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rack up the miles

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Rack up the Miles Rack up the miles? I’m sure not doing that this morning. My head feels all stuffed up; and I feel dragged down in general. I’ll see how I feel later; and then maybe I can ride. If you have a car; and need to go some distance to reach your favorite bicycle trails; the ERKUL Bike Rack can get your bicycle there so that you can put in that distance. The ERKUL  fits most car-top racks; and can hold most road and mountain bikes. It needs no tools for installation; keeps the bike frame free of contact; and can hold up to 35 pounds. Color: Black; or Silver. Product of Turkey. $179.00 I really need to rack up some miles; I’ve got RAGBRAI 2024 on my mind. That means some serious training! I only began riding again in mid-March; and my legs seem to be taking their time getting back into condition. Maybe I’m what some coaches call a “slow responder”! But I do try to ride every day, as April is a Love to Ride challenge month. May is their Bike Month Challenge; so I’ll want to rack up the miles during May, too. But without the ERKUL, because I don’t have a car!  

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Off My Mind

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Off My Mind It’s good to have some things off my mind — tax forms for one! I finally got mine completed today. A good bicycle helmet can help keep some things off my mind, such as head injuries. This Giro Register MIPS Helmet for adults is designed to protect against both direct-impact and rotational-impact injuries. It’s constructed of lightweight polycarbonate; and has a one-hand dial in the rear for size adjustment. Multiple vents help keep your head from overheating during hot-day rides. $59.95 Naturally I wore my helmet when I rode this morning. My legs felt rather sore and tired (they could use a session with the foam roller!); but I wanted to ride today in case the weather prevents my riding tomorrow. The forecast is for rain — possibly heavy — and the chance of T-storms. Naturally I don’t want to ride in such conditions! Things were tough enough today. The wind got up to 15 mph before I got back home; and of course it was a headwind on the way back! I hope it isn’t pouring tomorrow afternoon, when I have an appointment with the hand specialist. I’ll have about a mile and a half to walk; and that’s a real nuisance when I have a flapping poncho to deal with. It looks like Saturday’s weather will be much better, at least as far as rain goes; and that’s a load off my mind. Of course I want to ride to the salvage store! But it will still be rather rather windy.🙄

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Every Journey

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Every Journey Every journey begins with a single step; or, in the case of cyclists, with a single pedal stroke. This Sixthreezero EVERYjourney hybrid bicycle for women can make every journey a breeze. Its 500-watt motor is there to assist  during tough climbs; or when battling a stiff headwind. There are seven gears, so you can adjust to various types of terrain; and full-electric mode allows a top speed of 15 mph. Electric-assisted pedaling makes 28 mph possible! Riding with full-electric power permits a range of 18-40 miles. The Sixthreezero has a rear rack, so you can carry home a load of groceries; or go for a tour. Two-inch wide semi-slick tires make for a stable ride; and the ergonomic frame lets you ride in a comfortable, upright position. This bicycle fit riders from 5-foot-zero to six-foot-two; and weighing up to 250 pounds. The bike weighs 66 pounds; color, gold coral. $1549.99 I have yet to try out an ebike; but maybe I’ll want one some day — say, in fifteen or twenty years. An electric assist from a Sixthreezero, I admit, would have been useful this morning. The wind was 13-17 mph; and gusts were as strong as 28 mph! It was so bad that I turned around several miles early, and rode several laps around the park to fill out my mileage. I hope things are calmer next Sunday.

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Mirror on the Bike

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Mirror on the Bike Mirror, mirror on the bike, can you show me what I like? I use a product similar to this Evo Bar End Mirror on my road bike; and it seldom shows me anything. The problem with it is, I’m liable to knock it out of position every time I reach down for my water bottle. When I’m not using the Camel-Bak, that’s every few minutes; and it gets quite annoying to have to adjust the thing so often. I also noticed that, at certain times in the morning, that thing reflects strong sunshine right into my eyes! Otherwise, this gadget is quite useful.  $10.78 The mirror on the bike works much better for my hybrid, for which I use a MTB mirror. I don’t have to reach past it to grab the water bottle; and that makes a big difference! Being able to see what’s behind me also makes a big difference; especially if I have to ride alongside traffic. $14.85 Leaving looking glasses aside, I had occupational therapy again this morning. I might be able to “graduate” in a week! Then my mornings will be more free for riding; and that will be a relief. It won’t be long before the temperatures are 80 degrees at 5:00 am; so I’ll want to ride earlier. That’s especially true as I’m trying to extend my distance. Today I rode 13.10 miles; and might have ridden a bit farther if I hadn’t thought I was running too low on water. As far as RAGBRAI prep goes, that’s nothing; but I know that it won’t help much if I try to ride too far, too soon. After all, I’ve only been back on the bike for a month; and my hand is not up to scratch yet. This ride, I was able to shift to the big ring; but veggie chopping later in the afternoon seems to have been overdoing it a bit.

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Travels with Bicycle

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Travels with Bicycle Travels with bicycle (with apologies to John Steinbeck may well require special protection for your “ride”. Sure, such protection doesn’t come cheap — but neither does replacing a good bicycle. Airplane luggage holds can be perilous places. I remember hearing about a saxophone that was allowed to go into an airplane’s luggage hold — and something punched all the way through the hard case and the sax! Why let that happen to your bicycle? The Thule RoundTrip Case, transition model, protects your valuable ride; is easy to pack; and even has wheels so you can pull it along. That last characteristic is especially important if you’ve got other baggage to lug, too. The Thule RoundTrip Case weighs 39 pounds, which some users find bulky and heavy. Suppose I get to go to RAGBRAI next year? Will travels with bicycle require one of these cases? I guess that depends on how I’ll get to and from Iowa. If I have to fly, I’d better get a special travel case for my bike. If I don’t have one, arriving in Iowa with a ruined road bike will be an absolute nightmare! The cost of the Thule might save me several thousand bucks! $999.95  

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That Crazy Garmin

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That Crazy Garmin What’s up with my bicycle computer? This morning that crazy Garmin suddenly gave a screen reading that said, “Incident Detection”; and I couldn’t get the screen to return to its normal riding readout. I had no idea what that readout meant. Had my heart rate strap come loose? (It hadn’t). Was there (oh, please, NO!) an active-shooter incident ahead? Fortunately, there wasn’t. Maybe I accidentally bumped one of the Garmin’s buttons while steering the bike one-handed. Whatever it was, that crazy Garmin drives me crazy sometimes! Electronics can do some strange things, that’s for sure. Maybe it will be back to normal for my next ride, whenever that may be. It depends on what’s up with the weather! The forecast for tomorrow shows a high chance of rain; and the next day doesn’t look much better. I might have to haul out the trainer. I still forget sometimes that I’m retired, and don’t have to ride at 5:00 am; if the weather forbids an early morning ride, I might be able to ride later in the day. But this morning I did ride very early. It’s full moon time; and luckily the clouds didn’t obscure the moon the entire time. I saw the moonlight on the river; and I’ve really missed that. The forecast for tomorrow doesn’t look good at all. T-storms are likely; and I don’t like to ride when lightning is around. I guess all I can do is wait for tomorrow morning, and see how things are; and if conditions are OK, I can ride to Whole Foods. I want bananas; and at the rate I’ve been going, I’ll soon be out of sunblock! It will be great if I can also get in some miles on the levee bike path; but I’m not counting my chickens. Weather around here is so capricious!

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Got It Taped

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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

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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

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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

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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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