October Rides

[rebeccaC]

Nice weekend away….went out into the desert to do some work on Friday then to the Searles valley to do some photography on Saturday and a ride today. Beautiful valley with some old towns in various degrees of decay and some interesting creative people. Today we rode a series of well paved side roads with very little Sunday traffic and with beautiful desert landscapes just thrown in. 76 not too strenuous miles....well, and a couple of interval challenges with both of us smiling before and after
nice overcast, very little wind and it was cooler in the desert than the beach so H60’s to L70’s was nice too.

[Crankin]

I commuted today, for the first time in quite awhile. It was 38 when I left, so I was decked out in all my gear, including a light balaclava under my beanie. Well, even though it was at least 5-8 degrees colder than the last time I rode, when I was freezing, the sun must have made the difference. I was warm even going down the hill. Knowing I would be building up sweat, i barely rode above a speed of 14. I did not want to stop, for a 5.3 mile ride.
I rarely wear my winter riding shoes for my Frog pedals. They are so toasty, I felt like I had chemical heaters on. I still have issues with the cleats kind of not engaging and my left foot often flies out. I finally got this set on my regular shoes. There was a lot of chatter about this a few years ago; you can hear a light click when it engages, but on these, Irarely hear the click, so I keep my heels in, just in case. Between that, and the packed pannier, I felt a bit off. The ride home was gorgeous, though. Fully dark, with a full moon.

[emily_in_nc]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

[Catrin]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

I used Frogs for my road rides and loved them, I never heard a click but I COULD feel them engage - sort of :-) Glad you like your Eggbeaters!

[Crankin]

The click is very "mild" sounding, nothing like the click in my Speedplay Xs, or even with spd pedals. My foot will slide in, but any bump or movement causes it to slide out. I know there were some years that this was a major issue, as I read about it on line. It seems to have been solved. DH says I am crazy, but when I showed him the threads, he saw the light. I think it has to do with the fact the cleats are just slightly off for fitting on the shoes. They are fine with my regular Shimano mtb shoes, I use with my Guru, but these winter shoes are Northwaves. It was really hard to find winter shoes in my size (37), for women. I was able to find Shimano winter shoes for the road pedals, and those are seamless, but I have avoided wearing the Northwaves because of this. Thing is, the shoes are super warm and better than the winter road shoes, but the pedal issue is driving me nuts. This is the bike I ride in the colder weather, or if there's a sunny/clear road day in the winter, and early season, so I would like to use the shoes, instead of dealing with booties, etc.

[azfiddle]

I commuted yesterday- October is the perfect month to ride in Arizona. Not quite 60 degrees and less of the prevailing headwind than usual to start and a short sleeved jersey was sufficient and the ride home was not too hot- 80 degrees or so. The weather here is getting ready to cool down a bit by the end of the week so the next time I commute I'll definitely need an outer layer or arm warmers.

[Crankin]

Rode this morning, in anticipation of the remnants of the hurricane coming through. I only have one word: windy. It didn't look that windy when I started out, though. But, since there was nothing else wrong, I am assuming that's the reason I was struggling! I did what I call my flat route, and while the 2 hills on the loop were fine, I found myself going at least 6 mph slower than normal on some parts of the flats. This is the ride that I've had my fastest average ever, and while I don't expect that will ever happen again, it was nowhere near the usual. However, finally, I got on the part of the route that was less of a crosswind, and maybe a teeny tailwind, and I was able to push it. I passed one guy who was moseying, and that gave me the oomph to just get done. Again, I was not dressed quite right. I wore my rain jacket, which was a mistake, and I should have had a lighter jersey on. Even my legs were sweating... it was 44 when I started and 52 when I got home. I did take my glove liners off and push my skull cap up over my ears, which helped.
A lot of work for 17 miles, but I am glad I went