Headwind, shifting, and brakes

[marni]

Part of riding here in Houston is the constant presence of headwinds no matter which direction you ride in. One jokster told me that the headwinds were why road bike riders around here need 23 gears. Yes they are a pain, but riding against the wil make you strong, steady and force you to pedal properly. Part of riding in headwinds is getting the gearing right for your strength and speed, and part of it is adapting a mental attitude that allows you to accept them objectivelly rather than taking it as a personal assault. I have ridden in headwinds as high as 25 mph and while it wasn't exactly fun and yes it sucked my mileage down to under 10 miles an hour, I felt ecstatically victorious when I reached the end of the ride and could put bike on the car and go home with 14 hours of being on the bike to do a century under my belt.

These days I am deliberately high gearing against the winds to build a little resistan ce strength, hoping it will translate to a bit more hill climbing strength for an upcoming hill ride.

My feeling that headwinds provide the resistance training that makes my butt smaller.

marni

[marni]

Part of riding here in Houston is the constant presence of headwinds no matter which direction you ride in. One jokster told me that the headwinds were why road bike riders around here need 23 gears. Yes they are a pain, but riding against the wil make you strong, steady and force you to pedal properly. Part of riding in headwinds is getting the gearing right for your strength and speed, and part of it is adapting a mental attitude that allows you to accept them objectivelly rather than taking it as a personal assault. I have ridden in headwinds as high as 25 mph and while it wasn't exactly fun and yes it sucked my mileage down to under 10 miles an hour, I felt ecstatically victorious when I reached the end of the ride and could put bike on the car and go home with 14 hours of being on the bike to do a century under my belt.

These days I am deliberately high gearing against the winds to build a little resistan ce strength, hoping it will translate to a bit more hill climbing strength for an upcoming hill ride.

My feeling that headwinds provide the resistance training that makes my butt smaller.

marni

brake noise- one of your routine post ride activities should be opening your brakes and wiping down the pads with a clean dry rag, after which you should use the cloth to run it around any part of the wheel rim that contacts with the brakes. It's the same thing as checking you tires for cuts, nicks and stuff stuck in after every ride. It takes a few minutes but will hopefully save you from a flat and or brake problems on the road. You don't put your horse away hard ridden and sweaty, nor do you put your bike away unwiped and unchecked.

marni