Post 9pOyvMg45B9CRabyBk by ej@mastodon.me.uk
(DIR) More posts by ej@mastodon.me.uk
(DIR) Post #9pHjjt3x8dsjt2GY64 by saper@mastodon.social
2019-11-23T20:10:47Z
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@vfrmedia once we have established that my bike has a hub gear - it looks like mine old one is still running great. Having the chain and the <de>Ritzel</de> replaced feels like brand new!What is the appropriate gear switching technique for hub gears like my Pentasport? All those modern derailleur gears feel very sensitive and I never know how/when to switch as well :) (I switch sometimes to a pretty expensive sport one of a friend).
(DIR) Post #9pHjjtKy7NUcjoE8cS by greenjon@hub.spaz.org
2019-11-23T22:37:44.549360Z
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@saper @vfrmedia With any bike, ideally you shift so as to maintain a certain cadence. Most people gear too high (pedal too slow/too hard), and their efficiency suffers as a result. The cadence at which peak efficiency occurs is something like 60 or 90 RPM which will feel fast if you’re not used to it. So shift as necessary to keep your cadence up. With a hub you can shift when stopped as @vfrmedia pointed out. With a derailer it’s critical to downshift as you come to a stop, or have to start the bike in a much too high gear.
(DIR) Post #9pHjjtfAuFejkTgH7A by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-24T11:12:07Z
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@greenjon @saper @vfrmedia In addition, hub gears don't like to shift under load, so when accelerating hard etc. it can sometimes be necessary to "back off" the pedals to enable the mechanism to shift. Derailleurs (though they can't shift when stopped) can shift even under high loads so you can stay closer to your preferred cadence whilst accelerating.In addition to being more efficient, 80+ cadence is lower-impact, and kinder on one's joints!
(DIR) Post #9pObYPs3SO0KjzF4oS by saper@mastodon.social
2019-11-24T13:12:17Z
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@ej @greenjon @vfrmedia looks like I have a lot of training to do :) my intermediate goal is to minimize sweat while biking to work haha
(DIR) Post #9pObYY4kx2uyBhFKim by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T18:43:22Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia Been thinking about this. Since the goal here is to minimise exertion rather than optimise efficiency, you might want your cadence lower than what's usually recommended. To remian below whatever threshold of exertion causes you to sweat, I think it would be easier to reduce resistance and cadence together.I suspect that trying to not sweat whilst maintaining 80+ cadence would mean dropping the resistance ridiculously, impossibly low, to "balance the equation"!
(DIR) Post #9pOxkBtfixE3rx5H0K by saper@mastodon.social
2019-11-27T22:26:34Z
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@ej @greenjon @vfrmedia what is resistance in this context?
(DIR) Post #9pOxkDyhzCRWK9SK8G by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T22:52:04Z
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@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia Crumbs, I do apologise! I sorta do tend to just lapse into training-bore mode.Resistance is basically just how difficult it is to turn the pedals.Trying to avoid mentioning torque: if the spin freely at a very gentle press, that's low-resistance; if you have to put all your body weight through each leg, that's high-resistance.[...]
(DIR) Post #9pOyIzCMvcpicZQA76 by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T22:58:21Z
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@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia So holding other factors constant, going into a higher gear (smaller rear sprocket and/or larger front sprocket) will increase the resistance, whereas going into a lower gear will decrease it.[...]
(DIR) Post #9pOyXaytFaNfr85BtA by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T23:00:59Z
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@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia Cadence (how fast the cranks are rotating, measured in revolutions-per-minute) is the other part of the equation:The power you produce (measured in, say, Watts) - and presumably how sweaty one becomes - is a product of the resistance and the cadence.[...]
(DIR) Post #9pOyvMg45B9CRabyBk by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T23:05:19Z
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@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia But: the human body has a optimal ranges for resistance and for cadence. I suspect by reducing both resistance (lower gear) & cadence (pedal slower) you'll stay closer to the optimal ranges whilst still coming in below the "sweat-producing threshold" ("SPT"?) of power output.Whereas staying in the optimal range for cadence (80-100 rpm) might mean having your resistance so much lower the optimal range, just to remain below SPT, that the bike may feel awful to ride..
(DIR) Post #9pOyz5A98zs7HUSF0a by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T23:06:00Z
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@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia [Sorry everybody. Training-bore mode over now! think I got it out of my system..]
(DIR) Post #9pOz0S57PxM6eVkvTM by ej@mastodon.me.uk
2019-11-27T23:06:14Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@saper @greenjon @vfrmedia [Sorry everybody. Training-bore mode over now! Think I got it out of my system..]