Go Clipless

Measuring the hilliness of bike routes

When I first bought a GPS system it was all about not getting lost. I was riding some trails that were not well mapped and the GPS helped me get a birds eye view for where I was going. Once I became familiar with the trails and settled into a regular rotation, the GPS became overkill and I stopped carrying it.

Well, Dr. P (a regular riding buddy and one time GC contributor) received a new GPS system from his lovely wife this past weekend for his birthday. We took it out on a trail that we have ridden a hundred times. Now Dr. P is a data guy. Once he got that bad boy back home he instantly downloaded the data and began slicing and dicing it like crazy. He dumped it into Excel and began calculating the tangent of the cosign of the hypotenuse of the derivative of 2/3 of a rhombus to the 2nd power.

Whoa...whoa...whoa...Dr. my head is spinning...

There's got to be an easier way. Well the software didn't help much since it was largely built for GIS users or cartographers. So we turned to the 'net to find out the formulas for such common measurements as hill steepness or "grade."

Grade is the easy one. It's simply:

grade = vertical_climb / horizontal_distance

Grade is reported in the form of a percentage. But once you get the number, now what? I really like Bike Hudson Valley's explanation:

• 0% grade is exactly flat (and a negative grade, less then zero, is downhill). 

• 2% grade does not seem very steep, but it's enough to substantially reduce forward speed, and for most riders it will absorb more than half their power output. 

• 6% grade is enough to cut speed to well under half, and absorb more than 80% of a rider's power output (leaving less than 20% to fight air resistance and rolling friction).   

• 10% grade, and anyone who is not a fit and frequent rider is off their bike walking -- and anyone who is not a racer is reaching for all the extra power they've got.

Still, there are nuances. These numbers must be put into context and Bike Hudson Valley tries to do just that by explaining the tricks to computing total vertical climb and by proposing a total "hill index" for the entire route.

Once this data was surfaced it really gave me a new perspective on my "home" trail. For example (some of the locals may appreciate this one), I learned that the climb up to the Cricket Fields on the Colts Neck loop trail is a grade of 12% (you know...where you cross the stream...navigate the ruts of mud...finagle the parallel roots, while setting yourself up for the perpendicular root...around the bend...and mash up to the cricket fields). While not a particularly long climb it is fairly steep and the ease at which you climb is a good indicator of your overall fitness for the day.

The bottom line is that I will no longer look at my GPS as simply a mapping tool. Instead it will also be a tool to help me compare and contrast my rides across all of my favorite trails. Now I can't wait to measure the grade of the red loop climb at Greenbrier and calculate the hill index for Fountainhead.

Although, I tend to be more of a right-brain type than left, I must say that the good doctor is sometimes correct. Data, while interesting, can sometimes be useful.

The best way to clean your bike helmet

Take it with you into the shower of course! Learn step by step from guru-grrl how you too can avoid the "smelly helmet syndrome."

Why you need a mountain bike coach right now

Because you suck!

Ok...just kidding...I couldn't resist. Actually, it's because mountain biking takes skill and skill takes practice to refine. Even if you go out to ride with a plan to work on a specific skill if you are not doing it right than you may be doing more harm than good in the long run. So says Gene Hamilton, former pro downhiller and owner of the Better Ride coaching company, in this fantastic interview conducted by Ashwin for The Biking Hub.

Ashwin has a penchant for the technical aspects of the sport, but he always seems to break it down to the bare essence. I love this question he asks of Hamilton:

"Why does it seem there is resistance to mountain biking skills coaching?  People don’t think twice about golf lessons?"

The great thing about Hamilton's answers is that he really seems to understand human behavior and how adults learn. His method seems simple without being patronizing.

In the interview you'll find out

• why reading a book on skills will only get you so far
• that men and women approach learning skills differently
• why you should ride with a purpose

My advice...leave the opening question until the end. You'll care more.

I'm convinced. Now if only I could find some more time.

Cyclists, beware of the white van

Bike commuters and roadies beware. Apparently white van drivers care less about you than other drivers. Yes, white van drivers buzz past cyclists on the road an average of four and a half inches closer than do other drivers according to this study conducted in Britain. Any theories?

The Friday Chuckle - "Scooting"

Have you ever noticed your riding buddy "scooting" down the trail on his ass?  It might look something like this.  Not a pretty sight, and a habit I see on the ski slopes too.  There is a scientific reason for "scooting" and although it has traditionally been a canine affliction, it now seems to be making its presence known in humans with an active lifestyle, as well.

Here is an excellent site that explains this phenomenon and has an interactive, virtual practice area where you can try your hand at treating the "scoots".  You'll definitely want to install the Shockwave player for this one.  It's worthy of a hearty Friday chuckle...until your buddy asks if you can help him out with something.

Training in the off-season

Has anyone seen Ashwinearl's series of posts about off-season training for mountain bikers? If you are racing or just want to stay fit over the winter then you have to check them out. Mad props to the head coach of Team Married With Children, Full Time Job, No Genetic Talent!

1. Part One
2. Part Two
3. Part Three
4. Interval training

Doctor. Doctor.

It seems that the better I get at riding the more often I fall. I have certainly had my fair share of falls lately as I have been pushing to do more and more technical tasks at higher speeds. This seems to be true for some of my riding buddies as well.

Although, the injuries have been relatively minor (abrasions, sore shoulder, etc.), after my most recent fall I thought I may have broken a rib. (It turns out that I only knocked the wind out of myself for a few seconds).

At any rate, it got me thinking about the possibility of sustaining a serious injury while riding. At the least, I should have a first aid kit in the car.

You can buy ready-made first aid kits, but it probably is cheaper to buy the supplies separately and build the kit from scratch. So I started surfing around and found a few interesting sites regarding mountain bike injuries, treatment, and safety:

• UtahMountainBiking makes the point that it is worth having some basic medical supplies on you during the ride as most injuries are nuisance injuries and if treated immediately allow the ride to continue. They also have a ton of injury and treatment information.
• About.com has some basic information on mountain bike safety.
• You can buy ready made first aid kits from Adventure Medical Kits.
• Vodaphone in the U.K. is starting a campaign educating mobile phone users to store emergency contact information in their phones in an obvious way.

I think I have concluded that it is probably best to buy a ready-made kit as it would be too much to buy boxes of various supplies when only a few are needed.

So am I overreacting? Does everyone else already do this? Have you ever had any serious riding injuries that needed attention right away?