It's 2023. Let's spend less

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Here is my new cycling blog that focuses on improving fitness and longevity while saving money at the same time.

In 2023, desirable road bikes cost $6000 and up. Indoor smart bikes cost almost as much. I have some ideas to improve performance while spending less.

A wise person (probably) said: "It takes no great skill to overspend on bikes and their maintenance".

Let's go.


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Stages SB20 - Drive Belt Adjustments

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Stages SB20 - What's Inside?

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The Stages SB20  indoor smart bike was released in 2020. Let's take a look at the electronics that enable it  on platforms like Zwift.com and TrainerDay.com. An external power supply routes power to different bike components through a series of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The bike also includes two battery powered crank-based power meters. Here's an overview the basic functions: USB Board - Wedged vertically under the phone tray. It powers 3 USB ports. Upper Board - Fastened horizontally under the phone support rail. This System On a Chip (SoC) handles wireless communication and controls the bike itself. Switch Board - This wire distribution board sits inside the aluminum handlebar stem. It routes connections for the brake level controls  and under handlebar tape "blip" shifter buttons.  Lower Board - This mainly analog circuit board is attached to the flywheel / electronic brake unit. It controls bike resistance and sends power to other PCBs. Power Meters - A
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Indoor Bike Improvement #10 - SB20 Rocker Plate

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10 of 10 - Leaning one way and another Rocker plates make indoor riding more realistic. I'm not entirely convinced. Indoor bikes struggle to recreate outdoor resistance, road conditions, pedalling dynamics and acceleration. I'm not sure that side-to-side movement helps with realism. My personal take is more conservative. Two years of rocker plate riding has improved my overall comfort and helped with out-of-saddle sprints.   My Journey I began experimenting with different rocker plate designs in 2021, starting with the following requirements: ✓ Progressive side-to-side movement that offers stronger resistance as you move from the upright or vertical position. ✓ Forward-and-back movement. Many riders claim this is a critical element in real-world riding simulations. ✓ Small footprint. Commercial products are often quite large to accommodate a wide range of bikes. A custom design for my particular bike should be smaller. ✓ It should remain easy to get on and off the bike.  
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Stages SB20 - Measuring Torque Against Factory Specifications

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Torque Measurement I previously documented how to compare SB20 power meters with a set of calibrated pedals. It gives you a good indication of how your power meters compare in actual riding scenarios.   This test  statically measures  torque with a pair of fixed weights. It tells you if your power meters meet factory specifications . This test does not provide the full calibration that you can perform with Garmin or Favero pedals. You can't change  offset  or slope parameters to get the Stages PM measure correctly in the future. Basic Testing Procedure The basic method involves two ( big ) steps: 1. P osition the cranks horizontally to get raw measurements produced by hanging 25 lb weights from each crank. 2. Use a spreadsheet to process raw measurements and get an average reading for both cranks. Compare these readings against expected values  (t he list of expected values is shown later in this post ). The test setup looks like this: With equal weights on each side, cranks can
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Smart Bikes, Zwift and Bike Computers are all WRONG

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My SB20 smart bike comes with an app that shows power, distance, cadence, L:R balance and current virtual gear. You can also use a bike computer like a Garmin 540/840/1040  to show similar data. When you use either at the same time as  Zwift, you see different numbers.  Who is correct? Answer: They are ALL CORRECT and ALL WRONG!  How can that be?   Let's find out. Before getting started,   it's a good idea to agree on basic parameters. Note: In this discussion, I use the term  Indoor bike  for smart bikes and smart trainers along with their related apps. RESISTANCE AND POWER 1. RESISTANCE - An indoor bike creates resistance that makes it harder or easier to pedal.  2. POWER - The harder you push against the indoor bike's resistance (measured in newton metres) multiplied by how fast you pedal (RPM) defines the POWER you are producing (specified in watts per second or just watts). POWER is a measured number and is EXACTLY the same if you are riding with Zwift, using your
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What is Erg Mode and Why Can it Suck?

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Free Riding is Easy Let's start with the relationship between resistance , cadence and power (watts) when doing an indoor free ride (sometimes called sim mode ). Free riding follows a simple formula:  Power in watts  =   How hard you push   ⨉   How fast you pedal   Your indoor bike offers constant resistance when you stay in the same physical or virtual gear. Pedal at a constant RPM and you get a consistent number of watts. If you then pedal 10% faster, you produce 10% more watts.  Pedal 10% slower, you produce 10% fewer watts. 📣 Free Riding Summary: When simulated riding conditions stay the same, pedalling faster produces more watts. Pedalling slower produces fewer watts. And don't forget: There is one way to go faster in Zwift.  Produce more watts 💪.    If only indoor riding was always this simple... Erg Mode When doing structured workouts, Erg mode is popular. It allows you to produce a desired number of watts whether you pedal fast or slow. It's very useful fo
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