Your latest bike purchase?

[Tim Kelley]

@hozn 119138 wrote:

Apparently there is a difference in calculating FTP inside (on trainer, which is what I did earlier this spring) or outside on roads. I think you can use long loops at HP (probably early AM) to do it outside; people do, anyway. Or find a 20+ minute climb; Mt. Weather reportedly works well for this. I need to do another test, but kinda dread it; it was not exactly fun.

Forum FTP test meetup? Sounds like we need to make a trip to Fort Hunt for an hour!

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tim Kelley 119247 wrote:

Forum FTP test meetup? Sounds like we need to make a trip to Fort Hunt for an hour!

Do you prefer the 8 minute test, or the 20 minute test?

[Tim Kelley]

@TwoWheelsDC 119251 wrote:

Do you prefer the 8 minute test, or the 20 minute test?

I prefer the 20 minute. With the 8 minute it’s too easy to “game” the test if you have a high V02.

To compensate for that with the 20 minute, I like to do a 10 minute z1 warmup, 5 minutes at 125% (basically really hard to get the lactic acid up and clearing) 5 minutes at z2, and then into the 20 minute protocol. (You will have wanted to go really hard. In a perfect world, you want to have gone so hard that you can’t pedal even one second longer after the 20 minutes is up.) I take 95% of the average power and that my new FTP which I can base all interval efforts off of going forward.

But ideally, you’d want to do a 60 minute test and take 100% of the average power on that.

[hozn]

@Tim Kelley 119247 wrote:

Forum FTP test meetup? Sounds like we need to make a trip to Fort Hunt for an hour!

I’d be game for an on-road FTP test some AM. I’ve never ridden at Fort Hunt – any access restrictions? I’d probably vote for the 20 minute format (vs. hour), just to keep time sane. Looks like it’ll take roughly an hour to ride there and then 2 hours to get from there to work. I could probably get up a bit earlier than normal and meet there some morning at 6am. That should allow me to get to work around 9am.

Edit: I’m realizing that I might not be able to do a good test, by definition, if I’m leaving myself enough gas in the tank to ride another couple hours. Hmm. Well, I’m not really sure there’s an alternative, I sure as hell am not driving from Fort Hunt to Reston

[Tim Kelley]

@hozn 119268 wrote:

Edit: I’m realizing that I might not be able to do a good test, by definition, if I’m leaving myself enough gas in the tank to ride another couple hours. Hmm. Well, I’m not really sure there’s an alternative, I sure as hell am not driving from Fort Hunt to Reston

Just fall over and lay on the ground for 20 minutes and then soft pedal into work.

Anyone else interested?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hozn 119268 wrote:

I’d be game for an on-road FTP test some AM. I’ve never ridden at Fort Hunt – any access restrictions? I’d probably vote for the 20 minute format (vs. hour), just to keep time sane. Looks like it’ll take roughly an hour to ride there and then 2 hours to get from there to work. I could probably get up a bit earlier than normal and meet there some morning at 6am. That should allow me to get to work around 9am.

Edit: I’m realizing that I might not be able to do a good test, by definition, if I’m leaving myself enough gas in the tank to ride another couple hours. Hmm. Well, I’m not really sure there’s an alternative, I sure as hell am not driving from Fort Hunt to Reston

Fort Hunt is a good ride. I don’t know what the hours are, but I assume it’s open at least from sunrise to sunset.

I just did an experimental FTP test at HP…given the stop signs, I just did two 8 minute laps rather than a 20 minute test…although even with an 8 minute test the gate-to-gate course is too short. Both runs had identical averages (189w, bleh), but I definitely had a decent amount of gas in the tank at the end, despite shooting for a higher HR range on the second run. Interestingly, TrainingPeaks shows that my peak 10 minute power doing hills yesterday was 222w. I’m guessing my lower power today was partly due to fatigue, higher temps, and maybe even because I was on my fixed gear.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tim Kelley 119271 wrote:

Anyone else interested?

Perhaps later this week (not tomorrow) or this weekend…probably going to have to be first thing in the morning.

[hozn]

I would do a trainer FTP test first for a benchmark, since it is a nicely controlled environment. Sufferfest has a great video (“Rubber Glove “) to guide you through it and entertain you.

But like Tim said, you should be falling off the bike at the end of the test. Completely drained.

[Tim Kelley]

@TwoWheelsDC 119279 wrote:

Fort Hunt is a good ride. I don’t know what the hours are, but I assume it’s open at least from sunrise to sunset.

I just did an experimental FTP test at HP…given the stop signs, I just did two 8 minute laps rather than a 20 minute test…although even with an 8 minute test the gate-to-gate course is too short. Both runs had identical averages (189w, bleh), but I definitely had a decent amount of gas in the tank at the end, despite shooting for a higher HR range on the second run. Interestingly, TrainingPeaks shows that my peak 10 minute power doing hills yesterday was 222w. I’m guessing my lower power today was partly due to fatigue, higher temps, and maybe even because I was on my fixed gear.

I’ve been to Fort Hunt at all hours and haven’t ever had any issues. Even though it’s only a one mile loop, there is only one stop sign to watch out for, and much less traffic than HP, so I think it’s a better place. Another potential spot is going out McArthur once you get past Sangamore.

Make sure to calibrate before each test too!

[vvill]

I do need to do a FTP test properly but a) suspect it won’t have changed much, if at all, and b) not sure I have the TSB to play with right now. Kill Bill is coming (and I’m riding Wakefield on Wednesdays as well). At least my CTL is up past 100 again (first time since before the last CX season!)

[hozn]

Last time I tried new tires, it was a disaster and I went straight back to the tried-and-true 25mm GP4000S. Well, I decided to take another gamble, giving road tubeless another try with a hopefully better tire. This is the 28mm (tubeless) Schwalbe One. First impression is that it is very comfortable and very grippy. It doesn’t feel any faster rolling than the Conti (and I think the crr is actually a little higher, even for the tubeless version), but it feels very smooth. If this lasts, it might be my new warm-seasons commuter tire.
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9055&stc=1[/IMG]

[dkel]

@hozn 119566 wrote:

[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9055&stc=1[/IMG]

What bike is that? I didn’t know you had a Spot.

[Rockford10]

@dkel 119572 wrote:

What bike is that? I didn’t know you had a Spot.

#bikestalker

[dkel]

@Rockford10 119574 wrote:

#bikestalker

Hey, man: hozn has a notoriously small stable, and I think I’ve seen them all, except for the MTB. And the unicycle, at least in person.

[hozn]

@dkel 119575 wrote:

Hey, man: hozn has a notoriously small stable, and I think I’ve seen them all, except for the MTB. And the unicycle, at least in person.

Yes, I do have a notoriously small stable (shed). That is my ti commuter/cx bike; it’s just a Spot fork (the only full-carbon fork I have found for 1 1/8 steerer tube that also has fender eyelets).

[Author]

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