February 4th rides

[DeniseGoldberg]

I woke up to clear blue skies, cold temperatures, and a bit of wind. I was hoping to ride today after skipping yesterday due to messy roads, but after listening to the wind for a while, I decided to walk instead. You know what happened though, don't you?

Fast walking, avoiding icy patches, brrr when the wind blows, but warm as toast when the wind stops. Hmmm...

I finished an hour-long walk still warm, listening to the desire in my heart. Into the house, a short discussion ensued with my bikes (what, you don't talk to your bikes?), tire pump active, putting air in the tires of the bike that insisted on joining me outside. I grabbed a quick snack, switched some clothing layers, and it was time to roll down the road.

It was a short ride - only 14 miles - but it made me happy to be out on the road on my bike. The temperature? It was 19 degrees Fahrenheit when I started out, with wind at 14 MPH gusting to 23 (according to the National Weather Service at a location in the town next to mine). Since I rode a big square, I did have the benefit of a snappy tailwind for part of my ride. And I endured the headwind; it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

I have a big smile on my face now...

--- Denise

[Triskeliongirl]

Well I had a glorious ride too. I wake up and check my computer, it is only 36 degrees, with windchill 28, BUT they promise it will warm up fast and the sun is out. So, we dress warmly and head out for a 9am club ride. Well, indeed it warmed up nicely probably in the high 50s or low 60s by the ride end. I took out Feronia, my travel bike that has become my *favorite* bike. The wind shifted as we rode, so I ended up with a tail wind the whole ride! The sun and air felt good, Feronia felt good, I felt good. Only 37 miles, wished it was longer it felt so good to be outside. Got home, took advantage of the nice day to give the bikes a good wash while DH grilled us a yummy fish. The forecast for the week looks really good. I think spring has come to Texas!

[mimitabby]

After riding so hard yesterday, i wanted a little ride today; focusing on the things my DH told me about hills, I needed practice standing on hills. So i did.
after 7 miles of up and down hills, I wore myself out (in my mind) but the day kept getting prettier, and fairly warm too. So I put the bianchi away and got out the raleigh.. WITH THE SPD's... Yes, ladies, I did it. I rode my bike outside with the SPD's. It didnt take long before I fell. Bam. I screamed. I wasn't hurt! i got up and did it again. It is not something that is going to be intuitive with me I'm sorry to say, but I rode about a mile and a half in the school yard, stopping, starting, pulling my feet out of the clips..

ak.

[Triskeliongirl]

MIMI, I absolutely hate spds. I rode with them for several years, but speedplay frogs are much easier to get in and out of, and much gentler on your knees!

[ace]

Yay!!! Mimi, I'm so psyched you got out with your clipless pedals...you should be very proud of yourself!!!

I have spds, keep 'em really loose, and after 3 months of having them, I am intuitively unclipping at all the right times. So just keep at it...keep practicing. I had 3 falls before I think it became deeply ingrained that I needed to clip out.

Make SURE they're really loose. My friend who put them on for me had one of them tightened all the way by accident, and that's part of the reason I had such a problem at the beginning.

[mimitabby]

MIMI, I absolutely hate spds. I rode with them for several years, but speedplay frogs are much easier to get in and out of, and much gentler on your knees!

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

Thanks for the encouragement Ace!

[Fredwina]

I did 26 miles. with 2,000 feet of climbing. Would have done more , but had to attend a Super Bowl party. Nice sunny day in the 70's, but some winds
Mimi - I've always used SPDs. I find it helps to clip out before you need to. I can pedal for several miles with clipping in. Comes in handy when mountain biking. Just remember , Practice makes perfect

[Triskeliongirl]

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

PT as in physical therapist? I am curious why. Mine told me I had to have something with a lot of float, like the frog. I would get hot foot and knee pain with spds. BUT, if you are committed to them then yes, be very sure they are set with the loosest tension. Which style do you have? I started with the type that are flat on one side and clipped on the other. That way you can clip out as you anticipate a traffic stop, and just pedal normally until the stop, etc. You can also start with one side clipped in, then both. However, I absolutely love my frogs, so you may want to ask you PT why he/she didn't think they are a good idea for you.

BUT THAT'S GREAT THAT YOU ARE STARTING TO USE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!

[salsabike]

Trisk, the PT guy said that SPD's would be easier for me than frogs.
I actually didn't understand why, but I was already to get frogs and he said
nope. who knows. Everyone in my family uses the SPD's and they are all doing okay, i am just a timid slow learner.

Thanks for the encouragement Ace!

Mimi, Erik is pretty wedded to SPDs because the less float, the more efficient the pedaling cycle. He tried to make them work for me the best he could, and when they ended up bothering my knees again, I switched back to Frogs, which make my knees happy. I did buy some Quattros to try (more float than the SPDs, less than the Frogs), but just haven't gotten around to them yet. Anyway, I actually loved SPDs and found them easy to use. We keep ours pretty loose. It's just that my knees hated them. If they work for you, great--if not, you can still try Frogs.