February 4th rides

[DeniseGoldberg]

I woke up to clear blue skies, cold temperatures, and a bit of wind. I was hoping to ride today after skipping yesterday due to messy roads, but after listening to the wind for a while, I decided to walk instead. You know what happened though, don't you?

Fast walking, avoiding icy patches, brrr when the wind blows, but warm as toast when the wind stops. Hmmm...

I finished an hour-long walk still warm, listening to the desire in my heart. Into the house, a short discussion ensued with my bikes (what, you don't talk to your bikes?), tire pump active, putting air in the tires of the bike that insisted on joining me outside. I grabbed a quick snack, switched some clothing layers, and it was time to roll down the road.

It was a short ride - only 14 miles - but it made me happy to be out on the road on my bike. The temperature? It was 19 degrees Fahrenheit when I started out, with wind at 14 MPH gusting to 23 (according to the National Weather Service at a location in the town next to mine). Since I rode a big square, I did have the benefit of a snappy tailwind for part of my ride. And I endured the headwind; it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

I have a big smile on my face now...

--- Denise

[Triskeliongirl]

Well I had a glorious ride too. I wake up and check my computer, it is only 36 degrees, with windchill 28, BUT they promise it will warm up fast and the sun is out. So, we dress warmly and head out for a 9am club ride. Well, indeed it warmed up nicely probably in the high 50s or low 60s by the ride end. I took out Feronia, my travel bike that has become my *favorite* bike. The wind shifted as we rode, so I ended up with a tail wind the whole ride! The sun and air felt good, Feronia felt good, I felt good. Only 37 miles, wished it was longer it felt so good to be outside. Got home, took advantage of the nice day to give the bikes a good wash while DH grilled us a yummy fish. The forecast for the week looks really good. I think spring has come to Texas!

[mimitabby]

After riding so hard yesterday, i wanted a little ride today; focusing on the things my DH told me about hills, I needed practice standing on hills. So i did.
after 7 miles of up and down hills, I wore myself out (in my mind) but the day kept getting prettier, and fairly warm too. So I put the bianchi away and got out the raleigh.. WITH THE SPD's... Yes, ladies, I did it. I rode my bike outside with the SPD's. It didnt take long before I fell. Bam. I screamed. I wasn't hurt! i got up and did it again. It is not something that is going to be intuitive with me I'm sorry to say, but I rode about a mile and a half in the school yard, stopping, starting, pulling my feet out of the clips..

ak.

[Triskeliongirl]

MIMI, I absolutely hate spds. I rode with them for several years, but speedplay frogs are much easier to get in and out of, and much gentler on your knees!

[ace]

Yay!!! Mimi, I'm so psyched you got out with your clipless pedals...you should be very proud of yourself!!!

I have spds, keep 'em really loose, and after 3 months of having them, I am intuitively unclipping at all the right times. So just keep at it...keep practicing. I had 3 falls before I think it became deeply ingrained that I needed to clip out.

Make SURE they're really loose. My friend who put them on for me had one of them tightened all the way by accident, and that's part of the reason I had such a problem at the beginning.

[mimitabby]

MIMI, I absolutely hate spds. I rode with them for several years, but speedplay frogs are much easier to get in and out of, and much gentler on your knees!

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

Thanks for the encouragement Ace!

[Fredwina]

I did 26 miles. with 2,000 feet of climbing. Would have done more , but had to attend a Super Bowl party. Nice sunny day in the 70's, but some winds
Mimi - I've always used SPDs. I find it helps to clip out before you need to. I can pedal for several miles with clipping in. Comes in handy when mountain biking. Just remember , Practice makes perfect

[Triskeliongirl]

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

PT as in physical therapist? I am curious why. Mine told me I had to have something with a lot of float, like the frog. I would get hot foot and knee pain with spds. BUT, if you are committed to them then yes, be very sure they are set with the loosest tension. Which style do you have? I started with the type that are flat on one side and clipped on the other. That way you can clip out as you anticipate a traffic stop, and just pedal normally until the stop, etc. You can also start with one side clipped in, then both. However, I absolutely love my frogs, so you may want to ask you PT why he/she didn't think they are a good idea for you.

BUT THAT'S GREAT THAT YOU ARE STARTING TO USE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eden]

Yeah for Mimi! Once you get the hang of the pedals you'll wonder how you ever did without - do be careful about the tension setting on SPD's in either direction - too tight and its hard to get out and easy to tip over, but too loose is dangerous too. If you pull up hard on the pedals (think sprinting out the way of a car or a changing light) you can pull your foot out unexpectedly if the tension is too loose - if this happens you probably will take a rather inglorious spill.

Just to keep on topic ;) - had a nice 43 or so mile team ride. It did not rain on us - yeah! but it sure was muddy and gritty out today.

[salsabike]

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

Thanks for the encouragement Ace!

Mimi, Erik is pretty wedded to SPDs because the less float, the more efficient the pedaling cycle. He tried to make them work for me the best he could, and when they ended up bothering my knees again, I switched back to Frogs, which make my knees happy. I did buy some Quattros to try (more float than the SPDs, less than the Frogs), but just haven't gotten around to them yet. Anyway, I actually loved SPDs and found them easy to use. We keep ours pretty loose. It's just that my knees hated them. If they work for you, great--if not, you can still try Frogs.

[five one]

Way to go, Mimi! :D :D :D I started with SPD's and still use them. I fell a number of times because the tension was too tight. I panicked, and over I went. I agree with the others about keeping the tension loose. Keep the pedals clean as well. Just continue practicing in a safe environment until you feel comfortable. After awhile clipping put will be second nature and you won't have to think about it.

Today's ride was 43 miles through the farm and ranch land near by. DH got yet another flat. There seems to be a lot more debris than usual in the bike lanes and on the road shoulders. We had hazy sunshine and it was warm enough to shed vests and arm warmers about half way through the ride.

[Triskeliongirl]

Mimi, Erik is pretty wedded to SPDs because the less float, the more efficient the pedaling cycle.

It is simply not true that having less float is more effecient. Your hip and knee has a natural rotation to it, and float just lets your body move naturally, instead of being confined to move the single way its pinned down. Speedplay X2s with unlimited float are very popular in the pro peleton, and you would think those guys would be concerned with effeciency now wouldn't you. While spds bothered my knees, getting in and out quickly was an issue for me, especially when commuting in traffic. I just feel a lot safer with my frogs.

[Aggie_Ama]

SPD's here (for now) and I had a lot of problems learning. DH finally adjusted the tension on them to real loose and I like them. The only reason I am changing is a don't have dual-side entry. I test rode my bike with some store SPD's and nearly wrecked. I had to get the tension loosened to even get out cleanly.

We did 53.6 miles today. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! Sunny and 60's with practically no wind. The ride was a Beast, lots of climbing. I am sore but grateful to have logged 107 miles on a weekend the weather man thought would be ridiculously cold. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Mimi, congratulations on trying to ride with clipless! No matter which style of pedal, it takes a little while to get used to, but getting your courage up is most of the battle. So glad you did!

Emily

[SalsaMTB]

Well, my ride on Sunday turned out to be quite the disappointing ride. We have a weekly group social ride on Sundays and normally have good turnout, even on rainy days. I guess the cold got to everyone because this was our group:

Just two people (myself and DH)
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/916/dscn1465qh0.jpg


This was the reading in our car before the ride:
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4913/99451823ua5.jpg

There were 15mph winds so it felt like -18F. Brrrr.....! We rode down about one mile and turned around. I started to warm up, but DH was feeling nauseous from the cold. -4F is a tough temp to ride in. Legs, torso, arms, and feet all felt fine. Hands were freezing, the exposed skin on my face was killing me, and my eyes were not handling the cold so well either. So, we only did 2 miles. I could have pushed on further, but I think it was a good idea we turned around. I don't think it's good to have exposed skin at such cold temps. It's tough to cover the skin around the sunglasses. Also, I think I need chemical warmers for my hands. Pretty pathetic, but now I know I need to dress differently at that cold of temps or just ride the trainer!

[mimitabby]

SalsaMTB
thanks for the great pictures!! you made me laugh out loud. They are priceless.
I didnt even know that car gages went below zero!
I'm glad you were tough enough to go out but smart enough to give up at 2 miles.

My SPD's are as loose as they can be, they don't feel too loose, (but how would I know)
For now, I am going to keep them on the hybrid bike, I am nowhere near ready to go on a group ride with those things on!!

[Eden]

My SPD's are as loose as they can be, they don't feel too loose, (but how would I know)
For now, I am going to keep them on the hybrid bike, I am nowhere near ready to go on a group ride with those things on!!

With your bike safely on the trainer try hard to pull straight up out of them - maybe even use your husband as a spotter - cause you might tip over if one foot pops out. You really don't want to accidentally disengage - my hubby had a non-shimano pair of SPD pedals that had some release issues (even all of the way tightned down) - pulled both feet out in an intersection once and took quite a spill.

[mimitabby]

With your bike safely on the trainer try hard to pull straight up out of them - maybe even use your husband as a spotter - cause you might tip over if one foot pops out. You really don't want to accidentally disengage - my hubby had a non-shimano pair of SPD pedals that had some release issues (even all of the way tightned down) - pulled both feet out in an intersection once and took quite a spill.

Thanks Eden, I'll try that. So far, my knees have no issues, it's just a little weird with my right foot - the one with the eccentric orbit. the rest of me is where the issues are. it's so easy to pull out of the straps, just pull straight back.
Now I have to THINK.