Sunday, November 21, 2010

Cyclocross

I went with friends and family to witness my first Cyclocross today. I had heard a lot of hype about what to expect and I was thinking that it would be much more of a circus than it was. I was expecting it to be muddier than it was. I was expecting there to be more running than there was. I was expecting a lot more of....every thing than there was! What it did have were a lot of racers! There were more people on bikes there than I ever did see in one l place at one time. They were all going to be riding at one point of the day or the other. I think my small band were some of the few pure spectators there. I kind of felt out of place. I was there to support a small LBS owner who had given me a special bolt to fit an old bike. He did pretty well. He was racing Cat-4 and 45+ Masters. WOW! Were these guys fast! I was impressed. I am certainly in no shape ,yet, to even think about a cross race. There is racing right now and the Cat-1s go off in an hour or so. We had to come home because the babies were getting cold and tired. I was thinking about going back to watch the fast guys but I'm thinking that I'll just go for a ride so next year I can move from Cat-6 to Cat-4!

Oh, and PS two things:
  1. Those guys are FAST! The cat-4 guys, the over 45 guys, the over 55 guys even the kiddos are FAST!
  2. I didn't see a single Crosscheck in the pack. FWIW.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Boo-O-8

I took my new pride-and-joy out for a peddle today. I had some tinkering to do on it over the last few days and I knew that it was not 100% but it should have been road worthy. I had it on the stand last night and ran it through all the gears and adjusted the wheels and brakes so that, even though I knew the wheels weren’t 100% true, nothing rubbed and every thing worked as it should. I have a fancier model Peugeot that I rode around for quite a bit last year despite the fact that it was much, much too small for me. I guess I had too high expectations for this lowly UO-8.

Something was ticking. Front wheel or back, I couldn’t quite figure this out but I think it was the front. Last night I found a big divot on the back rim that caused one tire to blow out and another to almost explode. I used a pair of channel-locks to ease that ding back into place but it wasn’t a 100% fix so that was my immediate concern. I got off the bike and tried both wheels and they spun clear with no rubbing or real wobbling.

Secondly, there was something wrong with the peddling. As I would peddle through the 12 O’Clock position it would “click” on the left side. I have heard this noise before. I had hear this noise before. When I was ten. The kids with the crappiest bikes made this noise when they were peddling about. It was obnoxious then and it was obnoxious now. Of course, when I dismounted the bike and tried to re-create the sound by hand I was unable to do it.

The bike stopped poorly and handled poorly. It made noises that made me fear that it would explode or fall apart. It was nowhere near the ride of my PRN and certainly not even as nice as my Raleigh Marathon. I could pour a lot of work and money into it and I am sure that it would be a better riding bike! Sadly, I don’t have enough knowledge to diagnose these symptoms , nor the tools to fix most of them. I have a UO-14 in size extra-large that also rides nicer than this turd. That bike I got for free. I’m gonna slap a set of fenders on that and ride that as my winter beater. Perhaps I will make the time and money investment to make the UO-8 special but for the time being it seems as if I made a bad call with this one!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Three Speeds Again.

I dug the old three speed out of the cellar tonight and took her for a little around the block. Last year I never got her working right and I ma afraid that I might not this year either. I also remember thinking last year that three speeds simply were not enough. I think that i may have spoken too soon. I did not try to tackle and of the bigger hill on my usual route but I did some light climbing and first gear wasn't that bad. I suspect that with a larger rear cog fitted it would be fine for most around-town circumstances. I felt that I was going "more than fast enough" in third gear and I would have had to be peddling a lot faster to have been "spinning". The Kenda Cyclocross tires that I fitted to the bike (a mistaken purchase that turned out serendipitously) proved to be plenty grippy and plush on my all steel bicycle.

Sadly, all is no well. My sprung Brooks saddle that is so much the rage on the internet was found to be rather un-comfortable. I suspect that a few simple adjustments wold rectify this situation. Of a more dire concern is the front wheel. It sat tight and spun true when the bike was on the stand, but on the road it wobbles from side to side in the fork. I understand that thee is suppoed to be a certain amount of "play" in the front wheel of a bicycle like this but the amount of play resulted in an unstable feeling and a tire that rubbed against the fender. Both potentially dangerous situations. I have been lax in the past to spend any dough on this bike,not knowing if I had any real use or interest in it as I never got it quite out the door last year. This year, I think it might be "worth it" to have the hub situation looked into. I suspect that they might need new bearings or something. Methinks that this might be the excuse that I have been looking for to make the Pilgrimage to Harris Cyclery that I have always wanted to make. Maybe I'll run into a "certain someone" while I am there!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Dumpy Bicycle

Two days ago I made the "jump" to the "Ten Mile" ride. I had to walk up "The Nemesis" from Juniper road to the top and had to walk up the back side of "Cemetery Hill" but I did it! I was prety stoked. I tried again today, even though I wasn't "feeling it". But it worked out better than two days ago. I made it all the way to Sleepy Hollow Road and didn't have to walk all the way up! I didn't even slow down to get past the cemetery. That's not the story. That's what's supposed to happen. The more that you ride the better you are supposed to get. The story is how I was dressed!



I was dressed like this. I know! How could I? No spandex (hold on)? No "tech" fabric (sorta)? So what the hell was I wearing? My gloves were nice gel-palm motorcycling gloves that made the transition very well thank you. I had on LL Bean hiking socks under tennis shoes. Had it been colder or rainier I would have been wearing them under gortex hiking boots.Tear-away insulated wind pants and a nylon wind breaker with a giant, reflective "N" on the back complete the outer layer. A hooded nylon windbreaker at that. Fuck it. As shocking as it may sound, I didn't even knit my own cycling-specific hat! I chose a DepartMart helmet instead. I'm sure that since it's cycling specific, said hat would provide nearly the same protection in the event of a crash, but I'm not sure. I DO know that it wouldn't blow off of my hair.

As much as I would love to rip on people who get overly involved in the fashion of cycling clothing I will have to admit that beyond a shadow of a doubt a shell worn for cycling should NOT have a big ol' hood, unless it zips securely into the collar. In the best of circumstances it billows out behind you in a way that reminds one of exactly NOT a silk scarf of a WWI Flying Ace. It also impedes one's view of traffic as seen over either the left or right shoulder. Under other circumstances it can un-furl itself (from it's position rolled up and tucked under the collar) as you are descending a hill at high speed. This has several effects. First, it scares the heck out of you when you hear the very loud "SNAP" right behind your (fortunately helmeted) head. Secondly, it creates a great deal of drag that is uncomfortable and slows you down like a parchute coming out of the aft end of a dragster.

Under that exotic mix of clothing I wore my GI issued Poly-pro shirt, and on the bottom layer my (too small) cycling jersey and my bike shorts with the little pad thingie in them. It was 48 degrees out today, according to the Interweb, and I was just on the wrong side of too warm with this outfit. The only saving grace is the humungus neck opening of the wind breaker that made quite a nice vent. I tell you these things not to show how much money I spent on my kit or display how fashionable I looked as I achieved neither of these goals. I show you what I was wearing because I want every one to know, especially thos of us old, fat, and new to cycling, that it CAN be done and done on the cheep and without over much regard to what you fucking look like. True to the original nature and intent of this blog, I also posted them for myself. I did this for two reasons. Foremost, I wanted a before shot. I'm topping in at 232 right now. That is the fattest and most disgusting I have ever been in the whole history of me. Secondly, as I reviewed the photos that were taken today, I realized that I do not look totally rediculous in my little outfit. I'm not going to get hired on as a cycling cloths model, that's for sure but a little spandex didn't make my fat rolls pop out that badly.

So there it is. I got out there and did a good job. I did it without breaking the bank on a bunch of "high tech" event-specific clothing and I did it without breaking the bank on a bunch of "old school" tweedy-wooly crap. I used what I had on hand and looked OK doing it. More importantly, I stayed warm and dry and had a great ride!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Out with the boy

I thought that it might be too cold to put The Bruce in his bike seat so I thought that I'd drag out his little trailer, even though I'm not convinced that it's the best thing to use on the roads. I guess I made the right choice and that he was pretty stoked to go for a ride as he almost ran me over to get to his trailer. As soon as I unsnapped the flap he was in! He even sat patiently in the seat while I buckled him in. I bundled him up and off we went. I spent more time looking back to try and get a feel for exactly where the trailers wheels were as I cruied along and I avoided what I think is the most dangerous part of the ride (narrow, fast and full of traffic). We made it home safe and sound, I got a little exercise and my boy LOVED the ride!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Testing, testing

My Ride.


I got the new chain and derailure on the BOP (Big 'Ole Peugeot) last night and got the new tube in and got every thing adjusted. I took her out for a spin this afternoon and I have to say that I love how it rode. Despite the fact that I really, really want this bike to work for me it simply IS too large. It's funny but I have a 60cm Raleigh Marathon that fits me very well, and I have a 54cm PRN-10 that is supposed to be too small for me but is not that bad really. Yet, bumping the frame up just 4cm is over the top. It worked well if it weren't for the looong reach to the bars it would be.....still too big for me. Saddle is slammed and the darn thing makes me feel like a10 year old who stole his fathers whip.

My Skilz.

A win is a win right? Well, until your next loss any way and when you loose two in a row, at home, it shakes your confidence and tonight my confidence is shook! Monday night, hen I had game I took the front tire off the Triumph, flipped it around so it was rolling the right way, changes the tube,re-installed the fender so that it didn't rub and called it a day. The chain, I noticed was prety loose, so I left it on the Park Tools Repair Stand to await final adjustment. Which was today. The day that I found out that one of the nuts that hold the back wheel on is stripped or something. Hum, I wonder, too late, if the nuts are different sizes from one side of the wheel to the next? IDK. I'm going to try to get another nut. I hope that they are not some Raleigh-specific spec. that is un-replaceable!

Well, since THAT didn't work out I thought that I would adjust the handle bars on the PRN-10. I got a socket in there and loosened the pinch-bolt, rotated the bars to the desired position and then could NOT get the bolt to tighten. The thing just spin in it's little housing as I try to tighten the nut. There is no slot for a screwdriver or other tool. I tried to hold it still with my thumb but, clearly, that didn't work. So, I am at a loss as how to tighten what should be a fool-proof bolt to adjust! Two losses in a row. I quit and went upstairs to play with the baby.

Monday, November 8, 2010

OK, I believe!

I believe in U-Locks. I bought one. A very big one. A Kryptonite one, so if Superman tries to steal my bike I'm all set. If I have it with me. It's pretty big and pretty heavy. It came with a mounting thingie so I mounted it. I put it on the 91.5 inch 820, so it's a pretty big frame compared to what most people ride most of the time, especially considering the store where I purchased it. I had a dickens of a time trying to sort out where to put it. In the end I have it on the seatpost in such a manner that it rotates on it's mount to (hopefully) rest against the left rear seat-stay. As long as it works that way I'm golden. If it winds up flopping back and forth and banging off my calf and the bike I'm going to wind up carrying it over the handle bars and if I do that I'm going to wind up launching it through some one's window.

I believe in this guy:
[QUOTE=The Historian;11749342]... I had a pair of size 13 hiking boots (that he passed on to some one else) and they'll make a difference on his long walks, hikes, and winter riding. Ditching the idea that I wasn't athlete enough for specialized gear was part of getting rid of the fat mentality with me...
[/QUOTE]

Wow. So simple and so deep. You see, one of the things that I have fretted over was that my feet would get cold/wet when riding in the cold/wet conditions that we find ourselves in now. I went to the extreme of finding quick-drying, moistuer wicking, wet-insulating socks. I got them mostly because I couldn't move my mind any farther along than "...because my sneakers are going to get soaked through any way". Yea, but my GORTEX HIKING BOOTS wouldn't! Duh! Let's face facts: I'm not trying to win the TDF, or even get my 'Cross on. I'm looking to ride around the block a few times and drop some tonnage and have a good time. I can sure as shit do that with hiking boots (which co-incidentally have nice stiff soles that make peddling more fun). At the deeper level, I am on-board witht he thought that, even though I'm a borderline bufarillo that does NOT look attractive in spandex, having sport-specific clothing can make the activit y more enjoyable. If I'm having more fun I do it more often and if I do it more often I have more fun and so on and so on and so on.

I believe in fenders! I put them on the 820 because it's my "utility" bike and all "utility" bike have to have fenders! Truth: they have kept a little water off of me from time to time navigating throug some puddle some where but I remember, oh yes I remember. I remember being a teenager when the bike wasn't a toy or a piece of sporting equipment. It was transportation. It was freedom. Except when it rained. Yep, we got soaked but mostly we got that long, grimy, dirty, wet stripe up out back and over our but and all up the inside of each leg. HA! NOT with the fenders (yes, this was my first time riding in the actual rain sine I was about 15). They work as advertised. The rain gear did NOT sieve through like it does on the motorbike. The gortex hiking boots worked wonderfully. It was amazing: a catharsis.

Sadly, I also believe that I am fat and out of shape and am going to have to re-dedicate myself to riding. It's about time for that any way. What better season to tackle those out-door type activities than Winter?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

One of the MOST important things in leading a cycling life style is...

... HAVING SOMEPLACE TO GO!!!! I got off my 24 at 7am, went home, and un-wound for a bit. I couldn't fall asleep but I certainly didn't have the energy to go for a ride. I went to bed woke up, got organized and brought the dog to his training class 12 miles away. Although I was rushed I DID take a moment to envy those "Car Free" people and the time, advance planning skills and ingenuity it would take them to haul a 60 pound dog 12 miles in 20 min without a motor! Then I snapped back to it, loaded his little but in the Jeep, got a cheeseburger and and we hit the books, so to speak. On the way home I contemplated "going for a ride" when I got there. Somehow a "fitness" ride in the freezing cold and dark didn't seem, well, any [I]fun[/I]. I started to look for "excuses" to ride. Go visit friends? Well, if that was something that grown, married men with a pack of kids in the house randomly did on a Wednesday night that would be a great excuse. But it's not. I could got to the pub for a few pints. There is a Bike Blogger that got his bike stolen and then crashed it out engaging in this sort of activity. I commend him! Sadly, that's not the type of activity that one engages in with said pack of kids, a wife, a girlfriend and a 7am on-the deck time to start another 24 hour sift. Not on a Wednesday. Errands! I can run an errand. At eight thirty on a Wednesday night. If I were a drug dealer or I needed something from CVS or store 24, which I definitely do not. Even if I wanted to get drugs, or even some beers but then we get back the that whole "Family" and "Responsability" thing. Truth to be told, I don't run many "errands" any way. "errands", I have found is just a fancy way of saying "spending money" and I don't spend a lot of money that I don't need to, other than on drugs and beer, and my lovely wife is in charge of spending the money that we DO need to so, ipso-facto: no ":errands"! BAM! (I just threw that in there. I don't know why but probably because I feel that I am on some kind of "roll" or something). So, in the end I squandered hours and hours of time that could have been spent dodging cars and frostbite out there in he darkness. OK. Sure. There are things that I can "get". I can get lights, or special socks or blinky things and a battery that looks like a water bottle. Truth be told, I am SO over the "getting things" part of cycling. I don't want any more "things" other than maybe a "modern" road bike or MTB next season. I don't want to spend any more money on cloths or gadgets or things that heat my undies or flash or blink or strobe. What I want is motivation. What I want is opportunity. What I want is freedom. What I want is SOME WHERE TO GO!