AUDAX RIDE

Coming Attractions:

2012-02-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

Time to do some calendar marking. Here’s a partial list of things to come.

Audax Tune Ups:

Tune Up 1: 45 miles. 26 Feb. 1:00 PM
Tune Up 2: 45 miles. 11 Feb. 1:00 PM
Tune Up 3: 65 miles. 1 April 11:00 AM
Tune Up 4: 65 miles. 15 April 11:00 AM

AUDAX 200K: (The real deal!) 20 May 7:30 AM

Dirt Road Ride: Sunday 19 February 1 PM.
Yepper! That’s this Sunday. I know. Short notice. Please accept my humble apology for that.

We’ll be doing the new RD2R2-1 route.

Where: Bicycles Unlimited
When: Sunday 19 February, leaving at 1:00 PM (promptly)
Distance/Pace: Approximately 41. Pace is whatever works for you. (If you don’t have a cue sheet, or are concerned about navigation/support, stay with me.)
Conditions: Ride Goes Rain or Shine! Helmets required. Route is about 41 miles with approximately 15 miles of unpaved sections distributed throughout.
Recommendations: This is supposed to be fun! Best bikes are tourists, cyclocross, or other road bikes with a bit more meat on them. (Do not try this on a race bike with 700X23 racing tires!!) Fatter and more durable tires will make this a more pleasant ride.

Spring Equinox Celebration Night Ride: 19 March 7:30 PM

Note: There are eight of these “Seasonal Night Rides” coming this year. Watch this space!

Friday Follies ~~ Lost & Broken

2012-02-10T07:42:00.000-05:00

The phrase “Competitive Cyclist,” is redundant.

On any ride with five or more riders, no matter how relaxed and “friendly” the pace, at least one of them will be “attacking” at all times. This will usually be the rider with the least knowledge of the intended route.

That brings up an interesting point…

It seems that a rider can be either fast, or a good navigator, but not both. On the other hand, the rider at the back probably doesn’t know where he’s going either.

Bikes break down. It happens. When you do, you either fix it or walk.

If another rider offers to help you with your “mechanical,” you should carefully evaluate his bike. If it is new, shiny, and working beautifully, he may not know what he’s doing.

How to evaluate a rider’s mechanical skill:

Look at the bikes of the riders around you.
If it’s brand new, it doesn’t tell you much.
If it’s mostly new, dirty, and not working well, do not let this rider touch your bike!
If it’s older, but clean, and it works well, this rider might be fairly knowledgeable. (Or not.)
If it’s really old, and crusty, and creaky, but it works, do not let this rider touch your bike. (The owner of that antique rattle trap knows how to keep it going. That doesn’t mean they know beans about anything much newer.)

A good general rule for avoiding high repair costs:

If you are suffering from a “mild” mechanical, one that is annoying, but does not stop your bike, then do not accept mechanical help from another rider. (Unless you happen to know that this rider earns a paycheck working on bikes.) Instead, finish the ride, or cut it short, and have the shop fix your problem. In this way, the shop will only have to fix your problem, not the three induced by the “Bad Samaritan.”

Some riders, by their mere presence, cause bikes to work poorly. I don’t understand this, but it’s true.

Your bike will never be perfect. There is a fair amount of imprecision built into bicycles, and they require some knowledge and finesse from the rider to work well. Your bike may be one that always has a little, annoying “glitch” in the shifting. Both you and your mechanic work on it. It can be improved for a time, but it returns regularly. You’ve never had this problem on any other bike. Then, all at once, after several years of frustration, comes a fine sunny day. You are feeling good, and the bike, for a wonder, is working beautifully. Enjoy this. Then you might as wel take it to the shop and order a complete new drive train. It’s about to break down totally.

Always remember,

“The perversity of the inanimate objects tend to increase.”
“Universe tends toward a maximum.”
“At all times, perversity is conserved. It can not be diminished, divided, or decreased. It can only be transferred to other objects.”

The “perfect” cue sheet contains at least one, virtually undetectable, major error.

Remember, GPS devices depend on software. (Right! The same stuff that was developed by the “geniuses” who write that crap for your computer.)

GPS devices depend on batteries. Batteries are inanimate objects.

One of the most insidious features of GPS devices. They know where you are, and they know where you started from. That gives them the ability to quit when you are most lost and farthest from your destination.

This will usually be in a location that is completely free of cell phone coverage.

And your phone batteries will join in the fun by failing as soon as you do have coverage.

Always have a backup plan. It won’t work, but it gives you a nice sense of security.

The absolute best medicine for dealing with mechanicals and getting lost, is a smile and a joke.

Thursday Thoughts: Thinking About Goals

2012-02-09T07:56:00.000-05:00

I spend a fair amount of time puzzling about “Yo-Yo Cyclists.” All jokes about “Winter Training Weight,” and the “Old Guys Who get Fat in the Winter Racing Team” aside, I wonder about it. I’m referring to folks who fight to get in shape, accomplish the feat, maintain a level of fitness, and then “fall off the wagon.”

I think I may know part of the answer. For some, the goal is about getting fit and slim. But that kind of thinking is automatically doomed. The thing is, fitness is not an event. It’s a lifetime commitment.

Our society is largely event driven. We see the Olympics, World Series, Super Bowl, Tour de France, and such. We are enthralled and amazed by folks who achieve great things there. Our media, and our water-cooler conversations, are all about the event. But we don’t see the process that led to that event.

I often talk about Goals as motivators. This is good, as far as it goes. I know it works for me. I’ve seen it work for others. But the problem is, it doesn’t seem to work for everyone.

Here’s what I think is at the crux of the matter. A goal should be a motivator, but the process necessary to achieve that goal should be rewarding in and of itself. If the goal is deemed to be a “Big Reward,” but the process necessary to reach it is considered unpleasant drudgery, then it is very unlikely that the success producing process will be continued beyond the point where the goal is reached.

In short, if one is training for a specific event, the event should motivate the training. But, one had better be deeply into liking the training. Anything else will result in backsliding.

I’d like to hear other thoughts on this. What’s your experience?

Stuff I like:

2012-02-08T08:09:00.000-05:00

Good Rain Gear
Comfortable, walkable shoes
Warm and Waterproof Winter cycling boots
Good gloves
Good lights
Clipless pedals that work
Forgiving frames
Bikes that are comfortable for the long haul
Fast bikes
Reliable durable tires
Fast tires
Long rides
Longer rides
Short rides
Spring rides
SUMMER!
Autumn rides
Night rides
Going into the woods alone on a bike
Good company on any ride
Shorts that don’t bite
Cool clean water on a hot day
Roads without traffic
Long sightlines
Mountain rides
Climbing
Descending!
Time to ride

(Note: This is not an exhaustive list.)

New Toys

2012-02-07T07:59:00.000-05:00

I confess. I’ve been playing a bit. (When a mechanic is “playing” it usually involves machinery and grease.)

I’ve re-built my Giant Defy 1, with a brand spanking new component group. It is now freshly outfitted with a SRAM Apex set, in what they call the WiFli™ configuration.

Apex is SRAM’s latest road group. It is their entry level group, but it borrows technology from the high-end groups.

WiFli™ is a gearing and derailler configuration designed to give the rider the widest possible range of gear choices.

I chose to set the bike up with a “compact double” on the front. That’s a double chainring crank with a 50 tooth big ring, and a 34 tooth small ring. In the back I mounted their 11-36 cassette. This is a very interesting set up. The lowest gear is lower than any conventional “road triple.” In fact it’s down in mountain bike low gear range. And at the high ratio end of things, the combination of a 50T chainring and an 11T rear sprocket delivers a higher gear than said “road double.” (Typical for “conventional” doubles, would be a 53 by 12)

Interestingly, the whole package; brakes, deraillers, chain, cassette, cranks, bottom bracket, and shifters; weighs less than the Shimano 105 group it replaced.

What it means: I now have a bike that is a bit lighter. I also have access to really low gears to save my old knees, and things that are higher than I would ordinarily need. Wow! Back when 9-speed drivelines were king, I used to accomplish this sort of thing by mixing and matching Shimano groups. I could intermingle parts from their road bike lines with other compatible parts from their mountain bike line. That let me build up drive trains that had very wide ratios.

It should be noted that Shimano discouraged the practice of group mixing. According to the tech literature Shimano had published at that time, these groups were not compatible. Maybe not, but every critical measurement matched, and the result worked pretty well. Shimano have always seemed to have a strong bias against providing those wide ratio systems for road bikes. They were slow to adopt road triples, slow to adopt compact doubles, and actively discouraged intermingling mountain and road parts. (I used to wonder if the Japanese had some secret agenda. Perhaps it was a plot to wreck the knees of all mature American riders?)

So here comes SRAM, with the same kind of thinking. More, there is a huge amount of “cross-compatibility” between their various groups.

Early Riding Impressions:

Shifting is brisk, especially on the rear upshift. I find that the front shifter requires more authority than I like for the upshift. (I’m still tinkering with this, and it may well improve.) The gearing available is, in a word, amazing! The driveline is most notable for its efficiency. (Cool!) And there is an unlooked for benefit; the brakes are great! So far, I like this stuff. It performs well above price-point and expectations.

Introducing: A new Ride Route!

2012-02-06T05:54:00.000-05:00

We’ve mentioned the idea of riding dirt roads in this area. We said we’d get back to you with more info soon. Well, soon has arrived.

How does this sound to you? A loop of roughly 41 miles, with 15 miles of unpaved road in it. The unpaved sections are very low traffic, and mostly hardpack with very little gravel. All are easily negotiable on road bikes. (I’ve scouted a couple of these sections on a tourist, in the rain. No great difficulties presented themselves.)

Are you interested? Does this sound like fun? If so, behold!

Presenting the Road Dragon Dirt Road Route 1

TA-DA!

Obvious questions arise. Like:

So where is this route?
How do I find my way around it?
What are the conditions like?
How hard is it to navigate this thing? Road paint?
Are you planning to lead rides on this thing?
What kind of equipment would I need to ride this?

Answers:

Where: The ride is a loop, and its start/finish point is in front of Bicycles Unlimited, Peachtree City, GA. The route is located in the southern portion of Fayette County. I’m including a PDF of the cuesheet below, and I’ll post that on the South Side Cycling Club website. I’ll attach the PDF to tomorrow’s edition of the Tuesday Tome.

Conditions: The paved sections are paved, mostly pretty good. The unpaved sections are mostly “hardpack.” There are a few bits with some gravel, but it’s not deep or large. The unpaved sections are entirely rideable on a road bike, with one caution. (NOTE: I’d recommend not using 700 X 23 racing tires. Racing tires are very supple and thin. This is begging for a pinch flat.)

Navigation: If one is familiar with the southern part of Fayette County, this thing is a snap. I do recommend using the cue sheet. Paint doesn’t make much sense. It’s not possible to put paint on dirt. (IMHO there’s already too much road paint down in that end of the county.) It’s quite possible to shorten this loop. The thing doubles back on itself several times. (Remember the purpose of this exercise was to link an appreciable amount of unpaved sections together.) One happy result is that it is possible to either double up on sections, or to cut the ride short in any number of ways.

Group Rides: Yes! I do plan to lead some group rides on this route. Stay tuned.

Best Equipment: Of course this could be ridden on a mountain bike, but really, that’s overkill. The dirt sections are not so demanding as to require a full-on off road bicycle, and it would be somewhat tedious using such a bike on the 25 miles of pavement in this route. Any rod bike could handle this trip. I would recommend at least 700 X 25 tires, of a high durability nature. Better still would be 700 X 30 or larger, on a road bike that could handle such. Tourist or cyclocross bikes would be just about ideal.

You are invited to go have some fun with this. Please do let me know what you find and what you think of it.

Link to RD2R2-1

Friday Follies ~~ The Rodent Horror

2012-02-03T04:47:00.001-05:00

I once lived and worked in the Delaware Valley area for almost seven years. It is the longest sentence I ever served. (For those of you who don’t know, that area includes Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE; and a lot of other “garden spots.”) While I worked there it was impossible to commute to work by bike. I lived in northern Delaware and worked in Pennsylvania, a long way from the job. Any possible route to work involved long stretches of massively trafficked, narrow, shoulderless highway. It was a difficult route to drive. It would have been suicidal to attempt to bike it.

The climate, to put it mildly, stank. Summers were muggy, grey, and smelly. But the Winters! Oh my my! Winters were long, with regular “slush storms,” and a fair number of snowstorms. We would usually see snow once or twice in December, and could expect a good bit, typically four or five storms, in January, interspersed with some very clear, but incredibly cold days. February usually supplied a similar set of conditons, just a bit fewer of the “Winter mix” precip days. That was in a “normal” Winter.

My cycling was restricted to mornings, evenings, and weekends. I did utility riding, grocery shopping and such, and made longer rides when I could. I learned to ride in fresh snow. I learned to ride in slush. I learned what I could not ride in. (I’ve elsewhere recounted how the road salt pretty much destroyed a bike every Winter.) I spent a lot of time on my rollers. (In those days rollers were the only indoor trainer a real cyclist used.) Still, I did manage to spend 10 to 12 hours of each week outside. Cold, slushy, wet, slippery, occasional falling down on ice, but still outside.

Now comes the odd part. On the job, we had a total character of a production manager. His name was Cedric. He was a World War II vet. He was a model-maker of great skill. He was also a shooting sports enthusiast, and a dedicated gardener. All of those factors combined.

For several years, Cedric had been at war with a groundhog. This particular rodent lived a happy life. It foraged in Cedric’s gardens, getting fat on the findings, and wreaking havoc on Cedric’s peace of mind. For several years Cedric tried various remedies. He tried poison, to no avail. He built cunning traps, that didn’t work. He tried to shoot the critter, but the creature was too canny and too shy to be snuck up on, and Cedric missed. Repeatedly.

It was on the third day of February that Cedric came to work crowing with glee. “I got him!” he shouted to all of us on the crew. “I got the varmint!”

When asked what he was talking about, Cedric told us, he had brought a devilish plan to fruition. As the Winter had progressed, he had actually put fresh vegetable stuff out for “his” groundhog. Then he had busied himself in the front yard, so that the creature would become accustomed to going for the goodies, with the human somewhere neaby. Then, on that fatal February 2^nd, Cedric had carried with him a particularly accurate singleshot pistol. He had put out the lettuce and carrots as usual, and then taken a position at the corner of the house. When the fat rodent went for the bait… BLAM! One shot. One dead rodent.

We of the crew listened to this story with polite feigned interest, until my partner, Spud Guyer exclaimed, “Ced! You shot the groundhog on February second!?”

“Yeah. So?” Cedric said.

“We know what it means if the groundhog sees his shadow, or doesn’t, but shooting him on Groundhog’s Day? That can’t be good!”

We all laughed at that, and then went on about our work.

That night, an arctic cold front arrived, dropping temperatures into the low teens. The next day’s high barely made it to 20 degrees F. Two days later, we had a major snowstorm. Nine inches of snow. I didn’t get out and ride that weekend. Instead I shoveled snow.

The cleanup from that early February snowstorm was just barely completed when the three day blizzard hit. We got close to four feet of snow out of that series of storms. The area was paralyzed. We all were blinking at the sunshine, and beginning to dig out. But wait!

The temps rose rapidly and it rained. Ordinarily, warm temps and rain, on top of snow would be a good thing. It would help to clear stuff up. But there was a lot of snow on the ground, with drifts as high as six feet. We had flooding. And the temp crashed back down to well below freezing after the rain, turning every “clear” road into a skating rink.

It went on like that. Snow. Cold. Rain and freezing rain. More snow. More cold.

I tried to ride outside, but it was completely impossible. There was nowhere to ride. The streets (the ones that were partially cleared) were too narrow. Everything was icy. I got tired of getting soaked, and spraining wrists, and breaking bike parts.

We had our last measurable snowfall (a mere eight inches) in April. There were still melting snowpiles in the parking lots at the beginning of June.

I don’t put much stock in using the Groundhog as a climate predictor, but I will say this. Do NOT kill one on the second day of February.

Seasonal Musing

2012-02-02T07:27:00.000-05:00

It’s Feb-U-Ugly. I have long maintained that the second month of the year is the longest month in the calendar. I find that people I speak with are divided into two groups. There are those who immediately “get it,” and agree, and there are those who feel compelled to correct me, and point out that this month has fewer days than any other. Balderdash!

Duration is perception. All perception is subjective and relative. Not sure you follow? Then let us refer to the Sainted Albert Einstein. When asked to explain his theory of relativity, Einstein recounted, “Everything depends on the reference frame. And time is also dependent on that frame. In other words, the rates of time depend on the location. If you sit on a hot stove for a few seconds, it would be an eternity. On the other hand, an hour spent in conversation with a pretty woman goes by in an instant. Time rates are relative to the observer and his frame of reference.”

February is a treacherous month, cold, dark, wet, gloomy, and long.

Worse, it’s impossible to escape it! The month barely begins, and the whole world turns it’s attention to the Feast of the Prognosticating Rodent. So one is immediately reminded of the existence of the nastiest month of the year, and its coming.

This month is not totally bad. It’s an ideal time to plan the good parts of the year. When one is laboring in the darkness, it is right and proper to look forward to some positive venture.

Let’s go somewhere!

On Tuesday I hinted at this. I’m itching to get out and do some honest to goodness touring this year. The upcoming Audax 200K and the tune ups leading up to it are a potentially good start to this. I have some ideas for some good tours. These could be anything from weekend excursions, to regional adventures. Before I expound on my ideas, I’d like to hear from the congregation.

What kind of tour would you most like to be part of? Where? How long? When?

Stuff I like: Wheels

2012-02-01T04:42:00.002-05:00

Wheels fascinate me. All wheels, but most especially bicycle wheels.

The wheel goes back so far in humanity’s past that we have no idea who “invented” or discovered it. The first wheels were these massive things made out of rough-hewn wood. They were basically big disks of lumber. This wasn’t extremely efficient, but it did allow draft animals to pull much bigger loads than they could carry.

We had those early disk wheels for a long time. Then several geniuses invented two brilliant refinements; tires and spokes.

The first tires where iron bands, heated so that they expanded, and then allowed to cool and clinch around the wooden disk. These made the wheels last longer, and roll over stuff better.

The idea of spokes was true genius. If most of the material in that original wooden disk is removed, simply by cutting away pie-wedge sections, the wheel is both lighter and stronger. (The idea of a rim, with individual, round, lathe-turned spokes came later.) Those original spoked wheels bore the load in a totally different fashion than our bicycle wheels do. In this kind of wheel, each spoke carries the load in compression. That is it holds the weight up as it rotates through the bottom of the wheel. To do this, spokes had to be massive columns that could withstand the crushing weight of the vehicle.

There is another way! Some unsung genius turned the whole idea of spoked wheels around. The revelation was simple. “Spokes can be used in tension.” In this arrangement the weight of the vehicle is applied to the hub of the wheel, but the hub hangs from the spokes above it. The spoke is being pulled from below, not pushed from above. The load is then distributed around the rim from the top down. The other spokes, also tensioned, hold the rim in place so that it doesn’t collapse.

When spokes are “tension loaded” they can be much thinner and lighter, and the wheel is, pound for pound, terrifically stronger. Early examples of this type of wheel were used on horse drawn racing carts. The system has been used in automotive wheels, and is still in use on most motorcycle wheels. It’s also, by far, the most common method of building a bicycle wheel.

Other refinements followed. Replace the steel “tires” with rubber ones. Then Dunlop figured that solid rubber was too rough, and started building pneumatic ones, the kind we have today. Spoke lacing patterns help to do the job too. Different kinds of lacing provide different strengths and weaknesses. As a general rule, lighter is not necessarily stronger. (There are exceptions to this, but they usually involve some pretty exotic engineering and materials.)

In short, we who ride bikes are the beneficiaries of centuries of wheel development. Each wheel is a complex system of carefully match components, assembled with care and attention to detail. Wheel building is a mixture of science, technology, and art. But our wheels are a key ingredient in the “single most efficient transportation machine ever invented.”

Where does your bike take you?

2012-01-31T04:38:00.000-05:00

That opening question is carrying a lot of freight. Many (I’m tempted to say most) riders don’t go much of anywhere on their bikes. Sure, they ride, but it’s usually a recreational or training loop that gets them back to exactly where they started. The whole purpose of the ride was to ride, not to get somewhere. That’s okay. There is nothing wrong with riding for recreation and fitness. Indeed, there is a lot to be said for it.

It will come as no shock to long time readers, I am greatly interested in using the bicycle for transportation. My bike takes me to the store, to work, and to other destinations. That’s ordinary utility riding. I also like to use the bike to go out and explore my world.

I continue to fill in the various blanks in the local area. By “local,” I mean pretty much everything that can be ridden to and back from in a day. So that means everything within 75 miles of my home. That’s an area of roughly 17,663 square miles. There’s a lot there to look at and poke around in.

At heart I’m a tourist. I get a case of fiddle feet, and I just have to go somewhere and see stuff. I see stuff along the way. I get off of the bike and noodle around in interesting things. (N.B. That’s how I first saw the Paleolithic structure up on Fort Mountain. I had no idea it was there. I was riding by it, on the way to something else, saw the park, and went in to investigate. How I just “happened” to be riding by there is another story entirely.)

I have ridden to five of our state’s borders, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Atlantic. (I don’t count Florida, as I rode to that border, on multiple occasions, from within Florida.)

There are wonders, mysteries, and sights to behold, out there, just beyond our horizons. Many are impossible to be seen from an automobile. They are there, just waiting to be discovered.

My fiddle feet are starting to act up again. I have a strong hankering to get on the bike and go somewhere. So…

Where does your bike take you? And, who’s interested in doing some touring?

Happy Days!

2012-01-30T04:33:00.000-05:00

The change of the calendar to a new year seems to mark a lot of new beginnings. I’ve recently passed a few of those.

The First Mosquito Bite of the Year: No news here, it’s been an unusually mild Fall and Winter. (I’m still sort of waiting for Winter to actually happen.) This one is an indicator of just how mild it’s been. I was taking out the trash last Tuesday, and was swarmed by mosquitos.

The First Commute of the Year! It’s late, I know. Heaven knows I’ve really wanted to do more of this. I’ve just had a lot of circumstances and obligations that forced me to drive instead of riding. With most of those out of the way, Saturday was a good day to begin. It was chilly at the beginning of the trip in, but it warmed wonderfully. It was good to start the day on the bike, and in sunshine!

The First Ride Home Started with Daylight: This relates to the last item. There is a period in every Winter when my homeward trip starts out in the dark. I always look forward to the first ride that starts in daylight. This year it was the above mentioned.

The First Ride Without Tights: Yes it has been mild. This past week, it was warm enough to ride (once!) without tights. Bare legs and comfortable in January. Now this is why it is good to live here.

The First Fixie Ride: Logged two hours on the fixed gear. That was fun, and it completely trashed my legs. Good training. Humbling.

The First Tire Swap: Admittedly, this is early, and I may regret it, but… I just changed the skins on my go-to road bike from the “Winter” 700 X 25s to the “Spring/Summer” 700 X 23s. This is way early. I don’t usually do this until sometime in March.

There are a few more “firsts” yet to come...

First Ride Home Without Lights
First Novice Road Ride (next Sunday!)
First Audax Tune Up
First Seasonal Night Ride
First Ride without a jacket
First Ride with bare arms
First Ride in 80 Degrees

What are the milestones you’ve accomplished, and what are you looking forward to?

Friday Follies ~~ Getting Fixed

2012-01-27T04:36:00.001-05:00

Let me take you back in time. The earth’s crust had only recently cooled, and manly men rode and raced bicycles. In that day, I had a strong hankering to be like those men. I started racing. Massive volumes could be written covering the stuff I didn’t know.

I had some good early results, but then things stopped. I couldn’t seem to get much beyond a certain point. So I looked to the Hard Men to try and learn what would make me better, stronger, able to win.

“You should ride velo,” the Hard Men said. I didn’t know velo from violins, but I was willing to try it. With a little more guidance (emphasis on the word little) I found my way to a track and watched it. Didn’t seem like such a big deal. There were no gears, no brakes, and most importantly, no hills! How hard could it be?

I understood, in a very theoretical way, that track bikes were fixed gear, that there was no coasting, no freewheeling, and no brakes. Sure, you keep your feet moving on the pedals at all times that the bike is moving, and you slow the bike by reversing the direction of force on the pedals.

“It’s fairly simple,” I was told. “You control the bike with a combination of adverse pedaling, and forward.” Pause, “You should probably work on your trackstand too.”

I didn’t know what a trackstand was. I soon learned what, but never really mastered the how of it.

For that matter, I never really “mastered” velo racing. There were a lot of reasons for this; most of them involved lack of motivation. I enjoyed going around the track. Loved the smooth, steamroller feel of the track bike. It was a huge kick to zoom through the banked turns at speed. But the intricacies of racing on the track required skills… skills that I just wasn’t motivated to master.

“You don’t have to ride velo,” the Hard Men said, “Ride the track bike on the road. It is good conditioning. Put the large tires on and ride in the weather. It will make you strong for racing.”

I should mention a couple of things. I lived in the south. But not all of the south is sunny and warm all the time. The mountains of Virginia experience Winter. It snows. It sleets. It rains semi-frozen mush. Also there are hills. Big hills.

The combination of a track bike, with no brakes, no choice of gearing, and bad (often slippery bad) weather is less than auspicious. Add in a pilot who is not experienced at cycling in bad weather, and only minimally proficient on a fixed gear bike. Yup. Recipe for disaster.

I lost traction. I lost traction going up hills. Worse, I lost it going down hills. (Somewhere in the Virginia Highway Code, there must be a requirement to put a big, busy, complex intersection at the bottom of every steep hill.)

Slapping asphalt hurts. Slapping asphalt in the Winter hurts more, and stings deeper. Slapping asphalt, and sliding on it, in a mixture of slush, ice, road salt, grit, and frigid water hurts a lot. And then you get to keep riding, in your soaking wet, beslimed clothing, in temperatures that were low, and are getting lower. Not fun.

Eventually, I’d had enough. I sold the track bike for a loss, and went on about my way. I did, eventually, learn how to ride in nasty Winter weather. It’s not easy, and it’s not fun. (I don’t miss it.)

More recently in my life, I re-discovered single-speed and fixed gear bikes. I’ve had a lot of fun with them. They are good training tools. All of mine have brakes. It rarely snows here. Our hills are not all that big. I won’t go near a velodrome on one.

Stuff I like: Gloves

2012-01-26T07:38:00.000-05:00

{NOTE: This was supposed to post yesterday. Due to an oddity in scheduling software, and my fumbling with it, the post stayed “in the cue.” So here it is, a bonus for your Thursday morning. Enjoy!}

Gloves are wonderful!

Summer gloves, that insulate me from some of the vibrations, open on the back, hands cooler and more comfortable. I like just the least bit of palm padding, and of course, the terry fabric over the thumb. I’m particularly fond of old-fashioned macramé backed gloves. I wish I could still find the kind with a leather strap and buckle. (I’m not the much of a fan of Velcro on Summer weight clothing.)

Mountain Bike Gloves, with full coverage of the fingers. I use a pair made by Fox. They amount to armor for the hands. Carbon fiber plates over the knuckles and along the fingers protect against those tree and branch impacts. The palms are tough synthetic (good for handling briers and stickers), and they are strong, light, and breathable. It’s nice to come out of the woods with my hands unscathed.

Winter Gloves, with the ability to layer. I like lightweight wool ones as liners. On really cold days I use the liners inside mittens. (In extra cold weather, I slip a pair of those chemical hand-warmers in between the mitts and the liners.) Mittens aren’t as dexterous, but they have less surface area to radiate heat away. Bar Mitts are s sort of mitten that your bike wears. What a wonderful idea! They keep the rain and cold out, block the wind, improve dexterity. Pure genius!

Weather gloves, are ones that protect from water as well as cold. I’m extremely fond of “water proof” gloves, with lots and lots of GoreTex™. Dry is warm. And I do ride in the rain! Hands are vulnerable. It’s not hard to find good rain jackets, rain pants, and capes, but finding a worthy pair of rain gloves, that shed the water and still keep you warm? That’s a lot more difficult.

On occasion, I have used the “small trash bag over the hands and lower arms trick. It’s worth noting. Part of the trick is to always have two or four extra Velcro reflector bands with you. You slip the hands and lower arms into the bags (while wearing your Winter gloves, of course), and then use the bands to secure the bags in place. Elegant, this is not… but it’s effective!

I like gloves. They make my life much more comfortable. They help me to stay “on the bike” in some of the worst weather.

What one piece of equipment do you like most, depend on, or feel most enhances your riding experience?

Thursday Thoughts: Thoughts on the Bike

2012-01-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

What do you think about when you are on your bicycle?

When I’m on the bike, I find an odd mental state. The front of my mind is totally focused on the act of riding. I’m observing traffic, noting road conditions, listening to the bike for problems, planning my movements. And yet, this work is being handled by my “Robot.” It doesn’t demand my conscious attention, until such time as something is going wrong. So my conscious attention, and my thoughts, are given to wander around on their own.

I find that each ride tends to have a sort of mental format.

Beginning: Thoughts still on the day, rehashing arguments, thinking about problems behind me and ahead of me.

Early Middle: Thoughts shift to The Act of riding. Noticing the state of the body. Am I tired? Why are my legs so wooden? This saddle feels good. Etc.

Middle: By this time, I’m “warmed up.” The body is working well, legs loose and strong, breathing comes easily, power is there to command. If this is a good ride, I’ve managed to escape heavy traffic. About the act of cycling, I can be mindful, but not thoughtful. The world around me expands in my awareness. It is this time, on a good ride, that the miracle happens. It’s a Za-Zen thing. Some would call it being in the “zone.” Miles roll by. Hills are there, but they roll under the bike with ease. The world is good, life is good, all is right in the universe. With luck, and good conditioning, this happy state can continue for quite some time.

It is here that I can (sometimes) achieve a state of consciousness that is hard to describe. It’s detached and reflective. The best description I have for it is that the bike disappears beneath me, and I am thinking about thinking. Often, I find the focus of that serene mental state is the ride itself. Wonderful!

Late Middle: The body starts to re-assert itself. Fatigue is just barely beginning to break through the perception threshold. The act of riding is enjoyable, and even the sensation of impending fatigue is a good thing. There is power there for the summoning, strength and wind are available, but I’m beginning to notice that it will take just a bit of mental effort to call on these resources. I notice that I’m hungry, and that I will need to either finish fairly soon, or replace water bottles. (When did I drink all that water?) On a really good ride, I’ve managed to stay away from traffic still, and I’m in a state of happiness. The impending fatigue is not stress-related, and is welcomed as a deserved and proper thing.

Near the End: Awareness of the coming end begins to creep into my consciousness. I’m reminded of my mortality. I slowly admit that, “no, I can not do this forever. I shall need to stop soon.” Time reasserts itself. I actually begin to look forward to the ending of this, and I’m glad that it will be soon. Minutes start to take longer. Thoughts of schedules and duties return. I’m aware that my backside and my wrists are sore, that my back is stiffening, and that the legs don’t have the magic power any more. I want to get it over with.

Obviously, not all rides are long enough to manifest all of these stages. In some I seem to go from “Beginning” directly to “Near the end.” Sometimes traffic, companions, weather, or other factors intrude. But there are enough of the good rides, the ones where it all falls into place, and all is right.

How do your thoughts go on the bike?

Back to the Fixies

2012-01-24T04:44:00.001-05:00

It’s Fixed Gear Time!

That’s right. We are now in the mid-Winter season, and traditionally, that’s the time that old-school cyclists drag out the fixed gear bikes with the fatter tires. Forget about the hipsters and their fancy tricks and skids. It’s time to get on the road and do it fixed.

Why is this a tradition? I’m not sure. But it makes a certain kind of sense. A fixie requires less maintenance, and so it’s a not bad choice for rides in nasty weather. And this time of year is, traditionally, the nastiest of weather.

It’s a good time, in an annual training cycle, to work on both spinning and putting some power back in the legs. Fixed gear bikes do both. First off, there is only one gear, so it has to make do for everything. Climbs are slower, and harder. Descents take more work, and require a higher spin.

More, there is a nasty logic to gearing selection. Choose too high a gear, to minimize downhill high cadence, and one has to suffer on the climbs. Conversely, a lower gear, for more comfortable climbing, can be down right panic inducing on the descents.

I believe there is one more, less talked about reason for Winter fixed gear riding. One has to work both going up and coming down. The result? The rider stays warmer!

Of course, fixies do require a bit of learning. You tell yourself, “It just means I have to pedal all the time. I can do that.” But you don’t realize how deeply ingrained your habits are. Your free-wheel bike has taught you to coast, and to drop one crank or the other, or to level them while you coast. You will try this on your fixed gear bike. The results will be amusing. Part of the fun of taking up fixed gear riding is the new learning. And yes, they will teach you a thing or two!

One word of caution: If one is planning to do this kind of thing, I highly recommend doing it on a bike with brakes. A fixed gear bike can be slowed by adverse pedaling and skidding. However, in traffic, these tactics are often not enough. Brakes, people! Mount them and use them. Now go get fixed!

Audax Ride Preparations: Bike Choices

2012-01-23T06:01:00.001-05:00

Each year, as this particular activity looms onto the horizon, I do my level best to supply helpful information. What is rendered below is hardly to be considered the ultimate in wisdom, but it the sum total of what I have learned, by research, observation, and personal experience.

It is my fond hope that riders new to distance/endurance/touring type riding will find this helpful. I rather think there may just be a tidbit of some worth for the more experienced rider too.

This is about what works best for this particular kind of ride.

What Does Not work:

I’ve found this to be a necessary warning. While I don’t try to discourage folks from doing what they think works for them, long (and sometimes bitter) experience has shown that the following do not do well on this ride, or on the preparation “Audax Tune Ups.”

Mountain bikes. (More, it does not matter if a mountain bike has had the tires replaced with thinner slicks. It’s still a mountain bike. It’s still not efficient. It’s still a bad idea.)
Comfort bikes
Cruiser
Hybrids
Flat bar road bikes (sometimes called “Fitness Bikes”)

In short, just about any kind of bike with a flat or straight handlebar. I’ve seen it tried a lot of times. It doesn’t work. Period. Use the right tool for the job. Or more bluntly, “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.”

What Does work:

Almost any kind of drop handlebar road bike will do, IF you are comfortable on it for longer periods of time. That means it pretty much has to fit you well, and the saddle has to work well for you. If you are not sure about your fit, have it done. Get a good sound professional bike fit done. If you are not sure about your saddle, come out and do the Audax Tune Ups. After riding 45 miles (or 65 miles) you will know whether you have saddle “issues” or not. (If so, come see me at Bicycles Unlimited, and we’ll discuss options.)

Why?

The purpose of this little discussion is to recommend the best choice for this kind of endurance/light touring riding. Read this if:

You have a bike and don’t plan to replace it, or to get another bike:

You don’t have a bike:

You are considering the purchase of a(nother) bike:

Here’s my recommendation:

You can do this kind of ride on almost any road bike. It’s not really so long as to require a dedicated touring type bike. I would recommend bikes with more relaxed geometry, as opposed to all out racing machines.

We have had folks do this on time trail bikes, and they’ve done okay, but unless you are deep into training for IronMan type events, I’d suggest avoiding this choice.

A “light tourist” is not a bad choice.

It most certainly can be done on a cyclocross bike, but I’d go for slightly narrower (and smoother) tires.

Tourists are a bit heavy for this particular kind of riding, but will work. They tend to have more relaxed geometry, and their carry-capacity is hard to beat.

Friday Follies ~~ Clip, Stumble, and Fall

2012-01-20T04:42:00.000-05:00

The Look Company, of France, introduced the first truly clipless pedal in 1984. I think I first heard of them sometime in 1985. Shortly after that, I took the plunge. (Quite literally!) I went over to my friends in Richardson, and asked about these new pedals. In less than a half hour I was the proud owner of a new pair of Italian shoes, and a pair odd looking pedals. I’d also had the benefit of about five minutes of instruction.

“You have to twist your foot to get out of them,” my young mechanic friend said. “Once you’re in, you’re locked in. You won’t be able to pull your foot out.”

“Are you using these things?” I asked.

My friend shuddered, and said, “No way! I think they’re dangerous, but lots of our customers love them.”

Back in those days, the clipless technology was new. There weren’t a lot of people around who could tell you about the various pitfalls. So I had to learn on my own.

I removed the toeclip pedals from my venerable bike, installed the new Looks, then bolted the cleats to my new shoes, and kitted up for a ride.

As I stood, straddling the bike, I had my first difficulty. I had a hard time getting my left foot engaged in the pedal. That should have been a warning, but I ignored it. I pushed off, and then tried to engage my right foot in the other pedal. I didn’t get it hooked in. The bike lost speed as I tried. I had to pump it up with the left foot, the right flailing away at that pedal. Eventually, more by chance than design, the right foot clicked in. “Ah-HA! I’m getting the hang of these now,” I thought.

I did notice an improvement in my power transfer. I also noticed an almost immediate burning sensation in leg muscles that I didn’t know I had. Interesting.

I rode along for a bit, and then found myself approaching an intersection. It was a large intersection, one controlled by a traffic light. The light was red my way, and it would have been instant death to attempt running it.

“Twist your foot,” I said to myself as I slowed the bike. I promptly fell over on my side. My foot hadn’t come out of the pedal.

It took me about three changes of the traffic light to get untangled and re-mounted. During that time, several passersby stopped to ask if I was in need of help.

As soon as I got going, the thought occurred to me, “I better get off of busy streets and figure these things out.” I suited action to words. Inside a low traffic neighborhood, I made my first attempt at a controlled pedal release. I discovered that releasing my foot took a good bit more authority on that pedal twist. But I did manage to get unhooked. I practiced a couple of stops, anticipating the event, and telling myself, “Heel out! Heel out!” as I approached them. Five or six attempts, with good positive releases, and fumbled re-engagements were enough to convince me that I had this figured out. So…

Out of the side street, and back toward that same busy intersection. Once again the light was red my way. No problem! I unhooked my right foot, only to have the bike start leaning to the left. I went down in a heap, my right leg waving in the air.

Hmm. This was going to be a bit more difficult than I thought…

Let’s fast forward a bit. In between slapstick falls, my skills with clipless pedals did improve a bit. I got into mountain biking. I adopted the Shimano SPD pedals for my mountain bike. And… Due to some circumstances, I stopped riding off road for a time.

Came a chilly Winter day. I was due to take a long ride with a new friend of mine. I had mounted slicks on the mountain bike, as the old road bike was down for maintenance, so… I took the mountain bike out.

My friend looked a bit askance at the bike I was riding. He had some particular questions about those clipless pedals, and voiced some skepticism. I offered my enthusiastic approval of the pedals.

Well into the ride, we came to a turn we weren’t sure of. I volunteered to ride ahead and check to see if one road was the one we wanted, or the dead end I thought it was. My friend stayed put at the fork, packing his jacket and eating a snack. I got about two hundred yards down the street, still well in sight of my riding companion, when I realized that, this wasn’t the correct route. I had a flash of playful inspiration.

I wheeled my bike (something I had only lately mastered) and turned sharply around, dropping the wheel to the ground after completing the turn. I rode back to my waiting companion, brought the bike to a nice brisk stop, and… Promptly fell over. Classic. A flailing away all the way to the ground, clipless pedal fall.

It was on that day that I had the epiphany. You know? I should really practice with these things! (I know. It’s a novel concept, right?)

Thursday Thoughts: The Helmet Thing

2012-01-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

In a recent news story, it was reported that actor Gene Hackman was struck by a motor vehicle while riding his bike. The writers of that news piece also saw fit to mention that Mr. Hackman was “not wearing a helmet.” That little bit raises several points.

Before we continue, I should qualify things a bit. I am a firm advocate of bicycle helmets. On several occasion helmets have made a major difference in my life. I lead a lot of rides, and I service a lot of bikes. I’ve seen too many crashes, and have dealt with the aftermath of a lot more of them. I have seen a lot of folks walking around after a severe blow to the head. On the other, hand, I know of too many incidents where the bare-headed victim did not have such a good outcome.

But here’s the odd thing. I have seen a weary lot of news reports of cycling crashes. In a fair number of these, the report included the line, “the cyclist was not wearing a helmet.” The clear implication is that the lack of a helmet was the cause of the crash. Or, more bluntly; “It’s the bicyclist’s fault! After all, they weren’t wearing a helmet!” (Does anyone else get weary-tired of the presumption of guilt in these things?)

Let’s get something really clear. Umbrellas don’t cause rain. Lack of umbrellas don’t cause rain either.

In point of fact, I’ve seen a lot of riders, religiously wearing helmets, and performing acts of complete idiocy on the bike. Fer cryin out loud! Helmets don’t prevent crashes! Crashes are caused by carelessness and inattention, on the part of one or more of the operators. Let’s stop assuming that it’s always the cyclist’s fault.

Stuff I like: Fenders, Racks, & Bags

2012-01-18T07:24:00.000-05:00

At the crux of this matter is the question, “How do you use your bicycle?”

On the one hand, many choose to use the bike as a toy, as a piece of exercise equipment, as a recreational device. That’s well and good. But there are other applications. It’s no secret that I like using the bike as a vehicle. I love using these wonderful machines to get to where I want to go.

That last statement has some powerful implications. If the only car at your disposal was an open roadster, with no means of putting the top up, and no fenders, you would probably develop a certain reluctance to go out in any but the nicest weather. The same can be said for the bike. Technical weather clothing helps. It’s amazing how well some of this stuff works. But face it; it’s going to rain. And fenders keep a cyclist cleaner and drier.

That part about “cleaner” is important. That technical weather clothing I mentioned? Guess what? It doesn’t work so well if it get dirty. Fabrics like Goretex™ don’t do their amazing tricks as well when they get dirty. Keeping them clean helps keep you dry! And not having the water flung up at you from below helps keep you dry too.

Of course there are drawbacks to fenders.

Some feel they look clunky and odd.
They increase wind drag.
They add weight.
Some might argue, the weight and drag are there all the time, and it only rains sometimes.

In Reply, I would say,

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Form follows function.
Increased weight and drag are good training loads.
Yes it only rains sometimes, but I can only ride sometimes, and it tends to rain more when I want to ride. Fenders are good!

The rack and bag thing:

Another aspect of transportation cycling is the ability to haul stuff around. If one is going to use the bike as a transport, sooner or later it becomes necessary to find ways to bring things along. Backpacks can solve this problem, sometimes. But backpacks add a lot of weight, and the rider has to bear it. Racks and bags put the weight on the bike. One has to exert energy to move this stuff. It shouldn’t be necessary to exert more energy to support it.

I have a good rack and a very decent set of touring panniers on my commuter. Want an example of what can be done? On a recent trip, I carried my work clothes with me, along with my rain gear, and made a grocery stop on the way home. On that stop I picked up a small bunch of carrots, four large tomatoes, a box of vermicelli pasta, two cans of tomato sauce, a half gallon of milk, a pound of cheese, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a loaf of bread, a pound of butter, a small rotisserie chicken, a dozen eggs, and a candy bar. Yes, I noticed the weight, but I didn’t burn any gas while I carried it, my trip was not noticeably longer, and I had fun doing it.

In my mind this beats the stew out of loading the bike on my truck and then driving to some place where I will ride it.

What’s your favorite accessory, and why?

Clipless Pedals

2012-01-17T06:58:00.000-05:00

First, a brief history:

Back in the late 1800s the “safety” bicycle was first put on the market. This is the first of the “modern” bicycles, with a diamond frame, pedals, and a chain drive. Note it had pedals.

At first, pedals were just a platform on which the feet rested. The rider pushed down on them to make the bike go.

At some early point in history, some genius figured out that if the ride could pull up as well as push down, more power and speed could be developed. So, for racing and performance riding, the rider had an assistant tie his (he was almost always a male in those days) feet to the pedals. This had some fairly obvious drawbacks. The most obvious was that the assistant had to be around when the rider wanted to dismount.

Further brilliant engineering ensued. New pedals were introduced with a strap. The strap had a buckle. This allowed the rider to tighten his/her own pedals, and to a limited degree, to get out of them without assistance. Still, this was a somewhat clumsy arrangement.

That led to the introduction of the “Toe Clip.” Originally, the toe clip was a spring steel cage that held the strap open. The new arrangement greatly eased the act of getting into and out of the strap. For a long long time, that was as good as it got.

Along about 1971, the Cinelli folks invented the first modern “clipless” pedal. The Look company introduced the first commercially viable varient of this idea in 1984. These pedals engaged a cleat on the sole of a riding shoe. This was a very positive engagement, and allowed the rider to push down, pull back, pull up, and push forward. In other words, to make power all the way around the pedal stroke. Because these devices did their job without a “toe clip” they were called “clipless pedals.”

Just to make it a bit more confusing, riders and bicycle people all, almost universally refer to the act of engaging a clipless pedal as “clipping in” or “clipping out.”

Why should I want to use these things?

Clipless pedals were developed for racing, but we mere mortals can benefit greatly from their use. Having the foot, firmly attached to the pedal increases efficiency. More different muscle groups are used to achieve a smoother, more even application of power. The benefit is immediate, and only gets better with training. In addition, having the foot solidly connected to the bike increases the rider’s ability to control the bike. The solid engagement of the cleat and pedal almost completely eliminate the chance of a foot slipping from the pedal during maneuvering.

The one thing that is most surprising to new users, clipless pedals are safer. Of course, that statement presupposes that the user has taken the time to practice with them, and has built new habits.

The Downside:

Cost. An entry level set of pedals will set you back anywhere from $60 to $85, and the shoes can be had for about that again.

Clipless pedals require training. The motions, both for engaging them, and for disengaging, are not habitual. One has to learn the techniques, and then one must practice them. The best plan is to practice and drill with them, repeatedly, for the first several months, and then constantly revisit that practice. Such work is, at first, time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. The goal is to be able to release from the pedals, with either foot, at any point in the crankstroke, at any time, without thinking about it. That sounds daunting, but you can accomplish this. Please consider… Once upon a time tying your shoes was a major challenge. Yes? I’m willing to bet you haven’t thought about it in years.

Conclusion: If you race, or wish to race, learning clipless pedals is a must. If you are a recreational cyclist, and wish to ride longer, better, and more efficiently, this technology is a tremendous benefit. The cost is not prohibitive. There are risks in the initial learning curve, but the long-term gain is great.

Preparing for The Audax Ride:

2012-01-16T07:15:00.000-05:00

Going long more a state of mind than it is a physical act. That said, getting the bod and bike in condition are good and worthy actions.

The body: To begin with, just get into the saddle. Do it now. Do it regularly. Do it often. Start with five to seven hours per week. That’s not hard to accomplish. Do a one hour ride on every weekday, and one two hour jaunt on the weekends. Keep the effort level low, and enjoy the thing. Alternately, three each hour-and-a-half ride, evenly spread through the week would work well. The key is to be on the bike, and to do it consistently.

If you can, make two of these rides into fairly serious workouts, and the others very low-key. But time on the bike is more critical than high effort.

Weather and darkness can make some of this a little difficult. Spin Class can help. We do a great one at Bicycles Unlimited. I’d avoid a gym type class. Most of them are “suffer parties” which don’t target specific areas a cyclist needs.

Note: It’s not possible to be consistent part of the time. The goal is to ride regularly, and do it spread throughout the week. A five to seven hour thrash, once a week, will do more damage than good. Put another way, it’s not possible to make up for three off days, by riding three times as long on the fourth.

The Bike: For now, get it clean. Lubricate the driveline. Inflate the tires. Get any minor problems fixed. Go Ride. You’ll want to get a good thorough tune up done around the end of the first week of February.

The first of the Audax Tune Up Rides is on February 26. The trick it to get any real deficiencies identified and corrected by then.

We’ll soon have more on this subject, including the hows and more importantly the whys. Until then, go out and ride! Engage this week, and enjoy it!

Friday Follies ~~ Stopping

2012-01-13T07:37:00.000-05:00

“Almost every problem a cyclist can have is improved by one thing. Keep pedaling!” Usually I live by that advice.

Q: “It’s starting to rain! What should we do?”

A: “Keep going! You won’t melt.”

Q: “It’s raining. Should we stop and put on our rain gear?”

A: “No. Keep going! It’s only ten miles to the end.”

Q: “My bike is making a funny noise. Should we stop?”

A: “Do you feel anything wrong?”

Q: “No, but it’s a kind of squeaky-creak thing. Should we look at it?”

A: “No. There isn’t a shop out here. Let’s finish, and then take it to the shop.”

Q: “I’m tired. Should we stop for a bit?”

A: “No. Finish up. Then take a nap.”

Q: “It’s really getting hot out here!”

A: “Keep going! The breeze will help, and it won’t get any cooler if we stop.”

Of course there are some situations that demand a stop…

Q: “My tire just went flat.”

A: “Let’s get it fixed and get going again.”

Q: “Something just fell off of my bike!”

A: “Grr. Okay, let’s go back and get it.”

Q: “My head is still bleeding, and now I’m seeing double.”

A: “Yikes! Let’s find a shady spot for you to sit down. I’ll call 911.”

There are occasions when an unplanned stop is absolutely necessary.

A few years back, some good friends and I were riding a 200K brevet out of Gainesville, Florida. We’d made the mistake of believing the forecast. The weather folks had called for a day starting out in the mid-40s, and rising to high 60s. We believed them. After all, this was Florida.

In the small hours of the morning, a strong cold front arrived. At ride time the temps were in the 30s and dropping. The ride started at 5:00 AM, with the temps in the low 30s and falling. The next two hours were horrible. By dawn, my beard was caked with ice and we were all in pain. With an indicated temperature of 22 degrees F, we spotted an open convenience store. There was no discussion. We all turned off the road and into the parking lot. What happened next looked like a slap-stick comedy routine. That stop was absolutely necessary!

There are other times when a stop is appropriate. I’ve pulled over to the side, during a hard and rewarding mountain ride. The view and the momentary silence called to me. Every once in a while, I am moved to halt and just be. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I heed it.

I’ve been out at night, riding through a wooded area, as Spring was coming into full bloom. The moonlight on the new Dogwood blooms was special and inviting. I stopped. I moved into the woods and just stood still. Breathing.

Sometimes, the best way to keep going is to stop for a moment.

Getting through the Winter: Self Sufficient & Proficient

2012-01-10T07:42:00.000-05:00

Winter is THE TIME to work on becoming a better and more accomplished cyclist. No one is as fast in the Winter. Large group rides are more difficult to find. Weather and darkness make it difficult for many to get in a lot of riding outside. That can actually be a good thing. Below are several suggestions for activities that will greatly improve one’s confidence and skill. These are things that do not require a lot of time, and that should best be done on a more individual (or at least small group) basis.

Become more self-reliant: Free yourself for the need to wait on others for ride opportunities. Remove some of the fear associated with riding. How? Do a bit of learning.

I hear this in the shop a lot. I’ll be in conversation with a rider (and not always a new one!) and will hear one of the following questions: “What if I get a flat?” Or, “What if something goes wrong with my bike?” These are good questions! If the rider does not know how to handle a flat, or how to prevent problems and fix the more common ones, then they become emergencies. The good news is, it’s relatively easy to do a little “Winter-work” and learn to downgrade those problems from “emergency status” to “inconvenience.”

Flats: The 4 Part Solution

First, run good rubber, and inflate it properly. (Most flats are caused by under-inflation!)
Second, watch were you are going.
Third, always carry a spare tube, a patch kit, 3 tire levers, and a pump. (see note 1)
Fourth, Learn to fix a flat. (see note 2)

NOTE 1: For general riding, pumps are the answer. Save the CO2 inflators for competition. Pumps are multiple use devices. With inflators, you onely get one chance.

NOTE 2: There are lots of videos and articles the internet. Or, you can come into the shop and ask. You can make an appointment for some personal, “hands-on” training.

Mechanicals: The 2 Part Solution

First, learn to maintain your own bike, or start having it done on a very regular basis. The first approach costs less. Good, regular maintenance prevents the overwhelming majority of on-road mechanical problems. (see note 3)
Second, Learn to fix the most common of the on-road problems. (see note 4)

NOTE 3: Minimum maintenance involves keeping it clean and lubricated. Any shop will explain the how-tos of this to you. If you wish to learn to maintain your bike, and do it well, take a class. We offer them at Bicycles Unlimited.

NOTE 4: You can “kill two birds with one stone.” Take our “Mechanics Class” at Bicycles Unlimited. It’s only one evening, by appointment. We’ll teach you how to maintain, adjust, clean, and do the most common minor repairs.

We’ll talk more about this kind of thing. We have in mind spending a bit of time on skills and techniques too. What are the issues that keep you from being independent and free on a bike?

Looking Forward

2012-01-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

To start with, we have firm dates for the Audax Tune Up Rides, and for the actual Audax 200K. These dates appear on the “Tour Calendar” to the left, but we’re listing them, with times, below.

45 Mile Tune Ups:

Tune Up 1 ~ Sunday 26 February @ 1:00 P.M.

Tune Up 2 ~ Sunday 11 March @ 1:00 P.M.

65 Mile Tune Ups:

Tune Up 3 ~ Sunday 1 April @ 11:00 A.M.

Tune Up 4 ~ Sunday 15 April l @ 11:00 A.M.

Audax 200K ~ Sunday 20 May @ 7:30 A.M.

All of the Audax related rides will start and finish at Bicycles Unlimited, in Peachtree City, GA.

There will be posts in the near future with more information on these rides, and with links to previous posts about them.

Dirt Road Riding:

In last Friday’s post, I indicated that I would start doing a bit of focused work on dirt road riding. I envision three different dimensions to this endeavor; 1) Equipment. 2) Cue Sheets indicating where good fun dirt road riding can be had. 3) Group dirt road rides.

What follows is a bit of an overview of my take on equipment choices for unpaved road fun in this general area.

What Bike?

As I’ve often stated, a road bike should be capable of being ridden on any road. That said, not all road bikes are created equal. Most likely, a high end, super light, carbon wonderdreambike, with ultra electric, computerized parts made from pure vaporware and unobtanium is likely not the best choice for this kind of thing. Even the elite pros use different equipment for the early Spring “Classics.” Honest, the bikes ridden in Paris-Roubaix are not the same as the ones campaigned in “Le Tour.”

Of course, a mountain bike would work well on any non-paved road surface. But pure mountain bikes have a drawback. At least they do, if one’s dirt road riding is going to be in north and central Georgia.

The problem is that, we do have a lot of wonderful unpaved thoroughfares, but they tend to be rather short. It’s hardly worth the effort to load up a mountain bike, and drive to a dirt road that is only 2 to 5 miles long. But if one is willing to ride some pavement in between dirt stretches, then a lot can be done. Unfortunately, mountain bikes, wonderful as they are, are not suited for long over-road excursions.

Like almost all discussions of this type, there is no definitive answer. Things that work excellently for one individual just don’t get it for others. What follows is based on my own experience, on trial and error, on observation of others, and on a good deal of reading and research.

Probably some kind of “road bike.” The drop bar bike’s multiple hand positions and basic geometry work well in this kind of environment. That said, most likely the best choice is going to be something a bit more robust. Cyclocross frames, or tourists seem to work well. I’d pick something that has the clearance to mount fatter tires than a typical racing type machine. The ability to mount fenders is not essential, but can be nice, particularly if the weather turns wet.

A more relaxed seating position is good. Most will find a “race oriented” frame to be fairly uncomfortable. Further, the position (aggressive, deep lean, and forward stretch fit of a race oriented bike) is usually not comfortable for jouncing and rattling along.

Stability. Longer chain stays, lower bottom brackets help here.

Comfort. More relaxed seat tube angles and head tube angles tend allow for a more comfortable position. In addition, consider either double wrapping the bars, or having them wrapped with a gel padding under the tape. Frames that are more “compliant” are usually better choices. (In my opinion, too much “stiffness” is not necessarily a good thing.) We are speaking of a high vibration environment. A bike that transmits every tiny jolt and buzz is not pleasant on long stretches of dirt and gravel.

Tires. 700C is good, but the width makes a big difference. Any width tire can be ridden on dirt roads. However, wider, higher volume skins will yield a more comfortable ride. Sometimes one encounters sandy sections, or ones that are “surfaced” with a deeper layer of small stone gravel. In these cases narrow tires do tend to sink in and make handling and forward progress more difficult. I don’t like to ride our local unpaved roads on anything less than a 700 X 25, and much prefer a bit wider tire to those. Bikes with something between 700 X 28 and 700 X 40 tires seem to be good compromises. The wider tires can be inflated to much lower pressures and tend to roll comfortably and smoothly over a lot of uneven stuff.

One more word on tires. Tires with supple sidewalls, and good aramid belts are a delight. The belts decrease the chances of punctures, and the more supple construction results in a lot less rolling resistance.

I know there are several of you out there who regularly engage in this kind of thing. How about you chime in on the discussion? There are a fair number of folks who are interested.

Friday Follies ~~ Maybe I’m a little Ahead of the “Curve”

2012-01-06T07:41:00.000-05:00

Some out there my remember a little project of mine. Last year I attempted to get some dirt road riding organized. Over the years I’ve done a good bit of this. Sometimes it’s a section of unpaved road on an otherwise paved ride. Usually I’ve done this to avoid a more lengthy and less appealing end to an otherwise fun loop. Sometimes it’s been to take a shortcut in the face of approaching bad weather. And, on occasion, I’ve included unpaved sections because they added variety and a touch of fun, while making a particular loop feasible.

To put it mildly, I’ve met with a bit of resistance. I am often asked before a ride, “We’re not going to be on any dirt, are we?” (This is usually asked with either a bit of tremble in the voice, or in a tone of defiance.) So, I get it. I almost always announce when there will be dirt sections. And usually those rides are less well attended. Hmm.

On other occasions, I’ve stated a lot of my reasons for riding road bikes on dirt and gravel roads. I’ll do so again in the future. But lately I’ve encountered something a bit different. I think there is a bit of a wind of change blowing. And it’s a larger phenomenon, not just a local one. (It might even be a movement!)

Here’s the Evidence:

For several years some of the folks in Randonnuers USA have been putting on Rando type rides of 200K or more either exclusively on unpaved roads, or with a very high percentage of non-pavement in them. More, these events have been surprisingly popular.
Then there is the widely reported, and apparently very popular D2R2
Also, in Europe, the re-inactor race L’ Eroica runs on a lot of nonpaved roads.
There’s a whole movement of gravel racers in the western US, such as the Barry-Roubaix
Or the Big Ring Dirt Road Race Series
And then, within the last week I’ve received email and verbal requests from several people about closely related topics, such as “where are the good unpaved roads to ride?” Or, “When are you planning to do another dirt road ride?”

I’m thinking the time may just be right to give the dirt road ride another go. Or is this just another Folly? What say you all?

Thursday Thoughts: Differences

2012-01-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Recently I had a somewhat unsettling conversational exchange. I was speaking with a woman I had just met. She styled herself a cyclist. She was new to the area, and her question was a common one. She asked, “Where can you ride a bike around here?”

My stock reply to this question is to ask for clarification. “What kind of riding are you looking for?” I asked.

Her replies were the kind that I really like to hear. She wanted to go to the store, to run errands, to be able to ride her hybrid for fun, and she was interested in the idea of using her bike to support her photographic business pursuits.

My immediate thought was a warm one. This person was a vehicular cyclist. She wants to use her bike for transportation. Yes!

I started to extol the virtues of this general area for transportation cycling. I was explaining, with the aid of a popular online mapping utility, various good routes and more tricky ones. I thought we were having a great conversation. But then the woman asked me about bike lanes and paths. Of course I mentioned the path network in Peachtree City, and then, as per my usual, I explained that we don’t have many bike lanes around these parts, and that shoulders are scarce too. I was continuing to explain why that shouldn’t be a problem, but I was halted in mid sentence.

“Oh. Your one of those V.C. People,” the lady said, somewhat frostily. She then proceeded to rip into me.

I was caught off guard. It took me a long couple of moments to catch up to what this person was saying to me. The gist of it was that I (and all like me) are arrogant, macho, smug, and self-righteous.

The usual reaction to something like that is to become defensive. I was on the verge of that particular reaction, but something about the what this woman was saying caught me and stopped me. It was her repeated reference to “You V.C. People.” By this she meant, Vehicular Cyclists. More, the lady was correct. I am one of those Vehicular Cycling People. I am in complete agreement with John Forester, when he states, “Cyclists fare best when they behave, and are treated, as the operators of vehicles.”

That said, the woman had some strong and valid points.

Riding on the road, amid fast moving and often inattentive motor vehicles is intimidating.
Motorists don’t know how to act around cyclists, and often make bad choices out of that ignorance.
A minor error on anyone’s part will usually cause the cyclist to pay… sometimes dearly.
Separate the cars and the bicycles and the pedestrians, and these conflicts are removed.
It should be possible to ride a bike to local destinations without being in fear for one’s life.

And possibly most telling:

Vehicular Cyclists actually enable motorists by further intimidating other cyclists.

That last one is pretty thought provoking.

I can refute any of those points, and do so at length. But there is another thing going on here. The lady is correct in much that she says. If she feels that she is in danger, then her fear will keep her off of the bike. There is a place for bicycle transportation facilities. I’m speaking of bike lanes separated from motor lanes, and dedicated bike/pedestrian pathways. The predominant thought, here in Georgia, seems to be that facilities are for recreation, and not transportation.

It bears some thinking about, doesn’t it?

Stuff I like: Gadgets

2012-01-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

We are often asked what particular gadget we use for various applications. So here’s a few of our favorites, along with reasoning and justifications. This isn’t meant to be a product endorsement (although in some cases it is); rather these are things that I have found suitable and dependable for various purposes. These are offered in the hopes that the information will be helpful, and also a bit thought provoking.

Today’s Topic: The Dashboard

General: I like computers. I use them for navigation and for keeping track of time, distance, and rate. I’m also a fan of good navigation equipment. I like solid strong lights. I am a firm believer in cuesheets, and like a good, weatherproof holder for them. I sometimes need a bit more room for all this stuff, so on some bikes, I’ve arranged for extended mounting devices.

I tend to like “stand-alone” devices. In general, I’ve found that when too many functions are combined in a gadget, it leads to several outcomes, all undesirable.

The thing costs more (sometimes substantially more than several other devices performing the same functions.
If one function fails, the entire device needs to be replaced to gain it back.
Reliability and performance seem to decrease in the high dollar, highly integrated, multi-function gadgets.

In short, I like navigation equipment that navigates (only!), heart rate monitors that only monitor heart rate, and cyclocomputers that only perform time, distance, rate functions.

CycloComputers: Before going farther, I should state this. I’m strongly in favor of wired computers. I have found the wireless ones to be reliability headaches. They cost more, require more batteries, have great huge ugly sensors that are difficult to mount, and seem to have a service life of a little more than a year. (I have some wired computers that are ten years old, and are still working quite well.)

If there is a cadence function, and the bike is to be used in a trainer, I prefer a long-wire harness that allows speed/distance functions to be sensed from the rear wheel.

I’ve found that the Sigma computers work wonderfully. The wired ones are accurate, and reliable. Battery life tends to depend on how many functions the computer has, but seems to run for a year to two years. For cadence, I prefer the Sigma BC 1609. It’s a workhorse, and with the optional longwire harness satisfies all of my requirements.

Cateye makes a very tolerable cadence reporting computer in a wired version. I’m speaking of the Strada Cadence model. In the wired version the harness is designed to reach the rear of the bike for speed/distance functions. I have only two complaints about this computer. First, its display is small, and somewhat hard on older eyes. Second, the calibration procedure is arcane and decidedly not user-friendly.

Hear Rate Monitors: Again, I’m a fan of the Sigma units. They work, and are reasonably priced.

Navigation (GPS) units: I like Garmen for navigation. I am decidedly not a fan of the cyclocomputer/heart-monitor/navigation gadgets they make. Seems they are very spendy, and they tend to develop positively weird reliability problems, typically within days of the expiration of the warranty. I prefer a solid “mapping” GPS unit with which to navigate.

A note on “GPS enabled” time-distance-rate devices. They are not as accurate as basic wheel sensing cyclocomputers. For technical reasons, they cannot be. Any highly portable GPS device can be pretty good at telling you where you are, but no so much in telling you how fast you are going, or how far you’ve gone.

Dashboard extenders:

I sometimes carry nav-aids, multiple computers, a cue sheet holder, and lights all on the same bike. (I don’t do this on every bike, but for touring/randonneurring type applications, yes I do!) On a road bike, there simply isn’t enough room to put all this stuff on the handlebar. One solution I’ve found to be quite solid, and quite reliable, is the Minoura “Space Bar.” The thing clamps around the handlebar, and provides a sort of Tee-shaped auxiliary bar, with space for anywhere from one to three additional gadgets. I have one of these on my primary ride, on my tourist, and on my Spin Class bike. (Think computer, HR monitor, stopwatch, and lesson sheet!) These things are not expensive, and they get the job done. Yes, they have a high “geek factor,” but as always, form follows function.

What’s your story? Is there anything that you carry on the “dash” which has proved especially useful? For that matter, what dashboard gadgets have given you the most trouble?

Getting through the Winter

2012-01-03T07:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, the year is launched. Most folks (not all!) have put away the Christmas decorations. The greeting card companies are already gearing up for an attempt at Valentine’s day. In somewhat typical fashion, our north Georgia Winter has arrived in earnest. To make matters a bit worse, there are any number of bits on “resolutions” in various media. (Most of these are pretty depressing.) What ever are we to do?

For those of us who ride, getting through the Winter is a tough chore. Yes, the days are getting slightly longer now, but it will be a long time before the effect is worth noting. Winter brings us cold, rain, and dark, often all three at once. It take some strategy to get through this.

In my experience, the biggest aid to getting through all of this is to have some goals. Long term goals are good. They motivate us. Intermediate goals are mileposts that help us keep track of our progress in reaching the longer ones. Short Term Goals and Process Goals keep us on track, and accountable, in the day-to-day routine.

For the Long Term Goal, pick something big and exciting, something that turns you on. This isn’t a “it would be nice to…” kind of thing. It should be something that feels like you must do it. Something from your “bucket list.” Don’t pick something because you feel you should, but rather go for that thing that grabs you by the throat. The thing that makes your heart race a bit. And yes, the thing that’s a little scary.

In my own modest way, I’d like to offer some stuff that might work in with your goals.

There will be an annual Audax Ride coming up in the Spring. In aid of that there will be four Audax Tune Up rides. The Seasonal Night Rides will resume with the Spring Equinox in March. I’m considering a couple of weekend touring type rides. These will be two or three day self-supported tours to distant locations and back. You’ll be seeing more about all of this (dates, times, and descriptions) in the very near future.

In the shorter term, we are still offering Spin Classes at Bicycles Unlimited. These will continue until Spring. Don’t delay. Come in and sign up now. (There’s that intermediate goal thing, coupled with some process goals.)

Basically, the best suggestion I have for getting through the dark months is, “Get busy, and stay active.” Goals help. More to come.

Hard Start

2012-01-02T04:43:00.000-05:00

It was a tense moment, down in the engine room. Johann, Bill, and I were all there, at our assigned stations. Bill was tending the gauges and clocks. Johann and I sat at our consoles. At the appointed hour we each inserted our keys and then turned them, right first, then full left. For an awful moment there was only silence, then the beast coughed and shook.

“More choke!” Bill shouted. “Give it some spark advance!”

“Ve haff der shteam!” Johann said, more calmly than I would have. “Encaging der drives,” pause, “Unt ve haff rotation.”

“Speed looks good,” Bill said, from his instrument console. “Gyros are stable, rate is stable. Track is centered. We have a good launch.”

And so, with a shudder and a bang, and then some scrambling, we managed to get the New Year fired up. Honest, for a moment or two, I wasn’t sure it would run.

Penance Ride:

After a shaky and somewhat uncertain year-launch a group of us met in the pre-dawn dark. We were planning to ride the sun up into the sky of a brand new year. Ordinarily I’d say that would be my ideal way to start a year. (More on that a bit later on.)

Present at the start where Ryan, Amy, Tim, Doug, Chris, Amelia, Amelia’s friend (whose name I never quite got. Sorry.), and me.

It was still dark when we pushed off, so we positioned the two best lighted riders at the front and back of the group, and rode in good order, down the virtually deserted Peachtree Parkway. Rick joined us along the way.

Weird weather for the start. It was cold. I mean it was a good bit colder than expected. Most of us were pretty well geared up for it, but there was a surprise waiting. As we climbed up to Senoia, at the top of the last hill on Rockaway Rd, the temp suddenly jumped a good nine degrees warmer. We would see this effect for the next hour and a half. The low spots were quite cold, but the hill tops were so warm and sultry that glasses fogged.

Now we come to the hard part. Flyers say that any landing which can be walked away from is a good landing. There is a similar (though not often stated) maxim in cycling. Any ride that you can finish is a good ride. My personal story for the day is one of a long grueling slog. I started out the day a in good bit less than ideal shape. I’ve been pretty fatigued by a tough schedule lately, and the onset of a huge and nasty cold certainly hasn’t improved my fitness. Add to that a sprung back and a gimpy leg, along with a few other ailments, and you get the picture. I was struggling almost from the start.

The “hard chargers” left us fairly early on. And by the time we reached the outskirts of Greenville, I pretty much knew that I was not in it for the long route. I bid the remainder of the crowd a happy ride, and turned for the “shorter” (68 miles) option.

I learned, from phone calls, texts, and Facebook posts that everyone had a fairly successful day. I’m glad for that. For myself, I managed to get back to the start under m own power. I’m listing this one in the “moral victory” column.

Good ride, and Happy New Year all!

Friday Follies ~~ Until Next Year

2011-12-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

Last post for 2011. Seems fitting that the subject should be the first ride of 2012.

We’re speaking of the annual Penance Ride, which goes (starting in the pre-dawn dusk) on Sunday morning, 1 January 2012. Yes, it will be dusky out for the start, but that gives us a bit of extra daylight at the other end of the ride. (One never knows when an extra hour of sun may just come in handy.)

The Cue Sheet Question: Well after a lot of thrashing around (We’ll spare you the technical details. It was low comedy.) we have managed to post the cue sheets on the South Side Cycling Club

website. They can be found on the Documents page. The two sheets are labeled Penance 68 and Penance 106. Astute readers will not that the top of each of these cues has a header that includes the words “2011 Edition.” Not to worry! These are the actual and real cues for the 2012 ride. Honest. (Please spread the word.)

As of this writing, the forecast for Sunday looks pretty good. (I’ll be carrying a rain jacket. There is that pesky 20% rainchance.) Ride time temps will be in the 40s, and temps should rise to the mid 60s, under a mostly cloudy sky. It’s not going to be Summer, but it shouldn’t be bad out.

By the way… If you aren’t a South Side Cycling Club member, or if you have trouble downloading and printing the cue sheets, don’t fret. I’ll have some copies of both available at the start of the ride.

Have a good safe weekend all. I look forward to seeing you in the coming New Year!

Winding Up and Going Forward

2011-12-28T08:04:00.002-05:00

No secret. This old year is winding down. Fast. Most of us are already making big and little plans for the coming year.

For quite a few years now, we’ve started the New Year off with a ride. I honestly don’t know when I picked up and started doing a New Year’s Day Century. It’s been quite some time. We decided to be just a tiny bit more formal about it back in the ‘90s, and thus was born the Penance 100. We’re doing it again this year.

You’re invited to come along.

Ride starts at 7:00 A.M. (sharp), on Sunday, 1 January. We’ll leave from Bicycles Unlimited, in Peachtree City, GA, US, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, The Universe. I’ll be posting cue sheets, and will have them available at ride time. There’s a 106 mile route, and a 68 mile option.

Start the New Year off right! Be there.

Friday Follies ~~ Best Christmas

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

It’s been a hectic run up to Christmas this year. Lots of activities, a long and temperate Autumn, many more riders in the area, all to the good, but it does make for a busy busy time in the bike shop.

One more full day left, then a half day on Saturday, and we go home for the weekend.

Today will be spent trotting out layaways, helping with last minute shoppers, and coping with the occasional “day off emergency.” We’ll see small kids wandering in, big-eyed, looking at the shop dogs and the shiny bicycles. We’ll have our share of “just looking,” types, who are simply killing time. We’ll see a few of the faithful, stopping by to smile and wish us a happy holiday.

Tomorrow tools will be racked, the shop tidied up, and the doors closed. It’s time for the elves to go home. It will be quiet in the shop. Time for Christmas.

May you all share the warmth, happiness, and joy of this season.

And may each and every one of you have the best and most…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Thursday Thoughts: I think I’ll get back to “Normal”

2011-12-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

For several weeks now I’ve kind of been waxing rhapsodic on this blog. It’s just about time to take a “time out,” enjoy Christmas, and then get back to the core business of this blog. So for starters, let’s just assess where we are in our orbit.

As of today, Winter has begun, but it’s 87 days until Spring! The daylight hours are starting to increase a bit with each passing day. It will be a while before this effect is noticeable, but it’s hopeful.

Below, for illustration, and to help a bit with ride planning, are some data points:

Today

Sunrise: 07:38 EST

Sunset: 17:35 EST

End Civil Twilight: 18:02 EST

21 January

Sunrise: 07:40 EST

Sunset: 17:59 EST

End Civil Twilight: 18:26 EST

29 February

Sunrise: 07:70 EST

Sunset: 18:35 EST

End Civil Twilight: 19:00 EST

20 March (Vernal Equinox)

Sunrise: 07:42 EDT

Sunset: 19:50 EDT

End Civil Twilight: 20:15 EDT

Good news all around! By the end of February, usable daylight continues right up until 7:00 P.M. (Keep your lights handy and charged for a while longer yet.)

Next week, we’ll be addressing some technical issues, and soon we’ll be starting a series on Winter Training.

Upcoming: A few rides in the offing. Remember the Annual Penance Ride, on January 1^st, at 0700. Starts at Bicycles Unlimited. Please go to the South Side Cycling Club Calendar for details.

And we’ll soon be posting a goodly number of rides for the upcoming year.

In the mean time, let’s all concentrate on keeping a Good Christmas, being safe, and behaving as good citizens. Do think about it.

Winter Comes

2011-12-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of Winter. If one is to be precisely correct, Winter started at 00:30 EST. (That’s half past midnight this morning for you temporal traditionalists.) At that exact point in time, the sun reached it’s most southern extreme in its annual apparent movement. The good news is that from this moment on, each day will be a little longer, have just a bit more daylight than the previous.

It has been a long and glorious Autumn. Now comes the Winter. For cyclists, this is a time to reflect, to plan, to train, and to rest up a bit. For many, the coming Holidays are a time of celebration, and relaxation. For some of us, it’s also the point at which we get serious about our training for the coming year.

For this blog the coming Winter means a slight change in tone. In the near future, you will see a bit of encouragement, and a more than a few goal suggestions here. There will be more technical posts on training, on bike maintenance and repair, and on some interesting future projects. Of course there will be the usual interspersed bits of whimsy and reminiscence, advice, and questionable wisdom.

For now, it is my wish to you that this Winter be one of renewed vigor, good challenges, and good cheer. Let’s all endeavor to raise the general morale, brighten spirits, lift each other and ourselves up, and enjoy each and every challenge and moment of this time.

Bon Hiver!

Good Winter to you all!

Christmas Lights Road Ride: Ride Report

2011-12-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Wow! What can I say? Last night’s Christmas Lights Road Ride was a delight! We had a large turnout. (I counted 22 riders.) I did not manage to get everyone’s names, so I’m not going to list anyone. (I don’t want to offer a slight, you were all there, and you were all great!)

Conditions: To begin with, it was a good bit warmer than expected. That was a plus. It was, of course, dark, but everyone was well lighted, and well reflectorized. It did not rain. Traffic was relatively light, and with only one rather brief incident, well behaved.

Two note on traffic: The incident was one obnoxious “bully” driver. He liked his horn, and engaged in a bit of “buzz driving.” The Police were notified. As for the rest, it was fun and amusing. Oncoming drivers, when confronted with a massive group of extremely well lighted riders, tend to slow down and pull to the left. They don’t know what we are, and they give us full use of the road. Following drivers, for the most part, seem to stay back until they have ample room to pass. All to the good.

Our route wound through the county, until we got onto Sandy Creek Road. The new construction on the “West Bypass” is a mess, but I’m proud to say that every rider negotiated it well and correctly. Intersection discipline was fair, especially for such a large group. We did have to wait and re-form several times, but this was accomplished almost seamlessly. (Bravo!)

We got through the entire night without a flat tire, or a “mechanical.” (YAY!)

Everyone seemed to enjoy the wonderfully gaudy display at the Gaddy property, and then we turned onto Adams Road.

On Adams, there are several individual displays that are well worth noting. They range from the professionally tasteful to the happily loud and bright.

Dogwood Road was a sort of quiet moment. There are a few good hills on this stretch, but the pace calmed a bit, and most managed to stay well together. Then came the turn onto the notorious Crabapple Lane! This road treats the riders to a half mile of unpaved road. The road condition was good. Surface hard packed, and the recent rains have washed most of the gravel off of the roadway. I’m happy to report that no one seemed to have any difficulty with this obstacle.

The group was a bit scattered after the dirt section, so we re-grouped at the end of Crabapple lane. Then, back inside Peachtree City, we rode through a couple of neighborhoods, with displays that ranged from bright and pretty, to purely beautiful, and even to extravagantly outrageous.

A bit more than two hours of good, relaxed pace riding, covered an official 25.3 miles, and brought us back, for the traditional end of ride toast in the parking lot. Good cheer and happy camaraderie marked the whole night.

All in all, this was one for the books. A most excellent ride! My deepest thanks and cheers to all!

The Temple:

2011-12-19T04:47:00.012-05:00

There are many ways to approach the act of riding a bicycle. Readers of this blog do not often see me advocating the “just get on it and ride” approach, although that is quite valid. I like the idea of bikes that are built and equipped such that no special preparations need be made to ride them. There is a whole mindset of capital C cycling, that one must be on the right bike, wearing the right gear, etc. Unfortunately, this perception tends to be intimidating and off-putting to many who could and would derive a great deal from cycling.

That said, the capital C cyclist certainly does have much to give and gain. I like the whole aspect of having the right bike for the intended purpose, and equipping it, and myself correctly and well for the task at hand. When I am commuting, especially in the Winter, there are a whole series of preparations to be made prior to the ride. Weather must be observed, clothing selected, other choices have to be considered. And, at the end of the day there is the reverse series of tasks, putting all the stuff away and readying for the next time. To an extent, every ride contains a bit of this preparation.

Observation of the Proper Forms: Some rides are more important, and more than casual. These require more preparation and mindful attention. I think of these special occasions as being akin to preparing for worship. There is a liturgical aspect to them. One is about to enter the Temple. Reverence, Respect, and Good Preparation are required and needful. It is ritual that we speak of here, or possibly meditation. The correct and orderly, careful, and detailed preparation, is required to focus the mind and bring seriousness of purpose, before embarking on the mission… or before entering the Temple.

I am, of course using metaphor here, but a very close one. There are certain rides that amount to a form of worshipfulness. The annual Ride of Silence comes to mind, but there are others. Remember, not all worship is grim. In fact, the old word “solemn” actually meant a purposeful celebration! And there are many religious observances that are joyous and glorious celebrations.

How many of us prepare for our riding with that kind of za-zen deliberation, meditatively, calm, and yet celebratory? I wonder that. At the same time, I hope there are a lot among us who do, “prepare to enter the Temple” before riding.

Come on out and celebrate with us tonight! It’s time for the Annual Christmas Lights Road Ride! (Details can be found at the bottom of last Thursday's Post.)

A Primer: Blog Interactivity for Cyclists

2011-12-19T04:37:00.000-05:00

I’ve become aware that there are several folks out there who are having trouble with the “comments” function on this blog. These kind individuals have told me so, face-to-face. I figure if there are one or two, then there are more. After all, many of us are cyclists, and not internet wizards.

If you are one of the highly internet savvy types, you can just skip this, and read today’s regular post, which will be up in another 10 minutes or so.

For those of you who need help posting a comment, here’s a simple recipe:

Go to the bottom of the post you are reading. You will see several things, including a link to “Comments.” (The word “comments” will be preceded by a numeral, indicating how many comments have been entered for that post.) Click that link.
You will see a box, where you may type your commentary. Please do so.
Now comes the tricky part. You will see a dialog box below the comment box. It says, “Select a profile…” Go ahead and click it. (If you try to hit “Publish” before selecting a “Profile,” you’re going to be prompted to select one.) There are a bunch of different options displayed when you click the pull down for “Select a Profile.”
If you already have an account with one of the choices, you may use it, but if this is new to you, or if you are a bit leery of it, just click “Anonymous.”
Then click “Publish.” That’s all there is to it.
I can ear somebody saying, “But what if I don’t want to be anonymous?” That’s just fine. You can sign your name (or a pseudonym) in the body of your comment.
Once you’ve done all that, your comment should appear.

I want to have a dialog going on this blog. I do want to hear from you all. I may not answer, but I do read all comments. I find that questions, and commentary often give me material for new posts. Just please, keep it clean.

Friday Follies ~~ Winter Nights

2011-12-16T04:38:00.000-05:00

It was hot. Not just warm, but hot. Hotter than the hinges of Hades, hot. Hot enough to cause one to break a sweat just by standing still in the shade. That part of Virginia does experience Summer, but we used to think it was quite warm at 85, and hot at 91. The temps rarely reached the mid 90s, even in late July and early August. But here it was, early June, and the mercury was moving through 100 degrees for the third straight day.

I was on my bike, climbing. It wasn’t a race, not quite exactly. Not formally. But honor was at stake. And there I was, on the exposed western slope of the Massanutten Mountain, climbing up out of New Market, with the intention of riding to Luray, and then turning south for a long hilly run back toward home. It was so hot that I was having trouble seeing. Sweat was pouring down, out of my cap, and blinding me. That didn’t matter much, I wasn’t going very fast.

Not for the first time did I have the thought, “We should be able to store some of this heat and use it in the Winter, and save up some of the Winter cold and use it in the Summer. Equalize things. Or we all could move to San Diego!”

That line of thought led me to thinking of Winter. I am not now, and was not then, a “Winter Person.” I don’t like cold much, but Winter does have its charms. Little did I know, that particular climb was the last time I would ride a bicycle on that route for more than thirty years.

Jump forward in time. I was 55 years old. It was early February. I was on a road trip, from beloved Georgia to Washington D.C. The ultimate purpose of the trip was to be a part of the Annual League of American Bicyclists Bike Summit. But the secondary intent of our itinerary was to take time on the trip up, drive to places of interest, and ride our bikes there.

We’d had several good adventures along the way. (A good adventure is one that you survive!) We had stopped in New Market for the day. We would ride locally, and then go on to Washington the next day. My traveling partner was taken somewhat ill during the day’s ride, and had turned in early. I was restless.

I donned every bit of cold weather gear I had with me, and went out.

It was one of those late Winter nights. There was a strong cold high-pressure mass sitting on us. The sky was clear as polished crystal, stars glinting distantly. It was cold. Amazingly, shockingly cold. The bike creaked as I mounted it, no problems just cold metal adjusting to the loads. I rode briskly to gain body warmth. I gave little thought to direction. I am as familiar with the roads in that area as the tongue is with the teeth. I rode, and looked at the calm Winter night. The valley was covered in a blanket of recent snow, and a half moon was well up the sky. I hardly needed my lights.

I found myself making that climb, the one up the flank of Massanutten Mountain. As I climbed, I remembered that day, that hot hot day. Somehow these moments seem to connect, across time and space. This night I was cold, and it was dark, clear and crisp. I could wish for some of that earlier day, and some of that heat. And somehow, it seems as if I did borrow some of that young man’s hot day, on this cold night climb. The Winter night is spread out around me, silent and still, lights blinking and winking in the sky and on the floor of the valley below.

What is it about these times? These Winter night rides, that somehow cross-connects us to other times and places, to other selves?

Looking forward to seeing you all on Monday night, for a more temperate and companionable Winter night ride to see the Lights!

Lights!

2011-12-15T08:17:00.003-05:00

Important Programming Note: Some of you noticed that yesterday’s post was a “Thursday Thoughts” feature. As these usually come out on Thursdays this caused a bit of confusion. We apologize for the inconvenience, and would like to claim youth and inexperience coupled with long and faithful service. The following Wednesday post is being offered on a Thursday by way of rectifying the damage.

We now return to (ir)regular programming.

With the Winter Solstice just seven (now six) days away, it’s staying dark much later in the mornings, and getting dark way to soon in the afternoon. The lights have to come on sooner, and stay on longer. The diminished daylight affects us all, in many ways, but what a miracle our lights are!

I find that, as a cycle-commuter, my go-nogo decision is simplified greatly by the ready availability of good lighting. As recently as five years ago, the stuff that was on the market was either barely adequate, or insanely expensive. Burn time for the good bright stuff were not all that good, and charging time was inconveniently long. Much of that has changed, and decidedly for the better. e.g. My good LED lighting systems can last most of a week’s commuting on one charge, and a full charge takes only five hours. When one adds that they are bright enough to command respect from motorists, one must admit, this is good, very good indeed.

But now the Christmas Season is upon us, and that adds another dimension of light. Folks decorate for the coming holiday, and many put up displays of light. It brightens my heart to see this happy glow again and again, as I ride my way home. I find, even in the worst weather conditions, that I am smiling as I see some of the homes lit up and festive.

Next week, we’ll go out as a group, on two different nights, to ride together, and view some of the more extravagant displays. Festive garb is encouraged for these rides, but not required. If you plan to attend, and want to costume, please… safety first! Beware of obscuring your vision. (I mind a year when one rider showed up in a full Santa Suit. The beard had a nasty habit of blowing up in his face at the most incapacitating times.) Secure loose leggings, capes, etc. Costume parts getting caught in drivelines or wheels do not a happy evening make.

Are you, like me, a big kid at heart? Do you delight in the pretty colors and bright lights of the season? Come out and be festive. Come out and ride. Come out and share the spirit of the season with like-minded riders.

Christmas Lights Road Ride: We’ll be out on the roads. We will tour around and see some of the county’s more extravagant displays. We will ride in a group, and keep good and safe order always, but we’ll have fun!

Where: Start/Finish is at Bicycles Unlimited in Peachtree City

When: Monday 19 December at 7:00 P.M. (sharp!!)

Distance/Pace: Approximately 25 miles. Expect to be out for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Requirements: Helmets (always!), Good headlights and tail lights. Reflective vests or sashes, and reflective ankle bands. Dress for the weather. (I’ll plan one or two “clothing adjustment stops” if necessary.)

Additional: Rain will cancel, and there is no rain date.

Christmas Lights Path Ride: We’ll be on Peachtree City’s multi-use paths. (No road riding!) We will tour around and see some of the city’s more extravagant and beautiful displays. We will ride in a group, and keep good and safe order always, but we’ll have fun!

Where: Start/Finish is at Bicycles Unlimited in Peachtree City

When: Wednesday 21 December at 7:00 P.M. (sharp!!)

Distance/Pace: Approximately 15 miles. Expect to be out for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Requirements: Helmets (always!), Good headlights. Dress for the weather. (I’ll plan one or two “clothing adjustment stops” if necessary.)

Additional: Rain will cancel, and there is no rain date.

Thursday Thoughts: The Wild Geese Sing

2011-12-14T07:57:00.000-05:00

The Canada Geese were migrating this past weekend. When they are at altitude, and going somewhere, their calls sound less harsh, less of a honk, and more of a singing coo. When the geese are high in the sky, and traveling, arrowing along, I want to follow them.

Do you ever get on the bike with no particular destination? You start out thinking, “I’ll just go out for a bit,” but have no idea where. So you start riding. The day is nice, and you feel good. You start with one of your regular routes. (By this time in your life, every possible direction from your house is one of your regular routes.) But you get to one of the turns, one that would take you home, and you don’t take it.

“I’ll go a bit farther today,” you say to yourself. And you do. Then you arrive at the “last turn for home,” and you wonder, “Where does that road go?” And then you follow it. New territory unfolds before you. You’re just following your front wheel, and it is good.

I want to follow the wild geese, to just follow their travel-songs, to ride south and keep riding. No turning back. Going where the road goes.

Tempting, isn’t it?

Obstinate

2011-12-13T04:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes stubborn is a survival trait. Cycling can be that way. The bike, and riding have a way of fighting back. Cold, dark, and weather can nibble at us. So here are a few words to live by.

“You don’t know when to give up.”

Winston Churchill: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never, give in!”

Don’t know how to quit.

Too dumb to know when you’re beaten.

A cyclist can always go another 10 miles.

The limit of human endurance has never been reached.

Go down fighting.

Carpe Diem!

A Winter Morning and Evening:

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

Saturdays are among my regular commuting days. To begin with, I work in a retail business, so most Saturdays are workdays.

A morning ride to work, on a Winter Saturday morning is usually pleasant, in its own odd way.

I am not fond of cold weather, but it does have its charm. Early morning rides, on clear days, often show the lawns and fields dressed in a bright glittering frost blanket. There is little in the way of traffic about in these early morning hours, no busses, no frantic cell phone chattering mini-vans and SUVs loaded with Mom-and-kiddies on the way to school, no big noisy commercial vehicles. In short, the roads and the world are quiet.

Gone now are the songbirds, and the morning hustle of a Summer Saturday. The occasional lonely crow can be heard in the distance. I always think of Winter when I hear the crows calling.

I’m a bit cold at the start of the ride in. This is not a worry, as I know I am dressed correctly, and the coming hills will warm me wonderfully.

An amazing thing happens on the trip in. As I pass the point that marks a third of the trip, I am warming up, the sun shines down on me and adds to that, and the frost just disappears. The act of cycling gets me breathing deeply of the cold crisp air, the coffee kicks in, and the world seems to come into a sharp focus. I’m ready for the day ahead.

After the Saturday workday, the homeward commute takes on a completely different nature. It’s already dark before I get outside. Lights and reflectors are a must. Traffic, for the first third of this homeward journey, is frantic and frenetic. Total focus and concentration are required. But then, there is that turn, and that intersection. These mark a boundary of some kind. I’m out of the bustle.

That last, if longer, portion of the homeward ride is good. Again, quiet settles. I see the occasional deer. I hear the coyotes and foxes singing as I drop through one particular valley. My pace slows. I’m tired, but it’s a good tired, one earned. Somewhere ahead is light, and warmth, and good food, and a rest from the week.

This is one of the good places that the bike takes me. The place where I am me, and I am at peace.

Friday Follies ~~ The Awesomeness of Going too Far

2011-12-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

There is a scene in the Flying Scotsman where Graeme Obree is leading a club cycle race. He approaches the end of the race, takes the first place at the finish, and sort of perplexes the gathered crowd, by not stopping. He just keeps going, continuing his ride.

That’s certainly one way of going a bit too far.

What about the sense of getting in over one’s head? There are others.

There is certainly something magical about the number 100. “The Century.” For each aspiring cyclist, there is a “First Century.” The idea occurs, and it’s somewhat daunting. “Can I do that?” The new rider thinks. It wasn’t that long ago that a ride of an hour was an epic of Homerian proportions.

Some folks, when this mania takes them, approach it analytically. They actually take advice, do research, and train for it. They arrive at the day, toned up, rested, fueled, and riding the right bike. It’s still a milestone, but somewhat anticlimactic. They didn’t go too far.

There are others who show up for that “first 100,” in a somewhat different state. One sees them among the folks in the parking lot. They don’t look right. They stand out. There is something about them that says, “Noob!” Most of them actually do finish their first century, but with a feeling that the ride was maybe 20, 30, or 50 miles too long. They finished on determination and sheer will. Bravo!

On a slightly different note, there are some organized centuries that are not quite 100 miles long. On occasion, one will see riders hit the end of one of these rides, and then declare, “I need to go a bit farther. I want to do a real 100 miles.” And off they go, out for another 3 or 4 miles, just to round the thing off. Sometimes they even take four or five laps around the parking lot, just to be sure. What is it with that? Wasn’t the ride good enough? Why go farther than the end? Is there some shamanic power to the number 528,000? (If you are wondering, that’s the number of feet in one hundred statute miles.)

Some years ago, on a whim, I laid out a course, and proposed doing a “Nautical 100.” That is riding a route that was 100 “knots” long. A “nautical mile” is 6,080 feet. So I laid out a course that was 115 miles and 800 feet long. Too short to be called a “double metric,” and well over the “standard century.” Oddly, I didn’t get any takers.

Some years ago, I was riding a tough brevet. It was intentionally a hard course, mountainous, and challenging. The event was a 400K. That’s 400 kilometers, or about 250 miles. The weather was not cooperative. It was extremely windy, sometimes raining, and quite cold. About half of the entrants withdrew, some of them at the start.

For those of us who stayed the course, there was a feeling of dizzy euphoria as we neared the finish. It was dark, and there were snow flurries about. Suddenly, with only about 400 yards to go, four of our members decided to sprint for the finish! (It should be noted that brevets are not competitive events. Finishing matters, but not who finishes first.) One of these riders managed to pull out ahead of the other three, and then he went down, roll-blocking the others. Bad crash. Three of the four failed to finish the event. Their injuries were bad enough to require medical transport. Definitely a case of going to far, and not far enough.

Me? No, I wasn’t among the sprint-finish crowd. I limped in after them, happy to finish the event with an hour to spare before the allowed limit. I already felt like I’d gone too far that day.

Thursday Thoughts: The “Lower Limit”

2011-12-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

I have a set of very simple rules that make up my “lower limit.” It’s a sort of go/no-go gauge that determines when I will refuse to ride.

Temperature above limit?
Sufficient weather gear available for current and expected conditions?
Sufficient Time to reach intended destination?
Bicycle appropriate to intended activity available and in good repair?
If I can satisfy those parameters, then it’s a go. If not, then I’m not riding.

The Mountain Bike Trail consideration: I might add, that the weather requirements for off-road rides are a bit more stringent. Riding mountain bike trails in heavy rain is a poor idea in several ways. Riding trails in hard rain is damaging to the trail. For that matter, wet weather mountain biking presents some significant dangers to the rider.

Be Prepared!

Preparation is the key difference between a Winter of missed opportunities, and one spent riding comfortably and frequently. Learn what your “limits” are, and then prepare to meet them.

When in doubt… Go!

I’ve seen it happen countless times. The conditions are almost right, but there is a possibility of a negative change. In the face of that, riders often cancel, only to later see the day turn out well. If the situation isn’t below one’s minimums, and isn’t rapidly changing for the worse, go for it. Most times this works well.

But what if I go, and it turns really bad?

Good question! There are about four possibilities.

1) The “False Alarm.” We got ready, and went to meet the ride, but things were just too bad at ride time. Okay. Cancel and go home. There’s no shame in this, and you were ready, and if it had stayed inside your limits, you would have had a ride. This beats the stew out of sitting at home on a day when you could have ridden, and will happen a lot less frequently than you would think.

2) The “Early Lousy.” The ride has started, in questionable conditions, and then things get worse, a lot worse. Okay. Admit it, and turn back. No harm done. So you get back to the car (or home) a bit sodden and chilled. You will live to ride another day, and you have a good story to tell.

3) The “Classic Murphy.” It was a “maybe,” but you went. You’ve now gotten as far away from the start as you could possibly be, at the exact midpoint of the route, and suddenly conditions turn vicious. It’s time to make a decision. Continue, or pull the plug? If you decide that you can continue, do so promptly. If you are going to terminate the thing, find shelter, and call for help. It happens. Better luck next time. (I seem to get into one of these “bail out” situations about once every year.)

4) The “Nasty Ending.” You made it through ¾ of the ride (or more) before it all went sour. Well? You’re in it now. Go ahead and get it done. Finish. You might consider taking a shortcut, but just ride it out.

Have Faith in Yourself: You are far more resourceful, and capable than you know. And each situation that you encounter improves your knowledge and experience. Establish a reasonable set of parameters to guide you, and then believe in them.

What experiences have you had that left you battered, but not beaten?

The Commuter Bike Project: Ride Report

2011-12-07T06:07:00.000-05:00

Last week, as regular readers know, I finished up the Repurposed Bike. I now have a heavy commuter in the stable. I also have enough time on it to form some good solid impressions.

I took the beast out for an (unloaded) test-ride of a bit over 20 miles. Then I followed that up with a round trip commute. So far so good! So on Saturday, I rode the new bike in to work, used it to lead the regular Saturday morning recreational ride, and then rode it home. The commuting trips were pretty well loaded too.

First impressions: This bike is not as light as I had envisioned, but it is a bit lighter than my tourist. So it qualifies for the “light-weight” part of the intention. It’s fun to ride, and that’s all to the good. The dropVee levers, coupled with the Shimano V-Brakes are amazing! The gearing is good. (Good and low!) The fenders still need a bit of tweaking. I’m less than thrilled with the wheel bearings, but I’ll rebuild those and set that right.

The high volume Giant 700 X 28 tires are nice and cushy. They roll quite nicely, and take the rough stuff in stride. That helps to smooth out the jolt from hitting the rough stuff with a heavily loaded bike. The ancient Brooks Professional saddle is going to take some breaking in, but so far, I like it.

One interesting impression: It takes a bit to get this rig going, especially when loaded up for a Fall/Winter commute, but once moving, it has a sort of “steam-roller effect.” It rolls right along, and feels like it will keep doing so forever. Hills are a bit of a challenge, but the gearing is right for pushing a big load over them. It’s work, but not unpleasant work.

With fenders, rain cap, and such, I can hardly wait for the right conditions. I know it sounds ludicrous, but I’m looking forward to riding this rig in on a chilly, rainy morning.

Loss of Signal

2011-12-06T04:50:00.001-05:00

Cell phones are wonderful devices. I won’t spend a lot of time extolling their virtues, but take it as a given, a cell phone is amazing, and potentially a life-saver.

That’s the primary reason I carry one when I’m riding. It’s a security device. It’s good to know that help is only a few button presses away.

On the other hand, the stinkin’ things can be incredibly annoying, and even dangerous.

I’m sometimes appalled to see what some folks are willing to do on a bike. Talking on a phone, receiving (or worse sending) texts are high on the list.

I usually keep my phone on, and with me. I will not carry it in a convenient jersey pocket. That’s downright dangerous. So when I get a call, or hear that text tone, I have to stop the bike, and fumble around to get it out. (That’s very much by design.)

Three successive calls or four successive texts, and I “go dark.”

Let’s face it, when we are riding on the road, we are part of the traffic. But we are the part that is most vulnerable and least protected. Becoming distracted, or disabling one of our senses is pretty dangerous. Better to leave the phone off, or get off the road to answer it, and leave the music player and the earbuds at home too.

How do you all deal with this?

The “I need more Stuff! Syndrome”

2011-12-05T04:41:00.000-05:00

Before we begin, a few “Program Notes” are in order.

NOTE 1: Christmas Lights Road Ride

Monday, 19 December @ 7:00 P.M. (See the SSCC calendar)

NOTE 2: Christmas Lights Path Ride

Wednesday, 21 December @ 7:00 P.M. (See the SSCC calendar)

NOTE 3: Annual Penance 100+

Sunday, 1 January @ 7:00 A.M. (sharp!) (See the SSCC calendar)

Now on to the business at hand…

Cyclists are an interesting lot. They come in all shapes and sizes, with a huge variety of interests, riding styles, and motivations. For the purposes of this post, I’m making a distinction between “cyclists” and “people who ride a bicycle.” The former is a bit of a nut on the subject. The latter is someone who uses a bicycle for occasional recreational purposes. Included among the nut/cyclist group are the “fast recreational riders” (read fake racers), competitive cyclists (folks who actually enter sanctioned races), tri-athletes, commuters, transportation cyclists, utility cyclists, tourists, randonneurs, athletic riders, urban free-riders, track cyclists, street fixie riders, and other “enthusiasts.”

One of the more common attributes of this class of bicycle riders is the constant nagging feeling that the acquisition of just one more piece of gear, another bike, one more bike, or some such would be the magic item that would catapult that cyclist from a mediocre existence into some all- transcendent glory. We tend to believe (often fueled by very slick marketing hype) that if we just got that one more gadget or bike, or gizmo, we’d finally achieve cycling nirvana.

For some folks the syndrome takes the form of a longing, nay need, to have the coolest (however that rider defines “cool”) possible ride. The object of desire may be the neatest multitool, or the mostest trickest cyclocomputer (the one with all the bells and whistles), or the most superb groupset, or better weather clothing. It doesn’t matter what it is (the it will be constantly changing), the thing is that rider feels that it simply must be acquired to fulfill the whole experience.

Following this obsession can lead to truly astonishing behaviors. Houses are remodeled to accommodate the “bicycle room.” Relationships are neglected. Budgets are destroyed.

It should be noted that not all cyclists are subject to this particular obsession. There are those occasional curmudgeons, who insist that they have achieved perfection, whilst riding a 35 year old Raleigh 10-speed, tastefully decorated in dings, scratches, encrusted dried lubricants, and rust. We’ll treat them in some future post.

I must confess, I am sometimes prone to this affliction. I’ve acquired, with the best of intentions, a fair number of bicycles, and a prodigious amount of weather clothing. I can justify some of this as “research.” Often a particular acquisition is in the nature of an “experiment,” and becomes material for posts here, and for advice elsewhere. Sometimes, I look back and wonder, “What was I thinking when I got that?”

What’s your most valuable “stuff” acquisition? And what’s the most useless or strange item you’ve purchased in the never-ending quest for cycling perfection?

The I need more Stuff Syndrome as applied to baggage:

A slightly different manifestation of the INMS Syndrome occurs when the rider prepares for a ride. How much, and what kind, of Stuff should be carried along on a given ride? It’s a real multivariable problem of a question, with an extremely large solution set. Factors include (but are not limited to) 1) Where is the ride? 2) How long is it? 3) Who is going to be there? 4) What level of support can be expected? 5) What season is it? 6) Day or night? 7) What’s the weather forecast? 8) Which bike am I taking? 9) How much do I think I might need?

What Stuff are we talking about here? A partial listing follows:

Water
Food!
Tools
Spare tube(s)
Patch kit
Pump
Spare parts
Lights
Rain jacket
Sunscreen
First aid supplies
Navigational equipment (maps, GPS, etc.)
Phone
Camera
Video camera
Reflective clothing
Additional protective clothing (jackets, vests, gloves, etc.)
Sunglasses
Mirrors
More food!
Money
I.D.
Credit cards
Firearms (seriously?)
Pepper spray
More water
More tools
Spare tire
“Civilian clothing”
More spare parts!
Specialty tools

I like bags and means of carrying stuff by bike. At core, I’m a transportation/utility rider and tourist. The bike’s utility is greatly improved by adding the ability to carry stuff. There are lots of ways to accomplish that mission, racks, trailers, bags, all have their uses. But there’s a problem here. The bigger the bag/rack/trailer, the greater the temptation to put more Stuff in it.

How do you deal with this?

Friday Follies ~~ Gifting

2011-12-02T04:46:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, my whole notion about gifts was that I got them, and that was cool. It took me a while to learn that giving is a whole lot more fun.

Two gifts that had a profound impact on my life were both bicycles. The “First Bike,” of course, was the one that taught me how to ride. The second bike was the wonderful Schwinn cruiser that opened up the world, and made me a rider for life. Over the year, I’ve done my level best to repay those two gifts as often as possible.

Christmas Giving is in a class by itself. It took me a while to realize that this was something we did! It took me longer to see just how well and truly good this was.

Of course, giving of gifts at Christmas implies several things. One must first get the gifts, in order to give them. That meant investing some thought in what to get for whom. Then money had to be set aside. And finally, the actual shopping had to be done. My original pattern: Do it all in the last week before Christmas, with about 50% of that on Christmas Eve. That resulted in some rather odd present choices on occasion.

Eventually, I thought to combine planning with my Christmas gifting. It worked better that way. I had time to make some things, for special people, and to save some money. I built quite a few special bikes for folks, and mostly, they were appreciated.

There was the period when I was without a car, totally on foot or on bike. That had an interesting impact on my gift selections. In those pre-internet days, I didn’t select anything that could not be transported by bicycle, or easily sent through the U.S. Mail.

Not all gift giving is of a physical object. Not all happens at Christmas or birthdays. One of the best gifts I ever saw was given on the road.

It was a mid-Summer century. There were a group of youngish women doing the ride together. They were members of a newly formed women’s racing club/team. Most were pretty strong cyclists, but all were fairly inexperienced. One member of the group was, as often happens, very new to it all. She was fit, but very new to the bike, and not accustomed to athletic riding for long periods, in high heat.

Kelly was a very experienced rider. He’d done a lot of racing back in the day. He was doing that ride, and knew several of the women. He naturally joined one group of about three of them as they rode along.

“The rest of the group rode on ahead,” Dee explained to Kelly. “I’ve had a rugged week, so we’re taking it kinda easy,” she said.

They rode for a time in companionship, enjoying the day.

At just short of the 65-mile mark, Dee’s group, with Kelly in tow, caught up to the lead group from the women’s team. That lead group had been pounding it out, but they were overextended, and their newest member was hurting. She had overextended, drained her water bottles, and was overheated. She was close to her limit, and was saying she needed to quit the ride.

A couple of the others were not looking all that good, the result of riding too hard, too early, on a blistering hot day.

Kelly, after hearing a bit of the dialogue, said, “I think we can get this done, if you all want to.”

“Here’s the problem,” Kelly said. “Several of you are a bit overheated and over-stressed. We need to slow down. Slow way down, and focus on moving just fast enough to get some cooling effect. At the same time, we all need to work on hydration. DRINK!”

As the group coalesced, Kelly went on, saying, “While were just easing along like this, I’ll explain what we’re going to do. We have one struggling member. We need to remove the load from her, and help her along. So, at the next rest stop, everyone fills every bottle, but Janet doesn’t carry her own water. We’ll do that for her. And then, I’ll tell you how we’ll organize so that we all work together, and we all protect Janet.”

What Kelly then described was a “Diamond Paceline.” It works like this:

There is always one rider on the “point,” at the very lead of the group. The protected rider, in this case Janet, would remain in the center of the diamond, immediately behind the point rider. There would be a pair of riders to Janet’s left and right, protecting her from any sidewinds. Immediately behind Janet, would be a pair of riders, side by side. Behind these two, the remainder of the group (in this case, Kelly and four other women, would stretch out in a paceline.

Now the real secret of this formation lies in how riders rotate through it, and how often they do. “No one takes a pull of more than 30 seconds,” Kelly explained. I’ll keep time and call out `ROTATE’ every half minute.”

On each rotation, the “point rider” moves to the left and drifts back to Janet’s left side. The rider who had been the left flanker would drop to the rear of the whole formation. The left flanker takes a water bottle handoff, and then drops back to the left trailer position. The left trailer drops to the back of the whole formation. Meanwhile, the right trailer moves up to right flank, the right flanker, moves to point, and the lead rider in the following paceline moves to the right trailer position. In this way, no rider is facing the wind for more than a minute and a half.

Kelly insisted the pace be kept moderate to low for the first 20 minutes. After that, it picked up a bit. Kelly had told Janet that she was to take a good solid drink of water every two rotations. He watched her, and reminded her a couple of times.

“And dowse,” Kelly said. “Here take my spare bottle and wet your head down. It helps.”

Each of those riders was getting a huge kick out of the teamwork. Their spirits were lifting. Janet was recovering visibly. By the time the group crossed the 90-mile mark, a good solid successful finish was certain.

Kelly gave a gift that day. It was a simple gift of time and experience, but it made a great day for a group of relatively new riders.

How do I know about this? My daughter was one of the members of that group. She still talks about it.

Thursday Thoughts: Lights

2011-12-01T07:50:00.000-05:00

I rather enjoy riding at night. Perhaps I should rephrase that a bit. I enjoy being able to ride at night. You see, I enjoy riding. I enjoy riding for exercise, pleasure, and utility. I work a job. Our planet has a tilt. Combine those facts and one finds that about half of the year will involve a bit of nighttime riding.

One of the first discoveries I made about nighttime cycling was the need for lighting. When I first tried this, as a young adult, I found it nearly impossible to go anywhere in the dark. It was insanely dangerous. At the time, bicycle lighting systems were woefully inadequate. There were only two choices. One either used a dim bulb, powered (for a very short while) by clunky, low output, lead-acid D-cells, or one purchased and installed a generator system. Neither of these approaches was particularly satisfactory.

Go back about twenty years. Suddenly there were some serious choices available to the night riding cyclist. Better batteries and stronger bulbs, combined with good optics made the act of night riding a lot more pleasant. Of course, there was still a somewhat unpalatable choice involved. Choice one, spend a goodly amount of money, on a halfway decent lightset. This allowed nighttime riding, but was still somewhat limiting. Choice two, commit a major amount of cash, a procuring a really powerful set. These high-end sets worked wonderfully, but… Well, they were powerful, but they were still fairly heavy, and they didn’t have a lot of useful runtime.

Over time, things gradually improved. And very recently, they have improved dramatically. Advances in LED and battery technology have resulted in truly astonishing equipment. Suddenly one can purchase systems that deliver outstanding power, for reasonably long periods of time. More, these new systems are extremely lightweight, and are priced well below the “Omigosh! Point.”

I have been finding a completely unlooked for benefit to the newest super-bright LED systems. They are bright enough to command respect from motorists and golf cart operators. In both cases the operators of an oncoming vehicle do not know what the cyclist is, but they do know that it’s bright! The slow down and dim headlights. Cool.

A related topic: I love Christmas light displays. It’s wonderful to see these brilliant displays shining out in the chilly nights of early Winter. How much better to “show a light, than to curse the darkness!” I love them all, from the modest and extremely tasteful, to the full-on, garish, if-it’s-stationary-put-a-light-on-it! type of display.

I often ride home, and at this time of year, do not arrive until well after dark. It’s somehow warming and uplifting to turn into my neighborhood, and see the lights shining brightly. It’s as if they are extending a beacon, and a welcome.

It’s even more cheering at the other end of the day. Most folks shut their displays down sometime during the night. But others choose to let their lights shine through all the hours of the night. I’m thankful for these. On a cold and tired morning, it’s a lift to see those few displays glittering against the dark.

Over the years, I’ve heard from a lot of “civilians,” that we cyclists have a similar effect. There are a few (not many) regular night group rides. Again and again, I’ve heard folks say something like, “I don’t know who they are, but I see this group of folks riding their bicycles along in the night, all lit up. They are so bright and colorful. It’s wonderful to see! We’ll see them as we are sitting down for the evening. It makes me happy.”

So, strike your lights and keep ‘em burning!

Why?

2011-11-30T07:33:00.000-05:00

I am dealing with an injustice. Allow me to explain.

My Fall/Winter schedule has some challenges built into it. For various reasons, the best days for me to commute are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The first three days of the week have impediments built into them. If I use my bike on those days, I either have to carry an enormous amount of stuff, or get home quite late, or both. I can accept that.

Now here comes the injustice. It’s the weather. Has anyone else noticed the pattern we’ve had lately? I think it’s my fault. If you haven’t been paying attention to it, here’s what’s been going on.

Sunday: Warm, sunny, and beautiful, but with clouds arriving late in the day.

Monday: It rains and gets cooler as the cold front approaches.

Tuesday: The rain continues, but is diminished, and the temperature drops.

Wednesday: The clouds go away, but the temperature keeps dropping.

Thursday: A gradual warming trend begins, however it will be cold during the morning commuting hours.

Friday: Expect a bit warm high, but it will start out quite cold.

Saturday: Warming trend continues, after a very cold start to the day.

Notice that my commuting days all start out cold! That means I’m going to have a chilly ride in to work, wearing a lot of protective clothing. By the time I ride home, the temps are more reasonable, but it is quite dark, and I still have to carry all that stuff!

Allow me to apologize to any of you who are negatively affected by this. Apparently I’ve annoyed someone. I can think of no other explanation.