Bike When You Can

Cross Training

2009-05-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment and recommend Si-boards as a way of getting in much better physical shape for biking. While I found using a balance board was fairly helpful, taking the next big step and learning to ride a Si-board has had some great results. I have much better stamina, much better sense of core strength, and much stronger legs overall. My shins and calfs haven't felt this solid in a very long time. I really like the overall workout of riding the Si-board on the solid urethane ball. It's unlike anything I've tried before and I'm totally sold on it. Our daughter gets the benefit of use by trying to copy what we do by using a Si-board. This is very important, given that she has Down Syndrome and anything that helps her develop better core strength will pay back great dividends later in life. Below is a video of some advanced riding skills. I'm still very much a beginner, but really enjoy the workout, the ride, and the physical benefits!

Winter's Wear

2009-02-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

I took some photos of the rubber tips I put on my KickBack for Rick over at Xtracycle. While doing so I got a good look at just what a mess things have become. My chain is full of rust, there's mud and sand all over my bike (despite an attempt at a night-time bath) after a run-in with a mud-bog-field at night. Sheesh! The winter has been very cold, very snowy, and very intense in general. I've hardly biked over the last several weeks due to single digit mornings, weird snow, and fierce wind chills. As I type now, wind speed is 37 mph from the NW. Zoiks! I'm looking forward to more bike friendly weather...

Skating away

2008-12-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

So I rode the X to the Co-op this afternoon to pick up some groceries and special orders. I hitched up the trailer to carry the two cheesecakes waiting for our extended family gathering tomorrow. Our street and alley were basically solid ice with holes, ruts, and the occasional patch of paving stone or pavement. It was insane to be out on foot, car, or bike. At least I had some traction from the studded tires. Putting my foot down was only for the purpose of sliding/propping the bike from slipping out from under me entirely. Now, if I could only figure a way to have shoes with ice traction so I could be a bit more assured on foot.

-Phil

If you think commuting in winter is tough...

2008-12-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

From the New York Times

Video Library Player: Riders Through the Snow

During the Iditarod Trail Invitational, racers brave hundreds of miles of frozen Alaskan wilderness on foot, ski or bicycle.

This video focuses on two men training for the race by bike. Talk about tough winter riding!

-Phil

Study indicates "Active Transportation" = less obesity

2008-12-21T05:41:00.000-08:00

This Associated Press article was published a few days ago. I thought this deserved attention, especially given Adam's post on Cycling and Health (Dec. 16).

Study: Leaner nations bike, walk, use mass transit

I posted this to Bike Michiana and RootsRadicals as well.

-Phil

P.S. Current temp = 0 F with 23 mph winds from the West. That brings windchill to -24 F. Forecast high temp is 5 F.

Sick

2008-12-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

As in head cold sick. I've been sick since the weekend. I really haven't ridden since just over a week ago and I can tell my legs are screaming, "Ride! We're atrophying!" Weather doesn't look very nice - very icy and snowy tonight and tomorrow w/just above freezing temps during the day, then dropping into the low teens by Saturday. Yeehah. Slow, cold going. Well, hopefully this head cold will be done soon enough and I'll be able to ride w/out sliming myself or coughing up tons of phlegm.

Time to go charge batteries for lights...

2008-12-14T08:49:00.001-08:00

My right pedal broke a couple of weeks ago - at least that's when I became aware of it. The cage around the pedal broke, apparently some time ago, but I hadn't noticed. I only noticed after one of the screws holding the cage in place began working loose. I heard the distinct squeak of metal against metal and traced down the source. I've since replaced the broken set with new Velo-Orange Touring Pedals.

Unlike other pedals I've used in the past, there's no purchase area for a traditional pedal wrench for installation/removal. I was completely clueless about how to securely mount the pedals and sent Chris Kulczycki at Velo-Orange a rather arrogant note informing him of this problem and suggesting he change the design to allow for use of pedal wrenches. His simple, one line response?

Like many modern pedals these are installed with an Allan wrench from the back of the spindle.

Oh..! That solved what was clearly "my problem." Thanks, Chris, for the great pedals. They work wonderfully with Power Grip Straps installed.

KickBack video: using WideLoaders w/KickBack

2008-11-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a video response to recent discussion of the KickBack stand for the Xtracycle FreeRadical and Surly Big Dummy.

Using WideLoaders with KickBack - Xtracycle from Xtracycle on Vimeo.

KickBack: First Thoughts

2008-11-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this in the Roots Radicals Xtracycle discussion group. See the response from Xtracycle folk there.

--

I've had the new KickBack on my X for a few days. Here are a few thoughts about it.

Pros

1) It was easy to install

2) It holds loads solidly. I just got back from the grocery store loaded with 80 to a 100 lbs of grocries (long story). No problems loading or unloading with the KickBack whatsoever. This would've been much more difficult with the Greenfield (?) kickstand.

3) It looks sleek and blends in well.

Cons

1) feet and axle ends are plastic plugs with screw-on plastic knobs. The knobs were not really securable by hand - they rattled loose quickly. I used a channel lock wrench to lightly grasp them and torque them down snugly.

2) Spring tension is fine, though the stand "bounces" up and down a bit over significant bumps in the road.

Suggested fixes to the Cons

1) a very thin, flat rubber washer would help secure the feet/ends in place without fear of over-torquing.

2) Would be neat if there was a "latch" of sorts that could be added to the chainstay and "catch" the left side leg just enough to keep the stand from "bouncing." I don't think spring tension alone will do the trick. The latch/catch could be an inverted plastic U shaped fitting with low profile nubs on the inside of the legs of the U (internal serifs??). A bolt could pass through the legs of the U and, with a bushing to protect against scratches, secure the U in place.

These are simply brainstorms and would need much more refining - I have no illusions about convenient quick-fixes to #2.

Conclusion

It's worth it. I can feel pretty confident that my X won't fall over as I load and unload as long as I'm not being very foolish. I'd strongly recommend this to anyone with an X or a Big Dummy.

Breaking in

2008-10-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

I put on my Nokian Hakapeliitta W240's on Tuesday (thanks to Peter White). I'm working on breaking them in before winter hits. We could get ice or snow anytime in the next few weeks.
The rolling resistance is much greater than the smoother, road-friendly tires I use during warm weather. Guess I'll be in even better shape soon!

Tow Away Zone

2008-10-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

As usual on Mondays, Benjamin and I rode our bikes to Grandma's place after picking up Alta at pre-school. What was unusual was leaving Grandma's early to go to a bike advocacy meeting. This meant leaving both kids at Grandma's with Carol to finish up the evening. But how to get Benjamin's bike home while pulling the trailer? I collapsed the trailer and put the front wheel and fork into the left hand sling/bag of the Xtracycle and secured it with the straps from the FreeRadical and one bungee cord. The rear wheel sat in the middle of the trailer. It worked out quite well!

Definitely a bike geek

2008-10-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

Just read about the new Kickback stand from Xtracycle on Commute by Bike. It's great news for Xtracycle owners. I've been so frustrated with the X falling over when parked with heavy loads. This should make things much easier. Nonetheless, it was a bit of a surprise to find myself shouting with glee when I saw the photo and read about it.

Went through bike withdrawal today. I overslept and had to drive to work. My routines are all out of sorts - I'm a creature of habit. My son even said, "Dad, don't drive up to the bike racks, okay?" on our way home to pick up his sister.

Last, just heard that the Bianchi frame and fork were delivered for sandblasting and painting this afternoon. The choice of color? "Safety Yellow." Gee! :-)

Another slight modification

2008-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

I "built" a mount for a Planet Bike Superflash for the back end of the FreeRadical Snapdeck tonight. This will finally give me a light mount that won't get bashed around on the back end. I took a small chunk of hard wood, about 1" x 1" x 3", and drilled out two screw holes for mounting to the underside of the Snapdeck, then countersank them. I drilled out a hole on the right hand side (port?) and attached the plastic mount/fitting to the butt end of the wood through the machine screw pivot/hole of the mount. Next, I located center of the Snapdeck and pre-drilled the Snapdeck once. After snugly, but not tightly, screwing it into place, I attached the light to the plastic fitting, then sighted along the top of the Snapdeck for focus of the beam. When satisfied, I then pre-drilled the second hole. All is now snugly in place. The light is still removable and the mount is out of the way, so there's no fear of smashing the light or the mount. The light is not very visible directly from the sides, but is clearly visible from at least 140 degrees to the rear.

Calculate this

2008-09-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

From the folks at Commute by Bike. The Gas Savings calculator

BUI? and more Wrenching

2008-09-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

So, I stopped by a backyard music festival this evening to catch a couple of tunes and talk to some friends. Really, I went there to talk to musician friends about playing mandolin with them for a wedding in mid-October. After that all happened, I walked back to my X to find a couple of mildly inebriated friends (fathers of kids who attend same school/grade as my son) checking it out. It was rather amusing to tell them about it while they admired it and the Dinotte lights. I offered to let one of them take it for a spin, but he politely declined, inferring he might not the be safest rider in his state of, well, bliss.

Forgot to mention my thanks to Eric for all the help with the Bianchi. I took the frame over to his home shop to try and get the supposedly adjustable (not at all, actually) cup out of the bottom bracket. We banged on it with hammers and chisels, hung on it with wrenches, and attempted to cut through it - all with no progress. He then had the brilliant idea of using a bench vise to clamp down on what little area was available for a purchase, then both of us pulled and pushed on the frame. It worked! The cup finally came out and the frame (and fork) are now ready for sandblasting and painting. The color is yet to be determined.

If we can come close to the bike pictured below, I think we'll be very happy.

Wrenching

2008-09-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Did some "wrenching" this evening and swapped out the quill stems and handlebars on the Trek Singletrack 930 and the Specialized Ground Control. Also swapped out the skewers on so we can us the Singletrack to haul the trailer. The whole purpose is to get the Specialized out of use and eventually strip the main components and use them on the Bianchi after it's painted. I'm hoping most/all the parts will fit. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Heckled with Jive

2008-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time I can ever recall being heckled while riding my bike. I couldn't make out what was being yelled the first time, but I clearly heard, "Why don't you ride on the sidewalks!" the second time. Both times I was riding appropriately and legally with traffic. The second time around I wanted to yell back something like, "Cause they're sideWALKS not sideROADS!" Fortunately, I wasn't that miffed at the time - I was, after all, waiting for a green light in the Left turn lane of a busy intersection in Goshen (yes, there are such things here). Other factors: both happened on my way home this afternoon sometime between 4:00 and 4:14 p.m. That means more teen drivers were out, more folks were getting off work, more folks had had daylight hours to get drunk, high, or peeved about other things in their lives, etc. Dunno why, but it did bug me a bit. Nonetheless, I'll keep riding safely and riding on the street when possible and "safe" to do so.

Rainy days and Mondays

2008-09-15T19:39:00.001-07:00

Rode to work today and missed the rain after the rain after the rain and then some. Got to ride home in a light mist of a rain with partial blue skies. Nice - until my chain slipped and got jammed between my chainrings. Luckily it happened when pulling up to a stop light. A quick jump onto the curb and a few tweaks and I was back on the road without any problems. Did the Monday afternoon pick-up-son-on-back-of-X-then-get-trailer-and-his-bike-and-go-to-piano-class-then-pick-up-lil'-sis-in-the-trailer-and-off-to-Grandmas routine. The weather has been very cool - in the low 6o's and likely will hit the mid 40's tonight. It's great biking weather with light layers.

In praise of Dinotte lights

2008-09-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've had a Dinotte 200L light for several months now and love it. I have it mounted on my helmet. It draws odd looks during the day, but in the early morning when I need it, it's fantastic. I recently added another to my handlebars and one of their tail lights as well. I can now see so much better when commuting and know that there's really no excuse to not see me from the rear. I'll edit this later to add either photos or some brief video clips.

Funny thing happened on the way to my blog

2008-09-04T21:08:00.001-07:00

A while back, I posted a review of my Dinotte headlight to REI.com. At least I thought I did. As I was completing it, they offered me the chance to post my review to my blog. I chose to do so, then pushed the "publish" button and, "Presto!" it appeared on my blog, but not on the REI site. Go figure. See my review above for the real deal.

Stripping

2008-08-23T20:31:00.001-07:00

So, Carol and I are now most of the way through stripping down the Bianchi. I'm stuck with a crank that won't come off - the dustcap threads are slightly stripped on the Left side and I can't get the puller to properly set. Back to work on that tomorrow.

New from old

2008-08-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

We picked up a well used Bianchi mixte style frame today. It's at least 22 years old, but in reasonable shape. This one will be for Carol, who misses her old Miata. I'll strip it down with help from Eric, then have the frame sent out for sandblasting and painting. I'll strip off the components from my several year old Specialized Ground Control and use them for the Bianchi. Most of the current components are rusty. I'll try and bust the rust off what seems reasonable. Whatever, it will be an adventure!

Overdue

2008-08-18T17:43:00.001-07:00

So, I've been busy! There's lots going on over at Goshen Bikes and Bike Michiana these days. I've been fairly active in the Goshen Bikes group and admire the Bike Michiana efforts. We're networking with that group in the effort to work more efficiently

Personally, I'm excited by my new (old) ride: a Trek Singletrack 930. I replaced the super knobby tires with some Bontrager Select Inverts and feel like some kind of sprinter when I'm on this thing. Of course, all the miles on the X pulling loads and commuting probably help a wee bit...

I'm happy to say I'm getting much closer to commuting by bike five days a week. I've got the gear, there's no excuse, it's time to just do it. Some neighbors across the street recently sold their second car and he now rides to work every day. Now that's inspiring! It reminds me of the Xtracycle stickers that reads:

I lost

3500 lbs

in one day.

Ask me how.

1-800-SELL-CAR.

2008-07-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Chain Reaction Bicycle Project (Goshen, IN) is holding its first workshop Saturday July 12, 2008. The workshop is titled Road 1: Safe Cycling and will be taught by League of American Bicyclists licensed instructor John Yoder. The Road 1 course is designed for current or prospective bicycle commuters, recreational riders, touring or club cyclists, parents that ride with their family, or people that just want to get around town. Both beginners and more experienced riders will learn how to safely and confidently use their bicycle for transportation in all types of road, traffic and weather conditions. The course includes several hours of on-bike experience, practicing the techniques that are taught.

For more information visit

http://crbp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=75

or contact Eric Saner, director of the Chain Reaction Bicycle Project. 574-903-3056 or info@crbp.org .

The Eyes Have It

2008-07-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

--- protection that is. A while back, I mentioned wearing eye protection for riding. Here's another example of good reasons to wear such gear.

Sometime last week I was riding home afterwork. I was moving along at an average clip (about 15 mph) on that sunny day when, WHAP! Out of nowhere, a bee suddenly came into view and bounced off my eye wear. I had a split second's awareness that a bee was suddenly in front of me before it hit. There was no time to react, only hindsight (so to speak) to recognize what had just occurred. The bee would've been a direct hit on my right eye ball (bullseye on my eyeball?) with out time to even try and blink. Lord knows how bad that could've been if I'd been stung, too. I'm simply relieved to know I can write about it as a close call, not an accident.

So, please wear protective eye wear. You don't have to spend lots of cash on brand name eyewear. You can find decent, inexpensive protective eye wear at hardware stores or Big Box staores if it fits your budget.