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PudseyPaul
Joined: 05 Nov 2008
Posts: 14
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 Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:30 pm |
On my commute home last night in ever sunny Leeds it tipped it down with rain, and not for the first time I noticed that on my usual ascent up a rather steep and long hill that I was less out of breath and my leg muscles were actually pretty fresh afterwards. In fair conditions I often find that its a harder ordeal and my legs activley ache once at the top?
Therefore does anyone know whether this is down to the cold and wet keeping your muscles cool which somehow protects against fatigue? I would be interested to know as there is defo a link for myself.
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ride_whenever
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 8281
Location: United Kingdom
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:50 pm |
yes you're not having to expend energy to cool yourself down.
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456!
silly little bike |
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_Brun_
Joined: 09 Jul 2007
Posts: 943
Location: London Town
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:04 pm |
Colder air is more dense and you therefore get more oxygen per lungful. That's why I breathe through an intercooler.
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cjcp
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 5370
Location: Where kids get up far too early
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:06 pm |
But, warmer air is also less dense apparently, thereby reducing resistance. There's some discussion about this on the Richmond Park 3 Lap Challenge thread.
To Pudsey Paul: were you going slower before the hill though (because of the rain), giving you more energy for the hill?
"I got nothing!"
FCN 2-4.
The Commuter |
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Kurako
Joined: 10 Sep 2009
Posts: 163
Location: Tooting
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:00 pm |
Wet Road + Less Friction = Easier pedalling
Its fizzix innit 
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will3
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 1126
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:04 pm |
| Kurako wrote: | Wet Road + Less Friction = Easier pedalling
Its fizzix innit |
Ahh but think of all the water you're picking up off the road, accellerating round and round with your tyre etc etc 
Personally I find it harder going in the cold weather, but that might have something to do with my chronically dirty drive train.
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biondino
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 5156
Location: Putney, SW London
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:50 pm |
Yeah, I reckon most likely is the fact that because you have to be more careful, which usually means slower, you're actually preserving more energy before you get to the hill, which, because you're not having to reduce speed, feels faster anyway.
My Focus / My Bob Jackson
Blog (includes bikes) |
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DonDaddyD
Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 4147
Location: The middle distance
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itboffin
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 4882
Location: Marlborough, Windshire
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iclestu
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
Posts: 138
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 7:26 pm |
sure it makes you go faster.
It makes you go
"OH FECK ITS COOOOOOLD" Pedal pedal pedal.
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FCN 10: Hybrid with flats and panniers (until Cycle2Work comes around....) |
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the_village_idiot
Joined: 07 Oct 2009
Posts: 108
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 9:23 pm |
| Kurako wrote: | Wet Road + Less Friction = Easier pedalling
Its fizzix innit |
no lol- water would create drags making it harder work- your tyres are essentially lifting water up as you move- hence the need for mud guards.
cold air = denser air = more in your lungs
cold air = your body doesn;t overheat
wet = your more motivated to get home!
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Big Wib
Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 177
Location: Melton Mowbray
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:47 pm |
now that I've managed to cut my commute down to 23 miles each way, I'm managing to actually commute more regularly instead of just thinking about it in a wishful way
anyhoo, last night i found myself cycling home in the cold and the rain with a big grin on my face 
oh yes and i certainly felt i was going faster, although that might have been coz i wasn't carrying my laptop etc
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Greg66
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
Posts: 2235
Location: The Embankment
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:17 pm |
No, no, no. None of you have the right reason.
What's better than oil if you want something slippy?
Oil and water.
Oil & water makes just about the best chain lube outside of a brand new, out of the packet chain.
Trouble is, the water tends to wash some of the oil out once it stops raining and starts drying. Ever noticed how post-rain your bike seems less responsive, and the chain sounds dry? There's a reason for that.
Only a tread on a tyre will lift an appreciable amount of water. A slick lifts drips.
I'm with cj on the warm air v cold air. The resistence of the dense cold air outweighs the O2 uptake. Besides, unless you're riding a kilo, chances are you're well below your max HR on the bike anyway.
FCN Zero. Like ice. Look for the red and black bag disappearing over the horizon
Bike1 Bike2 |
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cjcp
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 5370
Location: Where kids get up far too early
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:26 pm |
| Greg66 wrote: | Ever noticed how post-rain your bike seems less responsive, and the chain sounds dry? There's a reason for that.
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+1. Squeaky jockey wheels. That's what I seem to get.
"I got nothing!"
FCN 2-4.
The Commuter |
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baronsouthside
Joined: 17 Oct 2009
Posts: 22
Location: A Glasgow pothole
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 7:05 am |
Theres defo something in the cold air v. hot air tho.
I raise my cadence this morning (the coldest so far) on the basis of another thread i read yesterday (to see if my average speed would increase.) I felt as if i was spinning like mad but when i got to work and checked my HR monitor i was expecting to see my average was higher but in fact it was lower than normal!!?.
I think the dense air v. less dense air wouldnt really apply to me as im not the most areodynamically shaped human plus a rucksack. Its not as if im cutting thro the air like a hot knife through butter on my dawes horizon to begin with.
If i also share the info that i had a chippy for my dinner last night and some chocolate just befor bed im coming to the conclusion that my lungs prefer cold air, my legs prefer a slightly higher cadence and i can eat what i like.
If i aint riding it, then im thinking about riding it. |
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will3
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 1126
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 9:55 am |
I've just remembered another factor with the cold air thing. If you're slightly asthmatic you may end up a wheezing wreck if the air is cold enough.
This buggers your performance.
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