bicycling Archives - Page 90 of 127

Keep on Rolling

Keep on Rolling With ROCKBROS Bike Rollers, you can keep on rolling. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 100+ degrees outdoors, and you’d risk heatstroke out there; or you’re house-bound by whiteout conditions. This “treadmill for a bike” will let you have your ride! ROCKBROS Bike Rollers consist of a sturdy aluminum frame; and three rollers to support your bicycle’s wheels. The frame can be adjusted for different-length wheel bases; and it folds for easy storage. It’s also lightweight enough for easy carrying. It can be used with various kinds of bikes, such as MTBs and folding bikes. I had a set of rollers a long time ago. I became tolerably proficient on them with my hybrid; but couldn’t seem to manage my road bike on rollers. In retrospect, I think I was overly tentative when trying to get started. The road bike also has slicker tires than the hybrid; and that may have been a factor. I finally sold the rollers; but now I sometimes wish I still had them. When I must pedal indoors, rollers might be closer to a real ride than being hooked into a trainer. I find pedaling in that trainer extremely tedious; and usually can’t tolerate it for more than 15 minutes. This morning I set out before sunup. I knew it was going to get very hot again; and I wanted to ride early. I was glad to be back in by about 7:30 am. It was already well into the 80s by then. Yesterday afternoon we reached 100 degrees; and that was the air temperature. The heat index was 112! Our weather didn’t do this when I was a kid! I can easily believe in global warming!

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Cote-de-Velo

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors / CAL

Côte de Vélo? Côte de Vélo is another of my bad jokes. I thought of roller coasters yesterday when I went for a ride, and ended up doing lots of coasting. That led me to think of Bicycle Coast! I don’t know what was wrong with me, but my legs seemed very tired; and my stamina was poor. Maybe my legs need more massaging, much more often. That foam roller spends too much time occupying space on the shelf! I rode not quite 20 miles, instead of the 25 miles I was aiming for. Maybe I needed to eat more? So today I skipped riding. I didn’t spend the day on a park bench amidst Autumn leaves, though. It’s still very hot here; and except for two very short walks, I’ve been staying indoors where I can stay cool. Autumn makes me think of hot chocolate; but on a day like this, I say, perish the thought! Right now, at 4:00 pm, it’s 100 degrees! Tomorrow looks like more of the same. When will this end? I’ve got to ride early again; and hope it doesn’t turn into more côte de vélo. Being hot doesn’t help with that; and yesterday I forgot to wear my cooling band around my neck. Did that omission make such a difference? I must remember it tomorrow. So far, no hurricane trouble. If this heat is keeping them away, maybe the trade-off is worth it. But this is August; and hurricane season has nearly four months left! In fact, September is considered peak season. Thus we can’t let our guard down. I’m stocking gallon jugs of water, just in case. Many a weekday ride sees me wearing my Camel-Bak; and taking along electrolyte drink. It’s already so hot by 7:00 am that I need it. Ride at 5:00 am? That’s a possible solution; but unless I’m after a view of the full moon, I’d rather sleep a little later!

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Circle of Light

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Circle of Light Why not a circle of light for cyclists? After all, in music there’s the circle of fifths! These LED wheel lights make a cyclist visible from more angles than standard head- and tail lights. The flashing mode is especially easy to see. They make a ride on a Summer night more fun; especially for kids. Alas, vacation is over for many youngsters; but soon kids who ride bikes to school will be doing so while it’s still dark. This circle of light makes them easier to see. If it rains, not to worry; this product is waterproof and durable. Batteries are included; installation is easy and requires no tools. Available in many colors; shown here in Pink. This item seems to come in one-wheel packs only; but even one wheel with a display like this should help a lot. And it ought to make a unicycle downright dazzling! I don’t ride before sunup nearly as much as I did before I retired; but I still make an effort to go out early when there’s a full moon to be seen! As most of my riding is away from traffic, I don’t feel the need for a circle of light on my wheel. But it’s something to keep in mind in case things change.

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All in Vain

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

All in Vain Riding early was all in vain this morning! Or partly so, anyway. I wanted to see the full moon over the river. I got up at 5:00 am; and was out on the road bike by 5:30. Alas, the clouds were too dense for me to have any chance of seeing the moon. I hope I can see it tomorrow morning. I’m not sure I’ll want to try to see the moon this evening. There’s an excessive heat warning in effect until 7 pm; and besides, it’s mostly cloudy. Thus my efforts to see the moon might again be all in vain. Moonviewing wasn’t my only reason for going out before dawn. I knew the heat was going to get bad today; and I wanted to ride before it got too hot. I put in 18.1 miles?; and was home by 8:00 am. There’s something very satisfying about that! To be on the safe side regarding hydration, I used my Camel-Bak; and took along electrolyte drink. After a large supper yesterday, I ate only a small protein bar before my ride; but I took along another protein bar, just in case. It’s a good thing I did; I wound up eating about a quarter of it. Getting back to mileage — now that I have more time to ride, can I start dreaming of a century? But when shall I do it? It’s too hot to do it anytime soon; and can I train up sufficiently by, say, November? Next April might be a more realistic target date!

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Cycle Aruba

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Cycle Aruba This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” How would it be to cycle Aruba? This small island nation has relatively warm, sunny weather; a dry climate; and the topography is generally flat. That would suit me just fine! Aruba is touted as one of the best cycling destinations on the planet; and offers a number of bicycle tours. So let’s go cycle Aruba! West Punt to to Vista Chapel looks like a good choice for beginning bicycle tourists. It’s less than nine miles long; so you don’t need a touring bicycle. This route is also popular among hikers. For MTB aficionados, the Tribu Trail is waiting. This one can be physically challenging; so work your way up to it. If you like beaches, the Bushiribana to Malmok Beach might be the tour for you. It’s less than ten miles long; rather challenging, but enjoyable for the experienced rider. The Oranjestad to Conchi MTB is 34+ miles in length; with a considerable gain* in elevation. It starts in Oranjestad, the capital city; and includes a climb over the Sero Arikok. *The online article from which I get the info for this blog says, 1169 mile elevation gain. I suspect that they mean 1169 feet. From major hotels, you can climb aboard a Green Bike for a self-guided tour. A riding guide is available; and along way you can hit a beach or two. The San Nicholas to Seroe Colorado Lighthouse path covers the southern part of the island. Golf lovers, keep an eye peeled for Aruba’s oldest golf club! Lovers of long-distance rides may want to tackle the Rondje Aruba (Around the Island) tour. It’s 47.2 miles long; and “takes 4 hours and 45 minutes”. That’s certainly faster than I can ride that distance! The Downtown Aruba tour is great if you want to explore the downtown area by bike. You can download guides that show you where to go; and points of interest along the way. Finally, there’s the Manchebo Beach to California Lighthouse ride, at the northern end of the island. This route takes in several beaches; so cycle Aruba might involve swimming as well as cycling!

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spokes as web

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Spokes as Web? Spokes as web? How do bicycle wheels turn into a spider’s web? When you put spider spoke lights on them, that’s when! These lights add a touch of creepy fun to your rides; and I suppose kids especially would enjoy them — most of all boys. How about a Hallowe’en ride with your spokes as web; including glowing red spiders? October 31 is still two months away; but advance planning never hurts! It’s hard to think of Fall and Hallowe’en just now, because it’s been so hot! At 7:15 pm, it’s still 91 degrees. Tomorrow morning it will already be in the 80s at 6 am, with a predicted high of 97! I hope I can get myself in the saddle and pedaling by six o’clock. Then I can be home by nine or sooner. This afternoon we got a good T-storm, with one very close lightning strike. Fortunately the forecast is for clear skies tomorrow morning. I’d be worried if there were a chance for bad weather. But I sure wouldn’t mind if it were ten degrees cooler! It’s too bad that spokes as web can’t help with that.

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More Heat

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors / CAL

More Heat! We’ve got more heat coming; in fact, it looks like our heat machine is about to crank up a notch or two. It makes me wish that anything with “ColdStone” written on it can cool me off. I’ve been using my sun sleeves when I ride, so I don’t have to use up my sunblock so fast. Those sleeves keep my arms a little cooler; but I haven’t used my leg sleeves yet. I’m keeping them for when my Sunday long rides get back up to 40 miles. Once I’ve got both arms and legs sun-protected, I’ll have less sunblock to wash off post-ride! Here I am, complaining about “more heat” before July is over. August and September tend to be our hottest months; and the heat can into persist into November or later. It makes rides harder when I don’t get going until at least 7:30 am. I started using a hydration system for water, so I can put an electrolyte drink in my water bottle. That’s important, as I’m starting to extend at least one weekday ride to 20 miles or so. I have no idea whether I’ll really get to do RAGBRAI next year; but if I do, I must be able to ride more than 12-15 miles per day! In fact, RAGBRAI averages something like 40 miles per day; and there’s also climbing to contend with. RAGBRAI also means riding through the day; and Iowa can get as hot as New Orleans. So if I can do that ride, I’d better bring along several pairs each those arm and leg sun-protection sleeves. And I hope it’s not as humid there as it is here! I’ve been enjoying not having to rise at 4:30 am to ride; but maybe I should resume my pre-dawn rides until Fall? It would spare me so much riding in the heat! Incidentally, I’ve noticed that it doesn’t get light so early in the morning; which means that the days are already getting shorter. But they sure aren’t getting any cooler!

Dog Days

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Dog Days Here come the dog days; typically the hottest part of the year. As if it weren’t hot enough already! Do you want to take your canine friend along when you ride? The Bike Tow Leash is a wise idea, I think. To me it seems safer than trying to hold onto a standard leash while riding one-handed. The Bike Tow Leash is designed to prevent tangles and tripping; and can be used for dogs up to 185 pounds. Meant for left-side usage; and suitable for most bicycles and tadpole-style tricycles. I can’t speak with authority, of course. I’ve never had a dog; and in fact, I’m a cat person. How do you take a cat along on a bicycle ride? I guess you put the cat in a carrier; and put the carrier in a trailer. Cats are terrific escape artists; and might be able to worm their way out of a harness and leash. Riding during these dog days will make me very thankful for the cooling band I have. It’s only about two inches wide; but it still helps during hot rides. I saw it in the salvage store some months ago; and it didn’t cost much over one dollar! I bought it to keep for hot weather; and now I’m glad I have it. The heat index this afternoon is a “chilly” 94 degrees — much cooler than many recent readings. I hope this respite from the extreme heat continues; and we aren’t as hot as some parts of the country! I’m starting to use my Camel-Bak on weekday rides because of the heat. I don’t ride as early as I did before retirement; and when it’s so hot, I want to take electrolyte drink as well as water. All we can do is hang on until cooler weather arrives; and hope we’re spared the hurricanes!

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Cross Bike

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Cross Bike? I think I’ve got a cross bike; namely, my road bike is getting sulky because I haven’t ridden it since Thursday. Friday I rode to Whole Foods, using the hybrid. By the time I got back home about 9:00 am, the heat index was already 100 degrees; so I decided not to go out on the road bike. Yesterday was salvage-store-trip day; and that, again, meant using the hybrid. But not the trailer; I’ve still got lots of canned stuff! Once again, it was so hot by the time I got home that I didn’t want to go out on the road bike. About 7 pm yesterday evening, we got a T-storm; and it rained pretty hard for a while. After such weather, I expected road surfaces (and the the levee bike path!) to be wet and mucky this morning. I didn’t feel like getting my road bike all mucked up, so I used the hybrid; it has fenders. It was about 8:30 am when time I got going. To my surprise, surfaces were almost dry! I could have used the road bike and not gotten a wet stripe up my back. I went up on the levee; and less than two miles from home, I saw the sky towards the West. The looks of it were rather unsettling. I saw the kind of black, low, wide band that often means bad weather. Heading back home seemed like the wise thing to do; and sure enough, before I got off the levee I began to hear thunder. I was home shortly before 9:00 am; and within five or ten minutes the wind had risen to the “storm coming” level. A few minutes after that, it began to rain. As of 10:00 am the rain has stopped; but I can’t be sure there isn’t more coming. Maybe I’ll appease that cross bike of mind by hooking it into the trainer and “riding” for a while. That will let me get some exercise without the nuisance of cleaning gritty mud off of my bicycl

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Carbon Fiber

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Carbon Fiber A carbon fiber bicycle Carbon fiber is very much in the public consciousness at present. Who hasn’t heard of the recent submersible catastrophe? I don’t mean to be insensitive by blogging about the material; but I can’t help thinking about it. After all, it’s what my road bike is made of! Carbon fiber is one of four materials commonly used for bicycle frames. And yes, I’m aware that such frames can fail suddenly and drastically. That worries me sometimes. I guess that a crash is the most likely cause of frame failure. As a non-racer, my risk of crashing is probably low. At the same time, my road bike is 10+ years old. Maybe ordinary wear and tear has taken its toll on the frame. But how do I tell? I want to keep on using my road bike for as long as I can. After all this time, I’ve become very adjusted to it. On top of that, I don’t feel like shelling out several thousand dollars for a new one. There are cheaper models out there; but I need good quality for all the miles that I put in. When the time comes that I must bid my current road bike adieu, and choose a new one, what type of frame material shall I look for? Steel is susceptible to rust, so I don’t want a steel frame. Not in this humid climate! I wouldn’t be surprised if steel is also affected by salt in the atmosphere; and here we get ample salt haze from the Gulf. Titanium has a reputation for being almost impossible to destroy; but it’s too expensive for my budget. Aluminum is lightweight; but would an aluminum road bike be lighter than my current one? Who knows, I might come right back to carbon fiber!

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