Friday, March 30, 2007

Cross-Training?

Dancers are the athletes of God.
~Albert Einstein

I probably should be getting in a 100K ride this weekend as I only have two weeks before my first 200K. I should, but my friend Dwayne is throwing a party a.k.a. a rave in Edmonton this weekend. It's my birthday and I'm looking forward to celebrating with some good friends and some great music. I'll get on the Volae next week and hopefully get in a 100K and 125K/150K ride by the end of the weekend. I know that dancing all night would not normally be considered preparation for a brevet, but I figure the sleep deprivation and cardio will be good cross-training for me...hahahaha...I am soooo good at rationalizing just about anything...=-)

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Networking

I've been at a conference in Ottawa all week. Its part of my job and I enjoy learning new things about our industry or new ways to do our work. What I don't enjoy is all the BS small talk people want to engage in. I've been doing this long enough to know that most of what people say is meaningless and could be replaced with random sounds without losing anything. I kinda of tune people out and just fill in the blanks with "blah...blah...blah" - like Charlie Brown's teacher!

The good news is that I have met a few cyclists in our industry and a few other people who at least participate in some sport. Its nice to find yourself talking to them at a cocktail party and be able to have a conversation you both actually care about. I met a couple new people who were quite nice as well. One who just got into road biking and started doing duathalons and another who plays hockey quite seriously. You can spot potential new buddies of this sort across a room at a business conference by their unusually good posture and laid back smiles. They look healthier than their colleagues and way less stressed out. They also usually have a bemused expression on their faces - probably because they are laughing inside at the circus going on around them.

It was great to get a break from the usual small talk and meet these guys. Two more people have now at least heard of long distance biking and recumbents.

Viva la revolution!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

A red Catrike Expedition is on its way...

Bob ordered a red Expedition. Hopefully it will be here in a month or so. Its nice to see someone else excited to get a new bike - makes me feel more normal...=-)

Friday, March 23, 2007

Bragg Creek Redux

Amidst the chaos of a crazy day getting ready to leave for a week out east I managed another ride to Bragg Creek and back. Notice the Rocky Mountain foothills in the distance.

Taking this pic was much harder than it looks! Sorry about the finger. I am actually having a lot more fun than my expression would suggest.

As Kent Peterson would say..."I am not a nutritional role model"

Its funny that even on a pedal powered bike you still end up at gas stations.

28.2kph average for 62kms. I need a better way to haul my bike around.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

This one is for you LG...

Bob goes trike shopping...

Bob has a need for speed!

The trike smile.

Bentley Cycle hospitality.

"...must not buy trike, must not buy trike!.."

Bob gets comfortable with a WW Edge.

Laid back and loving it!

Solid Accessories

As I was setting my 1203D and SON hub up the other day I realized how vulnerable the power cable was. It shouldn't get snagged and broken, but it could, especially when I am tired and not paying attention as much as I should. I decided to order a spare cable so my several hundred dollars worth of lighting wasn't rendered useless by a simple mistake on my part. I also took the opportunity to get a couple extra mounting brackets for some of my other bikes. Considering the package came from across the ocean it was fast [within 7 working days] and best of all it slipped right through customs with no duties or taxes charged - sweet.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Petzel e+Lite

Mike has been using a nice small light from Petzel to aid in reading route sheets and his bike computer. Jump to his post about it by clicking on the pic above.

Nitehawk Emitter Helmet Light

In addition to my Solidlights 1203D I am planing on using a Nitehawk Emitter LED helmet light. On low this light will let me read route sheets and my bike computer. On high it will add to my high speed lighting and let me put light where I need it such as around corners. It will also act as back up light should my 1203D pack it in.

It uses a 1W Luxeon LED and some proprietary optics to focus the light into a tight spot. At 100% output the Nitehawk will run 9hrs on 4 AAs and at 10% it will run 72hrs [manufacturer's numbers not tested yet]. I would expect that one set of batteries will last me 2 or 3 nights worth of riding given I won't be using it on high all the time. Since it uses AAs resupply at gas stations will be easy and the battery case is on a long cord to keep the weight off your head.

When I get my next night ride on the highway in I'll bring this light along to test.

Note 1: this light is last generation from Nitehawk. I got it on sale at Nashbar. You can probably still get them if you look around at the on-line shops.

Note 2: some randos feel helmet mounted lights compromise the protection your helmet provides you. Look into this and decide for yourself.

The winter yo-yo...

Glad I got out for a ride last night. Old Man Winter obviously hasn't got my memo!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

DIY LED Brevet Lighting on the Cheap

If you want a high power LED light you can power with a dynohub and don't want to break the bank Paul L has some instructions for a DIY LED light he has successfully used for brevets.

DIY LED Lights Page 1


DIY LED Lights Page 2

Note that you can get a Shimano dynohub for $95 instead of $310 for a SON. It will output the same power as the SON, but have higher drag, a shorter life expectancy and cannot be rebuilt like the SON. I have a Shimano dynohub waiting for me to build it up into a 700c wheel for my Surly LHT so I can use my 1203D on that bike as well.

Solidlights 1203D First Trial

I got an hour ride in tonight to test out the new 1203D light and SON hub. It was bitterly cold and started to snow so I didn't stray too far from home. Calgary, like most major cities, is plagued by light pollution. Its never really dark anymore - especially on the streets. So I headed onto the Bow River Bike Path and kept riding west until I got away from the core. I did managed to find some darkish portions of the pathway, but they definitely weren't pitch black and the nature of the pathway makes high speeds unlikely and unsafe given the variety of users.

The picture above is the standlight in operation - the 1203D in operation is MUCH brighter. Apparently the standlight is good for 5mins. I'll time it in the summer sometime when its warmer! Over all the blue/white light cast by the 1203D at low to moderate speeds was bright and well spread over the pathway. I stopped to adjust the angle of the light up and down a bit. I'm not sure if I have the optimal position yet. The cold and working with bulky gloves made precision adjustments a bit challenging.

Based on this ride I'd say the 1203D is a good light and would be totally suitable for all my recreational night riding. Whether it is a great light and fills my needs for brevets will have to be determined. I need to get it out on a unlit rural highway and go downhill at 55kph - then I'll know. Based on the feedback from the UK Audux riders I am confident it will prove effective, but I won't know for sure till I test it out myself.

As for the SON hub it provided power and the front wheel felt no different than the stock wheel. I didn't have any significant climbs on this ride to judge if the extra weight and/or drag had a perceptible impact on performance. That will have to wait for a highway test as well.

Swapping in the dynohub wheel and installing the 1203D plus wiring took less than 5mins and was painless. Dialing in the Avid BB7 took only a moment and braking was great.

The Terracycle Accessory Mount was easy to install and kept the light rock solid. The forward and down position of the light eliminated any strobing from my feet. This is a great mounting solution and well worth the money.

I am away for 9 days starting this Saturday so I probably won't get a highway night test in until early April. Hopefully it will have warmed up by then.

Chris' New Giro 20

Nice looking bike Chris. All you need now is some decent weather!

Marmot Power Stretch Gloves

I needed to replace some basic black fleece gloves so I headed over to MEC and tried to buy some. To my surprise they were sold out. Since I needed to keep my digits warm I bought these Marmot Power stretch Gloves. I felt a little like Spiderman when I first put them on due to the silicon web on the palm, thumb and first two fingers. I wasn't sure I loved this feature of the gloves, but I have grown to like it. Recently I used them while riding my Volae and enjoyed the stickiness when using my Gripshifters. I've had them a month and come to the conclusion the nice material, grippy web and excellent fit make them worth as much as two pairs of standard MEC fleece gloves - perfect since that is how much they cost.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Shop Locally or Support Online Businesses?

My policy is to support my LBS as much as possible and I have spent a lot of $$$ on bikes/parts over the years at the Calgary bike shops. However, I dabble in some pretty exotic bikes compared to the average cyclist, which means I have to use mail order to get what I need. For example my Volae was mail ordered as well as upgrades for it that I have purchased over the months. In some cases I have tried to order special items through my LBS they just couldn't make it happen.

Recently I needed to order a few things and since they weren't run of the mill items I was about to order them from Harris Cyclery in the USA. Harris Cyclery is about as close to a LBS for me as it gets while being in another country. I get fast great service and best of all they stock the odd bits I need that a LBS wouldn't. So I was about to place the order when I thought I better call a LBS and see if they can help me out. I called a shop 3 blocks from me and not only did they have what I needed, but it was cheaper than Harris [not factoring in shipping] - nice. This weekend my friend Jeff needed to get his wife a lock for her new touring bike and I needed some disc brakes. We went to another LBS that I frequent a lot - I spend enough time there and brought so many people in to buy bikes that I get 20% off everything which is noted on my computer file as [Vik is one of the good guys 20% off - the cashier gets a chuckle out of that each time]. I check online and I got some Avid BB7s for less in CDN then they are sold for in USD - sweet.

I was quite happy that I had checked things out and shopped at my locals LBS. However, then I started thinking - if I don't support the online specialty stores and they close - where do I get my exotic bent parts from? Sure its great that I buy 1 recumbent widget from an online shop that specializes in bents, but that's not a lot of business. What would help them is if I bought the widget that I needed and a pair of Avid BB7s and three SRAM chains and a bike computer. Its a bit of a problem. I want to support my LBS so I have a place to go when I need help and to put money into Calgarians' pockets OTOH I want to be able to call up the Hostel Shoppe and get a carbon fibre light mount made specifically for my Volae.

For now I'll shop locally when I can and when I do need to order online I'll grab anything else I need at the time from that merchant even if I can get it here. Not much of a plan...lol...what do you do to resolve this dilemma?

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Jeff gets a taste of the darkside...

Planet Bike Protege 8.0 - the bike computer I hate to hate...

I have something like 5 Cateye Mity 3 bike computers on various bikes. They work flawlessly and have all the functions I need. However, I was seduced by the Planet Bike Protege 8.0 when I ordered my Volae. It looks great and has a huge display so there is no need to toggle between screens to get the data you want. Perfect! Well almost - there is a fatal flaw I didn't notice at first - only one trip odo. Arrgh! That means once you start a ride you can't reset the trip odo to measure segments of the ride and still keep an overall ride distance. That sucks...=-(

I went so far as to mount a second bike computer [first a Mity 3 and then a polar CS100] on my Volae to give me a second trip odo. That works, but the first time I swapped in my dyno hub wheel and realized I need two more magnets and had to adjust everything to work with the second wheel - it became clear to me this setup was needlessly complex. So off with the Protege 8.0 and on with a Mity 3.

I'll find a home for the Protege 8.0 on one of my other bikes - a bike that won't be used while following a route sheet at 3am in the morning.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Spin to Win - 60Ks of suffering

I am really living up to the name The Lazy Randonneur. I was supposed to test my new dynohub & lights last night, but I got sidetracked by 6 beers and some loud music. I was still trying to be good by leaving the party in full swing and getting to bed by 00:30. When I woke up at 8am I was hungover and it was -2 deg C outside. I came up with all sorts of reasons why I shouldn't get out for a ride - I won't bore you with them. Since I had a friend coming to visit for the weekend at 3pm and I managed to procrastinate long enough I decided screw it I am going back to bed. So I did.

When I got up again I did the smartest possible thing I had two cups of strong tea. Caffeine is such a great drug. Jeff called to say he would be late and that he needed to do an hour run when he got here. Hmmm...it was 10 Deg C out now and I had an extra 2hrs till he would arrive. Time to ride my bent.

I am trying to migrate to a carfree lifestyle. I don't intend to buy another vehicle when my pickup gives up the ghost. So I felt a bit guilty putting my Volae in the truck and driving to the edge of town. I am weak, but the idea of stop and go traffic for the majority of my 50K ride was downright depressing. My Volae is a great long distance machine, but it sucks in town when I have to stop all the time - my DF bikes are much better suited to such missions.

Upfront I want to admit I am a bad man. I saw a DF rider just leaving the parking lot when pulled in. My first thought was "I better hurry up and get on the road so I can pass him" He got a 10min lead and I never did see him again..=-(

I was wearing tights, LS jersey and vest in the truck. It was so warm at the start I peeled the tights off and ditched the vest. Luckily I wore some bike shorts underneath. Pedaling out of the parking lot in only shorts and a jersey made me very very happy!

The first section of Hwy 8 heading towards Bragg creek is protected and I was cruising at 30kph comfortably thinking I'd have a sweet average speed for the ride. Yeah this was supposed to be a casual early season warm up ride, but I have a need for speed.

My hopes for a fast time were crushed when I got onto the main straight portion of Hwy 8 and rode right into a nasty headwind. Note in the pic above the snow [it got cold!] and the safety triangle flying away even though my bike is stationary. I was hard pressed to hit 20kph on the flats and 24kph downhill - yikes! I also got very cold from the wind and the snow on both sides of the road. It was kind of like biking in the froozen goods section at the grocery store. I stopped to put on my tights, gloves and Patagonia Houdini shell. This shell is uber light/compact and uber expensive, but well worth it in my opinion for cyclists. Off again I was toasty warm and hit the 20K mark of the ride marked by a left turn onto Hwy 7 towards Bragg Creek. The wind was now from the side and I was looking forward to a nice easy spin the last 10kms that run slightly uphill to the turnaround point at a gas station.

Alas it wasn't to be. To my horror I saw a DF rider in my mirror about 500ms back and closing. I did what any sensible recreational cyclist on a easy early season warm up ride would do - I hit it and started a 10km uphill time trial with a side wind. At 25kph he would close on me, at 27.5kph I was holding my ground and at 30kph I was opening the gap. The problem was 25kph was hard work, 27.5kph was painful and 30kph was a full on suffer fest. I did my best. He would gain a bit so I would pull myself forward out of the seat and crank it up to 30kph for as long as I could and then eventually find myself at 25kph and the horror would start all over again. The only thing that saved me was I know this route well and I know exactly how long I had to ride. The last 1.5kms were a blur. I kept slowing down and having to accelerate back up to 30kph hurt, but there was no way I was getting passed so close to "home". I hadn't had a sip to drink since the TT started and I was feeling yucky, but I was so close. I hit the gas station at last with a 200m gap left - sweet. I know I know quite sad.....lol.

In the pic above I am looking a bit grim after my ordeal. I drank a whole bottle of sports drink and ate a Cliffbar. My plan was now to ride back gently with a nice tailwind. The plan lasted 60 seconds untill I saw 5 DF riders pull out of the coffee shop up the road. They were skinny and on nice road bikes so of course I gave chase. In my haste to catch up I blew through a stop sign right in front of a RCMP cruiser. I gave the officer a shrug and point at the paceline down the road. He didn't come after me so I assume he understood the gravity of the situation.

I was now on a slight downhill with a quartering tailwind. I spun my Volae up to 45kph and settled into my seat for the chase. They were 1km up the road cruising in a double paceline. I reeled them in nicely and rode past casually with a friendly wave. BTW - my Volae with the Terracycle over/under double idler is a stealth machine - no one heard me coming until I had to cross the rumble strip to pass. It turns out they were 5 girls wearing some sort of team uniform. I kinda hoped they would get their train rolling and come after me, but they didn't seem interested.

Just before the 40K point in the ride and right turn back onto Hwy 8 I got passed by a DF rider. I was rolling along at 40kph so he was doing at least 45kph. I tried to jump onto his tail and draft him, but at 45kph I started to get some cramps and realized I had to accept defeat gracefully. Back on Hwy 8 heading toward Calgary I got the full benefit of the tailwind and had a wonderful ride towards my truck.

I passed another DF rider on a downhill and thought I had it made in the shade when I saw a silhouette in my mirror - the girls were back and they were mad! I hit it as hard as I could, but I was back onto the protected section of the highway and had no tailwind now. What was worse there was a long climb just starting - my Achilles' heel or is that Achilles' hill?...=-) I put my all into the climb and managed a respectable pace, but the strongest girl passed me. I gave her a salute as she passed acknowledging the effort and noted she had a tri-bike - sort of the recumbents' uncomfortable cousin...lol...=-)

There was one more downhill and then the turn into the parking lot where the cars were waiting. Could I make up the ground I lost on the climb in the distance left??? Naturally I tried and spun my puny legs up to warp 9. It was a close one for sure, but I got 100ms on her by the time we hit the parking lot. I know I know sounds pathetic, but I'm not going to win the TdeF so I gotta take my victories when I can get them.

I had a blast mixing it up with roadies at managed a 29.2kph average for the 60K ride. If JS had a Ti Aero for sale in the parking lot I would have bought it right there. I did okay on a 35lb [incl gear and fenders] steel touring bike with 32mm city tires on it. But, the thought of a 23lb Ti bike with 23mm tires and lightweight wheels makes my head spin. I know I will succumb to the temptation at some point, but for now it all about my Volae.

I have been a bit concerned by my lack of riding and the fast approaching date of my first 200K brevet. However, I felt great today and this was the first ride I really felt one with my Volae. I knew just when to shift up or down and how to work the bike to get the performance I needed. It was an amazing feeling. I don't know if I feel so good because of my Baja cycle tour in Dec? I thought that the 2 month layoff since then would have erased any fitness I would have achieved. Perhaps my Lazy Rando Training Plan is actually super cunning and I am avoiding all those over training pitfalls? Who knows and frankly who cares? I feel good about my abilities on my bent and the 200K on 14 April isn't worrying me too much now. The best part is it is March so my average speed and climbing skills have no where to go but up - nice!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Paul L's Rando Blog

Paul is an Arizona rando who rides a Bacchetta and has a nice blog about his brevets.

SRAM Barcons

I like barend shifters a lot. I have Dura Ace 9spd barcons on two of my bikes and they would be my first choice on any new bikes or if I was replacing worn out equipment. Until now Shimano was the only game in town and they wouldn't work in indexed mode with a SRAM rear dérailleur. With the new SRAM barcons you can use a SRAM X.9 rear dérailleur - like the one on my Volae. I am tempted to swap out my gripshifters for a set of these, but that seems like an unnecessary expense. I'll stick with the gripshifters this riding season and if I am not in love with them at the end I'll swap them out over the winter.

Click on the pic above to read the press release for these shifters.

Update:

MSRP = $195USD

It sounds like these shifters will only work with the SRAM road der [not confirmed just what I understand so far] and since there is no triple chainring SRAM setup this may not be all that useful to most bents. I'll continue to update as I get info and I am sure SRAM will keep evolving the product.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

SON Hub and Solidlights 1203D Installed

My LBS finally got an AeroHeat rim in and built up my SON hub into a wheel. The resulting 32H disc wheel should be plenty strong for my brevets. This wheel also has the honour of being the most expensive wheel I have ever bought for a bicycle. I don't actually want to add it all up, but lets just say - ouch!

I installed everything and did some quick wire management that will have to be revisited before I do any serious night riding. I want to be able to pull the wheel and the wiring off when not needed so I am going to have to give how I set it up some thought. So far I used two velcro straps. I'll probably add a wrap of electrical tape in two other spots for a little more security and it won't take long to add or remove the light that way.

Roads are crappy enough at the moment that I'll defer a night ride until Friday or Sunday. According to my highly scientific training plan I need a 50km ride next so it might as well be an after dark light test. I did spin the wheel and see my Solidlights 1203D come to life for the first time - cool.

One step at a time I guess....

Its back!!!

Just when I thought winter was over it decided to come back for a second round...=-( I am glad I got out on my Volae this weekend - because this week has sucked! Snow every night and cold temps. Its not going to last, but it sure is nasty to have 3-4 days of Spring and then wake up and its winter again! The first morning I opened my eyes and saw white everywhere - I assumed I was still alseep and dreaming, but alas it was not a dream.

On the bright side winter is over - it just doesn't know it yet...=-)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Chris Hunt gets bent & Cyclepath stocks Bacchetta/Rans

I ran into Chris on the Bacchetta Forum and discovered he lived two blocks from me. He works at a Calgary bike shop called The Cyclepath who used to carry Burley bents and now will stock Bacchetta & Rans bikes. He even ordered a Giro 20 which is in the shop and will be built up this week. It is great to finally meet another benter face to face - not to mention having someone close by to ride with. Sweet.

Chris seems really eager to support the local bent comunity so if you have any questions or need anything for your bent don't hesitate to call him at the shop 403.253.7717

He plans to commute with his Giro and then ride to Vancouver later in the Fall. Cool!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Take A Seat

Here is a video interview I conducted with Dominic Gill in Baja while on tour. He is riding a tandem from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego solo - picking up passengers on the way and making a movie as well. Crazy Brits!!! His website is www.takeaseat.org

Monday, March 12, 2007

Lumotec LED Primary & E6 Secondary Lighting Woes

The trick dynohub lighting setup for a number of randos is to use a LED Lumotec primary light & E6 secondary light. The benefit of this combination is that the LED provides ample light at slow speeds and the E6 secondary light would come on automatically when speeds increased. Running dual E6's you would need to manually switch the secondary E6 on and off as there isn't enough power at low speeds to power both lights.

However, it appears that quite a few people are having intermittent problems with this combination of lights. Peter White and the folks that make the Schmidt lights in Germany are investigating, but no resolution has been reached yet.

Dual E6's and dual Lumotec lights seem to work just fine - it is only this one combination that is causing trouble.

Just a FYI in case anyone is looking at getting some lights for their rando bike.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

WISIL HPV Site

I stumbled onto this site by accident. There is a lot of great project bikes shown here. I am not even remotely handy so I'll never be building any of these bikes myself, but it is still fun to surf and see what people are up to. Click on the banner to jump there.

There is an interesting discussion of aerodynamics here & a cool low racer project here.

Mo' gears!

My rear der needed a little love as it was skipping in some of the lower gears. I got around to adjusting it tonight and to my shock I realized it wasn't shifting down to the 11T cog. So that's why I felt like my top end was low. I may still want a bigger tall gear, but I will try it out again now that I really have a 52T x 11 before doing anything.

I need to pay more attention as this was something I should have noticed before now.

Beth's 100K

Beth just completed her first metric century and wrote up a wonderful report for her blog. Click on her pic above to read it. Great work on the ride and the write up...=-)

Howard's New Carbon Aero

Howard switched from a VK2 Lowracer to a Carbon Aero. Click on the pic above to read his impressions of the first 500 miles on his Aero.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Scott's [Wedgiefree] first 240K Brevet Report

Scott posted a nice report of his first 240K brevet on his blog. Great work Scott! Click on the map above to navigate there.

The ride home...

I took a slightly longer route back to the C-Train Station and managed an average of 26.7kph over 34kms. I would have had a 27kph average, but I got burnt on all 4 lights! I was a little more aggressive on the climbs and I can see that there are some gains to be made there with a lot of work. Micheal Wolfe's advice to me was to climb hills - lots of hills and I can see that's where I am going to get faster times - by attacking the climbs. On my DF bikes I like hills. I like the pain and I like the satisfaction of cresting a climb that I was quick on. I have started to find that same zone on my bent where it hurts, but it feels good to be doing something challenging my body was made to do.

I can't wait to ride to work tomorrow! Working on the weekend sucks, but at least if I get in 4hrs of riding that is some consolation.

PS - I really need a bigger top gear. I'll have to hit my LBS next week when I pick up my SON wheel and see what my options are without screwing up my shifting. My big gear right now is 52 x 11.

Cornell's Catrike Road

Cornell is a Southern Alberta benter who rides a nice blue Catrike Road and will be the proud owner of a Gold Rush Replica soon. He and another Alberta triker will be riding the Calgary MS Bike Tour this June.

Jim Artis' VK2

Jim has a blog detailing all the work he put into his ultra pimped out VK2 lowracer. All I can saw is WOW. Jim has put an unbelievable amount of time, effort and money into making this bike extremely unique.

Jim also has Rans Stratus XP blog - another highly modified bike.

I'm back....

...on my bent. I rode her in to work today. I jumped on the C-Train for 25kms to the end of the line and then rode 25kms to work. Once I get some miles in my legs I'll ride the whole 50kms each way, but I have to remember that my bent is fairly new in my stable and I need to take it easy for the first while. My average speed was 23.5kph which isn't bad at all considering my lack of bent legs, all the climbing on my commute and the fact I was intentionally taking it easy. Unlike last Fall I didn't resort to the granny gear and I didn't even make it all the way through my rear cluster on the climbs. I had lots left, but I kept reminding myself getting carried away on the first ride or two will end in tears - or at least in icepacks and ibuprofen!

It doesn't take much to remind me why riding a bike is soooooooo much better than driving a car. You feel great, see more and you get to have a lot of fun on the way to work - time that would otherwise be lost.

My handling skills need a bit of work. After my Baja tour in Dec I was getting pretty cocky with how well I could handle a loaded touring bike. I have to remember I don't have that kind of time in on my bent and I need to be a little humble at first this season. It's nothing major, to a casual observer I am on top of my game, but when you are used to being a really competent DF rider small differences in abilities seem quite dramatic. I know that it will work itself out. All I have to do is keep spinning the pedals.

One thing that was really amazing was how well my Volae punched through the wind. On downhills I was over 50kph without pedaling. I'd have to have stayed on the pedals to do that on my R800. I also realized I need a bigger top gear I was spinning out at 55kph in my biggest gear. Must have more speed!!!...=-)

I can't express how great it is to be back on the road. I love Canada March through September, but October through February all I can think is..."..beam me up Scotty...crank her up to warp 9 and let's find a nice warm planet with some blue hotties..."...=-)

Friday, March 09, 2007

Trying out a bent for randoneering...


Ron Penner of the BC Randoneers tried out a bent to see if it would help him overcome some neck issues he has on longer rides. He wrote an article you can read here.

While I obviously don't agree with his conclusions I do agree that riding a bent is completely different than an upright bike. If you are looking to replicate the same feeling and aesthetic with a bent you'll be disappointed. If you can keep an open mind and see the beauty in both types of bikes than getting bent can be a lot of fun.

I also think a single day of riding is probably not enough for a serious cyclist to evaluate how one type of recumbent, let alone the whole spectrum of designs that are available, will perform for them in comparison to the type of bike they have ridden for many years.