bicycling

Mine is, of course, the purple one.

Tonight was my first "extended" ride on my new toy, a bicycle roller. I did about 20 minutes at an unknown speed (reasonable cadence on the middle ring and mid-high rear cog). This was my second time on the roller, and I'm getting the hang of it. I can now go for five minutes at a time without needing a quick "hand out" to balance myself.

I like the roller so far, and it seems sturdy enough for my clydesdale frame. It was completely an impulse purchase, as Performance had a good price ($90), and I had just found Grandma's Christmas check while cleaning.

I'm hoping to keep at this until spring. Getting a bike computer soon will help, since my normal odometer (GPS) doesn't seem to work very well here for some reason.

Don't bother ordering from Nashbar if you're concerned with customer service. For example, their Order Status page says to "check back soon". Well, don't hold your breath, since it's been broken since July 2006.

Distance: 18.84 miles

Nancy, James, and I went for a longer ride today, starting at Nancy's house, going to Chassell, and coming back on US-41. It was a nice ride, even though it started raining about five miles in, and continued for the rest of the ride.

James was nice enough not to lose us, except on one long downhill on Pilgrim Road, where he probably came very close to 50 MPH (I only hit 42.4, and can't crank faster than about 36 MPH anyway). Despite the rain and heavy traffic on US-41, it was a fun ride, and I'm glad I went along.

Distance: 8.69 miles

Nancy and I went for a more relaxed "exploratory" ride tonight, heading up to Kearsarge. But the ride ended early after I broke a spoke and we had to turn around.

This was my first ride (other than the ride back from the bike shop) with the new stem installed, and I really like it. It gives me an additional inch or so of rise in the front, without making the reach too short. My hands fared much better after tonight's ride.

Distance: 8.29 miles
Average speed: 15.2 MPH

Ugh. I didn't stretch or do a cool-down walk after last night's ride, and even though it was an "easy" ride, I really felt it this morning. I wanted to do at least 10 miles, but struggled to get in what I did.

Distance: 5.63 miles

Just a short, slow cruise around town tonight. I found and put the toe clips back on the pedals last night, and adjusted them during tonight's ride. During the last couple of "harder" rides, I noticed my feet moving around a bit, so hopefully the clips will help keep them in place.

Distance: 7.45 miles

Nancy and I cruised around Calumet tonight for a "recovery ride". We took it easy, which was hard for me, but also good for me, since I need to figure out how to pace myself.

I also put another three miles in this morning, riding to and from the bike shop, and then trying out some different stems. I found one that I liked, but it had a crack in it, so another is on order. Anyway, my total distance for the day is around 22.7 miles.

I bought a fancy new pressure gauge, and discovered that I was running between 85 and 90 PSI instead of the 100 I was shooting for. Tonight's ride was at 100 PSI, and I could feel the difference.

Distance: 12.22 miles
Top speed: 34.4 MPH

This morning's ride was an exploratory one. I rode some roads I'd never been on before, but spent a lot of time turning around and waiting for traffic. My GPS doesn't stop averaging when I stop moving, so I didn't record an average speed today. I put my top speed above for the purposes of bragging.

I was on a lot of rough pavement and some short gravel patches today, and my new tires held up fine. They're stable in sandy corners, and fast on the smooth stuff.

This morning, I am in awe at the natural beauty of this area. Tamarack Waterworks Road passes through marshes, with thick grass and cattails swaying in the breeze. I rolled by a flock of geese, sleeping on the edge of a pond, not six feet from my path. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the Keweenaw.

Distance: 10.50 miles
Average speed: 14.8 MPH

Today was my first extended ride with my new road tires. They're much faster; I feel like I can maintain 20 MPH now at the same effort it took for 16 MPH before. My average speed would've been higher today if it weren't for a still-mounted chain untangling and the return climb from the first section of the "Death Coast to Hancock".

I'm happy with the width and performance of the tires. I went with the 1.5-inch width, and feel like they'll handle the cracked pavement without sacrificing too much speed. I had them at 100 PSI for today's ride, and will try 110 tomorrow.

This was also the first trip out for a new pair of gloves. They didn't help, and hand numbness is still the biggest distance limitation for me. I think it'll have to be a new stem, to get me more upright and take some weight off my hands.

Distance: 8.05 miles
Average speed: 14.2 MPH

I awoke this morning to my bedroom window fan blowing out of the window and crashing to the floor. I fought that same wind all the way out on my ride this morning. It was fun coming back—I did a mile or so at 21 MPH—but overall it drained my energy.

I'm still having trouble with numbness in my hands at the end of the ride. That's pretty much the limiting factor to the length of my ride at this point. I'm planning to swap in a stem with some rise, but haven't had time to try out a few at the local bike shop.

Distance: 7.94 miles
Average speed: 15.1 MPH

The weather was nicer this morning, though it was still humid and a little hazy.

I headed straight for M-203, but ended up doing a little less distance than I had planned, due in part to taking a "diagonal" cut through town, mostly so I could scowl at Cross Country Sports. At this point, I'm not sure why I ordered tires through them, since they didn't really have any advice for the type of tire I was looking at, and now they've managed to royally screw up the order. Hrmph. I'll have nice, new road tires as soon as the snow flies.

Distance: 5.51 miles
Average speed: 14.2 MPH

Ugh, Monday morning. Lousy weather: overcast, windy, and humid.

Just a shorter ride around town this morning. Still not pacing myself like I'd like to, and I forgot to borrow Nancy's GPS. Maybe tomorrow.

Distance: 8.47 miles
Average speed: 14.8 MPH

This morning's ride felt really good. The weather was very nice this morning; in fact it got a little cold in the shadows when I first took off (around 7:00).

I was surprised to maintain a 14.8 MPH average. I intended to take it easy today, and have a long, slow ride. But I'm not too good at pacing myself yet. I might borrow Nancy's running GPS, which has alarms to keep you at your target pace.

I headed straight for M-203 today, and it was pretty nice again. Quiet, no traffic, fast.

Distance: 7.70 miles
Average speed: 14.4 MPH

A fun ride this morning. I got a late start (7:00), but it was cooler this morning than yesterday, and slightly breezy. I spun out to M-203, and it's much nicer than I remember. Smooth, wide shoulders, no traffic, and I could average above 16 MPH on the stretch I rode without too much trouble. It's a lot easier riding there than in town, even if I'm riding roads that don't make me stop all the time.