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equipment

BALEAF Jacket

BACK ISSUES, equipment, Outdoors /

Baleaf Jacket This BALEAF cycling jacket for women helps make chilly-day rides more comfy. It’s lightweight; waterproof; and is available in a variety of colors. Reflective highlights improve its visibility. The sleeves are removable, so the jacket can be converted into a vest. Sometimes it’s too cool to not have a jacket; but at the same time is too warm for a jacket! Or, use just the sleeves for sun protection on hot days. The pockets have zipper closures; no worries about your belongings falling out! Sleeves have velcro fasteners at the wrists. This is handy when you’re putting on this jacket when you’ve already got heavy gloves on your hands! I have a BALEAF as well as a jacket on another brand. The BALEAF is heavier; and I use it for colder days. Last night it got down to 71 degrees; our first taste of Fall. It wasn’t cool enough for a jacket; but I sure needed a long-sleeved blouse!

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Clipped

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Clipped! It sounds funny to talk about clipped when speaking of toe clips. They aren’t the same thing as riding clipped in. I’ve used two different styles of toe clips: the kind with straps; and the strapless variety. The type with straps were OK when I was still on the trike. I didn’t have to worry about my balance while I reached down to snug the straps. On a two-wheeler, that would have been a different story; so I got strapless clips. The clips with straps had a problem, anyhow. I never could get the one on my left pedal properly fastened. I guess that’s what comes of being right-handed! I like being able to simply put my toes into those strapless clips. It’s easy to pull my feet out; either to the side, or towards the back. Riding without toe clips (or being clipped in) sure feels weird now. It makes me feel like my feet aren’t securely on the pedals; and might slip off at any moment. In wet weather, this is worse.   The MTB cleats shown above are what I use on the road bike. Wait a second. MTB stuff with a road bike? Sure, why not? I’m not planning to race; and trying to walk in roadie shoes is very awkward. I have to almost walk on my heels; and that is most contrary to my usual gait. Maybe I’ll move up to roadie shoes one of these days; but there’s no  hurry. So there it is: riding clipped is more efficient than using platform (i.e. plain) pedals. Once you’re used to it, you don’t want to leave it.

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Wouldn’t you know

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Wouldn’t You Know! Wouldn’t you know! I rode my new hybrid to work today; and by late morning it was pouring. The General sure got christened!   I’m not parking the General in the same place where I used to park my old hybrid. I found some bike racks that have a security camera right there! It’s a shame that I have to be so paranoid about my property; but obviously some people can’t be trusted. This morning I saw the hand specialist about that bone spur. The doctor gave me a cortisone injection at the site (after spraying on a generous amount of a numbing agent!). The injection site might feel sore a few days; and the real effects might not show up for a week. But after that, I should have relief from the pain for six months or so. I hope it isn’t raining tomorrow morning. I want to go to the salvage store; and my new hybrid doesn’t have fenders yet. The shop didn’t have the right size in stock. Ditto for tire liners. VERY handy if  you live where it rains a lot! I have quite a list for the salvage store; but I still need to be careful not to drag home too much canned stuff! But I need bread; I want hummus; and I’m low on yogurt. It’s also fun to browse through that store to see what I can find. I was working on a Page in my web site this evening; and it suddenly has a most peculiar quirk. The links in it go to the site’s landing page! I don’t know how that happened; and it’s too late to call my “help desk”. They aren’t there weekends; so it must wait until Monday evening. Wouldn’t you know, a big problem like that crops up when I can’t do anything about it.

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General Tso

bicycling, equipment, Uncategorized /

General Tso General Tso sounds like something you find in a Chinese restaurant. In fact, I got Chinese take-out for lunch today; and chose the General Tso’s Chicken combo plate. How did that come about? Today I went to the bike shop to get my new hybrid; and all morning I was cudgeling my brains for a name for those new wheels. After all, my other “rides” all had names; so why should this new bicycle get short-changed? I had a hankering after Chinese food. Ultimately I decided to get the General Tso’s Chicken; and name my new bicycle after it! It sure feels different from the old hybrid! For one thing, it’s not quite as heavy. It has disc brakes rather than rim brakes; and they definitely have a different “hand”. The new bike has thumb-operated shifting instead of twist-grip shifters. That, too, feels very different; and will take a little getting used to. I took my bicycle trunk and a pannier with me when I went to pick up the new bicycle. The pannier fits on the new rack; but the trunk is incompatible with it.  I had to borrow a bungee cord to attach the trunk to the rack for the ride home. Later, when I rode to the shop to return the bungee cord, it was starting to thunder. Somebody else seemed to get the storm; and I’m glad my new bike didn’t get rained on — yet. But that day will come; probably sooner rather than later in this climate!  Incidentally, the shop has to order both the fenders and tire liners in the size I need. I hope I don’t get a flat before then.

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Rack My Brains

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Rack My Brains? I don’t have to rack my brains to figure out how useful this product is! Often I need to carry more on my hybrid than I can put into a backpack; so I need some other way to carry my stuff. This rack can carry a pair of panniers; plus a bicycle trunk. Bring home a week’s worth of groceries in a single trip! This rack would be useful if I went touring, and didn’t have a touring bicycle. Maybe not for a prolonged, self-supported tour; but for a short trip I think it should do. It certainly helps me to get my stuff to work with me. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow is a holiday; and I’m glad of it. MAYBE I can sleep late! And put in some miles on the road bike. I’m trying to do a little extra because I want to get in the miles; and for the time being I can’t ride to work. Last week, my hybrid got destroyed; and I suspect that somebody deliberately trashed it. I can’t go into details here; but I hope the culprit is caught. Today I went out on the road bike. The restrooms at my pit-stop place are still locked! This is the third Sunday in a row! I’m tired of having to come home to “use the facilities”; and once I was home, it was hard to get out there again. It sprinkled on and off; and that kept me a little bit cooler. But it’s grass-seed season; and I got home with grass seeds stuck in my sunblock. Today I used some baby sunblock that I found; and to me it seemed too stiff; too sticky; and it was hard to wash off. The reason I bought it is, it’s fragrance free. I just checked the forecast. There’s a 40% chance of T-storms tomorrow morning. To ride; or not to ride? That’s a question to rack my brains!

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Swagcycle

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Swagcycle The Swagcycle EB5 is an alternative for folks who are unable to use a regular bicycle. A very handy feature of this bike is that it can fold! That makes it much easier to fit it in the trunk of a car (no bicycle rack needed); or to store in a small apartment. Swagcycle EB5 uses a 36V lithium ion battery (included) to power a 250W hub motor. Charge-up time is four to five hours. This bike can be adjusted for riders from teenagers to adults; and can carry up to 264 lbs. The fully charged battery can carry this bike up to 15.5 miles.  Swagcycle is best suited to flat terrain; so where I live it ought to do just fine. It comes pre-assembled, too! The frame is aluminum; and as to color, remember what Henry Ford said! For that matter, I didn’t pay much attention to what color my hybrid was when I bought it; nor my road bike. I looked to see what the bike shop had; and went from there. Lately I see more and more about e-bikes in social media; and cargo e-bikes seem especially popular. Among other things, parents use them to get young children to school. I’m still quite entrenched in the muscle-power camp; but it’s good to know there are options like the Swagcycle out there.

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Eurobike

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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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Incredibell

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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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Tommaso Endurance Road Bike

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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

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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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