Johns,    Thanks for the on-air reply to my email about fixed gear riding and flahutes

a weeks/months back. I just wanted to touch base and let you know that I've  been riding

 the fixed gear exclusively for the the last two months. I've  been alternately spinning

 and grinding the miles away and feel stronger for  it. I'm curious how long I should

continue training/riding with this bike as  I've been told that the direct drive could

actually weaken your spin. By  this I'm assume "they" mean you get lazy by allowing the

bike to take on the  back of the pedal stroke and only apply force on the downstroke.

I was  wondering if you knew of any drawbacks to fixed gear training.  Theoretically, I

 guess, I understand this potential problem. However, if you  are aware of it just don't

get lazy about your pedal stroke. It might be the  novelty of it all but, it seems very

efficent way of training. With the  rolling topography of mid-Maryland I get the power

and aerobic workout in  the same ride.    By the way, I agree with you about the mind

numbing, soul crushing nature of  fluid trainers. I've had the chance to try both fluid

trainers and rollers.  Rollers keep me more mentally engaged in the workout.My general

training question is about Vo2max testing. What is it? How useful  is it? I don't have

the budget for a PT or coach this season and should  probably have more structure to my

training than just getting beat up at the  weekday worlds and then again at the weekend

crit. How can I use my Vo2max  values to train my weaknesses, one being sustained power?

 When I can bridge  to the break I can't keep those gains and usually blow-up. Sometimes

 I get  close to the break but just can't close the remaining 10-20 yards. Is this  even

 something Vo2max testing/training can address?    Last thing, I usually give the wave,

 the nod, or a good word to every two  wheeled beast of burden I come across. However,

I've decided to strike  tri-guys from that list. It's just safer for both of us. I should

 have known  better but a club member and I came abreast of this tri-hero during our ride

today, I matched him a few pedal strokes and then sang out with a merry  christmas. This

drew his attention away from attaining aero perfection and  resulted in him swerving into me.

 I will accept responsibility for this. I  should have recognized his laser like focus and

just eschewed any attempt to  make that one on one connection and build that bridge

between our two  tribes. Anyway neither of us went down. I just leaned into him and he

bounced off and collected himself.    Later,  

James  EMAIL #3

Hi Two Johns,    I just wanted to take a moment and give thanks.

Thanks for,  The 13 cm specialized hotrock in the garage and the 2 year old that rides it.

The blue univega viva sport 12 speed, I did my entire paper route with no hands  in 1983

 (81 papers and I had to cross highway 1)..  The red bianci grizzly mountain bike I used

to sneak out with in highschool in  the middle of the night and race my buddies along the

beach at low tide.  The red Jamis Dakota i rode the 300 miles down the California coast

from Santa  Cruz to Santa Barbara in 1990.  The way cool three speed robin hood I rode

during my first year of college,  until I gave a very voluptuous female  a ride on my

handle bars and it never  rode the same after.  And my current quiver, the 2001 Zurich

Lemond, my first road bike, the black  2006 Jamis Nova cross bike I use for my soul riding

through the Santa Cruz  mountains, and my black 2002 Motobecane mountain bike, front shox

and hard tale,  not the lightest bike in the world but does the trick.    And of course

thanks to afgan john, the desert rat, the Nice Cop, the barfing  guy, all the Freds, the

suspender guy, all the race face knuckleheads, all the  tri-dorks and recombent folks, the

 crazy double century guys, the rickshaw guy,  all the cycling coaches and doctors, all

the superfans, the rasta photographer  and all the other hosers to the north eh.  I'd like

 to thank all them other foreign cyclists, the glasses over straps guys,  glasses under

straps guys, everyone from outer bongolia, the professional  pelaton, the Tour de France,

 Girona, Quality, my local wrench, all the drivers  who give me space when passing, never

 having to fix a flat in under 50F weather,  my red wool canari jersey, the other john,

and of course the two john's podcast,  but most of all for my wives spinning class. And

now questions,My two year old son is starting to learn to ride. I push him around the

driveway  on his specialized hotrock with training wheels, should I teach him to steer or

  peddle first?    I am getting ready for my second road bike and thinking carbon, ultegra,

 and a  good set of wheels for $2K-$3K, any advice? So far my list includes Scott,  Lemond,

 Specialized, & Kuota. Also, should I consider another grupo?    Waves vs. Nods?  When I 

think it could be slightly dangerous taking my hands off  the handlebars I nod. Parden me

if I affended anyone.    If you are hauling ass down a hill and you forget which is your

rear brake. What  do you do? If you forget you can look down and check then what do you do?

Best Holiday Wishes and Happy New Year,    Joel's iPhone  Santa Cruz, CA

LATE BREAKING NEWS  The lemond frame broke. I am ending up with a sweet Tarmac pro,

durace &  ultegra, elite kryseriums. Specialized is clearing out the 07s for $3k a pop.

And I have got a new blue steel lemond frame 58, the 08 sarthe. I'll post it on  the blog

if anyone wants to buy it.    I would have written a shorter listener feedback but I didn't

have enough time.  

M Twain or B Franklin, I’m not sure who is responsible. EMAIL #4

Dear twojohns,

Great job. I have been enjoying the podcasts immensely over the last couple of months; they’ve kept me

sane over a period where I couldn’t ride my bike at all, which leads me on to my question for you.

I used to road race at a very average level up until about 12 years ago. I’ve always lacked talent but love the

sport so much that just competing has been enough to keep me training over the years. Since then I’ve kept

riding and training but without any competition. A couple of years ago I decided to try to train properly to get

back into racing but have been faced with setbacks all along the way due to health and home issues. What I

want to know is, now that I am finally healthy again, how should I start training again with a view to trying

some time trials and road races next year? I’m still at a level where I can go out for 40mile rides and have

started doing a couple of 25minute threshold sessions on my turbo trainer in the cellar, but if I ride with friends

who are club riders I end up working very hard; probably too hard for this time of year and my fitness level.

Background information is that I’m 40 years old and have been insulin dependent diabetic for 30 years and this

is well controlled.

The year before last I completed the Marmotte sportive (col de Croix de Fer, Telegraph, Galibier and Alp

d’huez) as well as several domestic sportive rides. My progress seemed to be going well but the problems

started toward the end of that year. It seems that when I train I just get fatigued and gain no fitness overall.

For instance I went to Majorca last spring for 10 days training and came back exhausted and no fitter or faster.

The situation has been made worse by the fact I was living in a building site all last year with no kitchen or

bathroom for most of the winter due to me renovating our house over that period.

I was hit twice by cars in the last year, writing off two bikes and injuring me. Both times riding in the

allocated cycle lane.

I’ve spent the last two months unable to ride at all due to side effects of extreme fatigue having been

prescribed statins, the anti-cholesterol drugs as part of routine diabetes care. Now that I’ve come off them

I feel great and ready to start training properly but I’m terrified of returning to a loop of chronic exhaustion with

no gains in fitness.I live and work in Manchester and ride in the challenging countryside nearby.

Another serious reason for needing to improve my speed is that with the insurance from one of the road

accidentsI mentioned I bought my dream BMC SLC01 frame with record gruppo/Reynolds wheels. I need to

do this machine some justice and not be a sitting target for any passing roadies when grovelling along looking

seriously ‘over-biked’!

If you’ve got any suggestions I’d be really grateful.

Just a quick suggestion to the guy packing up has bike for travel is to get an old axle with a QR and put

these in the fork and rear stays. Alternatively visit your local bike shop and ask for the plastic parts used for

that purpose when shipping new bikes. This strengthens the frame against any impacts.

Best wishes to you all for Christmas and Hogmanay,

Scottish Pete EMAIL #5Johns,  Just sending an email to say thanks for the podcast.  It has been entertaining and has changed me. I have read a book I don’t think I would have ever read had it not been for the podcast, Zen and the art ofmotorcycle maintenance.  Just remember why you started the podcast and if you keep trying to define quality you will go nuts just just like the author.  Sometimes I just have to ride my old huffy just to remember asimpler time when this bike could take me anywhere (except across busy streets) and where I could reallyfast. Where I did not have to worry about work or bills and al I had to do was keep my room clean. Keep up the good work and passing on cylcling knowledge. Western Superfan  EMAIL #6

Uber Johns:    I listened to your 12.17.07 podcast with amusement as there were many

segments  of it that I found very entertaining and funny, especially the subtle rants

against recumbants.  My complaint about the rants is that you were not  critical

enough against them.     Recumbants are NOT bikes.  Just because they have two wheels

and need to be  pedaled doesn't make them bikes, and both of you know that and should

not beat  around the bush on this subject.  Call 'em what they really are which is

exercise machines for aged white guys who wear tube socks and wear 12-13 year  old helmuts

with mirrors attached and t-shirts that depict their most recent  benefit ride.

And another thing...you're right about overpriced titanium bikes, especially the  custom

builders you mentioned.  I own a Seven Axiom which I bought in 1998 and  rode regularly

for almost 9 years before I got my current Crumpton carbon fiber  missle.  The Seven weighs

 over 18 pounds, while the Crumpton tips the scales at  only 15.4 lbs and that's for a 59

cm frame.  The difference is amazing.  Plus,  Seven's custom frame fitting program was not

 as thorough as it should have been,  and I ended up with a frame that was just too big

for me.  $4500 for a custom  titanium bike back in 1998 was a lot of money but I was not

 wise in the ways of  bike selection when I bought it.  C'est la vie, I guess. How long

will my carbon fiber bike last?  I don't know. I take very good care of  it  but Michigan

 roads are merciless on bikes.  I can only hope I won't feel  like I got less than my

money's worth by the time this bike has to be put out to  pasture.

For what it's worth,    Listener Kip. J  

Saline, Michigan. EMAIL #7

 EMAIL #8

Hi guys,

A note from the dark side.

Just got finished listening to your latest podcast on a brisk Florida afternoon and yes, it

was on a recumbent.  I wanted to follow-up but this is not for the next podcast but just

for you.  I am sure you agree we can close this topic for good.  Just a couple of points:

Not all recumbents have 20” wheels. The one I sent you a picture of have a set American

Classic Sprint 350 650cc wheels.

As you know things in life are a compromise and bikes and trikes are no exception. 

What I can assure you is that what you give up in handling; you gain in comfort with

recumbent bikes and trikes.  As I mentioned to you long ago in an email, if I had a choice

I would ride a “normal” diamond frame bike and if I was being totally honest, and I

am………………………the reason is because of the “cool’ factor.  But hands down, comfort

 and visibility are sacrificed to a great extent on a diamond frame.  I hope you are willing

to concede that?  Your reclining position on a recumbent gives you the opportunity to

really enjoy your surroundings and you can do in it real comfort.  Now that is almost in

opposition to what you do, race and train, so I appreciate where you come from, I think…..

  I hope you can extend me thethe same courtesy.  Oh, you are so-o right about the

nimbleness issue, it takes  getting use too on the two wheel recumbent.  I also do not

travel at the speeds that you do, as this old rickety bodies engine doesn’t fire on all

cylinders.  It does suck to get old!

I also split my miles between a recumbent tadpole trike and the high racer.  I think people

think I am handicapped coming down the road when I ride my trike but I could care less.

   You can’t believe how comfortable they are.  The bottom line is I can keep on riding. 

The last 3 years I have logged between 5 and 6k miles each year.

Here is a pic of the trike.  I want to see you guys going down the road on the green machine.  I know you guys are just drooling over the carbon cranks…………….  Johnand John, I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your podcasts.  Your bright, informative, funny, provocative.  Have a wonder holiday season and ride hard!

Joe

EMAIL #9

Hi Johns,  I've got a couple of points from your last show:    For mainstream production

bikes with horizontal top tubes - Trek do quite a  few, my winter bike is an SL1200 which

I bought as it had the best value  decent components (in my price range) and I really liked

 the "look" of the  straight top tube.    For chains being old technology - have you seen

 the belt drives that Orange  (and others, I think) are using next year - have a look at

http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/news/28798/Carbon-belt-drive-is-future-for-bike-transmission

Finally, have you guys seen http://www.roadbikerider.com/ - it’s a free  weekly email

newsletter that has some interesting articles in it; and heh -  the price is right. I

thought some of your other listeners might enjoy it  too.    I've had a question for you

 guys wandering around my head for the last week  or so, but I'll get that down when I have

a bit more time.  Cheers  

-Mike