My Most Recent Ride 2010 (Part III of the series)

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Terii, sounds like a great day for you and Loki. I am beginning to understand the heat you are talking about. Much hotter on a trike than up on my highracer.

Anybody dropped one of those new high-tech phone's yet? I'm curious to see how they hold up. I have dropped my old Samsung flip-phone a dozen or so times with no injuries. It has also been swimming two or three times and still works. My battery life is beginning to degrade after almost four years but is still okay.

What pressure tires do ya'll run with those patches? I run 110-120 psi and I worry about getting 30 miles away from my vehicle and blowing the patch off.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Ward, so far I've had only one flat (actually a blowout) with the bent but when I rode the Bianchi I used to run the tires perhaps a bit past when I should have replaced them. That along with some not-so-good roads gave me a bit of a problem. As I've stated, I used to run with lots of patches and no problem. Back then I ran 120 psi but now I run 105-110. I can probably count the number of times on one hand for all my life that I've had any problem with a patch not sticking. Off hand, I can remember only one time but there may have been a couple more when I was a kid. I had to start patching my own tires by the time I was about six years old. Back then we patched a lot too because we just didn't have the dollars for new tires or tubes.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Good to know I can run with that high a pressure. I carry a patch kit but usually just throw a new tube in....and since I'm riding in my spare time
I always seem to forget to patch the old ones.

Today took out the KMX Venom. 50 plus miles with a ride speed of 14.2 I'm pretty happy. lots of stopping and starting including going thru the drive thru window at Country's BBQ for some sweet tea.

The Venom is great. Much faster than the Weisel (except on steep hills) it does exactly what I wanted it to do by keeping pace with my friend on his DF. I posted a full review on BROL http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=59917.

http://sports.webshots.com/album/577689111WBFWZl a few pictures for ya

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Big weekend for me. On Saturday I did my first metric century of the season. The course was just rolling enough to keep things interesting. One DF rider and I continued on instead of stopping for brunch, and I ended up nursing him back to the starting point. Then on Sunday I did a ride with another club, this one was the flattest rides I've been on in a while: RideWithGPS says it was something like 384 feet total climbing for 50 miles. A bit breezy and no windbreaks, though. My ride partner was experimenting with his micro DVR camera,and took this clip from his NoCom. I'm leading, into the wind. Who do you think looks like they're working harder???

http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s219/lowracervk2/?action=view&current=007-1.flv

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Awesome going, John!

You know, I've never managed a century (metric or mile)? I would love to blame it on Loke, but even when I've ridden alone, I don't think I'd have been able to do accomplish it.

I rode again today, but just local stuff. Still, I think my ride Saturday gave me my 'new territory' fix so I didn't feel so frustrated going over the same ground.

Spring is in full swing here. The birch trees can be described as 'fully leaved' now. Two days ago, I saw my first fledgling out of a nest. It was perched on a post about ten feet away as I walked passed. Brought back memories of my time as a wildlife clinic volunteer and the many hundreds of young birds I helped raise every spring.

Dandilions are popping up all over, turning whole fields bright yellow, flowering trees are turning white. It didn't get below 50 F last night. I think that might be a first for the year.

I blogged the ride, but only two pictures. One is Loke licking an ice cream which is always good for a laugh.

Terii

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

In my corner of the globe I took advantage of a two day holiday to do some riding. Now I am alternating days doing my short local climbing route which is 22.4 kms long (~14 miles) but with about 420 meters (~1476 ft) climbing and heading down to the Sea of Galilee for the 61 km loop there.

I have been riding the local route since late March and the climbing has certainly boosted my power. I actually managed to do the Sea of Galilee loop yesterday in 2:01:50 which works out to pretty much 30 kph. I was happy with the pace although I should have done a better job of maintaining higher cadence as I could feel the ride a bit in my left knee although nothing too serious. (I guess that greyhound mentality seeps in no matter what ) I suppose after seven months it is now time to install a computer on my bent, preferably one that has cadence. I do have a Polar watch which I might be able to get working if the battery is replaced. Although I am not sure it is suitable for a bent.

What computer do you folks recommend for a bent lowracer w/ a 20" front wheel and 700c rear wheel? Other than the usual features I would like to have cadence.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

John, it sounds like you came not too far from my riding area. Actually I do ride in to Chesaning occasionally. In fact, that is where I'm heading very shortly today. It's a 24 mile round trip to there but it is nice when appointments are made if I can ride the bike rather than take the car.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Yes, it's normally at the edge of my riding envelope (from Lansing, Chesaning is a century ride; ) but from Lennon it's only 50 miles RT. One thing I didn't mention about the Chesaning ride was, when we got there we stopped at the Showboat Restaurant for brunch and there were a dozen bents parked in front. The recumbent group from Owosso was there. They will be taking a dozen riders on DALMAC (4DW) this year, although one of that number is a grandchild on an upright.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Freddy, thats some serious climbing. What's the gearing on your bike, are you having to grind or can you keep the cadence up on the climbs. That Greyhound brain is addictive isn't it.

Ward

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I am either in the 30 x 34 or 30 x 30 and I work hard to keep the cadence around 85-90. The two main hills are about a mile long each. My leg muscles are definitely working more so than they used to on the DF but on the DF I would stand a lot on those inclines. I never tried to ride them on the DF sitting down the whole climb which would have been a better comparison muscle - wise. It will be nice when I 'll be able to do those climbs even in the granny gears without feeling my muscles working so hard. But if it was easy it wouldn't be a Challenge.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Don't know what your grade is. Don't know the length of
your crank arms. Don't know the size of your wheels.

For these Tennessee hils, I've got to have mountain bike
chainrings (22-32-42) and 11-34 gears with 175mm crank
arms. I'm a shade-tree mechanic and have tried them all.

I've drilled and tapped crank arms down to 133mm.
Foolishnes! I'll take all the leverage I can get (175mm).

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

The average grades for the two main climbs are around 6% with variations from 4% to 8% and even here and there some 12% grades. In my short recumbent career I also tried shortened cranks of 152mm for about a month and a half and I did not like them even on the rolling stuff let alone climbs. I went back to the original 175mm w/ (30-42-52). Last week I changed my crank set to some nice Dura Ace stuff (7703 series) that I had laying around. Now I've got 172.5mm cranks but with (30-39-53). I prefer this roadie triple because basically I like to hammer on the downhills and rollers.

Yesterday I was in the Jezreel Valley since my regular flat route around the Sea of Galilee was blocked due to a triathlon. There was a section of rollers and it was great. I was flying along even into the 53x15 and 53x13 secretly wishing I would come upon some roadies(DFers). I blew by a lonely MTB rider like he was standing still.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

That's the same set-up on the P-38
road, except it has a 26T. It has Ultegra crank set with 172.5 arms. Two
years ago I did the Clarksville metric with it when it had a 700 wheel. This
last year, I changed the wheel to a 26" and found it to be more to my liking.

So, you may like a 24T or 26T. They do make a difference when a 12%
slips up on you.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I rode today. I wasn't sure I was going to make it away from the apartment though. I went to take my seat, ended up falling into it as it suddenly felt as if someone had rammed an ice pick through my right knee. I spent two or three minutes, curled forward, holding it as stars flared across my Vision with the pain.

Oddly enough, once I started cycling, it was okay. Trying to sit down is my biggest challenge (in chair or trike), but I'm fine creeping up an 8% grade hill???

Ah well.

I'm going to TRY to get 50 miles in this week. Of course, that was my goal last week, but everything kinda fell apart. So, hopefully all will hold together for me to get it done.

Blog and photos as usual.

Terii

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Heck, I have a 22T granny gear on my front. I LOVE it and can go up ANY hill (albeit slowly)!!!!