you're doing it wrong... pushing against the crank vs with the complete pedal stroke.

I use to push harder when I wanted to go faster. Now I often think...

... efficient, efficient, efficient.

To which I'll add...

... The updated Rip On RaceDay Challenge dramatically improves pedal stroke.

Key exercises: