Aggressive Fat Loss: Getting Down to Race Weight — PROGRESS REPORT

See my initial post and my ongoing Training Weight Loss: 2012 Case Study.

I’ve made some progress, sling-shotting off the huge 6000-calorie deficit from the Devil Mountain Double.

The discipline required to maintain a calorie deficit is not easy. To force it down, I’m going to need to get my daily “burn” up to 2000 calories a day or so, but work has not allowed that kind of time lately, so I’ll just keep persisting with smaller calorie deficits.

UPDATE March 16 — OK, I blew it, eating +1000 calories surplus today. I was hungry all day and my willpower failed me. Such is the way it goes.

Click the graph to read more.

FOR SALE: Trek Project One Madone 6.9 SSL Frames (56cm), Pre-Wired for Shimano DuraAce Di2

I’m selling both of my Trek Madone 6.9 SSL framesets. These were Trek’s top-of-the-line frame for 2011.

The two frames are 15 months old (white) and 12 months old (silver). NEVER crashed, NEVER put in a bike rack, ALWAYS treated with care.

These are the top-of-the-line Trek 2011 Project One frames.

Selling as shown.

• Frame (56cm) + fork
• Trek factory pre-wired for Shimano DuraAce Di2 electronic shifting (wiring harness alone as parts even without labor is $300 or so). Wiring can be stripped for conventional cabled setup.
• A Similar Trek frame new is over $4000.
• Matching factory carbon fiber XXX-Lite seat post.
• Matching factory Race XXX-Lite Stem
• Matching factory Race XXX-Lite Handlebar
• Arundel carbon fiber Bottle cages (white frame only).

Contact me.

Asking $1900 per frame OBO, $3500 for both frames.

Click for larger image.

Lupine Piko TL Mini — Powerful Flashlight, Can Be Used on Bike Too!

My favorite flashlight is now the 145g Lupine Piko TL Mini, a sibling of the rest of the outstanding Lupine lighting line.

The Piko TL Mini fits perfectly and comfortably into my hand. It is small and light enough to carry in a cycling jersey pocket without noticing it, and throws a very bright beam.

Add in programmable operation (I set it to 4 levels of brightness) and it’s the best flashlight I’ve ever used for that combination of qualities.

The “Mini” has a big brother with a larger battery, the 180g Piko TL Max, but I prefer the more compact size and lighter weight of the Mini.

It’s a great choice for many uses, including backpacking. Set the light to double-click-on to avoid turning it on with a single press while stowed. There is even a mount for a bike handlebar.

Specifications

• Dual lens array, beam angle 15°
• 550 Lumens
• 49 x 87 mm (diameter x length)
• CNC-milled, aluminum, shot-peened, black, matt black front ring
• Weight including battery: 145g

Runtime

• Up to 1:30 h at 8 Watt
• Up to 2:30 h at 5 Watt
• Up to 5:30 h at 2.5 Watt
• Up to 15 h at 1 Watt
• Up to 30 h at 0.5 Watt

Functions

The individual programs are selected via Quick Select: Just keep the button depressed for as long as is required to select the desired program; it will be indicated by LED

• 2-step mode: 8W + 0.5W
• 2-step mode: 8W + 1W
• 2-step mode: 8W + Flash
• 3-step mode: 8W + 1W + SOS
• 4-step mode: 8W + 6W + 3.5W + 0.5W
• 1-step mode: 8W
• 3-step mode: 8W + 1W + RVLR
• Stealth-mode: on
• Stealth-mode: off
• Low-Start: on
• Low-Start: off
• Double-Click: on
• Double-Click: off
  

Optional bike mount shown below:

HDL Cholesterol and Body Fat

See yesterday’s Aggressive Weight (fat) Loss: Getting Down to Race Weight.

My doctor thought the last test was a fluke with an HDL cholesterol of 103 (HDL is the good stuff, the stuff that cleans out yuck from arteries). But recent blood work showed an HDL of 104 (and an LDL of 104), so it was no fluke.

I’ve tracked body weight / body fat against HDL cholesterol for some years now, and it’s clear that there is a very strong inverse relationship between body fat percentage and HDL: the lower the body fat, the higher the HDL (good cholesterol).

Low body fat for me means a lot of exercise, but the other combination doesn’t exist for me (lots of exercise but high body fat). So strictly speaking I cannot say it’s the body fat or the exercise or both, but the inverse correlation is pronounced. And while my HDL is still very good with high body fat, it’s always a lower value than when I am lean.

Now I know that not everyone is so lucky this way genetically, but it does raise the question of why so many millions pop pills (e.g., statins) instead of burning 500 calories a day via exercise, which would have many beneficial effects, and not just on cholesterol.

Cholesterol total: 227
LDL cholesterol: 104
HDL cholesterol: 104
Cholesterol / HDL ratio:  2.2  (< 5.0 is desirable)
LDL / HDL ratio:  1.00  (average risk is 2.29 - 4.90)

Aggressive Weight (fat) Loss: Getting Down to Race Weight

It’s time.

After over-eating for a few months and seeing my weight rise to ~177 in spite of heavy training, I’ve had enough.

I want to be lean, so I’m shooting for 170 pounds by the end of May, which would be ~8% body fat, the 0th percentile, or “skin and bones” as my father would say.

Following that, I’ll target something even leaner, though such aggressive targets can create training hiccups that might cause delays to avoid recovery problems and/or muscle loss. There is some give and take, at least in the short term. I want to lose fat and gain muscle, of course.

Why? Well, one pound costs about ~3 minutes on the Everest Challenge. So to have a shot at winning men’s Masters 45-54, I need to aim for ~6% body fat (I was 7.9% last year). That alone would save ~10 minutes.

Read Training Weight Loss: 2012 Case Study, which will be ongoing until the Everest Challenge in late September.

Double Centuries and Killer Rides for 2012

As rigorous pre-flighting of the 2012 Everest Challenge (29,000' — September 28/29, 2012) which I aim to win in M45-54 Master category, I’ve completed three double centuries so far:

• Death Valley Spring Double, 9000' — March 3, 2012. Completed.
• Solvang Spring Double, 7500' — March 24, 2012. 193 miles. Completed.

• Devil Mountain Double, 18600' climbing — April 28, 2012. Completed.

I’m signed up for these events:

• Sequoia Century 200K, 10600' — June 3 2012.
• Alta Alpina 8-Pass Challenge Double, 20,300' — June 30, 2012

Summit of White Mountain Peak

I intend to repeat my own self-designed hard-man ride, the Trek To the Summit of White Mountain Peak (~15,000', MTB)—mid July. But of course this will be done on my Moots Mooto X YBB 29er this year. I might take along 1-2 other riders (for a fee), inquire if interested.

The Trek to the Summit of White Mountain Peak route is terrific high-altitude training that demands high torque and power output, especially up the brutal Silver Canyon, which is way harder than any road-bike ride I know of. While it is much shorter than a double century, it is just as hard (steep and rough from 4000 to 14,252 feet / 4344m elevation).

The photo below is from last July 2011 early on the ride. Be lean (as I was here) for this challenge! I am wearing my favorite jersey from the Everest Challenge.

Devil Mountain Double Century: 206 miles and 18,870+ Vertical Feet

Done. The Devil Mountain Double Century at 206.0 miles and 18,800 vertical fee of climbing.

Clock time: 14:13
Roll time:  13:29:54
Power (watts)*:  187.9
Heart rate**: 124.0
Ascent:  18,827'
Distance: 207.0 (nominal 206)
Kilojoules*: 9087 (8687 calories)
Speed**: 15.34 mph

* Power and kilojoules computed while pedaling only
** Heart rate and speed averages while rolling (does not average in rest stops)

I had some tight hamstrings, some patella pain, and some painful toes, but otherwise things went as well as I could have hoped for.

I suppose I could have worked harder and got sub-14 (easily done just by cutting 14 minutes off the 45 minutes or so of rest stops, and avoiding wasting a few minutes at the end before time was taken), but sub-13 would be much harder. Still, I am quite happy with my results at #13.

I had my sluggish spots (I’ll never eat a chicken sandwich for lunch on a double century again— too much protein kills my performance), and my sympathy to the hopeful rider who caught me at the Crothers rest stop, and who I then instantly dropped in an unequivocal way on Sierra Road (not really very hard I thought), as my chicken sandwich cleared out and my power returned.

Now I need to get down to race weight, which means a strict diet with a calorie deficit for 2 months. Hard to do, but 6 pounds to lose to get lean.

Analysis of a Near-Maximal Ascent on Old La Honda Road

Just added is a new workout analysis of a hard but sub-maximal effort on Old La Honda Road.

Devil Mountain Double Century: 206 miles and 18,000+ Vertical Feet

This Saturday is the Devil Mountain Double Century at 206.0 miles and 18,000+ vertical fee of climbing. Here is the turn-by-turn route map. Devil Mountain is of course Mt Diablo, near San Ramon, CA.

The Devil Mountain Double (DMD) is an exceptionally challenging double century. A distance of ~200 miles takes its toll on even flat ground, but DMD is 206 miles, and the vertical ascent is harder than the first day of the Death Ride or the Everest Challenge.

Google map: part 1 San Ramon to Altamont / Grant Line Rd

Google map: part 2 from Altamont / Grant Line Rd back to San Ramon

The climbing is hard, but it’s the extra distance that really takes its toll, as I know well from the Death Valley Double and Solvang Spring Double. In truth, even as fit as I am, I do feel somewhat intimidated about those last 50 miles.

My main concern is some lingering knee (patella) pain and hamstring tightness from my recent minor injury from a change in bike fit. It is mostly resolved, but my knees are not entirely happy yet. Sustained climbing is hard on knees and feet, so I am treating myself gently this week, and tapering off my workouts all week.

I will definitely not be carrying a camera for photography for DMD!

...

Past writing on double centuries (partial list):

• Comfy Tires for a Double Century
• Nutrition for a Double Century
• Death Valley Double Century As a Self-Supported Ride and Death Valley Double Century As a Self-Supported Ride — DONE! and Analyzing Power Output During the Death Valley Double Century and Power Output During the Death Valley Double Century — Possible Explanations
• Solvang Spring Double Century and Solvang Spring Double Century Analysis

Double centuries in 2012 (California)

As rigorous pre-flighting of the 2012 Everest Challenge (29,000' — September 28/29, 2012) which I aim to win in M45-54 Master category, I’ve signed up for several double centuries, starting with the no-so-hard but beautiful SSD:

• Death Valley Spring Double, 9000' — March 3, 2012. Completed.
  Sold out, but I completed it self-supported on the same day. On the Moots Psychlo X RSL with 700 X 28C road tires.
• Solvang Spring Double, 7500' — March 24, 2012. 193 miles. Completed.

• Devil Mountain Double, 18600' climbing — April 28, 2012.
  
• Davis Double, 8400' — May 19, 2012. Maybe.
• Sequoia Century 200K, ~10000' — June 3 2012. Local, will likely do this one.
• Alta Alpina Double 20,300' — June 30, 2012
• Trek To the Summit of White Mountain Peak (~15,000', MTB)—mid July.

After Alta Alpina, I figure training gets more and more specific and rigorous, so I have no plans to do any major road events after Alta Alpina and before Everest Challenge except that the Trek to the Summit of White Mountain Peak (mountain bike) is terrific high-altitude training that demands high torque and power output.

Nanopollutants Harm Vessel Health

Thinking of going for a training ride when the air pollution is high? Slathering on titanium dioxide sunscreen for your skin health?

Science News (March 11-15, page 18) reports that nanoparticles can impair small blood vessel function. See also Nano Hazards: Exposure to minute particles harms lungs, circulatory system and Exhaust fumes might threaten people's hearts, and more.

These finding are directly relevant to cyclists, or any athlete, and to your health in general. Perhaps these findings dovetail with the increased incidence of asthma near polluted roads and seaports.

One could easily infer that training, especially intensive training, is a Bad Idea in polluted air. My understanding is that diesel exhaust produces particles in the 10 nm range, definitely a nano particle size. I am rarely in favor of government regulation, but I would love to see diesel engines lacking particle traps banned completely.

I’ve long been both suspicious of and disliked sunscreens with titanium dioxide; it permanently stains my leather car seats or anything similar, and generally makes a mess on anything it touches (e.g., a camera). Titanium dioxide is a nanoparticle.

Excerpts:

Vessels called arterioles don’t dilate or constrict appropriately after recent nanoparticle exposure. The changes are small “but equate to a level of impairment that would preclude affected tissues from functioning normally,” says microvascular physiologist Timothy Nurkiewicz of West Virginia University in Morgantown.

...

In one set of tests, physiologist Travis Knuckles of West Virginia University exposed rats to airborne titanium dioxide nanoparticles — spheres 100 billionths of a meter across — for four hours on two consecutive days. The common material appears in a range of materials, including sunscreen and cosmetics.

Twenty-four hours after the second day’s exposure, Knuckles stimulated the animals’ muscles to contract. This triggers arteriole dilation, increasing blood flow. But compared to changes witnessed in rats that had breathed only clean air, vessel dilation in those that had inhaled nanoparticles was impaired.

This diminished vessel relaxation is similar to what elicits a muscle cramp, chest pain in the heart or transient stroke in the brain...

Moreover, the findings showed that vessel impairments did not require lung exposures: In these experiments, ingested nanotubes produced the most dramatic change in arteriole reactivity.

...

toxic immune responses to other nanoparticles.

DIGLLOYD: seems like a good plan to avoid air pollution, exhaust (especially diesel) and titanium dioxide sunscreens. And to be deeply suspicious of any new medicines delivered with nanoparticle carriers; as far as I know nanoparticles are not recognized as something worthy of being tested for health risks.

“Four hours on two consecutive days”— how about 2-3 hours every day for many months, as in a human riding a bike in polluted air?

It would not surprise me if the negative health effects extended well beyond simple impairment of blood vessel function; subtle side effects could also be at play, perhaps mostly short-term, but perhaps also long term and accumulative degradation, a slow downhill slope from which there is no ascent.

Moots MootoX MX Divide Full Suspension Titanium Mountain Bike

Jon Cariveau of Moots proudly shows off the new Moots MX Divide full suspension bike. The quality of the bike upon closer inspection is superlative.

I rode the 18" MX Divide for about 3 hours on the Sea Otter Cat 1 / Cat 2 MTB course. Lovely ride, with a distinctly different feel from the MootoX YBB soft-tail— much more plush in the rear. Report to follow.

Minor Injuries Feel Like Major Setbacks

Terrible weather in March and April, though today feels like spring, finally.

Improvement

About two weeks ago, and after the Solvang Spring Double, I went to see a skilled bike fitter for a look at my riding setup.

We made some adjustments to seat height and position that turned out to be a welcome improvement.

I was also thrilled at his immediate insight into a right-side foot alignment issue which meant I could not transfer power properly with my right leg. For the past several years I had been thinking it was a foot problem (alone) and/or a shoe problem. That was only partially so!

In a week, by knowing what was needed and doing some exercises, I had improvement to the tune of another ~10 watts, as per what my power meter tells me. That’s huge!

And injury

A week after that, I went back, and this time we adjusted the cleats forward by about 3mm (mine were unusually far back), along with a slight change in angle.

A day later, I went for a 2 hour ride that included a 400-500 watt effort up a steep hill for ~5 minutes.

Bad news— that “small” adjustment gave me the worst patella and hamstring pain I’ve had in years, as well as a touchy right foot arch. 3mm! A real injury. Even adjusting the cleats back remained uncomfortable, not that cleats can be put back exactly the same way every time, and everything hyper sensitive, all sense of what’s right or not right is all out of whack, so it’s very frustrating in every possible way.

Cutting my training time down to 1/2 of usual and with some days off and alternate shoes, things are recovering gradually, but this stuff is scary! I am very glad to have my cyclocross bike as an alternative, with its MTB shoes. Even so, even it was not feeling that great with unhappy body parts.

And advice

Some advice for anyone already used to a heavy training load when making equipment changes:

• When adjusting cleats, consider buying a new pair of shoes. Don’t mess with any existing pair or shoes that has proven itself to work with long hard rides. That way, you can always revert to what is proven to work.
• For seat and saddle, note the prior locations precisely, so that the bike can be reverted to the original setup.
• Adjust in very small increments, and ride for one week between adjustments, e.g., 1mm at a time, and 1° of angle at a a time.

FOR SALE: Trek Madone 6.9 SSL Frames (56cm), Pre-Wired for Shimano DuraAce Di2

I’m selling both of my Trek Madone 6.9 SSL framesets. These were Trek’s top-of-the-line frame for 2011.

The two frames are 13.5 months old (white) and 11 months old (silver).

NEVER crashed, NEVER put in a bike rack, ALWAYS treated with care.

• Frame (56cm) + fork
• Pre-wired for Shimano DuraAce Di2 electronic shifting (wiring harness along is $300 or so).
• Seat post (but not seat)
• Bontrager Race XXX Lite Stem
• Bontrager Race XXX Lite Handlebar
• Arundel carbon fiber Bottle cages.
• Bike has that famous "diglloyd” signature subtly on the frame.

Contact me.

$2200 per frame, $4000 for both frames. WHITE or SILVER. Pictures below are as I originally had them built.

Is Sugar Toxic

Is Sugar Toxic?

Food for thought. Sugar is a lousy fuel, I alway use maltodextrin based products and for long endurance products with a protein component for, e.g., Hammer Perpetuem.

I enjoy licorice and wine only occassionally, and I almost never drink soft drinks (maybe 3 times per year). I over-indulge sometimes , but this is usually post-excercise when I’ve taken in too few carbos during the workout (which I try to avoid and learn from).

1.3 Million Vertical Feet in a Year

My 365-day rolling average of vertical ascent just reached 1.305 million vertical feet for a year (past 365 days).

View larger graph or read more.

 

Rain, Rain Go Away Until December

Winter in California was wonderful— dry trails through February. But March has been a constant riding headache, with cool temperatures and rain, rain, rain.

It’s very hard to train in rain. While I can dress and stay half-dry for 45 minutes or so, after that the sweat competes with the rain to determine which way can get me soaked faster. And boy am I tired of dropping a soggy mess of clothes into the wash, and hosing the grit off my bike (but the Psychlo X RSL makes a good rain bike!).

This has been the most difficult March for training that I can remember.

Today, for example, I got all ready to go, got food and water on the bike, pumped up the tires, got on the road— 2 minutes later a squall arrives with pounding rain. Chastened, I raced back home and took shelter. About 3 hours later, the strong winds actually made the roads dry again, so I got a 90-minute ride in. Just as I was safely inside, another drenching squall drenched everything (I was safely inside).

If it weren’t for other obligations, I’d jump in my car and head to Death Valley for two few weeks, enjoying the dry and warm riding!

Cold is much easier to deal with than rain.

A Lightweight Standard Rear Wheel

My Lightweight Obermayer rear wheel was trashed by a nasty sharp road pavement cut; it is in for repair/replacement thanks to the optional Lightweight ServiceUp plan I originally purchased (+10% over the wheel price, as a form of insurance).

At the time, I thought that +10% for a wheel replacement guarantee sounded like a good value and now I am certain!

Why the 'Standard' ?

I’ve been wanting another rear wheel for almost a year now, because it can take 2-5 days for my LBS to get a new tire glued on when needed. And I don’t know how long it will take to get my Obermayer rear replaced.

I considered getting an Obermayer rear, but it is much more expensive, and under normal conditions the Obermayer is always ready to ride, so I decided to get the slightly sturdier and heavier Standard, 20 spokes. There is a 24 spoke version, but it is too stiff for the ride quality I want.

Compared to the Obermayer, the Standard rear wheel is a bit stiffer and thus has less compliance over rough stuff, but it is also stiffer under hard effort, so it is nice to alternative that I will probably ride a lot.

I see little reason for the 'Standard' in front because the Obermayer and VR8 serve me ideally there, so I went with just the rear wheel alone.

Lightweight Obermayer Rear Wheel Damage

The first of the nasty pavement edges in the Solvang Spring Double made a very ugly noise. I didn’t realize that the rear wheel had been damaged, and it held up fine for the next 140 miles. As there was little or no braking required for Solvang, I wasn’t even aware of the damage until today, when I examined the wheel while inflating the tire.

The wheel has been structurally compromised with carbon cracking in the rim section radiating downwards, and a distinct bulge to the aero part of the rim that has a chiclet in/out movement to the touch. Not good.

Fortunately, I purchased the Lightweight “Service Up” warranty when I bought the Obermayer wheelset (at an extra 10% charge). That ought to take care of repair or replacement of this wheel (repair seems rather dubious).

How long Lightweight will take to replace the wheel I do not know, but since this was my most-used and favorite wheel, it’s a bummer.

Moots Vamoots RSL = AWESOME

I rode the Solvang Spring Double on my Moots Vamoots RSL with the Lightweight Obermayer rear wheel and Lightweight VR8 front wheel, and using the SRM Cannondale Hollowgram SL power meter. This was my very first serious ride with the bike completely built as envisioned.

I can’t praise the Moots Vamoots RSL or the wheels enough for the superb ride quality and power transfer and handling. It is my favorite bike for short or long rides, light enough at 14.8 pounds to be my race bike, and titanium never goes out of style.

I had repeated compliments of “nice Moots!!!” at every stop and also while riding. Which is no surprise, since the Moots Vamoots RSL is stunning. And it is also highly durable titanium and 14.8 pounds as built. Crash it, then keep riding, unlike carbon fiber, which has a risky potential for hidden failures once crashed (weakened carbon fiber can fail without warning).

The ultralight Selle Italia saddle worked great, even though it has little padding.

I credit the Ritchey SuperLogic II handlebar (double wrapped) with a terrific ergonomic shape for comfort on such long rides; it affords several comfortable hand positions. Highly recommended. I also use it on my Moots Psychlo X RSL cyclocross bike.

Solvang Spring Double Century Performance Analysis

I’ve written up my analysis of power and heart rate and so on for the Solvang Spring Double Century.

Solvang Spring Double Century Experience Report

I’ve written up my experience on the Solvang Spring Double Century.

Solvang Spring Double Century

As rigorous pre-flighting of the 2012 Everest Challenge (29,000' — September 28/29, 2012) which I aim to win in M45-54 Master category.

The Solvang Spring Double is Saturday March 24.

The weather is not looking so promising— while the rain might hold off until Sunday, I don’t rule out getting some unpleasant temperature and wind and a little precipitation, so I’ll be sure to take my new Endura Helium jacket, a wool cycling cap under my helmet to keep sweat out of my eyes and to add warmth, and perhaps mid-weight tights, depending on how the temperature looks in the morning.

Although I would normally wear the Outset base layer, for a double century I will wear a short-sleeve summer jersey under a long-sleeve jersey so that I have some extra pockets to stash food, phone, tools, sunglasses, etc.

Which bike?

Unlike the Death Valley Double where I rode my Moots Vamoots Psychlo X RSL cyclocross bike with Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 700 X 28C tires, this time I’ll be riding my Moots Vamoots RSL road racing bike with my Lightweight Obermayer wheels, though if wind is in the forecast, I will probably ride the Lightweight VR8 instead, as it is less susceptible to side-gusts.

Double training

As for the effort level, I am thinking of aiming for about 220 watts steady for the ride, roughly the same average as for the Death Valley Double.

The only problem is I’ve gotten about 6 hours of sleep for several nights, and I’m not rested and definitely not feeling all that vigorous. I need to rest, but there’s little time left (about 36 hours), so I backed way off on riding for 3 days prior. For the Death Valley Double, I was well rested prior, with plenty of sleep.

SRM Updates the SRM Mac Software for SRM Power Meters to v1.0.1

SRM today posted version 1.0.1 of the SRM Mac software. I am please to report that the file-corruption bug I reported a few weeks ago got attention and has been fixed in version 1.0.1:

• Support of file sizes larger than 65535 data points(more than 18hours with 1sec sampling interval).
• Because of the support of very large files, a progress bar will come up when opening a file(can take some seconds now to open).
• Files of this size are currently incompatible with most other workout software: anything longer than 9+ hours for 0.5 second sampling and 18+ hours for 1 second sampling.

SRM also fixed my split-file from the Death Valley Double. That was nice of them to step up and take care of it— good service. Much easier to analyze one file than a file split arbitrarily in two.

Other fixes that appeared recently in version 1.0:

• Fixed the altitude bug problem, which resulted in ascent of 300 miles (or whatever) for a ride (when the altitude dropped below zero elevation).
• Added support for removing various data from the graphs, which makes them much more readable (the user interface is rather confusing and more flexibility would be welcome, but this is a nice improvement).

I am very glad to see SRM addressing these issues! Many other improvements to the graphing and improvements to the workout list could be made, so I hope the work continues.

Power smoothing

See my discussion of what I believe to be flawed power smoothing in the SRM software.

Endura Helium Wind and Waterproof Jacket

Just posted is my review of the Endura Helium jacket. Now easily my all-time favorite cycling jacket.

2012 SRAM Red XG 1090 'Powerdome X' Road Bike Cassette

Only 30 or so of the XG 1090 cassettes are in the USA as I write this. I bought one of the first units from Palo Alto Bicycles (the only one).

Just posted is my review of the new SRAM Red XG 1090 'Powerdome X' 11-28 road bike cassette. Great product, and well worth considering over Shimano DuraAce.

New SRM Cannondale Hollowgram Power Meter (Resolved)

UPDATE! The magnet has been reoriented and repositioned. Does not solve the issue and both PC7 head units have dropouts. SRM indicates it might be bad firmware, so I am sending the unit in for re-flashing.

SRM took immediate action, sending me an overnight label to ship the unit back, and promised me a one-day turnaround with overnight return shipping. While I would prefer no issue to start with, I have nothing but praise for this level of customer service. If all goes well, the SRM power meter will be back on my Vamoots RSL in time for the Solvang Spring Double.

UPDATE 3/21: SRM turned around the power meter in one day, assuming UPS delivers Friday morning, the power meter goes onto the Moots Vamoots RSL for the Solvang Spring Double on 3/22.

Update 3/23: SRM turned it around in one day, the replacement is here (bad antenna on the original), the crank is on the bike, I am headed for Solvang. Thanks SRM, great service!

RESOLVED 3/24: SRM replaced the power meter for fast turnaound and it worked flawlessly for the Solvang Spring Double Century. It turns out to have been a bad antenna in the original unit.

SRM was very responsive in getting the unit shipped overnight to SRM, and getting me a replacement unit overnight. Great service!!!

Readers might have noticed that I consider a power meter essential for serious training. I have the SRM DA7950 Compact on my LOOK 595 Ultra road racing bike and also on my Moots Psychlo X RSL cyclocross bike. They both have been highly reliable, and a very worthwhile investment.

I finally have my Moots Vamoots RSL road racing bike built up with the SRM Cannondale SI/SL power meter (with the Cannondale Hollowgram SL crankset). I am a little annoyed that the SRM web site does not mention that the Cannondale 'QC850' spindle is required for the SRM spider to fit— one more expense ($100) over and above the standard Hollowgram crankset I bought with the standard spindle, which worked fine without the SRM.

First ride, “dropouts”

Reliabilty of my other SRM power meters has been stellar, so today was a shocker.

Today was the first ride on my Moots Vamoots RSL with the SRM Cannondale power meter, along with a brand-new Power Control 7 (PC7) head unit. I had numerous “dropout” problems on a 32 minute climb (Kings Mtn Road).

Details—

• Especially under hard effort (stand up and 400+ watts), the PC7 would read “0” for a second or so for both power and cadence, then it would read “—” for both power and cadence for 2-15 seconds.
• At the summit I stopped, and as I watched, the PC7 displayed the same “0” and then “—”.

The “—” in my experience always means complete loss of connectivity to the power meter.Besides, it was a 2.5 hour ride, and 99% of the time the power reading was there and working.

Well, maybe it could be a magnet-placement issue— somehow. I’ll check on that very soon. Reader Eric B writes:

A magnet trips the reed switches as the device rotates, I believe. There's a reed switch per strain gauge, generally speaking. Reed switches can become stuck. anyway, the switches are essentially reset each time they pass the magnet. That clears the way for new deformation values to be read and power to be calculated and sent to the head unit.

Update: Turns out to have been a bad antenna.

All the green downward spikes represent failed power meter functionality. This was a steep and steady grade and I did not stop pedaling. In fact, most of the dropouts seemed to be associated with higher power output especially with the bike turning (stand up and put 400+ watts into the pedals).

Yet once at the top and stopped, I observed the PC7 do the same “0” and “—’ behavior. So it is not strictly a high-power glitch.

Methinks either the PC7 or SRM power meter is defective. Tomorrow (barring rain), I will take both of my head units out and see if the other head unit shows similar issues. If so, then it’s the power meter itself. I can also try the new head unit on either of my other bikes, to see if it functions on those bikes properly— could just be ahead unit problem. But all this takes time, adding to my irritation— I wanted to ride the Vamoots RSL for the Solvang Spring Double, less than a week away. I am hoping that the problem is not the SRM spider itself.