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NSMB - 2023 - Hardtails Leaning Against Stuff Thread

March 7, 2023, 8:15 p.m.
Posts: 3453
Joined: Nov. 23, 2002

Posted by: andy-eunson

Posted by: syncro

Yup, talk test is legit, I use it almost everyday at work with new clients/patrons. But the talk test is for signaling the low end of the aerobic zone and is used for warm-ups or low level aerobic work, it corresponds to about 60-70% of max HR.

So I ride alone most of the time. But if I’m talking to myself and someone happens to see me….? After many years of participating in endurance type sports I know that going by feel is not good enough. Heart rate is a great tool though. If I can’t elevate my heart rate I’m probably tired. If my pulse doesn’t slow return a normal rate after a good effort, it may be time to go home or take a shorter route. But a rider needs to know or have good idea of what their individual max rate and anaerobic threshold is too. 220 minus your age might work, but it might be way off like it is for me. 

Just to close this off, your breathing rate is actually a pretty good indicator of how hard you're working. It's not going to give you exact bpm or get you to within  few percentage points of the intensity that your working at, but if you have some experience in correlating it with your bpm, even just measured at your wrist or carotid, you can get within about +/- 5% (my estimate) of your workload. Your breathing rate is tied to your heart rate and your body's demand for oxygen, so heart and lungs work together. I know you know this, but once people are able to match their breathing rate to HR it's a pretty good indicator of how hard you are working and it's a simple and free.  Here's a couple of links for anyone interested in reading more. Funnily enough an article from Garmin does a good job of explaining the correlation between HR and breathing rate.

https://www.garmin.com/en-PH/blog/critical-relationship-between-respiratory-rate-heart-rate-and-cadence/

And from an article looking at wearable devices for measuring breathing rate or respiration frequency rate - ƒR

"ƒR plays an important role during exercise as a strong marker of physical effort, more so than other traditionally monitored physiological variables. The non-linear increase of ƒR during incremental exercise parallels the well-known time course of blood lactate (La−), resembling the change in physical effort and task difficulty experienced at exercise intensities above the first ventilatory threshold. In fact, ƒR better reflects physical effort than La− when an incremental test is performed after exercise-induced muscle damage (Davies et al., 2011) or glycogen depletion (Busse et al., 1991). This suggests that physical effort is more causally linked with ƒR than La−."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5732209/

March 7, 2023, 11:29 p.m.
Posts: 1227
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

Even me from 2 years ago can drop the current me.  I don't know what the hell is going on with my fitness beyond I've put on at least 10 pounds since then.  I'm starting to wonder if it's something else all together but blood tests and physicals don't reveal anything unusual.  My blood pressure is good apparently.  I think it's being mid-50's, desk job, weekend warrior being my only source of decent exercise.  My heart rate tends to get in the dangerous zone when I push myself.  Using the 220 minus your age approach, I should be 165 bpm max but I'm hitting 188 to 190 on climbs, especially ones where you've got to really exert to clear obstacles.  Maybe it's lingering Covid effects too?

Am I die out there?

(Sorry for the derail from the glorious hardtails etc.)

I'm a bit late to the party but I'll throw in my 2 pence worth....

Last April I sold my car as I wasn't using it that much (we still have 1 in the family) and use my bike to commute 4 miles to the office, into town etc.  I think I'm more bike fit as a result.  Worst case is it's more miles in my legs.

March 8, 2023, 12:33 a.m.
Posts: 85
Joined: March 14, 2017

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

So I want to get a new fork for my old Rootdown.  Don't want to spend too much.  Thinking Bomber Z1 150mm or maybe something from PinkBike classifieds (a new bike take-off) like a Lyrik Select or something.  Also thinking about the DVO Diamond D1 although reviews are such that people either love them or hate them.  I think with SuspensionWerx dealing/servicing them though it could be a good option.

I really like my Z1 (Air), I thought I would have to change the damper to the Grip2 but it has not been the case.

March 8, 2023, 1:04 a.m.
Posts: 86
Joined: Jan. 22, 2019

Posted by: DanL

Posted by: velocipedestrian

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

So I want to get a new fork for my old Rootdown. Don't want to spend too much. Thinking Bomber Z1 150mm or maybe something from PinkBike classifieds (a new bike take-off) like a Lyrik Select or something. Also thinking about the DVO Diamond D1 although reviews are such that people either love them or hate them. I think with SuspensionWerx dealing/servicing them though it could be a good option.

+1 for the Diamond, I'm in the love it camp.

Z1 coil on my doctahawk. It's a solid fork for a good price. Especially as it used to be on my rootdown and only took a spacer change to go from 160 to 170. If you like coil, it's a great, easy to setup fork. Or you could go down the smashpot route if you get a good deal on a fork as you can get a service as part of the conversion.

Couldn't agree more. The Z1 coil gives really good performance for the money. It's heavy but you get used to it after a few rides. I personally find the extra weight helpful in the situations where most of the travel is needed.


 Last edited by: Tremeer023 on March 8, 2023, 1:04 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
March 8, 2023, 1:27 a.m.
Posts: 1227
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

March 8, 2023, 3:19 a.m.
Posts: 86
Joined: Jan. 22, 2019

Posted by: fartymarty

Whoa, did you move to Canada Marty?  ;-)  It doesn't look like that in the south of England very often.

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen white outside my window this morning.  Kids are excited even though most of ours has already turned to slush.  I've had 2 ice/slush balls thrown at me today already.

March 8, 2023, 6:21 a.m.
Posts: 1227
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

I wish we've moved to Canada.  We got about 2" at home which is decent for SE UK.  Rode to school with both kids who seemed to enjoy it - no one fell off or got injured which is always a bonus.

It's gonna be a sluddy (slush + muddy) trip home tho.

March 8, 2023, 7:56 a.m.
Posts: 484
Joined: Nov. 25, 2013

I'm in the Diamond love-it camp as well. Easy to self manage - and having S-WERX for overhauls is perfect.

Once you get the OTT Setting sorted, the fork comes alive.

March 8, 2023, 8:03 a.m.
Posts: 47
Joined: Aug. 27, 2007

Big fan of the Smashpot. I have one on both bikes, will not be going back to a n air spring anytime soon. You can switch it from fork to fork (different brands/models/years), adjust travel with the spacers and tune the bottom out with shims. It’s a great system. The hydraulic bottom out is very useful for fine tuning the end travel of the fork. Local company with great support too. It’s heavy, but you’re using a coil fork…that comes with the territory

March 8, 2023, 10:07 a.m.
Posts: 698
Joined: May 11, 2022

I've never had a coil fork so I'm not sure if I'd like it or not.  I like the idea of the small bump sensitivity and the low maintenance.  Not sure how I'd get on with the more linear mid-stroke as I'm pretty used to the progressiveness of air.  But without trying I'll never know. 

Will look into smashpot.  Sounds like a cool option.

March 8, 2023, 10:11 a.m.
Posts: 698
Joined: May 11, 2022

Posted by: Taz123

I'm in the Diamond love-it camp as well. Easy to self manage - and having S-WERX for overhauls is perfect.

Once you get the OTT Setting sorted, the fork comes alive.

Yes, on paper it seems like my goldilocks fork. ;)

March 8, 2023, 10:28 a.m.
Posts: 76
Joined: Feb. 24, 2017

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

I've never had a coil fork so I'm not sure if I'd like it or not.  I like the idea of the small bump sensitivity and the low maintenance.  Not sure how I'd get on with the more linear mid-stroke as I'm pretty used to the progressiveness of air.  But without trying I'll never know. 

Will look into smashpot.  Sounds like a cool option.

A properly sprung coil fork will have more mid-stroke support but less bottom-out resistance because they are linear. The Smashpot has a great bottom-out system  but I've found that as long as I have 150mm+ travel it isn't an issue for me with the bump-stop on my Push ACS3 at minimal pressure and it's a bit lighter too.

March 8, 2023, 11:01 a.m.
Posts: 13
Joined: Feb. 17, 2023

Heathen - 15 months? He’ll be on the macride and on the trails in no time!!

I started my son on a front-mounted Thule seat at 7-8 months and he graduated to the shotgun at around 19 mo. Easy, slow bike path rides to start with, obviously, but by 20 ish months, we’d ride grassy hills and small sections of trail off the bike path. Lots of giggling there :-)

He’s 2.5 y-o now and ready to move on to more « advanced » trails on the shotgun, and a progressing on the balance bike too!

March 8, 2023, 11:04 a.m.
Posts: 13
Joined: Feb. 17, 2023

Oh, and a little backyard lean before dinner yesterday :-)

Balance bike

March 8, 2023, 11:32 a.m.
Posts: 1087
Joined: March 16, 2017

Posted by: andy-eunson

So I ride alone most of the time. But if I’m talking to myself and someone happens to see me….? 

If your did I would figure that you’re Irish. 

And on a more serious note… see nothing wrong with that.  Hell seen some sing periodically while riding.

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