Covid-19, Corona, Lockdown Challenge

I see there isnt a topic exclusively for the lock-down yet. Who else is in lock-down and how is the training going?
I’m back on the back from today (day 1 of lockdown) and will find it interesting to see how much my ftp can climb in the 21 days we must stay at home. I usually have a quick climb before it plateaus. Starting at 240 and 83 kgs.
Also got my wife an subscription and as she has never cycled before it would be interesting to see her progression.
Stay safe and give a shout out on how things are going with your lockdown!

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Pretty well, cycling every day, decided to focus on volume since I’ve got more time on my hands than usual (no commute, work is quiet). So keeping it mostly under threshold, volume is looking like it will be up from ~10 hours/week to 12-14. Normally do a mix of ~mid volume TR plus group rides and races. Realised very quickly that a diet of 100% TR was going to drive me a bit nuts, so signed up to Zwift to mix in a few group rides and races and get some social interaction. Most of the rides I normally do are now being scheduled in Zwift which is cool.

Thinking I might do my TR sessions with Zwift running in parallel on the mountain route, if the lockdown goes on long enough I might just get that Tron bike…

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Our state is going into stay at home starting tonight - though we’ve been in personal family lockdown for a couple of weeks now.

I’ve been on the trainer pretty much every day. Supplementing SSB2LV plan with endurance rides on W/F/Su. I’ve been wfh for a couple of weeks now and using my TR rides as a break point from work to no work. With the extra time that I’ve had in the afternoons I have been able to add 15-30 mins to each ride.

I’m working way more hours than normal right now but after work I’m not able to go do a anything so I’m putting in more miles, especially as the weather is just starting to get nice

Been on lockdown for 2 weeks here. Working from home has freed up a ton of time to get training in. Taking it easy though since I am coming off a month of zero training due to the flu. Last ramp test was 237, and estimating my FTP before the flu took me out at around 250 (71 kgs). Did Bays, then Berryessa, damn near tore my legs off (in a good way :smiley:). Restarted my training plan with full distance mid volume, going well so far. Left my FTP at 237 until the next ramp test and it seems to be going really well so far. Hopefully that stays true when I hit Galena and Geiger +3!

Good luck and stay safe everyone.

Also a good time to strip down and rebuild your bike(s). If you don’t know how then now’s a good time to learn! :wink:

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So before all this hit, I ordered a new groupset for my road bike (FSA WE drivetrain and disc brakes). LBS is installing it today.

The mechanical / hydraulic Ultegra that was on it will be going on my CX / Gravel bike…I am starting that conversion today and will use the time now to learn how to install and bleed hydraulic disc brakes.

Worst case scenario - I do the Walk of Shame to the LBS and ask sheepishly for them to fix what I screwed up. :crazy_face:

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Great idea! Fall into the not sure how to do that camp though. Any good resources you recommend to learn with? TIA!

The Park Tool videos are probably a good place to start.

Like most jobs, having the right tools always helps but you don’t need that many for a bike:

  • a decent set of Hex/Allen keys
  • a set of Torx drivers
  • plain and Philips screwdrivers
  • a bottom bracket tool suitable for your bike
  • A good pair of cable cutters.

The first three can be obtained from any hardware store. the last two are bike specific.

Beware, you *will fall foul of the T+1 rule :laughing:

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Haha, or the worst if you can’t put it back together again!

In addition to the Park Tool videos that @bobw mentions I’ve found the videos that Art’s Cyclery - Ask a Mechanic produces to be a pretty good source too. I refer to both Park Tool and Art’s on a regular basis. Most repair tasks and procedures are pretty straightforward once you see how it’s done. If you get into something that’s over your head or are uncomfortable with then your LBS is always there.

Also a small torque wrench and kit is a must have for carbon frames as well as for aluminum and steel too.

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@bobw @rgwis thanks guys! This definitely helps.

Has anyone done the Park Tool School? Obviously not right now during lockdown but sounds interesting for later on since I know the bare minimum about maintaining my bike.

@faniefiets :rofl: baby steps!

A lot of LBS and bike mechanics do bike maintenance courses. A mate here in the UK will do one on one for bike builds - you bring the parts (and bike) and you get to use his tools while he supervises you.

Take a bare frame. You need to fit a headset which is probably the hardest part of the whole process. Then a bottom bracket - may be awkward depending on the BB itself. Fitting fork and stem is easy but cutting the steerer square takes practice. Gear and brake cabling is easy if external, potentially tricky if internal. After that everything is simply tightening bolts or nuts. Indexing gearing and aligning brakes is probably the hardest thing left to do but it’s more a case of follow the steps and take your time.

Put it this way: learning to build a bike is way easier than learning to ride it!

Which our LBS had a service like this. I’m all thumbs and my bike usually make horrible noises after a home service.

Did Reinstein yesterday - man did I miss over-unders!