The Bicycling Thread

[wildbears]

The local Anchor Hocking Factory



The Anchor Hocking Story - The area has a lot of natural gas reserves which were tapped to fire the kilns.

Over the past 110 years, Anchor Hocking became one of the leading manufacturers of glassware in the world. It all happened -and continues to happen- right where we started. Melted, poured, sculpted, cut, cleaned, and perfected. All of it, at our original Lancaster, Ohio location. All of it, propelled by the same mission.

https://www.anchorhocking.com/our-story/

[955i]

Excellent. I guess someone will be wanting to shut it all down because it's made in America and it uses evil natural gas.

[wildbears]

One of my friends has a farm in the area with an oil well. He sells the oil and uses the natural gas for his home.

[wildbears]

VUELTA A ESPANA 2023: SIX KEY STAGES AS JUMBO-VISMA EYE GRAND TOUR GRAND SLAM

https://www.eurosport.com/cycling/vu...16/story.shtml

[wildbears]

Motorcycles, cycling, and bicycle racing....

An interview with Maynard Hershon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIY9JgSHeOI

[wildbears]

How are Saddle Position and Saddle-To-Sit-Bone Angle related?

For example, a 2 inch change in saddle setback may cause a 4 degree change in the angle between the saddle surface and the sit-bones.

Saddle-To-Sit-Bone Angle increases with: less saddle set back (distance between the saddle and the handlebars);
decreased saddle height; and decreased saddle attitude (forward slope). And with higher handlebars and staying off of the drops more.

An increased Saddle-To-Sit-Bone angle can decrease pressure on the perineal nerves and blood vessels.

And a flatter, wider saddle can do the same. As well as saddles with linear cut-outs if the cutouts are wide enough. A too narrow cut-out alone may be worthless or actually produce a pinching effect.

And, too much padding in cycling shorts could bunch up and cause pressure with or without a saddle cut out.

In men, chronic perineal compression can lead to impotence, PGAD, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, dysuria, difficult urination, urinary incontinence, interstitial cystitis, etc.

[wildbears]

Small changes can make big differences.

[wildbears]

Added the effect of having higher handlebars. And by the same concept, staying off of the drops more.

[wildbears]

Many of these symptoms can be abated with a magnesium supplement.

"In men, chronic perineal compression can lead to impotence, PGAD, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, dysuria, difficult urination, urinary incontinence, interstitial cystitis, etc."

[wildbears]

Most of the current literature advises that the saddle be "level". I'm not sure what that means. Many saddles these days have a sunken mid portion, that is waviness (see pic). Maybe the concept behind this is to keep the rider from falling off of the front or back of the saddle (see pic of horse saddle). And with this design is the nose section supposed to be level? The seat area? Level from the highest points at the front and back? With the nose of the saddle level, the seat area is slanted forward causing the rider to slide down onto the perineum. And with the seat area level, the nose is raised, and well, you get the point.

As mentioned in the post and comments above, "Level" may not be best.

Additionally many saddles have a side to side curvature (again, see pic). This promotes pressure on the perineum as it lowers the sit-bones relative to the midline and high point of the saddle. And that pressure can be accentuated with thickly padded saddles as the sit-bones sink into the padding.





High end, $450 Specialized saddle, stock photo. Note the forward slope and the "Level" rails. Is this the "Level" saddle position?



Below is a vintage saddle from the 90's. Note the increased slope of the saddle rails allowing a more foward-slope of the saddle. With the above current saddle design, forward-slope is much more limited, at least with the older seat posts.



Bontrager on Haanjo 3...

[wildbears]

My Bontrager saddle is similar in design to the Specialized pictured above. I've been slowly tipping it forward and today the rails were "Level", that is horizontal to the ground. Still comfortable and not pushing me forward. It's kind of like riding one of those noseless saddles.

https://ipmba.org/blog/comments/no-n...ual%20function.

BTW, my saddle was over $300 less than the one pictured above.

[wildbears]

A picture of an older saddle with more saddle-rail-slope is added for comparison.

[wildbears]

The Bontrager saddle on my Haanjo 3 is now tipped forward 10 degrees. See Pic above. It took a couple rides to feel natural. BTW, the Haanjo has drop bars.

OTOH, my 3Rensho has a Brooks saddle and a level saddle-nose even though the handlebars are "slammed". The saddle is wider, has a minimal "wave", and does not have a "cut-out".

[wildbears]

The ride to and from the local bike trail sometimes takes me thru a local cemetery. Last week with many flags marking the Veterans' graves.

[955i]

Wichita Falls's famous endurance ride. the Hotter-N-Hell 100 was today. I missed it for the first time in 4 years. I've done it about a dozen times, but today although the temperature reached 102F, there was something I had never experienced on any of MY rides - an 8-10 mph TAILWIND on the last 20-mile homeward leg!!! Sorry I missed that!

[wildbears]

Mixing training zones 2 and 5.

It's tempting to combine these on a single ride and I often have. However I just came across some evidence that zone 5 should be done at the tail end of the ride. The argument is that zone 5 produces a lot of muscle lactic acid that hangs around for a while. And when present, greatly limits the effectiveness of zone 2 training.

I was naturally doing this on flat rides. However, when riding from home it's easy to climb 300 or so feet in elevation on a series of steep roads. I've been attacking these full bore at the start of the rides rather than taking it easy.

[955i]

I've got Campy push buttons!

[wildbears]

After riding bikes with "Brifters" for decades, I'm just now learning how to brake and shift at the same time. This comes in handy on group rides when coming to a stop and needing to be in a lower gear when starting to move again.

[wildbears]

Monday Night Group Ride.

Great ride with good friends. Wide open farm fields full of beans and corn, clear skies, cool temps, nice sunset, and a nearly full moon.

Doesn't get much better unless you're on a motorcycle.

[955i]

Me, too. I rode a gravel pre-ride of 15 miles with the A-Groupers (who slowed significantly on my behalf!) before meeting the rest of our MNR at the turnaround, At the turnaround, we were treated with made-on-the-spot rum and Cokes. Larin (spelled correctly) had ridden our friend's gravel cargo-bike 9 miles out there with a big ice-chest full of Coke, Rum, cups, limes, and ice. She made over 20 or so really nice drinks that hit the spot! Rode in to the Stonecloud Brewery at a more sedate speed.

[wildbears]

We need a Larin for our group!

[955i]

Wildbears, you only need Larin if you are looking for an attractive athletically fit flat-bellied 5'9" runner who does bicycling as a diversion. She rides with the group just for kicks. She can run an Ultra without any special training, because she's always fit. She can make a gravel bike fly up the hills, too. Plus, she keeps all her hardassiness in check with a sweet disposition and a kind heart.

[wildbears]

Stage 1, TTT, La Vuelta. Dark and pouring rain! Lots of crashes.

[955i]

I love the Team Time Trials. The Tour got away from them because it gave the best riders on the best teams an even greater advantage than they already had. I don't care. BRING THEM BACK!!!

This one? Sketchy as hell!

[wildbears]

Stage 3 Michael Woods concussion: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mic...elta-a-espana/

[wildbears]

Me riding in rush hour traffic...

[955i]

What we do is dangerous. I love cycling, as a participant and as a racing enthusiast. Likewise with motorcycling. But, both these activities are fraught with dangers. As is piloting my single engine airplane.

I'm glad Woods is apparently going to be OK. I have always rooted for him, knowing he came from a track and field background. That he was a Canadian. may have diminished my enthusiasm, but only a little. However, no one ever called Woods a good bike handler!

[wildbears]

Looks like he crossed wheels with the teammate in front or the teammate lost control and Woods couldn't avoid hitting him.
On one of our training rides, many decades ago, we were going up a slight grade along the edge of Mt. Airy Forest coming up out of the Millcreek Valley. The guy in front of me crashed for no apparent reason but maybe touched the wheel of the bike in front of him. He landed with his Basso to the left. My reflex led me to the right to avoid hitting his bike. And just as quickly, his reflex was to throw his bike to the other side and into my line. I went down fairly hard making good use of my helmet. Somehow there was no bike damage and we both popped up and continued the ride for another 80 miles or so. BTW, back then when someone crashed the first priority was to get the bike safely off of the road and then the rider!

[955i]

20 years ago (or more?), I was on a training ride with two riders better than I One was a childhood friend who was a strong experienced rider, and the other was really just a fairly new acquaintance, also a strong experienced rider. We were pacing, but I never took a single pull; the two of them just rotated and I drafted. After an hour or so on the way home, I finally went to the front. It was a regular shortish pull. I got in the rotation and moved up to second wheel.

Then, zzzpf - zzzpf . . . the sound you hear when your front wheel crosses behind and into the wheel in front of you . . . it's the last sound you hear before you crash. Eddie (first wheel) didn't go down, of course. But I did go down immediately and took down Kent who was behind me. My helmet hit the ground hard and it sounded like a gun had gone of. Kent landed on top of me and my Peugeot. I was a bit dazed, but no concussion. I had always wondered how good these stupid looking bicycle helmets might work in a serious crash. I found out, and will not ride a bike without one. (I am more likely to ride the motorcycle without one than the bicycle.)

Eddie got married and his bicycling career went downhill. Kent, a former Cat racer has become my best friend. I learned all I need to know about him that day - scraped up and bruised through no fault of his own, he just laughed it off and said "don't worry about - cycling crashes happen. It's just part of it." He was completely off the bike for 4 years because of prostate cancer surgery. But he started riding again this spring, slowly getting back into it after 5 years. We rode a 20-mile gravel trip last night and I can testify that "muscle memory" is a real thing. He is almost back to form after just 6 months of periodic riding.

[wildbears]

The Vuelta is a climber's race. Stage 6....

[955i]

This will be a good early test to evaluate the condition of Roglic and Remco after their crashes. Vingegaard seems fine and it will be interesting to watch team tactics.

I don't truly dislike Remco, but it's not too much to ask that he grow-up a little. His enthusiasm and cockiness are fine, and he doesn't need to try to act like an experienced veteran. But, still, acting like a maturing 22-year old Grand Tour winner and former World Champion instead of a hot-shot teenager is appropriate.

[wildbears]

I totally agree with all of that.

[wildbears]

Kudos to Kuss and Martinez.

https://youtu.be/egqxakZyAzc?si=R-ZNVxQgePQRdO6J