CAL, Author at SpokEasy - Page 111 of 130

Let’s Go Tubing

Let’s Go Tubing! Let’s go tubing! If you want to get wet and wild, that’s one way to do it. Whitewater tubing is one thing; but it’s another thing entirely when you have to change your bicycle tire’s tube. I know what to do; but the physical ability to carry it out is my problem. CMC arthritis makes such work very painful; and I need to avoid flats if possible. That’s why I use tire liners; and I still get the occasional flat. Then have to haul out the spare tube; get to work as best I can; and hope someone comes along who can help me get that tire back onto the rim! In fact, that happened last December. Presta valve tubes The road bike’s tire tube have Presta valves; and the hybrid uses Schraeder-valve tubes. The tricycle also had Schraeder tubes. Schraeder-valve tubes In spite of tire liners, I recently had a rear flat on my hybrid — TWICE! Thanks to my physical problems, I had to take the bike to the shop to get the flats fixed. Let’s go tubing? I wish I could! They say that one of the hallmarks of the touring cyclist is self-reliance; and that includes fixing a flat. If I can’t manage that basic task, I fear that bicycle touring is not for me. At least, not the self-supported tours; but if there’s a SAG wagon following along, I don’t have to worry about that. So maybe I can still pin my hopes on that elusive “someday”!

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Break It Up

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Break It Up! I really had to break it up for today’s “long” ride! The restrooms at my pit-stop place are still “closed for maintenance”. How long is this going to continue? It’s already been six weeks! That meant going back home earlier than I wanted so I could use the bathroom; and I had to make a detour of a least a mile and a half because of a train. After I got home, I decided to switch to the hybrid. I needed to ride a few laps around the park to fill out my day’s mileage goal; and by 11:00 am, the park is pretty crowded. It’s better to be on the hybrid then, because it’s more stable than the road bike; and I’m not riding clipped in. In the park, there are youngsters on bicycles who don’t yet have the skills to hold a straight line; and passing them makes me nervous. I never know when a child might swerve into my path just as I’m passing. And there are people — who are NOT children! — on skateboards; and who are attempting “jump in the air and turn”, or whatever it’s called. Piroutte, maybe? Whatever it’s called, I don’t want a skateboarder to tumble to the ground right in front of me. I rode three laps; and then decided to head for the nearest supermarket. I brought along a pannier, because I wanted to get bananas; and the pannier gives them a “suspended ride”. Fragile groceries like bananas do better when they get minimal jolting. So I finally did make it to 40 miles in all; but I sure had to break it up!

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Eureka

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Eureka! Archimedes wasn’t the only one to have his Eureka moment. We all have one now and then. Such moments are especially satisfying when we find something that we thought we had lost. Day before yesterday I dropped a bidon while riding; and couldn’t find it. It was still dark; and I didn’t have much time to waste looking for the thing. I figured the bottle was probably gone for good. Those things cost about seven bucks apiece at my bike shop; and I wasn’t thrilled about having to buy another one. This morning I rode to the salvage store, as I often do on Saturdays. On the way home, I slowed down when I reached the area where I had dropped that water bottle; and kept a watch for it. Amazingly, I spotted it. EUREKA! So I stopped to pick up my bidon; and then I saw a large tanker heading downriver. I waited for it to pass, to see if I could identify its flag. It’s fun to looks at different countries’ flags; and today I knew the one on the passing ship: Norway! But I promptly forgot the ship’s name. It began with “L”; and that’s all I remember. It would be great if my eureka moment could be over a crock of gold; but that’s unlikelier by far than finding lost cycling equipment. It’s rare enough to see the end of a rainbow at all; so I’ll have to be satisfied with finding that water bottle.

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Esnow Toe Clips

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Esnow Toe Clips Esnow Toe Clips are made of environmentally-friendly plastic; and the adjustable straps are of sturdy nylon. Toe clips let you put more power into your pedal stroke; and they keep your feet from slipping. That’s very handy in wet weather; and where I live, we get plenty of that! These toe clips are suitable for a variety of outdoor bicycles; or for an indoor bike. I had something similar to Esnow Toe Clips on my tricycle. After I had them installed, I began to use my quads; and what a different feeling that was! But it always annoyed me that I couldn’t get the strap on the left pedal properly snugged. Chalk it up to my right-handedness, I suppose. When I moved on to two wheels, I knew that clips with straps weren’t practical for me. With the trike, I didn’t have to worry about keeping my balance; and it was easy to reach down and adjust the straps while I was sitting still. But I’m wasn’t comfortable with the idea of reaching down to my feel while rolling on two wheels; and I’m still not. That meant looking for something else. Enter strapless toe clips! It’s easy to get my feet in and out of them; and with toe clips you don’t have to have your feet attached to the pedals. The thought of riding clipped in is scary when you aren’t used to doing it! With these strapless clips, I can take my foot out either to the back; or to the side. They’re lightweight, too. Toe clips are definitely worth it!

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Going through the Motions

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Going Through the Motions Do you ever feel like you’re merely going through the motions? That’s how I felt about riding this morning. It was around 65 degrees; and that’s cool for us. On top of that, it was windy: NE at 12 mph, with gusts up to 22-23 mph. As usual, that meant a headwind on the way back home! Honestly, I didn’t really feel like going out in it; but I finally did. Cycle September isn’t over yet! I might as well get in some miles while I still can; but sometimes it feels like I’m only going through the motions. I sure was glad I decided to wear my skull cap this morning! If I hadn’t, I would have been utterly miserable from a cold head. This was another short ride; just nine miles. I would have made it longer; but on the way out, about a mile and a half from home, I dropped my water bottle. Then I couldn’t find it! Of course it was still dark; and I didn’t want to waste too much time looking. My spare bottle wasn’t full; and I was getting thirsty quickly. That’s what happens when there’s a chilly wind; my nose is running; and I have to breathe through my mouth. So I decided to turn back early, rather than risk running out of water. Tonight it’s going to get cooler yet; and I hope the wind dies down a bit. It always takes time for me to adjust to cooler weather; and to make it harder, crazy fluctuations in temperature are the norm at this time of year. That’s when I don’t fell much motivation for going out to ride; and it seems to be just going through the motions!

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Leg Warmers

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Leg Warmers Yep; it’s about time for leg warmers. This morning I wore them for my ride. The temperature was in the low 70s; and strictly speaking, that’s not cool enough for me to cover my legs. But the wind was strong enough that it felt a lot cooler; and that meant leg warmers. It’s a nuisance pulling the things on. I have CMC arthritis in my left thumb; and the pinch-and-pull of donning leggings makes it hurt. I expect to see an occupational therapist soon; and will probably need a custom-made brace. There goes more money! Twenty-twenty-two has been an expensive year! I was glad I used the leg warmers. Yesterday I did some hard efforts; and I suppose that’s why I felt tired today. I decided to ride the hybrid, and to ride in the park; because I expected the wind to make bike handling tricky. This was a short ride, too, because I had to leave myself time to fix a box lunch. If I thought it was windy this morning, I was mistaken. Coming home, I had a headwind of about 18 mph! The forecast predicts a low of 61 degrees tonight; and a 15 mph wind. That’s a wind chill of 58 degrees. I’ll need those leg warmers for sure! Now that the weather is starting to turn cool, I expect to see plenty of day-to-day temperature fluctuations. It drives me crazy, too. One day I might need three layers; and next day, only one. It’s annoying to have jackets, gloves, etc. all over the place. An easy way to give yourself a hand? Soon I might need warming packs; and I’m glad I have some left over from last Winter. Until then, leg warmers and a lightweight jacket should suffice. As to keeping those legs warm, I’ve never tried embrocation cream. I suppose it’s as messy as sunblock!

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eyes on the weather

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Eyes on the Weather We’ve got our eyes on the weather again. Hurricane Ian is out there! We in New Orleans are expecting minimal impact from the storm; but poor Florida looks like the bull’s eye. On top of that, Ian is rapidly growing stronger. If he suddenly decides to change trajectories and head more to the Northwest, we could be in BIG TROUBLE! Some folks are still reeling from the effects of Ida. I had my eyes on the weather during the ride home from work yesterday. A big, black cloud was over the sun; and for all I knew, it might rain at any moment! I didn’t have my poncho with me; so I rode harder than usual to get home faster. And then it didn’t rain after all! Today I had a tough ride home from work. For about half the way, I had a 13 mph headwind; with gusts up to 21 mph! We’re under a wind advisory until 10 pm tomorrow. Maybe I’ll be the weakling, and go ride in the park tomorrow morning. I’ll have that headwind on the way home; but I won’t be fighting it for six miles as I would on top of the levee. As to headwinds, this morning I had a 10 mph headwind on the way home. For nearly six miles, I averaged 11.12 mph against it. That doesn’t sound fast; but such a wind used to slow me to 8 mph; or even 6 mph! I need to remind myself of that when I feel like I’m not improving!

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Heybike Cityscape

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Heybike Cityscape Electric The Heybike Cityscape electric bike is a power-assisted way to cruise around town. The battery can last as long as 40 miles; and the integral rack lets you carry panniers for your shopping needs. So far I haven’t tried an e-bike. The Heybike Cityscape is modestly priced as e-bikes go; but most e-bikes are way beyond my budget. They’re heavy, too, thanks to the battery. I doubt that I can carry this bicycle up the three steps to my front door. My muscle-powered hybrid can seem heavy enough! I’ve seen a few e-bikes, though; and the buzzing sound they make is rather annoying to me. I wouldn’t want that noise right behind me as I’m riding; and neither do I want to disturb the neighborhood with it. Today, however, I had no need of any power assist. It was gloriously un-windy this morning. Maybe that’s why I felt stronger than usual; and at times was pedaling at 15 mph or more! Even so, somebody on a fat-tire bike went whizzing past me. Those wide tires make quite a whirring sound. And think of the effort required to push such wide tires so fast! Getting back to wind, I hope Ian doesn’t change paths. If he does, we’ll get more wind than we want! At present, New Orleans is on the outer edge of the “cone“; and in fact, Wednesday is forecast to be “breezy”. I guess I’d better go for a ride tomorrow, in case wind conditions prevent a Wednesday ride. If I do ride Wednesday, I might wish I had a Heybike to help get me home!

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Pinching Pennies

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Pinching Pennies Pinching pennies is an activity that we could all use these days. We hear so much about inflation; and even salvage store prices have gone up. But the salvage store is still cheaper than other stores; and off I went this morning. For a change, I didn’t bring home any canned goods. Today I did quite well with the grab bag — I found a Met-Rx bar! I found some other things that I can use for ride food; and of course I got some absolute junk, such as a Moon Pie. Today I found a box of a dozen Gatorade bars for under $16; and a pound block of cheese for under three bucks. All in all, I didn’t do badly; so I guess I was pinching pennies. Now I’m turning my thoughts to tomorrow’s long ride. It’s going to be another hot day; so I have to remember proper hydration. Today I found some Gatorade drinks in the salvage store; but I don’t want to try new drinks for the first time during a long ride. I can try some this afternoon. But here’s the catch: it might be a long time before I see those things in the salvage store again. Doing laundry at home is another way of pinching pennies. At the nearest laundromat, a single cycle now costs over $6.00! I wish I had thought to do my washing yesterday, though. The neighborhood got a notice about road work to be done today; and it mentioned a possible drop in water pressure. Or possibly even a temporary loss of water. I don’t want that to happen in the middle of doing laundry!

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Light up the Night

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Light up the Night I sure need to light up the night. If I don’t, I can’t see where I’m riding! A good, bright headlight is essential; especially if you don’t want to plod along at walking pace. I’m always complaining about the people out there who are in dark clothing; who wear minimal or no reflective material; and who do not use lights. Some of them are jogging, or walking the dog; but some are on bicycles! I don’t want to be among them; and when I’m riding, I want to move! So I’ve got to be able to see where I’m going. Light up the night! A tail light is almost as important as a headlight. People coming up from behind need to know that you’re there; and if they don’t have headlights, they might not see you in time! When on the road bike, I put the tail light on the seat stay; and when I use the hybrid, I put it on the back of the rack. I like to use the tail light in steady mode. I used to wear a white blinkie on my left wrist; but it wore out. Even with fresh batteries, it wouldn’t turn on. I couldn’t find a new one; but the one I had served me for many years! I use a Micro Red LED Light on the back of my helmet. Even with all those lights, I want reflective gear. I don’t care what color mine is; just so it’s highly visible. Incidentally, lights and reflective gear aren’t only for night riding. They’re a good idea at high noon. Even at that time, it can be hard to see a car that doesn’t have its lights on. How much harder it must be to spot little old me on a bicycle!

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Author name: CAL