Ping Jimbo
- Thread starter montage
- Start date
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When I started riding Audax about fifteen years ago, went out and bought a Cateye Vectra. With that and a photocopied map, I rode 100s and 200s.
It was about the time MachineHead first published his calculator sheets.
I embarked on a project to construct my own Time and Energy calculator sheets for me on my tourer for Audax specific riding as MachineHead's stuff looked competitive cycling orientated.
I had an e-mail conversation with MachineHead discussing rates of climb and energy requirements thereof.
I had a handful of 'Old wives tales' on the subject. It was time to put them to the test.
This was at a time before PowerCalc. When PowerCalc appeared, my calc sheets results were very similar if I adjusted all the specific trims for myself to make them as PowerCalc's 'Tourist' example.
I asked MachineHead about climbing speeds and gearing for climbing, but he was reluctant to say anything due to the fact he had written his calculator sheets as a commercial venture and wasn't going to tell a stranger on an e-mail.
I decided not to make him aware of the 'mystic theories'. It was a tit-for-tat thing. He probably wouldn't have ( like many others I could mention ) recognise them as 'scientific'.
So I built up my calculator sheets which agreed with Machinehead and when PowerCalc appeared, all three of us were 'singing off the same hymn sheet'.
PowerCalc is freely available for anyone to use, but you can't see the workings and it is very simplistic.
MachineHead asks for some cash for using his stuff.
I don't ask for cash and I don't give my stuff away for free.
MachineHead's stuff can tell you what speed and power you can climb a hill on a specified gear, but it can't suggest a gear based on your details. This is something that relies on ( as someone has said ) too many variables. Therefore Machinehead doesn't go there. He trusts his customer already knows what gears to fit on their bike.
If there is anyone out there who can successfully specify gearing for a bicycle using scientific methods, they won't need MachineHead.
My stuff ties in the scientific theory to the 'mysticism'. I have a gearset which Dawes specified on my Giro 500. The gearing on my Dawes coincidentally agrees with the mysticism.
To answer your question, "Download PowerCalc". There you will see there is a lot more info about your bike needed to get the result you require.
If you were to list me all the bike's particulars, I would need to change about a dozen variables scattered across four sheets on an Excel workbook. If you want accuracy, you would need to do an 'equilibrium velocity' test. This would need a very calm day and there won't be one of them for a while, so I suggest you just go to PowerCalc.
I worked out Peanut's weight loss target and BMR as well as suggesting him a gearset.
I could have disappeared off the forum, never to be heared of again, but I stood up to the challenge and was not disgraced.
No more challenges please
It was about the time MachineHead first published his calculator sheets.
I embarked on a project to construct my own Time and Energy calculator sheets for me on my tourer for Audax specific riding as MachineHead's stuff looked competitive cycling orientated.
I had an e-mail conversation with MachineHead discussing rates of climb and energy requirements thereof.
I had a handful of 'Old wives tales' on the subject. It was time to put them to the test.
This was at a time before PowerCalc. When PowerCalc appeared, my calc sheets results were very similar if I adjusted all the specific trims for myself to make them as PowerCalc's 'Tourist' example.
I asked MachineHead about climbing speeds and gearing for climbing, but he was reluctant to say anything due to the fact he had written his calculator sheets as a commercial venture and wasn't going to tell a stranger on an e-mail.
I decided not to make him aware of the 'mystic theories'. It was a tit-for-tat thing. He probably wouldn't have ( like many others I could mention ) recognise them as 'scientific'.
So I built up my calculator sheets which agreed with Machinehead and when PowerCalc appeared, all three of us were 'singing off the same hymn sheet'.
PowerCalc is freely available for anyone to use, but you can't see the workings and it is very simplistic.
MachineHead asks for some cash for using his stuff.
I don't ask for cash and I don't give my stuff away for free.
MachineHead's stuff can tell you what speed and power you can climb a hill on a specified gear, but it can't suggest a gear based on your details. This is something that relies on ( as someone has said ) too many variables. Therefore Machinehead doesn't go there. He trusts his customer already knows what gears to fit on their bike.
If there is anyone out there who can successfully specify gearing for a bicycle using scientific methods, they won't need MachineHead.
My stuff ties in the scientific theory to the 'mysticism'. I have a gearset which Dawes specified on my Giro 500. The gearing on my Dawes coincidentally agrees with the mysticism.
To answer your question, "Download PowerCalc". There you will see there is a lot more info about your bike needed to get the result you require.
If you were to list me all the bike's particulars, I would need to change about a dozen variables scattered across four sheets on an Excel workbook. If you want accuracy, you would need to do an 'equilibrium velocity' test. This would need a very calm day and there won't be one of them for a while, so I suggest you just go to PowerCalc.
I worked out Peanut's weight loss target and BMR as well as suggesting him a gearset.
I could have disappeared off the forum, never to be heared of again, but I stood up to the challenge and was not disgraced.
No more challenges please
Steve Austin
The Marmalade Kid
- Location
- Mlehworld
So you don't know the answer Jim 
I think thats what your answer means anyway. it is a rather lengthy way of saying no
I think thats what your answer means anyway. it is a rather lengthy way of saying no
I could see from Montage's final smiley "sticking out tongue", that he was taking the piss.
So are you. Ha Ha Ha.
My lengthy response was to tell ALL readers I am not in the business of wasting my time working out cycling physics for a bunch of pisstakers.
So are you. Ha Ha Ha.
My lengthy response was to tell ALL readers I am not in the business of wasting my time working out cycling physics for a bunch of pisstakers.
Joe24
More serious cyclist than Bonj
- Location
- Nottingham
jimboalee said:
Wait, hang on
Dont you just do this anyway, put it up on posts for us to read anyway?
Go on, prove you dont just make stuff up