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Slow Cycling

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Slow Cycling Slow cycling apparently isn’t about velocity. It’s about “taking time to smell the roses”, as the saying goes. Not every ride needs to be about beating your own PR; or about pedaling as many miles as you can with as few breaks as possible. I that I’m guilty of the latter. My Sunday long rides are about building endurance, even if I don’t worry about my speed. Ergo I try to take as few breaks as possible. You don’t have to be as slow as this snail for slow cycling; but neither must you “smash” through your usual cycling routes. Take enough time to look around at the scenery; and stop here and there for a photo shoot; or to enjoy a snack. It’s rather hard for me to sight-see while I’m riding. I do a lot of riding in the dark; and as a result have long since developed the habit of focusing straight ahead of me. Maybe after I’m retired I can do a little more riding that will actually let me enjoy the scenery. I won’t have to ride before sunup to be sure I get to ride! Speaking of riding slowly, it’s much harder for me control the road bike while riding one-handed at a slow pace. I think it’s because in a low gear I tend to pedal at a higher cadence. The leg action then makes the bicycle wobble more because I don’t have the gyroscopic effect. I wonder, does an e-bike have the same problem?  Of my three “rides”, the one that was best suited to slow cycling was, of course, the trike. When you’re on three wheels, balance isn’t a problem; and you can pedal as slowly as you like. In a way I miss that; but honestly, I’d rather go faster than that.

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It Doesn’t Feel Right

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It Doesn’t Feel Right It doesn’t feel right that I couldn’t ride to the salvage store today. With my poor hybrid a wreck, I didn’t have my usual transportation. Public transit would have taken much longer than riding to the salvage story by bicycle; and there’s no transit stop right outside the store. How can I bring home a decent load like that? There’s a small grocery store not quite a mile from here; but just try to carry bananas all that way without bruising them half to death! It’s very frustrating, because I wanted to get some cooking done. I keep catching myself thinking of riding over to that store with a pannier; then I remember that I don’t have the bike! No; it doesn’t feel right at all. I went for a ride with the road bike; then walked over to the bike shop. I test-rode a hybrid; and it’s very nice. Of course it’s stripped down; and I’ll have to buy fenders and a luggage rack. Fenders are a must in a wet climate, especially if you plan to ride to work. Who wants to arrive at the office with a dirty, wet stripe down their back; and wet back hair besides? Let’s hope the bags I have are compatible with the new rack; or I’ll have to buy new ones. The bicycle I plan to buy costs nearly $700; and that’s not pocket change! But I’m afraid I’ll need new panniers before too long, anyhow. The old ones are showing definite signs of wear. Too many heavy loads from the salvage store, maybe. I hope the weather is cooperative tomorrow. There’s  50% chance of rain and/or T-storms; and I don’t want to get caught in bad weather when I’m 20 miles from home! I guess I’ll have to take my chances. Cycle September is on; so I want to get in my miles!

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Labor Day

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Labor Day It’ll be Labor Day, all right. Here I go re-working my web site.  AGAIN. I hadn’t realized that a Slider is part of a page! With help from a service called WordPress Live (expensive, but well worth it!), I got my home page redone; but I’m not sure how to take it from there. One thing I’m sure of: I don’t want to clutter up that home page image with lots of buttons! That won’t be attractive; and might even turn away prospective visitors. I’m glad I have a three-day weekend to mull things over! I hope to get in some good riding; but the weather forecast isn’t the most favorable. Some extra miles on the road bike will be welcome, though, because my hybrid is out of commission. Day before yesterday, it got vandalized! The bike shop says it might be a total loss; so I hope to get there tomorrow to test-ride a few new ones. But they don’t allow test-rides when it’s wet. I can’t go to the salvage store now, so maybe I can get a few extra hours’ sleep for once. I plan to meet some friends for lunch tomorrow; and of course I have to do laundry and some cooking. Labor Day is a holiday for most people; so I won’t be able to get more help with my site work until Tuesday. I’ll see what I can do for myself over the next two days. It’s getting rather late to do any more tonight; and I have to wash the dishes anyway. That’s one labor that never goes away!  

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None Too Soon

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None Too Soon It’s none too soon to be thinking about cold-weather cycling togs. I know, September has only just begun; and locally, it’s still hot.  It got up to 92 degrees today! But time flies; and one day soon we’ll want the leg warmers; jackets; and so on. I have two jackets; and one is heavier than the other. The temperature can fluctuate pretty crazily from day to day; so layers of different weights are useful to have. At the same time, it gets quite annoying because I have all those layers scattered everywhere.  Those layers are also a nuisance when I go to work. I’m apt to need fewer layers for the afternoon ride home than I did for the morning jaunt to work; and I have to pack them up somehow. My bike trunk usually is crammed; and I need to have a pannier so I have room for my lunch cooler, too. These woes are at least several weeks away. In fact, here in New Orleans we might not have to worry about them until November! For now, hurricane season is a much bigger concern. The tropics have been  almost too quiet; but of course it’s none too soon to prepare in case a storm does crop up in the Gulf. I’d like to get more bottled water; but I have ample stores of canned goods. I just hope there won’t be any need to evacuate. I’m thinking about the upcoming 3-day weekend, of course. I can’t go to the store because my hybrid is in the shop. Yesterday somebody VANDALIZED it?; and the rear rack is a mess. I’d better not say any more, as I reported it to the authorities; but I hope the culprit is found, and made to pay for the damage! This is far from the first time my bicycle has been tampered with at work; and this harassment is another reason I want to retire. It can’t come too soon!  

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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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Improvisation

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Improvisation Improvisation isn’t restricted to music. Most of us do it daily; and it’s a handy skill during a bicycle tour. Sometimes something breaks; and there’s no way to replace/fix it right away. Yet the tour must go on!  Then it’s time to get inventive. Once my hybrid’s kick stand gave way while I had the bike parked at work. The stand was bent; and when I put it in the “up” position, it dangled in a manner that meant it was in the way. I had to secure it somehow. Fortunately I had my reflective ankle bands with me. I used one to fasten the kickstand to the chain stay until I could get to the bike shop.  That’s only a very small example. Some riders have to find a way to rig up a temporary derailer; or deal with brake pads that start rubbing. A good way to minimize the risks for such problems is a good tune-up before the tour. It isn’t always the bicycles that go wrong. Camping equipment can cause problems. For instance, what do you do if your tent starts to leak? And, heaven forbid, did you forget an important item? That can make for a frustrating trip, no doubt. I resorted to improvisation at the salvage store this morning. I usually bring along some sort of cooler; and today I forgot it. What to do? I decided to get a bag of frozen corn; and I put the heat-vulnerable items in a bag with it. It worked pretty well. The salami stayed cool; and the chocolate-y things didn’t melt. I hope I don’t need to resort to improvisation tomorrow. It won’t be easy when I’m twenty miles from home!    

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School Again

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School Again It’s almost time for school again already! It always comes too soon, doesn’t it? It sure did when I was a kid! If there’s a safe place to ride, how about letting the kids get to school under pedal power? When I was a kid, there was absolutely no way we could safely do that. We had several miles to go; and part of the route was a rather narrow, two-way road with ditches on both sides; and no shoulders! Add heavy traffic; and such a ride, if possible at all, would have been terrifying! I wish now we could have walked; or ridden bicycles. This Huffy sounds like it can take a lot of hard use. The drawback is, I’m not sure it could be equipped with fenders and a luggage rack. Books and other supplies might have to be carried in a backpack. That can amount to quite a heavy load! The Huffy is also a one-speed. If the route includes any hills, the lack of extra gears will make the trip harder.   But we hear about how important physical activity is for anyone; and on the way home, the ride can let a child “blow off” some of the stresses of the day. If there’s some fun in getting there and back home, school again might be a bit easier. Oh, and don’t forget the helmet!

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looby loo

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Looby Loo? Here We Go Looby Loo came to mind when I thought about lubing my hybrid bike’s chain. I played that game when I was a child; but hadn’t thought about it in ages. After three days of mid-day downpours, a bicycle’s chain needs an oil job. On the other hand, why bother if it’s going to rain again the next day? More showers and T-storms are predicted for tomorrow, especially in the afternoon. Today it rained so hard that we got a flash flood warning! And poor St. Louis really got clobbered! If I decide to go “looby loo” tonight, maybe I’ll walk to work tomorrow. I’m getting rather tired of having my bicycle rained on; and of worrying that I’ll have to ride home in a deluge. The bicycle needs a good general cleaning, anyway.  I’ve been lucky lately with the weather for my early-morning rides. Yesterday it was mostly clear when I rode; and I saw the  old crescent moon. The dark part of the moon was visible; and one of the planets was close by. Venus, maybe. Today the moon was too low in the sky; and/or there were too many clouds. I had to make it rather short this morning. Some days I’m too sleepy to get going in time; and then I get aggravated with myself. I’m also annoyed with myself about my eating habits of late. I really need to get back on track!  It’s hard to eat a really good breakfast when I’m just home from an hour’s riding; have to get ready to go to work; and my appetite is suppressed from the exercise! It’s hard to pack enough food to carry along, too. I sure miss working from home; and want more than ever to retire.

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Fantasycart Unicycle

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Fantasycart Unicycle Fantasycart Unicycle sounds like a great vehicle for the adventurous. I’m not sure I want to try one; but if I were younger, maybe I would. And supposedly it’s not that difficult to learn! One-wheelers make me think of clowns. I don’t have any aspirations to become a clown; so maybe I’ll forget about unicycles. Actually, though, a “uni” has an advantage or two over a bicycle. If you store your “rides” indoors, the Fantasy Unicycle takes up less space than a regular bike. The same thing goes for parking if you ride the uni anywhere. Who knows — you might get away with carrying it into the store with you! Does having a load on your back make balancing on a unicycle harder? More specifically, will that load pull  you backwards? The uni doesn’t seem to have much room for a water bottle holder.  The seat tube looks like the only possible spot. And then you’d have to almost stand on your head to get the water bottle. I’m not sure I can do that and not lose my balance! Moreover, can this uni coast; or does the wheel stop if you stop pedaling? Thus a Camel-Bak seems like the only option for hydration if you want to ride far; but I don’t think this model is actually intended for long-distance rides. But even in cold weather, don’t skimp on hydration! That means learning to ride on one wheel with that load on your back. I’ve seen very few unicycle riders; and at my age, I’m disinclined to try. But as I said, if I were younger, maybe I’d go for it.

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Stroopwafels for Riding

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Stroopwafels for Riding Today I tried Stroopwafels for riding. I had the caramel variety; and though they taste good, they’re really too low in protein for ride food. So I took along some other food in case I needed it. Honey Stinger Chews rounded out the menu very nicely. A great advantage to Stroopwafels is that they don’t have a chocolate coating. This means that they’re much neater on a hot day. I do get tired of ride food that leaves smears of chocolate on my fingers! Stroopwafels are also very high in carbs; and not the good kind. When I eat stuff like that on the bike, I need to balance it with foods such as cauliflower. So now I’ve got to chop cauliflower for supper. This morning I put in 42.50 miles; and it was great to  have little or no wind! As I did last Sunday, I watched the clouds building up on the way home. Around 12:15 pm, I began to hear thunder; and I was glad I wasn’t out. Today I think I was flirting with dehydration. My post-long ride weight is usually least a pound more than my pre-long ride weight. This time, I gained only two-tenths of a pound; and I drank about three liters of water during my ride. Plus electrolyte drink! I guess I sweated it all out.  I don’t think I needed to eat more. Taking in 900 calories when I burned off 1180 calories seems reasonable. I’m not like a Tour de France rider, who might burn 5000 calories in a single stage. That reminds me — I haven’t looked at todays TdF pics yet!

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