Same ride, 21 times, on my Creo

[mschwett]

This 21 mile figure eight with the golden gate bridge in the middle has been my sort of "default ride" since I got my Creo four months ago. It's a mix of a few city streets, currently-closed roads through parkland, lightly trafficked open space roads, and the long and very windy bridge itself. It features around 1,500 feet of climbing, with one relatively continuous climb of around 600 feet, maxing out at 10%, and the rest in smaller 5% chunks. The first few times I did the ride, I was not attuned to fully turning the motor off when I didn't need it, and was new to cycling in general. Now the route feels as familiar as my own street, and it's pretty amazing how consistent the rides are. My average speed is within a very narrow range, 14.5-15.5 mph. Total time varies by no more than 5 minutes, depending primarily on wind and the occasional slowing for cars or perhaps cyclists on the bridge.

I'm most satisfied with using less and less motor over time, now only using eco mode, and only for about 2/3 of the long climb, sometimes right at the start, and on a tough or very windy day for a minute or two when turning into very gusty headwinds uphill. The motor contribution to the effort has been below 5% for the last two rides, and generally trending towards maybe 6 or 7 percent. Interestingly, the total amount of work for the ride, rider plus battery, has trended down a little, but not too much - from 345 wH average for the first five rides to 311 wH average for the last five. I'd attribute that 10% drop to improved technique, I suppose, riding on the drops more and wasting less energy to braking. I'm VERY interested to see how that number changes on different tires. I'm riding gatorskin hardshells now (2,000 miles, no flats, knock wood!)

Anyone else have a "go-to" ride that they do repeatedly? I'm far from tired of this one yet, I figure I have at least another hundred loops of it in me

the route:

the data:

and the views are pretty nice too

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anyone else have a "go-to" ride that they do repeatedly?

You must be a roadie by heart, mschwett
I would have died from boredom riding the same route over and over.

Impressive progress in your case!

 

[mschwett]

You must be a roadie by heart, mschwett
I would have died from boredom riding the same route over and over.

Impressive progress in your case!

well, there were another 1500 miles of less familiar rides mixed in there, but somehow it’s always satisfying to go back to the familiar and try and improve a bit more here and there!

 

[ActionJackson]

You must be a roadie by heart, mschwett
I would have died from boredom riding the same route over and over.

Impressive progress in your case!

The Northern leg of his route is through some of the most beautiful country on this planet. I don’t think he would ever get tired.

 

[kahn]

This 21 mile figure eight with the golden gate bridge in the middle has been my sort of "default ride" since I got my Creo four months ago. It's a mix of a few city streets, currently-closed roads through parkland, lightly trafficked open space roads, and the long and very windy bridge itself. It features around 1,500 feet of climbing, with one relatively continuous climb of around 600 feet, maxing out at 10%, and the rest in smaller 5% chunks. The first few times I did the ride, I was not attuned to fully turning the motor off when I didn't need it, and was new to cycling in general. Now the route feels as familiar as my own street, and it's pretty amazing how consistent the rides are. My average speed is within a very narrow range, 14.5-15.5 mph. Total time varies by no more than 5 minutes, depending primarily on wind and the occasional slowing for cars or perhaps cyclists on the bridge.

I'm most satisfied with using less and less motor over time, now only using eco mode, and only for about 2/3 of the long climb, sometimes right at the start, and on a tough or very windy day for a minute or two when turning into very gusty headwinds uphill. The motor contribution to the effort has been below 5% for the last two rides, and generally trending towards maybe 6 or 7 percent. Interestingly, the total amount of work for the ride, rider plus battery, has trended down a little, but not too much - from 345 wH average for the first five rides to 311 wH average for the last five. I'd attribute that 10% drop to improved technique, I suppose, riding on the drops more and wasting less energy to braking. I'm VERY interested to see how that number changes on different tires. I'm riding gatorskin hardshells now (2,000 miles, no flats, knock wood!)

Anyone else have a "go-to" ride that they do repeatedly? I'm far from tired of this one yet, I figure I have at least another hundred loops of it in me

the route:

View attachment 95245

the data:
View attachment 95246

and the views are pretty nice too

View attachment 95248View attachment 95247View attachment 95249View attachment 95250View attachment 95252View attachment 95253View attachment 95251

Looks kind of BLAH! JUST KIDDING. Very nice scenery in the main. I could see doing that loop multiple times. I've got a few loops, too. One is about 15 miles and I can vary it a bit with a few great water views. The other is about 23 miles and does some steep climbs, open views of Puget Sound, traversing two nice parks and hitting Seattle Center. I think I posted about both of them above. And just did the 15 miler just this morning before the heat sets in and before our air quality drops due to the surrounding fires. No views as dramatic as yours unless it is incredibly clear and Mt Rainier shows crystal clear in all her 14,000+ glory.

 

[kahn]

The Northern leg of his route is through some of the most beautiful country on this planet. I don’t think he would ever get tired.

WELL SAID.

 

[mschwett]

Looks kind of BLAH! JUST KIDDING. Very nice scenery in the main. I could see doing that loop multiple times. I've got a few loops, too. One is about 15 miles and I can vary it a bit with a few great water views. The other is about 23 miles and does some steep climbs, open views of Puget Sound, traversing two nice parks and hitting Seattle Center. I think I posted about both of them above. And just did the 15 miler just this morning before the heat sets in and before our air quality drops due to the surrounding fires. No views as dramatic as yours unless it is incredibly clear and Mt Rainier shows crystal clear in all her 14,000+ glory.

the presence of Mt Rainier from Seattle is always an amazing sight! all we have here are just hills by comparison

 

[Jim in Central CA]

You must be a roadie by heart, mschwett
I would have died from boredom riding the same route over and over.

Impressive progress in your case!

Stefan, the scenery on this ride is world class, so that helps stave off the boredom. It is a good workout, too. As I build up my own endurance, this is something I would like to try.

 

[fxr3]

Ride at different tides- to mix things up.

 

[Scott Eakin]

Like you I have a route I ride a lot, about 38 miles and 2000 ft of climbing. When I started with the Vado 5.0 SL I was using 155 watt/hrs to complete the ride. Today it was 6. Its working!!

 

[mschwett]

Like you I have a route I ride a lot, about 38 miles and 2000 ft of climbing. When I started with the Vado 5.0 SL I was using 155 watt/hrs to complete the ride. Today it was 6. Its working!!

Those are incredible stats! Wow. Unlike me, it looks like you really don’t need the motor anymore! (But its really great knowing it’s there… and the beauty of these SL bikes is that other than a little excess weight, there are no penalties.)

 

[Scott Eakin]

Those are incredible stats! Wow. Unlike me, it looks like you really don’t need the motor anymore! (But its really great knowing it’s there… and the beauty of these SL bikes is that other than a little excess weight, there are no penalties.)

I agree and I am strangely finding myself shopping for an acoustic bike, the exact opposite of what I expected would happen when i got my first electric.

 

[mschwett]

i've now done my go-to ride with the motor off for the whole ride 6 times

getting to this point has probably been an equal mix of: losing 10-15lb, getting a bit stronger, improved technique, shorter gearing at the low end, and a lighter bike. the overall reduction in "work" required to do the ride is really interesting to me, from an average of 350 watt hours (75% human!) for the first four rides, to an average of 290 watt hours (100% human!!!) for the last four rides. average speed is essentially unchanged, trending up a bit over the last 8 rides after trending down a bit as i reduced motor usage.

e-bike is still an absolute necessity for the big climbs, did a 4,500' climbing ride over the weekend and was very happy to have the motor when i needed it

 

[kahn]

Very encouraging - how the hell do I lose weight!!!! I used 3% per mile just yesterday and only climbed 1,110 feet in 23 miles. I keep sifting through my pannier but don't see where to reduce its contents. One less spare tube won't reduce it much.

 

[mschwett]

Very encouraging - how the hell do I lose weight!!!! I used 3% per mile just yesterday and only climbed 1,110 feet in 23 miles. I keep sifting through my pannier but don't see where to reduce its contents. One less spare tube won't reduce it much.

for me the combo of lower gearing and less weight (mostly me but also the bike and accessories lol) pushed it to the point of being able to use no motor. this particular ride was right on the edge of that, of moderate length and except for a steep start to the main climb, fairly gradual, around 6% the whole way.

i now ride very light, not really understanding why people bring so much stuff on a bike ride. for less than 2 or maybe 3 hours, i bring the bike, myself (in shorts and a shirt, a helmet, a credit card, a $50 bill, and very light cycling shoes), an iphone mini and disposable mask (in case i need to get in a bus, train, or Uber)… and nothing else. no bags, no bottles, no tools or tires. if i have a mechanical problem or flat, an uber or transit home is of inconsequential cost and it’s not likely i have enough time to futz around with fixing it anyway.

when i started out, i weighed around 200lb, bike weighed 31lb, i was wearing heavy shoes, sweats, water bottle, lights, a bunch of stuff i didn’t need in my pockets. total weight probably in excess of 240lb, with a 46 ring up front and 42 in the back. I’m around 185 now, bike is 27, clothes and shoes and helmet can’t be more than a couple pounds… so call it 215lb, but with a 42 ring up front and in the back. torque required to move uphill at a given speed was almost 22% more initially, which along with a little increase in strength or fitness is the difference between being in the sweet spot of cadence for power output and not. a 13lb lighter bike (like an aethos) takes the equation even further… a 61lb difference between where i started and where i would be going up that hill. of course, that bike will have no motor which will great limit it’s usability for me on really long tough rides.

for a much longer ride, like 50+ miles, i do bring a bottle filled with ice and Gatorade. When it’s all melted and drank, I’ll fill it up at a drinking fountain or get some beverages from a market. also will throw a bunch of bars in a pocket, and probably get ice cream or something similar on a stop, @Stefan Mikes style. but i still don’t bring a bag!

 

[mjeds]

my "go to" ride is my commute to work, same path up and back, I think about 590-600 times. on Sat and Sun I do a loop from my house to the beach and back which is 64 miles round trip, not as consistent doing it every weekend, but in 13.5 months, I am at just under 20,000 miles on my Cyrusher XF800.

 

[mschwett]

my "go to" ride is my commute to work, same path up and back, I think about 590-600 times. on Sat and Sun I do a loop from my house to the beach and back which is 64 miles round trip, not as consistent doing it every weekend, but in 13.5 months, I am at just under 20,000 miles on my Cyrusher XF800.

that’s impressive ! 600 times. it would be really cool if you had strava data for every ride

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You're in SoCal and riding urban environment, aren't you @mschwett? Some of us are not that lucky. Colder climate does not allow me travelling light for most of the year. Same with suburban rides: I must carry some tools: While calling for a cab would be doable here, it is still simpler to repair a flat or chain en route. Often, some bike part goes loose: I cannot fancy not having a set of hex wrenches with me (but I never carry the 10 mm one).

 

[kahn]

You're in SoCal and riding urban environment, aren't you @mschwett? Some of us are not that lucky. Colder climate does not allow me travelling light for most of the year. Same with suburban rides: I must carry some tools: While calling for a cab would be doable here, it is still simpler to repair a flat or chain en route. Often, some bike part goes loose: I cannot fancy not having a set of hex wrenches with me (but I never carry the 10 mm one).

I'm kind of with you. Although, if I get a flat on a chillier day I might call in the cavalry.

 

[mschwett]

You're in SoCal and riding urban environment, aren't you @mschwett? Some of us are not that lucky. Colder climate does not allow me travelling light for most of the year. Same with suburban rides: I must carry some tools: While calling for a cab would be doable here, it is still simpler to repair a flat or chain en route. Often, some bike part goes loose: I cannot fancy not having a set of hex wrenches with me (but I never carry the 10 mm one).

northern california, but yes, your point is valid. it's a mild climate and while many rides feel remote or rural, civilization (water, food, transportation) is never all that far away.

hopefully you will not need a 10mm hex key on your ride! pedals and cranks are pretty bulletproof