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SpokEasy

equipment

Esnow Toe Clips

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

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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Leg Warmers

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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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Heybike Cityscape

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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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Light up the Night

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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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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

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Uncategorized /

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

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

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

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Uncategorized /

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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