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bicycling

Tweaking

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Tweaking I’m tweaking things again. A site builder’s work is never done! It really does feel like a tug-of-war at times. Building slides can be a hassle. Things looked one way in the slide editor; and another in the actual site! I had to get help with that; and I also needed help with getting my site’s loading time reduced. There’s one slide that sometimes will advance to the next slide quickly; and sometimes it’s very slow! I needed to do a bit of tweaking this morning, too. I got up too late to have time for grapes and peanut butter before my ride; and grabbed a GU. I didn’t plan to ride hard; so I figured one GU would hold me until I got back home. (It did?) As usual, I was a bit anxious about the weather. For the last week or two, the forecasts have often sounded dire. I was worried every evening that I might not get to ride the next morning. Amazingly, I had little trouble. Sometimes I did see lightning; but usually it was quite some distance away. This morning was the first time I ran into rain. After so much anxiety about getting caught in bad weather, it was almost a relief to get rained on! Luckily it wasn’t a very heavy rain. I had seen lightning off to the South; and hoped I could reach home before it got close. During the last mile or two, I began to hear thunder; and was relieved to get off the levee. I want to ride to the salvage store tomorrow; and do a long ride Sunday. So I hope the weather is cooperative over the weekend, or I’ll have to do some more tweaking.

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Tired Again

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Tired Again! I got tired again this morning; tired as in another flat tire! For some reason I’ve had an unusual number of flats lately. I very much suspect that the local road work has something to do with it. Getting to the bike path means riding over rough surfaces. There are probably bits of trash; and so on. Tire liners don’t seem to be helping as much as usual. I guess I ran over something that got lodged in my rear tire. Nothing seemed to be wrong, until my legs suddenly seemed to lose all strength. I was working at pushing myself to 15-16 mph for 4-5 minutes at a time; and trying to get my heart rate up. Then, as I said, my legs gave out; and it didn’t feel like bonking. Right about then I dropped my water bottle; and had to stop and pick it up. Then I noticed the flat. Tired again! I was still at least three miles from home; and didn’t have time to walk that far. So I got back on the bike; and slow-rode the rest of the way. It added a good 20 minutes to my time! With that bone spur in my hand, fixing a flat is painful at best; so I had to visit the bike shop. The sky looked rather threatening; and I decided to walk the bike both to the shop; and back home. Sometimes I simply can’t stomach the thought of riding in the rain!

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Flip Flop Socks

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Flip Flop Socks Try Flip Flop Socks if those straps rub in between your toes. I seldom wear flip flops; but when I do, I sure have that problem. Flip Flop Socks are made of cotton stretch fabric; and keep the sides of your toes from rubbing each other or the footwear. They’re quite versatile; and can also be used with other types of footwear, e.g. cycling shoes. The stretch material means that these socks can fit most people. Machine washable, too! Six pairs to a pack; color, black. Personally, I dislike having anything between my toes; so I haven’t tried these socks. I have plenty of other ones, anyhow; and I’ll stick with them. It’s still hot; and in fact, we’re in the dog days. But the day will come when I need thermal socks. Thermal socks are useful; but  when the temperature drops below about 45, even thermal socks plus regular socks don’t keep my feet warm enough. My hands, too, are very sensitive to cold. Warming packs inside my gloves provide a good bit of relief. I wish there were room inside my shoes for them! As long as the hot weather continues, I can wear regular socks. Or, if you’re a Tour de France fan, Lin Cycling Socks might suit you. Four pairs of socks; each one hinting at one of the winner’s jerseys! Gosh, I’ve gotten far away from Flip Flop Socks. Oh, well — they’re still socks!

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Better Luck Next Time

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Better Luck Next Time Better luck next time; or so I hope. Do you think it might help if I got a cat like this one? Today I set out on the road bike, and I wanted to put in about 40 miles. The sky was already overcast; and I hoped to be back home before afternoon T-storms developed. The goal: 40 miles. So, I got to my pit-stop place; and discovered that the restrooms were locked. Whatever for? That’s inhumane! I’m lucky I didn’t urgently need a restroom; and I just went back home. But of course that meant a drastic cut to my planned mileage; 29.20 miles just doesn’t measure up against 40. The wind this morning was almost calm; but the humidity was way up there at 88%. The clouds helped keep the temperature down a bit; and I ran into only two brief drizzles of rain.  I decided not to go out again. There was no telling when those T-storms might fire up; but as of early afternoon, they hadn’t made an appearance. As usual in such cases, I think I could have gone for a ride; and wonder why I didn’t. Well, better luck next time! But if we are going to have T-storms, I wish they would get themselves over with!  I checked my supply of GU-Gels; and I have to order some more of them soon. Often I’ll get two boxes at a time. I like to have more than one flavor on hand, because it helps me avoid so-called flavor fatigue! This weekend I’m skipping the cooking. My freezer is still pretty full; and I get SO tired of washing pots and dishes! By next weekend, I’ll have to crank up my invention mill again; and think up a new Hoppin’ John variation. This time I think I’ll use canned beans, and get a few more cans out of here.

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Eurobike

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Eurobike The Eurobike Road EURXC550 is in an affordable price range for most folks; and is great for riding on paved surfaces. This bicycle features a carbon steel frame; and dual disc brakes provide lots of stopping power. A riding bag is included; so this one makes a nice commuting bike. Some assembly is required; instructions and the tools you’ll need come with the bike. Then just pump up the tires; and off you go! Speaking of pumping tires, a floor pump isn’t practical to take along on a ride. The Pro Bike Tool Pump is an alternative; however, it does need re-drilled holes in the bike frame for mounting. Maybe the Pro Bike Tool Inflator would do. Just be sure to carry some CO2 cartridges with you! The Eurobike, I admit, seems heavy to me. It weighs 39 lb/17.69 kg; that’s heavier than my hybrid. I probably wouldn’t want it for a century ride. Then again, I did a 100-miler on my adult trike; and that rig probably weighed about 50-55 pounds! Whatever bike I’m using, today I’m not doing much riding. I needed fresh produce; and for that I go to Winn Dixie. My round trip was less than six miles; and a trip to the ATM and the drug store added barely over two more miles. By the time I finished those errands, it was getting quite hot; and I was also quite hungry! The sky was pretty cloudy; and I wasn’t sure what the weather might do. So I stayed home; but I didn’t hear thunder until about 12:20 pm.  I hope I can get myself going early tomorrow. Isolated T-storms are predicted from 10:00 am; and Eurobike or not, I don’t like to be caught in a storm!   

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Say What

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Say What? Say what? Is that my knee complaining? Do I hear my muscles  screaming? Listen to your body, they say. Learn to tell the difference between well-worked muscles; and true pain. Pain means something isn’t right; and pushing through it might lead to serious problems. I’m far from being a pro cyclist, with a team of medical advisors on tap. So when my legs feel tired; achy; and sore — what do I do? Is it OK to keep riding as usual? Do I merely need to stay off the big ring for a bit; or should I take a day off? My masseuse is a foam roller; and I haven’t used it in months. Maybe it’s time I hauled it out again. My leg muscles have been feeling rather tired; and this morning I said, Say What? and skipped the road bike. I wasn’t too sure about the weather, anyhow. I heard thunder; and of course I thought a T-storm breaking out. If that were the case, I didn’t want to be out in it.  But maybe what I heard was a storm’s last gasp. There was no more thunder; and it didn’t rain. Not then, anyhow; but about 2:15 pm we got a heavy downpour. I’m glad it happened in mid-afternoon, and not while I was riding home from work! According to the forecast, rain chances this weekend are highest in the afternoon; and I hope that’s accurate. I’ll have to skip the salvage store tomorrow in favor of the supermarket. I need produce; I want hummus; and I need yogurt. But I might do a short spin on the road bike after I’m home from the store, before it gets too terribly hot. Then Sunday is long ride day!

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Incredibell

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Incredibell I love my Incredibell. The hybrid has one; and I wish I could put one on the road bike. Unfortunately the handlebar tape makes those handlebars too big for the Incredibell’s fastening band. But something the bell does not do is let me ride upside down! This bell has a bright, clear tone; and its non-rusting alloy composition is a plus. That’s especially true if you live in a humid climate. On top of that, our average annual rainfall is five feet.  Sometimes it seems like I’m in a diving bell! In fact, I might want just such an apparatus tomorrow. It’s another stormy forecast; and in fact, it rained pretty hard for a while this morning. Saturday morning is looking OK; and so is Sunday. I think I’ll forgo the trip to the salvage store and hit the regular supermarket. I’m about out of apples; and I need bananas. I’ll sure miss raiding the grab-bag bins; but I’ve got to get back to a more healthful diet!  Going to the supermarket is a round trip of six miles at most; and maybe I’ll take a short ride on the road bike afterwards.  Maybe. My legs have been feeling tired; and I might need a bit of a break. Oddly, walking makes me notice the fatigue more than riding does! I seem to be developing what they call “cyclist’s shuffle”. I sure don’t need to work up burnout now. Cycle September begins in two weeks; and I want to make a strong showing! I’ll see what the weather is doing tomorrow morning; and take it from there.

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Cell Phone Woes

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Cell Phone Woes I’ve sure got cell phone woes tonight. Why do I forget about being sure my phone is properly charged — right when I’m expecting an important call? First, I saw that the expected call was several minutes late. Then I saw something on the phone’s screen that said emergency calls only. I checked “Settings”; and the phone had only 17% charge left! Of course I plugged the thing in immediately; but now I don’t know whether I’ll get that call or not.  On top of that, maybe I forgot to inform the other party that I no longer have my landline! I might have to reschedule this call. I hope no such cell phone woes strike when I’m on a long Sunday ride. It would be bad news if I was caught 20 miles from home; and had no way to call for help in an emergency. Twenty miles is a long, LONG way to walk if I have a flat tire that I can’t fix. There are also areas where cell phone reception is spotty; or even non-existent. When you’re used to whipping out that phone at any moment, it’s hard to not have it! So if you’re keen for long cycling tours in out-of-the-way places don’t forget to consider that. It’s a long time since I’ve even done a century; so a bicycle tour in said faraway places is way beyond me. With my problematic hands, I can’t even fix a flat. So I’d better stick closer to where I can get help if I need it!

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Tommaso Endurance Road Bike

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Tommaso Endurance Road Bike This Tommaso Endurance Road Bike is built to last; and it’s also built for comfort on long rides. It has a lightweight aluminum frame; plus aluminum wheels for affordable performance. Components are by Shimano; and the compact frame geometry lets you assume a more relaxed riding position. There are 24 gears, for a wide range of riding conditions. The frame has a lifetime warranty. Color available are black; white; and burnt orange. When I bought my road bike, I was unaware of the existence of  Tommaso bikes. If I had known, I might have looked for one of them. They certainly cost much less than the bike that I did buy. On the other hand, my road bike still seems to be going strong at ten years old. “Scottie” has a carbon fiber frame; but that’s not why I chose the Scott. I tried several road bikes at the shop; but at the time I had absolutely no experience with road bikes. That made it impossible for me to be really discerning. It’s probably fair to say that I happened to manage the Scott best by sheer chance. I see that the Tommaso Endurance Road Bike has rather sparse spoking on its wheels. I guess that’s typical for road bikes; because my own road bike has similar wheels. But they ought to hold up as long as I don’t try any technical off-road riding!

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Keep Oriented

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Keep Oriented! Keep oriented with this StemCAPtain compass! I first got one some years ago, so I could watch my direction. If I could know my bearing, I’d know when I was about to turn into a headwind; and be ready to increase my effort level. But I don’t need a compass to tell me that I usually have headwinds on the way home! Over the  years, I’ve gone through three or four of these compasses. Once the thing somehow detached from my handlebars when I hit a bump; and I didn’t notice it right away. Of course I couldn’t find the compass; and had to buy another one. Another thing I’ve noticed is that the clear housing yellows over time. Then the compass is hard to read when I’m riding in the dark; even with my headlight. The liquid (water?) inside also seems to evaporate eventually. I’m so used to having that compass there that I want to have it; even though I don’t always look at it. My Garmin‘s screen gets a lot more of my attention these days! It sure did during today’s ride. My planned 40 miles became 42.8 because I was forced to add detours to both ends of it. There was a long string of railroad cars blocking my crossing; and I had to make quite a detour to get to the bike path. Some four hours later, those cars were still sitting there! I had to make another detour to get back home. Today I was lucky with the wind. It was calm for most of my ride! I watched the sky go from mostly clear to thin, high clouds; and then to big cumulus clouds. By the time I got home, the clouds looked like there might be a T-storm in the making. All the same, I rode over to the neighborhood Chinese restaurant to get take-out for lunch. Do you think that will help me to stay oriented?

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