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Actually, not so rough. You'd be surprised how many people who ride *a lot* don't even know the parts of their bikes, or how to shift correctly. It's quite easy for me to focus on my strengths, especially when I am surrounded by plenty of Luddite New Englanders who live for their books. I ignore the tech bros entirely, despite them having taken over a large part of Cambridge and Boston. I chose my 2 careers appropriately, managed to get 2 masters degrees and was in a doctoral program for awhile. And, I married someone who can fix anything. Had to learn bike mechanics when my son was racing, as he broke stuff every week!
This is why I like riding. I could never do traditional ball sports, at least the ones with eye hand coordination. I loved field hockey, and was good at it, but when I moved to Florida in HS, they didn't play it there. I rode everywhere until I got my license, and rode in the 80s, too. Then, I got obsessed with aerobics, became certified to teach; I could do the athletic oriented classes, but the dance-ey style stuff was beyond my ability. So, riding, hiking, nordic skiing are all good fits for me. Mountain biking, not so much! Not good for those with no spatial skills and bad depth perception.
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Very impressive, Crankin, very impressive. I married one of those fix anything guys, too, but that was after I learned to fix my bikes. He does fully support my passion for riding and now he rides, too, though his riding is much more sane than mine. :)
Speaking of fully supporting my need to ride, I have GREAT news. We stopped at our local bike shop and I got a bike to ride on my indoor trainer that is doctor approved. After my accident, my surgeon said I could ride a trainer if two requirements were met. One, it had to be a bike I could get on and off without bending or twisting my neck and without the danger of me possibly tripping and falling. Two, it had to be a bike that kept me in an upright position with NO bowing of the head and weight forward.
So, here it is. It's a cheapo comfort bike called the Specialized Low-Entry Roll. As basic as it gets with 7 speeds and rim brakes, but it does have up to date 27.5" wheels and wide 27.5 x 2.3" tires. It's on a trainer, so who cares as long as it works, right? Hubby helped me get it down the basement (where the temp is always cooler) and mounted on the trainer. Did my first 30 minutes of pedaling since my accident. Oh, yeah, I was tired, but so happy to be pedaling.
https://s8.postimg.cc/oxxjq86dx/P1100066.jpg
In a sense, this may actually be a safer way to exercise than walking. No tripping or stumbling which is a very real danger on my trails. Not as much pounding transmitted to the neck as when I walk. No shin splints, for sure. No bugs or heat or risk of rain, either. Oh, I will still alternate trainer workouts with walking, but, hey, I'm pedaling. Yippeee!
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That's great, nwg! Glad you found an upright bike to use on the trainer. Depending on outdoor conditions, sometimes it's preferable (but not often!)
We did our usual ride today, and I think it was the most miserable I've been on a bike in a long time due to the combination of sun, heat, and humidity. The first hour was not too bad, second hour was meh, but the third was brutal. If I could have caught a sag wagon, I would have! Fortunately, I survived it, and the pool after felt really good, though it's a few degrees warmer than ideal. Still, cooler than the air, by a few degrees. :D
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A pool to cool off after a ride like that is truly heaven. Glad you didn't overdo it with the het and humidity. Have a LOT more respect for that weather after my experience biking where you are. Upper 80s and very humid, here, today and I really felt it, too. Be careful, down there.
Have to chuckle when I think that, only a few short weeks, ago, the thought of me owning a bike like that would have been disgusting to fancy mountain biker, me. Talk about an accident to make me see how stuck up I had been. I'm sure grateful for such a bike, now. Good lesson.
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Your bike is super cool looking, does not matter why you bought it!
So, we have been on Cape Cod since early Friday morning. It is even 90 degrees here, but that varies with location. Yesterday, we went out for an early am walk and I had to take my inhaler for the first time in ages. There’s an air quality alert, apparently ozone travels up the coast from NY and NJ and hits the Cape, but not Boston. We spent all day on 2 different beaches yesterday, Friday, we went to Ptown. Glad I don’t have my bike! Weather looks frightful at home all week! We are leaving our friends’ house around noon and going to visit other friends for the rest of today.
Not sure if I will be riding on the 4th; predicted 95 degrees.
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Wow Crankin, hard to believe it is so hot up there! I am sitting here in the Orlando area, and it's certainly hot -- 89 at 5:45 pm -- but no worse than where you are.
No riding this weekend but plenty of walking, grocery stores, chores, and gym today. Back on the bike tomorrow morning and hoping for a few more clouds than Thurs. and Friday. Those were two tough rides, and part of me wonders why I am crazy enough to ride in Florida in the summer, but riding allows me to eat a lot more, and I love my food! So...I ride. :D
nwg, hope your recovery is continuing along. Glad you at least have some options until you can get back to riding outdoors!
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Back to reality...
Spent late morning to mid afternoon at our former neighbors' summer house, just about 15 minutes away from where we were staying on Friday and Saturday. They live about half a block from the ocean, and it was horribly hot, even there. They did not have their AC on (first I thought they didn't have it), sort of old New England suffering, but we had lunch on their deck, under an umbrella, and then we went into a room cooled by a ceiling fan. He's a chef level cook, and we had way too much to eat and drink, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Since most people are at the Cape for the week, there was not the usual weekend Sunday afternoon traffic to leave, so we got home around 4:30. Usually, we wait until after dinner to leave.
The heat wave isn't going to break until Friday. DH and I are going to do the group ride on the 4th, and I hope I survive. I nam going to ride to the gym tomorrow, but otherwise, stay indoors.
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I feel your pain with the heat, Crankin. We're having the same heat wave. Had two days of heat warnings with temps in the mid 90s, something I've never seen, here. Walked the trails, early, but even so, called it quits after a mile and a half. Humidity was terrible. A bit cooler in the mid 80s, today, but rain just adding to the humidity. The only good thing about walking the trails versus walking the roads is the shade with the trails, but then you get all the bugs. Whew! At least with the bike I could outrun the bugs. :)
Looks like that indoor bike is paying for itself with this awful heat. Our basement is always nice and cool. No bugs, either. So glad I bought this bike even if it's nothing fancy. It works for a trainer and that's good enough. Might even find a use for it out on the road, at some point.
