Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Click the "Create Account" button now to join.

To disable ads, please log-in.

Shop at TeamEstrogen.com for women's cycling apparel.

Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 46 to 60 of 69
  1. #46
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110

    To disable ads, please log-in.

    Despite the cold, did a lot of trail improvement work on a rough section. Finished up and just as I stepped back into the house, got a call from the bike shop that my gears for the Nature Boy were in. Loaded up the bike and they changed out the gearing while I waited. They gave me a lesson on how to change a chain ring in front and a single speed cog in the back, plus they sold me the two tools to do the job. Love these guys.

    Went right home and did 16.5 miles on the Nature Boy, now with lower and more comfortable gearing. Turned the Nature Boy from a 15.5 mph bike at my max spin to 13.2 mph bike at my max spin. Doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it really is significant. It means that while I am a bit slower on the flats, I can do most of my climbing without having to stand on the pedals. Then, too, today I had to deal with strong winds and the lower gearing was much appreciated. Very pleased with my decision. I think my knees are pleased, too.

    Did I mention that temps were only in the 30s during my ride? Still some colors on the trees and did have some sunshine, so despite the cold, it was a beautiful ride.

    Here's a very retro add on I found at the bike shop. It's a Nantucket bike basket. I love it. It doesn't flop around like a nylon bag and the rigid construction with a big wide open top make finding items MUCH easier. Quality construction. Okay, not modern, high tech, but then, I'm not too modern and high tech, either. Wouldn't be riding steel single speed bikes if I was.




  2. #47
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I like that basket, NWG. I saw some like that at Belmont Wheelworks, when I bought the Ariel.
    No riding today or yesterday. Bootcamp kicked my azz yesterday, but in a good way. However, my leg/knee started hurting worse from my hiking fall, mostly I think from the 2,000 ft of climbing I did on Sunday. I iced my leg 3 times yesterday and once this morning. It was such a beautiful fall day today, DH and I went on a 2.5 mile walk when we got home. My knee/leg feels sore, but it's not acute pain. I iced it again when I got back and I plan to do a 40 mile ride tomorrow. I did bag out of the 18n mile 1,300 ft of climbing ride, but I will ride with my usual group, right around here. It starts about 4 miles from my house the ride is 32 miles, so if I can stop myself from turning right onto my street when we ride by near the end, I should end up with 40. I have nothing else to do and I should socialize at lunch with these people.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  3. #48
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Take care of that knee, girl. I worry a lot about blowing out a knee with all my single speed riding, now. A bad knee could really put an end to my biking. Do enjoy the fall weather, though. Get out and ride while you can.

    Very nice day for us. Temps got up into the upper 40s and had some nice sunshine. Really nice day. Very welcome change from what we've been having for fall weather. Did our usual neighborhood roads ride of about 6 miles, me on the Nature Boy, now with more knee friendly gearing. Got home and traded the Nature Boy for the Log Lady with its trail friendly gearing and did 6 wonderful miles of laps and just noodling around for fun on my trails. Star loved it, too.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 10-16-2018 at 03:56 PM.

  4. #49
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    It is not directly on my knee, so I am not overly concerned. It is right underneath, and also on the smallish bruise on the right side. I also have to consider I had that bike crash about 8 weeks ago, pretty much in the same spot, plus another one in June 2017. Nothing that required medical intervention, but, still repetitive stress.It basically feels bruised. Been cautious, but I think it just needs time.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  5. #50
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    OK, I did the ride, at least most of it... I knew dressing for a temperature starting at 40 would be hard, because it would be going up to around 52-55. Though it was partly cloudy when I left to ride the 4 miles to the start, it became sunny. My mid layer (jersey) was basically too heavy... I was able to unzip my jacket and jersey and basically ended up taking both the heavy and light head cover off, and taking off my gloves in the middle of the ride and putting the liners I had used for the trip to the start on as gloves. I did wear my winter cycling shoes and that was fine.
    There were about 15-20 people. Some I like, others, just weird. The leader was the woman whose DH got hit and killed by a driver a few years ago (on his way to the dentist). They are/were lovely people, but she's sometimes edgy when riding. I can't explain it. She can sustain a faster pace than me on flats for a longer period, but I can drop her in a minute on a climb. So, I alternately felt sweaty and my legs were burning from trying to stay with the front group. This ride was really just on all of the typical roads I ride on, especially the ones in Acton, Stow, and Boxboro, and back to Concord. However, near the end, where I had told her I was going to peel off and head home, she took a wrong turn (how can you do that with GPS?). It wasn't a big deal wrong turn, but it ended up in a spot where she was going to lead the group to make a left onto a busy road with a small rise and poor sightlines. I would never do that. Since I was already feeling tired from being overheated, I decided to part ways there and make a right on the busy road and then a left, which is a parallel street to the one they were heading for. I rarely take this way home, because it is really hilly, with 3 climbs, the first one the worst. It's also narrower than the other street, which is my go to way out of my area. But, I decided I'd get home quicker, although with less miles, and I could go as slow as I wanted, with no peer pressure!
    I was very glad to get home. My total was 29 miles, not the 36 I thought I would have, but it's more than I would have done alone.
    Last edited by Crankin; 10-17-2018 at 02:00 PM.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  6. #51
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Impressive miles, again, Crankin. When I read about folks, here, doing all these group rides I can't help but wonder how I could possibly do those. Been decades since I've done a group ride. Have almost zilch confidence that I could manage such a thing, now. I doubt I could keep pace.

    Did my usual hour plus on my trails, this morning, but temps only in the 30s, so pretty chilly. Then took the Krampus in for a tubeless conversion. All my other bikes are tubeless, now, and I can feel the difference. The Krampus has a harsher ride compared to my tubeless setup bikes. Going tubeless does make for a smoother ride. It's something I've noticed on every bike that I've had converted from tube to tubeless.

    While at the bike shop, saw something you don't see except up in the north country. Our bike shop was working on a couple of wheeled sled dog sleds for folks that run and race sled dogs in the winter. The wheeled sleds allow them to train with their dogs in the summer months. Bet you don't see the in Florida!

  7. #52
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I know people who can (and do) get lost despite having GPS.

    I went for the new bike fitting last night, after looking at it next to the old Madone WSD and deciding I probably needed to switch it for a smaller size (52). So the first thing I said to the fitter was that I was worried that the frame was just too big and the reach was too long to be fixed with a shorter stem.

    I brought the Madone with me, and he started by putting the new saddle on the new bike based on measurements from the Madone. Then he compared some measurements between the two bikes (end of saddle to different points on the handlebar) and felt that the 54 would be okay. I rode it on the indoor trainer while he took some video and used some kind of software to measure a few angles. If you draw a line up the side of your back to the shoulder and then down to the hand, the angle should be between 85 and 90 degrees, and I was at 88. So we agreed that I would go out for a test ride and see how things felt. If necessary the next step would be to try an 80mm stem (down from the 90mm stem that came on the bike). And if I really don't feel right after additional adjustments, I can still turn in the bike and get the smaller frame.

    We also adjusted the shift/brake levers. At the farthest out position I could barely reach them in the drops, but now they are close enough, I think. I might even be able to move them back out a bit. It looks like an easy adjustment to make.

    BTW one big reason I decided the new bike would be a useful investment was that it is supposed to hold 4 water bottles -- three in the triangle and one more on the front of the down tube. There is a video on the Trek website showing the bike with 4 water bottles. Unfortunately it turns out that this is only true for frames that are 56 or larger. If you scroll down to the Q and A's, they admit that 54 and smaller can only fit the usual two bottles in the triangle. There are holes for a third cage on my bike but not enough room to fit the top bottle under the top tube. I might be able to squeeze it in but wouldn't be able to take out a bottle and drink while riding. It really amazes me that they would make a point of showing this feature on the video when it only applies for tall people. It's insulting.

    Tonight I am going out to ride, but on the old bike. My wrist is much better after the crash on Saturday but still not 100%, and the route is too hilly for a first ride on flat pedals. And I just prefer to do the shakedown on a new bike in daylight and closer to the bike shop in case anything needs adjusting. So tonight, for old time's sake, I will ride the Madone.

    - 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

  8. #53
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I think it's a good idea to do the test ride under perfect conditions, too. I am the type of person that feels every little change, so I need to minimize those I can control! However, my idea of the perfect test ride in the adjacent neighborhood, that has lots of streets that are loops, with enough rollers to use the gears backfired when it started torrentially raining after a mile! The forecast said it wasn't supposed to rain for 45 minutes-hour and there was nothing on the radar. It ended up being quite funny and it convinced me the bike was perfect, as it did great under those conditions.
    Yeah, the bottle thing. My Ariel is so small that I can only fit one cage. However the trunk bag I bought has another holder, which I use for coffee when I ride to work. If I ever go on a long ride with that bike, I will use the trunk bag.
    I get that some people get mixed up using GPS (DH is one), but she was snarky to me when I made the suggestion to go turn around and take the intended route. We are talking like 1/4 of a mile back track. To me, it shows lack of preparation. If I am leading a new route, I pre-ride it. I make sure there are no road closures or other funky things. Even the meeting place was a fail; the town had had half of the parking lot closed for a few weeks and the road is all stripped of pavement, as they put new pipes in. Many of the people had to pay for parking or park far away because of this (there was another faster group, so maybe a total of 30 people). I know this because I live in town, but the leader does not. Once you pre-ride a route, there's less of a chance of making the kind of mistake she made. I pretty much left the ride at that point, because of the way she spoke to me and acted. She knows that I live in the area, I am a ride leader for a different group, and given the way her husband died, she should be thinking about minimizing risk.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  9. #54
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    I tend to be hyper sensitive to adjustments on my bikes, too. Maybe it's a gal thing. Who knows? Since I ride so many different bikes, though, I'm careful not to do any adjustments, right away, when switching to another bike. I like to get some miles in on a new bike to get to know the bike, but, yeah, then the adjustments start. I also do my test rides on familiar routes and average weather conditions for the sake of comparisons with the other bikes. Sounds like you've got some expert fitting help, there, N.Y.. Good for you.

    Crankin', hard to understand why that group leader didn't do any scouting, either. If she knew you live in the area, she could have at least called you.I've been thinking about a GPS for a long time, now, but I know all the roads in my area, so I don't really need one, plus keeping things simple and uncomplicated is more my style. Tell you what, though, if I was back in Chicago or other big city area, I would darn sure have a GPS. My sense of direction is simply horrid. Got lost many times when I lived there. I'd also have a GPS if we were like Emily and constantly biking in new areas. For now, though, no need for a GPS.

    Gorgeous day shaping up, but, unfortunately, other things on the schedule, so won't be able to do a lot of biking. Will get out and do some, though. Have snow showers coming over the weekend.

  10. #55
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    All day rain and drizzle, yesterday, but warm enough to be comfortable, at least. Did 16 miles in the rain. 14 miles were on the Nature Boy on local roads, purposely selecting some challenging hills to make it a good workout. Finished with 2 miles on my soggy trails, mostly to give Star a good workout.

    Woke up to high winds and snow, this morning. Third time it's snowed, this month. What happened to autumn? I am not ready for this. Only about an inch on the ground, so spent the day blowing the snow and leaf litter of the trails, but took me most of the day to get it done. Too tired and cold to ride when I was done. The trails will dry out, quickly, though, and with more seasonable weather on the way, next week, should be able to dome riding than trail work. I hope.

  11. #56
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I didn't ride at all this weekend. Yesterday, there was a small window of sun and not so windy; we walked RT 4.1 miles to a celebration in the village center. Not so much going on, but a good, brisk walk. Today, we had DGD. Had planned to go all over town in the trailer, but with 45 degrees and winds gusting to 35, it felt like January! I ended up doing hill intervals on the treadmill (walking) for 20 minutes, and then we took her to the Old North Bridge, where we made her walk a mile and recreate some family history by sitting on a big tree. Too bad the one we had our kids climb up is cordoned off and dying. Absolutely no color in the trees here. Alarming. No global warming, of course.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  12. #57
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Nice ride, yesterday. Finally, no rain, at least, but quite cold with temps the 30s. Did 12 miles on pavement around the neighborhood on the Gunnar. Not that I need ANY excuse to ride this fabulous single speed, but I figured the wider tires would be safer, since a lot of the roads have heavy leaf cover and after Saturday's storm, a lot of it was still wet and even icy. Finished the day with 4 miles of trail riding with Star and even managed to do more trail maintenance work. All in all, very productive day.

    A slight skim of ice along the lake shore, this morning. Our leaves are all down, now. Looking like late fall, even though it's still a bit early. Time to get the fat bikes set up for snow riding. I think it's going to be an early winter.

  13. #58
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I'm getting concerned that my riding is going to be limited by weather and my schedule for at least 2 weeks. It's gone from August to early December in about 10 days in terms of temperature, which would be OK, without the high winds and rain. I think I may be able to ride Wednesday, but it will be on my own. Friday, I have a friend who moved to the Cape staying over, and she won't won't ride at 46 degrees, which is the predicted temperature for the day... we will hike. Torrential rains both weekend days. Next week doesn't look much better and my birthday weekend in western MA may not include any riding, either, for the first time I can remember since I've been riding.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  14. #59
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    I do understand about trying to motivate yourself to ride when the weather takes a turn for the worse after decent riding weather. Even crazy old "ride in any weather" me finds it tough to do. I will say, though, that as long as I dressed, appropriately, once I'm actually out there in the cold and rain and even snow, I'm usually glad I made the effort. Also helps that I have a long history of riding in bad weather, so bad weather doesn't intimidate me as much as it does for some others. Even so, sometimes when I'm out there riding in rough weather, can't help but think I must be a little crazy. Guess it's part of that old traditional notion that bicycles are for riding in nice weather, only. Hard to overcome that idea, at times. Anyway, I do understand about trying to get out and ride in yucky weather. As always, do what you think is best for your riding. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Just because I'm a little crazy, doesn't mean everyone else has to be.

    Speaking of the weather, it was gorgeous, here, yesterday. Naturally, yesterday just happened to be a day when we had to run a bunch of errands, too. Oh, well. I did get out and ride, late afternoon, though, and managed 4 miles of trail work on the Log Lady. Riding my skinnier tire MTB is my reward for keeping my trails clean, but the trails must still be dry enough. Love the fat bikes and the plus bikes, but riding a bike like the Log Lady brings out the kid in me. Makes me laugh and holler and hoot. Total fun bike on the trail.

    So much for the nice weather, though. Forecast is back to cloudy and cold, today.

    Update: the sun did manage to peek though the clouds for a bit, even though temps never got out of the 40s. Funny how a little sunshine can improve one's mood. Anyway, did manage a good, strenuous 21.4 miles of pavement with mostly hills on the Nature Boy. Got home, then managed 2 miles on the trails with one of the fat bikes, mostly to give Star her daily trail run.

    Neck still gets stiff and sore after a given number of hours of bicycling. Not painful or anything, just uncomfortable. I suspect that's going to be the status quo for me from now on. An all day ride may be a thing of the past for me, now. Oh, well. At least I'm still in the land of the living and still riding. Not complaining.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 10-23-2018 at 12:58 PM.

  15. #60
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I can do cold, and some think I am crazy for that, but I don't feel safe riding in the rain. I do it if I have to. Tomorrow looks pretty good and I have no commitments until 1 PM.
    Right now it's becoming very stormy, dark, severe weather alert. Glad I got home in time. They just lifted a tornado warning in SE MA, so it's around.
    It's thundering like crazy...
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

 

 

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •