Archive for the 'JET Performance Chiropractic' Category

Beginning Bike Info

doctorjet June 15th, 2009

I recently had an old friend I ran track with in undergrad ask me what he should buy for a beggining bike.

I kinda got off on a rant in my reply.  So, I figured I would post it in a blog for future refference.

Keep in mind this is just based on my short experinence of trying to figure out the cycling world and I was in the same place as Kevin about 3 years ago. 
Any additional constructive comments are welcome.

Kevin,
Getting your first bike is a complex situation.
First, I’m not sure if you’re looking new or used or your budget.  Also, are you planning to race and if so what kind of racing will you do.

Anyway, used is obviously cheaper, but you just need to make sure you’re getting the right size frame. Getting a frame that fits you is the most important thing about picking out a bike.  If you do go used you will need to be fit to the used bike and that might require a couple new parts. If you buy a new bike the shop should give you at least a basic fit at the time of purchase for free. Personally I have always gone used, but I’m trying to race on a budget.

As for bikes in general (as they apply to amateurs like us) all the manufacturers make good bikes.
A top of the line 09 Trek frame is going to be just about the same as a top of the line 09 Specialized frame. A budget 03 Trek is going to be just about the same as a budget 03 Specialized.  So pick your poison, whatever flavor it may be.  Just check out all the different manufactures, one is likely to catch your eye more than the others.

You actually need to pay more attention to the components on the frames you are looking at.
Most bikes still run Shimano. However, Sram and Campy are also good parts (if not better).
As far as Shimano groups of parts, try to get at least their 105 line (Ultegra and Dura-ace are their higher end stuff and great if you can afford them) skip their lower end Tiagra or Sora stuff. It will be cheaper, but it won’t perform as well as the 105 / Ultegra / Dura-ace.
Sram has 3 good lines as well: Rival, Force, and Red w/ Rival being the most affordable and Red the most expensive. I have never ridden Sram, but everyone I have asked who does, loves their stuff.

Other advice:

-Clip-in pedals - Get them sooner than later. The idea of locking your feet into the pedals is scary at first, but you will get used to it, and the increase in power you can put into the pedals is sooo worth it  - you will never go back.  You will probably fall over while stopping a couple times but so has pretty much everyone else.  You will need to by a set of cycling shoes/cleats and the pedals themselves.  It’s probably best to go to a store and try some on to see what fits (most run in Euro sizing which is confusing and varies between brands) then if you have the $$$, go ahead and buy them at the store, or if you are on a tight budget go get them online.  I use Shimano SPD-SL pedals and like them, I have also heard great things about SpeedPlay pedals.

-Cycling shorts - again, get them sooner than later.  I know you have spent enough time in a speed-suit while running track to be comfortable in tights.  Only cycling tights have a pad in the crotch that will save you some considerable friction burn while in the saddle.  They are also made to be worn against the skin, so don’t try to fit any underwear or compression shorts between you and the cycling shorts.

-Wheels - probably the best upgrade for your bike, a light and aerodynamic set of wheels can make a noticeable difference in how your bike performs. Unfortunately the pair that come w/ your bike, new or used, will most likely be crappy (heavy and not aero) and good wheels are expensive.  The cool part about wheels (and shoes/pedals for that matter) is that once you buy a nice set they can easily be taken from bike to bike if you upgrade.

So in short:  Establish your price range, figure out what size frame you need and start looking (in stores or on online).  Find a bike you think looks cool and has some decent components on it. Once you make your purchase get fit to the bike (in a store or by me).  GET A HELMET, get some cycling shorts and preferably some pedals and start riding.

Simple… Right…?

Let me know what other questions you have and we can address them one by one, but this should be a good starting point.

09 VeloTek GP

doctorjet June 15th, 2009

Well, I had my first victory in a race series today.  However, it was very bittersweet.  So, to sum everything up:
Saturday morning started off great w/ the 1.55k prologue.  It was a little cool with very gusty winds but I had plenty of time to warm up since I was the next to last rider off (gotta love waiting till the last minute to register). I started out a little too aggressive heading into the wind at the start and up the first short climb.  After regrouping for a few seconds it was much easier to attack the backstretch and chicanes with a side/tail wind. My time of 3:37 left me 3sec behind 1st place KCBIKE.com teammate Geoff Allen.  Later in the day the wind died down for the most part only to pick back up as the afternoon dragged on. 

A very busy day of performing Pre/Post race massage for fellow cyclist in the JET Performance Tent left me ready for short nap prior to the Cat5 Crit.  I woke to gusty winds and darkening skies.  We had a scheduled 11 lap race w/ 27 rides lining up for the start.  5 laps in was our sprint bonus lap which I found myself in great position to sprint for the 1st place bonus followed closely by another KCBIKE.com teammate Tim Barnes.  As soon as the group came back from our sprint lap the bell was rung early for the final lap.  It was easy to guess the race had been cut short due to the lighting flashing in the distance.   This left very little time for recovery from the previous sprint but again I managed to get into a good enough position to have a chance at the final sprint.  I was edged out for 1st by Mark Trimble of Edmond OK (Who I met earlier in the clinic’s tent. Maybe I shouldn’t have done such a good job of working on his legs after the prologue).  Again I was followed closely by Tim from KCOI/ Boulevard.  Jesse Miguel from SKC had had a good long pull early on but got dropped behind a crash.  Chris Joseph, another SKC teammate, also rode strong and stuck with the pack.

With plenty of help from fellow KCI teammates and my friend Paul and Toni (who showed up just in time to see the race cut short… sorry guys…) the JET Performance tent was quickly packed up and we all shot out of town w/ tornado sirens blaring behind us.  All in all it was a great day for KCBIKE.com w/ Tim, Geoff, and I all being in a position to challenge for the series title.

Today was again gloomy and very windy. 28 miles of rolling Kansas hills gave myself and the KCOI/Boulevard boys a good test of our climbing legs (btw 3’s and 4’s had 56 miles of fun… I can’t wait!).  An early break by a lone rider kept thing interesting for most of the race, though the consensus was that he would blow up as soon as we approached the dam and turned back into the headwind.  About mile 20 I found I had to tell myself to back off the wheel in front of me as we were all getting blown around a lot and things had been pretty sketchy all morning.  I should have listened… I soon crossed the wheel in front of me and as I went down I took the two riders behind me down as well (sorry guys).   Other than the view of the grey sky and the sensation of my head sliding across the pavement, the crash was mostly just a blur.  I popped up quickly, and after checking to be sure the other two were OK, I put my chain back on and took off.  It was very evident at that point that my front wheel was at 45 degrees to my handlebars… this made hammering back up to the peloton very interesting.  Once I actually got back into the group I caught my breath and pulled off again to knock my front wheel somewhat straight (visions of climbing out of the saddle to the finish w/ crooked bars didn’t seem very fun).

Once I caught back up again it was pretty uneventful to the finishing climb.  Tim, Geoff, and I were 1,2,3  going into the final hill.  Tim took 1st (climbing as well as he is known for); I came in 2nd and Geoff fell back w/ Mark Trimble moving into 3rd.   The 2nd place finish was good enough to take the series victory. As for the rest of the CAT5’s, I have no Idea as they never did get the rest of the results sorted out before everyone left.

However, to add insult to injury (most in the form of road rash to my Left knee), I became aware of a very noticeable crack in the top tube of my carbon frame… great… just great… So, I was very happy to win but very upset to total my bike (I loved by bike… I’ll miss it).

Other than that, SKC had a good weekend. Congrats to Jeff Lively who took 3rd in the CAT4 G.C. and Alex Edwards who finished 10th for the series in CAT3.  Unfortunately mechanical failure messed up a well laid out plan of attack for dominating the CAT3 G.C.

I’m sure I’ll follow up w/ a blog including some pics from the race as well as the low down on how I plan to get another road bike put together.

Core Stability and Low Back Pain Continued

doctorjet March 19th, 2009

In my first blog about core stability and its influence on low back pain, I started to cover some basics differentiating abdominal work and core work.  However, I didn’t get into any real specifics as to why there is a difference between the two.

As I alluded to previously, one concept to grasp is that not just the large muscle groups in our core support our backs.  These large groups such as your Rectus Abdominis are very voluntary in action.  Meaning that we can consciously control their activity very easily making them very easy to exercise and therefore strengthen.  In contrast to these large muscles we can isolate and control, there are numerous very small core muscles surrounding the spine that can be seen as acting on more of a reflexive basis.

To illustrate this difference, as you sit here, try isolate and only flex your Rectus Adbominis Muscles (your “Six-Pack”).  Generally speaking, it should be very easy to contract only this group if you concentrate.
Now try to focus on contracting only the small muscles between your 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae that extend and rotate that spinal level.  It’s practically impossible.  That’s because these muscles are wired different than large groups such as your Abs.  They act more subconsciously as a part of a more general movement such as extension and rotation of the back. That’s why you never hear anyone say, “I’m gonna go to the gym and work my Biceps, Triceps, and Multifidus”.

However, these small muscles, such as Multifidus, are always working in your back. Whenever you walk, bend, run, or cycle; they are always there creating motion and providing support.  That is at least in a healthy spine.  If some sort of stress or trauma creates and area of injury to the core, the body will use these small muscles (as well as large groups) to support the injury in ways they really were not designed for.  While our bodies are great at compensating for injury and keeping us out of pain for a while, they can’t keep it up forever.   The problem comes when you go to perform an activity that would usually require the support of these small core muscles.  This time that small muscle is fatigued or injured from trying to compensate for the previous area of instability and it can’t do the job it was designed for.  This is where you really hurt your back.

This concept is why proper chiropractic care of your spine is so important to core stability.  By addressing the areas of spine that are unstable due to previous trauma, we allow the body to stabilize itself.  This relieves current pain and, just as important, it can help prevent future injury that would have otherwise been almost inevitable.

In my next blog I’ll briefly cover some simple exercises that can help develop small core stabilizing muscles.

Take care,
Dr JET