August Riding

[Crankin]

I took a pretty nice 21.5 mile ride by myself this morning, before some really strong thunderstorms and hail moved in this afternoon. In fact, still going on.
Went out about 9:30, when it was humid, but not so hot, and partly cloudy. I knew I wanted to ride west, but since i was on the edge of rush hour, I kind of decided my ride would be dependent on traffic and traffic lights, in the beginning of the ride. My route was not anything special, but I just don't usually go this way when I am by myself. Had several polite drivers wave me on in spots, as well as a few spots where I usually have to stop and wait, but there was no traffic. There was a detour as I was getting into West Acton, and I discovered a that the back of an elementary school where we start some of our group rides has a port a potty and some parking. Usually, we park in the front and if someone needs a bathroom, it's a block away. It got progressively cloudier as my ride went on, there was breeze, and it was shady, too. However, if I stopped, it felt oppressive.
Felt good when I got home, and then spent the afternoon with my DIL, making a vegan chocolate cake for my granddaughter's first birthday, as we just found out she has a dairy allergy.

[emily_in_nc]

After not riding at all, other than on the trainer, since my accident on April 21, I am getting very excited to get back out there. Although it's not a great time of year to head to Florida, I have to pick a place to stay for a year or more for my orthodontia, so we're heading back to Winter Garden on Sunday (from NC). So, early next week I should be able to ride outside again at last. Can't wait! It's gonna be hot and humid, and we'll have to get going early to beat the heat and the nearly daily t-storms, but I am so excited to be able to ride again. :D

Will be interested to see how it goes after such a looooooong break!

[Crankin]

Good luck, Emily. You can deal with the heat for one season and perhaps you can get away for a couple of weeks if it goes into next summer. I only had to see the dentist once a month at the end.

[ny biker]

Yay Emily!!

A dairy allergy for a baby... that can present a challenge. Do they think she might grow out of it? Either way, happy birthday granddaughter!!

I was going to go out and ride after work tonight but my ankle has been bothering me and there's been a chance of pop-up thunderstorms. So I'm going to wait until tomorrow night. In the meantime I'm trying to plan a ride for Sunday. The weather looks like it will be great, not too hot at all, so it will be a good chance to ride in rural northern Maryland (there's no shade for miles up there so it's not good on a very hot day). I had a route all ready to go, but then learned that the road in front of the park where it starts is closed for construction until January. So now I'm working on rerouting it from a different starting point.

[Crankin]

Yup, and there is a slight possibility that she has a soy allergy, too. Sigh... she inherited all of the bad stuff from my family. She's going to have to drink almond milk. Still on breast milk. Anyway, she went to the allergist Monday, so the dairy thing is official. They do think she may outgrow it, but only time will tell. She has an Epi-pen. She barely eats to begin with. My son looked like a concentration camp survivor between ages 3 and 6, because of his pickiness. She does not, she is just very little. I think it's behavioral. She actually pushes you away if you try to feed her. However, if you just ignore her, she will start eating, as long as it's something she likes. I think they will have their hands full with this one. She is very sweet, but fierce and determined as hell.

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck, Emily. You can deal with the heat for one season and perhaps you can get away for a couple of weeks if it goes into next summer. I only had to see the dentist once a month at the end.

Yes, it totally depends on the ortho, type of braces, etc. I'm on a couple of ortho boards, and some people are only going in every 6-8 weeks. That would still give us time for some traveling! Once a month appointments would limit our options a bit, but not totally. And I'll be having to make semi-frequent trips to NC (unfortunately the part of it where we are and cycling is terrible) to visit my mother. She needs a lot of help now with my step-father's poor health and her being 82. I feel guilty even leaving her, but we've been here for over 3 months now and have gotten a lot of things squared away and where they will be easier for her between my visits.

NY, so sorry your ankle is still bothering you. You've been dealing with that for awhile! :(

[north woods gal]

Emily, that is wonderful news, just wonderful. I am happy for you. You'll do fine in that Florida heat. You've done it before. Plus, you'll need to keep rides short to get back into shape, anyway. Best of luck and keep us posted.

August is a transition month for us, up here. We go from our short summer season into a more fall like weather pattern by the end of the month. Already cooling down, it seems. Highs in the 60s, today and rain. It's a bitter/sweet thing for me. I ride all year long, even in the snow, as most of you know, but I do enjoy my short summer riding season. Nice not to have to bundle up and just ride with a top and bike shorts.

NY, I've been tuning the new Krampus to get it where I want, including the seat. You mentioned the seat shape in the July thread and I've also noticed the wide variety of seat shapes on some WSD saddles. Some do have more of a dome shape on top and some are flatter. I find the dome shaped saddles to be trickier to adjust. Not sure why that dome shape is there. Maybe it's a performance thing. I don't know. Anyway, best of luck.

[Crankin]

Did the same 25 mile ride as last Friday, but it was just me and Jack, the other leader. No one showed up. He did change the end, but it was really hot and humid, and my stomach was reacting to some red onion I ate last night... so I didn't want to do the extra 5 miles. We both agreed to just go back to the start, as he was ready to go to the senior center and play pool! Without the stress of keeping up with the group, I actually had a faster average than the other times I've done this repeating ride.
Despite the heat and my stomach, I am glad I went. Tomorrow is my granddaughter's first birthday party, so unless I am organized and do a short ride in the AM, before we go and before it starts raining, we will be doing a long and hilly ride on Sunday.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, that is wonderful news, just wonderful. I am happy for you. You'll do fine in that Florida heat. You've done it before. Plus, you'll need to keep rides short to get back into shape, anyway. Best of luck and keep us posted.

Thanks, NWG! Fortunately, I've gotten pretty used to heat and humidity again in NC this summer, though this last week has been much nicer than usual (lower humidity and temps -- I even wore a light fleece to walk my dog a couple of mornings, unheard of for here this time of year!!) But you're totally right that I will have to ease back into rides. I have been riding the trainer on my MTB but have managed no more than 45 minutes once a week, as it's so bloody boring, plus a pain to set up in our motorhome. It's just enough to keep me from getting serious saddle sore when I start back to riding in Florida. Hoping to get out on the trail sometime in the coming week. A bit nervous -- but excited too!

[north woods gal]

You can do it, Emily, if anyone can. Go for it, girl.

Added the simpler Jones Bend H-bar to the Krampus and love it. Gets me all my favorite hand positions and the same comfortable ride as the standard H-bar, but with less weight. Makes the Kranmpus the long-distance rider I hoped it would be.
http://i67.tinypic.com/21dl7af.jpg

[ny biker]

Thanks Emily and NWG. The ankle saga continues, unfortunately. Long story short, an MRI showed that the tendon we thought was hurting is actually fine, but the one next to it is torn, and some of the PT exercises were making it worse. Not sure what the next step is. And as for domed saddles, they make no sense to me -- the shape just makes the effective saddle width smaller. Anyway.

This past week we had heavy thunderstorms popping up in the afternoons, somewhat unpredictably. The ultimate lesson for me was: prepare for a post-work bike ride, get rained out; prepare for either a bike ride or a workout at the gym, it won't rain so the bike ride is on. It took until Friday for me to learn this lesson, however, and even then I wasn't sure if I'd get soaked near the end of the ride or not. Just in case, I plotted a shorter route than usual, building on the improvised short route that I did last week when I was worried that my newly-repaired flat tire would go flat again. On paper it was 11 miles; near the end I decided the rain chances had dropped enough to loop around and do the last part of the ride a second time. Total distance was just under 16 miles. It was warm, very humid and very breezy bordering on windy at the end.

Afterwards I took advantage of the fact that I had my gym clothes with me -- I changed from bike shorts to gym shorts (but kept on my loose-fitting sleeveless bike jersey) and stopped at Target on the way home to pick up a few things. I had serious helmet hair and I don't think I smelled very good but oh well. :eek:

[Crankin]

Our weather was similar this week, NY.
I decided to walk yesterday morning. Good thing I went out when I did, as it started raining heavily about 30 min. after I returned. Oy, we had a lot of stuff to bring to my son's for the birthday, in the rain, and I *forgot* the damn vegan cake! I felt really, really badly. My DIL ran out to a bakery and got some great chocolate cake, but my granddaughter broke out in hives from just a taste of the frosting. A wash and some prescription cortisone cream cleared it up in minutes, though. I sliced it up when we got home and froze it and will bring it to them next week.
Today we did a lovely 30 mile ride, locally. DH was feeling a bit off, so he did not want to do a 50+ mile hilly ride. So, we went through like 5 towns, without being more than 10-12 miles from home, including some climbing. One of the roads is designated as a scenic bikeway; we used to ride on it a lot before I moved to the condo. We stopped at a large Mobil station/convenience store that has a patio with tables, by a bike path and on a pond we sometimes swim at. First, we were going to eat elsewhere, but I got hungry very suddenly. It was nice. It was quite cool, 72 and windy, and almost fall feeling in the shade, until we got back into Concord. As we rode into Concord Center, the temperature went up about 6-8 degrees and the sun came out more. So many more cars, too. I mean we are not talking about Boston here, but despite the fact that parts of my town are rural and farm-like, it has become noticeably more city like in traffic around the 2 town centers. Otherwise, it was really quiet out on the roads.
With a temperature of 72-78 and low humidity, couldn't ask for a more perfect day.

[Crankin]

Yesterday I did my first "dark" ride, in quite a long time. Maybe since last fall. I went out at 5:15 am, it was just starting to get light, but I still used my big, powerful light. I rode out on a flat road and then decided to ride south on another flattish road. At the end of that, I had a choice. Go straight, up a longer hill and back the way I came, make a sketchy left turn on a curve and go up a smaller hill, left across a road that would busy with traffic going toward Boston, or ride more through some country roads and be out longer than I wanted to be. I chose the second one, and I did have to wait a few minutes to make a left across Rt 117, with a steady stream of cars. Other than this, it was quiet. Some mist/low hanging fog as I rode through a golf course and other valley type areas. About 58 degrees, and I was dressed correctly for once. I did see a couple riding in the other direction nearer to the beginning of my ride. They had crappy little lights and it was still more dark than light out when I saw them. I've been using a front light all of the time for about 3 years and it makes such a difference in how cars react. My big light is as good as a car and has several settings. I only use this in the dark, or in winter. I have a light with less lumens I use most of the other time.
I love riding at this time of day, but this ride is more rural than what I could do when I lived on the other side of town. It was fun to see the town waking up in the shopping area, as well as seeing lots of other cyclists who were as nuts as I am to get up and ride at 5 AM.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Crankin. Brings back some pleasant memories of commuting in my Chicago suburb days. Much of the year, it was in the dark, since I was one of the first into work. Very different, kind of peaceful world in busy urban and suburban areas that early in the morning. I remember seeing coyotes, fox, lots of deer, raccoons right along main street. Yeah, now and then I'd see other commuters on a bike, some even with no lights or any reflective clothing. Just crazy. I suspect some of these were commuting on a bike out of economic necessity and I felt their pain, but no light at all?

Been a good week for my riding. Most of it's been a daily combo ride of pavement, gravel and single track, averaging about 25 miles on the Krampus and the Krampus handled them all very well. Can't help but think the Krampus would have made a great commuting bike, back in the day, but that was just before the big tire craze hit the bike world. Standard 29ers were the radical new thing at the time. Thought I was going big at the time with those old 26x2" MTB wheels. Things sure have changed. :)

Still have my two 26" MTBs that I used for commuting, though, and still ride them. I think standard 26" MTBs still have their place for trail work and even some road riding. They got me through a couple of Chicago area winters and never let me down. I know the industry is making an all out effort to replace the 26" wheels with the 27.5" wheels as the industry standard, but I hope they don't forget the good old 26". Be a real shame.

[emily_in_nc]

I rode! I rode! I rode! :D

Pardon the excitement, but since I haven't ridden (other than a few trainer rides) since my crash on April 21, it was a big day for me. Very hot and humid since we're back in Florida, but there's a reasonable amount of shade on the bike path, and so long as I kept moving, the breeze I created made it tolerable, and plenty of cold water helped too. Had a great time, managed 24 miles (a bit more than I'd expected). Mentally, it was just great to get out again for both me and DH, who was going pretty crazy without riding.

This is a short stretch of busy road we have to ride to get back to the campground after riding the trail. Fortunately, there is a bike lane, and with the stoplights, sometimes you can get all the way without being passed if you time it right. I didn't quite manage that today, but almost! Cars are gaining on me here....
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And back at our motorhome:
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Thanks for all the support during this tough time, gals of TE. I really do appreciate it! :)

[Crankin]

Looking good, Emily. That's a very respectable amount of miles after coming back from injury!

[ny biker]

Congrats Emily!!!

[north woods gal]

Hey, Emily, that one made my day and it's just starting. :) Way to go, girl. So good to know you're back and riding, again, after that kind of injury. Very impressive.

Did some trail work with both of my vintage 26" MTBs, yesterday. I do this every now and then to keep them tuned and ready to go. Yeah, they are tooth rattlers compared fat tire bikes, but they are so quick and agile that it takes some adjustment to my timing through the turns and climbs. Quite different than the fat tire stuff. On sandy sections, yup, plenty of fishtailing with the slimmer tires, but just a matter of knowing how to deal with it, same as with any trail challenge.

One of the bikes is my hardtail aluminum Trek 8000 and the other is my older fully rigid steel Kona. Good side by side contrast between the feel aluminum and the feel of steel. Not that the aluminum was in any way nasty, but, even without a suspension fork, the steel felt like the sweeter ride, especially out on the pavement, which I also rode for the sake of comparison. Fun day with the old bikes.

[emily_in_nc]

Hey, Emily, that one made my day and it's just starting. :) Way to go, girl. So good to know you're back and riding, again, after that kind of injury. Very impressive.

Thanks! I actually thought of you as the heat and humidity here is rather overwhelming, even after being in NC this summer, which is no slouch on the heat and humidity front! I was surprised to see many other cyclists out on the bike path yesterday. We got out at 9 and finished up around 11, and I figured most riders would be done by 9. Guess we aren't the only ones who take our time getting going in the morning! Fortunately, as long as I kept moving, it was tolerable in the morning (wouldn't do it in the afternoon!), especially since much of the path is shaded...thank the gods!

Glad you're enjoying your various MTBs!

[azfiddle]

Yay Emily.

I've been absent a while, but riding lots. Near daily commutes- not today, but most days. I rode my 99th commute on Tuesday and hope to do #100 tomorrow.

I'll check in again soon.

Happy riding to all.

[rebeccaC]

I rode! I rode! I rode! :D
:D good on you!!!!.......i'm slower getting back than you but hey it's all part of our journeys :)

[salsabike]

Hello, rebeccaC. :)

[rebeccaC]

Hello, rebeccaC. :)

:D ((HUG)) to you.......

[Crankin]

I rode +100 miles last week, did my early AM ride Monday and then proceeded to have a flare up of my stomach issues. I so wanted to do my group ride Wednesday, and it was a perfect weather day. But, I needed to chill. DH worked from home and we took a short, 2 mile walk.
So now, I am leading a ride tomorrow with another woman and we have been turning people away, after our limit of 10. Of course, it is going to rain from 3 AM through 1:00 pm. We will probably cancel tonight, as the ride starts at 10. Sigh...
The only exercise I've done beside the walk was my tabata class yesterday. I had planned to take a rest day today, so my legs are fresh for leading tomorrow, but I may ride this afternoon. And speaking of gyms, I am going back to the no-frills (i.e. cheap and not so clean) Gold's Gym next month, because my club is now cancelling any class that doesn't regularly get 8-10 people. They don't understand that at 5:30 in the morning, getting 3-5 people is good. So, my core and balance class is already gone and I am not sure tabata will make it. All they have is spin, and I abhor that, except in the dead of winter. I am going to Gold's for the 2X a week tabata/boot camp done by a very professional younger woman, who is now doing fitness stuff as her full time career. Gold's is 600.00 a year and right now we are paying 180.00 a month for both of us. It's not worth it, DH rarely goes to the gym and they are definitely catering to a different demographic. I think I was in that demographic when I belonged to this club 98-2009, but I am done.

[north woods gal]

Had some heavy storms, yesterday, but still squeezed in some trail work between storms. Nice to be able to check the local radar for windows of riding opportunities. What makes trail riding possible for me under these conditions is the luxury of having my own trails right in my backyard. Originally made the trails for a variety of practical reasons, but being able to still ride on stormy days like this has been an unexpected bene.

The other thing that makes my trail riding doable on these very wet and stormy days is the fat bike. The big wide tires really spread out my weight and leave very little in the way of a "footprint" on a soggy trail. Our pet deer actually leave a much deeper print in the soft stuff. Definitely a shallower print than any human footprint, especially a lugged sole with a hiking boot. Even Star, our Border Collie and constant trail companion, leaves a deeper foot print. I really like the environmentally friendly aspect of riding fat tire bikes out on the trail. Even ride across a small section of our lawn to link up between sections of the trail without any damage to the lawn. Pretty neat.

This one is my muddy day bike for trail riding. It's my Salsa Blackboro. It has the widest footprint of any of my fat bikes, thanks to also having the widest rims (rim width makes a difference on actual tire width) and those big 4.8" tires. For the same reason, it's also my most capable fattie for deep snow riding. The big Salsa is no speed demon on hard pack, but in rainy years like this one, sees a lot of year round use.
http://i68.tinypic.com/jqqejd.jpg

[emily_in_nc]

That's a cool looking bike, NWG! It's so strange to see a snow pic, but I know that's not from real time. :D

Did 25 miles yesterday -- bike path and road. It's so nice to be back on the bike! I'm a little slower than last spring but about the same as when I started riding down here last winter, so I don't think I've lost a ton of fitness. What helped was all the hills in our NC campground, especially once we moved our motorhome up a steep one. I hauled our laundry up that a few times, and every walk we took required hoofing it up, so I think my aerobic capacity stayed fairly stable. :D

[Crankin]

I am mad! I led a 33 mile ride today, which was abruptly ended at mile 13, when my shifter cable broke. AMC always requires 2 leaders, so I knew the group was fine with the other person, but I was feeling good and the group was nice. Amazingly, I texted DH, who was 1/4 a mile away, on his bike! He jerry rigged the rear derailleur, so I could get home, where we found a whole plastic piece missing. The internal cable routing is fussier. So, we went to the LBS, to see if they had the part, but DH was already trying to convince me to get Di2. I refused to get electronic shifting when I bought the bike. Then, when we went to France, I had it on my rental. I liked it, but the earth didn't move. Long story short, I am switching over. Personally, I think it's a lot of $ to do this, but DH says now he won't ever have to change my cables again.
Now watch, when I go to ride my Guru tomorrow, something will break. I did have 2 nice emails from other riders, thanking me, which was really nice.

[emily_in_nc]

Bummer, Crankin! So sorry that happened to you. My DH had a shifter cable break not long ago, and I've had it happen as well. No fun at all when it messes up your ride.

[Crankin]

Decided to go hiking today! I haven't been on a hike since April, as I didn't want it to interfere with training for my bike trip to Spain, and then because of knee issues from bike crashes. It was nice to be in the woods and mostly shade, in a new local place. Told DH to put the pedals on my Guru, since it has been pedal-less since we went to Spain. I will probably just commute tomorrow, as i have a feeling legs will be toast from hiking 4 miles.
I got 5 thank yous from the riders in my group, which was a record. They loved the route, but I didn't have the heart to tell them I stole it from someone in another club.

[emily_in_nc]

Rode the bike path + roads there and back the past two mornings. 26.7 miles yesterday and 29.0 miles today. Super hot and sweaty, of course; this is Florida in the summer! Still, I'm not complaining; it's just great to be back out on the bike!

[north woods gal]

Sounds like you're back to your usual great form, Emily. Glad to hear it.

As for me, I'm not piling up the road miles, since my daily riding is always trail riding with some road riding thrown in every other day or two. I'm okay with that. I think it's a better match for me, given my age, than trying to do a lot long distance stuff. Riding for an hour or a bit more, every day, rather than doing the big rides, seems to keep my old bike injuries from flaring up.

[Crankin]

Commuted on Monday (5.5 milesRT, and that's with adding extra) and today I did a slightly different version of the ride I did 2 weeks ago, 20 miles, instead of 21. Humid out, but decreasing humidity. We are going up to Newburyport for the weekend. Will probably bring bikes, but the focus won't be on riding. Weather looks iffy on Saturday, so maybe a shorter ride Saturday morning. Sunday looks like a beach day.

[Crankin]

We did do a 22 mile ride on Saturday afternoon, starting at the Air B&B we rented in Newburyport, meandering through Newbury, Rowley, Byfield, and Georgetown. I've ridden some in this coastal-rural area of MA, but this ride had maybe 2 or 3 streets that seemed familiar. Mostly farms, homes, marshes, and the Ipswich River. The ride is sort of flat, but with a lot of false flats, which are not my favorite, and some little rollers. It started out very humid and cloudy, ended up sunny, with a stiff breeze, and humidity going down. Saw lots of cyclists. It was nice to ride somewhere different, but close enough that we could do it as a day trip. We got back, walked into town and had a late lunch, followed by more walking. Today, we went to the beach early in the morning, and left for home around 1:00.
Probably ride in the early AM and then commute to work, around 9:00. The only day I have free to ride, is probably going to rain this week.

[rebeccaC]

Super hot and sweaty, of course; this is Florida in the summer! Still, I'm not complaining; it's just great to be back out on the bike!
I know that feeling!...and about the heat, hey, you're on the wrong coast :) low 70's with an ocean breeze for me.....We rode the bike path to Redondo Beach and did some climbing in the hills above it. Just 45 miles but my hardest ride in 9 months. Felt good to feel and do a harder effort…....

and since my taste is getting back to normal and as a reward for the ride...we ate white chocolate bread pudding with caramel and caramelized banana’s watching this view on the way back :)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4407/36311942480_e3a18676c0_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/XjLcpN)

eta...Been enjoying some long late night/very early morning rollerblading on the bike paths. That also has helped to strengthen my muscles and build endurance.

[Crankin]

I did a 5:15AM "dark ride" with DH this morning. Despite the fact we use our rear and front lights in the daylight, riding behind him in the dark almost blinded me! I had to ask him to stop and put it on a different flash setting. We only went 10 miles, but it involved a hill and at that time of the morning I am not too zippy. DH just wanted to get done and I tend to be slow and calmer in the early morning. It was nice and cool, and it's interesting to feel the changes in temperature as we go by farmland vs homes, low lying areas, etc.
There's a stop light about 3/4 a mile from our home. It turns from flashing to regular at 6 AM and one time I actually was riding through the intersection right at 6 when it changed. We missed it this morning by 5-6 minutes, but it's a stupid fun thing to try and do again.

[emily_in_nc]

I know that feeling!...and about the heat, hey, you're on the wrong coast :) low 70's with an ocean breeze for me.....We rode the bike path to Redondo Beach and did some climbing in the hills above it. Just 45 miles but my hardest ride in 9 months. Felt good to feel and do a harder effort…....

and since my taste is getting back to normal and as a reward for the ride...we ate white chocolate bread pudding with caramel and caramelized banana’s watching this view on the way back :) ...

YUM! That sounds absolutely amazing, and a well-deserved reward for your efforts! But "Just" 45 miles?? That's a lot of miles. I can't even remember the last time I rode that far. Right now, I'm delighted with 30. Don't knock yourself down. You're doing amazingly, especially considering what you're coming back from. But even if you weren't, 45 miles is a good ride!

You're right, though, I am on the wrong coast if I wanted to avoid heat and humidity. However, DH loves it (crazy boy!), and it's far more affordable here -- both RV parks and orthodontia! :D

[north woods gal]

Crankin, I'll have to give you credit for getting out that early to ride. I had no choice to get out and ride that early when I was commuting, but now that we're retired, no thanks. :)

Plus one to what Emily says, Rebecca. It's been a long time when a 40 plus mile ride was "just" a ride for me. Oh, I still have it in me, but have gotten so wrapped up in trail riding and doing improvements on my trials, this summer, that breaking loose for a long 40 plus mile ride hasn't tempted me much. By the way, that beach path looks like a lovely place to ride.

Been doing some upgrades on my trails, all summer, to smooth out some of the worst "tooth rattling" spots and sections, but it's been seriously heavy labor with digging, chopping, lifting and so on, all right at the edge of my physical capabilities, sometimes four or five hours at a time with me being so tired I can barely walk back to the house. Bill can't help, either, because of his disabilities. It's been a labor of love, yes, but my body is telling me I'm overdoing it. Not good. Never figured my retirement years would be heavy labor years. Really need to back off this kind of physical activity.

Bill is involved in a wellness group that is having their annual meeting in San Diego, in September, so while he's tied up in meetings, looks like I'll be renting a bike and riding in the heat and southern sun, again, this year. I am so NOT ready for that change in climate. This summer has been on the cool and wet side for us, plus most of my riding has been on the trail bikes back in the trees, out of a lot of direct hot sun. Not too crazy about leaving my beloved north woods, again, and visiting the big city, but it is important for him, so I'll not complain.

[Crankin]

The September sun in San Diego is nothing like Florida. It will be cool and foggy in the morning, then clear, dry, and sunny until sunset. Perfect riding conditions.

[pumpkinpony]

I got to go ride in Denver with my brother a couple weeks ago - nice 77 mile ride. :-)

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[ny biker]

Catching up... yay to Emily and Rebecca for getting back out there. I absolutely love that photo, Rebecca. I know folks who really like the Di2 shifters, Crankin, and I hope they work out for you. I've never had anyone behind me on night rides -- I wonder if my rear light is too bright for anyone to follow closely? I have been told that it's very visible from a distance on rainy days.

I got in a few good rides earlier this month. One was a route that I planned and led for the bike club, a mix of favorite roads and a few new ones in rural northern Maryland. The weather was perfect, not at all hot, which is important in farmland where shady trees are few and far between. I also did a couple of night rides in which I experimented with a new route... in the dark, in an area with confusing street names (like 22nd St followed by 22nd Rd) and some missing road signs. So I was happy to only make a few wrong turns, and I knew the general area well enough to never truly get lost. Then we had the annual club picnic, which was fun and on a day with more perfect summer weather, but I think I started out too fast because the torn tendon in my ankle was hurting quite a bit. That was not cool.

Then I found out that I (and all of my co-workers) have been furloughed at work, required to take 2 weeks off between now and Sept 30 due to a funding cut at the end of our client's fiscal year. I was already planning a weekend trip to visit family in NY, so I made it a 6-day trip instead. I figured my ankle would appreciate a few days of rest from bike rides and walking around the office. It was a fun trip, and I was happy to watch the eclipse (~70% totality on Long Island with just a few light clouds) with my parents and nephew.

I will try the new night ride route again in a couple of days, and am planning a ride on Sunday that does not have too many hills. Hopefully my ankle will be okay as long as I ride a moderate pace.

[north woods gal]

Thanks for the info, Crankin. Encouraging.

No trail repair work, today. Pretty much decided to mothball that kind of work for this summer. Did a lot of trail riding, today, though. 13 plus miles of laps on my backyard trails with a section of leg burner climbs on every lap. Really good workout.

Windy, today, and noticed a lot of leaves falling, some of which had a little color. Is it that time of year, already? Actually, it's getting close for us. September is our color month. By the end of the month in a normal year, the leaves are mostly gone. My summer is almost over. Sigh!

[Crankin]

I've seen a few red maple leaves on the ground, but this always happens in August. Our peak color isn't until October.
I did a group ride today, which was a little weird. I rode 4.5 miles to the start; the ride itself was a little over 25 miles. It was a smaller group, so my friend, Jack, who was leading, decided we didn't need to use the human arrow system and we would all stay together. But, he went really, really slowly, which meant I had to keep my focus laser sharp, especially since I don't trust some of these riders and I am not quite as nimble on my Guru. I basically stayed behind him... we had a thunderstorm last night, which cleared out the 90 degree temps and humidity. It is still getting drier out, but it felt wonderful. We are in for a long stretch of dry, "fall like" weather, with highs in the 70s, and I cannot wait.
My total was 31.5 miles, but I am ready to throw my GPS against a wall. Whenever I download a course, particularly one that was not done by my DH, I don't get any written cues, just a map! Now, this doesn't matter when I actually know where I am, like today, but that is not always the case. Sometimes it will start working part way through the ride. So, DH reloaded all of the software, or something similar Sunday, as in addition, it only picked 6 of my 22 miles when following a course that day. It got all of my miles today, but it's not showing my elapsed milage or speed when I am on a course. It does show it when I just have it on. This part may have something to do with the sensor on my Guru, but the other thing (not giving written cues) has been going on since I got this one as a hand me down, 2 years ago. It's about 4-5 years old. Grrrr.
North woods, it might be hot (80s) in the afternon in San Diego, but if you are anywhere close to the ocean, it is significantly cooler. My family lives inland, about 10 miles, and it's always 10-20 degrees hotter.

[emily_in_nc]

NO riding for me this week...wahhhh! :( :( :(

Monday and Tuesday were taken up with orthodontic and dental appointments, and I woke up yesterday morning with the tell-tale scratchy through and congestion of a cold. :mad: So, I'm just taking it easy in hopes of getting well quickly and calling this week a total wash. :( Oh well, there will be many more rides ahead, and it's so blinking hot and humid anyway I'm not entirely upset about missing out on riding this week.

[north woods gal]

I agree on not riding when a cold is coming on, Emily. From experience, riding can make it worse. Rest up.

Bill and I recently purchased a bike rack for the Toyota so that he could join me on some of my area trails and gravel/sand roads. Due to disabilities, he can't sit for the long times it takes to ride out to these trails, but using the car to get there, he can join me on the shorter rides. Today, was a five mile jaunt on my favorite gnarly sand road and we used it to pick some blackberries, which are plentiful along this road.

This mostly sand road can vary, tremendously, in its condition for bicycling, but even at its best, anything less than 3" tires is going to be impossible in sections. It gets pounded by ATV traffic and since no one lives along it's 7 mile length, it receives minimal maintenance. Anymore, I just grab a fat bike, usually my beloved Pugsley, to take the guesswork out of it. Got lucky, today, though, because a road grader has recently done some work. Best I've seen it, yet. Still no place for a skinny tire bike, though.
https://s20.postimg.org/886eouczx/IMG_0752.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/ovxwrc7rd/)

My Pugs stops to pick some berries.
https://s20.postimg.org/ikspax6j1/IMG_0758.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/5gn4y8eh5/)

While Bill was busy picking berries, I did sneak off down a snowmobile trail that was absolutely fat bike, only, country. Fun, fun, fun.
https://s20.postimg.org/mfw3dhpot/IMG_0759.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/6uertjdqh/)

Heading back to the car with a load of blackberries and a nice ride under our belt.
https://s20.postimg.org/gu9o9fozx/IMG_0768.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/4fmw93xhl/)

How sweet they are!
https://s20.postimg.org/sxezx0025/P1090573.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/ft9fkb809/)

[rebeccaC]

thanks for the nice comments :)....feel better soon emily!!!....and hey, i said 45 miles and the climbing was HARD :) I've got two months to get ready for the 3 day 200 mile west coast tour de pink. The ride starts about 30 miles away (on the east side of the santa monica mountains), goes north through oxnard and santa barbara and the last day actually ends coming south on the coast to right here at the beach. I haven't done a training plan for awhile but i've enjoyed putting one together for this ride. Strength willing i'll do the whole ride, which is better than thinking perhaps one day of it a couple of months ago. I'll be happy though with however far i ride and just showing solidarity with other survivors :)


eta nwg...such wonderful riding you do.....and blackberry galette ftw!!!!!!!


I got to go ride in Denver with my brother a couple weeks ago - nice 77 mile ride. :-)

did you ride the regional bike trails there? I've heard they are doing some good work on their bicycling infrastructure in the city too.

[emily_in_nc]

That looks like a really fun ride to me, nwg! And the blackberries...YUM! I am envious!

I am actually feeling a lot better tonight so am considering riding tomorrow. I will see how I feel in the morning.

[north woods gal]

Hope you're able to ride, Emily. Good luck.

Yeah, guess I'm hooked on all this off the pavement riding stuff, either via single track, trail, gravel, dirt or sand road. Love the "never know what I'll be riding over or through, next" aspect of it all and, of course, love been back in the woods, boldly going where no road bike has gone before kind of thing. It's all part of what they are now labeling as adventure riding. Nothing as epic as what Sky will be doing in the Baja, but same idea on a much smaller scale.

[emily_in_nc]

Hope you're able to ride, Emily. Good luck.

Thanks! I decided not to as I coughed a bit overnight. I don't want any setbacks since I am getting my braces on Monday and don't want to be coughing in the orthodontist's face! Trying to get well asap. Fortunately I rarely cough during the day.

[Crankin]

Smart, Emily. I am just starting to learn this lesson.

[ny biker]

Feel better, Emily.

I rode after work last night. Sad that it's getting dark earlier, and not thrilled with the early-fall temps -- I want summer! I attempted my new hill ride (which is not so hilly) again, with a few modifications to simplify things in a couple of places. I only made one wrong turn which was easily corrected. I might edit the route again, because a couple of turns were at the tops of hills from side streets with stop signs to busier roads without stop signs, and it was hard to clip out and then get going again on the inclines.

My ankle bothered me a bit at the beginning of the ride until I stopped and put a folded piece of paper inside my shoe under my big toe. It seems to help to have a little something under the toe to elevate it slightly. It keeps me from curling the toe and reminds me to keep my heel down as I pedal. It helps to have something under my toe when I walk, too.

Tomorrow I'm leading a club ride in southern Maryland which is somewhat exploratory. A couple of years ago I learned that there is an environmental research center with public hiking trails and water trails for kayaks and canoes in an area where I like to ride, and I've been wanting to check it out. So I planned a bike ride that includes a stop there. Then on Sunday I go for the beginner kayak class. It will be a busy weekend.

[ny biker]

Just remembered a detail from my ride last night -- before the ride, as I was adding air to the tires, I encountered a type of leak I'd never seen before. As soon as I removed the cap from the Presta valve stem on the rear tire, air started to come out, with a pretty loud hiss like you'd hear after loosening the screw and pressing down on the top of the valve. I typically tighten the screw on the stem pretty well after pumping up the tire, but maybe it was a bit loose. I unscrewed it as far as it would go and was able to pump up the tire to my usual 100 psi. When I tightened the screw again it seemed okay. I put the cap back on, screwed it on as tightly as possible. Started to ride. After a mile or so I stopped and checked the tire. It felt a bit springier than usual but seemed okay. I was able to finish the ride (17 miles) without a problem. Then as brought the bike into the house I noticed that the tire had lost quite a bit of air.

I planned to change it right away, well, after eating dinner, but it was late and I was tired. So I will deal with it tonight. I'm hoping the only problem is with the valve stem. I just put the tube in a month or so ago after the tire had a puncture. If it's been punctured again, I think I might replace it. I hate flat tires, especially rear flats.

[north woods gal]

Best of luck, NY. Sounds like it's time to just replace the tube, though. If it's leaking around the base of the stem where it protrudes from the tube, a patch might be an iffy fix.

I hear you about getting dark earlier, now. Hit the trails at 4:30 this afternoon and it was like, what happened to my daylight? Been cool, too. I'm not ready to let my summer go, either. :(

[Crankin]

It's going to be 48 here tonight...

[emily_in_nc]

Brrrr...hard to get my head around folks starting to have early fall temps. Here in Florida we're still having low 90s for highs and mid 70s for lows. Fall is not in sight!

[north woods gal]

60s for highs, this week, here. Even had a scattered frost warning, earlier in the week.

Steady light rain and drizzle, today, but, as always, couldn't stand being trapped in the house. Headed out with a shovel and axe to do a little trail improvement work, then finished with half of my usual laps on one of the fat bikes. Didn't get all that wet, though. Surprising how the overhead canopy of the forest keeps things dry down below for a long time.

Have a brother down in Austin, though. Now he is getting some real rain.

[ny biker]

I had a great ride yesterday, just short of 50 miles, which included a visit to the environmental research facility that I mentioned the other day. I had first heard of it a couple of years ago and finally went to check it out. They have some hiking trails that are open to the public as well as a dock for launching canoes and kayaks. It's run by the Smithsonian. As an added bonus, there's a visitors center with restrooms and a water fountain. In an area where public restroom opportunities are few and far between, it's always good to find a new one that we can use. We had a good group, 12 people who rode together comfortably for most of the ride.

When I got home I discovered that my front tire was soft, so I have another flat to fix. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad these are slow leaks that enable me to finish the ride and make the repairs at home. But still, three in one month is a bit much. I was at the bike shop today picking up some new tire levers (my old ones are just too thick) and they said if I bring them the tube with the valve stem problem they will replace it under warranty. The entire top part of the stem came off when I removed the cap on that tube the other day. Weird.

[north woods gal]

Three in a month is nuts, for sure. What gives?

The rain and drizzle continues, but I'm still riding. Figure that if I live, up here, I gotta take what comes and keep going. Okay, makes me sound tough, right? :) I'm not, though. As always, just a matter of dressing for it. Just a little grumpy and kind of spoiled by all those beautiful summer days. Where has my summer gone?

[Crankin]

We are continuing our beuatiful summer weather. Spent the weekend in the "Happy Valley," (Amherst area) with our friends. Drove out early yesterday and then we spent almost the whole day at a Western MA AMC chapter event at a "camp" in Russell, MA, which was about an hour south and a bit west of where our friend's live. On the way there, we turned up and drove part way up Blanford Rd, the scene of one of my 2 times I've gotton off my bike and walked! I think I could do it now, but it is a really long climb. Anyway, the day consisted of some short, easy hikes to introduce people to the trails, a lunch, and a speaker who talked about and brought snakes. A gorgeous view and grounds. It's a self serve AMC site, where you can rent rooms, tent sites and there is a shared kitchen facility and bathhouse. I won 2 books about hikes in western/central MA in the raffle, too. The snake talk was a bit boring to me, although the speaker was good. We decided we will come back for snow shoeing on these trails.
After an evening of rum swizzles and a great dinner at our friends' new home, we did a ride this morning. My first ride with the new Di2 on my Silque. Only 25 miles, but through unique farmland and riding through a couple of towns I have not ridden in. The bike was fine, and I am glad I did it. After our ride, we went to a new, small winery, about 1.5 miles from their house. The tasting was awesome, and it turns out the owners are cyclists, former racers, who know someone I know (who used to hang out here). We joined their wine club, since we are out there fairly often. We sat outside at our friends' for a bit and then headed home.
I am tired, a lot of allergens out there today. Not sure if I will ride tomorrow.

[ny biker]

Did I say I had a flat tire after yesterday's ride? Make that TWO flat tires.

The front seems to have a damaged stem. It's very short and has been a problem since day 1 because I have trouble attaching it to the floor pump. So no surprise that it's now shot.

The rear tire has a puncture. Upon inspection, I'm finding many cuts in this tire, some pretty deep. There are no holes going all the way through but that doesn't seem to matter. But the kicker is, after replacing the tube and filling it with air, there is the beginning of a split on the side. This might have been caused by the tire hitting the hallway wall as I carry the bike up and down the stairs of my apartment building. Not that it matters, though. Because it's time to get rid of these Conti Grand Prix tires and get some new Gatorskins.

Should I get folding bead or regular? What's the difference?

[Crankin]

I have the regular ones on both bikes. All I know, is that I haven't had a flat since... 3 years and 6 years.

[rebeccaC]

NY….Folding beads can stretch a bit after being ridden, which can make them a little easier to get off and on. At first they can be as hard to get on as wired though. If the leak location can be determined from just looking at the tire, with folding I can remove part of the tire, pull the tube out, patch and get back to riding quicker. That’s harder to do with a wire bead. I prefer carrying a folding spare tire when i feel the need although you can coil a wire bead into thirds. Folding tires are a little lighter too.

Perhaps getting a longer stem on the replacement tubes will help with the pump attachment....if you're using a screw on pump head depending on how hard you attach it that may loosen the stem core when you remove it as most cores loosen counter clockwise....and don't really tighten the stem cap for the same reason, i don't even use them.

[north woods gal]

Plus one on what Rebecca says about the folding beads. I use them on all my MTBs, not because they're lighter, but because they do give a little when I have to change tires. Still a matter of individual tires on specific rims, though. Some combos are a bear, not matter what the bead. Most MTBs tires, these days, are folding, anyway.

The lighter thing isn't much of a factor on my MTBs and fat bikes, as I said, but that might be something that would be more of an interest on your road bike.

Curious, though, that your tires are getting so cut up, NY. It's seldom an issue on my trail bikes and they see a lot of nasty rocks and such.

[rebeccaC]

I've heard of people laying tires out in the sun to soften them before first installation. Never tried it, but maybe that would make it easier.

Sheila…possibly the rubber but I wouldn’t think aramid-fibers like the Kevlar beads in tires or wire beads are affected much if any by sun heat….actually I'm pretty sure aramid-fiber isn’t.

Did you ever find a good flat pedal shoe for your Krampus? I’m looking for my commuter.

[north woods gal]

I'm with Sheila on the shoes for flat pedals. One of the big plusses for flats is that you don't need special shoes. Just use what you're wearing, hop on the bike and go. As long as the soles of the shoe grab the pins on the pedal, you're set. I use standard street shoes, sandals, hiking boots, even felt lined pac boots in the winter. One thing I do add to my bikes that is helpful for use with flats is a QR seat clamp, since your inseam changes with different shoes.

[emily_in_nc]

NY, we recently installed Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on our roadies. They're heavier, but we anticipate no flats for a long time. Haven't had any this year in 1800+ miles. We actually bought them thinking we were going out west (land of goatheads) this summer, and that didn't happen, but they stay on. Here in Florida, the biggest hazard is glass on the bike lanes and roads we have to take to get to and from the paved bike paths. We rarely have gotten any flats other than out west, where we got many. Goatheads are truly satan's spawn!

Glad you had a good ride and were able to get home without the flat needing to be changed along the way. No fun!

I haven't ridden in over a week due to ortho/dentist appointments and then a cold, but I am feeling fine now, and assuming my braces (got 'em today) don't cause me to be too miserable, I do plan to ride tomorrow at last. Looking forward to it -- it will help me get my mind off my mouth! :D

[rebeccaC]

Thanks to both of you…I’ve been using Chromes for their rigid sole and grippy rubber but need some new shoes. I remembered an earlier post of yours Sheila (Maybe i misremembered it :)) and I thought you might have found a good solution for your Krampus. I'll probably go with Chromes again.

eta...Emily does that mean no more wiring of the jaw? if so congrats on getting away from blended food!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and hoping it makes things easier for you too.. +1 on thorns and +1 on marathons....i have them on my commuter and they have taken a lot of abuse without any problems

[azfiddle]

I've been using the folding Gatorskins exclusively for a while. Very rarely do I get flats, in spite of the goat's heads around here. And it's much easier for me to get them on to the rims than the non folding variety.

[Crankin]

I did another "dark ride" this morning. Same measly distance of 9 miles, a slightly different route. First time wearing tights since I was in Spain, but probably since April at home. It was 51 out, but since it was fully dark when I started at 5:15, I didn't want to have any leg exposed with knickers or knee warmers. I also tried out my new light weight, long fingered gloves, wore a light head cover, and a sleeveless base layer. I pretty much nailed it for clothing, which is tricky, between 50 and 65 for me. Next time, I will go out in a diferent direction and go longer, although 35 minutes of exercise is fine for me this time of day.. On the way home, near my house, I saw my gym instructor running, on the other side of the street. We instantly knew who it was, as how many others are out before 6 AM!??

[ny biker]

I tip my hat to you, Crankin. I am pretty sure I would not go out riding in the dark at 51 degrees right now. I am just not ready to play the how many layers game.

I picked up a new tire last night at REI -- a folding Gatorskin Hard Shell. In the past I've just used regular Gatorskins but the Hard Shell was the only one they had in stock in the size I wanted. When I got home I was too tired to put it on the wheel. So I'll do that tonight. Not sure if I'll go for a ride tomorrow night since I'll be helping to mark roads for our club century during the day. I might go out Thursday night instead.



I think I need to take the mountain bike out for a spin. I might do a ride in a few weeks that is partially on gravel. It's a fundraiser for a free clinic a couple of hours west of where I live -- a long drive to get there but a beautiful area. And they have free pie afterwards. Lots and lots of pie.

[emily_in_nc]

eta...Emily does that mean no more wiring of the jaw? if so congrats on getting away from blended food!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and hoping it makes things easier for you too..

Oh yes, I've been out of wires for a couple of months now! :D I got them on on May 16th and off just two weeks later. Then I was in heavy elastics on the arch bars for three weeks and was able to eat soft foods, not only liquid foods. After getting those off in late June, I started adding more and more foods to my diet, just not really hard, chewy, or sticky foods. But about 90% of everything was fine. Sometimes I had to cut things up smaller to eat them since my jaw is still a bit weaker than before, and my bite is still wonky -- though WAY better than before the wiring.

As of yesterday, I have braces on my teeth to further correct my bite (plus straighten my teeth as a side benefit), leading to another round of food restrictions. :( Fortunately, I'm used to those by now, so it's not as traumatic. My teeth are quite sore today, so I'm sticking with yogurt, soup, and so forth. Should get better over the days until the next ortho visit! But I still have to be very careful so as not to break or bend a wire or dislodge a bracket.

I'm just glad to be moving forward!

But back to the subject of August rides, I got out today after my 1.5 weeks off for four separate dentist/orthodontist visits and having a cold. Nice to be back on the bike. Just a nice 20 miler and beat the rain back!

[azfiddle]

I don't know where I've been this month. Here it is, August 29 and I've ridden somewhere around 26 days of the month- mostly commuting but rides on weekends too! I won a $50 gift card for my commuting from the local "Rideshare" website that promotes commuting by bike, bus etc. I did a ride up Mt. Lemmon to milepost 9, two weeks ago, a 55 mile ride about a week ago with the JDRF training group - I'm going to ride with them for El Tour de Tucson. (Doing that miserable fund-raising begging....I'm not good at it!), and I did a 38 mile ride on Saturday that cooked me completely. It was about 100 degrees or more for the last 8 miles and I had to stop and go cool off inside a store for a couple minutes about 5 miles from my my house- and then downed Starbucks frappucino to cool down a little more about a mile from home.

[ny biker]

Glad you were finally able to get back out and ride. When my sister had braces back in the day, she always ate scrambled eggs for dinner on days when she went to the orthodontist.

[Crankin]

I actually asked my DH about which Gatorskins I had last night. I didn't know, because they were on the bikes when I did the builds on both of them. I remember asking the shop(s) to use them, but not the discussion of which kind. They are the folding ones. However, I still wouldn't want to try to get them off or on!
I might have to try, as yesterday morning I rode through a pile of broken glass on my ride. I checked my tires when I got back and last night, so far, OK, but a little leery of going out alone today. It's raining now, but supposed to clear up and I do want to ride at least 20 miles today. We are leaving for Philly tomorrow, where my younger son and family are temporarily hanging out until they go to Ft. Benning. Decided not to take the bikes, as we want to concentrate on the visit.

[north woods gal]

I don't want to get pushy about my preference for flat pedals and by flats I mean thin platform pedals with pins on either side, not the old blocky cruiser pedals we had on Schwinns when we were kids or that are still found on cheaper bikes. My advice for anyone is to try flats if interested, but give them at least a couple of months. At first, there is a feeling of insecurity with not being locked in with SPDs if you've been riding them for years, but it passes as you become familiar with the flats.

I switched over to good lightweight flats on my road bikes a couple years, ago, now, and in the beginning I kept notes for a month on my average speed on the same long pavement loop with the flats versus my SPDs. Meant a lot of switching pedals on my Trek Domane WSD road bike, but I really wanted know the trade offs. Sometimes even did back to back rides on the same day with the different pedals for the sake of comparison.

My findings - and I stress that they were my findings for my riding and they may or may not apply to others - is that there was no significant difference in my average speed for the two types. If anything, my speed was a bit higher with the flats. Go figure. I did greatly reduce foot cramps by going with the flats, though, and that was one of the things that lead me to try them in the first place. So many thousands of miles over so many years of my feet being clipped into one single position on the pedals for hours and hours at a time with the SPDs had caught up with me. It was a repetitive stress kind of injury. I couldn't go for more than a couple of hours without my feet cramping and, yes, I changed seats, seat positions, you name it. Very painful.

The flats cured it, though, by allowing my to move my foot on the pedals a bit, same as moving my hands around on the drop bars reduced hand numbness and fatigue. The cramps disappeared almost immediately, as long as I remembered to keep my feet moving and stretching. Two years, now, many long rides with the flats and no cramps. Don't even think about it, now. Problem solved.

For trail work, switching from clipless to flats, I did have to adjust my riding style to avoid my feet bouncing off the pedals when not being locked in with eggbeaters as I rode over gnarly stuff. That was actually very easy, though. I now get at least one wheel off the ground when hopping logs and rocks and on some serious drops with me and the bike landing hard with no loss of contact with the pedals. More importantly, flats let me move my feet around on the pedals for technical advantages. I sometimes ride on the balls of my feet when steering though turns for the sake of balance and sometimes even drop a foot to pivot through a really tight twist when I'm getting a little wild with the speed. I then go with the flats of my feet on the pedals for more power when climbing. Huge difference in power. All in all, pretty amazing how changing positions with your feet on the pedals adds to your riding, same as changing positions with your hands on the bars. Going back to clipless would now be a real handicap for me on my MTB riding. No way. And remember, this is all with fully rigid MTBs, no suspension. It's all a matter of technique.

As for the flats on one side and SPD on the other pedals, totally worthless on the two versions I've tried. Neither side worked as well as a standard all flat or all SPD.

Again, not telling anyone what to use. Not my style. Sold off all my clipless pedals, though. Flats, only, for this gal.

[Crankin]

I used SPDs at first... couldn't stand the restrictive float. I can see how you had cramps with SPDs, NW. I switched to Speedplay X pedals. They are not even made anymore, but I see no reason to change to the newer version, as you can still get them. I kept SPDs on my mountain bike, which was dumb, since I already was scared to death and never really progressed much, flats would have helped. I had the campus pedals on my Jamis Coda; one side SPD, one side flat. They always flipped over to the unweighted side when I clipped out and I had to kick it over to get back in. However, I did ride that bike twice with the flat side and regular shoes, which was a disaster. In traffic, I had no muscle memory for pushing off unclipped. I have ridden beach cruisers/rental bikes with flat pedals, but with no pressure around me (cars) it was OK. I sold the Coda (wish I hadn't) when I got my Guru. That had Speedplay Frogs, which are great to walk in, but I always seemed to fly out of the left pedal. I read about it on line, there was an issue, mostly because it's so smooth clipping in, you can't hear the little click, so hence, you aren't actually in when you think you are. I bring them for when we go on tours in Europe. When we came back from Spain, we never put them back on the bike, and when I had to ride the Guru over the past month, DH put his old Speedplay Xs on the bike, since he bought the newer version, when he got new shoes.
I don't like change with any part of my bike! I don't have a good idea of how pins work. Do they stick into some kind of special bottom on a BMX shoe? If I ever get another bike like the Coda for just going into town, I might get flat pedals.

[rebeccaC]

There is a lot of variation in Chromes, and I've never tired them. Which do you like?

Chrome Kursk’s….the soles are stiff enough for my use and they hold well on the serrated edges of my commuters mks pedals. I do use nylon-reinforced resin strapless toe-clips when doing some of the hills here in town on my commuter too.

They are very comfortable to walk in. The Pro Kursk has a removable plate for recessed spd compatibility if someone wants that too. The ones I have are a few years old and looking worn now. Sizes run large and I went one size down and they fit well. They also have a nice elastic loop to hold the lace ends securely on the top of the shoe.

[emily_in_nc]

Glad you were finally able to get back out and ride. When my sister had braces back in the day, she always ate scrambled eggs for dinner on days when she went to the orthodontist.

We're having Mexi-eggs tonight, in fact! Yesterday I was quite sore and had salmon and quinoa/kale for dinner. Less sore today - yay! :D

[north woods gal]

Some MTBs and fat bikes, even on the higher end models, are now coming with good flat pedals. I use the Expedo Spry (http://www.jensonusa.com/!0kDaDFQF8R1AL9XOJCWq4Q!/Xpedo-Spry-Pedals?utm_source=FRGL&utm_medium=organic&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=shopping_us&pt_keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_JT1h-eB1gIVEFgNCh0lqgIeEAQYBSABEgJCR_D_BwE) on a couple of bikes and like them. Great pedal for the money and very light. These are the pedals I was using on the road bikes. Also having some cheap Giant plastic flats with pins that are not removable/replaceable, but as cheap as they are, I'll just replace them when the pins wear down too much. Have had very little wear on them, though, after a lot of hard use.

I don't get too excited about spending big bucks on my MTB flat pedals, though. In our rocky trails, they get beat up pretty bad. Of course, I could say that about mountain biking in general. If you're afraid of getting any part of your MTB all scratched up, you are in the wrong kind of biking. Honestly, though, for all the trail miles my MTBs have done, they show very little for wear and tear, even some of my oldest MTBs.

I do keep bucket of water outside the door, filled with slightly soapy water and a large car wash size sponge, though. Pretty simple and quick to give a muddy fat bike a bath before bringing it in the house. (We have a large, enclosed sun porch, which very quickly became my bike room. :))

[ny biker]

I put the Gatorskin on my rear wheel last night. Then realized the directional arrow was pointing backwards, so I had to take it off and do it again. Also my frame pump no longer works right so I had to buy a new one -- fortunately REI currently has Topeak pumps on sale. Anyway, the Gatorskin was easier to get on and off than the Conti Grand Prix was. Though my hand did slip when removing it to turn it around, and I cut my knuckle on the spoke. Would have been worse if I hadn't been wearing vinyl gloves to keep my hands clean. I hate my tire levers -- they're too thick to get under the bead. On the recommendation of the mechanic at the LBS, I bought thinner metal ones, but they knick up the rim too much so I'm going to return them and look for something else.

Also I should add that since I changed the tire at home, I used my Kool-Stop to get it back on the rim. I don't bring the Kool-Stop on rides with me and I imagine it would be harder to replace the tire without it. But I do have a VAR tire lever to use on the road (it's smaller and fits better in a bike bag, though it's not as easy to use as the Kool-Stop) and since the Gatorskin seems easier to work with than the Grand Prix, I think I'll be okay.

Anyway I am really tired of tires. Four flats in 4-5 weeks, two from punctures and two from stem problems. Three of the four were rear flats. I'm finding it harder to get that wheel on and off since I put the mid-cage derailleur on the bike.

Re: pedals -- what's this about no more Speedplay Xs? Good thing I have an extra set of cleats at home.

I put cheap flat pedals on my mountain bike last winter and rode it once around my neighborhood. I had a terrible time get started without my foot being clipped in on the initial pedal stroke, especially on uphills. Haven't had a chance to get out and try it again, though I want to do that soon.

====

Yesterday I helped with road markings for the club's century. It was my first time with this activity. Fortunately I was with people who have done it many times before. It was kinda fun and kinda messy. We had different colors and brands of paint, and the fumes from some were quite strong. My eyes were burning a lot. I felt better after I got home but this morning my head was all congested and my throat hurt. So now I can't tell if I have a cold or if I'm feeling aftereffects from the chemicals. Or maybe it's the new laundry detergent with the strong "fresh scent" that I used for the first time last night and then hung a bunch of clothes on a drying rack in my bedroom overnight. I'm going out for a ride after work tonight and then planning to stop at the store to buy different detergent.

[rebeccaC]

So many thousands of miles over so many years of my feet being clipped into one single position on the pedals for hours and hours at a time with the SPDs had caught up with me. It was a repetitive stress kind of injury.

Float ftw!!!
I have speedplay frog ti’s on my road, tour and fixie cuz I like having the float when I need it, the secure and reliable foot retention especially when pulling upward/climbing off the saddle/the high cadence of some fixie rides etc. and of course there’s the comfortable walking off the bike. No problems in the years I’ve used them.

I have the no longer made Carnac shoes, which has a sole constructed in a way that eliminates any hotspots no matter the length of, long hard climbs on or long headwind grinding it out on the pedals kind of rides.

Soooo for me…it’s a good thing that my feet and knees feel good even if other parts of my body may be in distress cuz of the ride.:)

[north woods gal]

Added another 1/10 mile branch on my MTB trails, today. That doesn't sound like much, but, believe me, that is full day of work and heavy work at that. Good section, though, with some hefty steeps that will give me a good workout. May be able to use it as a cross country ski section, too.

By the way, I do not cut down any large or even small trees, just an occasional seedling. Most of the trail work involves moving debris, raking, trimming over head limbs for the sake of safety, filling dangerous holes and so on. Also involves some cutting of old stumps and fallen dead trees that block the path. Have made an effort to minimize the disruption to our woods. Very little underbrush in our local woods, though, thanks to our overpopulation of deer and we also have an infestation of earthworms - an invasive species for us - that seriously deplete what few soil nutrients we have, so our woods should have more of an understory if truly healthy. The mostly bare forest floor does make it easier on me to lay out trails, but I would rather see my woods a bit more healthy.

Now at about 2.5 miles of trail on our property if you took all the pieces and strung them, end to end, but in order to actually to access and ride all the pieces, you have to ride over 6 miles with lots of doubling up on sections to access all parts. Usually takes me a full hour of riding, full out, hard, and that includes LOTS of climbing and techy turns and maneuvers. On a good day, I can average over 6 mph for average speed. If I just cruise and/or play with then objects such as logs and rocks, much longer and slower. So many ways to ride the trails, I never get bored. An almost infinite number of combinations. All beautiful, too, with me right there in the midst of it all the sounds and smell and ambience. Life is good in our north woods.

[emily_in_nc]

Your trails sound really nice, NWG. My husband put in trails on our 11-acre wooded property in NC which also didn't have a lot of undergrowth (lots of deer there too), but I think even if I rode every segment/loop, it couldn't have been more than a mile and a half total for each loop. Our trails were easy by MTB standards, but there was one little hill that was scary descending and a difficult climb up unless you were in the granny gear ahead of time. I didn't ride these trails much since I was almost much more of a roadie, but they were fun at times!

A couple of similar rides here the past two days on the bike path and roads. Hot and humid with heat index in the low 100s! Today traffic was worse on the roads, heralding the start of the holiday weekend, but the trail was not bad since the kiddos still had school. 27 miles yesterday and 29 today.

Ordered a couple of items from Amazon yesterday: A Polar water bottle that I can squeeze to drink from rather than have to use my teeth to open, which is impossible with braces and tender teeth! Also new Conti Gatorskin tires for both me and DH. He decided that riding the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires we bought for riding out west (goatheads!), where we didn't make it this summer due to my accident, was silly here in Florida. The Contis will save us about 1 lb. of rotating weight for each wheel (when coupled with lighter tubes, as we're also running super heavy bulletproof tubes) and allow us to save the Schwalbes for the next time we actually need them without wearing them out ahead of time. It will be nice to be a bit speedier once we get the new tires installed. I've gotten so used to the Schwalbes that I don't even notice that they are slower. DH just put them on his Trek recently and said he could really tell a difference in his average speed and acceleration. His Contis were well-worn, so it was time for new tires anyway.

[ny biker]

That makes sense, Emily. I envy the hot weather -- we are stuck in a cool pattern and it looks like it will continue. After reading the September outlook on a reliable local weather blog, I am now officially worried that we'll have another cold winter like we did 2-3 years ago. Twenty degrees below normal is one thing in August or September, but in January the colder temps are too much for the heat pump in my condo. It's bad enough not be able to go outside without dressing in so many layers that you can't put your arms down and you look like a tick about to pop, but when you can't be warm in the house either it's just too much.

I rode 17 miles last night, my new not-so-hilly hill route. It still needs some tweaks to eliminate a couple of difficult intersections where I have to stop on uphills to cross or turn at busy roads. Even though most of the roads around here do quiet down in the evenings, the main ones still have a fair amount of cars on them. But it's a good alternative to my usual route, and last night I was able to do it by memory without needing a cue sheet. Temps were in the 70s but it was somewhat humid which kept me from needing a vest or jacket near the end.

Am now trying to figure out my plans for the weekend. I will ride on Sunday, but don't know yet where or for how long. Monday is our club's century and I'll be driving SAG for that.

[Crankin]

Speedplay Xs were replaced by the "Light Action."
I am in Philly, where it looks dreadful for riding. I am in one of the inner suburbs; pretty, but narrow roads, no shoulders, curbs, and hills. And, I think I have found drivers worse than the ones at home. Aggressive, go through red lights, and generally do not look.
I probably walked 5 miles today, so I am good. Tonight is an early birthday party for my DIL before they move. Tomorrow we are pretty free, and then Sunday is my granddaughter's birthday. We will be heading home late Sunday afternoon and plan to ride Monday.

[ny biker]

A birthday already for your grandaughter. Time is flying. Happy birthday to both ladies.

Philadelphia is worth visiting. I went to college there. I've only ridden there with the Livestrong Challenge and after the first year they movedit farther out of town.

There's a new museum about the Revolutionary War there that opened recently. I want to visit as do my parents, though we're still working out the logistics since they don't drive long distances anymore. Might be worth looking into. And of course there's the Art Museum and Franklin Institute.

So I was at Target tonight and could not find my credit card when I got to the checkout. Earlier today I couldn't find some cash that I got back as change when I bought lunch yesterday. Went through my purse, the pockets of the jeans I wore yesterday... and then found both in the handlebar bag of my bike. I guess they fell out of my wallet during last night's ride?? Weird.

[Crankin]

That is weird, NY.
I imagine there is good riding just west of here. I've been to some of the historical stuff here, as my husband is from here, and we used to visit his cousins. I actually lived here for 3 months, right after I graduated college. A bad part of my life!
It is cool and about to be rainy all day here. It was 54 when we walked to breakfast and saw that it was 39 at home...