Well spring has done sprung and all the cute wild life is running about. From my living room window I can see the coyotes running through my back yard in the morning. Mowing my lawn the other day, I spooked out the first yard snake of the season. On one of my favorite ride routes I hit a bull snake in a heavily shaded switch back. A lovely thing, about four feet long, that caused a good bump when I hit it. The next day on the same route but farther north I went around another one that was six inches to a foot longer than the first one I saw. I usually see snakes where I ride but they are only five or six inches long. The state park I like to ride in put up the first signs of the year that state “Rattle Snake Infested Area”, the bull snakes, like I mentioned, will take care of them though. This has been very interesting spring. I have also seen baby prairie dogs with their elders which I haven’t seen before. Usually the adults have ran along in front of my front wheel with their, you can’t catch me attitude, and dared me to try and hit them. This year I can tell I have greatly, my opinion, improved since those little pain in the butts run from my blazing, also my opinion, speed.
This may be a good subject heading to discuss and explain my feelings of the evil “Super Stars”. I honestly have envy for these characters even though, generally speaking, they live on the rude and inconsiderate side. These are the guys that are extremely good cyclist. They have all the matching team logos, on bikes probable over four grand and are always running to better their time amongst riders of a much lesser caliber and us clumsy recreational riders. Please don’t get me wrong and I don’t want to offend these critters but throw in a little courtesy and use some common sense. I am all for attempting to better your time and improve yourself that’s why we do this self initiated torture. It should be reasonable that when you come up behind someone that you have no idea of their skill level and go by them at twice their speed with out letting them know you are there is just plain stupid. I mean after all if you are that much faster, that should be a hint that I don’t have your abilities why do you want to scare me and cause me to crash. My only hope is I get to take you out with me. I don’t want you or I hurt, just food for thought for your next pass. I have two examples one, with the right spin, is my bad and one not. Today my son and I were moving along well our favorite, flat, recreational path to get some mileage and raise our average cadence for an hour or two. There is a section that is fairly narrow for a bike path, about six feet. There is a wall on the west side and trees and a fifteen foot drop into a river on the east, yes very pretty. As I am looking down to see I am at eighteen mph and my mind, what is left of it, was slightly taken in by the view I feel a breeze and get a wobble. I look up and see I was just passed by a “super star”. By the time I could, loudly say Dam, I could not even read what was on his black and silver team issue jersey and shorts. Within an eighth of a mile he was out of site and not to be seen again. If I was more elderly and less skilled that I am I could have been easily scared into the trees or the river. A simple “on your left” would have given me a heads up and a sign I needed to up the attention level a smidge. Two days ago I turned off a bike path on to a road that goes through the Cherry Creek Lake. Time trials are held quite frequently on this road and the “Super Stars” own it and I respect and envy that. The recreational riders pretty much stay to the adjoining cement trails and stay out of the way. The trails are smoother and you can get more mileage than on the road. Anyway back on track here. I pulled onto the road and saw two guys a ways off. The closest one I new would pass quickly and I was ready for him and he did. I am on the “Super Star” turf I will watch for them and pay close attention. I looked back and the other rider was a long way back and I was clear. About a quarter of a mile up the road I was going to turn left and get back on the smooth cement again. I looked back and had enough room that I could not tell what the rider was wearing or if it was male or female. There were no vehicles on the road and I could see well up to see I was clear and started moving over to the left. I was doing about fifteen mph and now in the middle of the on coming lane. I applied the brakes and started to make a sharp left on to the well known and clearly marked path and I get yelled at to watch out as the “Super Star” had came all the way over to the far left side of the road to pass me on the left without letting me know he was there. Now I will take the responsibility for that one even though he had a lane and a half to pass me on the right. This is not rocket science, unless I happen to be riding with my neighbor who is a rocket scientist, it is common courtesy that the higher qualified riders should give us less fortunate some slack. Saying “on your left’ when making a pass will not loose you time on a training ride.
It is that time of the year that the varmints, reptiles, and the “Super Stars” are out, be careful out there. Remember when we are the “Super Stars” we will be courteous “Super Stars”
Next Post, a Pot Puree
“G”
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Training Log
Hopefully you have got in at least three rides by now, how do you feel? If it feels harder each ride, take two days off then back to every other day. If you are feeling good and you are attempting to get faster every ride attempt an everyday ride and work on getting your average cadence up two or three “RPM’s” (revolutions a Minute). During most of my rides this past week I was thinking how this training regiment has worked for me and has it really worked. About that time I was going up, roughly, a three hundred yard incline that I used to hate coming to and actually had to walk up the last ten to fifteen yards. I looked down at my odometer and was going up the incline at eighteen mph and crested the top at fourteen mph. I guess my question was answered.
I really wished I had listened to people way earlier in my bicycling adventures and started a training log much earlier. I was struggling this time last year and this month my rides are averaging 18.9 mph at 12.9 with a 70 rpm cadence. I just turned 61. I didn’t start my log till August of 2008. A training log will give you an enormous burst of enthusiasm, build your confidence and most importantly give you constant positive feed back. A training log is a piece of paper, a computer word document you design, a program that came with your really fancy odometer (a Garmin is outstanding, I will have one some day) or a pre-made on line system (http://traininglog.bicycling.com/landingpage.aspx) is outstanding.
I use a page of six column ledger paper. Laid out like below;
Date Route Time and Ave. Temp Miles Elapsed Time Ave. Speed Max Speed Ave./Max Cadence
I also have little symbols for wind and flat tires. I also try to scribble notes for something that was special, easy or difficult on the ride. It appears I have received a twelve column ledger which will be much easier and less cramped to make notes. I also am going to take a closer look at Bicycling Magazine’s log set up, it looks really good. At the end of each month I total all the columns and average the numbers. I also keep a running total of my mileage and mark if I have improved or lost from the prior month.
I feel the routes are important for overall averages. I have about five routes some I can combine while in route others I need to pack the bike and junk and drive for a bit. Due to this I have a fairly flat route that I can ride any distance my butt will last. This flat route usually has a higher average speed to it and it is not reasonable to compare those trips with a rolling route.
Time and Average Temperature may not seem much but they are. I have found that I ride much faster when it is above seventy degrees and even faster if it is that warm around nine in the morning rather than at noonish.
The rest is pretty self explainable and the more notes you can add the better. You will learn to use your information to work for you and throw in a little weight training (no need to buy equipment use canned veggies or the new large coffee cans and liquid bottles with the cool handles). This will start moving your metabolism and tighten the places that use to be fat.
Do and Don’ts; When you are coming to a stop, shift to an easier pedaling gear. This will make starting up again much easier. While we are speaking of shifting here is a trick courtesy of Steve at Bike Source. Make your shift when your RIGHT foot is level with the ground and behind (the nine o’clock position). Your shifts will be very smooth and exact, you can even get by with an up hill down shift which is a real taboo. On the don’t side I will take a page from my own book of stupidity. If you are going to ride a mountain pass area, road or mountain, and you are wearing a hydration backpack make sure it is not filled with an adult beverage. My pass which required a long decent to get back, Vail Pass, Vail to the summit and back to the village.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Next post encounters with varmints and reptiles.
“G”
I really wished I had listened to people way earlier in my bicycling adventures and started a training log much earlier. I was struggling this time last year and this month my rides are averaging 18.9 mph at 12.9 with a 70 rpm cadence. I just turned 61. I didn’t start my log till August of 2008. A training log will give you an enormous burst of enthusiasm, build your confidence and most importantly give you constant positive feed back. A training log is a piece of paper, a computer word document you design, a program that came with your really fancy odometer (a Garmin is outstanding, I will have one some day) or a pre-made on line system (http://traininglog.bicycling.com/landingpage.aspx) is outstanding.
I use a page of six column ledger paper. Laid out like below;
Date Route Time and Ave. Temp Miles Elapsed Time Ave. Speed Max Speed Ave./Max Cadence
I also have little symbols for wind and flat tires. I also try to scribble notes for something that was special, easy or difficult on the ride. It appears I have received a twelve column ledger which will be much easier and less cramped to make notes. I also am going to take a closer look at Bicycling Magazine’s log set up, it looks really good. At the end of each month I total all the columns and average the numbers. I also keep a running total of my mileage and mark if I have improved or lost from the prior month.
I feel the routes are important for overall averages. I have about five routes some I can combine while in route others I need to pack the bike and junk and drive for a bit. Due to this I have a fairly flat route that I can ride any distance my butt will last. This flat route usually has a higher average speed to it and it is not reasonable to compare those trips with a rolling route.
Time and Average Temperature may not seem much but they are. I have found that I ride much faster when it is above seventy degrees and even faster if it is that warm around nine in the morning rather than at noonish.
The rest is pretty self explainable and the more notes you can add the better. You will learn to use your information to work for you and throw in a little weight training (no need to buy equipment use canned veggies or the new large coffee cans and liquid bottles with the cool handles). This will start moving your metabolism and tighten the places that use to be fat.
Do and Don’ts; When you are coming to a stop, shift to an easier pedaling gear. This will make starting up again much easier. While we are speaking of shifting here is a trick courtesy of Steve at Bike Source. Make your shift when your RIGHT foot is level with the ground and behind (the nine o’clock position). Your shifts will be very smooth and exact, you can even get by with an up hill down shift which is a real taboo. On the don’t side I will take a page from my own book of stupidity. If you are going to ride a mountain pass area, road or mountain, and you are wearing a hydration backpack make sure it is not filled with an adult beverage. My pass which required a long decent to get back, Vail Pass, Vail to the summit and back to the village.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Next post encounters with varmints and reptiles.
“G”
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Ride
As I was getting ready this morning for my ride, I was going through the touchy feely stuff and remembered a couple of more essentials. Gloves, maybe not the first couple of rides but as the distance of your rides grows, and it will, you will need them. Sun Glasses, a no brainer, they keep things out of your eyes and give a target to suicidal bugs. Your every day sun glasses will get you by, but start looking at a pair that wrap around the sides of your eyes. No, it is not a go fast streamlining effect. But your regular flat type driving glasses tend to suck those suicidal bugs into the back side of the glasses and be a ping pong ball to your eyeballs or eye lids and the back side of your glasses. Color makes a difference also. I have always heard that bees are attracted to yellow, but yellow gives an excellent contrast to the surface you are riding on no matter what the light. One last item, at least for now, is a good tire pump. The main thing to look for is the largest barrel that pushes the air you can get with the most accurate gauge. Why? Before every ride you will want to look the bike over; check for stickers, rocks any obvious broken or frayed parts and fill your tires. Overnight your tires will lose air pressure, fill them before each ride. Put them at the maximum pressure and you will have a plush low rolling resistance ride. You are about to find that every little bit helps.
OK, here we go. You have practiced at the bike shop learning to shift, getting in and out of your new spiffy clip on pedals, you have fluid in your water bottle(s), you have an easy, flat, low traffic (preferably a closed road around a park or straight bike paths) five mile out and five mile back course in mind and we are off. Now this is your first ride or at least first in a long time and your doctor has said your health is at a point to start an exercise program. (Yes, that is a disclaimer; anyone starting a new and improved exercise program should have a doctor’s blessing. Besides, it would very embarrassing to fall over dead getting out of your driveway.) Let’s not see how fast we can do this, this is practice as is every ride. We need to practice pedaling in a smooth manner, we need to find a comfortable pedaling cadence (revolution per minute the pedals are going around) as well as shifting smoothly to maintain that comfortable cadence. We also need to practice going in a straight line. The “super stars” I had mentioned, will use you as a passing dummy and if you move around you’re liable to put both of you on the ground. Oh, by the way, breathe! Look at the scenery you may see things close to your home that you have never seen before. It’s pretty out there. As you look around think of alternate routes that you will want to take later, maybe a couple of inclines because that is an evil that you will learn to enjoy. Remember that cool odometer with all the neat options, right now you need to see speed and trip distance. When you are about 2.5 miles out be honest with yourself and evaluate how you feel. Watching the scenery and listening to your favorite music the miles have flown by. Remember wherever you are at you need to get back. Feel good? See, you are doing great. Let’s choose, go back now or go to our five mile mark. Either way we are going to keep practicing, pedaling and shifting ‘till we are back to our starting point. If by chance you have the opportunity to pass someone, pass on the left, ring your bell, and say “on your left”. It keeps people from being scared into your path. This includes pedestrians, which you will encounter on the multi use bike paths around the country. You will understand this when it is your turn to be the passing dummy for the “super stars”. The exception to that for some reason is the female “super stars”, eight out of ten let you know they are there. Hey look, were back at our start, congratulations a new healthy you is around the corner. What now? Well first you are going to record all of the information from your iffy jiffy odometer in what is called a training log. More on that in the next post. Over the next fourteen days you will ride every other day getting those ten miles down. Each ride you will need to keep practicing and attempt to make each ride a little quicker. Thirty seconds quicker every ride will be three and a half minutes faster than you did today. Happy Riding.
Next post, Training Log as well as some do’s and don’ts I have learned the hard way.
“G”
OK, here we go. You have practiced at the bike shop learning to shift, getting in and out of your new spiffy clip on pedals, you have fluid in your water bottle(s), you have an easy, flat, low traffic (preferably a closed road around a park or straight bike paths) five mile out and five mile back course in mind and we are off. Now this is your first ride or at least first in a long time and your doctor has said your health is at a point to start an exercise program. (Yes, that is a disclaimer; anyone starting a new and improved exercise program should have a doctor’s blessing. Besides, it would very embarrassing to fall over dead getting out of your driveway.) Let’s not see how fast we can do this, this is practice as is every ride. We need to practice pedaling in a smooth manner, we need to find a comfortable pedaling cadence (revolution per minute the pedals are going around) as well as shifting smoothly to maintain that comfortable cadence. We also need to practice going in a straight line. The “super stars” I had mentioned, will use you as a passing dummy and if you move around you’re liable to put both of you on the ground. Oh, by the way, breathe! Look at the scenery you may see things close to your home that you have never seen before. It’s pretty out there. As you look around think of alternate routes that you will want to take later, maybe a couple of inclines because that is an evil that you will learn to enjoy. Remember that cool odometer with all the neat options, right now you need to see speed and trip distance. When you are about 2.5 miles out be honest with yourself and evaluate how you feel. Watching the scenery and listening to your favorite music the miles have flown by. Remember wherever you are at you need to get back. Feel good? See, you are doing great. Let’s choose, go back now or go to our five mile mark. Either way we are going to keep practicing, pedaling and shifting ‘till we are back to our starting point. If by chance you have the opportunity to pass someone, pass on the left, ring your bell, and say “on your left”. It keeps people from being scared into your path. This includes pedestrians, which you will encounter on the multi use bike paths around the country. You will understand this when it is your turn to be the passing dummy for the “super stars”. The exception to that for some reason is the female “super stars”, eight out of ten let you know they are there. Hey look, were back at our start, congratulations a new healthy you is around the corner. What now? Well first you are going to record all of the information from your iffy jiffy odometer in what is called a training log. More on that in the next post. Over the next fourteen days you will ride every other day getting those ten miles down. Each ride you will need to keep practicing and attempt to make each ride a little quicker. Thirty seconds quicker every ride will be three and a half minutes faster than you did today. Happy Riding.
Next post, Training Log as well as some do’s and don’ts I have learned the hard way.
“G”
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Equipment Part Two
Well we covered the bike and believe it or not there is a lot more. What I gave you will get you in the ball park and cause you to ask your own questions. There is a lot of technology out there reaserch and read reviews. Remember some of the reviews are manufactors so read and take in information, including mine, with a grain of salt. Of course I’m not attempting to sale you anything but your health.
Helmet: No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is mandatory. There are people out there without them and that is fine until there is an oop’s. I thought they were uncomfortable till I fell due to another person’s stupidity. Get a bike helmet with a good certification. Shorts; There is a true reason for these besides showing off your body that may or may not need to be seen. They fit snug to keep your thigh mussels warm to prevent injury, they wick away moisture and most importantly have an anatomically correct pad in the crotch to add comfort for any ride over ten miles. This pad, depending on the brand comes in various thicknesses. This brings me to another thought. Shorts are engineered with a lot of technology to be comfortable and non-noticeable. In other words a lot of work went in to them so you don’t realize you are wearing them. They are made with various sections (panels), flat stitching and seams placed where they will not irritate or interfere with the human body. Unfortunately some people need to learn the hard way that they are not made to wear underwear, except maybe a thong. I have talked to people that have spent over seventy dollars, easy to do on a high quality pair of shorts, and have complained that they have rubbed them wrong. They had no idea that they were not supposed to wear unmentionables. Hey give me a break; I’m the type that people just open up to me. Jersey/Shirt; Another item that wicks away moisture, remember this is an exercise. Plus the three pockets in the back are great for carrying crap you can’t live without. I personally carry my cell phone, an extra inner tube and co2 bottles, beats a hand pump and lighter, an mp3 player and an occasional power/granola bar. A bright T-shirt will work. Bright? Yes I’m sure you have heard of someone that has laughed at a cyclist saying he/she is dressed like a clown. Guess what the cyclist was seen and that is what is all about being seen. I personally am not big on being a rolling bill board though. You see the “super star’s” peddling along as if they were in a race and had sponsors. I love my Specialized bike and their equipment but no way am I going to pay them eighty bucks to wear their jersey and advertise for them. They should be paying me to advertise for them. Just a pet peeve. Gloves; They really do help with grip as well as a little padding. Be careful though there are some very nice padded gloves on the market but too much padding is not always good. I have found, after experimenting with many brands and price ranges, that an overly padded glove can cause pressure where it shouldn’t and cause numbness. As a side note if your gloves are making your hands numb, try loosening the wrist strap before you spend bucks on new ones. Shoes; This may seem extreme but I believe any little advantage I can get, go for it. They have a very hard sole and you can put more pressure on the pedals and never feel it. With cleats they are very efficient. Cleats/Clip-on’s Cleats attached to the bottom of the shoe clicks into special pedals. This does many things, keeps your feet from slipping, and raises your heart rate when you go to stop to name a couple. But mostly they make it easy and more efficient to pedal. Instead of just pushing down one pedal at a time, you will learn to push down and lift up at the same time. Hence efficiency, you pedal smoother in a circular motion using only half the energy. Now you may have a fear that you will not be able to get your feet off the pedals when you need to but you would be surprised. I found getting unhooked was absolutely no problem, getting hooked in was the problem. Practice at your dealer on a stand as well as practice disconnecting before you come to a stop! Odometer; Know how far you ride and how long it took you, very basic. You can get odometers that are actually small computers that are downloadable to your home computer or lap top to record your rides. I use a pen and paper myself. There is no better way to watch yourself improve then to document your rides. They have products ranging from nine to over three hundred dollars. You can actually find your elevation changes you made to the actual wattage you have produced and even a downloadable map of your route. I like time, trip distance, speed, cadence, average speed, average cadence, clock and total miles. The only thing I would like to have, again, is a heart rate monitor that shows your heart rate, high and low limits and the average time in your own exercise zone. If used correctly it is amazing to find you can slow down and ride faster and longer. One last option that you will not think of, till you paid for it and it’s installed, actually two. Make sure the color goes with your bike, mine doesn’t, but more important you need to be able to read the numbers at a glance from an arms length away. Odds and Ends; You will always find little things you want to pick up. It’s that shiny object syndrome. Remember the more you add the more weight you will be pedaling. Light water bottle holders get two and make sure your bike has the fittings to take two, and of course the water bottles. A small all in one tool (like a Swiss army knife for cyclist), tire irons (they’re plastic) a patch kit, an extra tube and a under the seat bag that you can get on and off comfortable and hold all of the tools. You also need to learn how to change the tube or fix a flat. One of the most important items, an MP3 player. It fits nicely in one of those jersey pockets and time just flies listening to music or a book on tape. Have your kids or grandkids download your favorite. It doesn't need to be a high end player, mine was on clearance at Wal-Mart and I bought good speakers that hook over my ears. Check you’re local, where you plan on riding the most, ordnances you may need a bell. Ok, too much information? Not really and I only hit these items lightly. If you put some effort into this new adventure you have an investment in a new healthy life style that you will soon learn to embrace. Whether you by at a department store or one of the many great dealers remember fit, fit is everything to make a comfortable efficient ride that you will want to take time after time. A good bike shop will fit your bike you may already have to you but expect a charge.
Next Post The ride
“G”
Helmet: No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is mandatory. There are people out there without them and that is fine until there is an oop’s. I thought they were uncomfortable till I fell due to another person’s stupidity. Get a bike helmet with a good certification. Shorts; There is a true reason for these besides showing off your body that may or may not need to be seen. They fit snug to keep your thigh mussels warm to prevent injury, they wick away moisture and most importantly have an anatomically correct pad in the crotch to add comfort for any ride over ten miles. This pad, depending on the brand comes in various thicknesses. This brings me to another thought. Shorts are engineered with a lot of technology to be comfortable and non-noticeable. In other words a lot of work went in to them so you don’t realize you are wearing them. They are made with various sections (panels), flat stitching and seams placed where they will not irritate or interfere with the human body. Unfortunately some people need to learn the hard way that they are not made to wear underwear, except maybe a thong. I have talked to people that have spent over seventy dollars, easy to do on a high quality pair of shorts, and have complained that they have rubbed them wrong. They had no idea that they were not supposed to wear unmentionables. Hey give me a break; I’m the type that people just open up to me. Jersey/Shirt; Another item that wicks away moisture, remember this is an exercise. Plus the three pockets in the back are great for carrying crap you can’t live without. I personally carry my cell phone, an extra inner tube and co2 bottles, beats a hand pump and lighter, an mp3 player and an occasional power/granola bar. A bright T-shirt will work. Bright? Yes I’m sure you have heard of someone that has laughed at a cyclist saying he/she is dressed like a clown. Guess what the cyclist was seen and that is what is all about being seen. I personally am not big on being a rolling bill board though. You see the “super star’s” peddling along as if they were in a race and had sponsors. I love my Specialized bike and their equipment but no way am I going to pay them eighty bucks to wear their jersey and advertise for them. They should be paying me to advertise for them. Just a pet peeve. Gloves; They really do help with grip as well as a little padding. Be careful though there are some very nice padded gloves on the market but too much padding is not always good. I have found, after experimenting with many brands and price ranges, that an overly padded glove can cause pressure where it shouldn’t and cause numbness. As a side note if your gloves are making your hands numb, try loosening the wrist strap before you spend bucks on new ones. Shoes; This may seem extreme but I believe any little advantage I can get, go for it. They have a very hard sole and you can put more pressure on the pedals and never feel it. With cleats they are very efficient. Cleats/Clip-on’s Cleats attached to the bottom of the shoe clicks into special pedals. This does many things, keeps your feet from slipping, and raises your heart rate when you go to stop to name a couple. But mostly they make it easy and more efficient to pedal. Instead of just pushing down one pedal at a time, you will learn to push down and lift up at the same time. Hence efficiency, you pedal smoother in a circular motion using only half the energy. Now you may have a fear that you will not be able to get your feet off the pedals when you need to but you would be surprised. I found getting unhooked was absolutely no problem, getting hooked in was the problem. Practice at your dealer on a stand as well as practice disconnecting before you come to a stop! Odometer; Know how far you ride and how long it took you, very basic. You can get odometers that are actually small computers that are downloadable to your home computer or lap top to record your rides. I use a pen and paper myself. There is no better way to watch yourself improve then to document your rides. They have products ranging from nine to over three hundred dollars. You can actually find your elevation changes you made to the actual wattage you have produced and even a downloadable map of your route. I like time, trip distance, speed, cadence, average speed, average cadence, clock and total miles. The only thing I would like to have, again, is a heart rate monitor that shows your heart rate, high and low limits and the average time in your own exercise zone. If used correctly it is amazing to find you can slow down and ride faster and longer. One last option that you will not think of, till you paid for it and it’s installed, actually two. Make sure the color goes with your bike, mine doesn’t, but more important you need to be able to read the numbers at a glance from an arms length away. Odds and Ends; You will always find little things you want to pick up. It’s that shiny object syndrome. Remember the more you add the more weight you will be pedaling. Light water bottle holders get two and make sure your bike has the fittings to take two, and of course the water bottles. A small all in one tool (like a Swiss army knife for cyclist), tire irons (they’re plastic) a patch kit, an extra tube and a under the seat bag that you can get on and off comfortable and hold all of the tools. You also need to learn how to change the tube or fix a flat. One of the most important items, an MP3 player. It fits nicely in one of those jersey pockets and time just flies listening to music or a book on tape. Have your kids or grandkids download your favorite. It doesn't need to be a high end player, mine was on clearance at Wal-Mart and I bought good speakers that hook over my ears. Check you’re local, where you plan on riding the most, ordnances you may need a bell. Ok, too much information? Not really and I only hit these items lightly. If you put some effort into this new adventure you have an investment in a new healthy life style that you will soon learn to embrace. Whether you by at a department store or one of the many great dealers remember fit, fit is everything to make a comfortable efficient ride that you will want to take time after time. A good bike shop will fit your bike you may already have to you but expect a charge.
Next Post The ride
“G”
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Equipment Part One
Again please let me say I am not an expert bicyclist or feel that I know more than anyone else. I am a recreational rider that has no thoughts of competing and I’m riding for health and longevity. I ride when it is over fifty degrees and no wind or harsh weather. I say hi to all other riders which really annoys the “super stars” (more on them in a latter post) dressed in their team out fits and fly around slower riders with a presumed attitude of your in my way. Sorry I regress more on them latter back to the subject. After the miles I have put on over the last year I have become addicted and if I don’t ride for more than two days I am miserable. I decided to write this blog due the lack of concern for the true beginner that may not be in the shape they should be. My purpose is to hopefully help a few new riders from going through the hit and miss learning curve I have gone through. I also hope to make this a journal of improving my abilities over the next year. My previous mention of averaging 12.8 mph. and a cadence of 65 is an enormous improvement over last April. I now have the physical prows of the average out of shape old guy. If you are reading this, you must have a semi serious thought of starting to bike for recreation and/or health. Congratulations for doing research. When we all walk into a bike shop we are hypnotized with all of the bobbles and sparkly things to confuse us. Then we talk to a salesman and the old brain is spinning to the point of not hearing the words anymore. We are now officially in overload to the point of wondering what store we are in and why. Bike shops have an edge up on the department store bikes. Fittings, yearly tune ups, free adjustments and the employee’s get to know you and assist in your personal needs. You need to know where you will be riding, your fitness level and your goals. A good salesman is there to help you and get you on a bike you will use. Research before you are ready to buy and get in a general area of what you want. Try a couple of different shops find the personality and the people you feel comfortable with. The bike shop I have come to do the majority of business with is Bike Source and they are about twenty miles and five other shops away. There is a lot of information so I have decided to break it down into two posts.
The Bike; Mountain, Road, cross, hybrid, flat bar road, cruiser, electric so many choices and the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake that will sit in the garage. Try them all, there is an enormous difference between them all. Get a specific style down and ride many brands and configurations. A good bike shop will fit you to the bike to test it. NO! Two inch clearance over the top tube (Bar) on a mountain bike and one inch on a road bike is not a fit. If your salesman wants to fit you that way, run. If you don’t have a good fit or the configuration is uncomfortable you will not ride. Mountain bikes look more cushy and comfortable than a road bike. Unless you will be riding on seventy five percent of non cement/blacktop surface think twice. A mountain bike appears more comfortable and easier to ride. The trade off is they are heavy less efficient and geared very low. If you have a bad back take a serious look at “flat bar road bikes”. The brakes on a regular road bike scare my son so he went that way and is happy. Skinny tires shifters, low handle bars that you need to reach for the breaks, just a few of the scary things about bicycles for the new rider. The skinny tires will hold you up if you are a bit overweight, and the low swept handle bars have multiple places to put your hands so you actually never need to bend over if you are not comfortable with that. A good dealer will set you up on a trainer and let you get the feel of the bike, show you how to shift and brake before they let you go down the street on a test ride. If they don't, ask to be allowed to start that way. I have rode mountain bikes for the last twenty five years and till I bought my Specialize Tricross last August, I thought mountain bikes were the way to go. Now I know why I kept modifying them to get and easier more efficient ride. Bottom line, a well fitted bike that you feel comfortable on will be used rather than collecting dust.
Next post, The Equipment Part Two.
“G”
The Bike; Mountain, Road, cross, hybrid, flat bar road, cruiser, electric so many choices and the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake that will sit in the garage. Try them all, there is an enormous difference between them all. Get a specific style down and ride many brands and configurations. A good bike shop will fit you to the bike to test it. NO! Two inch clearance over the top tube (Bar) on a mountain bike and one inch on a road bike is not a fit. If your salesman wants to fit you that way, run. If you don’t have a good fit or the configuration is uncomfortable you will not ride. Mountain bikes look more cushy and comfortable than a road bike. Unless you will be riding on seventy five percent of non cement/blacktop surface think twice. A mountain bike appears more comfortable and easier to ride. The trade off is they are heavy less efficient and geared very low. If you have a bad back take a serious look at “flat bar road bikes”. The brakes on a regular road bike scare my son so he went that way and is happy. Skinny tires shifters, low handle bars that you need to reach for the breaks, just a few of the scary things about bicycles for the new rider. The skinny tires will hold you up if you are a bit overweight, and the low swept handle bars have multiple places to put your hands so you actually never need to bend over if you are not comfortable with that. A good dealer will set you up on a trainer and let you get the feel of the bike, show you how to shift and brake before they let you go down the street on a test ride. If they don't, ask to be allowed to start that way. I have rode mountain bikes for the last twenty five years and till I bought my Specialize Tricross last August, I thought mountain bikes were the way to go. Now I know why I kept modifying them to get and easier more efficient ride. Bottom line, a well fitted bike that you feel comfortable on will be used rather than collecting dust.
Next post, The Equipment Part Two.
“G”
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