May flowers... and bike rides

[ny biker]

Starting the May thread.

No rides for me yet. Anyone else?

[north woods gal]

Thanks for starting the May thread, NY.

I already replied on the April thread, bit will repeat it, here. And yes, I still ride, every day, though pretty much the same-same, so I don't always post about it.

As per the April thread:

May 2 and some snow showers, here. Someone please send some spring weather, up here.

Had a large tree come crashing down on one of my side trails. Took a lot of sawing and intelligent use of a steel rod to lever the log off the trail, but got it done. May use a smaller section of the log as a log to jump at some point. Hopping logs is a hoot.

Was planning on getting another plus sized tire trail bike, this spring, but the only thing it would offer is a bit more speed on the trail, but would definitely not be as good for riding over rocks and logs or riding in the soft stuff as the fat bikes. Noticeable difference. In fact, most of the trails I have built have been designed for fat bike work. Have now been riding fat bikes long enough to have learned how to turn and maneuver them, quick, in tight spots. As always, experience and know-how is a big part of trail riding.

As soon as I can get a nice day, I plan to dust off the road bike for some long miles. On these cold, windy wet days we've been having, much prefer to bike around home and head indoors, quick, when I get cold. That, and out on the road, wind and higher speeds add to the cold factor.

[Crankin]

No riding here. The weather was quite weird today. The rain stopped at around noon, was still cool. It was 49 at 10 am when I got to work.
At 4 pm, I had a free hour, the sun was out, so I walked for 20 minutes. It was warmer, about 70. Nice. By the time I left work at 6:45, it was windy, getting cloudy and felt cool.
Have no idea what it will be for my group ride tomorrow, except windy.

[Crankin]

My ride today was nice. About 60, partly cloudy, and yes, windy. There were about 30 people on the longer ride and 6 on the 30 mile ride I did. The others were slower than me, but the leader, who is very good, was going a bit faster and I stayed with him. I took my arm warmers down, so the wind cooled me when I started sweating from the climbs. I've done this ride before and the middle part goes through a section of a town not known for it's beauty, but this is very rural and delightful. I think DH and I are going to steal the route and lead it for the other club!

[ny biker]

I did 30 minutes of spinning on an indoor recumbent bike last night after work. After last week's rides I developed a lump in addition to sore spots from trying a different saddle position, and while the soreness is gone and lump is much smaller it's not gone yet. So I wanted to give it a few more days to subside before getting back on my road bike -- with the saddle back in its original position.

Looking ahead to this weekend, we might have rain and/or wind on Saturday. This time of year wind = pollen sandblasting my eyes, so either condition will keep me indoors. Hopefully Sunday will be dry with low winds, even if it ends up cloudy and cool as is currently forecast.

[north woods gal]

Hope the soreness leaves, NY, but if you've developed a lump, riding will probably aggravate it and possibly lead to an infection. Been there. You're right to hold off a bit.

My allergies (pine pollen?) have been going nuts, too, this last week and every day being windy doesn't help.

Tried the Trek Stashe with its 29+ 3" tires for trail work, today, but forgot that I had the tires inflated more for road work with almost max psi. Way too hard a ride on my trails. Felt like my teeth were rattling. Rather than mess with changing the tire pressure, just switched out bikes and headed back out with one of the fat bikes. Tire pressure is such a big deal with these plus size bikes and fat bikes. A little makes a big difference in the ride.

[Crankin]

Sigh... had to cancel our ride this morning. Rain is predicted through noon time.
This is a pretty low stress ride for us to lead, despite being show and go. We may re-post it, but it would be limited to people who can do the faster speed, as our co-leaders doing the slower pace will be away on the days we could do it.
Anyway, we probably will do a short ride after lunch, as then DS and family are coming over later for an early Mother's Day, since we will be coming back from CA next Sunday.

[Crankin]

Ended up taking a 3 mile walk yesterday, as time got away. It was humid and sprinkling as we walked.
Did a low stress 20 mile ride today, mostly in Sudbury and Wayland. We ended up on a couple of main roads, which interestingly had the most climbing of the ride. DH commented that he can't believe he rode this rather longish hill home everyday, when he commuted from the last town we lived in. It was a 44 mile round trip commute, too. Well, he was younger :).
It was breezy, but we had a tailwind on the way back. I actually was a bit too warm with what I wore, but, I dealt with it.
Probably will commute tomorrow and hoping the group ride Wednesday has a close start, as I have a hair cut/color appt. at 2:30.

[azfiddle]

May is flying by!

I have 4 commutes for the first week of May- and one that didn't happen due to a flat tire - 2 failed attempts to fix it and so much panic in having my husband drive me halfway i thought I left my regular glasses at home and ended up driving!

Friday-Saturday we did the Tucson Audubon birdathon by bike. Friday sunset at Lakeside park, then a mostly moonlit and peaceful ride to Saguaro N.P. to look for nightbirds. We had 30 species including one Elf Owl... then got up to leave at 5 am to hit the east side desert and a little oasis before going up Mt. Lemmon.

We did well with bird sightings but Chuck has been off his bike a lot this year and for unknown reasons, started feeling weak in the legs and a little light-headed just 5 miles up at Molino Basin. He made it to mile 7 and then we decided to turn around. Besides, the wind was starting and predicted to be sustained in the 20's with gusts to the 30's by noon, which is NOT good on the mountain. So we had already changed our original plan to go to the top and would only have gone to milepost 11.5 anyway.

69 species - not too bad, and we raised over $500.
Anyone who wants the full report, PM me with your email.

[kajero]

I've managed to get out and ride three times in May. The weather has been so beautiful. And I am getting my mph up there. I have 42.23 miles under my belt for May and a total 151.30 miles for this year. I am really trying for 800 miles this summer. I just wish Don were here to cheer me on. :)

[north woods gal]

We'll cheer you on, kajero. Keep riding, girl. You're doing great.

I'm still trying to break away for a few hours and do a long pavement ride, but it's just too easy to stay right at home, here, and hit the trails on our property for an hour of hard trail work. Does as much, if not more, in terms of aerobic and strength as three hours of road biking, but I do miss that steady, mesmerizing groove of road work.

[kajero]

We'll cheer you on, kajero. Keep riding, girl. You're doing great.

I'm still trying to break away for a few hours and do a long pavement ride, but it's just too easy to stay right at home, here, and hit the trails on our property for an hour of hard trail work. Does as much, if not more, in terms of aerobic and strength as three hours of road biking, but I do miss that steady, mesmerizing groove of road work.


All my rides are both flat and hilly. And I don't have to walk up any of the hills anymore. A couple hills took me forever to conquer but I did. Well, okay, I do have to walk up one. It's out at Fort Snelling and I don't think I will ever conquer that one.

[ny biker]

All my rides are both flat and hilly. And I don't have to walk up any of the hills anymore. A couple hills took me forever to conquer but I did. Well, okay, I do have to walk up one. It's out at Fort Snelling and I don't think I will ever conquer that one.

Well you never know! Glad you're getting in some good rides.

I did 36 miles on Sunday. It was supposed to be part of a big club ride on Saturday, but was postponed due to rain. I ended up as one of the ride leaders since some of the people who were going to lead on Saturday had other commitments for Sunday. It was breezy, 10-15 mph winds with 25 mph gusts according to the weather forecast, with a chance of pop-up showers. Temps in the 50s, more like March than May for us. I was worried that the wind would make it one of those un-fun rides where you just struggle the whole time, but once I agree to lead I was committed. It turned out to be a nice ride, only a few miles of struggling into a headwind. The turnout was not as good as it would have been the previous day but I still was able to catch up with some friends that I hadn't seen in a while.

Unfortunately I'm still having the saddle problem, even though I'd moved my saddle back to its original position. The lump came back and by the end of the ride it felt like I was sitting on a small marble. It's under the skin, not a cyst or boil, on top of the narrow bone in front of the sit bone. No soreness or bruised feeling like I had the previous week. No bruise or skin discoloration. So I guess I need a longer break from my road bike to let it go away completely. The saddle is a new Affinity RXL, which I bought because the old Affinity RXL was feeling a bit too squishy like the foam was breaking down. I still have the old one and might put it back on the bike for a while.

[Crankin]

Hope that goes away, NY.
I commuted yesterday. It was 48 and partly cloudy, breezy when I left. Since the clothing I had at work was way too spring-y for a day where it was going to be 52 and raw, I wore something I could ride in, and wear all day. Terry commuting tights (really no chamois, sort of a tri chamois), which are super warm, a lighter than normal long sleeved base layer, and my rarely worn wool cycling dress, with my commuting jacket which is always warmer than I remember. It had rained earlier in the morning and that jacket is also waterproof. I actually think it's bombproof. I was too lazy to pull on my booties, so I wore my winter cycling shoes, with wool socks. For a 2.8 mile ride, I felt very stylish, so I added a scarf.
I felt a bit sweaty, even though it was very raw out! When I got to work, I deduced it was from the high humidity level. I had to take the scarf off for a bit, and wash up, as if it had been much warmer out. I went out to walk across the street to buy my lunch, and i felt freezing, even with the jacket on. On the way home, it was about the same temperature at 7 PM, and I felt sweaty again.
Wearing those tights all day was a bit uncomfortable, as the seams started feeling itchy at one point.

[rebeccaC]

Friday-Saturday we did the Tucson Audubon birdathon by bike. Friday sunset at Lakeside park, then a mostly moonlit and peaceful ride to Saguaro N.P. to look for nightbirds. We had 30 species including one Elf Owl... then got up to leave at 5 am to hit the east side desert and a little oasis before going up Mt. Lemmon................69 species - not too bad, and we raised over $500.

Such a nice way to be with other birding people and also getting some good exercise!!!.......and especially raising money for the conservation of birds and their habitats!!!!! Hoping Chuck feels better on your next ride together!!!



All my rides are both flat and hilly. And I don't have to walk up any of the hills anymore. A couple hills took me forever to conquer but I did. Well, okay, I do have to walk up one. It's out at Fort Snelling and I don't think I will ever conquer that one.
Thinking hills can get easier with more riding time :)……..keep challenging yourself and good things can come from it…..wishing peace and strength for you!!!!


Having a good day less frequently has meant not much riding for me. Quiet beach walks are replacing riding more now. Today was one of those days in the sequence of treatments that I usually feel good enough for a short ride. Just 6 miles to and back from the farmers market this afternoon but I enjoyed every mile in perfect weather……and brussel sprout, rice, white bean and shiitake soup for dinner ftw…:)

[emily_in_nc]

Having a good day less frequently has meant not much riding for me. Quiet beach walks are replacing riding more now. Today was one of those days in the sequence of treatments that I usually feel good enough for a short ride. Just 6 miles to and back from the farmers market this afternoon but I enjoyed every mile in perfect weather……and brussel sprout, rice, white bean and shiitake soup for dinner ftw…:)

Rebecca, you are always so supportive of others here while going through your own difficult times; you are truly an amazing woman! I am sorry you are having more bad days but so happy you were able to ride to the market and have a lovely, fresh dinner. That is a healing thing in so many ways! <3

[rebeccaC]

That is a healing thing in so many ways! <3
indeed!!! and thanks for the nice words......

edit to add
Rebecca, I hope you're only in a temporary phase and that the good days come more often for you soon. it’s temporary….just aggressive treatments for awhile....but rides to the market ftw :)
thanks

[Crankin]

Riding to a farmer's market makes most things better! Ours have not started up yet, but the local farms are open, and I prefer those, as I am buying right at the farm.
Got in a quick 15 mile ride, nowhere special. Since I moved, I have a much better choice of scenic, shorter routes from my house, which I appreciate. It's 55 out and partly cloudy, and I felt cool almost the whole ride. I was dressed like Sunday, with the addition of a vest and a head cover, but I actually ended up choosing a hillier route to warm up.
We leave on a 6 AM flight for California tomorrow. I have to get up at like 4AM. So excited to see my son, daughter in law and granddaughter. And, excited to see my son graduate from Claremont McKenna College with a double major in math and economics, and being commissioned as an officer in the Army. It feels a little weird to say that, as he was a Marine for 9 years. Well, he will be retiring at around age 40, so I cannot predict what lies ahead. He has been unpredictable his whole life. Almost 10 years to the day he would have graduated from U of A...

[ny biker]

Having a good day less frequently has meant not much riding for me. Quiet beach walks are replacing riding more now. Today was one of those days in the sequence of treatments that I usually feel good enough for a short ride. Just 6 miles to and back from the farmers market this afternoon but I enjoyed every mile in perfect weather……and brussel sprout, rice, white bean and shiitake soup for dinner ftw…:)

Rebecca, I hope you're only in a temporary phase and that the good days come more often for you soon.

[north woods gal]

You're in my thoughts, Rebecca. Walk or ride and do whatever it takes to find some peace.

[north woods gal]

Finally broke out of my trail riding habit to do some miles on the roads. If nothing else, it felt good to go fast enough to feel the wind in my face, again. :)

Decided to try my nasty sand trap of a half gravel/half sand road for the first time, this season. Held off because April was very wet and, even in the driest weather, this road has standing water in low spots where it crosses some bogs. Last two weeks, though, have been dry, so time to give it a try.

Was going to use my Trek 29x3, which has always made it through the nasty sections, before, but opted, instead, for the Pugsley fat bike with its wider 4" tires for the sake of getting a better workout with that heavier bike. Turns out the Pugs was the right choice. The road was the worst I've seen it. Major flooding, so was riding though water in spots, and sinking deeply into the wet sand. Then, in the dry areas, the sand was very soft and deep, so more work and challenges. In fact, the road was so bad in spots, can't imagine how even vehicles could get through.

Noticed a fresh bike track in the sand when I hit the sand section. Someone else was ahead of me. The width of the bike track was only half of what the Pugs was printing, so I figured the rider was on a conventional 2" mountain bike. That smaller bike track told an interesting story, for sure. The rider was having a tough time. Could see where the bike was doing a lot of fishtailing. Could see the rider constantly crisscrossing the road to find some firm sand. Could see where the rider had even stopped to walk the bike in sections.

Finally caught up to the rider at the end of the 4 mile sand section. He was a young guy on an old standard 26x2" MTB. He and the bike were standing off to the side of the road, so I stopped to see if he was okay. He nodded that he was, but the look on his face said it all. I could see the frustration and fatigue in his face. I knew the feeling. First time I hit this road was also on a standard 2" tire MTB. Told him that the next three miles were all good gravel, so the worst was over, then headed on my way.

As for the Pugs, what can I say? Never had to stop and walk, not even once. Pretty much rode a straight line for the four miles, too. Love my Pugs!

24 miles in all, 4 on sand, 3 on gravel, the rest on pavement to get to the sand and gravel. Got home, then added a little trail work around the house for fun. Also, this year, all my trail bikes wear a bell, which I ring, constantly whenever I come around a corner, so as not to surprise a bear. So far, so good. No bears, though I did see some tracks.

[ny biker]

Your road riding is very different from my road riding. :D

I did about a half hour on the recumbent stationary bike last night. Or maybe it was 20 minutes, I don't remember. I did a crossword puzzle to try to pass the time but it was still dull. Only had it set on level 2, more than that was too hard. Oh well, the goal was to spin some pedals for a while without aggravating the saddle-lump problem. And I finished the crossword.

[north woods gal]

Pedaling is always good, NY, even if it is indoors. Whatever it takes. I have my trainer situated so tat I'm looking out the living room window at the lake. I then put on some good earphones and enjoy some music. Helps to pass the time.

By the way, we do have some excellent paved county roads with very low traffic for conventional road biking. Mostly gentle rollers mixed with lovely flat sections, though I do have some routes with challenging hills, all through our beautiful north woods. Will probably head out, tomorrow, for some of that riding. Yes, I do tend to more of the adventure riding, though. Just my style. Hard to do all the types of riding we have available, this time of year. Too many choices.
http://i65.tinypic.com/28mee6p.jpg

[Pax]

Sometimes I forget how beautiful the UP is.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Pax. We're actually on the Wisconsin side, less than an hour from the Wisconsin/UP border. Same country.

[Pax]

Used to drive through there a couple of times a year, skied at Copper Peak in the winters and camped on a lake near Iron Mountain in the summers. Friends parents had a cabin up there, caught a legal muskie the first time I tried fishing... seemed to upset her dad and older brother a lot. LOL

[north woods gal]

Ha! I'll bet it did. That musky fishing is a BIG deal, up in this area.

[north woods gal]

Mostly a sweet ride on this beautiful May day, with a little of the bitter thrown in and maybe some doubts, too.

32 miles of pavement work was sweet. So was seeing my first bear of the year, crossing the road about 100 yards ahead of me. What a thrill! Sweet seeing a couple other riders to there on the road, too.

The not so sweet was having to cut down the 4 miles of gravel road I planned into my route to only 1.5 miles. Have ridden the Salsa Warbird road bike with its 700x40 tires on this well-maintained gravel loop many times. Unfortunately, this same loop was a little too well maintained, this time, with fresh, loose gravel. This is a worst case scenario for a gravel road biker. The tires sink down in that loose gravel, then suddenly smack that hard surface below at an angle and the bike seems to explode out from under you without warning. After 1.5 miles, I was a basket case of nerves. Bailed out and opted for the pavement, rather than turn off onto the next gravel road.

Last time out, I called it exactly right by choosing the Surly fat bike (which would have been the right bike, this time, too). Called it wrong with the Warbird road bike, today, and its 700x40 tires. That's gravel/dirt/sand road biking for you. Just when you think you've got it figured out ... you haven't. :)

Another not so sweet surprise was re-dscovering how much I hate riding over those road cracks on paved roads, compliments of riding on high pressure tires via the road bike, again. Ouch! Never even notice them when riding fat bikes or plus tire mountain bikes on pavement. In like manner, also not so sweet re-discovering how my hands were getting much more numb on the road bike, today, versus the fat bike on pavement, last time. Even with gloves, was constantly switching hand positions and shaking the hands to improve circulation. Honestly, the loss of ride comfort by switching back to the road bike, today, was really irritating. Even dropping the tire pressure didn't help much, either for working the gravel or the comfort level.

Am I crazy to just trade off the road bike and go fatter tire only bikes, even for pavement? Sure, the road bike is faster on a long ride. Gets me a higher average speed (though not all that much). On a fat bike or plus tire MTB I'd end up be an embarrassing straggler on a group ride, but I haven't done a group ride in many years and old lone wolf me is not likely to do those anytime, soon. I'm retired, so not schedule to keep, either. What's the hurry? Have I reached the end of the road, so to speak, with my two road bikes? Maybe.

[Crankin]

Keep the road bike, even if you don't ride it that often. Maybe look at different gloves or changing the position of your bars. I had the same issue with my flat bar Jamis Coda, but I am still sorry I sold this bike. I used it on errands, commuting, farm store rides, but it could hold its own with others. It was heavier and slowed me down a little, but I always felt good after a ride on it.

[north woods gal]

Thanks. Yeah, probably best to keep it, given that it can do things the fatter tire bikes can't do and, as most of us know, it's almost impossible to get even close to getting your money back when you sell a bike.

Yuck! Looks like three or four straight days of rain and thunderstorms in our area, according to the forecast and it is raining, right now. Well, we do need the rain and there are worse things than having to ride indoors. :)

[ny biker]

Definitely check the position of the handlebars on the road bike. I used to get hand pain until one day I was having a new saddle fitted to my bike, riding the indoor trainer at the LBS. The person doing the fitting noticed that my handlebars were at the wrong angle. He adjusted it and I haven't had hand pain since then.

Also different bar tape might help with shock absorption.


So I didn't ride this weekend for various reasons but I can tell a story about a friend's experience. He had two flats in the same tire. The first one happened while he was riding on a MUT. Someone stopped and helped him change the tube. Then he had another flat, was going to call for someone to pick him up when a couple driving by in a Subaru stopped to help. They drove him to a nearby bike shop where the mechanic found a teeny-tiny piece of glass in the tire. I've had a similar experience with a flat caused by a piece of glass so small that you really have to work to find it. Another friend taught me to always line up the logo on the tire with the valve stem to help you know what part of the tire to check once you find the hole in the tube. He also keeps folding reading glasses in his bike bag, a stronger version than he usually wears for reading so he has extra magnification.

[north woods gal]

Thanks. Will play around with the handlebar position.

Always amazes me how you can so often ride over a ton of junk and not get a flat and then just the smallest thing gives you one. Very rare to get puncture flats due to road debris in our area, thanks to low traffic and folks not littering, much. Also, no nasty thorns in our area, which were a nightmare when I lived in the plains states.

My biggest danger of getting a flat on one of the MTBs or fat bikes is a pinch flat from going too low on the tire pressure and the tube getting pinched between the rim and tire. That usually means a new inner tube, because the inner tube tear is spread out over a large area and the puncture hard to locate. Only had one, this winter, because I dropped the pressure way low, down to the recommended minimum, while the fat bike was in our warm house, then headed out into the frigid cold. That change of temp from toasty warm to zero cold was just enough to drop the pressure even more and half hour, later, got the flat. In the winter, I now only check and adjust pressure when the tires have been out in the cold long enough for the pressure to stabilize to the cold. Just a reminder for anyone else nutty enough to ride in serious cold. :)

[ny biker]

Thanks. Will play around with the handlebar position.

Always amazes me how you can so often ride over a ton of junk and not get a flat and then just the smallest thing gives you one. Very rare to get puncture flats due to road debris in our area, thanks to low traffic and folks not littering, much. Also, no nasty thorns in our area, which were a nightmare when I lived in the plains states.

My biggest danger of getting a flat on one of the MTBs or fat bikes is a pinch flat from going too low on the tire pressure and the tube getting pinched between the rim and tire. That usually means a new inner tube, because the inner tube tear is spread out over a large area and the puncture hard to locate. Only had one, this winter, because I dropped the pressure way low, down to the recommended minimum, while the fat bike was in our warm house, then headed out into the frigid cold. That change of temp from toasty warm to zero cold was just enough to drop the pressure even more and half hour, later, got the flat. In the winter, I now only check and adjust pressure when the tires have been out in the cold long enough for the pressure to stabilize to the cold. Just a reminder for anyone else nutty enough to ride in serious cold. :)

I seriously doubt I'll ever ride in those really cold temps, but you raise a point that I had not thought of. I typically top off my tires outside because most of my bike rides don't start at home so I keep my frame pump in the car. For my car tires, a drop in temp from the 60s or 70s down to the 40s will lower the psi significantly and cause a noticeable drop in mpg. So I suspect that if I pumped up my bicycle tires inside my 70 degree home and then went out to ride in 40-degree temps, there could be a noticeable drop in psi, though not necessarily enough to cause pinch flats.

Of course there won't be a chance to find out any time soon -- we're expecting a heat wave for the next few days, temps in the 90s and humid.

[north woods gal]

90s? OMG. Highs in the 50s for us, later in the week.

Pinch flats become a possibility when you play with pressures down around the minimum recommend psi for the tire, which is often the case with mountain bikes and fat bikes to improve traction and so on. That temp related change in pressure for road bikes is more likely going to just change performance of the tire, but on a long ride, that can be significant.

Interesting point, though. What kind of pressures does everyone run on their road tires? I'm usually between 80 and 100% recommended pressure on my road bike tires. On my MTBs and fat bikes, unless I'm heading out for some pavement work, I'm usually somewhere between minimum and 60%. For instance, on my fat bikes with their 26x4 or 4.8 tires, the recommended pressure range is only 5 to 15 psi and I never run more than 12 psi and, then, only for pavement work. My trail riding is usually between 5 and 11 psi. If I go too high on the tire pressure with fat bikes for trail work, I start to get a lot of bike bounce on rough trails and lose some control. Too low and I also lose some steering control, i.e., the bike is too slow to respond. Only 2 psi on a fat bike tire can make a world of difference.

[Crankin]

I used to pump my tires to 120 psi, in the hopes of preventing flats. Now that I've had Gatorskins for 3 yrs., DH has convinced me to lower that. I keep it at 110, although he keeps telling me to go down to 100.
Did a small ride this morning, as my group was riding out of Kittery, Maine and I have stuff to do. 15 miles, in Acton and back to West Concord. I was miserable the whole time, not just from my back. But, I did it and feel good now. It's going to be hot here, too, 80s later today and over 90 tomorrow. I will be riding to the gym at 5:15 am tomorrow, do my class, and ride home, a total of 2 miles:). Thankfully the ride we are leading is next Thursday and not tomorrow!
Back to western MA to do some riding with our friends this weekend.

[ny biker]

I think I pump my tires to 100 psi. Or maybe it's 110, I'll have to look at my pump. (I always just pump them up until the needle on the gauge points to a certain number but am forgetting right now what that number is.) I think tire pressure is one of those topics that people don't agree on. There are those 2 or 3 friends who send you articles where someone compared different tires at different psi and found that you're supposed to run really low pressures, and that you're supposed to determine the weight on each tire with the bike fully loaded and you on it to determine your optimal pressure. These articles always make my eyes glaze over and frankly they seem hard to follow since each tire they measure is different. I did lower my psi from 120 down to whatever it is now but when I tried going lower I felt that I was a bit slower. If I'm riding in the rain I will lower the pressure by about 10 psi for better grip.

So that's for the road bike. For the mountain bike, I generally inflate the tires to the max psi marked on it if I expect to be riding on pavement, lower if I'll be on dirt. I once rode it on a combination of paved trail and unpaved bridle path next to the trail and found myself bouncing and struggling to maintain control on the unpaved part, because the tires were close to the max psi.

Meanwhile, still no bike rides for me. The weird lump in front of the sit bone is smaller than it was after my last ride but still not gone. I'll be traveling this weekend so won't be riding anyway. But I'm not sure if I should see a doctor about it. I'm spending so much time and money dealing with the ankle tendonitis and I really don't want to spend more on a doctor for this problem. I just want it to go away on its own. There is no pain, it's just a lump that gets larger if I ride my bike.

p.s. re: in addition to the crazy hot weather, we're also seeing cicadas that have come out three years ahead of schedule. I think maybe it's the apocalypse...

[north woods gal]

NY, if the lump is going down, I'd do a wait and see, but hold off on more riding in the meantime. Going to the doctor, even for routine checks, is on my list of most hated things to do.

We had a rare tornado over in the northwest part of Wisconsin, last night, and it killed one person and injured others. No tornadoes for us, over here in the northeast part of the state, but lots of T storms and rain and much more on the way. My trails are getting mushy, but are still ridable. My goal is to spend an hour, every day, on trail work and add in some road work when I can. Doing both seems to keep me in the best overall condition.

[ny biker]

Earlier today I read that it was 95 in Boston, hotter than in DC. Yesterday I thought it was odd that I was seeing lots of dead cicadas but not hearing any live ones; this morning I could hear them. Anyway despite being beaten by Boston, we had another hot humid day today.

I spent 35 minutes riding the recumbent stationary bike at the gym last night. Not the best workout but I did manage to work up a sweat. I forgot to bring a crossword puzzle to help pass the time but I did have the scarf I recently started to crochet, so I tried to work on that. And so I can report that it is possible to crochet while pedaling a bike, but it is more difficult than if you are sitting still -- I think I removed more stitches than I kept because they looked messy. The inexpensive acrylic yarn I'm using may have contributed to my problems, though. I need to find a good LYS (local yarn shop :D).

[Crankin]

That is true, NY. I looked at my phone around noon and it said it was 96 in Concord :eek:. It was humid, too. However, soon after that, it got cloudier, and when I left work, it was 91 and much drier. It felt like Phoenix. Ran the AC at home today, too.
So, why do people at a gym look at you like you are from another planet when you ride up on a bike? I left a couple of minutes early to get there, and the gym was not open yet. There were about 10 people standing there, chatting. I rode right up the walk and it went silent and I got stares. Now, I know many of the people who go there at 5:30 AM, but none of these people. I went to a space not under the overhang, where I took off my helmet, gloves, and road i.d., shut down my GPS and lights. More stares. I waited when the guy opened the door, and went in last. I store my bike in a large closet by the front desk. It just felt weird. To a lot of people, the gym is exercise and I don't know what they think cycling is.

[kajero]

Thanks so much for the reply!
I am glad to hear you can go for a short ride, although my sister says 6 miles is way too long and she will never be able to do it!

[north woods gal]

Be great if we could work out some kind of exchange program. I send everyone a little bit of my 40s and 50s weather and you send me some, but not all, of your 90s weather. No kidding, frost warnings are on, again, for tonight.

Yeah, still riding, no matter what, though. Those of you who have had to lay off riding for health/recovery reasons have been an inspiration to me not to take being able to ride for granted. Yes, you are in my thoughts and my prayers as I ride. Be well.

[Crankin]

Did our second iteration of our friends' spring warm up ride out in the Amherst area. There were 5 participants, us, our friends, and another friend from the Boston area. The ride was really slow for me, but it was a gorveous +10 day. I do love weatern MA, both the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. Relaxing at our friends now, good food and wine. We will do the same ride up to the Quabbin lookout point tomorrow. Hopefully, with no rain for the last 4 miles.

[north woods gal]

More rain, last night, so things just keep getting "squishier" around, here. :) The good news is that our soils are basically sand with rocks thrown in here and there, so only low sections of trail are too squishy, plus at least 90% of our county roads are paved, so pavement riding is always an option. With our current on and off rain pattern, though, much safer to stay around the house and ride trails and neighborhood paved roads than attempt any long distance riding. Have managed to get in at least one hour of hard trail time between storms, everyday, this very rainy week. Would dearly love to have a little sunshine, though. Always improves my mood.

[Crankin]

We ended up not riding today. Our friends have to vacate their rental home by 7/31; their original plan was to sign one more lease, start looking to buy in the late winter and move next summer. So, they have already lost out on one house, so this morning we went with them back to see another one a second time. They had decided they would make an offer at list price, since the sellers have come down twice since it was listed and they are getting a divorce. The five of us met their agent there... she was useless and my DH really had to guide our friends, who have only bought one home, compared to our 6. And, she was overwehlmed by the fact they would offer list price, with no bargaining, just take out the swing set and trampoline! They don't need a mortgage, they are perfect buyers, so this was time well spent, measuring and looking. The house is gorgeous, in a really rural town in the Pioneer Valley, with great riding, and super energy efficient. I think the poor agent just wasn't used to the way things are done in the "big city." Our friends have the money, but not the time, and don't want to end up living in temporrary housing. They will know tomorrow if the offer was accepted.
It was noon by the time we got back to their house, so we decided to drive up to the Quabbin, instead. We did about a 3.5 mile walk on the dam and up part of the road we climbed on our bikes a couple of weeks ago. I feel like i worked and was outside, so it's OK. My allergies are raging and I am not feeling particularly well.
Next week is going to be iffy with rain, scattered showers. Planning to do an early AM ride tomorrow with DH, as the rain won't start until 8 or so.

[Crankin]

OK, well the rain decided to start around 5:30 this morning. Got up and saw raindrops on the skylight, but it was not raining out at the time. It took me awhile to get out, as I had not put air in my tires last night and I had to change to my more powerful light. Went out, started, and as I turned the corner from my street onto Main St. bang, first raindrops. It's only 53 out and kind of raw and I had a vest, not my rain jacket. Decided to not turn back on the first chance, but by the next street, it was cold rain hitting me. I turned down the street which was my last chance to go back without making a u turn on Main St, and had a pleasant little climb up through the neighborhood I walk in. Debated on taking the trail between this neighborhood and my street, but it's in rutted/rooty shape at the end I was on, so I opted for 2 quick lefts back home. Traffic was picking up, but I made the right choice. I didn't even look at my mileage, probably a mile :eek:. Came home and did a 20 minute hill walk on the treadmill.
Looks like tomorrow will be the only non-rainy day this week, so I will go out again early in the AM. Looks iffy for my group ride, which I really want to do Wednesday. We are supposed to lead a ride Thurs. after work and that doesn't look good.

[north woods gal]

I think this rain thing is contagious or something. Hope I didn't send it. :)

We have another two days of it in the forecast, but nothing real heavy. Mostly the bleak skies and cold wind that are getting to me. Will keep riding, of course, putting my usual minimum of one hour on the trail and adding some road miles when I'm up to it.

Once again, fat bikes to the rescue. Believe it or not, on the wet sections of trail, the deer leave much deeper tracks than the fat bike tires. Even notice a difference between the 4" plus fat bike tires and my Stashe with its 3" tires. For sure, standard 2" MTB tires are no go. Way too much trail damage.

[azfiddle]

I've been riding pretty much every day, commuting every day except Thursday on the way home last week, and then Saturday and Sunday I did recreational/birding rides. 30 miles on Saturday and 20 miles Sunday with my husband. We drove to the town of Benson and rode 10 miles to the community of St. David, along the San Pedro River. The goal Sunday was to find Mississippi Kites, which were right where we expected to find them. I rode in to work and it's going to be a very warm ride home- 98 degrees....

[Crankin]

Well, another Wednesday, another short ride. The group ride was a lovely 31 mile ride along the north shore. I've done it twice. Weather up there was cloudy and some chance of showers during the beginning of the ride time. From experience, I knew it probably wouldn't outright rain, but by the coast, it would be damp and drizzly. I didn't want to drive an hour for that. Sigh.
I spent all morning studying for a recertification exam I need to do and went out at 11:45. It was 65 and cloudy, and guess what? It was spitting for the first two miles. Then, it got better; not sunny, but warmer and less clouds. I only rode 13 miles and it felt like a century. My speeds are not really much less than normal, it just feels hard. I am woefully underprepared for my trip; haven't done any rides longer than 32 miles. I ended up doing just under 13 miles, and that was extended because I made a wrong turn onto a main road and went back a way I knew would be longer than 10 miles.
This is discouraging.

[ny biker]

I'm planning to attempt a real bike ride this weekend. Of course since it's late May all my friends will be doing long, challenging rides, but I want to keep it relatively short and simple because I haven't ridden in 3 weeks. I'm looking at some of the posted club rides to see if I can come up with a short-cut route that will allow me to ride part of the time with friends. I'm also planning to put my old saddle back on the bike; the one I've been using lately is the same as the old one, just newer, because the foam in the old one seemed to have gotten too squishy. But given the problems I've had recently with the new saddle, I think a too-squishy old one might be a good idea, at least for a while. The strange lump on the narrow part of the bone in front of my sit bone is almost gone and I really don't want it to come back.

[north woods gal]

Hang in, there, Crankin'. You, too, NY. We all know how tough it is to get back into top long distance riding form after a layoff, so keep your spirits up. I'm there, too, in fact. Haven't done anything longer than 30 miles, so far in '17. I should do more road work, though, to balance out all my trail riding. My excuse is that trail riding is just so convenient, given that I have trails right outside my door and yeah, I'm addicted to it, too. Road work, though, does build a different kind of endurance, so I need add a little for the sake of balance in my riding.

A long week and a half of cloudy, gloomy, wet weather and the sun is out, this morning. I'm in heaven. :)

[ny biker]

Thanks North Woods. I'm just trying to roll with it, finding other ways to be productive or entertain myself (I am Groot! :D) when I can't get out and ride my bike. It is what it is, just have to try to make the best of it.

[Crankin]

And now, I am sick... it's allergy based, but I couldn't ride today, if I had to. It's raining, though. Praying I wake up fine tomorrow, as this needs to be a training weekend.

[ny biker]

I have a plan for this weekend, having figured out a way to meet up and ride with a friend on part of the long ride he's doing. Hopefully others will also join us and the rain will hold off until we're done. The forecast for the whole weekend is very "maybe it will rain."

Last night I put the old saddle back on my bike. In doing so I noticed that it was slightly off center, which means the new one that has caused problems was also slight off center. This probably contributed to the problems, which were all on one side. I am very much hoping that the problems will not recur.

I hope you feel better, Crankin.

[Crankin]

So yesterday, I started feeling better around 10 am. Decided to err on the side of caution, so we walked into town for our exercise, ate a light lunch, and walked back, for 4 miles. Late in the afternoon, I began feeling somewhat yucky again, but that is kind of normal for me when I am getting better.
Wanted to do a long 40-50 mile ride today, but I woke up with a full head and not feeling great. I am still "better," in that my ear isn't hurting like hell and I am not about to lose my voice. But, because of the fullness in my head, I feel a bit out of it. My nose is running.
I am beyond upset. Normally, I'd chalk it up to a few days off, but I am seriously scared I am going to die on my cycling trip. Realistically, I know I can suffer my way through it, but I don't want to...

[emily_in_nc]

Normally, I'd chalk it up to a few days off, but I am seriously scared I am going to die on my cycling trip. Realistically, I know I can suffer my way through it, but I don't want to...

Bummer, Crankin! I am sorry you haven't been feeling well. When is your trip?

[Crankin]

We leave Jun 21, the cycling starts on the 23d or 24th, I can't remember.
So, I ended up riding 25.5 miles today. Not the bigger hills, almost 50 miles we had planned, but what started out as a slower local ride of 18 miles, turned into a faster and longer ride. We rode to Ferns to get lunch, under some pretty dark clouds. No rain on the radar, though. When we finished eating, I suggested we make it a little longer, instead of heading right back. When we had about 8-9 miles left, DH asked me if I had felt bumps on the road, and I hadn't. So, we stopped and he found his tire had actually become unseated in one spot. He really did not want to fix this on the road, so he let air out and we picked up the pace. Then, we got to an intersection with a 4 way stop/blinking light. There was a group of like 10 cyclists, with about 4 of them just standing in the road, talking. The rest were on the sidewalk. There was a car behind us wanting to turn right, but no other cars. We slowed, and as we rolled through, DH said something to them for blocking the road. One of them said, "well, you didn't stop." Yes, because if we had, we were afraid we'd get hit by the car and didn't know what the driver would do! This is a busy intersection, right near where we used to live. On we went. We made it home and DH fixed his tire.
Now, my head is full, I am sneezing, but my criteria for riding was it's not in my chest. That still is true. Hopefully, it should diminish tomorrow.

[north woods gal]

Go easy, Crankin. It's been my experience that any respiratory thing can get aggravated while biking. I used to have a heck of a time beating colds, back when the bike was my only means of transportation.

Good day for me, today. Road the pavement four miles out to a pretty challenging MTB trailhead that I hand't ridden since last summer. The trail was in rough shape with downed trees blocking the way, so lots of detouring. The Pugsley took it all in stride, though. Funny thing is that the technical sections weren't anywhere near as tricky as I remembered them. In fact, no big deal. Guess all my constant trail riding since then has improved my skills. Still plenty challenging, physically, what with lots of nasty steeps to climb. Nothing leisurely about this system.

Ended the day with 10 miles of pavement and about eight on the single track. No bears, seen. :)

[Crankin]

My head was pretty full last night, and it still is, but it seems to have opened up, as I can breathe. I am in constant fear it might travel south, but so far, it is more like I feel I am going to lose my voice and everything is feeling "foggy." I slept 10 hours, but it's not resolved. I don't feel worse, though. The thing is, I never get "colds," only sinus infections, bronchitis, allergy induced stuff. But, this is a cold. I am not coughing and my sinuses don't really hurt. I don't do well with nose blowing, etc...
Don't want to cancel my granddaughter's visit today. I am not really sneezing, so I will wash my hands voraciously and hope for the best. My son and DIL are not crazy about this stuff.

[ny biker]

When I first started having asthma problems every cold I got turned into a bad cough. My pulmonologist always focused on treating the nasal congestion to prevent the mucus from heading down to my lungs. So I always take a nasal decongestant when I get a cold, even though I don't like the side effects, and I sleep on a pile of pillows so I'm almost sitting upright. And Cold-Eeze (zinc losenges) seems to help if I start using them as soon as the symptoms start. I also make a point of resting my voice to avoid laryngitis, ever since I ended a cold with a paralyzed vocal cord a couple of years ago.

I rode 40 miles on Saturday. The morning was sunny and warm but it soon became cloudy, actually good riding weather because it wasn't too cold or too hot or too humid. Towards the end we had some light rain, but it didn't last long. One person joined me, and together we met up with another friend for a portion of the longer ride that he was doing. All in all it went well. I think the saddle problems I was having are gone; I did have some soreness for a couple of days but after three weeks off the bike that's not unusual. The important thing is that things seemed equally sore on both sides, with no unusual inflammation on the right.

We appear to still be in a rainy pattern, so I'm not sure what I'll be able to accomplish this week. I think there will be some dry periods, but am not sure when they'll occur or how long they will last.

[Crankin]

I take an antihistamine daily, along with an antihistamine nasal spray. If the nasal symptoms or my eyes start up, I do a saline nasal rinse 2X a day. I also use allergy eye drops twice a day, every day. My symptoms often start in my eyes. When I had asthma symptoms, it was called "specious," in that I never coughed or wheezed. My chest just felt tight. So I already do the proactive stuff. As soon as my throat started feeling off last week, I increased my water intake, to lubricate my vocal chords. When I first moved to MA, for the first 5 years I got laryngitis in the fall, when the weather got cooler. Since I was teaching, it was horrible. One thing I learned was not to use hot drinks to treat that, just drink lots of water. It worked, but last Thursday I thought i might have to leave work early as it was on the edge.
When I say go into my chest, I mean bronchitis or pneumonia. I haven't had any real asthma issues in many years. Occasionally a wheeze if I am sick. In fact, I haven't had bronchitis, either. I had pneumonia in 2005 and while I only missed 2 days of work, it took me 6 weeks to be able to get back to exercising normally. But, the fear is always there. I did use my albuterol inhaler a couple of times during the weekend.
I feel better today. Been sleeping well. My sinuses hurt a bit, but I am not going to the doctor, unless I feel suddenly sicker again. Going on a 35 mile local ride tomorrow.

[north woods gal]

Best of luck on your ride, Crankin. Hope you get some decent weather.

50s, today, with showers and drizzle. Cold enough for me to wear leggings and gloves to be comfortable. Brrr! Did a little trail riding, though, between showers. Fortunately, warmer weather is on the way.

Going to give the road bike another try on a long ride, despite my less than comfy last ride with it. Think it was mostly my body not having been in that drop bar riding position for awhile. Might just have to stay with flat bars for my road riding if it it proves to be a problem switching back and forth as far as getting comfortable. Don't need the hassle. For sure, I can do flat bars on the road for long hours and have done it a lot, but I can't do drop bars on the techy trails. Okay on the mild stuff, but definitely not in tight twisty sections.

[Crankin]

Rain.
Again.

[Pax]

We're seeing a few days of sunshine for the first time in forever, but the temps keep staying below normal. Very weird spring to match the equally weird winter.

[north woods gal]

Same, here. On top of everything else, we're still getting very springlike high winds, 20-30 mph stuff. By June, winds have calmed down in normal years. Those winds have little effect on my trail riding, though, so another reason I've been doing more of that than the road work. Had enough of high winds out on the road in my lifetime of bicycling out on the prairies. The forests do help to cut the wind on our roads, up here, but still very much a factor, especially when you find yourself with a headwind. On a more positive note, those winds out on the road do help keep the mosquitoes and black flies at bay. :)

[Pax]

Yeah, forgot to mention the wind, we've had maybe three days where the wind hasn't been gusting 20-30 mph all day. Don;t see anywhere near the regular number of cyclists out and about this year.

[Crankin]

So, it rained between 9 and 10. I decided to not go on the ride and go to yoga. I knew the rain would stop right as the ride was starting but there was a 40% chance during 12-1, probably the last part of the ride. Looked at several radars in real time.
Of course, it stopped raining at 10 and has not rained since. I keep telling myself I am being cautious because of my trip...

[ny biker]

North Woods -- are you familiar with the Driftless area of western Wisconsin in Trempeleau County? I know someone who's heading to that area for a few days of cycling.

[north woods gal]

Yes, I know of the area, though I haven't biked it. Great area for road biking from what I've heard. Mostly paved, low traffic county roads and lot of rolling hills. Pretty farm country with lots of hardwood forest. Very popular with the folks in Madison for biking. There's a biking association online at http://www.tourdetremp.com

[Crankin]

And of course, it's gorgeous out today. I'll be working until 5:15...
I did go to boot camp this morning. Weekend (including tomorrow) looks good.
Heard from our cycling tour company. They have my 47 cm Trek Madone waiting for me.

[ny biker]

I rode last night, first hill ride in a while, a little over 16 miles. And I was feeling it, in my mid-back muscles during the ride and in my legs this morning. Weather was good, a bit cool in spots near the water but otherwise comfortable. I started very late, after 9 pm, due to getting out of work late, but that there were fewer other people on the roads as a result.

The only bad thing was that my ankle hurt during part of the ride and still hurts a little today. Not cool! I seem to still be unable to just ride without worrying about being in too hard a gear. I've been wearing Sole insoles in my sneakers for everyday getting around but am still using the Bontrager insoles in my bike shoes, since they have good arch support. But I will try the Soles in my bike shoes to see if they work there too. In the past I've found that having too much arch support in my bike shoes causes foot pain just in front of the arch over long rides -- I specifically had this problem with Superfeet, and switching to the Bontragers seemed to resolve the problem. So we'll see how the Soles work out. I will also go back to wearing an Ace bandage for support and compression when I'm riding, or at least have it in my bike bag to put on mid-ride if needed.