Finding Balance

Training Files 001

A quick stop taking in the peaceful morning views about halfway through my first outdoor ride. Dinslaken, Germany, June 2, 2024.

I ended the last training update with a bike teaser. The four weeks since that post have stabilized my training, body, and mind.

But they’ve also introduced change, fresh air that will hopefully lead to a balance I can enjoy consistently.

Decent running spell

I wrote before that I set a strict running plan aside for the time being to focus on enjoying the process.

My staple 30-minute run loops around a scrapyard and multiple retail outlet car parks. It is peaceful and undisturbed in the hours before the world wakes up.

But it feels stale after a while.

And while a part of me longs for longer runs and better routes, I can live happily with it for now because of what I’ll detail below.

Besides, I’ve started to throw in 45-minute runs again, and the consistent training stabilizes my running fitness, which, in turn, stabilizes the soul.

Four weeks of running in numbers: the build from May 6 through June 2 in minutes (1, 3) and a week-by-week overview (2).

Making adjustments

There’s a good reason for the slight wobbles in running time: I love cycling.

While a full-fledged professional bike fit is currently out of reach, I decided to give in to my stubborn refusal to accept defeat.

The tools I picked to aid my attempts to find Velo comfort are a cheap wheel-on indoor trainer and AI, aka software tools that claim to at least help with getting people closer to a decently adjusted bike.

I didn’t expect that route to replace an in-person fitting session with an expert. As of today, I can say that I will invest in such expert guidance at the latest when I’m ready to move on to a nicer bike.

I still wanted to try and bridge the gap between fiddling with no guidance and a fitting session for multiple reasons.

For starters, if math says I’m correct (or roughly correct), I should at least be closer, maybe close enough to ride.

If it’s not enough, I’ll walk away with a better understanding of the process and starting point for the eventual proper fitting, which makes it more likely I’ll get the best out of the investment and experience.

Either outcome would be worth the whole enterprise (as long as I didn’t have to spend a fortune).

Armed with a 30-euro dumb trainer and two software options, I embarked on this fun little journey that dominated the better part of the last month.

Before I was ready to test the new fit with a first ride, I cycled through 18 stages over five days.

Getting the legs happy was the priority. I was also curious enough to continue experimenting once AI was happy. I wanted a better understanding of the directions I could play with. That prolonged the whole affair.

I started with saddle height, moved to setback, and once I was optimistic about the lower body, I started with the handlebar adjustments.

Once that felt good and AI was happy, I moved on to indoor trials.

The bike fitting setup.

Testing the indoor waters

The first ride happened at the end of the first week. Besides dumb indoor training being less than exciting, I received promising feedback. My training journal for the first 30-minute ride reads: “Bike fitting seems to be going somewhere at last. Legs felt good throughout and nothing has come up so far. Shoulders, hands, and saddle quirks still to iron out, I think. Positive signs.”

That trend continued with the four rides the following week (extending to a full hour for the final one) and another afternoon of experimenting with slight tweaks before I lost access to one of the AIs.

And things continued to smoothen out the following week, in which I teamed up three rides with three runs.

The final, but most depressing, can of worms was saddle tilt. Thanks to an uncooperative seat post, it was an exercise in patience to achieve a lasting pitch that resulted in comfort.

Achieving Road Readiness

It was time to get back on the road.

But the bike was in no condition for that. The bar tape was gone because I couldn’t have adjusted the handlebars properly.

I was also tired of the oily drivetrain mess. I must have picked the worst chain oil on the planet.

After much deliberation, I decided to recycle the remains, clean everything as thoroughly as I possibly could, and try my luck with wax (drip-on, though — let’s see how this goes first).

I detoxed the chain, cassette, pulley wheels, and chainrings in multiple sessions over two days.

Yuk.

I’m aware I won’t get that chain 100% clean again. The cassette might hide some dirt in spots I can’t access without removing it. In short, I might not achieve the cleanness new components would achieve.

But I’m happy to report that the result so far is delightful. I only wish it would have come without the hassle, delays, and heightened stress of all the road-readiness tinkering that was required.

Degreasing the drive train took more time, effort, and nerves than I had hoped (1–4).

Adjusting the handlebars and trying to determine how my shoulders compare to the width of the handlebars required the removal of the bar tape, which looked like this afterwards (5).

Wrapping handlebar tape was the final step in making the bike road ready again (after performing a general check of various bolts, the brakes, the shifting, tires, and and tire pressure). It might not be perfect, but I’m quite pleased how my first attempt turned out (6–7).

Still early days, but…

I completed my first outdoor ride last week (and continued my transition to multisport adventures this week).

Legs appear to be accepting. I haven’t even touched a foam roller in weeks. The saddle pitch seems decent now because saddle and hand comfort have improved dramatically. I feel at home on the bike like never before.

A quick stop taking in the peaceful morning views about halfway through my first outdoor ride (1–2). Dinslaken, Germany, June 2, 2024. And a scene from the road back home. Oberhausen, Germany, June 2, 2024.

Is everything as optimal as it could be? Probably not. I still have to figure out if I want to switch to narrower handlebars because everything I tried suggests those 42 cm handlebars are a good bit wider than my shoulders, and some neck tightness lingers. But that could also have little to nothing to do with cycling.

Above Four weeks of cycling in numbers: the build from May 6 through June 2 in minutes (1, 3) and a week-by-week overview of all the physiological metrics Garmin shares with their uses (2). Below Four weeks of multisport training in numbers: the build from May 6 through June 2 in minutes (1, 3) and a week-by-week overview (2).

Narrower bars should make things more comfortable and relax the position because whichever model I pick will likely have a shorter reach. And while I have no indication (feeling or AI) that overall reach is an issue, a couple of centimeters (if AI can be trusted and my understanding of the graphics is correct) shouldn’t hurt, either (and could always be further adjusted one way or the other with a shorter or longer stem). Time will tell if that’s something to tinker with.

The plan is to give this setup a chance for about two weeks before thinking about any tweaks. The bike feels good and runs smoothly. And I have a jolly good time riding it.