Inspection:

When was the last time you went over your bike?

Have you looked at it minutely?  Did you check for cracks, blisters in the paint, scars and dents?

How old are your cranks?  How about your handlebars?

What about going over each wheel, spoke by spoke?  Checking the nipples and their perches?  The hubs where the spokes attach?

What about the seatpost clamp?

Every one of these is a site for a potential crack, and a bad failure.

Periodically examine each and every weld, and every part of your bike.

You just may prevent a nasty crash.

(Thanks and a tip of the Campagnolo cycling cap to Kelsey.)

Ride Reports (and happy days)

Yesterday (very early in the morning) was the last of this season’s Dawn Patrols.  It was…

Well it was wet.  Wet and windy.  There were just two of us.  We started out in the dark, and rode until almost dawn.  Sloppy conditions, not too cold, but decidedly sloppy.  The drizzle increased as we rode, becoming actual rain by the time we finished.  I have to say, this past Winter, and the early part of this spring have certainly been a time to test one’s internal fortitude.

New project:  I’m giving some thought to some night riding this coming Summer.  Likely it will be late at night.  That would follow.  It doesn’t get dark until much later in the summer.  But it won’t be cold.  Who is up for that?

A pleasant afternoon:  The early morning ride left a little to be desired.  We reconvened in the afternoon.  We were on fixed gear bikes.  It was windy, but warm, and the sky was spectacular.  I am so glad to have gone out that second time. You know?  Sudden and changeable weather is a trademark of Spring in these parts.  Looks like this year will be no exception.

Upcoming events:  Remember, this coming Thursday is the first of this year’s regular weekly Novice Road Rides.  We’ll start from Bicycles Unlimited, at 6:00 PM.  Plan to be on time, the ride will start promptly.

I’m going to modify the procedure a bit.  I’ll launch you experienced types promptly at 6:00.  The newer riders, those looking for route guidance and/or instruction will stay back with me for two minutes more, and then we will go out.  This should reduce some of the confusion we’ve had in the past.

Mark your calendar:  April 11, is the next Audax Tune Up Ride.  This one is a 45 mile route.  We’ll be leaving from Bicycles Unlimited at 1:00 PM.  We will go out rain or shine.  Helmets are required.  More on this one soon.

Have a good week folks.

Friday Follies ~~ Stray Cats

It seems to me that the best and most interesting of my friends and acquaintances are “stray cats” and “odd ducks.”  I’m talking about people here, but people who just don’t quite fit into the “normal” categories.

Then there was Burl.

Burl was a stray cat in the literal sense of the phrase.

I was out riding.  It was a warm day in late Spring.  I was hot, dry, and tired.  I stopped and got off the bike to sit and drink in the shade.  That particular shade was the loading dock of a business.  I don’t remember now if it was a weekday or not.  It was just a relatively quiet place to park it for a bit.

I was enjoying the mild day, and beginning to feel refreshed when…  This little cat walked up.  He was white, but only just barely.  He was kind of dirty.  He was in the late stages of kittenhood, not quite an adult cat yet.  He was skinny.  He hadn’t been eating well lately.  He was also friendly.

He climbed up in my lap and purred.  We were instant friends.

I felt it was time to go, so I put the little creature down.  He jumped back up.  I stood and put him down again.  I walked over to my bike.  He followed me, mewing inquisitively.

I mounted the bike and started to ride slowly away.  The cat ran after me, his cries now bordering on panic.  Under the right conditions, I am subject to these impulses.  But…

I was on a bicycle.  I wasn’t wearing a lot of clothing.  There was no place to put the little guy.  But I could not leave him.  So I picked him up and attempted to ride, holding him.  That didn’t work.  He inflicted a couple of good sized wounds and sprang free, leaping to the ground.

I thought that was the end of it, but no.  The small cat did not run away.  He again tried to follow me.  When I stopped he put his paws up on my leg and meeped at me.

I thought about walking home, carrying the cat and balancing the bike.  It was something like ten miles to my trailer.  I couldn’t see it as a good choice.  So I took my jacket out.  The day too warm for a jacket by then, but I couldn’t think of another way.  I put the jacket on, scooped the cat up, and tucked him inside the front of it.  I zipped it up, until only his head was out of it.  It was way too warm, what with the sun, and the two of us inside that jacket.  More, the cat was not happy with me when I mounted the bike again.  Let’s make that, emphatically unhappy.

We made it home.  It was an eventful trip.  I don’t think I lost more than a pint of blood.

Once at my trailer, the cat made himself right at home.  He was friendly, companionable, ornery, a nuisance, funny, and my friend.  We had quite a few adventures.  He survived an odd relationship between me and my then current girlfriend.  For a while he was her cat.  She left.  Burl stayed.

His most endearing feature?  He loved all cyclists.  His least endearing, but possibly most amusing trait?  The only people he liked more than cyclists were folks who didn’t like cats.  He was especially fond of people who were terrified of cats.

He was a cat, and my true and staunch friend, there to watch my going out and coming home again.

And no, we never went for another bike ride together.  Once was enough of that.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ Human Power

Definitions:

Horsepower:  1 hp = 550 foot pound second.  That’s the power necessary to raise 550 pounds to a height of one foot in one second.

1 hp = 746 watts.

We all like to think we’re pretty strong.  We cyclists and athletes are especially prone to this.  The truth is, we are, and we aren’t.  The average leaf blower has a higher sustained power output than most of us can manage.

And yet…

In the animal kingdom, humans are fairly puny.  A horse is faster.  A cheetah or even a tiger is much faster.  Any number of animals are stronger, bears, gorillas, even chimpanzees.  The average house cat can jump to a height five times greater than theirs.  (Imagine if the average human could jump 25 feet straight up!)  Eagles see farther, and more clearly.  Our teeth and claws are down right pathetic, and we don’t hear very well either.

And yet…

We humans have this gift.  We think, and make tools.  One of the most remarkable of the tools we have ever invented is the bicycle.  It amplifies us, as do all our tools.

No means of transportation ever invented equals the bicycle for power-efficiency.  None.

On almost any weekend, from mid-Spring through until mid-fall, literally thousands of fairly ordinary humans perform an astonishing feat.  We mount bicycles and ride 100 miles.  We do it in a day.  Actually, the slowest among us manage this feat in about eight hours.  Attempt to drive the typical horse that same distance, in that same time, and you end up with a dead horse.

The combination of the incredible bio-chemical efficiency of human muscle, and the amplifying properties of the bicycle make such a thing fairly common.

A human, in decent condition, can deliver a sustained power output of close to 200 watts.  That’s a bit more than one quarter of one horsepower.  And yet, with the bicycle, we can move!  We can cover distances that, only a short historical time ago, seemed magical.  We can do so, while carrying useful loads.

A typical cycle-tourist often covers close to 100 miles per day, while transporting 50 to 70 pounds of equipment.

So, what can we do with a bicycle?  Let your imagination ponder that one for a while.  What could you do with your bicycle?

Think about it.

The One Gear Perspective

I’m primarily a “road guy.”  I love riding my bike to work and to the store.  Given half a chance, I’ll load the bike up and head for the horizon.  I’m a tourist to my toes.  All that is a given.  But I also have a bit of a love affair going with single speeds and fixies.

The Practical Argument:  Adding a single speed or a fixed gear bike to one’s diet is an amazing training tool.  When it’s not possible to shift, one is committed to making do with just one gear.  This means that the rider is constantly oscillating between torque and RPM.  So these bikes train power development and spin, all at once.  Believe it, brothers and sisters, they do!  I’ve been astonished at the gains that the SS and Fixie bikes have made.  In short, adding one of these to your regular training routine will make you stronger, and more efficient.

The Technical Aspect:  Fixies and Single Speeds are simple bikes.  There are no shifters, and no deraillers.  In the case of a fixie, really only one brake is necessary.  With a lot less machinery, maintenance is greatly simplified, and there is just a whole lot less to go wrong.  That leaves more time for riding.

Esthetics:  These bikes are cleaner and less cluttered to look at.  They require a bit of skill to master, but reward the effort in very large measure.  Riding one is a purer expression of the art.  There is no real way to express, in words, the sensation of control, the smooth surge of accelerating up a hill, the precision with which it is possible to ride them.

Mental:  No, I don’t mean one has to be crazy to ride a fixie or singlespeed.  It’s actually kind of liberating.  As Sheldon Brown once said, it’s interesting to note how much of your brain is occupied with shifting and selecting the right gear.  Once you don’t have that choice, you have a lot of free mental capacity to engage in the ride.  You notice more stuff.  You see more.  You are aware of more than just the shifters.  Your mind is freer, and isn’t that what cycling is about?

Fun Factor:  This is enormous.  Sure, the free ride crowd do astonishing tricks on fixies.  While impressive, this isn’t necessary for the enjoyment of the ride.  Simply put, after the fear wears off, and the initial clumsiness fades, these things are an all out blast to ride.

I’ll be riding one of my conversions tonight (weather conditions permitting) on the Wednesday Nite Path Ride.  Come on out and see.

Spring Training:

So now that it’s finally Spring, with all that entails, what is a cyclist to do?  Spin Classes have ended.  Weekly group rides are starting up.  And of course, the annual Tour de Pike, this past weekend, kicked off the start of the “Century Season.”  We actually had some good weather this past weekend.  But, of course, that won’t last.  After all, it’s early days yet, and March and April are notorious for their unpredictability.

Here are a few suggestions.

Build Base:  When you ride, do so at very low aerobic levels.  This begins the process of re-adapting you to the bike.  It also has the benefit of stimulating the development of deep capillary beds in the muscles.  That translates to power later on.  It also promotes fat reduction.  Cool.

Strength Training:  You can’t ride all the time.  In fact, it’s still going to be a while before you can go out and do regular rides.  This is a great time to begin a careful, graduated, two to three month long program of strength training.

            Start off with low weights and moderate reps.  Focus on large, multi-muscle exercises.  As you progress through the program, narrow the focus to more specific muscles, and increase weight.  But be sure to do the weight increases in a gradual and incremental fashion.

            The benefits include reduction of injury later in the season, improved power development, and insurance against osteoporosis.  (Remember, cycling isn’t load bearing.  For good skeletal health, strength training is a must.)

Do something different:  Mix it up.  Consider adding swimming to your mix.  Consider acquiring a single speed or fixed gear bike, and throwing that into the mix.  (More on the various benefits of SS and fixie riding tomorrow.)  Possibly include walking as part of your weekly routine.  It’s good for you, and it’s good for your headspace.

Begin to build routines:  From all this chaos and uncertainty (weather, shifting daylight, etc.) start establishing some things as constants.  Begin this with the things that you can control.  Pick days and times that are predictable. 

For example,  Thursday, is always a core workout in the early morning.  Tuesday, means always go out for a ride, or hit the trainer, and then do a nice cool down walk.

The overall consistency will be far more beneficial to you, and by the time we the real riding season opens up (usually in May) you will be much more ready to take on some new challenges.

By that point, it will be time to taper your strength training.  You will have the core & abs work down to a regular maintenance item, and you can use the extra time for more riding.

Good luck, and good training to you.

Ride Report & Contest Info

Yesterday’s 45 mile Audax Tune Up Ride was…  In a word…  WET!!  At least it wasn’t cold.  It’s amazing what good technical rain gear can do for you.  I must report, I was comfortable throughout the afternoon.

We started off in a very light drizzle.  There was some discussion about whether to go to the hassle of pulling on rain gear or not.  About ten miles into the ride the decision was obvious.  The heavens opened, and we stopped and floundered into rain pants and such, on the side of the road.  The nice lady who stopped to offer assistance (un-needed) almost made up for the two hooligans who had seen fit to throw garbage at us earlier.

As for the punks, they were well dressed, and driving a brand new, black, Ford F150.  I wonder if Daddy knows how the boys are behaving.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get a license number.

No damage was done by the delinquents, and the ride was actually a pleasant trip through a rainy afternoon.  You all should have been there.

The Great and Weird Road Dragon Bike Contest

GUESS WHAT?  Question #16, which appeared in last Friday’s post, was… (drum roll please)  the last question!!

That’s right.  You may now start submitting your answers to the contest email address  Roaddragoncontest@gmail.com.  I suggest you review the contest requirements & rules before doing so.

Here, in case you've missed it, are the entry rules:

Remember, you have a really good chance of winning, but not until I get enough entrants to keep me happy.  So do tell your friends, and get them involved.  And do keep watching this space for more updates and information.

While on the subject, it’s time for a little audience participation.  I’m having a bit of a mental pause about just how to “curate” the Lady Grand Prize.  The pause in question concerns the handle bar treatment.  Here’s the deal.  This is going to be a single brake bike.  (Front only.)  For the bars, I could go with any of the following:

Flat bar

“Traditional” road bar

Cruiser bar

Pursuit (flop-and-chop)

So you tell me.  What do you think the Lady should wear?  Please answer by leaving a comment.


Disclaimer:  The above pictures are examples only.  They are shown to illustrate types.  The actual bars I have in mind, while similar, and not exactly like the ones pictured.