Staminist Forums The online community for amateur endurance athletes - cycling, running, swimming, triathlon and more. All experience levels welcome. Ask a question, talk about gear, share your stories and photos. No sweat, no glory! https://staminist.com/ Fri, 08 May 2026 06:28:40 -0500 Phorum 5.2.19 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1669# Building new gravel bike Seraph GR201 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1669# I haven't really felt the need to upgrade, I ride on dirt roads and it's kind of fun being underbiked on my old CX bike.
But doing group rides I would have to go so much slower on 33mm tires and rim brakes, the new frame has clearance for up to 50mm (2.1 inch) tires.
Plus that huge downtube storage area looks great, instead of carrying a tool bottle I can actually use two water bottles for long rides.
Probably order some 9Velo gravel rims from Panda Podium, and finish it off with the new 13 speed Rival or Force XPLR AXS E1 groupset depending on budget ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Sun, 28 Dec 2025 19:43:06 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1668# How to use Apple TV Picture-in-Picture With Zwift? https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1668# Only works with some tvOS apps that support picture-in-picture (only Apple TV+ app as far as I can tell? Doesn't seem to be supported in Plex, Tubi, or YouTube)
BUT if you play videos on those apps from your phone or tablet and AirPlay them to your Apple TV, you do get the PiP icon so that's a nice workaround.

If you want to know why some tvOS apps support PiP and some don't, here's more info
https://forums.plex.tv/t/picture-in-picture-support-for-apple-tv/611639 ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:50:08 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665# Re: Zone 2 Training and the time crunched cyclist https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665#
The comments are quite interesting, and I discovered TrainerRoad does offer a new beta polarized training plan
How to Enable Polarized Training Plans in TrainerRoad
I'm probably going to try the mid volume (7h/week) polarized plan after the Tour de Zwift is over and see how that goes. From the TR description:
Quote
TrainerRoad
The Polarized Base blocks are designed to establish your aerobic base fitness with an emphasis on shifting training intensity to the ends of the spectrum and feature all-new polarized, high-intensity workouts. Following the traditionally referenced three-zone model for Polarized Training, these plans reside within a polarized training intensity distribution between 80/20 and 95/5. 
If you want to increase your training volume, you can add an extra low-intensity workout. Doing so will further increase the plan’s polarization. After you complete the Base Phase, you can progress onto Polarized Build. These are experimental plans, meaning that this is the first version of these plans. These plans are still in their beta phase of production and will be improved upon as more data is collected.

I'll probably take that suggestion to "add an extra low-intensity workout" and add another 1 hour Zone 2 session per week as time permits, and reduce or replace the 2 hour Sunday ride with something shorter as I really don't like spending that much time on the stationary per session. ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:32:28 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665# Re: Zone 2 Training and the time crunched cyclist https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665#
The top graph shows a ramp test (starting at 100W and increasing 35W every 10 min) and the blood lactate level measured in a professional athlete (PA), moderately active healthy individual (MA) and individuals with metabolic syndrome disease (MtS).
You can see individuals with MtS are already near the top of Zone 2 (less than 2.0 mmol/L) in warm-up, and any sort of effort pushes them out of Zone 2.
The really interesting part is the MA vs PA graphs.
You can see the lactate levels in professional athletes is super low all the way up to around 300 W. How is this possible? Are they really just burning fat?
No! The reason their blood lactate level is low at such high power output is because that lactate is being used as fuel by the mitochondria in their slow twitch muscle fibres. This is one of the great benefits of Zone 2 training, lactate is an excellent fuel source if the mitochondria are developed, and one of the reasons professionals can ride so hard for so long.
The second graph shows fat oxidization, which is the much slower process of fat being broken down, transported, and used by slow twitch muscle mitochondria. Zone 2 can also be defined as the range of peak fat oxidization. Blood lactate levels rise when your mitochondria cannot absorb and use any more lactate so it gets dumped in the blood - and that signals your body to stop breaking down and transporting those fatty acids. The more your mitochondria can use that lactate, the longer you can continue to activate the fat oxidization mechanism - it's win-win.
Note: I'm not a doctor and have no training in metabolism or biology, I just find this stuff fascinating.
The paper is available here if you really want to nerd out:
Assessment of Metabolic Flexibility by Means of Measuring BloodLactate, Fat, and Carbohydrate Oxidation Responses to Exercisein Professional Endurance Athletes and Less-Fit Individuals
The full video is here, if you want to skip the super technical deep dive and get to the practical recommendations, they start discussion training arould 1:39:00
^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Fri, 20 Jan 2023 13:35:41 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665# Zone 2 Training and the time crunched cyclist https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1665#
Like many other time crunched cyclists with other obligations, I have limited time to ride every week so I've been following the Sweet Spot training plans as recommended by TrainerRoad and many coaches (does TrainingPeaks favour Sweet Spot training as well? I haven't used it), with Base plans that progressively increase time spent just below 1 hour FTP. The theory being your fat-burning capacity is increased at the same time.
This seems to directly challenge that approach and argues that actually that time is better spent at maximum fat oxidization - the upper end of Zone 2, defined here as under 2.0 mmol/L - in order to improve the mitochondrial efficiency in your slow twitch muscle fibres. Not only does this increase your body's ability to break down, transport, and absorb fat in your slow twitch muscle fibres, it also improves the ability for those mitochondria to absorb lactate produced by glucose use (which there is always some, even in zone 2).
How to find your Zone 2 without access to blood lactate testing? The "conversation test" seems to be quite accurate, for me it seems to be a little below the transition from nose to mouth breathing but that will vary considerably from person to person. I would be very interested to get a metabolic lactate test done as a baseline as I'm currently in a barely above untrained state.

For me, I can feel when my power is slightly too high and getting into Zone 3 and my heart rate starts rising. This is what Dr San-Millán calls power to HR "decoupling" and is discussed more in the second video. This is also important for figuring out your duration, which is going to depend on your level of fitness. An untrained cyclist might need to start with 30 minutes where a pro is doing 3-4 hour or more Zone 2 rides. Ideally I think if you want to see improvements, you would want to do a zone 2 session long enough that you just start to see your heart rate decoupling (rising) compared to your steady state power output. Like anything else, you want to just nudge out of that comfort zone to trigger adaptations.

I've done a few of these sessions now and one immediately obvious benefit is you don't feel smashed after the workout and feel quite fresh the next day as well, which I think will make it easier to increase volume. I seem to be sleeping better too.
In previous years, I have often smashed myself on rides to "get the most out of it" with the result being I can't or don't want to ride for one or more days afterwards. This is counter-productive. In the videos Dr San-Millán points out that this kind of training will result in rapid increases in fitness - 50% gain in 6-8 weeks is not uncommon - but that your fitness will plateau without the increased mitochondrial efficiency that Zone 2 training provides. This has certainly been my experience struggling to get my FTP over 2.8 W/kg in previous years.
This isn't to say that high intensity training isn't important as well. The doctor says "you don't win races in Zone 2 or Zone 3" and that's true, and highlights the importance of identifying what you are training for. He recommends at least 3 or 4 Zone 2 rides per week (duration determined above), with some intensity intervals at the end of 1-2 of the sessions, then a long group ride or race on the weekend where you can do what you want or go all-out.
I want to do some casual club races, group rides, and a few granfondos this year, and I'm seriously rethinking the amount and structure of Zone 4 training I'm going to do. I'll post updates in this topic with the results as the year progresses. ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Fri, 20 Jan 2023 13:14:53 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648# Re: Identify these ski bindings? https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648# Leona XC Skiing Forum Fri, 05 Feb 2021 13:55:36 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?4,1663# Human powered track groomer https://staminist.com/read.php?4,1663# Anyone built one? How hard are they to pull on snowshoes?

^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye XC Skiing Forum Wed, 13 Jan 2021 13:18:59 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648# Re: Identify these ski bindings? https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648#
Quote
Ken
The picture of the old SNS boot is the one that fits that binding. I found some cheap boots at a thrift store with the wire way out in front and the single groove down the middle. This is an early binding and it will be hard to find a boot to match it. Three used ski equipment places said they almost never get that type of binding in the store. The modern bindings have an easier time to step into, but the old one works ok. Mine has a vertical bar that the wire fits over and it wedges in with the clip going horizontal to retract.
^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye XC Skiing Forum Wed, 13 Jan 2021 13:14:16 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648# Re: Identify these ski bindings? https://staminist.com/read.php?4,648# Ken XC Skiing Forum Tue, 12 Jan 2021 20:10:25 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# Re: My Trek 5200 Bare Carbon Build https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# Gavin Cycling Forum Sat, 19 Sep 2020 03:11:12 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Re: Sealed vs Cartridge Bearings https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Skye Cycling Forum Tue, 28 Jul 2020 15:49:07 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Re: Sealed vs Cartridge Bearings https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Just a follow-up, I have heard with Cup and Cone bearings that regular maintenance is key to longevity. I have put about 2,000 miles on my rims so decided I would man up and try to repack them. Watched a couple YouTube tutorials, and seems like it was a pretty easy task! I was pretty nervous, but it went well and they are a lot quieter now. ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Mon, 27 Jul 2020 14:14:10 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1657# Freehub Compatibility https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1657# THANKS! :) ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Mon, 27 Jul 2020 14:12:38 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Re: Sealed vs Cartridge Bearings https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Perhaps you mean the cup & cone (angular contact) bearings Shimano still uses in their wheels?
According to Shimano this is why they use them:
From: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/technologies/component/details/cup-cone-bearing.html
Quote
Shimano
Angular contact bearings of the cup & cone type offer greater strength than sealed cartridge industrial bearings due their ability to displace lateral and vertical loads more effectively for super smooth rotation and longer durability. Angular contact bearings also allow easier maintenance, adjustability and serviceability.

From what I understand, cup & cone are going to have more friction losses than a radial bearing under normal use (eg vertical and not lateral load) unless they are set up very carefully. I haven't done it myself but it sounds like the Shimano bearings can be set up by feel with a high degree of precision to reduce drag as much as possible, and are easier to dismantle and service.
I have a set of older Dura-Ace wheels but I'm considering going to a sealed cartridge bearing hub for my next wheels because frankly I would rather just replace the cartridge bearings every X years than fiddle around, but I'll rebuild the Dura-Ace first to see how much of a hassle it really is... ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Tue, 09 Jun 2020 14:09:43 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# Re: My Trek 5200 Bare Carbon Build https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# if you're experienced or feeling brave you can change the spoke tension to get the wheel centered in the seat stays. If you have bladed spokes you'll need a plastic spoke holder in addition to the correct sized spoke wrench.
Edit: forgot to say the procedure would be to slacken the spoke nuts on the side you want to pull away from, and tighten the spoke nuts on the side you want to pull towards in equal measure as you go around the wheel, a little bit at a time. Remember it's righty-tighty lefty-loosy looking *down* from the top of the rim/tire towards the hub. I'm sure there are many tutorials on Youtube.
Otherwise any bike shop can center the wheel easily. ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:58:14 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Sealed vs Cartridge Bearings https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1654# Discussion starter here...
Sealed or cartridge bearings??
A lot of different manufacturers are going to sealed it seems... Why does Shimano (quality products in my opinion) stick with the cartridge? Are their cartridge bearings better than others?
What do you do for maintenance on those and would that be a deal breaker or maker on a new wheelset for you?
Thanks!
Kyle ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Sun, 07 Jun 2020 13:37:32 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# Re: My Trek 5200 Bare Carbon Build https://staminist.com/read.php?1,153# Anyway, I have a 2006 5200 and my Racelite rims have bitten the dust... Rims are cracked because of that double spoken design. Looks sweet, but apparently not the most durable design.
I got some Vision Team 30 wheels and put the same size continental tire on them, 25c gp 4000sii and they rub the chainstays and at the top of the wheel right by the brake like yours!
So frustrating... I might try some 23c tires or am I going to have to buy narrower rims? These are 622x19, my old ones were 622x16...
Are those numbers what's causing the problems?
Also, it appears my wheel is closer to the left chainstay than the right by a couple precious mm... I'll attach pics if I need... But what would cause that?
Help, and thanks ! ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Fri, 05 Jun 2020 22:28:41 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1651# Re: Strava changes https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1651# kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Fri, 05 Jun 2020 13:47:27 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1651# Strava changes https://staminist.com/read.php?1,1651# I was surprised to learn the company has never been profitable. As I would like all that data to be around a long time, I can see how it would be good if they at least broke even.
$5/month USD is a good price, I'm signing up (I let my Pro expire years ago). I get way more out of it than Zwift.
With the COVID-19 lockdown, there's not much else to do other than go for top 10 on segments around here!
Skye ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Fri, 29 May 2020 11:47:41 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?2,1650# Mountain Madness BC Runners Coronavirus Survey https://staminist.com/read.php?2,1650#

Coronavirus Update and Request to Our Runners
Like all of you, we are hard at work adapting our business to the new realities faced by our society as we deal with the challenges of this pandemic. Collectively race directors from across BC have been collaborating to look at ways to successfully return to racing as we find a "new normal" and we are looking for some help from you!
The link below will take you to a short 10 minute survey that will allow us to better understand the impacts that have been felt by our British Columbia racing community, our partners and our sponsors. We are also using the survey to gauge the concerns that racers will have about returning to racing and are seeking any feedback you may have about what might make you more comfortable and confident in returning to the trails and community that we all love.
Click here to enter the survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiRg_E7SgL6eaDCEZVShj9692Ocq2XlfZcV83hvf00hi5niw/viewform ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Running Forum Wed, 06 May 2020 14:46:42 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?16,446# Re: How to organize a Zwift group ride or race https://staminist.com/read.php?16,446# "To get your ride on the Zwift Event Module
email charlie@zwift.com"
As far as I know, that's still the official way to get your event listed in that particular calendar.
I haven't been using Zwift that much lately, do they have an event calendar integrated into the app now?
Skye

Quote
Carolyn
I created my account on teamup. I currently have Read-Only-Access to the calendar. The link to the Facebook group, Zwift Rides Calendar Access, is broken. Yields a message, "This Content Isn't Available Right Now. When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it has been deleted."
I realize your post is a few years old. Has the process to create a Zwift Event changed? I want more than a Zwift Meetup offers.
Thanks,
Carolyn
^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Zwift Riders Forum Fri, 10 Apr 2020 19:20:06 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?16,446# Re: How to organize a Zwift group ride or race https://staminist.com/read.php?16,446# I realize your post is a few years old. Has the process to create a Zwift Event changed? I want more than a Zwift Meetup offers.
Thanks,
Carolyn ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Carolyn Zwift Riders Forum Thu, 09 Apr 2020 21:06:51 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?16,313# Re: Welcome Zwift Riders! Introduce yourself here https://staminist.com/read.php?16,313# Carolyn Zwift Riders Forum Thu, 09 Apr 2020 20:52:15 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?16,1637# Re: Trying out RGT Cycling virtual app https://staminist.com/read.php?16,1637# Not too many riders, but plenty of NPC riders around to keep it lively. Like I said before, this is just some visual distraction for my TrainerRoad workouts so I don't really care that it's missing all the social Zwift stuff. I don't think Zwift is that great for structured training, to be honest - I always get caught up going for PRs or racing other riders.
Skye ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Zwift Riders Forum Tue, 17 Dec 2019 14:26:09 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?16,1637# Trying out RGT Cycling virtual app https://staminist.com/read.php?16,1637# https://www.rgtcycling.com/
You connect your power meter to the phone app, then connect the app to a screen app on a desktop or AppleTV.
Seems to work really well on my PC laptop, was only getting 5 fps on my old Mac mini though. Doesn't have all the features of Zwift but it's free and it's just something to distract me from boring indoor riding (doing TrainerRoad base plan again) and looks just as good...
Anyone else using RGT?
Skye ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Zwift Riders Forum Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:55:18 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?2,1633# 25% on sports nutrition for your help with a 5 minute survey!:) https://staminist.com/read.php?2,1633# 5 minute survey to help understand how to best optimize sports nutrition for training and competition. After completion, we will provide you with a 25% discount code.
Thank you! ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Kathybeeh Running Forum Wed, 06 Nov 2019 22:06:08 -0600 https://staminist.com/read.php?3,25# Re: Welcome New Members, Please Introduce Yourself https://staminist.com/read.php?3,25# globoswim Swimming Forum Mon, 30 Sep 2019 10:36:11 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,799# Radler, the cyclist's beer https://staminist.com/read.php?1,799# "Made popular in Germany when cycling, so a rider wouldn't end up in a ditch. We might call it a pacer"
At only 3.2% ABV that would make sense lol
Here's another version of the story:
"The 1922 legend goes…. an owner of a bar in Bavaria, short on his supply of beer, became threatened by a group of cyclists because they were thirsty from their travels. In distress, the bar owner mixed whatever beer he had with lemonade." ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Fri, 30 Aug 2019 15:29:24 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,753# Re: Elevate for Strava https://staminist.com/read.php?1,753#
Quote
kyleiniowa
This is an incredible extension, I love it! So much data and really interesting to view the comparison and ranking additions it shows for every segment. How long will Strava allow this to work? Seems like it would be cutting into their Summit packages? I love elevate so I hope they don't take action against it!!

I doubt they would, I think Elevate just uses the Strava API which is also used by TrainingPeaks, TrainerRoad, etc which are also competitors to Summit - but not really, they all have slightly different focus. It was a bit concerning when they shut off Relive.cc but apparently that was because they weren't abiding by Strava's privacy policy or something.
The segment stuff alone is great I agree, saves having to click through to the segment page and have a bunch of tabs open. ^ CLICK TO REPLY]]> Skye Cycling Forum Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:29:34 -0500 https://staminist.com/read.php?1,753# Re: Elevate for Strava https://staminist.com/read.php?1,753# kyleiniowa Cycling Forum Sun, 18 Aug 2019 22:35:34 -0500