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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    1,933

    March outdoor rides - let's drop the Lion!

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    I goy my new bike out and did 5 miles
    Not quite the same green:
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    Someone else is crazy
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    A watchman:
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    be careful
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    River is frozen
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    but I survived!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Good for you!! I'm hoping to get in a ride tomorrow before the arctic air brings the ice and snow.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Saw some riders today, but I have one bike on the trainer and one lock in the bike shed which is frozen by a mound of snowy ice. It was nice out, got to 34. I did a 5 mile strenuous and hilly hike.
    Still focused on x country skiing; probably going up to NH next weekend. After that, it's all about the bike.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    It's been raining moderately here all day since mid-morning. Hoping for a ride tomorrow!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Springfield OR
    Posts
    20
    Fredwina I noticed you have a sea sucker bike carrier. I am thinking of getting one since my car cannot take a trunk rack.
    How do you like yours?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    Quote Originally Posted by emily_in_nc View Post
    It's been raining moderately here all day since mid-morning. Hoping for a ride tomorrow!
    We really need the rain and it’s been more than moderately with thunderstorms and lots of water dancing in the air for a couple days now….and forecasted for tomorrow. Next week is back to the 70’s so I can wait for cycling. Pilates classes and a walk/run is all I get this weekend.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    1,933
    Quote Originally Posted by hikeandbike View Post
    Fredwina I noticed you have a sea sucker bike carrier. I am thinking of getting one since my car cannot take a trunk rack.
    How do you like yours?
    I've only had it for a week, and with it still being winter, I don't have that much experience with it(That was my second time)
    Yes, it works. I usually take a sponge cloth and dampen the cups and car. I do have to mount the bike a little crooked to get enough space on the bumper for the mount to stick. The 500 has enough curvature on the roof that mount won't stick there, plus I have a sunroof.
    The Q/R is a little Fussy, but it's a stock Delta unit. The only other thing I'd warn about which they don't cover is that you need to keep your car clean - dirt will cause the mount not to stick.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Saskatoon, Sask.
    Posts
    334
    Yesterday morning was -39º C (about the same in ºF, I think) with -48º C (-54º F) wind chill. Right now it's -32 with wind chill of about -42. Where's the smiley for shivering uncontrollably? I think it will be a while before we'll be riding outdoors, and we're getting a bit tired of our stack of trainer dvds.
    Queen of the sea beasts

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Springfield OR
    Posts
    20
    Quote Originally Posted by Fredwina View Post
    I've only had it for a week, and with it still being winter, I don't have that much experience with it(That was my second time)
    Yes, it works. I usually take a sponge cloth and dampen the cups and car. I do have to mount the bike a little crooked to get enough space on the bumper for the mount to stick. The 500 has enough curvature on the roof that mount won't stick there, plus I have a sunroof.
    The Q/R is a little Fussy, but it's a stock Delta unit. The only other thing I'd warn about which they don't cover is that you need to keep your car clean - dirt will cause the mount not to stick.
    Thank you. With all the mills and what not around here my car is dirty 30 minutes after it is washed. I guess I will stick to cramming it in the back seat.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Two Sundays in a row now I have tried and failed to ride my bike. Last week the directions to the group ride start were wrong and everyone else had already left by the time I got there and the ride leader did not leave extra cue sheets on her windshield and I didn't know the area well enough to ride there without a cue sheet.

    Today I got a late start (overslept and stomach felt not great when I woke up). Three different weather forecast sources indicated it would start to rain during the afternoon, but not until 4:00 or so, so I still had time for a short ride. I drove east to a park in a rural part of Maryland that's about 45 minutes away by car, because the rain was moving NW to SE so I figured it would hit later in that part of Maryland than it would closer to home. I realized I left the cue sheet home but unlike last weekend I was in an area that I know well, so I could ride without it. I started to ride at 2:20. Two minutes later it started to rain. So much for those weather forecasts. Then I went over a bump and the nose of my saddle tilted up. (This Bontrager saddle has carbon rails. If you use the recommended torque wrench to tighten the clamp, it will not be tight enough and will shift when you hit a bump.) While I was trying to re-level the saddle, it started to rain harder so I gave up and headed back to the park. While driving home, I mistakenly got on the highway going the wrong way. So I basically spent the afternoon driving around, with a short break for a 4-mile bike ride.

    Both today and last Sunday I wore a new Smartwool microweight zip-top long sleeved base layer. I have decided this top is bad luck for bike rides. Next time I will go back to my old Sugoi base layers. Of course I don't know when that will be, since we are going to get a foot of snow tomorrow, on top of sleet and freezing rain, and then it will be below freezing for four days so nothing will melt. Even if it does warm up next weekend, there will be large piles of melting snow and ice everywhere.

    On a positive note, I now know that my stylish red Gore Windstopper Ultra Light jacket is waterproof as well as stylish, and I continue to be pleased with the combination of Sugoi Subzero tights, DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks and LG neoprene booties for cycling in temperatures between 40-50F.

    I usually find that I have one or two rides each year where some kind of bad luck -- unexpected bad weather, flat tire, etc. -- causes me to end the ride way earlier than planned. I hope I've now gotten all that bad luck out of the way, and that things will go well from here on.

    In the meantime, I have to figure out how to shovel a foot of snow layered over ice using a snow shovel that cracked the last time we had snow layered over ice.

    How I long for the days of mosquito bites and itchy eyes from tree pollen...
    Last edited by ny biker; 03-02-2014 at 01:17 PM.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    St. Pete, FL
    Posts
    1,101
    So everyone will be envious of my weekend. Nice spring weather here in FL. I rode a leisurely 23 or so miles yesterday and then 30 miles today including a "hilly" stretch in another county. It was a bit chilly (for me) both days at the start, but a glorious 70 degrees later in the ride with the sun shining and blue skies. Very happy to get 2 days in a row on the bike!
    katluvr

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    26.5 miles today. 55F at start, 62F at end -- wore tights, long-sleeve jersey, and vest, which I shed part-way through. Hilly ride, light wind, very pretty day. Legs burning!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    First ride since last Sunday- just the usual ride to Saguaro NP and back, plus the loop drive and extra trip out to the picnic ground, so it was a bit longer than usual (27 miles). Still cool in the aftermath of our first rain in months, so I had arm warmers and a windbreaker part of the time, but just a jersey part of the time. The air was crisp and clean, blue sky with puffy white clouds and snow on the mountains. It was just beautiful out.
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Woo hoo! Great ride today. I lead a 35-mile club ride in a beautiful rural part of Maryland. The weather was great -- sunny with temps rising from 50 to 60 during the ride. The roads were clear despite Monday's snow and Tuesday's cold. There were seven of us, plus a man who wanted to ride the route at a slower pace behind us. At the rest stop we met other club members who had started a longer ride in the same area an hour before us. It was fun.

    I must say, I was tired out before the ride was over. With Daylight Saving Time starting tonight, I was hoping to get back to my weekly post-work ride this Wednesday, but the weather forecast indicates a coastal storm that day. So I will have to force myself to ride the indoor trainer. I've been finding excuses not to lately, but I'm tentatively planning to do a metric century at the end of April and the only way to ramp up to that is to ride more than once a week starting now.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    Yesterday was about doing a few hills- rode with my husband and a friend out to a steep hill on the east side of Tucson, then came back for a special climbing clinic with the visiting Vanderkittens pro team at the base of Mt. Lemmon. I got in 40 miles altogether. It was fun- thought not much new information except to spend time with my hands more on top of the bar while climbing. I'm still slow... but it was fun.

    Then we went downtown in the evening and sat in on the pre-race meeting, watched the girls race in the Criterium here and sat in on the post-race discussion. It was an interesting window into the racing world. BTW- the race was won by one of the Optum team who nearly lapped the field, but one of the VK riders came in 5th.
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

 

 

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