Hello!
Enjoying a pleasant ride in nice weather
I'm the "middle-aged weather guy."
In just one month, I'll be upgrading to "old weather grandpa"...
During the winter, with the cold days and the hassle of doing laundry,
I kept myself busy riding indoors.
(The number of clothes that need washing after an outdoor winter ride...)
In the meantime,
I tinkered around with various things,
and I'd like to share a few of the ones I'm satisfied with.
I think it might be helpful for those of you dealing with the same questions.
1. Purchasing ChatGPT
I had been using the free version.
I used it quite well whenever I was curious about this or that.
But as I used it more, I found a lot of inaccurate information.
In particular, information based on personal experience
was tremendously unreliable.
It would smoothly dish out false information as if it were fact, leaving me confused.
However,
I heard that ChatGPT is actually quite good at coaching
for things like workouts and training,
based on its accumulated data.
So I switched to the paid version and got myself a personal chat coach.^^
Tell it your condition and numbers, and it gives you answers right away like an expert.
Also,
I've been studying Japanese lately,
and when I asked, it started sending me daily worksheets every morning.
My goal is N3, and I think it'll be a big help.
2. Electric Air Pump
Second is the electric air pump.
I was half-convinced, half-skeptical about whether it was actually useful.
Just how many times could it actually pump?
Then
I left a question on a post that a fellow member had put up,
and they kindly did a real-world test for me.
After watching the video showing it could inflate up to 4 times at around 50 psi,
I immediately ordered one.
The result: very satisfying.
I haven't had a flat yet,
but being able to set the tire pressure precisely
before heading out for a ride is really great.
Even if I get a flat and fail once or twice, I think it'll still be fine,
so I'm happy with it.
The ability to set an accurate pressure compared to CO2 is also something I appreciate.
Best of all, I won't have to worry about carrying it on a plane.
3. Tubeless Setup
My wheels are hookless.
They came set up with a tube from the start,
so I had been running them at around 70 psi.
The Foil I bought in late October has a really great ride quality,
but the recommended pressure for hookless wheels at my weight is around 50 psi,
so out of curiosity, I went ahead and set it up tubeless.
I rode 120 kilometers outdoors over yesterday and today,
and this is the real deal.
The small bumps that used to feel harsh and hollow were now smooth.
And on top of that, performance actually improved —
a strange and wonderful phenomenon.
4. Switching to Zwift
I had been using Rouvy, but switched over to Zwift.
I have high blood sugar (initial checkup HbA1c was 9.6),
and I've been managing it through exercise and diet for over 4 years now.
(Maintaining it in the low 5s without any medication.)
So I do quite a lot of indoor cycling to knock down my blood sugar.
Just one hour of riding lets me manage my diet freely without worrying about sugar,
and I can keep it under control comfortably through mitochondrial activation.
I had been using Rouvy for that purpose,
but errors kept occurring with the Kicker Climb, so I switched to Zwift.
Having used it, it's definitely better for my needs.
The dropouts have reduced significantly (80% mode).
And above all, I personally prefer
a 30-minute treadmill session to burn sugar
over running outside,
and when I happened to discover
the Zwift Run Pod and started wearing it,
my indoor runs started getting recorded
and I can see myself running, which I love.
So that's my Best 4 tinkering picks lately.
I wrote this hoping it might be helpful
for those of you who, like me,
have high blood sugar
or are curious about what ChatGPT can do.
This year too, with great weather by your side,
best of luck with all your rides and races.
