Saturday, June 30, 2007
The mystery of the black Pearls
Some readers may remember my rant regarding Pearl Izumi products. A particular sore point was the chamois brand on my ass left by a pair of PI shorts. I swore months ago the offending shorts would go through the shredder. Instead they were exiled to the chair next to my dresser that serves as a clothing-storage annex. Today, I pressed the shorts into service for a 40 miler. It was a great ride and comfortable too. There's a hint of a seam on my thigh but nothing like what I got over the winter. Perhaps my judgment was too harsh or maybe I'm not as tender as I used to be.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Goo to the last drop
For Christmas my daughter gave me some single-serving sports-energy concoctions. The virtue of these products is that they are meant to replace minerals and nutrients lost during strenuous exercise while being extremely portable. My rule of thumb, depending on the situation, has become one tube every 15 or 20 miles with water. Whether it's crap or not I do feel perkier in a hurry.
Specifically the individual portions from Christmas were of GU Energy Gel (Just Plain flavored), Jelly Belly Sport Beans (orange) and a PowerBar triple threat energy bar (Caramel Peanut Fusion). I was skeptical but these were gifts given in love so why not?
I tried the GU first and was impressed that the flavor lived up to its description, just the tiniest hint of vanilla or banana or both.
Next were the Sport Beans. Think Tang-tasting texturized chewy chalk. Not something I would choose for myself but still interesting in a mildly provocative way.
The PowerBar had all the appeal of sweetened sawdust that's supposed to be good for you.
Bottom line on those three: the GU is a clearly labeled, no bullshit product. One tube, one serving. The package says each serving provides 100 calories, 2 percent of the daily value of sodium, 1 percent of potassium, 2 percent calcium and 100 percent each of vitamins C and E. The beans sported a similar range of nutrients but generally lower percentages. It turns out the PowerBar is loaded with nutrients and leaves the GU and Sport Beans in its sawdust in that regard. It's also in the largest package and the messiest to eat.
So I learned I could buy into, and buy, gooish, products. So over several months of trips to The Spin Cycle and Performance Bike, I picked up tubes of PowerBar Gel (tangerine), Carb Boom! Energy Gel (strawberry kiwi), Accel Gel Protein Powered Sports Energy, Clif Shot Energy Gel (strawberry) and Clif Shot Bloks (lemon lime). All have about the same nutrient levels although the PowerBar gel comes with various levels of sodium and caffeine.
Carb Boom! is nasty, as is the Clif Shot gel. They had chemically induced strawberry flavors only in the same sense that Ovaltine is supposed to be chocolate but is really spinach-flavored dog turd.
The Accel Gel left no impression. All I can say is that it was gooey and sticky.
The Clif Shot Bloks were like high-energy Jell-o shots but they did not make me want to dance on tables. I was also sort of freaked out that they have the same consistency after an hour in a cycling jersey as they do at room temperature.
The PowerBar gel is everything the energy bar wasn't. Though not nearly as nutrient rich it actually offers flavor that to some could resemble tangerine in a small package.
At $1.40 a pop, I try to use my goo strategically, saving it for occasions when I'm going to work really hard or when I'm going a long way (50 miles or more). Since it's hot today and I want to go about 65 miles I'll have two or three with me.
Specifically the individual portions from Christmas were of GU Energy Gel (Just Plain flavored), Jelly Belly Sport Beans (orange) and a PowerBar triple threat energy bar (Caramel Peanut Fusion). I was skeptical but these were gifts given in love so why not?
I tried the GU first and was impressed that the flavor lived up to its description, just the tiniest hint of vanilla or banana or both.
Next were the Sport Beans. Think Tang-tasting texturized chewy chalk. Not something I would choose for myself but still interesting in a mildly provocative way.
The PowerBar had all the appeal of sweetened sawdust that's supposed to be good for you.
Bottom line on those three: the GU is a clearly labeled, no bullshit product. One tube, one serving. The package says each serving provides 100 calories, 2 percent of the daily value of sodium, 1 percent of potassium, 2 percent calcium and 100 percent each of vitamins C and E. The beans sported a similar range of nutrients but generally lower percentages. It turns out the PowerBar is loaded with nutrients and leaves the GU and Sport Beans in its sawdust in that regard. It's also in the largest package and the messiest to eat.
So I learned I could buy into, and buy, gooish, products. So over several months of trips to The Spin Cycle and Performance Bike, I picked up tubes of PowerBar Gel (tangerine), Carb Boom! Energy Gel (strawberry kiwi), Accel Gel Protein Powered Sports Energy, Clif Shot Energy Gel (strawberry) and Clif Shot Bloks (lemon lime). All have about the same nutrient levels although the PowerBar gel comes with various levels of sodium and caffeine.
Carb Boom! is nasty, as is the Clif Shot gel. They had chemically induced strawberry flavors only in the same sense that Ovaltine is supposed to be chocolate but is really spinach-flavored dog turd.
The Accel Gel left no impression. All I can say is that it was gooey and sticky.
The Clif Shot Bloks were like high-energy Jell-o shots but they did not make me want to dance on tables. I was also sort of freaked out that they have the same consistency after an hour in a cycling jersey as they do at room temperature.
The PowerBar gel is everything the energy bar wasn't. Though not nearly as nutrient rich it actually offers flavor that to some could resemble tangerine in a small package.
At $1.40 a pop, I try to use my goo strategically, saving it for occasions when I'm going to work really hard or when I'm going a long way (50 miles or more). Since it's hot today and I want to go about 65 miles I'll have two or three with me.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Another anniversary boils down to miles
This may be the one that matters most to me. June 14 was one year since tropical storm Alberto, the last day I didn't ride my bike to work. So today marks a year and a day that I've pedaled to work. Rain, heat, ice, ennui, I've two wheeled to work and back. I celebrated by riding to meet a couple of buddies for lunch at my favorite out-of-the-way smoky dive that, alas, is becoming less smoky and less out of the way. The good news, as I can stretch it, is that I was able to get my per day miles for the month past 10. I also had two ass-kicking beers at home tonight, partly for celebratory purposes — Left Hand Imperial Stout and Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck Imperial Stout. I just hope the weather holds for this weekend — screw next weekend, I'll be in St. Louis. Four hundred plus miles for June would be nice.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Accounting for 4278.7
Put on your helmet, grit your teeth and get ready for a rush like few you can have. It's time to crunch numbers. It may offer all of the excitement of, well, accounting.
Today's as good a day as any to share the distances of cycledork. On June 10, 2006 I bought a new bike computer, a Mavic Wintech FS. In the year since I've racked up the miles enumerated in the title of this post. That total also includes the mountain bike miles I've cranked out. So, to rateify the number:
• 357 miles per month
• 82 miles per week
• 11.7 miles per day
Over that time there have been at least five complete weeks when I did not get on a bike.
In 2007 I've pedaled 1,819 miles. Rateified, that's:
• 343 miles per month
• 79 miles per week
• 11.3 miles per day
There was one week I was off all bikes, another week the Trek 2100 was in the shop and several weekends I could have been riding but did not.
Where is all this going? My goal for the year is to ride 5,000 miles. I'm 392 miles behind pace, or about 17 miles per week. Basically I need three 550-mile months to get back on track. I'm hoping to catch up over the summer but I already know of one entire week and another four-day period including a weekend between now and August when I will be bikeless.
As for the previous computer, a Garmin 301? In April 2006 it flew out of its handlebar mount in the center of a major intersection. As soon as I realized what I happened I dropped my bike on the side of the road and ran back just in time to see it get run over. I continued running, into traffic, to retrieve it anyway. Trust me, it was cool enough to risk death for.
The good news for you is that even I monitor all this minutia every day, I only plan to victimize others with the complete overview once a year. Be warned that there will be periodic but undetailed progress reports. Be grateful. My family has said since I was a kid that the most hideous torture they could think of was to be tied to a chair and have me recite facts, particularly statistics, that I considered of interest. I will try to not keep you in the chair very long.
Today's as good a day as any to share the distances of cycledork. On June 10, 2006 I bought a new bike computer, a Mavic Wintech FS. In the year since I've racked up the miles enumerated in the title of this post. That total also includes the mountain bike miles I've cranked out. So, to rateify the number:
• 357 miles per month
• 82 miles per week
• 11.7 miles per day
Over that time there have been at least five complete weeks when I did not get on a bike.
In 2007 I've pedaled 1,819 miles. Rateified, that's:
• 343 miles per month
• 79 miles per week
• 11.3 miles per day
There was one week I was off all bikes, another week the Trek 2100 was in the shop and several weekends I could have been riding but did not.
Where is all this going? My goal for the year is to ride 5,000 miles. I'm 392 miles behind pace, or about 17 miles per week. Basically I need three 550-mile months to get back on track. I'm hoping to catch up over the summer but I already know of one entire week and another four-day period including a weekend between now and August when I will be bikeless.
As for the previous computer, a Garmin 301? In April 2006 it flew out of its handlebar mount in the center of a major intersection. As soon as I realized what I happened I dropped my bike on the side of the road and ran back just in time to see it get run over. I continued running, into traffic, to retrieve it anyway. Trust me, it was cool enough to risk death for.
The good news for you is that even I monitor all this minutia every day, I only plan to victimize others with the complete overview once a year. Be warned that there will be periodic but undetailed progress reports. Be grateful. My family has said since I was a kid that the most hideous torture they could think of was to be tied to a chair and have me recite facts, particularly statistics, that I considered of interest. I will try to not keep you in the chair very long.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
C'dork helping dorks
I was reading through one of my listservs this afternoon when I saw an e-mail from an unfortunate who wants to ride his mountain bike across the United States. Even though I have a fairly concrete plan for a cross-country ride, the thought of doing it on a mountain bike makes me want to take a nap. Anyway, another reader suggested the site warmshowers.org for our plucky mountain biker. My thought when I saw the URL was the same as yours but it wasn't what I thought or feared. There's no euphemism for a particular kink involved but more a direct question: if you wanted to ride your bike across the country and wanted a hot shower along the way, would you be willing to offer the same? After a brief talk with the scientist I decided yes. We'll see if anyone ever gets in touch with us.
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