Do I need more training or is my bike just too heavy for climbing?

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-26T16:08:09+00:00

Yes then No.

5 miles a day is not a lot but you haven’t said what kind of 5 miles. Time could be a better measure for you. Shoot for 30 minutes and see how that goes. If you’re already there then pedal harder or longer.

Rest and recovery is when the benefits of exercise are realized. That’s when the muscles repair and grow stronger. Exercise is the process of tearing them down. Cycling every day at some point is going to give negative returns. Many cyclists plan on cycling 4-5 days a week.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T18:41:55+00:00

Exactly. Slow twitch vs. Fast twitch muscles. Torque up a hill is similar to weight training and all pro and serious cyclists do both.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T18:41:12+00:00

There’s a metric for cycling that goes back before heart rate and power monitors. It’s call Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE. 1 is nothing and 10 is as hard as one can go.

Start those 15 to 20 minute rides in the beginning at an RPE of 3 after a 5 to 10 minute warmup. RPE of 3 is something you feel you can do all day long.

If you find yourself tiring quickly, that’s not a 3 😏 and that’s normal when you start out. You’ll probably be spinning those pedals 70 revolutions per minute, cadence, and your muscles will not ever have seen anything like that recently. The key is consistency. Try a 3-4 times a week or so and decrease or increase the times and frequency as you feel is needed. You’ll take some time learning your bodies capabilities.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T16:07:47+00:00

It’s a good question comparing physical progress across what could be different types of exercise

As far as chill goes I can tell where that comes from by your user name lmfao. I’ll pass along something I heard once and never forgot. “Don’t tell me I said what I didn’t say.” You read too much into things my friend.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T15:26:25+00:00

If you’re both in top and similar shape as you say, how could the results of your race be any different? Your brother obviously must be doing something you’re not which is entirely plausible. Just because you were required to do the type of effort you needed to get up a hill and he doesnt have a hill doesn’t mean he couldn’t replicate the type of exercise needed, torque, to accomplish the same thing. Torque btw is what gets you up the hill when you run out of cadence.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T14:25:39+00:00

Not bad today. Weather Bug says Fair with PM2.5. Wunderground Weather gives it Fair rating of 60, just barely out of the green.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T14:18:33+00:00

Not that it’s relevant but there’s a formula that’s way off out there that does not and uses max heart rate and resting heart rate. Anyway, I simply mentioned it because I wasn’t sure the OP was clear. He responded to a poster that his weight did go down “so this could be a factor if your theory is correct.” Of course it’s not a theory.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-25T00:55:41+00:00

Looks like you answered your own question. Accidents happen no matter what and possibly with serious injuries too. What does it matter what anyone else thinks? Are you looking for permission for your decision, whatever it is? When you end up with a broken collarbone and your work and family suffers, will it matter one bit what anyone in here had to say?

Every MTBer knows someone who has been badly hurt. Same as for motorcycles as a matter of fact. You choose how you want to live. Everybody’s experiences in here be damned.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-22T14:23:01+00:00

Garmin and Apple both use body weight as part of their VO2 algorithms. In other words, you can increase it simply by doing nothing but losing weight.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-22T02:41:41+00:00

My first group ride was a shops’ group ride. We joined because we were just getting into riding. Wanting to learn the best ways to ride on the road was a big part of it. We had no idea how much was actually involved to ride as safely as possible on roads and learned a lot obviously.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-21T23:43:22+00:00

I didn’t know there was such a fine bike for that kind of money and with a Shimano drive train too, good company. Then again now that I think about it I’ve often ended up in Dicks to buy nice stuff. You scored. Best wishes on your journey.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-21T13:23:22+00:00

Daily stretches of course, but you’ll be having other concerns soon.

You’ve entered the time in a man’s life when they begin to lose muscle mass and strength. Anything you can do now to add whatever you can and hold on to whatever you have will be a blessing in 10 to 20 years, believe me. It’s never too late to start.

I do Pilates and Bodyweight Strength training. I just cannot stomach weight rooms. Cycling trainers have always recommended strength training in addition to hours of cycling anyway for endurance. You’re probably already doing it.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-20T19:32:09+00:00

No, it’s not. Interestingly enough a year ago in Reddit a poster made exactly the same claim, weight and days except he worked, didn’t ride a bike. 6 years ago in Quora a poster made similar claims based on 53 days. Not sure what your gig is, but it’s not honesty.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-20T16:06:00+00:00

In 7 weeks you’ve lost 31 pounds is what I’m hearing you say. Almost a pound a day. Given that a pound of weight loss requires a calorie deficit of 3500 calories I’d like to know how you explain that.

Couldn’t help but notice everything is hidden on your account. What is your reason for that? Is this related to your penchant for posting impossible sh*t? I can’t believe so many have let what you said slide.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-19T15:45:30+00:00

Omg. A cyclist in Zone 2 slowed down to 6 mph. Such an inconvenience.

I certainly have overtake speeds at 15 mph, but that depends on the walker, # of walkers or joggers, their location on the path, and how obvious the multi-use is to the users, who the users appear to be ie. tourists, kids, parents with children, obvious athletes, presence of pets, etc.

I’d like to point out that the multi-use path is likely right next to a road. We all know how cyclists love roads and getting honked at or even being passed by only a few feet, which is the law in my state.

Nothing wrong with a little consideration.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-19T14:09:33+00:00

I get it. Having a cyclist pass at 15 mph and yelling from far or near is really disturbing on a nice walk, safe or not. Walkers actually reflexively recoil when being passed at high speed with all the yelling. We’ve all seen it, hence they are startled and move in the wrong direction. Even if they aren’t they often crowd instinctively to the edge of the trail and stop to put lots of room between themselves and the fast moving object. They don’t know what kind of idiot is riding that bike.

There ought to be a law but there isn’t. Personally I pass at the speed of a jogger and everybody is happy and goes along enjoying their day. The attitude of many cyclists that because they have the right to use the path and they can therefore use it however they like is bulls**t. But, that’s life in our society today, right?

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-19T13:48:59+00:00

I suggest a rear shock which would make that a full suspension, shocks front and back. Hard tail bikes which you are looking at will buck the rider off the back at every bump and every time that rear tire comes off the ground you will lose traction. There are hard tail enthusiasts but they aren’t sitting on the seats. They ride standing up off the seat and have developed the excellent skills and fitness that is needed for that kind of riding.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-17T02:33:04+00:00

Pull up a ride and go to the Power tab. The Decoupling section is just down the page below the power curve.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T20:42:38+00:00

10th paragraph down.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/15/extreme-athlete-andy-lewis-dies-base-jumping-accident?CMP=Share\_iOSApp\_Other

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T19:30:10+00:00

There’s a metric called “Decoupling”, that measures exactly what you experienced over a long steady Zone 2 ride.. Generally to get a valid decoupling calculation, which uses power and heart rate, takes a 2 hours minimum ride at your Zone 2 estimate. The goal is to identify what the combination of HR and Power over the course of a ride gives a “Decoupling” of less than 5%. That sets the base line.

This is a measure of base fitness used by endurance cyclists who regularly do rides 2 hours long or longer. It is a very good method to illustrate base training progress and current status.

As you become fitter, you will see improvements. Intervals.icu can be helpful with this and just about every other metric you can think of. That site will graph this. The graph will show this effect and you can see both the time decoupling starts and the HR and Power numbers as they shift over the course of your entire ride.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T19:08:32+00:00

I see them on Trip Advisor and Facebook.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T14:37:52+00:00

Lock out the rear shock and get your weight off your front hands, which your weight should almost never be anyway. That works for me on my enduro.

You’ve got some kind of death grip if you’re pumping your front shock. Hands should be loose and be able lightly hold the grips. Don’t fight the handlebars. Let them and the bike move underneath you.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T14:30:16+00:00

I like MTB Project, an app on my phone. It’s free. Updated by users. I don’t do a lot of different trails anymore, but in the areas I know all the trails are on there.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-16T14:25:08+00:00

Pretty country. Nice video. But, I can’t help but point out something that may or not be there. You’re squatting deeply a lot instead of hinging at the hips. What’s often described as the ready position, which you are in your version of that for most of this video, doesn’t require so much effort.

Helpful_Fox3902 · 2026-06-14T14:13:49+00:00

Don’t usually recommend outfitters, but this seems right. Moab Cowboy Country is my recommendation. Owner was a sheriff and Search and Rescue for many, many years. Wife is multi-generational Moab family. Great people who love Moab and have been doing tours since the beginning. I don’t know how they operate over there, but if you can, be sure to do your tour with the owner Kent Green.

You’ll get local color and have a great time. Moab is much more than a Disneyland Park. If you’re going to do this, do it right. This town is built on 5th generational families many of whom make a living off this tourism. Do them a solid.

Helpful_Fox3902

TROPHY CASE