Saw allot of recumbents on the trail

29June2008 Cyling from glenn m on Vimeo.

Sunday, June 29th, 2008. On our normal weekend ride Jon and his family joined us. We ate at one of the local restaurants again in Loveland. This time I was disappointed in the food. I ordered a caesar salad with chicken, but the chicken was raw in the middle. That totally ruined my appetite. 

On the trail I saw two recumbents on the way up and three, plus a crank forward bike, on the way down. The recumbents were of the long wheelbase configurations. The line of bikes were made by Easy Racers, Burley (who doesn't make recumbents anymore) and RANS. My wife rode her Catrike Speed and I rode my Bacchetta Strada. Hopefully this is a good sign that recubents are becoming more mainstream.

Chasing some cyclists on the trail

Last Wednesday night Jon and I did a normal night time ride. About a mile from Loveland four cyclist passed us by. They seemed to be a local team, because they all had identical blue and white cycling uniforms. Jon mentioned that once they pass by he's going to hook unto them until Loveland. I decided to draft behind once they passed also.

They were doing about 25 mph once we drafted behind them. I noticed that they looked back and were surprise that a guy on a recumbent and a guy with a CamelBak shoulder bag were keeping up with them. The leader soon said something to the rest of the group and started to pedal way faster. 

Well, Jon and I weren't going to have these roadies smoke us by, so we clicked in some higher gears to keep pace. I glanced down on my computer to see how fast we were going and to my surprise we reached 30 mph and still going faster. My maximum speed was 32.7 mph and I believe I could have gone faster. I was just one click away from my highest gear.

About a quarter of a mile the last cyclist in the group started to fade away, while his buddies kept accelerating. We passed him up and kept pace with the group. After half a mile my heart was going anaerobic. Forcing my lungs to take in air, I slowed down to 19 mph.  The rest of the group saw that their fourth group member was nowhere in sight and soon slowed down to 15 mph. I believe the remaining three had enough energy in them to pedal up to Loveland at around 30 mph. I passed the group and met Jon at Loveland half a minute later.

We sat outside a local bar and ordered something to eat before we headed back to our vehicles. Sitting outside we noticed that the guys we passed were all waiting for their fourth member. About five minutes later he finally showed up. I guess that last sprint was a bit too much for him. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he might have ridden longer miles and hills before his group met up with us.

080625 night riding from glenn m on Vimeo.

On our way back, I tested out my Blackburn X6 lights. Jon was impressed by the lumination they gave off. They sure did give off enough light to light up the trail for both of us. The system contained one spot, one flood and a battery pack that mounted on my frame via velcro.

Strada update

I just got my Strada back from the bike shop yesterday with a few upgrades. First, I had them install a pair of Crank Brothers Candy C clipless pedals. Second, the handlebar stem was shortened down an inch and a half.

At home I installed handlebar tape to the stem and handlebar. The tape thickened the handlebar, to where my computer and mirror fits snugly now.

During the test ride, the clipless pedals help with improving pedaling efficiency and the shortened stem kept the handlebar from obstructing my field of view. The bike still felt sluggish to me, even though I saw a extra 3 mph increase due to the clipless pedals. It seems I had to go anaerobic to get around 20 mph. Unlike on my Baron, reaching 20 mph wasn't a chore. Maybe I need to adjust my seat to get the extra leverage in order to gain that extra power?

The one thing I do know, is that I do not like the current seat the bike has now. It just feels too cushiony. I prefer the hard shell seat that is on my Baron.

Wet bike contest

Sunday, (June 22, 2008) Jon, Shawn and I went on another of our weekend bike rides. This day was forecasted to be scattered thunderstorms, but down where I lived it was all partly sunny skies. In the distance I could see dark clouds and rain. We decided that it was worth the chance to ride, since it was west of the area that we were riding.

The Optima Baron was the weapon I chose for the ride, since my Strada was in the shop getting some new parts added to it. Hopefully the clipless pedals and shortened handlebar stem would improve the performance of the bike.

I had forgotten how fast my Baron was. Of course my Strada didn't have clipless pedals yet for me to decide if that what was needed to make it preform faster. The Baron didn't need allot of energy to get it up to 18 to 20 mph. I felt that the energy it took me to get my Strada up around 15 to 17 mph was the same that it took me to get my Baron to around 19 mph.

Riding up north we didn't encounter rain until halfway, but it was only a sprinkle. Arriving at Loveland it looked as if it has gotten a good shower. We ate at one of the local bars outside on the patio, street side.

This is where we assessed how much mud and dirt our bikes and ourselves received. Jon's shoes and legs where soaked, as well as the back of my pants. Shawn faired a little bit better, since there was a screen on the trailer protecting him from the majority of the debris. My shoes were dry since my toes pointed upwards, due to the configurations of my recumbent bike and the moisture that did hit it only impacted the soles.

Once we left Loveland it started to rain heavily. It poured down like cats and dogs, that we had to take shelter under some trees for two minutes until we could ride again. Off in the distance (around Loveland) we could hear thunder. Halfway back down, the trail was bone dry. The back of my pants had air dried off, but I think Jon's shoes were still soaked.

Next weekend my Strada should be ready for a test ride. I'll see if the new upgrades will make a difference in added performance.

First Criterium

This Wednesday evening I took my son Shawn to his very first bike race. During college I had a friend that raced. On Wednesday evenings he would compete in the local club's criterium race. Since my friend moved to Alabama after college and I moving to the suburbs, it has been years since I've gone back to watch the races.

I wanted to know if the criterium races was still going on, so I went online and posted a topic on my local bike club's website. The members replied and said that it is still going on strong for 25 years.

We sat near the curb and watched as the competitors race by. Shawn was half interested, but he gave a yell every once in a while when the peloton passed by. He's only 3 years old, so it's expected for him to have a short attention span. For the most part we had a good time.

Recovering from a cold

No real bike stories to tell this past few days. Since last Wednesday I have been battling a cold. I think I'm over the hump now, no more cold chills and headaches. Just drinking lots of fluids and spitting out mucus. Hopefully, I'll be able to ride this weekend.

Another Night Ride

Last Wednesday my buddy Jon and I rode on the bike trail at night. We started out on the most southern part of the Little Miami Trail (Newtown) and up to Loveland. By the time we arrived at Loveland it was already 9:05 PM and sunset has just begun.

We adjusted our lights and rode back to our vehicles. By the time we arrived near Milford it was good and dark. Our lights provided us with ample visibility. I had my two Blackburn headlights aimed at different directions. One pointing down to cover up to 10 feet and the other aimed ahead to cover 20 to 30 feet.

It was quite fun riding at night with someone. If you're by yourself it's down right scary. We saw a deer and Jon rode too close to the edge of the trail and got wiped on the lip by an over hanging branch.

Speed wise we kept it around 16 to 17 mph. Any faster would be too dangerous with the type of coverage our headlights were giving.

Night Time Riding from glenn m on Vimeo.

Early Sunday Morning Ride

Last Sunday I woke up early to get in some riding time. The weather was forecasted to be humid and in the high 90's. Starting in the morning would make the ride a bit more bearable, before the day started to cook.

I tried to ride before sunrise last Saturday, but it started to rain so I waited for Sunday. My idea was to ride early in the morning, half an hour before sunrise. By the time I would finish my ride and arrive back home, the family would be in the process of waking up. This would give me more time later in the day to do some home maintenance.

Halfway on the ride my front tire started to loose pressure. Stopping to check the tire the humidity really started to hit. Underneath the covered canopy of the trail, I was sweating bullets. The wicking tee shirt I wore helped bit.

I repaired the small puncture on my tube and turned around for the last leg of my ride. Three miles from my truck my front wheel started to loose pressure again. There was another small puncture near the first one. I carefully checked the inside of my tire and found a small thorn or animal's tooth embedded. This was the cause of all my problems. The rest of the way back was uneventful.

While repairing my second flat a couple stopped by and asked about my recumbent. The husband was interested in getting one due to some spine injury and riding a regular diamond frame bike was out of the question. I directed him to some websites to look up and they thanked me as they went on with their walk.

Ever since I switched to riding recumbents allot of people would just come up to me and start a conversation on my bike. I would always hear, "wow, nice bike, where did you get it, etc", from people on the trail.

Thinner Tires

Last Friday I finally received my items that I ordered online. Two Primo-Racer 26x1 tires, two tubes and a Terracycle light mount.

I switched out my touring tires on my Strada with the new ones to see if I could gain some speed. It was Friday evening, near dusk, when I rode on the trail. I did noticed that the new tires made the bike a click and a half faster.

Half a mile from my start point, rounding a downhill curve, my front tire started to loose pressure really fast. I almost lost control, but I managed to steer it on the grass. My road pump was giving me trouble so I had to walk the bike back to my truck to replace the tube.

There was a half an inch gash on the tube to explain the rapid pressure loss. I felt inside to see if the object that tore the tube was still embedded. I felt nothing.

My friend Jack said that it might have been the "tube caught between the rim and the tire".

The time to walk back to my truck and replace the tube took 45 minutes out of my riding time. Sunset was about forty minutes away.

The new tires were decent, but not overly puncture resistant. That's what I get for $20 tires.

On the trail I saw a cyclist riding towards me with a flashing headlight. I decided to turn around once I pass him, since I was nearing my halfway point on the trail. To my surprise it was a guy on a trike, Greenspeed to be exact. We talked on the way back to our vehicles. The Greenspeed guy was finishing up a 40 mile ride, Newtown to Loveland and back.

His trike was a foldable model. With the seat off, he was able to fold it and fit it in his compact Suzuki hatchback. I was quite impressed on the portability of his trike.

Wicking Tee Shirt

On a recumbent you could wear the normal cycling outfit (ie, cycling shorts and shirt). When it comes to wearing a cycling shirt you can't normally pack your shirt's back pocket with the usual bulky items, such as an extra water bottle, snacks, banana, bike tire, pump, ect. A recumbent seat bag or rack comes in pretty handy when carrying the essential items along on a ride.

So what do you do when you need a shirt that wicks away moisture from you body? The answer, go to Walmart and buy their Starter activewear tee shirts. Not only is it the same material as a cycling tee shirt, but the bonus is that it's super affordable! Try $6.00 to $10.00 per shirt. That's about 1/3 the price of a normal cycling shirt. Granted you don't have the pockets in the back, but since your back is laid flat on a recumbent seat it doesn't matter anyway.