Night Rider

Last evening I rode on my local bike trail from Milford to Loveland, an 18 mile ride up and back. I started around 7:30 PM and I knew sunset was around 8:50 PM. Learning from last year's crazy ride from Newtown to Yellow Springs, I took some lights with me.

On the way up, the trail was still busy with joggers, dog walkers and cyclists. As I reached Loveland (8:15 PM) the people on the trail became less and less. I was hoping to find some cyclist riding south at Loveland, but no luck. I quickly attached my lights on my Strada's handlebars, put on a light vest (the temperature was dropping to the high 50's) and headed south.

On the way down there were only a handful of people on the trail, mostly riding or walking up north. As the sun started to set it really got darker on the portion of the trail where it's heavily covered by trees. There are a few things that could get a cyclist going faster, one is being chased by a dog and the other is riding at night on a desolate trail.

As the trail started to get darker and darker, my heart beat started to get higher and higher. Fear of the unknown is a great motivator to make you pedal home faster. I started to hear the sounds of the trail much more, such as birds flying or chirping in the woods, dogs barking in the distance and the leaves rustling in the wind. You start to get paranoid of deer running across the path or some loose dog jumping out of the woods coming after you. This is when I wished I had some racing tires instead of touring, just to get that extra speed.

I reached my truck around 9:00 PM. There was still enough daylight for me to not really need my lights, but better safe than sorry. The next time I do a night ride, I'm taking someone with me. Strength in numbers as they say.

Jon rides a recumbent

At the beginning of the riding season (April) Jon was interested in trying out a recumbent. Unfortunately, my Optima Baron has been sized up for me (5'5") and Jon is about 6'5". But, I remembered someone that I know that has another Baron like mine, with about the same height as Jon.

So we contacted Jim to see if Jon could try out his Baron. We meet Jim at his house and drove down to the bike trail and tested out the bikes. I took my son along with me. I hauled him from the back of my Catrike Speed. Being out of shape, it was a chore pulling him.

Memorial Weekend Ride

Today Jon's family and mine rode our usual 18 mile ride with lunch at our favorite restaurant. The weather was so so in the beginning of the day. It was forecasted to be scattered thunderstorms later in the day. We were going to ride later in the afternoon, but we pushed it back early (11 AM) to avoid the possible weather.

This time I took along a couple walkie talkies in order to stay connected to part of the group that was riding slower that Jon and I. It was a good idea if your group separates. I was able to inform my wife that she was going the wrong way, when we headed to the park to let the kids play.

I think I'll buy the Bacchetta seat bag in order to carry more items. At $80 it's actually one of the most affordable bags in the market.

I did tip over during the ride, when I had to stop at a busy intersection on the trail. Learning to shift your gears is key when you're riding a recumbent. I failed to shift to a lower gear when I stopped. When I started to move I didn't get enough forward motion, so I lost my balance and tipped over.

Photos of the ride.


Memorial Weekend Bike Ride from glenn m on Vimeo.

Pro's and Con's of riding on a bike trainer

I installed my Bacchetta Strada on a bike trainer today. The one where you connect your back wheel to. I've tried rollers before but I just didn't feel comfortable on them especially when you're clipped on to the pedals. It takes exception skill to ride on one of those with clipless pedals.

Riding on my recumbent I didn't need the riser for the front wheel, as I would on a regular road bike. The trainer has settings to adjust if you want more resistance or less. I opted to take it easy, since it was my first time this season getting on one. The noise from the trainer wasn't bad.

My buddy Jon has a trainer where his front fork is mounted to a clamp and his back wheel is on rollers. He says that he doesn't like doing it since the workout is so boring and his back, arms and neck are aching more than on a regular ride outside.

When it comes to riding on a trainer the main thing to plan for is location, location, location. Jon lives on a quite street and I don't know where in his house he rides his trainer. I told him to put a tv/dvd in front to keep him occupied.

My situation is a bit better location wise. I ride on the trainer in my garage and my street is quite active with cars going by, not enough to where it seems like it's a busy city street, but busy enough during evening where people are coming home from work to keep me occupied. The minutes just fly by when you're looking at moving cars, than just looking at a wall or backyard. I have a video ipod that I'll use on my next workout to see if that keeps me occupied.

Another advantage of the recumbent bike is that you are comfortable when you are spinning your legs. Sometimes I just clasp my hands on my stomach and ride without holding onto the handle bars.

It was a good hour long workout and I got a sweat out of it. So place your bike on the trainer where you could watch the world go by and you'll see that an hour's worth of riding is bearable. A downside to riding inside my garage with the door open is that in the evening the bugs come out, especially mosquitoes!

Memories from last year's group rides

As I anticipate the upcoming rides this Spring, Summer and Fall, I remembered the photos that I have taken during last year.

See the photos from my Flicker account.

This is what group riding is all about. It's not just getting from point A to point B at the fastest speed, but enjoying the ride of getting there. Sharing the experience with friends and family. Making memories that last forever.

I hope to capture more memories this year!

My impression of my Bacchetta Strada

When I first rode my Strada I fell in love with it. This is definitely a bike that I would keep in my collection.

The steering and handling is much better than my Baron at low speeds. It's not as fast as my Baron but still as fun to ride. I like the higher sitting stance, it feels more like my road bike.

My Optima Baron is fast, fast, fast, but I still feel a bit vulnerable being so close to the ground. You're eye level with dogs, things that you're able to smell on a regular bike you can definitely smell more on the lowracer and any water on the road will absolutely spray on you. Dust and road debris is no stranger when you are that low to the ground. I ran over a small branch once and it almost landed on my stomach.

The 650c wheel might still be a bit high for me. Starting off is a bit tricky, but I guess with more practice it will be second nature.

I didn't like the regular seat. I finally felt what they called recumbent butt. On the Baron the hard shell seat distributed the weight evenly, but it was a more reclined position. On the Strada it was more of an upright position and most of the weight was on my butt. I'll upgrade to a Euromesh seat down the road.

Weekend Obstacles

Last weekend my buddy Jon, his daughter, my son and I rode on the Little Miami Bike Trail. It was our normal Sunday bike ride with a couple obstacles along the way. Jon was hauling the kids on the child trailer as usual.

For the most of the week it has been raining cats and dogs. We weren't even sure if the weekend was going to be good riding weather, but we lucked out. It was a bit windy, which slowed our progress a bit. 

The first obstacle we encountered was a washout of dirt and rocks. Not enough to stop us from going through, but enough to make us slow down to safely pass. The second was a large tree that was uprooted from a hill over the trail. There was no way getting around it, but over it. We somehow lifted the trailer over the tree trunk that was two feet high from the ground.

On the way back I made the mistake of letting my son keep the small cup he was drinking at the local restaurant. In no time he had already taken the plastic cap off and spilled water on his pants. Pretty soon we heard Jon's daughter say, "No Shawn. I don't like it!". Apparently, he was yelling into the cup and point the cup at her. Boys will be boys. We soon stopped and I took his toy away from him.

I rode my Bacchetta Strada again. The steel frame and the touring wheels made the ride super smooth. I think I'll upgrade the tires to a racing version to get more speed out of the bike.

First Test Ride on the Strada

I just test rode my Strada for the first time. I like it allot!

The steering and handling is much better than my Baron at low speeds. It's not as fast as my Baron but still as fun to ride. I like the higher sitting stance, it feels more like my road bike.

The Baron is fast, fast, fast, but I still feel a bit vulnerable being so close to the ground. You're eye level with dogs, things that you're able to smell on a regular bike you can definitely smell more on the lowracer and any water on the road will absolutely spray on you.

The 650c wheel might still be a bit high for me. Starting off is a bit tricky, but I guess with more practice it will be second nature. I didn't like the regular seat. I finally felt what they called recumbent butt. On the Baron the hard shell seat distributed the weight evenly, but it was a more reclined position. On the Strada it was more of an upright position and most of the weight was on my butt. I see a Bacchetta Euromesh seat in the future.

Got back my Strada from the bike shop

I just got back my Bacchetta from the shop. Unfortunately, it has been raining the rest of the day for me to try it out.

But just sitting on it, I think I'll like it since the steering is more like that on a regular bike than the tiller movement on my Baron. I can't wait to try it out this weekend.

I may upgrade to a Bacchetta Corsa 24 down the road, since it might be better suited to my size.