CAL, Author at SpokEasy - Page 102 of 130

Got It Taped

Got It Taped? Have you got it taped? BV EVA Handlebar Tapes sure can help! These tapes, designed for road bikes, provide cushioning against shocks and bumps; and resist UV rays; water; and fading. The 3M backing makes these handlebar tapes easy to install. Handlebar end plugs and finishing tapes are included. Available in Black; or White. $11.98 Today I decided to get new handlebar tapes for my road bike. The old tape was coming loose; but I’m not sure how well I could do installing these tapes by myself. I have an idea that the process would be easier with two pairs of hands. I can see the tapes sticking to themselves and getting hopelessly snarled if I try to do it alone; and I suspect that the bicycle needs to be held firmly in place for the tapes to be pulled snugly enough during the wrapping. That right there needs two strong hands! Thus I decided to rely on the bike shop. I called ahead of time; and they said they wouldn’t be able to take care of it immediately. Since I knew I would had to leave the bike there, I walked it to the shop. My legs were rather tired, anyhow. I rode 19 miles this morning; and (of course!) had a headwind on the way home: 12-13 mph. By midday, that wind was up to 18 mph; so I was glad I rode earlier. I didn’t notice what brand of handlebar tape the shop had; but I chose blue tapes. My road bike has always had white handlebar tape; so blue handlebars are going to look strange for a while!

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Wide Tires

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

WIDE Tires! If you like wide tires, how about trying the Mongoose Malus Fat Tire bicycle? Those four-inch tires can tackle just about any surface, be it sand; snow; or the road. The Mongoose Malus has a MTB-style steel frame; and its front and rear disc brakes provide a lot of stopping power. The 7-speed shifter works smoothly for an enjoyable ride. Mountain-style handlebar helps you maintain complete control on the trail. This bike is for riders from 64 to 74 inches in height, which would exclude me. Sometimes being “vertically challenged” is tough! I hope it’s possible to add some kind of fenders to this bicycle for times when you don’t want to ride off-road. Those wide tires throw up a lot of water and muck, I’m sure; and if this is how you have to ride to work, you don’t want to get muddy! I guess it would be possible to rig this bike as a commuter. A rack over the rear wheel would let you carry a pair of panniers; then you can carry lunch; a change of clothes; or, on weekends, a load of groceries! What I’d like to know is, don’t those wide tires offer a lot of resistance? To me, that’s a drawback; especially for long rides. These fat-tire bicycles can get up considerable speed, though. I’ve been passed by riders on fat-tire bikes while riding my road bike!

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Folding Adult Tricycle

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Folding Adult Tricycle This folding adult tricycle, by Dongshan, is great if you aren’t able to ride a two-wheeler, but are skimped on storage space: folding size is 51.18 x 31.49 x 35.43 inches. The rear seat can fit two youngsters or one adult; and has a seat belt for added safety. Recommended rider height limit (both front and back) is six feet tall. This trike is made of high- carbon steel; weight is about 77 pounds. Low step-through design makes it easy to get on and off. Trike is designed for stability. Front-wheel shock absorber contributes to a smoother ride; and fenders keep dirty water off of riders in wet weather. Disc brakes provide strong stopping. Baskets front and rear are great for bringing home a load of groceries; or carrying a picnic lunch to the local park. While I’m at it, don’t forget helmets; both for yourself and for your child. Colors: black or red. I never had a folding adult tricycle; but this one sure sounds great! $497.01

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New Bike

BACK ISSUES, equipment / CAL

New Bike? I don’t need a new bike if I’m considering tackling RAGBRAI, do I? The Tommaso Sentiero shown above sounds like a good choice per se. It has a wide range of gears; and pre-drilled holes for attaching bottle cages and racks. It’s also equipped with disc brakes for good stopping power in all weathers. The wide tires help with stability. This bike’s capacity for racks makes it good for commuting and touring. That’s a plus for RAGBRAI, as long as I don’t overload the panniers! I’ll want to keep things like a jacket and Chamois Butt’r handy; and it would be nice if I could do it without having a load on my back all day, every day! The Tommaso Sentiero comes in sizes for riders from 5’2″ to 5’11”. And there’s the first catch for me: I’m barely five feet tall. Another catch is that the Small size weighs 25.9 pounds; and that’s several pounds heavier than the road bike I already have. RAGBRAI has hills; therefore getting a heavier bike seems crazy, even if it could be adjusted to a proper fit for me. Speaking of fit, if you’re between sizes: go down a size if you want a more upright riding position. Going up a size provides a more aggressive, racing-type position. Getting back to bicycle weight: my road bike has only two chain rings; and this bike has three. The Tommaso would give me a 30-tooth small ring, while my current road bike’s small ring has 34 teeth. Would the smaller ring help with climbing; and offset this bicycle’s greater weight? A new bike would, of course, require considerable expense. And like most people, I have limited space; so having a third bicycle might cramp me too much. But there’s plenty of time before RAGBRAI 2024. I don’t have to make my bicycle choice immediately. If I do go for this one it’ll set me back $844.99

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Recap

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Recap “Recap” sounds like a musical term to me. There’s also “recap” as in, buy a new helmet. Sunday afternoon I was preparing for a jaunt on the road bike; and when I put on my helmet, it simply did not fit. At first I thought I needed to tighten the ratchet in the back; after all, this is the first ride in a while when I didn’t need a helmet liner. But the ratchet wouldn’t hold; and my helmet kept sliding all around my head. The weight of the headlight was no help. I had to get out the old helmet that I keep as an emergency spare. My bike shop is closed Sundays and Mondays; so I had to wait until today to go there. This morning I got my new headpiece; hence the term “recap”. The weather has looked uncertain all day. I got up early with the idea of visiting the local farmers’ market; but decided not to when a drizzle began. On top of that, I heard thunder! You never know how fast weather like that might be traveling; and nobody likes to get caught in a storm. By about 9:00 am, the rain had stopped, allowing me to get to and from the bike shop dry. Then I decided to head for the farmers’ market; and hope for the best. The sky was still overcast; and I thought it might rain again. I’m glad it didn’t; and I got some great tomatoes! It’s still overcast; and there’s still a 50% chance of rain. I’m debating whether to try going out on the road bike. The temperature is 72, and the wind is light — except for some pretty hefty gusts. That’s actually not bad for riding. Tomorrow it’s supposed to clear up, which is good news. It looks like Saturday morning will be all right for the trip to the salvage store; and Sunday I think I’ll push for 15 miles or so. I hope my hand cooperates!

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Better and Better

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Better and Better! My hand is getting better and better! Today I tried another ride on the road bike. The sky looked so threatening that I cut it very short; but my hand did better that it did last Wednesday. Shifting up to the big ring is still uncomfortable; but at least it doesn’t hurt now. The left-hand shifter on the hybrid is another story. That one must be pushed with the thumb in order to shift to a bigger ring; and that does still hurt. I hope it isn’t long before I can manage it. For lunch I got Chinese take-out. I wish I could ride my hybrid for that errand; but the trunk I have for the hybrid is too narrow for a take-out box. It started to sprinkle as I was carrying my lunch home; and I’m glad it didn’t rain any harder until later. In fact, I’m surprised we haven’t had a big T-storm yet. From what the forecasts keep saying, it looks to me like bad weather is coming. So far it hasn’t, thank goodness; but all the same it’s frustrating to stay in because of concerns over the weather; and then nothing happens. I was glad it didn’t rain this morning while I was getting to and from occupational therapy. I may be able to “graduate” in about a month; and then it will be easier to get other things done. Like riding! And cooking, working social media — it looks better and better.

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Already Thinking of Heat

BACK ISSUES, equipment / CAL

Already Thinking of Heat! I’m already thinking of heat; and for hot rides, this Mission Cooling Neck Gaiter is a product that I’d like to try. My hand still can’t tolerate rides over about 10 miles; but when I can do 40-mile rides again, I’ll be out in the heat! On top of that, I’m considering RAGBRAI 2024. The week-long event means averaging about 65-66 miles per day; and to do that comfortably distance-wise, I need to get comfortable with riding 40-50 miles per day. And that’s before taking terrain into account! RAGBRAI is actually pretty hilly. So of course I’m already thinking of heat; and a cooling neck gaiter is probably not being a “sissy”; it’s just common sense. I don’t want to collapse from heat exhaustion! The Mission Cooling Neck Gaiter is 100% polyester; and machine washable. Dimebsions: 21 x 10 inches,.

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Four Times Pre Prep

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Four Times Pre Prep? RAGBRAI on My Mind! This feels like four times pre prep. If I do RAGBRAI, it won’t be until July of next year; and already I’m thinking of what I’ll need to take along on the ride. The videos I’ve watched about RAGBRAI make it quite plain that this is a week-long food fest. Although salad bars are mentioned, I get the impression that there’s not much fiber otherwise. Pork chops; pie; ice cream — no fiber there; and we know what can happen with a low-fiber diet! I wouldn’t want my big adventure to be spoiled by the miseries of “irregularity”; so I’m trying out some fiber wafers now. If those things don’t agree with me, now is the time to find out; and they’ll be put down on my no-go list. If they’re OK, then I’ll take them with me. I’ll probably want GU-Gels. How many per day; and which flavors? If I suck down several “goos” per day, I’ll get flavor fatigue if they all taste the same; and that’s no fun. Moving on from diet, what about “housing”? Even if I use a charter service that will take care of a tent for me, I’ll need bedding: an inflatable mattress; sleeping bag; and a pillow (or something that can substitute for a pillow). These items need to be lightweight; and capable of being folded or rolled into a compact package. Which reminds me, I’ll need a duffel bag, too. Just keep in mind the weight limit! Gosh, all these things to think about! See why I call it Four Times Pre Prep? RAGBRAI can get very hot and humid. Having lived in New Orleans all my life, I should be used to that; but riding in it for hours every day is another story. I think I’ll get one of those cooling neck gaiters soon, and see how they work. It won’t be long before we’ll have overnight low temperatures around 80 degrees; and my Sunday long rides will be sweltering. How about the wardrobe? Clean shorts for each day is the most important thing of all; and I’m not sure I’ll be able to wash shorts at any point. Wearing them into a shower might not get them clean enough; so that means seven pairs of shorts to pack along. Jerseys? I can wear one for two days; and if I start to get smelly, I won’t be the only one! I was surprised to hear that it can get cold during RAGBRAI; ergo have leg warmers, arm warmers, and a jacket handy! A helmet liner, too. A ventilated helmet on a chilly day makes for a miserably cold head. And lots more. RAGBRAI 2024 is a long way off; but four times pre prep can’t hu

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Back on Track

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Back on Track I’m working to get back on track now. It’s great to be riding again; but it will take a while before I’m really normal again. Today I rode the hybrid to the salvage store. HOORAY!! First time since surgery! I didn’t take the trailer, because I don’t think I’m ready for hauling yet; and I thought right. My hand was flaring up before I got back home; and my legs are rather stiff. And after only ten miles! The trip was worth it, though. I was out of canned chicken, and I found some at the store; and I got cut-rate peppermint bark, left over from last Christmas. I don’t care if it’s a bit stale — it still tastes good enough for me! When I’m shopping in a regular store, I skip things like Nut•rition, because it’s expensive. But at the salvage store today, I found a box of 18-1.5 oz pouches of the stuff; and for $7.99! The grab-bag bins were empty today, which is why I got the peppermint bark. I’m always on the lookout for ride food; and this morning I found a bar called Barebells®. It would be good to take along on a ride tomorrow; if I can ride tomorrow! It looks like tomorrow through Tuesday will be stormy; and that includes T-storms. I’ll see how things are in the morning. If I can’t go out, there’s always the the trainer! It’s a good thing I have it; because I need to get back on track!

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Dreaming Again

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Dreaming Again! Yes, I’m dreaming again; this time about RAGBRAI! Is it really so impossible? Apparently it isn’t too late to register for RAGBRAI 2023; but I’m quite sure it’s too late for me to train up to it. After all, the big ride starts on July 22; and I’m just getting back on the bike again. There are many things to consider: getting up there to Iowa, and getting back home afterwards; training for the ride; whether to bring along ride food. Food. Judging from the YouTubes I’ve been watching, RAGBRAI is a week-long food fest! The list of “eats” includes, among other items, ice cream; pork chops; corn on the cob; and beer (well, I think I’ll skip the beer). I might not need to bring any food; but I don’t think it would hurt to have a few energy bars on hand, just in case. How about clothes? Can I wash out shorts and jerseys in the shower? I’ll need clean shorts each day; and as of now I have only five pairs. As to jerseys, I own all of three! “Evening” clothes are a must, because I won’t want to hang out in sweaty shorts after a long day in the saddle. That’s a major no-no! Which brings up another point — take along an ample supply of Chamois Butt’r. I also am sure to go through a LOT of sunblock! Y’know, I think I’ll order me a pair of leg sun sleeves. If I’m dreaming again about doing RAGBRAI, it’s not too soon to try out these things! Rather surprisingly, it can get chilly during RAGBRAI; so I’ll have to pack leg- and arm-warmers. Rain is always a possibility; that means a rain jacket and extra socks. There are charter services for RAGBRAI that will set up a tent for you each night; and for a first-timer, that might be the way to go. Especially if I go it solo. After all, where can I practice setting up a tent? I could keep going about this; but for the moment, all I know is I’m dreaming again!

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Author name: CAL