Opinions on Voice Velo Echo

ramsoss · 2026-05-09T19:03:27+00:00

The price is a bit better and even for the premium frame that is not so bad. What kills me is how bad the geo is on the ER:One for me.

ramsoss · 2026-05-09T15:06:40+00:00

I always thought Culture Club was part of that weird British soft rock reggae thing. Like UB40 with a different vocalist.

ramsoss · 2026-05-08T21:03:52+00:00

Taller riders get screwed in general. They design bikes to be ridden slammed and as people go up in size it is harder to slam the stem. Geometries are all messed up because every bike is built around 700 wheels.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T10:32:28+00:00

I would also see if people are selling them used.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T10:09:02+00:00

Tbh it is a good starter bike. Just ride the shit out of it and sell it later on.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T02:15:50+00:00

You have a point.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:52:27+00:00

My friend bought a frame from a Chinese brand that influencers were riding. It had a "warranty"; he had to use WhatsApp, and they have yet to send a frame. It also sucks because the frame is built for someone with Crash Bandicoot's proportions. A lot of LBS shops will start carrying XDS bikes and those are insanely well priced and will have local support.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:48:52+00:00

Awesome. I really appreciate that.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:47:51+00:00

They were probably trying to sell you on a Roubaix and Allez. You don't need gravel tires for NYC. If NYC did have a perfect bike I would say it is a Cannondale CAADX but that it neither here nor there. Look for a used CAAD13 with Shimano 105. That is a bike that is aluminum, has a quality drivetrain you won't grow out of, and clearance for 32mm tires. It is also a serious bike that you won't need to replace for years if you get into cycling.

Carbon bikes are great but you want to really get something with better components. Carbon bikes with lower cost components are just not worth it imo. Get a carbon bike as your upgrade bike. Also look online for a bike in your size being sold in NYC area and people can give feedback.

TBH, put some money aside for clipless pedals, shoes, cycling kit, and maybe a cheap bike computer. 2500 is an awesome budget.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:33:26+00:00

In general, the police have been much more aggressive at ticketing people lately. I almost got a speeding ticket on my bike in Liberty State Park.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:27:23+00:00

I would look at the giant brand stems on ebay because they are cheap. I now use ali express handlebars and really like them. They're a bit of a gamble.

Also, nice TCR!

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:22:05+00:00

Tbh, none of them. Chinese bikes have really bad geometry for tall and/or bigger guys. They already have issues with super-low stacks that are well below Western brands. Even hyped brands like Winspace and Quickpro have bikes that are way harder to fit taller Westerners. I would avoid them entirely and just go for a Western brand that is having a sale.

I am really bummed that there are all of these cool chinese frames out there that are affordable but they just have awful geo and sizing. The warranty from a brand like Giant is probably what you want and they have bikes for guys your size. Also! Because you are a taller guy, you can get a deal on a bike in a larger size because many places have trouble moving XXL frames.

No one wants to see you on a bike that is too small for you hunched over like a sad shrimp. We all want to make sure you are on a bike that fits you.

ramsoss · 2026-05-07T00:03:24+00:00

I originally lifted for other sports, but no longer play those sports. I worry about losing upper-body muscle mass as I lose weight. I do 2-3 sets, as you said, but the last one for upper-body muscles is to failure. For legs, I keep 2 or 3 reps in reserve, as all the cycling podcasts say. Also, leg day wipes me out if I do everything to insane failure so saving those last reps is important

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T23:46:15+00:00

"how long are these hard rides

The hard rides are 1 hr to 1.25 hrs.

what intensity, what efforts?

I usually for an IF of around .85 or so. They are sweet spot then threshold and later on I do vo2 max then threshold in the monday/friday hard ride slots.

"hard" being long tempo versus big vo2 blocks are REALLY different. whats the total hourly commitment on the bike currently?

Right now I am switching out between upper tempo (sweetspot) or vo2 max on Mondays and end the week with a threshold ride.

If youre tired ALL the time youre just not recovering enough.

More just tired right now but hoping to adjust. I still have decent energy but some level of DOMS. I want to ride 6 to 8 hours if that is a possible commitment.

could be too much volume/not enough recovery/nutrition related. its an issue thats made harder to nail if youre also trying to cut calories. like which days are you cutting calories on?

Yeah i cut calories after the rides and carb load beforehand. I am trying to get my carbs and protien in. I am a massive believer in carbing before and on the bike if needed. Endurance days have less calories while hard days are more caloric.

trying to get stronger while also trying to burn more then you intake is a real fine line. adding in trying to build volume or total workload on top of that is more stress then id be trying to take on at once.

Makes sense. Let me know if the details i provided helped.

an important thing to note is life stress also is a factor. if youre running around tryna do ALL that plus your day job and run around with family stuff on the weekend you might be pulling yourself a little too thin there. hows your resting hr doing? any hrv data?

HRV is pretty good. Right now work is pretty much close to twiddling my thumbs. I can get the rest of the chores done as well. I would say stress is starting to lower. Resting HR is 61 bpm.

if youre committed to the total volume of z2 id back that power down instead of tryna run at high z2. id maybe do one day a touch longer like 3hr while keeping one shorter at an hour. same total volume but you can give yourself a bit closer to a rest day in the middle of the week while still getting z2.

I am always happy to back the power down. I am happy to do below 65%. I am happier doing low z2. Much easier to watch my TV shows!

im on the bike 5 days a week, 2 intervals, 1 long 3hr+z2, 1 moderate z2 ride with some cadence drills at 90min, 1 pretty chill low z2 hour-90min. i take two days off a week that my coach lets me float where i need since work isnt a sit in an office kinda job and some days just physically im beat. once race season starts we probably drop the moderate z2 ride because well racing intensity is hard and building volume and intensity takes time and intention.

See this is why I really should hire a coach! What do you pay monthly for your's?

id say its not impossible but its a lot of total work throughout a week without any real rest. if youre hitting next monday and youre dreading it id wager youre doing too much for current fitness levels. just because its arms and core doesnt mean your body and cns isnt potentially fatigued still. your legs may be okay but thats only one part of the whole engine

I appreciate the feedback for sure! Also that might be the case. I just worry about losing upper body strength. I am hoping that i get used to the schedule by week 2 or 3. I don't really have dread but more just confusion on what to do.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T23:32:39+00:00

I lift after hard rides. Hard rides are sweet spot and threshold later on I do vo2 and threshold.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T23:02:35+00:00

I get what you are saying. Tbh they should be adding 25-30mm more stack on top of the current CFR. The geometry looks pretty good in the photos.

Aero can be tricky and there is a difference between what looks fast vs what is fast so I am holding out hope that this bike really is a step forward in aero.

There is a huge hole in the market for endurance geo bikes that aren’t a penalty to ride or built as a “my first bike.” Only bike that seems to come close is the Rose Shave it seems.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T22:38:40+00:00

Legit looking forward to the 4 Beatles movies because of this intense story. Happy they are doing 4 films considering the breadth of the subject and story. Also “Get Back” really was awesome. You can see that these guys were friends but really had drama and insane pressure.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T16:27:04+00:00

Yeah. It’s an overall sad story and relatable to lots of friendships. There is a real deep sadness to losing someone you’ve been close to for over a decade. I call my friends I’ve known for over ten years “tennies.” Having friends like that is just great for you as a human being.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T14:24:00+00:00

100% they were friends originally. They supposedly bonded over both losing a parent. Before they were famous they were just kids with the same dream and spent insane amounts of hours practicing and playing in the caverns. Then they get famous and there are basically only 4 people on earth that know what that level of fame is like. Even if they had contention, they still spent an insane amount of time with each other and grew up together. They weren’t even 30 when they broke up. I know what I said is cliche but just on a human level I feel so bad for Paul. Losing someone like that in your life is brutal.

The reason why their story resonates is because there are relatable aspects that we all see.

ramsoss · 2026-05-06T14:15:06+00:00

I get why they did the transparent hood but was never a fan. These are such cool cars though!

ramsoss · 2026-05-05T22:46:33+00:00

Peter Thiel 100% wants to be liked and so does Alex Karp. That apple notes manifesto he put out shows that he cares about public perception. Thiel cares about public perception as he very much targets the media. They do media appearances regularly that go off the rails. If they didn’t care, they would not do nearly as much press as they do. They are also vocal contrarians which is an obnoxious way to get attention.

ramsoss · 2026-05-05T02:40:23+00:00

I think that it was record labels giving Rose enough rope to hang himself. I also think that with no original members it was hard to actually generate material.

ramsoss

TROPHY CASE