Thursday Thoughts: That Moment

Hours spent on the bike.  Hours honing skills and training.  Days in lousy weather, too cold, too hot, too wet.  Long ages of hard and tedious maintenance.  We wake up stooped early to get on the bike, on a trainer, or out in the pre-dawn chill.

Why?

Well, it could be said that there is some amount of enjoyment and pleasure in all that.  It would be true, too.  One has to relish the effort.  It has to be a seemless part of a life, and there must be some reward, or we would find other pursuits.

For the love of mike!  A lot of that stuff hurts!  It’s been said elsewhere and often, cycling… real cycling  …is about pain.  It’s about overcoming pain.  It’s an involved and complicated form of masochism.  Really?

Hill repeats.  Who in their right mind would, willingly, do this kind of thing?  Intervals, until the vision tunnels, and the heartbeat roars in the ears, the arms tingle, the lungs burn.  For what?

Skill drills.  Tedious and often frustrating.  Balance, and cadence, and form.  Why?  Plateaus are reached, and become a taunt.  More effort is expended to break through.  Fight the aging process.  Work the muscles.  Stretch…  Weight training.  Diet planning.

And then there is  the road itself.  Dodging traffic.  Insults hurled.  Maniac drivers, who seem to be homicidally bent.  Horn blasts that are completely undeserved.  Sneers.  And the funny looks form loved ones and acquaintances.  Why put up with something that isolates you, and causes everyone you know to label you as, “that weird guy who rides a bike a lot”?

One reason for all of that are those rare times when we manage to find the zone.  When the thing ceases to be,  and just is.  There are those moments, those times when one is za zen.  Suddenly the universe shifts into focus, and harmony is achieved.  For a timeless time we are in tune with the eternal now.  The ride is perfect and elegant.  We fit into the world with precision and grace.

And then, after dismounting, someone asks,  “Why do you do that?  Why do you ride that thing?”  How do we answer?

Get a move on!

Let’s frame the discussion a bit.  We’re concentrating on road riders here, but some of this will be applicable to mountain bike riders as well.  Oddly, this discussion will be concerning itself with quick and safe, as opposed to fast.  Please read closely, as there is a distinction.

It should be obvious that getting off to a fast start has its advantages.  Apparently a large number (possibly the majority) of road cyclists just don’t seem to get how to make this happen.

Before we go any farther, let’s make something really clear.  This post has almost nothing to do with racing.  You will rarely see experienced racers rush the start.  For them, it’s simply not worth it.  What’s the point of frantic rush, when one is surrounded by others, and a race-ending fall, at the beginning of the event is embarrassing.

So why bother to discuss it?  Well, the majority of cyclists don’t race.  And for those who do, the majority of riding is not in a race, and is done on the road.  On the road, we have to stop.  We must, regardless of how negligent or lawless we are, come to a stop at intersections, on a fairly frequent basis.  This stop implies a start.  A good, brisk takeoff is safer than lingering when it’s your turn to go.  There are plenty of other instances where a quick start is ideal.

Here’s how to get yours going.

A good, efficient start, like most of life’s endeavors, depends on a mindset.

Preparation, Execution, Follow-Through, and always, Situational Awareness.

A fast start begins before the stop.  Think ahead of the next thing you are going to do.  Think through the coming intersection or stop.  As you begin your stop, also begin to prepare for the take off.  Downshift as you are decelerating.  This will benefit you in two ways.  First, you will be preparing for the anticipated stop.  Second, you won’t be caught by surprise if the situation changes, and the stop becomes unnecessary.

Incidentally, shift all the way down.  Go to your lowest possible gear.  It’s the one that will give you the fastest of starts.

Look ahead.  (Here’s that situational awareness thing.)  What traffic or other obstacles are assembling themselves before you.  Also check behind you.

As you are braking, prepare to clip out and step down.

While you are dismounting, mentally prepare for the takeoff.

In the moment that the bike halts, One foot is going to the ground, and the other is rising into the “power position.”

You are now ready for a quick departure.

The moment that you are clear to go, release the brakes and step down on that raised pedal.  Step down briskly.  While the pedal is going down, you are rising up, moving toward the saddle.

Bring your supporting leg up and put your foot on the pedal.  Don’t worry about clipping in, make power.  You either will or will not engage the pedal.  Doesn’t matter.  Put power on it.  Pedal and shift.

Keep your head up, and continue your scan of the surroundings as you accelerate.  (Situational awareness again.)  Shift as you “top out” in each gear.

You’ll reach “cruise speed” shortly after the intersection.  That’s  the time to attend to the pedal.  If you aren’t clipped in, make the necessary adjustments.  Correct your saddle position.  This is that follow through part.

Bonus:  Everyone gets caught off guard from time to time.  It’s possible that you could come to a stop unprepared, either through a surprise or inattention.  So there you are, stopped, and you know the bike is in a high gear.  What to do?  Here’s a neat trick.

Release the rear brake, while you stand with one foot down and steady.  Now hold the front brake tightly on.  Then push forward and down on the handlebars.  This will raise the rear wheel off of the ground slightly.  Now you can pedal with the clipped in foot, and downshift into an easy low gear.

Practice all this stuff away from traffic, then put it to use.  You’ll be amazed at how much more smoothly you will progress through intersections and other obstacles.

Mountain Biking 101: Standing and staying loose

As much as anything else, the ability to “stay loose” on the bike is a paramount skill in off-road riding.

A rider who always stays seated in the saddle is either an extremely accomplished one, and can “clean” almost everything, or a complete beginner, who crashes a lot.  In the first case, appearances can be deceiving.  That extremely accomplished rider is coming out of the saddle, but like the equestrian dressage rider, this expert is so good that the controlling motions do not show.

Standing on the pedals is a skill.  This act allows the rider to let the bike “float” over smaller or rougher obstacles, and permits good weight transfer from front to back and side to side.  Bicycles are not inherently stable, they are dynamically stable.  Mountainbikes even more so.  Oddly, many adult cyclists are not comfortable getting out of the saddle.  On the road, this limits the ability to generate a lot of power suddenly, or to do dynamic rest while on prolonged climbs.  Two valuable tools are missing from this rider’s kit.  But off road, the situation is much more complex.  Inability to stand, and maintain a loose, fluid relationship with the bike makes life much more complicated and difficult.

Take one simple example.  There is a fairly large bump in the trail ahead, followed by a sharp turn.  If the rider stays seated, and tight, the bump will cause the rider to be bounced up out of the saddle and slightly out of control of the bike.  This makes setting up for, and negotiating the coming turn more difficult.  An accomplished rider will stand before encountering the bump.  Then, with legs and arms limber, the rider will let the bike move smoothly upward, and then back down, while maintaining control.  Then the rider returns to the saddle, and guides the bike smoothly through the ensuing turn.

The ability to transfer weight forward and back is essential to climbing steeper, uneven ground, and of great importance when descending the same “pitch.”

It cannot be overemphasized, staying loose and limber results in smoother riding, and few “unplanned excursions.”  A rider who can maintain a casual relationship with the saddle will be a rider who can find the “rhythm of the trail.”

Learning How:  Practice this on pavement first, preferably away from other riders and traffic.

The Basics:

• Bring the bike up to a comfortable and stable speed, usually a bit more than 10 mph.
• Lower a favored foot on the pedal to the bottom of the crankstroke.
• Take a firm grip on the bars.
• Transfer weight to the “down foot” and stand up out of the saddle.
• The bike will tend to lean and turn, as the weight is shifted off-center; counter this with pressure on the bars, and by shifting upper body weight.
• Let the bike coast in this position for 30 seconds of so, and then return to the saddle.

A bit more advanced technique:

• Start out as above, but…
• This time, shift to a gear that will allow application of power.
• Start the movement with the favored foot at the top of the crank, in the “power position.”
• Apply force to the favored foot, and stand on it as the bike is accelerated.

Gaining expertise:

• This time level the cranks, making them horizontal.
• It will feel better with a particular foot (the left or right) forward.  Don’t fight this now.
• Now stand, keeping both feet level.
• Note, you are in a higher position, but bike is more balanced.
•  

Work both feet:

• Once you have become somewhat accomplished at the above…
• Practice the same drills with the “wrong foot.”
• Work these drills until they become natural.

Today’s Term(s):

Auger  v.  To crash in such a way as to drill into the ground.  Any really hard impact.  Usually accompanied by a spiraling motion of the rider and bike on the way in.

Endo v.  A situation where the bike abruptly halts, and then bike and rider flip over forward.  Frm End-over-end.

Face Plant v.  To crash in such a way that the rider’s face is the first point of impact with the ground.

Hamburger n. the condition of skin, post auger when geological contact was made with sharp rocks such as on a shale skree slope.

Road rash  contact dermatitis; an allergic reaction of skin to moving asphalt or gravel.

Scorpion v.  Refers to the act of performing a specific kind of forward fall, in which the rider stays attached to the bike.  The end result is that the rider is lying belly-down arms outspread, head in the direction of previous travel, with legs curled above the back, and the bicycle still attached to the feet, dangling over the rider’s head.

The Zone n. a state of mind experienced while riding. You don't think, you just do. A truly mystical experience that can't be fully explained, but when you get there you'll know it and strive to reach it again.

Zone out v. a state of mind where you think you've reached the zone, but you really just stopped paying attention to what you're doing. Usually used as an excuse for a particularly embarrassing crash or fall.

This series, running every Tuesday, is intended to help those who are new to mountain bike riding.  By no means is it an exhaustive treatment, but it is our fond hope that it will help you, the beginner, to begin to enjoy riding your bike off road.

Future Topics:

Grace

Hydration

Bike Types

Trail Care & Maintenance

Track Stand

Bunny Hop

Wheelie

“Cleaning” the mud

Your next mountain bike  or  Mountain Biking 201

Ride Report & Audax Preparations

Audax 45 Mile Tune UP:

It was a day of weather challenges.  As usual for our climate, March is going out like a lion.  After a dark and stormy night, it was pleasant to see a few (very few) hardy folks ready to go out and tackle hills, wind, and the possibility of rain for approximately 45 miles.  Kudos to Scott, Chris, Dan, and Teresa.

We started out with a question.  All of these folks are “veterans,” (anciens so to speak) of previous tune ups and Audax Rides.  So I started out by giving the group a choice.  We could ride straight up the North Peachtree Parkway, as the traditional route goes, or we could do a bit of an experiment, follow a different route out of town.  “Is there any dirt involved?” one member asked.  I said there wasn’t, and someone said,  “Hey you’re the leader.  Go!”  So we did.

We went out of town via my new and somewhat demanding route.  I’d promised to short the overall distance a bit to make up for the challenge of this start.

At the beginning we were all thinking we were under-dressed.  It was chilly, clouding, and windy.  A few really steep hills, and one minor mishap cured all that.  By the time we were up to Old Senoia Rd, everyone felt like they were well warmed up, and a bit over-dressed for the day.  It may have been warming up a bit.  It’s hard to tell.

By the time we made our short stop in Palmetto, the general feeling was that the temp had dropped some, but everyone was in good shape, and feeling ready for whatever lay ahead.  (That last included a strong possibility of heavy rain.

The rain never materialized.  We felt a couple of drops, just once along the way.  I was on my full fendered tourist, as a just in case, but it turns out I rode the heavy bike for nothing other than the training benefit.  The rain threatened, but never made an appearance.

In fact, it was a pretty nice Spring day.  Yes, it was cloudy, but that just made the blooming foliage seem brighter and greener.  It was windy, but that adds spice.  We laughed a lot.  There were some long silences as folks got back into their heads, some joking around, a couple of tall tales, and a lot of pedaling.

I should point out a couple of empirical details.  We rode 42.1 miles, in 3:15.  Even more interesting, our average speed was increasing all the way through the ride, right up to the end.  Can anyone say,  “Negative Split”?

Oh yes, and we took a new, super secret way back home at the end.  Worked out well.

It’s just two weeks until the first of the 65 Mile Tune Ups.  I can hardly wait.

Preparing for the Audax 200K:

Here’s the situation:

You are interested in riding along with us on the Audax 200K.  You’ve been reading about the 45 mile and 65 mile tune ups.  This sounds like it might be fun, but the distance, or the time are a bit intimidating.  You haven’t made it out to one of the 45 Mile Audax Tune Up Rides.

What should you do?

That kind of depends on who you are, and how you’ve been riding and training.  There are two basic situations.  Scenario 1)  “I’ve never done this before, and I’m not sure I am capable of the distance.”  AND Scenario 2)  “I’m an “old hand” at these rides.”  Drop down below and select the one that most applies.

Scenario 1: The Newcomer)

It would have been good for you to have done one of the 45 Mile Audax Tune Up Rides.  But please do not despair!  If you have been getting some regular saddle time, you have a good chance of being able to accomplish this thing.  After all, it’s a bit over a month and a half before we go.  If you are in this camp, here’s how you prepare.

Get on the bike and do it regularly.  You should be doing at least five rides a week, with a total of ten hours ridden each week.  Your long ride of the week should be at least a four hour excursion.

Commit to the tune ups!  Be there for the two upcoming 65 mile Audax Tune Up Rides.  These will allow you to test yourself against the kind of terrain, and conditions we will be meeting.  More, you will need to practice Audax style riding.

Do your riding on a “heavy bike.”  Start right now, carrying stuff on your rides.  It will make you strong, and you should get in the habit of being more loaded than you expect to need to be.  It would be a mistake to do all your training on a light bike, and then go out for this ride carrying extra clothing, extra gear, etc.

Scenario 2:  The Old Hand)

Good for you!!  Now get your backside on the saddle!  Get some time under your wheels!   And, most importantly, get out for at least one of the 65 mile Audax Tune Up Rides!!  If you haven’t been doing a lot of Audax Style riding, you aren’t in practice, and the distance and pace are (as you well know) deceptive.

For everyone who is contemplating doing this…

A word about packing:  On the Tune Ups, and the actual Audax Ride, we will be self-supporting.  I’ll handle tools and a pump.  You will need to carry your own spares, water, food, clothing, and necessaries.  Get in the habit now.

And if you are considering doing this, ACT NOW!!  Contact me.  Let me know you are coming.  Do not procrastinate.  Get in the game, and do it now!  Contact can be made through comment on this blog, or by emailing The.Road.Dragon@gmail.com

Friday Follies ~~ Riding Solo

I come from a large family.  I had multiple siblings, each of whom seemed capable of taking up as much room (and making as much noise) as any ten other people.  Add to that, there were always other relatives about.  Usually, there were the odd assortment of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.  (I had a couple of uncles that were younger than I was.)  Add to that menagerie, dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, a fair number of friends of the family.  It was usually crowded and often loud.

I haven’t spoken about my yearning for a bicycle.  I think I’ve related elsewhere the various stories of my learning to ride.  That experience was on a wretched juvenile bike.  The thing was almost impossible to ride on flat land, could not be made to go up a hill, and it seems I outgrew it almost as soon as I learned to stay on it.

By the age of eight I wanted I bicycle.  I wanted it bad!  I wanted it so bad I could just about not stand it.  If someone had asked me why I wanted a bicycle, I would probably not have fully understood the question.  After all, why would anyone not want a bicycle?  If pressed, I would have said,  “To ride it!”  If really pressed, I probably would have admitted,  “I want to go fast!”

Not being in possession of a true and serviceable machine, I had not yet formed some of the concepts that would later seem far more important to me.  For that matter, when I was between the ages of eight and ten, I had not yet developed the self-knowledge to realize just what some of those concepts might be.  Having never experienced anything else, I didn’t know that anything else existed.  Do fish know that they are wet?

In my pre-bicycle life, my only escapes from the constant pandemonium of my family where the occasional periods when I could sneak up to the attic and spend an hour or two with a good (read trashy science fiction) book, or a few precious moments in the treehouse.

Shortly after receiving that first real bicycle, I started to make some discoveries.  I discovered freedom, independence, and solitude.  I also discovered that I like all three of these things.  Liked them a lot.  As long as I remained inside a few comfortably loose parameters, I was able to get on the bike and go away!  I could go where I liked.  I could be alone.  I could decide where I wanted to go, how far, which route, and if I wanted company or not.

I discovered that I really enjoyed solitude.  I was never bound to be a hermit.  I like people, and am fairly gregarious by nature, but I need to be alone a good bit too.  I enjoy my own company.  This was quite a revelation.  Unlike the fish, I’d discovered dry land, and found it to be good.

Soon I was riding with friends.  Some of those early group rides were fun, pleasant, voyages of mutual discovery and exploration.  But some of them were just tedious.  I found that, when things got too boring, I could just ride away.

I was not very good at baseball, and had not yet discovered the one true talent I had at football, so when those games occurred, I was generally left out, or stuck in the outfield.  (Sometimes I was out there, in left field, for both teams, for multiple innings at a time.)  Eventually, I would slip away from the crowd, return to my bike and ride it away.  There was always something interesting just over the horizon.

I think my very first racing experiences involved this same urge.  I found that, if a group of friend became annoying or boring enough, I could outride most of them.  There were one or two kids who could keep up with me.  The most annoying kid in the area was the rich guy down the street.  His name was Ronnie Bats.  (Honest!)  I couldn’t our ride him.  He was the “rich kid” in our area.  He was the first guy around to have an “English Racer” bike.  It had funny handlebars, and gears.  That bike (and Ronnie) were faster than I was.

Ronnie forced me to develop a new and different strategy.  I found that, when I really wanted to get away from him, and the guys that attached themselves to him, all I had to do was propose a race.  Ronnie was always eager to show off how fast he was, and his sycophants would always go along with it.

We’d line up, and then get going.  Very quickly Ronnie would establish a lead.  The other kids would struggle valiantly to keep up.  I would let them.  As soon as the group was a block ahead of me, I’d turn off.  Then I would really accelerate.  It was important that I get at least one more turn behind me before anyone noticed.  In short order, I’d be gone, away and about my own business.

At some future time I would hear about it.  “Hey!  You really got clobbered the last time we raced!  Boy are you slow!”  they would say.

“Yeh, I know,”  I’d answer.  Then, I’d brighten up and say,  “Hey!  Want to race?”

Thursday Thoughts: Toys or Tools?

Attitudes toward bicycles are interestingly varied.  For many (most) or our citizens the bike is seen as a toy.  Sadly, this is true for a lot of cyclists too.

It’s a fact that we humans categorize things.  Once we’ve put a thing in a category, we tend to keep it there.  It takes a fairly serious jolt to move stuff from one category to another.  (That’s the paradigm shift you hear about.)

Some cyclists (far too few, in my humble opinion!) consider the bike a transportation tool.  Others think of it as a fitness tool.  We may even blur the lines a bit and consider the bicycle a recreation tool.

Consider a motorist.    Is this driver a “Bicycles = Toys” type?  If so, the motorist will tend to be less patient and approving of a cyclist. After all, that motorist is going about the serious business of driving!  Sure, Mr. Motorist may be on the way to a Braves game, but it’s all about categories.  Drivers = serious.  Drivers = “We belong here.”  Bicyclists = adult juveniles, playing around, slow and in the way!

We all tend to get annoyed when our motoring trips are delayed.  But if we perceive that the delay is caused by some frivolous act, we are doubly irritated.

Let’s take an example.  It’s 8:14 A.M.  A commuting cyclist is approaching a four way stop.  Most of the readers of this blog would readily recognize the cyclist as a commuter, but not so the general public.  The cyclist, in this example, is behaving in a proper, vehicular fashion.  He stops at the line to wait his turn in the intersection rotation.  A motorist arrives behind him.  The motorist wishes to turn right.  The motorist is annoyed, and irritated, and may attempt to “bully” the cyclist.  Why?

The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter if it is a cyclist or a motorist ahead, the time and inconvenience is the same.  In either case, the time consumed is about the same.  Yet, the motorist is much more impatient and annoyed, because it’s a guy on a bike.  (Read:  A guy on a toy!)

Folks, that’s what we are up against.  It’s not about the rationality of the situation, but rather the perception of it.  Remember, to the individual, perception is reality.  We, as cyclists do not help this, if we add to the driver’s perception of frivolity.  It’s a tough one.  Courtesy helps, but only so much.  Education helps a lot, but we spend a lot of time educating each other.  The problem is how to get the general public to see us as tool users and as part of the solution.

If you have thoughts on this, and would be willing to share them, please do so.  Let’s keep it constructive.  We’re looking for solutions and positive thought here.

Ride to the Capitol Wrap Up

First off, let’s all take a moment to be thankful for the weather.  In our opinion, it would have been hard to have a nicer day for this event.  Yes, we had a headwind, both ways, and especially while climbing, but that is to be expected, and was atually quite refreshing at time.  Cool it was (but not cold) when we started out.  Later the day became balmy and hit a high somewhere above 80 degrees.  Very nice.

Extra special thanks to our volunteer SAG drivers.  Ann, Curtis, Ryan, thank you so much for giving so freely and for “flying cover” for us.

Thanks also to Cpl. Terry Blackburn of the Peachtree City Police, and thanks to his crew.  We are super appreciative of the escort and protection they provided to us as we rode out of town.  Thank you Mayor Don Haddix for your support and for sending us of on this day.

Thank you Curly and Dan for the efforts to help organize this event, and Thanks to Dan, Curly, Chad, and Jim for the serious help in leading this “herd of cats.”  Your efforts made a serious difference.

The Riding:  It’s difficult to get a large group of riders to work together.  Bravo!  We had a large group.  In fact we had at least two large groups, and something like three smaller ones.  We were able to connect everyone, get them organized (while on the road!) and ride into Atlanta as a single large unit.  Generally, the group showed good traffic discipline, and an excellent sense of teamwork.  It’s a long ride, often under difficult conditons.  Traffic presents problems, and we handled them quite well.  Slowing to re-connect all the elements requires attention, skill, and patience.  And after every slow down, we had to “hit the gas” to keep on schedule.  That requires some folks to work a good bit harder than they are accustomed to doing.  All did splendidly.  Bravo!  Bravisimo!

Notes on the Event:
A brand new Steve Penley painting was unveiled on the Capitol steps.  Penley is donating his work to the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society.  The society is a major sponsor of the Ride to the Capitol.  It's an incredible piece of cycling art, dramatic and glorious.
Folks, we're gainng some traction!  Several state legislators from both houses came out to speak and be with us.  There were a short platoon of metro area mayors on bikes, and present at the Capitol.  And Governor Nathan Deal even came out to say a few words.
There were something like 3,000 cyclists and every kind of bike and rider imaginable.

A good, purposeful, useful, and necessary day it was.  Those of you who wokred it, rode it, supported it, pat yourselves on the back, and give yourselves a round of applause.  It's a long job, but we'll make it together.

Mountain Biking 101: What to carry (& why & how)

First Principal:  You never have everything you need.

Second Principal:  No matter how light your load is, you will still be carrying stuff you don’t need.

Third Principal:  No matter how much you carry, you will still need something else.

Just what should be carried along on a mountain bike ride?  The answer will depend, somewhat, on what type of ride, and where.  Take two examples, a short local jaunt and a trip to Tsali, obviously the kit will be different for each of these.

The list of things that one can carry, against the possibility of an accident, or a mechanical is almost endless.  It is quite literally possible to compile a mountain of stuff  that weighs more than the bike and rider combined.  Thing is, lugging a short ton of equipment and supplies greatly diminishes the Fun Factor.

 We’ve compiled a couple of lists.  We don’t claim that these are the definitive supply lists.  You’ll build your own, and refine it a good deal over time.  These are given as a starting point.

Short & Local:

Identification & medical info

Food & Water

Spare tubes (2ea)

Tube Patch Kit

Boot material

Pump

Tire levers (3ea)

Multi-tool with 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 8mm hex wrenches, pair of pliers, spoke wrench to match your wheels.

Bandana or two

Spare light jacket

Hat

Small first aid kit

Cell phone

A couple of these can use some explanation.  Do carry ID and any medical information that is relevant.  You kind of want rescue workers to know who you are, who to call, and if you are on any meds.  By the way, I’d recommend that you keep this information on paper and laminate it.  Keep it in a place where it is easy to find.  Yes, you should have this stuff on your phone, but I’ve seen crashes that turned portable phones into completely nonfunctional trash.  Which raises another point…

Where to carry stuff:  Things like tools, phones, car keys, and other hard objects should probably go into a small bag under the bike’s saddle.  You do not want these objects on your person.  If you fall down, or crash, a phone in a jersey pocket can cause a serious injury.  Keys in the pocket of your shorts?  First off, they are liable to be lost, and second, think of all the damage that they could do in the near vicinity to your more tender body parts.  If you simply must carry such things on you, put them in a backpack, and pad them well with spare clothing.

A note on food and water:  Oddly, this is one of the more challenging aspects of mountain biking.  Hydration is absolutely essential.  An adult human needs a minimum of 1 liter (about 1 quart) or water per hour of exercise.  In warmer weather this can go up dramatically.  The problem is that water is heavy.  I liter weighs about 2.2 pounds.  So two water bottles amounts to 4.4 pounds.  A large hydration backpack can carry as much as 100 ounces, or about 3 liters.  The pack and a full water load are close to eight pounds.  That may not sound like much, but a rider is lugging it around for every minute on the trail.  And that load will only last for about three hours, on a day with moderate temperatures.

Let’s emphasize this, you must carry water, and you must drink, and water is heavy.  Plan ahead.  Do not get caught short of water!  And do expect to carry the weight of it.

Do I really need to carry all that stuff?  The short answer is, no.  But it’s a pretty good idea.  If you are riding with friends, you can maybe arrange to split things up a bit, rather than having each rider carry a full duplicate load.  Our best advice is, carry it!  It’s good training.  If you are in the habit of carrying what you need, then you will always have it.

One last note:  On the emergency equipment, such as tire change stuff, tools, first aid supplies, and so on, learn to use it before you need it!!  A trailside emergency is a terrible place to try and figure out how.

Today’s Term(s):

Air; catching air  the act of completely leaving the ground (usually in a controlled fashion) while astride one’s bicycle.

epic n. a ride that must last for at least six hours and include at least three mechanicals that add at least an extra hour to the ride time. Epics are usually started with a statement like "the trail is buff, should only take three hours."

Death-march n. similar to epic and three hour tour

This series, running every Tuesday, is intended to help those who are new to mountain bike riding.  By no means is it an exhaustive treatment, but it is our fond hope that it will help you, the beginner, to begin to enjoy riding your bike off road.

Future Topics:

Standing and staying loose (expect the unexpected)

Grace

Hydration

Bike Types

Trail Care & Maintenance

Track Stand

Bunny Hop

Wheelie

“Cleaning” the mud

Your next mountain bike  or  Mountain Biking 201

Playing in the woods

HAPPY JUBILATION!  GOOD SPRING TO YOU ALL!

Yesterday was the day.  Despite the cloud cover and the cooler temps, in fact because of them, we had us one good afternoon at the Baseball-Soccer Complex Trails.

We’re talking about our Novice Mountain Bike Ride.  I’d say we had three novices, a half-novice, and three riders with some level of skills.  That was a pretty good mix.  (For those of you who were there, you figure out who was who!)

  The trails were sweet.  The recent rain only left us with about three mud-holes.  One of those was strategically placed to make the good log crossing interesting.  And yes, we chickened out on the one really messy section.

We started off easy, riding the “outer loop” a couple of times.  This lets folks get their legs and find their balance.  Then, if folks are feeling good, and it seems called for, we’ll move to the inner loop, and a really fun series of gully crossing obstacles.  Yesterday was one of those good days.  Lots of shouting and laughing.  Lots of screams.  No one fell, and no one got hurt.  (Although the day wouldn’t be complete without at least one member coming up with some fresh scrapes.)

What is the allure?  Why would a group of grown men and women jump on bicycles and go ride in the woods?  Whole bunches of folks have pondered that question.  I can only submit my own answer here.  Because it’s fun!

One of our group summed it up well.  At the end of the trip, she said,  “It’s scary.  It’s challenging.  You’re right, it’s all about adrenaline.  I think I did better than before.  Wow did I have fun!”

This was the last these events on our Winter schedule.  We’ll be shifting to the Spring/Summer Schedule in April.  The next of the Novice MTB Rides will be on April 12, at 6:00 P.M.  From then on, we’ll be doing these on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday nights of the month.  We’ll still use the Baseball-Soccer Complex.  No ride if raining.  Wet trails may cancel too.  Helmets a must.  And bring a mountain bike.  Honest, you can not do this on a hybrid, comfort bike, or any kind of road bike.  (But it might be fun for us to watch you try.)

Friday Follies ~~ Seasonal Gambling

I just put my winter weight, heavy, neoprene cycling boot covers away.  I know it’s a risk.  This is always the first step in the semi-annual Ritual of the Wardrobe Turnover.

Every year this is an occasion for stress and sometimes chaotic panic.  Just when do we get all of the Summer stuff out, and put all of the Winter stuff away?  This is no small thing.  I do not like cold!  More, it hurts me, and can make me sick.  So it’s a real act of faith when I start to store cold weather gear.

And, what about the Spring Haircut?  I have a pattern, going back many years, for cycling hair and beard through the seasons.  I stop cutting my hair, and start growing my “Winter Beard,” in mid-Fall.  I will need the insulation.  Once, many years ago, I gave in to pressure.  In the middle of the Winter I cut the hair short, and shaved the beard off.  The next day a huge arctic front arrived and settled in.  I got terribly sick.  I haven’t varied from my pattern since.

But the big question is when to make the change.  When do I trim the beard back, buzz the hair off, and rotate the wardrobe?  I’ve come to use two parallel gauges.  I watch the dogwoods, and I look for two successive spells of 80 degree weather.  The dogwoods are simple.  No matter what, I won’t put cold weather gear away, or change tonsorial status if the dogwoods haven’t bloomed.  On the temperature front, I’m looking for two separate stretches of 80 degree highs.  Note, that’s two separate spells, not two days in a row.  Around here, it will reach 80 (or more) fairly early, and may even stay there for two to four days.  But it will get cooler again.  I don’t feel at all safe until it’s done this at least twice.

Even with blooming dogwoods, and two stretches of warm weather behind us, I’m suspicious and careful.  The heaviest stuff can go into storage, but I still keep items like solid rain gear, and a few knee warmers, a heavy jersey, and such available.

Looks like the first spell of these “80 degree days” may be upon us.  But I’m cautious.  It’s still March for cryin’ out loud.  In our climate April is not too trustworthy, and even May can be tricky.  As of this writing, the dogwoods have not yet bloomed.  So I’ve put away the heavy over-boots, and a few of the most highly insulated gloves, but I’m not breaking out the Summer stuff yet.  I may be wrong, but that's the way I'm betting.

Thursday Thoughts: Thoughtless?

A couple of people have lately remarked on my posting pattern.  “What happened to Thursday Thoughts?”  One asked.  “Seems you’re posting later, and missing some weeks altogether. 

Another kind lady was a bit more direct.  “Have you stopped thinking on Thursdays?”  she asked.

Thank you for your concern.  The simple truth is, I’ve had a bit of personal turmoil lately.  Nothing major, understand, but there has been enough to impact my posting patterns.  I shall endeavor to do better in the future.

In that vein, here’s a thought for this day:  If you fancy yourself an “athlete,” and you “train” on your bicycle, please give some consideration to those around you.  Yes, going fast and hard is a good thing.  (If that’s what you want to do, cool.)  But your athleticism does not confer some special status upon you.  You are not immune to criticism, nor above observation of the social compact.

Last night I was leading a purely recreational ride, on the local multi-use pathways.  

Please note the careful wording.  That’s multi-use.  That means that these paths are shared by folks in golf carts, pedestrians, children in strollers, dog walkers, cyclists, cats, wild geese, and all manner of other creatures and conveyances.  To do this peacefully requires a bit of give-and-take, a bit of compromise on the part of all parties present.

Back to the story.  The ride I was leading was unusually large.  Nice weather, more evening daylight, happy people out on bikes.  I was particularly pleased with the way my group was interacting with other pathway users.  Courtesy and friendliness were being exhibited.  And then…!

A lone bicyclist overtook my group.  He shouted,  “On your left!  Coming through!” and charged up through my group.  The level of disregard was very high.  Several of my recreational riders are very new to riding, and none too stable.  There were a couple of near crashes.  But the overtaker was bent over his bars, and “training” in dead earnest.  He’s getting ready for the annual cross-state tour, so it’s necessary for him to get out on the paths and ride in a flagrant and menacing fashion.  Or so it would seem.

Order was restored.  Adrenaline leached out of systems.  Calm again prevailed.  And we, my group and I, were approaching a fairly popular and congested area of the trail network.  And then it happened again!

This time the overtaker was really cooking right along.  He was on his mountainbike, dressed out in full racing kit.  He shouted out the obligatory, “On your left!!” and barreled through my group.  At that particular moment in time there was a small family walking toward us, and two golf carts in the process of overtaking them.  The “human cannonball” rushed through my group, and forced his pass through the oncoming traffic by exercising a simple expedient.  He charged at the pedestrian family, forcing them to jump aside, and then cut hard back into the front of my leisurely paced pack.  This let him narrowly miss the leading oncoming cart.  Of course it forced the cart driver to run off the path, and almost took down me and two other riders, but he was under power and gone.

Special Note:  In both of the cases described above, I know who you are.  If anything like this happens again, I will reveal your names in a most public fashion.  Promise.  Count on it.

Back to a general discussion:  There is a time and place for everything.  Yes, you all have a right and privilege to ride fast and furious.  However, there’s this about liberty, it is never uncompromised.  Our liberty to act extends only as far as the next person.  We do not have the freedom to act with flagrant disregard for others, nor should we expect them to “get out of our way!”  None of us has the right to endanger others through negligent or purely selfish actions. 

Please also note, when you are on your bike, you represent us all.  Be a good ambassador for our sport.  Please do your hard riding in isolation from other users, and with respect for the safety of others.  Honest, you are not that good at it!

Just a thought.

Bike Maintenance ~ On Time!

Here’s the setup.  You know your bike will work better, and be more reliable, if it is maintained.  Stop to examine that word for a moment.  Maintained.  That doesn’t mean “fixed when something breaks.”  It means, “Attended to on a regular basis.  Kept in adjustment, cleaned, lubricated, and inspected regularly, with preventive work done in advance of breakdowns.”

With respect to bike maintenance, there are basically two types of bike owners.  And each of these types can be further divided into two sub types.

Type 1)  You like to get your hand dirty and work on your own bike.

   Sub-type A)  You are very good at it, as evidenced by your shiny bike that almost never breaks

   down, or has problems of any sort.

   Sub-type B)  You are not very good at it.  You lack knowledge.  Every time you work on your bike

   it seems to perform a bit worse.

Type 2)  You would just as soon never touch your bike, but you want it to run well whenever you ride it.

   Sub-type A)  You would like to have your bike maintained for you, but you are just not sure how to

   go about this.  You are willing to pay for the privilege of having a good, reliable ride.

   Sub-type B)  Your position is that you paid a lot for it, and it should, by-golly, work!

Now we know that there are infinite shades and variations, but those four groups are pretty generally valid.  It can be further argued that three of those four types would like to do a better and more accurate job of maintaining their rides.  I should like to suggest two tools which will help in that enormously.  They are (cue drum roll)…

Keep Records!     And     Schedule Tasks!

It’s really about that simple. 

(Of course, if you fall into the Type 2 Sub B category, you are just going to wait until it breaks, and then gripe about it  a lot.  Please note, it will break.  It will happen just before that big event.  Your local shop will be slammed and will not be able to get to it in time.  Parts will need to be ordered.  They won’t be available in time.  It will cost an unreasonably large amount to fix it.)

Keeping Records:  Keep a Maintenance Log for each bike you own.  And simply record the mileage and the work done.  Of course you can get more detailed than that.  You can include copies of receipts, costs, weather conditions, and any number of other data, but if you simply record the mileage of a maintenance action, and what was done, you will be far far ahead of your peers.

In all my many years of bicycle mechanical work, I can only recall two or three times when a customer brought me a written record of his bike’s maintenance.  And you know what?  It helped locate and fix a problem.  Cost the customer a lot less too!

Did you know that the South Side Cycling Club has a provision for this on its website?  It’s there, under the Your Bikes navigator.  You can list the bikes you own, and then select any of them and note the date, and work done on it.  Pretty cool huh?

Scheduling Tasks:  Over time, you will find that your Maintenance Log will help you to refine your Task Schedule.  But here’s a sample:

Every ride:

• Inspect and inflate tires
• Clean bike (wipe down)

Every 200 to 300 miles

• Lubricate chain
• Inspect brake pads

Monthly

• Lubricate pivots (brakes, deraillers, brake levers, shifters)

Every 500 miles

• Flush and lubricate housings
• Inspect and lubricate pedals
• Inspect cleats

Two to four times per year

• Clean bike (deep clean)
• Check all fasteners

Every 2,000 miles

• Replace shift cables & housings
• True wheels

Every 3,000 to 5,000 miles

• Clean and lubricate rear derailler (including pulley disassembly and lube)
• Replace chain
• Replace tires  (When showing deep wear, approx 2,000 to 4,000 miles)

Every 6,000 to 10,000 miles

• Replace cassette
• Replace chainrings

Annually

• Replace brake cables & housings
• Lubricate/Adjust wheel bearings, headset bearing, and bottom bracket
• Remove, clean, grease, and re-install all fasteners
• Install anti-corrosive inside frame (alloy and steel frames only)
• Full and detailed frame inspection
• Unwrap and inspect handlebars, then replace bar tape

Mountain Biking 101: Preparations

The two most reliable ways to annoy your fellow riders are 1) show up late for a ride and expect folks to wait on you while you fumble around.   2)  Be that rider who is always shouting  “Wait!” because you dropped something, or something fell off of your bike.

A third widely recognized method of aggravating riding companions (and yourself) is to suffer from easily avoidable “mechanicals.”

How are we to avoid these pitfalls?  Actually, it’s not hard.  The key is preparation and post ride action.

Think of it like this, your ride starts the day before.  That’s when you begin your preparations.  Go over your bike.  Make sure that everything is on it, and it all works.  Check to be sure that everything is working, and it’s all secured.  Then prepare and assemble the rest of your gear, in one place, ready to go.  Here’s the day before checklists.

Bike:

• Clean enough
• Tires holding air
• Chain lubed
• Driveline working (shifting up and down correctly in all gears, front and rear)
• Saddle secure and at correct height
• Handle bars not loose
• Steering free and correct (not binding and no “clunks”)
• Brakes working, front and rear
• Accessories all firmly attached and working (Under seat pack, Lights, bells, bottle cages, etc.  If it’s connected to your bike, check it!)

Support Gear:

• Pump ready (near bike)
• Helmet hung with bike
• Water bottles (or back pack reservoir) clean and filled with fresh water.  (Okay, go ahead and put this stuff with the bike now!)
• Batteries charged (if you are going on a night ride)
• Tools (inventoried and in under seat pack)
• Spares (tubes, patches, and anything else you use) inventoried and stowed correctly
• FOOD (enough said?)
• Ride clothing, shorts, jersey, gloves, jacket, socks, glasses, etc. (go ahead and lay it all out now.)
• After ride clothing  (You really don’t want to keep wearing your riding clothes for longer than necessary, do you?)

One more thing.  Timing.  Arrive a bit early.  Give yourself some time to unload your bike, pump tires, check and stow your gear properly, and do it all well before the agreed upon ride time.

After the Ride:  We mentioned Post Ride Action.  This is it.  Consider this to be part of the ride.  Do these things as soon as you get home, and you’re already on the way to being ready for the next ride.

• Clean the bike.
• Inspect tires for foreign objects, thorns etc, cuts, or other damage.
• Lube the chain
• Check bearings, wheels, brakes, shifting.  If something needs attention, or repair, go ahead and make the arrangements now.
• Empty and rinse out bottles or back pack reservoir, and hang to dry now.
• Get that clothing into the wash
• Inventory and replenish any tools, spares, and supplies used
• Clean it, Inspect it, fix it, replace it, put it away, and do it now.

 One last note:  The last of our Winter Series of Novice Mountain Bike Rides is this coming Sunday, 2:00 PM, at the Peachtree City Baseball Soccer Complex.  These rides will become a regular weeknight event in April.

Today’s Term(s):

yard sale n. (from skiing) a horrendous crash that leaves all your various "wares" -- water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as if on display for sale.

Mechanical  any problem with the bike, (flats, bad shifting, brake failures, something coming loose) that stops your ride.

Taco  damage to a wheel (usually from poor maintenance coupled with overly exuberant riding) that results in the wheel resembling the famed Mexican food shell.

Three-hour tour n. a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the outset but turns out to be a death march. Derived from the theme song to "Gilligan's Island."

This series, running every Tuesday, is intended to help those who are new to mountain bike riding.  By no means is it an exhaustive treatment, but it is our fond hope that it will help you, the beginner, to begin to enjoy riding your bike off road.

Future Topics:

Bike Types

What to carry (& why & how)

Standing and staying loose (expect the unexpected)

Trail Care & Maintenance

Hydration

Track Stand

Bunny Hop

Wheelie

“Cleaning” the mud

Your next mountain bike  or  Mountain Biking 201