Interesting comment about the bike share Oak! We are getting that in Indianapolis as well, they've been installing the bike share stations all over the place.
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Interesting comment about the bike share Oak! We are getting that in Indianapolis as well, they've been installing the bike share stations all over the place.
Will you test ride it? My Dad (up in LaPorte) is curious about your bike share program. He set me a link about it a little bit ago and wants to know more. I told him to go down there and ride a bike haha.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
It depends on what the bikes look like and if they are small enough for me. I AM very accustomed to mirrors on the bike, and the thought of riding downtown without one isn't a comfortable feeling, we will see.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorisnt
I know. That seems scary to me, too. Thankfully, I have a glasses mirror again! And yeah, size is an issue with these things. The Bixis I've seen aren't awful for a short sprint around but they aren't great either. They are pretty tank-ish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
I raced Michaux yesterday. Actually, "raced" is probably too strong of a word. I paid money to ride my bike on a really tough course with some very fast, very talented women. But I had a good time and feel a sense of accomplishment for having done my first endurance race.
(If you're curious, click on the link and scroll down to the preview video and the Strava map & elevation profile.)
A great weekend of music and riding. Went with some friends and stayed in Palm Desert for Coachella. Saturday we went for a 65 mile ride in the Santa Rosa Mountains bordering the southern part of the Palm Springs area. Spent Sat night doing the craziness of Coachella. Did a short 25 mile ride late Sun. morning (had too much fun Sat. night) on the Dillon road part of the annual Tour de Palm Springs route to keep my 30 days of riding streak going and then spent the rest of Sun to the closing of the Coachella weekend with the music of Lana Del Rey and then Arcade Fire.
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Wow, I'm jealous! Sounds like you had a great weekend. Beautiful pics as always!
Well, after riding the majority of days in Feb/March in Southern Arizona, I've certainly fallen off the pace since getting back to KC. It's been off and on cold, windy, and rainy. We even had snow yesterday morning! I have managed to ride seven times this month, which I guess isn't so bad (20-40 miles each time), but certainly nothing like what I was doing the two previous months. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer but very windy, but I am riding no matter what, because the next day is going to be cold and rainy again.
It's just really hard to get motivated to bundle up to ride after so many nice rides (in shorts and short sleeves many days) in southern AZ. I got spoiled!
We did get to enjoy some beautiful spring-blooming trees on our Sunday ride over to Costco. That's DH in the photos, riding in front of me!
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Heck, even I was annoyed with having to bundle up on Monday to go out. It was a great experience to ride in the sleet and snow and defy all that is logic with a bike but after riding an entire day in a pair of shorts and a tank top, less than 48 hours earlier, I was peeved! Yesterday was okay - only a sweatshirt and knickers but still annoying!
Today was super windy, so I ended up bundling up and taking the MTB down to the Natural Grocer for some natural groceries. :D Most of the ride there was right into the wind (gusting into the 25+ mph range), but it sure was fun coming back! Even with my Tailrider trunk pack and backpack weighted down with food, climbing was effortless with that wind. But it was bad enough that that's all I did -- just a 10.3-mile ride. An hour after I got home, I saw a gust of 36.9 mph on wunderground, so I am glad I came in when I did!
Did my first group ride in ages today. It was a small AMC group ride, on a route I designed. The leader was someone who is officially a co-leader, i.e., needs some experience under her belt and recommendations; one of the people on the bike committee was sweeping. I stayed behind her, and it was a good thing, as she had driven the route once and had not been on it on a bike. She was using a cue sheet and was not making the turns that well. DH helped sweep. But, it was a really nice day, the people were pleasant, and most of them had heard my presentation at the workshop a couple of weeks ago. We all went out to lunch after the ride. I could go to sleep now!
An unusually cloudy day today- with a chance of rain but it never really materialized. The regular Saturday ride with our women's cycling group took us east of Tucson. Three of the riders turned around early to just get 25 miles. 5 of us went east to Marsh Station Road. I love the scenery, going through desert, across a canyon with cottonwoods and willows, and very little traffic, but the road surface on this route is just miserably bumpy. Heading east generally goes up in elevation with some rollers, but it was not a problem. Coming home, there was a constant headwind in the high with gusts to the 20's. It was brutal riding into that for about 25 miles. I split off from the group and took an alternate way home for the last 18 or so miles. I happily consumed a couple of small flour tortillas with beans, cheese, avocado and salsa for lunch. Now off for a shower and maybe even a nap.
I did a club ride with the Memphis Hightailers today.
The Bunny run:
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and a stop at the farmer's market:
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is it possible that your compression tights were part of the problem. like anything else, they probably take getting used to. Plus with the winter you all have had your are still building your base miles. Some weeks it's all I can do to get on the bike once let along do back to back days like I used to. Is there an option of commuting every other day for a while until things ease up?
Trying to figure out layering in the spring is an exercise in strip tease.
Give yourself a break and say hi to west Acton for me.
Marni, are you replying to the post I made a couple of weeks ago?
I don't commute every day, I only go to the office 3 days a week, and I target 2 for commuting. The other day I go to a high school and I don't work on Wednesdays. Last week I didn't commute at all... weather and other commitments. It's only 10.4 miles rt.
I don't wear compression tights while I ride; they are for recovery and they work! I've used them every weekend since that one.
I haven't done any rides over 30 miles yet, but I am pretty much back in the swing of things. Building a base is something I just never seem to get. I have about 2-3 weeks of suffering, slowly building up, with short rides, gradually up to about 20-25 miles and then one day, I feel OK. It's the same every year. I am pretty active over the winter, but it's just not the same.
Lots of building going on in west Acton. I guess it might actually become more of a real village.
Got in a couple of good rides over the past two days with DH. Yesterday was a 32 mile ride on the MTBs primarily on bike paths (though it's 5 miles there and back on roads). Today I did 42 hilly miles on the roadie with quite a bit of wind -- gusts in the 20s from the south, so every time we had to turn that way, it was rough. Fortunately, the last 12 miles or so were all north and east, so it was fun at the end! We rode on some roads we hadn't tried before, so that was fun, though we had to stop a lot and look at the map on the way back to figure it out. I am soooooo tired of wind, though. Seems like every time we have a warm, sunny day, like today, it's super windy. The gusts at times felt like they were going to blow me off the road. Ugh!
I went over 1700 miles YTD today, my best year since my accident in '05. :D Being retired helps a LOT, obviously!
Sounds great Emily! I think you renamed my....errrrr....YOUR bike quite appropriately given the winds you've been dealing with!
Been doing some hard climbing routes lately to get ready for todays ride on Little Tujunga Canyon road in the western part of the Angeles National Forest. The route has a very steep at times 6 mile climb and an even steeper 4 miler among shorter ones...a couple of great descents though on nicely banked switchbacks and all on a well-paved road with very little traffic. Perfect weather too. Started in the low 60’s and ended in the low 70’s. I rode a route in the eastern part of the Angeles last April that had some good climbs but Tujunga is steeper and gives a better sense of isolation with incredible views. It was only a 40 minute drive to our start point, which was nice too. There are a couple of other canyon roads on the western side of the Angeles that we are thinking about riding now.
The roadside memorial is for Sarah Alarid. She was 19 when her car went off the road and into a deep steep ravine at the site of the memorial. A park ranger who stopped for a moment told us she and her car weren’t found until spotted by a passing helicopter a few weeks after she went missing. I sat there for about 20 minutes looking at what has been left for her by friends and family and thinking of her being so young and the accident itself. That led me to a moment of crying. Those thoughts also made me thankful of just being alive in that moment and made me appreciate even more my ability to be enjoying a ride in such a beautiful and peaceful area. Sarah was with me the rest of the ride....
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Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour today. 6 a.m. start (yawn!), luckily we only live about 2.5 miles from the start so we could ride there. They changed the course this year, it's no longer all downhill and goes more through the city. It's a much prettier route although some parts were a little iffy on bikes in the dark. I had to work harder to make it by the cut-off time but we had a blast. And the weather was so, so, so much better than last year! No ride photos, but this year's medal was pretty cool.
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Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour by DutchRosie, on Flickr
ETA: rebeccaC, gorgeous photos! And yes, how great to be alive and able to ride.
Did my first ride up Oak Hill for the year, and I am trashed. 24.5 miles, 1551 feet of climbing. We were going to do closer to 40, but none of us were feeling it. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, with hardly any traffic, thanks to those celebrating Easter. After the climb, there's still climbing, if you know what I mean. I rode my Guru today, for the first time in about 2 weeks, so it felt good.
Going to ride with a guy from my club tomorrow, since I am off for Patriot's Day. He rides everywhere, hardly ever drives, and just retired last summer. I told him I'm a bit tired, so hopefully, he'll have a little mercy on me. I debated on whether to ask someone fast to ride with me, or go out with my friend who is *very* slow. I want to push myself, but now I a questioning my judgment! It will be pleasant, as we'll be away from all of the hoopla going on in my town tomorrow for the holiday. I do feel a little guilty about not marching in the parade with the military families group, but since my son is not active duty anymore, I don't do mcuh with them.
Yes, I kind of named the Jamis "Toto" in honor of Kansas, since that is where I took it on its maiden voyage (as my bike, that is) and continue to ride it, including today's ride, a nice jaunt on mostly bike paths up to Walmart for all the important groceries: dark chocolate, coffee, and wine. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Emily, you and I have so much in common, it's not funny.
Those are the three things I could never, ever give up.
Emily, I am certainly with two of those three! I've started to get a bit more brave where wine is concerned, I do like a nice red wine. Not so much the others.
Heheh...it was funny since we didn't actually plan it to be a wine/chocolate/coffee run, but that just happened to be what was on the list. Normally we bike to Costco on Sundays since it's the one day when the traffic is not too high to ride downtown, but since Costco is closed on Easter, that changed our plans a bit. They are definitely three of the major food groups, right?! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
I am no wine snob. I prefer white wines, but I know reds are the healthier choice. I do enjoy some reds as well, especially with certain foods, including dark chocolate!Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Emily, there's been some recent research about white wine and how it, too, has some of those health benefits. We joined a wine club, so I have become a bit more knowledgable (not snobby).
Back to cycling.
My ride today was an epic fail, but also a major win. I made plans to meet a guy from my club who is a strong rider, but about 5 years older than me and slowing down just a teeny bit. We arranged to meet at Ferns, in Carlisle, where all cyclists meet. About 1/4 a mile from our rendezvous, my rear derailleur/shifter cable snapped, forcing my rear cassette into the the hardest gear. After a loud string of expletives, mostly beginning with f, I rolled in. He suggested we ride to his house, about 4 miles and he would fix it. It was mostly flat, with some rollers, where I switched to the granny. OK, in order to get off a busier road, we turned off toward his neighborhood before I normally would. Then he says, oh, there's a steep short hill, you can do it. Well, I almost didn't, but it had to be the hardest damn thing I've done. Right when I was trying to figure out if I could unclip, or do 2 more pedal strokes up, he yelled out, "you might want to walk." Too late, I would have rather died than crash in front of this man, and I made it. My quads were trashed! Long story short, he couldn't fix it, so on we rode to the LBS (the one SheFly races for). No big hills, but the little ones were getting to me. At least I got a tour of the Bedford VA hospital ground, as he kept us off of the main roads. We rolled into the shop, where the mechanic couldn't do a thing, I need a new shift lever and cable. He put it in an easier cog, so then my friend and I rode the 8 miles back to my house, me mostly in the big ring in the front and the 25 on the back. I was able to use my granny with the 25 and get up my hill, but I did not attempt the driveway, at a 15% grade.
Thus, I didn't get to do the fun ride he planned, but I got in 25 miles, rode up a steep hill in a hard gear, and ended up with an average very close to my fastest all season.
We got in some fantastic desert exploring on Easter Sunday - we hope we didn't see the Easter Bunny... okay I admit our group has a twisted sense of humor. Beautiful green, no snakes (yet)
This is the Owyhee area bordering Idaho and Oregon. Succor Creek Drainage. We rode 29 miles and I admit, even with my new Surly ECR I walked a bit on some of the climbs.
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Crankin ~~ Good going under tough circumstances! Hope you get your bike back in full working order soon. I am sure you pushed hard riding with someone stronger than yourself, as I always do riding with DH.
I had planned to take today off since I'd ridden several days in a row, have a cranky saddle sore, and it was supposed to rain.
When we got up in the morning, it had sprinkled but appeared to be done raining for awhile. I did a combo light weight/abs/yoga workout in the morning (at home) and when it was still not raining after lunch (overcast and humid, but rain still far off on the radar) and temps hit 68 degrees, I knew I wanted to ride after all. I decided to keep it short but go pretty hard on the roadie with DH. Ended up with 23 miles at a good pace for me, working hard to keep up with DH, and feeling quite strong on the hills. This was the first day in awhile that winds were light, and that made a HUGE difference in how much fun I had on the bike. I am really, really OVER wind. It's loud, it's obnoxious, and unless it's behind you, it's a real PITA!
I threw away an old pair of stretched-out shorts yesterday after feeling miserable in them on the ride (and feeling the chammy bunching all over the place). I then promptly got online and ordered two new pairs of Sugoi shorts from TE (of course! And they were on sale!) When they arrive, three more OLD pairs of shorts are going bye-bye. The shorts are incredibly long-lived and good quality Performance Ultra shorts, and the chamois is still comfortable, but they are a bit too big and too short in the inseam so creep up badly during rides -- and they're TEN years old, so it's time. I can't believe I have ten-year old shorts...sheesh! Can you tell I have a hard time letting go of stuff?! As much as I ride, I have been getting by on shorts that are doing my butt NO favors. Once I get the new shorts and get rid of the other old ones, I'll have six new to middle-aged pairs of shorts left, which is perfect for the amount I ride (5-6 times per week).
Whew! Didn't mean to write a novel. I guess I should have started a new thread entitled "How Old Are Your Shorts?!" :D
LOL Emily, I've a few pair like that. I paid so much for them that I am resistant about disposing them!
Crankin...youch that was a hard ride, but it sounds like you were able to walk away with some positives out of the entire situation.
My vacation starts this weekend. One of my many plans is to take my bike to the park at a low traffic period and put her, and me through my paces. If I still am having neurological symptoms after a 20-30 minute ride then I will have to sell her.
Really hoping that won't happen! Amazing what I CAN do off of the bike. Not saying that there aren't other activities I have to be cautious/avoid for the same reason. Very thankful for what I can do! Hopefully I can add riding back in the mix after, basically, taking last year off.
The neck injury from the mountain bike crash happened in fall of 2011, so if there are still issues of the same magnitude then it is time to focus on those many things I can do.
I hope you don't have to sell your bike, Catrin. It makes me sad, but I understand why you might have to.
We found the the no longer made short reach shifters on E Bay. They are ordered, will be here in a week. Ordered some red cables, too, to match the bike.
This bike is starting to show its age. The frame is from 2007, some of the parts from 2006, when I switched them over from the original too big frame. There's some dings, and I admit I don't clean my bike all that well. Mechanically, it's perfect. Maybe, when I am 65, I'll get a new carbon bike.
I think I've done three rides since I last posted here. I've had two consecutive cold Wednesday post-work rides. I've actually worn my AmFib tights for both of them. Air temps were in the 50s, but since I don't start until almost 7 pm and ride after dark, I can't count on any sunshine to help me stay warm. And this week we had gusty north winds to make things colder. The forecast for next Wednesday is even worse. On the positive side, I moved the ride start in order to reduce the amount of time I spend sitting in traffic trying to get there, and that's working out well.
I also led a 42-mile club ride back on April 12. The other riders who joined me were all faster than me. A few dropped back to keep me company, but their slow pace was still fast for me. I was exhausted and almost didn't make it up one of the steep hills near the end. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the guys who rode with me, but I think I might have been better off riding alone at my own pace. Anyway it was a nice, warm day and when I looked up at the tall trees I could see the pale green haze of new buds. Spring, finally.
Tomorrow is a charity ride that I like to do every year. They say it will be warm with winds from the south. It should be fun.
I rode with Hirakukibou this afternoon for the first time this season. It's really nice out and I had my arm warmers off for the last 7 miles. We just rode from Concord center, where we met, to Great Brook Farm, and then retraced part of our route and went to Ferns, where we sat on the porch, drank coffee, and gabbed for quite a long time. I think it was about 23 miles for me; I reset my Garmin without checking.
Weather this weekend looks iffy. Tomorrow is supposed to be raw and rainy, but there's some hope for Sunday. I'd like to get a 40 miler in, but not sure if I'll have the time.
First ride on the LHT today...only 20 minutes b/c that's all I had time for between work and another commitment, but better than not getting out at all. This bike is going to be a lot of fun, but the stock saddle is not going to work for me so I will be swapping that out. Tomorrow's weather looks yucky so I will probably just go to the gym instead of riding...hopefully there will be a nice day soon where I have some time!
We have a several Fiberglass tigers(University of Memphis mascot) that have been decorated. I rode by this Monday.
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and on Thursday.
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I had to ride by the Liberty Bowl, UofM's stadium:
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And I went by the Pink Palace. Mr. Saunders founded Piggly Wiggly:
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Jolt- I don't know if my LHT had the stock saddle or not- a plain white one- but it was awful! I replaced it with my pretty old and nearly falling apart Jett, but need to figure out what I will use on permanently. Hope you find a good one.
No ride for me today- I played a dance in Phoenix last night, got home at 1 am and today's weather forecast was wind, wind, wind (up to 40 mph gusts). Good day to take a break and I'll pedal tomorrow.
I took today off work because the AC would be down (go figure it's a temperature that's comfortable without AC), and didn't ride because of the wind. Just as well. It's raining.Quote:
Originally Posted by azfiddle
not a good way to start a ride. Thankfully, it was a false alarm:
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Still in Memphis:
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Getting ready for a pigout:
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did 40 miles - a season's best for me.
Enjoying all the posts here, especially seeing your photos! We've had some good rides lately, and here are a couple of blog posts:
Random interesting or pretty things we saw while riding in April:
http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/1...wo-wheels.html
The Prairie Spirit Trail, which we rode yesterday -- VERY nice! Definitely a hidden gem...if you are ever in Kansas:
http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/1...yes-we-do.html
The BF got a new bike and we decided to take it out RIGHT away. It rained a little but then got beautiful. We had some AWFUL winds but we didn't let that keep us down. We logged 44 miles total, had some beer, and had a lot of fun. Here's my BF and his new Scott Team Cross bike. We got it for a song $1000.00 at the LBS! He loves it.Attachment 17057
I had a little more time after work today so rode for a little over 45 minutes...10 minutes in it started to rain (despite the sun being out when I left the house), but it never got that heavy and then it stopped (or I rode out of the shower). After determining on the previous ride that the stock saddle was awful (azfiddle, mine was not white so the one on your bike was likely not the original), I put on the Selle An-Atomica that I had tried on the too-big bike to see if it would be any better on the LHT. It was, but still not as comfortable as it should be. I think I need to play around with adjusting it b/c the edges of the cutout were causing some soft-tissue discomfort (sit bones felt great). Anyone have any tips on how to adjust that saddle to solve that problem? I also am thinking I need to make some adjustments to the brake levers...they are a little big for small hands to grab (really difficult from the drops, and from the hoods I have a feeling it would be hard to make a fast stop if needed). I will have to see if it is possible to put shims in these levers to bring them in a bit or if they will need to be swapped out altogether. Other than these fine-tuning issues, the bike seems to be a good fit and is really nice to ride--I like how stable the handling is (for the first time, I felt safe going fast down this one big hill on the way home) and the fact that it takes wider tires. I am also hoping to load it up for a camping trip or two this summer...I think that would be a lot of fun :cool:.