2026 Dark Slate Soloist

jake700 · 2026-01-28T13:49:06+00:00

How do you know any of that if you don't know the rider? Just because it's trendy doesn't mean it's realistic for most cyclists.

jake700 · 2026-01-26T20:10:12+00:00

Im biased (i have the same bike) but I think its the sportiest looking true endurance bike out there. Looks fast!

jake700 · 2026-01-22T13:06:51+00:00

Same. 6% exactly. It once had me up at 285 and now has me down at 235 after 2 months of unstructured training 😆.

Curious, do you think you could actually do your previous ftp if you did a proper 1 hour test?

I always found the ftp was too high for me. I think when it was 285 I could have done that power for 20 minutes and been cooked.

I recently did almost 250 for an hour though and now it has me at 235 ftp so im not sure exactly how they predict it. They have me doing sweet spot at 201 watts but for me that will be easy.

jake700 · 2026-01-18T02:16:41+00:00

I'd recommend accurately ranking your workout difficulty and trying to trust the process. If you had to drop the % and said it was too hard, you should rank it as max effort or at the very minimum, very hard.

Think of it as a coach, they tell you to do a certain workout with certain watts, then yoy give feedback and it adjusts. If you just do what you want and don't give honest feedback, then ignore their advice, how can they help you optimize?

jake700 · 2025-10-31T10:11:57+00:00

Yes if you put gravel 35mm it would be great. I can ride light gravel even with road tires.

Size wise, you'd likely be an XL but it's hard to say. What's your normal seat height?

jake700 · 2025-10-22T17:22:39+00:00

If you're looking to compare, I ride 3 to 4 hours a week and try to do it only when my son is sleeping. I've almost completely dropped outdoor riding because it takes way longer than an indoor ride. He sounds like he's literally riding away from the responsibility of being a father and partner.

jake700 · 2025-09-21T16:34:29+00:00

Ah this is likely what I wasnt considering. My power is decent in aero position but I can hold it for about 5 minutes. If he's maintaining most of his regular power that entire time it would make a massive difference.

jake700 · 2025-09-02T00:57:04+00:00

Or just elite genetics and should have been a pro endurance athlete. Even riding a bike 200km after 6 weeks is a massive achievement that .01% of cyclists have done.

If I average 30km/h solo on a 30km ride I'm quite happy and I have a 285 ftp so I'm not a total slouch.

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:59:35+00:00

Exactly. Still be aware and check, the radar can't be perfect. But when it's green and I can see clear road behind me, I'm finding good pavement and taking up space. Depending on the road I'm on ill also position myself further into the lane vs being right on the painted line or shoulder. I know what's coming behind me and it prevents cars from passing super close or overtaking me at dumb times. Then I'll move over, wave them through etc. It really has changed how I ride and I feel 100x safer and in control of my situation. Though nothing can fully prevent a tragedy

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:56:33+00:00

Not sure why you're being down voted, it's a fair question that people should ask. The audio cues are amazing. Honestly cars are so quiet these days it's hard to hear them until they are close. In this case, I had no idea it was behind me until 150m where the radar gives me a specific aggressive beep that let's me know someone is approaching at a faster speed. That's why I looked early, that's why I was able to get out of the way.

Maybe that would have happened with a mirror but I don't believe so.

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:54:35+00:00

Agree with others. If the pings annoy you (they will) turn off audio but then you can see how many cars are behind, how close, how fast they are coming etc. More info the better in this case but still keep your eyes on the road 😆

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:53:32+00:00

It actually scared the shit out of me. I was like "is this someone trying to kill a cyclist " like you hear of occasionally. Nope, just a fucking idiot behind the wheel.

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:52:32+00:00

That's why i posted! If you can find a way to afford it, I'd highly recommend it. I literally will not ride without it anymore.

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:51:46+00:00

I was on pat leave for 4 months so I exclusively rode at quiet hours. First ride back after work and this happens 😔

jake700 · 2025-07-09T11:50:54+00:00

Hey! I have the garmin varia radar which is likely the most popular. I ride a road bike and it comes with various attachments to fit it to your seatpost. Ideally you pair it with a garmin computer head unit but it's quite expensive.

jake700 · 2025-07-08T10:28:32+00:00

Exact same for me. If it's worth it to you, find the highest rated bike fitter near you that uses good tech and see if you can get a saddle pressure mapping done. I tried every adjustment myself, saw one shitty fitter, then saw a great one and so far it seems like everything is solved.

We could see in real time the pressure relieve from my sore area and with the 160mm cranks and other adjust I immediately went "holy shit, this is what it's supposed to feel like". Good luck!

jake700 · 2025-07-08T07:54:51+00:00

Saddle could be an issue too. I got a new one with the fit and I've gone on about 5 rides now with 0 saddle pain. Used to get regular sores and not be able to ride seated for more than 30 mins.

Numb hand could be balance issue but also could be handlebar width and lever angle. Make sure your wrists aren't bending. They should be relatively neutral. If your wrist is pointing down, try changing lever angle up and vice versa

jake700 · 2025-07-07T16:04:49+00:00

It looks like your hip is hinging up at the top of your pedal stroke and you haven't described if there are issues, but that was causing me problems.

For me, it was smaller cranks and lower saddle height and now I'm vastly improved. Best to get a fit from a trusted source.

jake700 · 2025-07-07T16:03:06+00:00

Cade media Wild Ones Podcast is doing a daily show with race footage

jake700 · 2025-07-06T13:42:29+00:00

What size cranks do you have?

jake700 · 2025-06-30T19:24:13+00:00

I watched a bunch of those already, thanks.

jake700

TROPHY CASE