April Rides

[Crankin]

I had a meeting at a school on my "day off," so I couldn't go on the club ride. Probably a good thing. So, after lunch, I rode 7.2 miles to meet 2 friends for coffee in west Acton. Now, these were the same exact roads for the first part of my Saturday ride, when I felt great. Today, my legs are toast. I think the commuting is going to take some getting used to, even though I keep thinking "it's only 10.4 miles round trip." Last night, I wanted to throw out my pannier on the way home! Anyway, after the coffee, I made myself go a very long way home (14 miles), mostly uphill. While I did get my average up on the return trip, to what it was Saturday (still not great), I was hurting. Plus, I was kind of overdressed. By the time I got to my neighborhood, I had unzipped my jersey and and I took my jacket off and tied it around my neck, as well as taking off my gloves and light head cover. I would not have got up the hill with that stuff on.
21 miles. Wearing my compression tights, which haven't seen the light of day in a couple of years.

[ny biker]

Well, sometimes you just have a bad day. Hopefully that's what you had on Wednesday. Though you may find you need to alter your workout schedule to accommodate the bike commutes without wearing yourself out.

I finally got out for an after-work ride on Wednesday. This was the first week since Daylight Saving Time started that we had decent weather.

Since I am now working at a different office that is farther from home, I have to drive to a small park that is near my old office and start the ride there. (There are no good places to ride near the new office, and besides I really like the route near my old office.) However I have an ongoing problem getting out of work early enough to do the things I want/need to do in the evenings. Something always seems to come up at the last minute. So I left work later than I wanted, then got stuck in traffic caused by an accident. I ended up exiting the highway early and using back roads I've learned through cycling. Yeah bikes.

Though I was starting later than I wanted, it was still light out for about half the ride. I did a slightly shorter version of the usual route. I think it was about 16 miles total. There are lots of short hills, and some are quite steep, so my pace is always a bit slow on these rides. But I was happy that I averaged close to my normal pace, even though I'm not riding nearly as much now as I do during the summer.

The weather was pleasant, in the 60s. After sunset it felt a bit chilly. But I was generally comfortable with Shebeest capris, a long sleeved base layer and short sleeved jersey. I added a wind vest and windproof gloves near the end. No booties, no thermal tights, no caps or ear warmers or windproof jacket. It was so nice.

I was very happy afterwards.

[Fredwina]

I did a whole five miles, with the furniture getting here yesterday
300 junk bikes. There was supposed to be a freeway(I-40) built through here,but it was blocked:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cJ_IWUBEFbY/Uz4Iz7nDv3I/AAAAAAAAXp0/RyytEyTqego/s640/100_3205.JPG
Back side of the Memphis zoo:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yklr356HF0c/Uz4I5cTn4oI/AAAAAAAAXqM/otykKHWD5ng/s400/100_3208.JPG
Levitt Shell, where a 19 year old Elvis Presley gave his first concert as an opening act for Slim Whitman:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Oo5B1nAb6Z8/Uz4I8KGOv5I/AAAAAAAAXqc/CcQWf-Lsr7w/s640/100_3210.JPG
This is supposed to be a guitar:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rGUqLFSHVAg/Uz4I9n2U3ZI/AAAAAAAAXqk/kYqZwe5Eoww/s640/100_3211.JPG

[azfiddle]

I got out Weds after work, but only because one of my cycling team buddies who also started the coaching program said "I need to ride". Wind were 20 with gusts to over 30 which usually more than I want to deal with. When we got to the start, she said, "I only came because you said you were going to ride". Ha ha. But anyway, we rode the loop at Saguaro NP, which is somewhat sheltered from the wind and it wasn't too bad. Then we did 3 extra miles back and forth to the picnic ground to work on our cadence.

Today I rode in to work and will get in 20-22 miles depending on my route home. At least they are only predicting winds of 17 with gusts to 26 (headwinds) on the way home.. Well, the DH always says: "More exercise!".

[ny biker]

Fredwina, it took me a minute but I can see the guitar. That's neat.

[Fredwina]

Thanks
I went downtown and back. Not getting much with the job search and taking care of Mom (life is never easy)
Memphis Belle:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_mdc2BH37BM/Uz9O7JulxLI/AAAAAAAAXrU/ZaCZMprkkGU/s640/100_3214.JPG
Kinetic sculpture from bicycle wheels:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ObQQOQjZzoM/Uz9O9E-X5rI/AAAAAAAAXrk/620oK0ra_rI/s640/100_3216.JPG
Main st. downtown:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ETyM2HgTuJA/Uz9O-z9DkbI/AAAAAAAAXrs/DYSmTA-7sVc/s640/100_3218.JPG
Who's this guy?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tSAEkmgHCiI/Uz9PEb62JQI/AAAAAAAAXsM/RPtA1e2ynvo/s640/100_3222.JPG

[salsabike]

Great pictures, Fredwina!

[emily_in_nc]

I love that bicycle arch, Fredwina -- thanks for posting!

We made our way back from Patagonia, AZ to Prairie Village, KS over three days March 31-April 2, so no riding those days, just a lot of driving -- and two "spring forwards" during the trip. Ouch!

Yesterday after a morning re-stocking at Costco, we had a nice ride in the afternoon with temps in the mid-60s and climbgin to the low-70s. I couldn't believe how strong I felt. I guess the hills and higher elevation of southern Arizona and lots of Feb/March miles really made a huge difference as riding here felt so EASY. Average speed didn't reflect that with all the stops and turns in this urban/suburban environment, but it was a fun 25 miles.

A front blew in (and I do mean BLEW) in overnight, and today it was overcast and cold with a strong northwest wind. Windchill in the 30s in the afternoon. From wearing shorts and short-sleeve jerseys yesterday, today I bundled up for a walk in wool, gloves, a scarf, and hat. Hoping to get out for another ride tomorrow as the temp is supposed to warm up a bit in the the afternoon -- and we should see the sun. Spending the entire winter in the south has made chilly early spring weather difficult to take!

[Crankin]

I commuted yesterday. The compression tights did their job Wed. night, as I went to bootcamp on Thurrdsay, and my legs felt fine yesterday (well, there was that little 10-15% climb with a packed pannier, on the way home). Today we are presenting at our club's bike workshop. Four hours of telling people that you don't wear underwear with bike shorts :). Seriously, I love doing this, but it's 4 one hour workshops, plus a lunch when people always ask lots of questions. My allergies are going nuts, my head is full, and I hope I don't lose my voice today. I had thought I might go on a short ride after this, but I am taking a rest day, so I can do a long ride tomorrow.

[ny biker]

I just came home from a 42-mile ride with a few friends. It was breezy but the sun was warm (I think it was just about 60 degrees) for most of the ride. The only real chill was during our two rest stops at parks on the Patuxent River, with the breeze coming off the water. When we started I was wearing a windbreaker and had wool leg warmers covering my lower legs, but I switched to a vest after a few miles and removed the leg warmers about halfway through the ride. We finished just in time -- some clouds rolled in while I was at a nearby deli getting a sandwich, and it pretty chilly without the direct sun.

We saw some daffodils and some purple wildflowers but the big tall trees are still bare. I'm still eager to see the leaves come back, even though I know the pollen will be unpleasant.

Our pace was a bit slower than usual today, since one friend is dealing with some knee troubles and we're all still getting back in shape after the long cold winter. But it was a nice ride, with good company and nice rural roads.

[azfiddle]

Today was ride up Mt. Lemmon. I don't always know how far I'll get- today I was trying to do standing intervals while climbing, and needed to go further than the two friends I was riding with at the time (our group splits up as it starts climbing). I ended up making it to the overlook at Seven Cataracts, a little over 5000 ft. I remembered to take some pictures for a change.
1700417005170061700717008

[rebeccaC]

Santa Monica Mountains for a 68 mile ride. Perfect weather for climbing, which must have been the reason for the more bicyclists than usual, especially on Old Topanga Road.

http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-T8NdRmr/0/XL/i-T8NdRmr-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-xb2Vh27/0/XL/i-xb2Vh27-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-dB2ptBC/0/XL/i-dB2ptBC-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-2gZcXPg/0/XL/i-2gZcXPg-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-XwTMprd/0/XL/i-XwTMprd-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-k5S34g6/0/XL/i-k5S34g6-XL.jpg

[emily_in_nc]

Today was ride up Mt. Lemmon. I don't always know how far I'll get- today I was trying to do standing intervals while climbing, and needed to go further than the two friends I was riding with at the time (our group splits up as it starts climbing). I ended up making it to the overlook at Seven Cataracts, a little over 5000 ft. I remembered to take some pictures for a change.

Good job! We drove up to see the beauty of Mt. Lemmon when we spent Feb. in Tucson but just did not feel conditioned enough to attempt riding it. If we'd had another month in Tucson, then perhaps. But I could see how incredibly difficult it would be.

[emily_in_nc]

Today we did a 31-mile urban ride on the MTBs -- five miles to the Indian Creek Trail, 21 miles of trail (got stopped by deep mud in KCMO), five miles back. I pulled a real dumbazz move and left my bike seat bag open after our rest stop for a snack, and my phone popped out at some point on the ride. I did this exact same thing in Belize, so you'd think I'd know better!

We went back but could never find it, and calling it went straight to voicemail, so either it fell out on the road and got crushed by a car, or someone picked it up and was furiously using my minutes (I had a lot). So, I had to race over to Walmart to buy a new phone (Net10 prepaid), call and have my number and minutes transferred over, and all is well now. I lost my contacts but didn't have many as I am not a phone person. Fortunately DH has most of the same ones I did. And the new phone was only $20. Just one of several reasons I only have a cheap, dumb phone and not a pricey iPhone! I'm way too accident-prone.

Aside from that, it was a great 31-mile ride, a little chilly (50s) but sunny. Supposed to warm up a bit over the next few days. Come on spring!

[colorisnt]

Emily, wow. That's good that it wasn't much to replace.

Beautiful stuff, RebeccaC. What camera are you using? I am going to start bringing the DSLR on some rides in my trunk bag soon. But we need to have some pretty weather first. Today, we did just about 20 miles on the road and trail. Tomorrow, I think we will do about the same. We stayed on the MKT until the washout area. Bad flooding screws up the trail big time.17009

[Crankin]

Rode about 22 miles of a 29 mile club ride I designed last year. Our venue for the start of our bike rally has changed, so we will be doing a different route this June. Sad, because we had rave reviews about the route, but the venue for this year is better. Change, like after 25 years for the club.
Anyway, it's brilliantly sunny and 55 out, but, with a cool wind, gusting up to about 10. Because we started at our friends' house, the biggest climb is right in the beginning. I felt like i was struggling for the first half, but I got myself going at the end. DH is struggling more than me, so I am chuckling. Tons of cyclists out today. Nice to do our first ride with our friends, although my friend is very slow at this time of year, so I really didn't see her, except for the beginning, once when we stopped and waited, and at the end.
Now I am deciding what to do tomorrow. It is going to rain on Tuesday and Friday, the days I usually commute. I could ride to work tomorrow and go to the gym Tuesday, or I could ride to the gym at 4:50 AM (I've done it), then ride to work, as it's pretty close. But, I'd have to pack so much crap, not sure I want to. I was planning to do a group ride Wednesday, and now my friend, who is a slow rider wants to ride with me. I am trying to do more club rides, to increase my speed, but I hate to say no to her.

[Fredwina]

I did get out yesterday and today:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dfyes05Kcgo/U0BoEAZRWaI/AAAAAAAAXuI/YecAgt97GnY/s640/100_3236.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t_ov6NoJfLc/U0BoFeOFJWI/AAAAAAAAXuQ/Hp0mRwBCqrQ/s640/100_3237.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mVXrk8vbltU/U0G3X9vwotI/AAAAAAAAXwc/1z6bnb9mg2U/s640/100_3252.JPG

[Jolt]

Finally some nice riding weather! Rode for about 45 minutes today, first ride on a road bike I picked up off Craigslist over the winter...kind of a nerve racking ride not being used to the bike yet and having to deal with all the sand and broken pavement on skinnier tires (probably fat to most of you...28s, but skinny for me). Also the first ride on a new saddle...decided to try a Selle Anatomica (Titanico) after hearing a lot of good reviews but not sure it is going to work well for me at all. I did realize after getting home that it wasn't on quite straight, so will have to try again now that that's fixed, but the edges of the leather were digging into the backs of my inner thighs and I had some other soft tissue discomfort as well, despite the cutout. Not fun at all. If it hadn't been for the saddle discomfort, I probably would have stayed out longer since it was such a nice day. If I ride tomorrow it will probably be on the other bike (Trek 830 frankenbike in avatar) where I can relax and enjoy the ride despite the current crappy state of the roads.

[ny biker]

Rode about 22 miles of a 29 mile club ride I designed last year. Our venue for the start of our bike rally has changed, so we will be doing a different route this June. Sad, because we had rave reviews about the route, but the venue for this year is better. Change, like after 25 years for the club.
Anyway, it's brilliantly sunny and 55 out, but, with a cool wind, gusting up to about 10. Because we started at our friends' house, the biggest climb is right in the beginning. I felt like i was struggling for the first half, but I got myself going at the end. DH is struggling more than me, so I am chuckling. Tons of cyclists out today. Nice to do our first ride with our friends, although my friend is very slow at this time of year, so I really didn't see her, except for the beginning, once when we stopped and waited, and at the end.
Now I am deciding what to do tomorrow. It is going to rain on Tuesday and Friday, the days I usually commute. I could ride to work tomorrow and go to the gym Tuesday, or I could ride to the gym at 4:50 AM (I've done it), then ride to work, as it's pretty close. But, I'd have to pack so much crap, not sure I want to. I was planning to do a group ride Wednesday, and now my friend, who is a slow rider wants to ride with me. I am trying to do more club rides, to increase my speed, but I hate to say no to her.

I've found that club rides slow me down, especially when I lead rides. I ride sweep at the low end of the speed range for the ride category, and there always seems to be someone riding slower. I don't want to leave them behind, even though I'm riding at the advertised pace and they're not -- I usually don't know if they're just having a bad day or if they normally ride that slow. But I'm kinda tired of having to hold back and not get the workout that I was hoping to get.

[colorisnt]

It's hard with the pace. I'm okay with it in days when I am not working on pacing but it's really hard for me when I am really, really trying to work on good speed! I, thankfully, am pacing closer to the BF now. He's still slower but not by much anymore. I've been spinning all winter and he's been doing nothing haha. So, he's been out of the game. He will lap me soon. It's good encouragement to try to stay with him.

Today, we did 20 miles of hills. I think I am finally getting the gearing right on the MTB. Despite the heavier bikes, we did great. BF hadn't ever ridden that much in the country before but he did great with the cars. We kicked butt! I also used my road bike saddle today and it improved my ride 110%!

[Crankin]

NY, I was just with friends today. I just got the route for Wed. and I am leaning to bagging it, going with my friend, and using the ride to my house and home as a time to ride faster. The group is going up into the town I lived in when I first moved here; the issue is the shorter ride 26 miles is stopping at a butterfly museum, which I have no interest in, and the longer ride is 37 miles, in a very hilly area past the museum. Plus, those riders are fast (for me) and I am not sure I can keep up, or I will be that person behind the sweep :). Seriously, when DH and I lead, I do the sweeping and on the 2 rides we do early season, it is show and go... there is always someone who shouldn't be there. Other rides, they have to call me and I screen them.

[Jolt]

Rode just under 8 miles each way to a friend's house in the next town, to see her and her new baby. Lots of hills on the route! I rode the bike with fatter tires today and was glad I did given the amount of broken pavement and frost heaves--that's spring in New England. Definitely a ways to go as far as getting broken in to the saddle again...was feeling that soreness in the derriere on today's ride.

[azfiddle]

Emily- just saw your comment. Mt. Lemmon is not so much hard, as just a long, constant climb. The grade is mainly 5% and so it's just a steady uphill slog. I average 6-7 mph when I'm moving but I stop every few miles and take a little rest.

Last trip I stopped around mile 7 (mainly due to time constraints). This trip, about mile 9. Next trip I'll go to either 11.5 (Middle Bear Canyon) or Windy Point (mile 14).

[ny biker]

Emily- just saw your comment. Mt. Lemmon is not so much hard, as just a long, constant climb. The grade is mainly 5% and so it's just a steady uphill slog. I average 6-7 mph when I'm moving but I stop every few miles and take a little rest.

Last trip I stopped around mile 7 (mainly due to time constraints). This trip, about mile 9. Next trip I'll go to either 11.5 (Middle Bear Canyon) or Windy Point (mile 14).

I still have not tried the Mt Lemmon climb on my Spinervals Tuscon DVD. I assume there is a long period of riding in a high gear. The scenery looks nice, though, so I will try it out -- but not until next winter, since I'm really over the whole indoor cycling thing at this point.

I've ridden part of Skyline Drive once. It's a series of climbs like what you describe -- long but not steep. It was definitely challenging, but also lots of fun.

[azfiddle]

NY Biker-

I am so thankful that the weather here allows us to ride year round. Mt. Lemmon is the only long ride I can do in the mid-summer.

[emily_in_nc]

Yesterday was my 53rd birthday, and because I didn't have the time or inclination to ride 53 miles, we did another urban ride on the mountain bikes and rode 35 miles on the bike path and roads there and back (which, for those geeks like me, is actually 53 in hexidecimal!) Had to go to the bank and a grocery store, so riding the MTBs with racks and Tailriders made sense. It was a good, long-enough ride.

After showers, we then celebrated with BBQ and ice cream out last night! :D

[ny biker]

Happy birthday!!

(I thought "dyslexia," not "hexidecimal.")

[rebeccaC]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Emily!!!!....ice cream ftw I remember Balsano's Gelato from a trip to KC if it's still there you might like it.

[Crankin]

Happy Birthday, Emily. Doing that miles for your age thing starts getting a bit "old," when you are over 50. I'll keep doing it, but wonder how I'll feel when I'm 65 or 70!

[ny biker]

I know someone who led a 72-mile club ride to celebrate his 72nd birthday last year. On the flip side, there used to be a guy in this area who led a group ride of (100 - his age) miles each year for his birthday.

I hope I'm able to ride my age when I'm 65 or 70, even if I don't want to.

[Crankin]

Oh, yeah, I am one of the youngest members of the Wed. group I ride with, and I'm 60. There are a few new people, but they are all at least in their 40s-50s. Some of the strongest riders are at least 65, and a few years ago, I went on a ride led by a guy my father's age :eek:. He still rides, at 89, but not with the main group. There is now a splinter group that does Mondays on the bike path or other flat roads.
I did not go on the group ride today; not a particularly wonderful area to ride in for this early in the season, for me. DH worked at home, so we just came back from our go to loop, which is hilly enough. Hit my target average for the first time this season. It's really windy out... sustained 10-15 miles an hour with some gusts. Felt good after the initial climb and false flat on this route.

[Fredwina]

Last night, I did my first group ride since I left California. Mostly meandering around Midtown, and the pace was nothing to brag on, but it did feel good.

[ny biker]

I did my weekly hill ride last night. It was pleasant, not as chilly as I expected it to be.

Lessons learned:
1. the salmon and asparagus sandwich from Whole Foods tastes good, but it's small and not enough of a lunch to get me through an evening bike ride.
2. I should keep a box of cereal bars in my bike bag for days when lunch is not enough to get me through an evening bike ride.

I'm also thinking of moving the ride start from a park near my old office to another park that is farther west. I pass both of them on my route, and the one to the west is closer to my office, which means less time wasted in traffic driving to the ride start.

[pll]

Very happy to get a longish ride today (56 miles and change), my first ride with short sleeves and shorts of 2014! I had a nasty cold this week, which had me down with a fever on Wednesday, so I was pleased to bounce back and be able to ride today. I explored some roads in Maryland, going further NW than I in previous rides. I am not sure how I will handle the summer heat in this part of the country if it can be 76 in April (and 84 tomorrow)...

[Fredwina]

I did about 12 miles last night. This is an old railroad overpass:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7VAUza32K_4/U0iIgjardAI/AAAAAAAAXz4/T8scv-FvXwA/s640/100_3261.JPG
I did a bunch of places today and got in 26 miles!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nPWX8hqfBXo/U0mPTlOlwJI/AAAAAAAAX38/2QBfGpZHIco/s640/100_3268.JPG
Martyrs Park:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ytS3Nd-GKjA/U0mPmFmPYDI/AAAAAAAAX5E/1o3dPBCiQ70/s640/100_3277.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_uTvO5ezBxg/U0mPnu_F84I/AAAAAAAAX5M/7g6Z4Pl_g3U/s640/100_3278.JPG
The Civil Rights Museum. The wreath is where Dr. King was standing:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-489V4dnURrA/U0mPuy72FLI/AAAAAAAAX5s/LVwdTWDt5d0/s640/100_3282.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yTjw0BrK4h4/U0mPw6Y6fNI/AAAAAAAAX50/Ob5yJLC4UKk/s640/100_3283.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JiZDY6WtgUA/U0mP1TcSrHI/AAAAAAAAX6E/_C2B4WT2THM/s640/100_3285.JPG
quite literally stumbled across this:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rOS5VJnV6PU/U0mP9SLhRwI/AAAAAAAAX6o/lKvJ7SYrkVs/s640/100_3289.JPG
nice rack:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EIDObHL2lWA/U0mLiVBlc4I/AAAAAAAAX2M/o9hXw1E17EA/s640/100_3296.JPG
Mid-south Coliseum and the Liberty Bowl:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yOIErTFMMyU/U0mLjD7AhXI/AAAAAAAAX2U/jOY8GEYp61Y/s640/100_3297.JPG
FedEx on approach to Memphis International:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QefNUDbuVvE/U0mLlQVmI6I/AAAAAAAAX2k/APT97snYDG0/s640/100_3299.JPG

[pll]

Always love your pictures Fredwina!

[Crankin]

First shorts/short sleeved ride for me, too. I did have arm warmers on for the first 6-7 miles, though. However, I only rode 21 miles. You guys are making me feel bad.
Nice out, about 70 when I got back. Kinda windy. Tomorrow we are riding the new route for our club rally, that we lead in June. It's about 30 miles.

[azfiddle]

I rode Monday, Wednesday, Friday and today this week. Since I started the coaching program this month, I am getting out with a purpose most days: high cadence, standing intervals, etc. It's hardly ever "just a ride"... But it has been good getting out more often. Today's ride was a longer than usual route out to Saguaro National Park, with one 8 mile loop through the park, for 40 miles total. It was warm, but not hot yet in the mornings - and windy.

[Crankin]

No pictures today...
We were supposed to do a test ride of our new AMC bike rally route with our friends, but it was rainy this morning and not so warm. They didn't want to ride in the afternoon, and went to the gym. We waited until 2:00 to leave, and voila, the sun came out and it was 70 at the end of our ride. The ride is fine, but it has a lot more elevation than last year's ride (we have a new start point). It's about 1300 ft of elevation in 29 miles. Not much for most of us, but we get people not used to hills on this ride. There's only one bigger climb, but a lot of rolling stuff. My legs felt much better today after wearing my compression tights for about 5 hours after yesterday's ride. However, one should not eat black beans and veggies before a ride, no matter how small of an amount.
Planning to bag boot camp and do a "dark" ride at 5 AM, since I can't commute tomorrow because I have to go right to my friend's house for Passover after work. Looks like the weather is going to thwart any commuting this week.

[OakLeaf]

We tried out Columbus' bikeshare last night! Kinda cool, but also kinda fail. We drove into town to hear a band and decided to park near the club and ride the bikes to dinner a couple of miles away. It was a beautiful night.

Renting the bikes was pretty straightforward. The way it works, you get a 24-hour pass but you can only have the bikes out 30 minutes at a time. You can check availability of both bikes and parking slots online. If you want to take multiple trips, you swipe the same credit card you used to rent the bikes initially and it gives you a new code. So far there are a lot of kiosks in the downtown area, and a handful in some more popular destinations within a couple of miles downtown.

They were rideable enough - the only available adjustment is seat height, but both DH and I were able to set up our bikes well enough for a very short pedal. Super heavy, which we expected since they have to be pretty bulletproof. They weren't well lit though - just some flashing LEDs front and rear that seemed to be powered by an onboard generator - no basket or luggage rack, and we both really missed having a rearview mirror. Luckily traffic was pretty light. I think it would be pretty nerve-wracking trying to maneuver those behemoths around in rush hour traffic, especially with no mirrors.

We rode to dinner and snagged the last two parking slots in the kiosk closest to the restaurant. But when we went to head back to the bar, the kiosk wasn't working. It was only about a three-block walk to the next kiosk and there were plenty of bikes there, but it was kind of annoying for our first experience with the bikeshare.

Still, we'll probably do it again. I think I'll bring along my mirror though ... DH prefers a handlebar mirror, so he'll still be out of luck.

[Catrin]

Interesting comment about the bike share Oak! We are getting that in Indianapolis as well, they've been installing the bike share stations all over the place.

[colorisnt]

Interesting comment about the bike share Oak! We are getting that in Indianapolis as well, they've been installing the bike share stations all over the place.

Will you test ride it? My Dad (up in LaPorte) is curious about your bike share program. He set me a link about it a little bit ago and wants to know more. I told him to go down there and ride a bike haha.

[Catrin]

Will you test ride it? My Dad (up in LaPorte) is curious about your bike share program. He set me a link about it a little bit ago and wants to know more. I told him to go down there and ride a bike haha.

It depends on what the bikes look like and if they are small enough for me. I AM very accustomed to mirrors on the bike, and the thought of riding downtown without one isn't a comfortable feeling, we will see.

[colorisnt]

It depends on what the bikes look like and if they are small enough for me. I AM very accustomed to mirrors on the bike, and the thought of riding downtown without one isn't a comfortable feeling, we will see.

I know. That seems scary to me, too. Thankfully, I have a glasses mirror again! And yeah, size is an issue with these things. The Bixis I've seen aren't awful for a short sprint around but they aren't great either. They are pretty tank-ish.

[Becky]

I raced Michaux (http://www.fastforwardracingproductions.com/p/michaux-off-road-weekend.html) yesterday. Actually, "raced" is probably too strong of a word. I paid money to ride my bike on a really tough course with some very fast, very talented women. But I had a good time and feel a sense of accomplishment for having done my first endurance race.

(If you're curious, click on the link and scroll down to the preview video and the Strava map & elevation profile.)

[rebeccaC]

A great weekend of music and riding. Went with some friends and stayed in Palm Desert for Coachella. Saturday we went for a 65 mile ride in the Santa Rosa Mountains bordering the southern part of the Palm Springs area. Spent Sat night doing the craziness of Coachella. Did a short 25 mile ride late Sun. morning (had too much fun Sat. night) on the Dillon road part of the annual Tour de Palm Springs route to keep my 30 days of riding streak going and then spent the rest of Sun to the closing of the Coachella weekend with the music of Lana Del Rey and then Arcade Fire.

http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-Cmnhxmw/0/XL/i-Cmnhxmw-XL.jpg


http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-46QJcNC/0/XL/i-46QJcNC-XL.jpg


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http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-hLXnh3G/0/XL/i-hLXnh3G-XL.jpg

[colorisnt]

Wow, I'm jealous! Sounds like you had a great weekend. Beautiful pics as always!

[emily_in_nc]

Well, after riding the majority of days in Feb/March in Southern Arizona, I've certainly fallen off the pace since getting back to KC. It's been off and on cold, windy, and rainy. We even had snow yesterday morning! I have managed to ride seven times this month, which I guess isn't so bad (20-40 miles each time), but certainly nothing like what I was doing the two previous months. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer but very windy, but I am riding no matter what, because the next day is going to be cold and rainy again.

It's just really hard to get motivated to bundle up to ride after so many nice rides (in shorts and short sleeves many days) in southern AZ. I got spoiled!

We did get to enjoy some beautiful spring-blooming trees on our Sunday ride over to Costco. That's DH in the photos, riding in front of me!

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[colorisnt]

Heck, even I was annoyed with having to bundle up on Monday to go out. It was a great experience to ride in the sleet and snow and defy all that is logic with a bike but after riding an entire day in a pair of shorts and a tank top, less than 48 hours earlier, I was peeved! Yesterday was okay - only a sweatshirt and knickers but still annoying!

[emily_in_nc]

Today was super windy, so I ended up bundling up and taking the MTB down to the Natural Grocer for some natural groceries. :D Most of the ride there was right into the wind (gusting into the 25+ mph range), but it sure was fun coming back! Even with my Tailrider trunk pack and backpack weighted down with food, climbing was effortless with that wind. But it was bad enough that that's all I did -- just a 10.3-mile ride. An hour after I got home, I saw a gust of 36.9 mph on wunderground, so I am glad I came in when I did!

[Crankin]

Did my first group ride in ages today. It was a small AMC group ride, on a route I designed. The leader was someone who is officially a co-leader, i.e., needs some experience under her belt and recommendations; one of the people on the bike committee was sweeping. I stayed behind her, and it was a good thing, as she had driven the route once and had not been on it on a bike. She was using a cue sheet and was not making the turns that well. DH helped sweep. But, it was a really nice day, the people were pleasant, and most of them had heard my presentation at the workshop a couple of weeks ago. We all went out to lunch after the ride. I could go to sleep now!

[azfiddle]

An unusually cloudy day today- with a chance of rain but it never really materialized. The regular Saturday ride with our women's cycling group took us east of Tucson. Three of the riders turned around early to just get 25 miles. 5 of us went east to Marsh Station Road. I love the scenery, going through desert, across a canyon with cottonwoods and willows, and very little traffic, but the road surface on this route is just miserably bumpy. Heading east generally goes up in elevation with some rollers, but it was not a problem. Coming home, there was a constant headwind in the high with gusts to the 20's. It was brutal riding into that for about 25 miles. I split off from the group and took an alternate way home for the last 18 or so miles. I happily consumed a couple of small flour tortillas with beans, cheese, avocado and salsa for lunch. Now off for a shower and maybe even a nap.

[Fredwina]

I did a club ride with the Memphis Hightailers today.
The Bunny run:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GnQBbD8qboE/U1LCdxbQHnI/AAAAAAAAYAw/3WPoYFHI-mE/s640/100_3319.JPG
and a stop at the farmer's market:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A4p7MXfN6NQ/U1LCk-DeDGI/AAAAAAAAYBY/UVUxs0QCOEY/s640/100_3324.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2M58xoKTItU/U1LCoUEvDTI/AAAAAAAAYBw/r_vcBjSBPw4/s640/100_3327.JPG

[marni]

is it possible that your compression tights were part of the problem. like anything else, they probably take getting used to. Plus with the winter you all have had your are still building your base miles. Some weeks it's all I can do to get on the bike once let along do back to back days like I used to. Is there an option of commuting every other day for a while until things ease up?

Trying to figure out layering in the spring is an exercise in strip tease.

Give yourself a break and say hi to west Acton for me.

[Crankin]

Marni, are you replying to the post I made a couple of weeks ago?
I don't commute every day, I only go to the office 3 days a week, and I target 2 for commuting. The other day I go to a high school and I don't work on Wednesdays. Last week I didn't commute at all... weather and other commitments. It's only 10.4 miles rt.
I don't wear compression tights while I ride; they are for recovery and they work! I've used them every weekend since that one.
I haven't done any rides over 30 miles yet, but I am pretty much back in the swing of things. Building a base is something I just never seem to get. I have about 2-3 weeks of suffering, slowly building up, with short rides, gradually up to about 20-25 miles and then one day, I feel OK. It's the same every year. I am pretty active over the winter, but it's just not the same.
Lots of building going on in west Acton. I guess it might actually become more of a real village.

[emily_in_nc]

Got in a couple of good rides over the past two days with DH. Yesterday was a 32 mile ride on the MTBs primarily on bike paths (though it's 5 miles there and back on roads). Today I did 42 hilly miles on the roadie with quite a bit of wind -- gusts in the 20s from the south, so every time we had to turn that way, it was rough. Fortunately, the last 12 miles or so were all north and east, so it was fun at the end! We rode on some roads we hadn't tried before, so that was fun, though we had to stop a lot and look at the map on the way back to figure it out. I am soooooo tired of wind, though. Seems like every time we have a warm, sunny day, like today, it's super windy. The gusts at times felt like they were going to blow me off the road. Ugh!

I went over 1700 miles YTD today, my best year since my accident in '05. :D Being retired helps a LOT, obviously!

[Catrin]

Sounds great Emily! I think you renamed my....errrrr....YOUR bike quite appropriately given the winds you've been dealing with!

[rebeccaC]

Been doing some hard climbing routes lately to get ready for todays ride on Little Tujunga Canyon road in the western part of the Angeles National Forest. The route has a very steep at times 6 mile climb and an even steeper 4 miler among shorter ones...a couple of great descents though on nicely banked switchbacks and all on a well-paved road with very little traffic. Perfect weather too. Started in the low 60’s and ended in the low 70’s. I rode a route in the eastern part of the Angeles last April that had some good climbs but Tujunga is steeper and gives a better sense of isolation with incredible views. It was only a 40 minute drive to our start point, which was nice too. There are a couple of other canyon roads on the western side of the Angeles that we are thinking about riding now.

The roadside memorial is for Sarah Alarid. She was 19 when her car went off the road and into a deep steep ravine at the site of the memorial. A park ranger who stopped for a moment told us she and her car weren’t found until spotted by a passing helicopter a few weeks after she went missing. I sat there for about 20 minutes looking at what has been left for her by friends and family and thinking of her being so young and the accident itself. That led me to a moment of crying. Those thoughts also made me thankful of just being alive in that moment and made me appreciate even more my ability to be enjoying a ride in such a beautiful and peaceful area. Sarah was with me the rest of the ride....

http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/Other/April/n-zSxWX/i-d9Gv8wc/0/XL/419-XL.jpg


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[BikeDutchess]

Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour today. 6 a.m. start (yawn!), luckily we only live about 2.5 miles from the start so we could ride there. They changed the course this year, it's no longer all downhill and goes more through the city. It's a much prettier route although some parts were a little iffy on bikes in the dark. I had to work harder to make it by the cut-off time but we had a blast. And the weather was so, so, so much better than last year! No ride photos, but this year's medal was pretty cool.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/13920303502_cfc89352d4_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/nd6cfN)
Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour (https://flic.kr/p/nd6cfN) by DutchRosie (https://www.flickr.com/people/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

ETA: rebeccaC, gorgeous photos! And yes, how great to be alive and able to ride.

[Crankin]

Did my first ride up Oak Hill for the year, and I am trashed. 24.5 miles, 1551 feet of climbing. We were going to do closer to 40, but none of us were feeling it. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, with hardly any traffic, thanks to those celebrating Easter. After the climb, there's still climbing, if you know what I mean. I rode my Guru today, for the first time in about 2 weeks, so it felt good.
Going to ride with a guy from my club tomorrow, since I am off for Patriot's Day. He rides everywhere, hardly ever drives, and just retired last summer. I told him I'm a bit tired, so hopefully, he'll have a little mercy on me. I debated on whether to ask someone fast to ride with me, or go out with my friend who is *very* slow. I want to push myself, but now I a questioning my judgment! It will be pleasant, as we'll be away from all of the hoopla going on in my town tomorrow for the holiday. I do feel a little guilty about not marching in the parade with the military families group, but since my son is not active duty anymore, I don't do mcuh with them.

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds great Emily! I think you renamed my....errrrr....YOUR bike quite appropriately given the winds you've been dealing with!

Yes, I kind of named the Jamis "Toto" in honor of Kansas, since that is where I took it on its maiden voyage (as my bike, that is) and continue to ride it, including today's ride, a nice jaunt on mostly bike paths up to Walmart for all the important groceries: dark chocolate, coffee, and wine. :D

[Crankin]

Emily, you and I have so much in common, it's not funny.
Those are the three things I could never, ever give up.

[Catrin]

Emily, I am certainly with two of those three! I've started to get a bit more brave where wine is concerned, I do like a nice red wine. Not so much the others.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, you and I have so much in common, it's not funny.
Those are the three things I could never, ever give up.

Heheh...it was funny since we didn't actually plan it to be a wine/chocolate/coffee run, but that just happened to be what was on the list. Normally we bike to Costco on Sundays since it's the one day when the traffic is not too high to ride downtown, but since Costco is closed on Easter, that changed our plans a bit. They are definitely three of the major food groups, right?! :D

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, I am certainly with two of those three! I've started to get a bit more brave where wine is concerned, I do like a nice red wine. Not so much the others.

I am no wine snob. I prefer white wines, but I know reds are the healthier choice. I do enjoy some reds as well, especially with certain foods, including dark chocolate!

[Crankin]

Emily, there's been some recent research about white wine and how it, too, has some of those health benefits. We joined a wine club, so I have become a bit more knowledgable (not snobby).
Back to cycling.
My ride today was an epic fail, but also a major win. I made plans to meet a guy from my club who is a strong rider, but about 5 years older than me and slowing down just a teeny bit. We arranged to meet at Ferns, in Carlisle, where all cyclists meet. About 1/4 a mile from our rendezvous, my rear derailleur/shifter cable snapped, forcing my rear cassette into the the hardest gear. After a loud string of expletives, mostly beginning with f, I rolled in. He suggested we ride to his house, about 4 miles and he would fix it. It was mostly flat, with some rollers, where I switched to the granny. OK, in order to get off a busier road, we turned off toward his neighborhood before I normally would. Then he says, oh, there's a steep short hill, you can do it. Well, I almost didn't, but it had to be the hardest damn thing I've done. Right when I was trying to figure out if I could unclip, or do 2 more pedal strokes up, he yelled out, "you might want to walk." Too late, I would have rather died than crash in front of this man, and I made it. My quads were trashed! Long story short, he couldn't fix it, so on we rode to the LBS (the one SheFly races for). No big hills, but the little ones were getting to me. At least I got a tour of the Bedford VA hospital ground, as he kept us off of the main roads. We rolled into the shop, where the mechanic couldn't do a thing, I need a new shift lever and cable. He put it in an easier cog, so then my friend and I rode the 8 miles back to my house, me mostly in the big ring in the front and the 25 on the back. I was able to use my granny with the 25 and get up my hill, but I did not attempt the driveway, at a 15% grade.
Thus, I didn't get to do the fun ride he planned, but I got in 25 miles, rode up a steep hill in a hard gear, and ended up with an average very close to my fastest all season.

[Sky King]

We got in some fantastic desert exploring on Easter Sunday - we hope we didn't see the Easter Bunny... okay I admit our group has a twisted sense of humor. Beautiful green, no snakes (yet)
This is the Owyhee area bordering Idaho and Oregon. Succor Creek Drainage. We rode 29 miles and I admit, even with my new Surly ECR I walked a bit on some of the climbs.
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[emily_in_nc]

Crankin ~~ Good going under tough circumstances! Hope you get your bike back in full working order soon. I am sure you pushed hard riding with someone stronger than yourself, as I always do riding with DH.

I had planned to take today off since I'd ridden several days in a row, have a cranky saddle sore, and it was supposed to rain.

When we got up in the morning, it had sprinkled but appeared to be done raining for awhile. I did a combo light weight/abs/yoga workout in the morning (at home) and when it was still not raining after lunch (overcast and humid, but rain still far off on the radar) and temps hit 68 degrees, I knew I wanted to ride after all. I decided to keep it short but go pretty hard on the roadie with DH. Ended up with 23 miles at a good pace for me, working hard to keep up with DH, and feeling quite strong on the hills. This was the first day in awhile that winds were light, and that made a HUGE difference in how much fun I had on the bike. I am really, really OVER wind. It's loud, it's obnoxious, and unless it's behind you, it's a real PITA!

I threw away an old pair of stretched-out shorts yesterday after feeling miserable in them on the ride (and feeling the chammy bunching all over the place). I then promptly got online and ordered two new pairs of Sugoi shorts from TE (of course! And they were on sale!) When they arrive, three more OLD pairs of shorts are going bye-bye. The shorts are incredibly long-lived and good quality Performance Ultra shorts, and the chamois is still comfortable, but they are a bit too big and too short in the inseam so creep up badly during rides -- and they're TEN years old, so it's time. I can't believe I have ten-year old shorts...sheesh! Can you tell I have a hard time letting go of stuff?! As much as I ride, I have been getting by on shorts that are doing my butt NO favors. Once I get the new shorts and get rid of the other old ones, I'll have six new to middle-aged pairs of shorts left, which is perfect for the amount I ride (5-6 times per week).

Whew! Didn't mean to write a novel. I guess I should have started a new thread entitled "How Old Are Your Shorts?!" :D

[Catrin]

LOL Emily, I've a few pair like that. I paid so much for them that I am resistant about disposing them!

Crankin...youch that was a hard ride, but it sounds like you were able to walk away with some positives out of the entire situation.

My vacation starts this weekend. One of my many plans is to take my bike to the park at a low traffic period and put her, and me through my paces. If I still am having neurological symptoms after a 20-30 minute ride then I will have to sell her.

Really hoping that won't happen! Amazing what I CAN do off of the bike. Not saying that there aren't other activities I have to be cautious/avoid for the same reason. Very thankful for what I can do! Hopefully I can add riding back in the mix after, basically, taking last year off.

The neck injury from the mountain bike crash happened in fall of 2011, so if there are still issues of the same magnitude then it is time to focus on those many things I can do.

[Crankin]

I hope you don't have to sell your bike, Catrin. It makes me sad, but I understand why you might have to.
We found the the no longer made short reach shifters on E Bay. They are ordered, will be here in a week. Ordered some red cables, too, to match the bike.
This bike is starting to show its age. The frame is from 2007, some of the parts from 2006, when I switched them over from the original too big frame. There's some dings, and I admit I don't clean my bike all that well. Mechanically, it's perfect. Maybe, when I am 65, I'll get a new carbon bike.

[ny biker]

I think I've done three rides since I last posted here. I've had two consecutive cold Wednesday post-work rides. I've actually worn my AmFib tights for both of them. Air temps were in the 50s, but since I don't start until almost 7 pm and ride after dark, I can't count on any sunshine to help me stay warm. And this week we had gusty north winds to make things colder. The forecast for next Wednesday is even worse. On the positive side, I moved the ride start in order to reduce the amount of time I spend sitting in traffic trying to get there, and that's working out well.

I also led a 42-mile club ride back on April 12. The other riders who joined me were all faster than me. A few dropped back to keep me company, but their slow pace was still fast for me. I was exhausted and almost didn't make it up one of the steep hills near the end. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the guys who rode with me, but I think I might have been better off riding alone at my own pace. Anyway it was a nice, warm day and when I looked up at the tall trees I could see the pale green haze of new buds. Spring, finally.

Tomorrow is a charity ride that I like to do every year. They say it will be warm with winds from the south. It should be fun.

[Crankin]

I rode with Hirakukibou this afternoon for the first time this season. It's really nice out and I had my arm warmers off for the last 7 miles. We just rode from Concord center, where we met, to Great Brook Farm, and then retraced part of our route and went to Ferns, where we sat on the porch, drank coffee, and gabbed for quite a long time. I think it was about 23 miles for me; I reset my Garmin without checking.
Weather this weekend looks iffy. Tomorrow is supposed to be raw and rainy, but there's some hope for Sunday. I'd like to get a 40 miler in, but not sure if I'll have the time.

[Jolt]

First ride on the LHT today...only 20 minutes b/c that's all I had time for between work and another commitment, but better than not getting out at all. This bike is going to be a lot of fun, but the stock saddle is not going to work for me so I will be swapping that out. Tomorrow's weather looks yucky so I will probably just go to the gym instead of riding...hopefully there will be a nice day soon where I have some time!

[Fredwina]

We have a several Fiberglass tigers(University of Memphis mascot) that have been decorated. I rode by this Monday.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vj0Klq8D2Es/U1WwgFe17mI/AAAAAAAAYCo/AkVOuzREtTs/s400/WP_20140421_002.jpg
and on Thursday.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J2ZgPIaeidA/U1lx2-hGe6I/AAAAAAAAYDQ/gCcQcDxgd6c/s640/100_3331.JPG
I had to ride by the Liberty Bowl, UofM's stadium:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sOdje4oouzU/U1lx4sCwZGI/AAAAAAAAYDg/2bXeKvcRoes/s640/100_3333.JPG
And I went by the Pink Palace (http://www.memphismuseums.org/). Mr. Saunders founded Piggly Wiggly:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lOsSMQilVpw/U1lx57efuOI/AAAAAAAAYDo/Jdv8kKtiFbc/s400/100_3334.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uWMAGOrhSSA/U1lx7PCFxyI/AAAAAAAAYDw/cxJUy_CHbb0/s640/100_3335.JPG

[azfiddle]

Jolt- I don't know if my LHT had the stock saddle or not- a plain white one- but it was awful! I replaced it with my pretty old and nearly falling apart Jett, but need to figure out what I will use on permanently. Hope you find a good one.

No ride for me today- I played a dance in Phoenix last night, got home at 1 am and today's weather forecast was wind, wind, wind (up to 40 mph gusts). Good day to take a break and I'll pedal tomorrow.

[Owlie]

Jolt- I don't know if my LHT had the stock saddle or not- a plain white one- but it was awful! I replaced it with my pretty old and nearly falling apart Jett, but need to figure out what I will use on permanently. Hope you find a good one.

No ride for me today- I played a dance in Phoenix last night, got home at 1 am and today's weather forecast was wind, wind, wind (up to 40 mph gusts). Good day to take a break and I'll pedal tomorrow.
I took today off work because the AC would be down (go figure it's a temperature that's comfortable without AC), and didn't ride because of the wind. Just as well. It's raining.

[Fredwina]

not a good way to start a ride. Thankfully, it was a false alarm:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8xXhJ0sSLOo/U1v-_WuefcI/AAAAAAAAYFo/dP465n70ShI/s640/100_3356.JPG
Still in Memphis:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tvLV8sfWwB8/U1v_pA21KFI/AAAAAAAAYIQ/6YhJsorQHOk/s640/100_3377.JPG
Getting ready for a pigout:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nL1OtOc7ReE/U1v_u3L9ynI/AAAAAAAAYIo/ry2YgTJVef4/s640/100_3380.JPG
did 40 miles - a season's best for me.

[emily_in_nc]

Enjoying all the posts here, especially seeing your photos! We've had some good rides lately, and here are a couple of blog posts:

Random interesting or pretty things we saw while riding in April:
http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/1/post/2014/04/oh-the-sights-youll-see-traveling-on-two-wheels.html

The Prairie Spirit Trail, which we rode yesterday -- VERY nice! Definitely a hidden gem...if you are ever in Kansas:
http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/1/post/2014/04/riding-the-prairie-spirit-trail-weve-got-spirit-yes-we-do.html

[colorisnt]

The BF got a new bike and we decided to take it out RIGHT away. It rained a little but then got beautiful. We had some AWFUL winds but we didn't let that keep us down. We logged 44 miles total, had some beer, and had a lot of fun. Here's my BF and his new Scott Team Cross bike. We got it for a song $1000.00 at the LBS! He loves it.17057

[Jolt]

I had a little more time after work today so rode for a little over 45 minutes...10 minutes in it started to rain (despite the sun being out when I left the house), but it never got that heavy and then it stopped (or I rode out of the shower). After determining on the previous ride that the stock saddle was awful (azfiddle, mine was not white so the one on your bike was likely not the original), I put on the Selle An-Atomica that I had tried on the too-big bike to see if it would be any better on the LHT. It was, but still not as comfortable as it should be. I think I need to play around with adjusting it b/c the edges of the cutout were causing some soft-tissue discomfort (sit bones felt great). Anyone have any tips on how to adjust that saddle to solve that problem? I also am thinking I need to make some adjustments to the brake levers...they are a little big for small hands to grab (really difficult from the drops, and from the hoods I have a feeling it would be hard to make a fast stop if needed). I will have to see if it is possible to put shims in these levers to bring them in a bit or if they will need to be swapped out altogether. Other than these fine-tuning issues, the bike seems to be a good fit and is really nice to ride--I like how stable the handling is (for the first time, I felt safe going fast down this one big hill on the way home) and the fact that it takes wider tires. I am also hoping to load it up for a camping trip or two this summer...I think that would be a lot of fun :cool:.

[ny biker]

The charity ride that I did yesterday was great. We had a sunny day, a little cool at the start but warming into the mid 70s. I rode 48 miles. I felt kinda tired at the end; I haven't gotten much sleep over the past couple of weeks and that is definitely affecting me. But I rode with some nice people -- some old friends and a couple of new ones -- and enjoyed the post-ride picnic with other friends who had ridden the metric century.

I didn't stop to take pictures but the ride organizers had photographers on route. If they post any photos or videos, I'll share them here.

Looking ahead, I think my Wednesday post-work ride will be rained out this week. But the weather looks good (so far) for next weekend, when our club holds its annual May metric. It's a big multi-class ride with three distances to choose from. I volunteered to help out leading one of the ride classes on the longest route.

[Crankin]

Jolt, it sounds like you need some short reach shifters or shims, as well as considering a short and shallow bar. Switching to a short and shallow bar made a world of difference for me. Several companies make them; I have the Specialized one on both of my bikes now. It's reasonably priced for the aluminum one.

[Jolt]

Jolt, it sounds like you need some short reach shifters or shims, as well as considering a short and shallow bar. Switching to a short and shallow bar made a world of difference for me. Several companies make them; I have the Specialized one on both of my bikes now. It's reasonably priced for the aluminum one.

I will probably stop by the LBS in the next few days to find out if there are shims for these particular levers or if they will need to be swapped out altogether (they are just plain brake levers, the bike has bar-end shifters). How would the short/shallow bars help with the issue of having trouble getting one's hands around the brake levers? It seems like it's more the levers themselves.

[Owlie]

So...I just went on my first bike ride since Thanksgiving. (Combination of time, headspace and BF being a stick-in-the-mud.) My right hip and upper thigh are distinctly unhappy, and I've lost the cardiovascular fitness* and calf muscles that I had when I moved out here. :( (And the less said about my core, the better.) Still, I did pretty well for having a headwind on the way out and not much of a tailwind on the way back (WHY?!) and not having done much in the way of exercise for 5 months. 25 miles, give or take a bit, followed by a nice bubble bath and a smoothie.

*Cannot tell if it's an issue of cardiovascular fitness or just very dry, dusty air. Probably both.

[Crankin]

Jolt, the short and shallow bars help with reach (shorter) to the levers and shallow relates to the shape of the curve. If the shape is shallower, it's much easier to get your hands around the levers in the drops. Picture the letter C with less space in the middle. One thing to be aware of is that different brands of bars that are called short and shallow have different specs. I researched like crazy until I found the ones with the shortest reach and drop. Here is a link to the ones I have:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/road-components/road-handlebars/womens-expert-alloy-shallow-bend-handlebar
And here's another one:
http://www.qbike.com/product/s/Salsa-Poco-Handlebar.shtml
Hope this helps.

[Sky King]

I had a little more time after work today so rode for a little over 45 minutes...10 minutes in it started to rain (despite the sun being out when I left the house), but it never got that heavy and then it stopped (or I rode out of the shower). After determining on the previous ride that the stock saddle was awful (azfiddle, mine was not white so the one on your bike was likely not the original), I put on the Selle An-Atomica that I had tried on the too-big bike to see if it would be any better on the LHT. It was, but still not as comfortable as it should be. I think I need to play around with adjusting it b/c the edges of the cutout were causing some soft-tissue discomfort (sit bones felt great). Anyone have any tips on how to adjust that saddle to solve that problem? I also am thinking I need to make some adjustments to the brake levers...they are a little big for small hands to grab (really difficult from the drops, and from the hoods I have a feeling it would be hard to make a fast stop if needed). I will have to see if it is possible to put shims in these levers to bring them in a bit or if they will need to be swapped out altogether. Other than these fine-tuning issues, the bike seems to be a good fit and is really nice to ride--I like how stable the handling is (for the first time, I felt safe going fast down this one big hill on the way home) and the fact that it takes wider tires. I am also hoping to load it up for a camping trip or two this summer...I think that would be a lot of fun :cool:.

We put the Cane Creek SCR-5 Compact brake levers (http://store.biketouringnews.com/cane-creek-scr-5c-brake-levers-compact-1/) on most of the bikes for those of us with smaller hands. I hear you about the Selle An-Atomica, I never did get comfortable on that cut out thus the switch to Rivet (http://store.biketouringnews.com/rivet-cycleworks/?sort=featured) - Deb left Selle An-Atomica and started Rivet Cycleworks after Tom (the founder of Selle An-Atomica passed away) the cut out is so much friendlier on both my Rivet Pearl and my Rivet Independence.

[emily_in_nc]

Today was cool, overcast, and windy. It felt more like winter than spring as I had to wear tights, wool socks, a jacket, and even an ear band. But we got out and did a ton of errands on our twin Jamises. DH first took bottles to recycle while I was getting ready to head out. Then he came back, and we headed out together and hit the library, bank, and grocery store. Filled up our Tailriders and backpacks, came home, put groceries away, grabbed a snack, then headed out again. This time we hit Costco, filled up our packs once again. Finished that ride up with over 32 miles total, and I was done.

DH actually headed back out on his roadie to meet a mileage goal for the month, since the next two days look colder and possibly wetter, so we may not want to ride again until Thursday.

[Jolt]

We put the Cane Creek SCR-5 Compact brake levers (http://store.biketouringnews.com/cane-creek-scr-5c-brake-levers-compact-1/) on most of the bikes for those of us with smaller hands. I hear you about the Selle An-Atomica, I never did get comfortable on that cut out thus the switch to Rivet (http://store.biketouringnews.com/rivet-cycleworks/?sort=featured) - Deb left Selle An-Atomica and started Rivet Cycleworks after Tom (the founder of Selle An-Atomica passed away) the cut out is so much friendlier on both my Rivet Pearl and my Rivet Independence.

I feel very silly...turns out the levers were in "release" mode and that's why the reach was so big. They may actually be OK. I feel especially silly given that I volunteer at a bike co-op where we refurbish old bikes, but none of the brake levers I've encountered there have even had the quick release feature (I guess it just goes to show how old the stuff we work with there tends to be). Still kind of embarrassing to have the LBS guy point something like that out (fortunately he's a nice guy and wasn't snotty about it at all, and he did tell me I did a good job wrapping the bar tape with the bar-end shifter cables). As for the saddle, I will play around with it and give it a chance to break in. The other bit of fine-tuning the guy at the shop suggested was that I might benefit from switching to a little shorter stem (the one on the bike now is 100 mm so there is room to go shorter). I'll probably ride for a while the way it is and then decide if I need to do that.

[ny biker]

I will not be doing my evening bike ride tonight, because I will be busy building an ark instead, what with all the rain that has been falling since last night.

I refuse to wear a winter coat right now, but it's cold outside, so I'm wearing my incredibly-thin-yet-warm Pearl Izumi jacket under my new trench coat. The trench coat doesn't have a hood and I haven't yet found a rain hat that I like to wear with it, so I'm wearing the Showers Pass detachable hood that I bought from TE a few years back. So I am getting good use out of my cycling clothing, even though the bike is staying warm and dry in my dining room.

[Crankin]

Yes, the weather is frightful, but the end of this is in sight. Yesterday, both DH and I got dressed in bike clothes to commute. He went out to leave and it was misting, raw, and windy. Back in he came. It seemed to clear up before I had to leave and I went outside and checked a few times and looked at the radar. Then I went to do my final prep and I noticed rain on the windows in my bedroom. It seems as if the rain was coming in from the east, off the ocean (which it was), which is so unusual this far west of the coast (25 miles). If it was 75 and misting, I'd ride, but not when it's 40. It's the same today, with heavy deluges scheduled to begin a couple of hours. Should be all done by noon tomorrow.

[ny biker]

They got 20 inches of rain in Pensacola.

TWENTY.

Almost two feet.

Mind=blown.

[Fredwina]

The weather is not too conducive down south, either, so I am staying in.

[Catrin]

They got 20 inches of rain in Pensacola.

TWENTY.

Almost two feet.

Mind=blown.

20 inches!?!?!!? Mind blowing indeed!

[emily_in_nc]

It's been cloudy, chilly, and windy for the past three days, so I didn't get to make my final April goal ride (32.5 miles, which would have taken me to 2000 miles on the year). Oh well, we finally have sunshine today and a high in the 60s, tomorrow 70s, then 80s for several days after that, so I see a lot of bike rides in the next week. Looking forward to it!