Monday, March 31, 2008

This time — I'm serious — I think I mean it


Many of you know that I've been threatening to participate in the time-trial series at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Well, my skinsuit — the garment at right — arrived today. If nothing else I can say that I can fit into a men's extra small garment. The scientist said I don't even look close to ridiculous. Though very tight — there's reason it's called a skinsuit — it is amazingly comfortable. To supplement a response to ladymacsquish, the conventional wisdom about bibs and singlets fitting better is true. I wore it tonight while I did an hour on the trainer and it felt good even though it was straight out of the package. Getting it over my shoulders, both on and off, was a challenge but not even close to insurmountable. I have a few more investments to make and many more hours on the trainer and road before I spend a Wednesday in Charlotte but I think the day is approaching.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Annual Colorado Cycletacular set


This year's event will be a little bit later, Sept. 12 through Sept. 20, than it has been the past few summers. That way I make sure that I avoid all of the airport nonsense that will be involved with the Democratic convention, among other things. Tourist traffic should also be significantly reduced by that time. On the preliminary agenda for this year are a reprise of Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park and perhaps two climbs of Rist Canyon. I'm hoping the weather holds.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Alternative miles


Maybe not all miles are created equal but every mile has value. That's just another way of saying that I've started using my trainer again when the weather or clock don't suit my needs. Trainers, or at least my trainer, have downsides: no wind, no forward movement, no realistic road resistance, no mercy on tires, no easy way to measure speed or faux mileage. Advantages, however, include the abilities to: accurately start and finish rides at specific times, maintain specific cadences, use music as a training tool, avoid wind's less savory aspects.

The trainer is also an opportunity for recycling used or otherwise unusable gear. For instance, the tire problem can be alleviated by keeping a trainer wheel with a dedicated tire. The wheel is cracked and thus unsafe for the road; attached are an old cassette and a tire with a shim over a large puncture to go with a patched tube. Without the trainer those items would hold little value and the scientist would have strongly suggested I pitch them.

On my trainer at least, there is no direct and simple way to calculate speed and distance. Fortunately, my computer's cadence counter still functions, since it records pedal strokes and not wheel revolutions. Thus speed and distance can be inferred using arithmetic and knowing cadence and gearing.

Today's a perfect trainer day. It's raining, I have errands to run but I'm still itching to pedal. At 2:30 p.m. my iPod and I will mount up and crank out 45 to 50 "miles." Yes, I do count those miles along with road miles when the end of the month rolls around. Since I don't yet have a heart-rate monitor, I'll be shooting for cadence targets for certain lengths of time with the trainer set at a specific tension. Hüsker Dü and Led Zeppelin will be my companions as I spin.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Decent Friday


The clock was ticking on my beloved Trek Vapor 2 helmet. We had spent thousands of miles together and been lots of places. But at nearly four years old, it was due for replacement. So, with a day off, I spent the morning shopping for a new helmet. A deeply discounted Louis Garneau Oz-zy (right) came home. The afternoon was devoted to christening the lid. To complete the ritual, tonight I might bite the head off a bat.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

It's only hoops on the surface

Cycledork aced the test and missed the point. Which was the point: pay attention only to what's expected and overlook things that are really worth seeing. Watch to the end — trust me, this clip may be manipulative but it's relevant. And the b-ball skills are really impressive. To see the video in its natural state or find out more about its backers, go here. Thanks to our friends at Peripheral Vision for the tip.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Cycling bloggers summit

The brain trusts of two leading cycling blogs in the Southeast, Cycledork and Unsquished, rendezvoused over the weekend in a large southeastern Metroplex. Much beer was had by all as the virtues of cycle commuting and two-wheel transportation in general were lauded. My hosts were also gracious enough not to insist Saturday on a century of any kind in snow flurries while I was feeling the side effects of the previous evening's carbo loading.

Unsquished (man and legend are one) declared that his next step in cycling advancement could be a trainer. He was also generous to indulge me gory views of the scar remaining from his broken wrist, from which he appears to be recovering well. Ladymacsquish demonstrated the many virtues of her Surly Cross-Check on a 25-mile ride — Sunday — to and from the world's largest monument to a bad idea. Monument notwithstanding, the setting is quite scenic and cycleworthy. For my part I cheerfully offered gratuitous and unsolicited advice.

In partial response to one of the issues raised, I offer this link, which I stumbled across only moments ago.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

I really wasn't making it up

Some of you may recall that I ranted last summer about the habits of younger cyclists in Fort Collins, the northern outpost of the Cycling Riviera. Now Colorado State University concedes, based on a graduate student's research, that there is substance to my hopelessly antediluvian outlook. Only 9 percent of student commuters are wearing helmets? That's even lower than I expected.

Guess what? "As for the reason why students only wear their helmets for certain purposes, [pyschology doctoral student Itsumi] Kakefuda suspects a number of factors. She believes students hold a sense of invincibility as well as the perception that injury is less likely close to home."

Imagine my surprise at these findings. On the other hand, I suppose I should tone down the sarcasm, since someone has collected data to support my observations — and demonstrated that I was right all along.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

The size of your tube doesn't matter that much. Really.

Once again, a reader has come to the authority and asked Cycledork.

Dear Cycledork,

We've had an exciting weekend of assorted flat tires and tube mishaps, so now is a good time to ask a question about tube sizing. The tires on my Giant OCR3 are 700 X 26C. On getting home from picking up a replacement tube (and CO2 canister) at my friendly neighbourhood bike shop today, I noticed that the box says 700 X 23/25C. Now they definitely heard me when I said "26" and they always know their stuff, so I'm assuming that this tube is the right size. But what's with the confusing numbers?

Curiously,

H. Trouser

Dear Mr. Trouser:

I'm sorry to hear about your flats and tube mishaps. The good news is your latest tube should fit your wheel and tire just fine. According to Giant, the OCR3 comes with 700x25 tires so a 700 x 23/25 tube should be fine, even in a 26 . Tirewise, the "700" refers to the diameter of the wheel in millimeters (it comes out to about 27 inches) and the "23/25" refer to width, also in millimeters (a hair less than an inch). Tubewise, the 2100, not terribly different than the OCR3, came with 25s. I've been using 23s for several years. You can probably go as skinny as 23 or as fat as 28 or so. No big deal. Ride and be well.

Yours in velophility,

Cycledork