July 4th, 2010
Broke a spell of nearly a week without riding (due to Hurricane Alex) only to encounter what I can only describe effectively as “Frogageddon” – due to all the rain from the Hurricane, many frogs ventured onto the pavement on the country roads on our route. Unfortunately, 100% of them were pancakes – squashed by cars. I did narrowly avoid running over at least two 8-12 inch “stick bugs” that were a bit creepy (had visions of hitting one and it flying up at me and landing in my back jersey pocket or something).
We also started the rain with a heavy overcast, enjoyed some sun for a few miles then encountered very wet streets on our return home – not a big fan of riding on soaking streets with my 700×23 slick road bike tires!
Quite an interesting ride – but soooo good to be back on the bike!
Posted in road biking | No Comments »
July 3rd, 2010
Goals, especially public ones that you share on social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter, are great. They set a clear target and are constantly staring back at you to keep you moving. They also constantly hold you accountable for an end result. You also get the encouragement of friends and family that can really make the difference when the going gets tough.
In May, I successfully pedaled 406 miles to just barely achieve my goal of 400 miles in May as a celebration of Bike Month. It was a true challenge since a few days of inclement weather left me with three days to go and almost 100 miles to complete. My last few miles were great – a nice rideon my Trek Soho S at McAllister Park and a newly opened segment of the Leon Creek Greenway.
Tracking progress against this goal was greatly facilitated by using two online resources – Garmin Connect and MapMyRide. Both web sites support goal creation and tracking. Each time I uploaded my ride from my Garmin 705, I’d get an instant update on Garmin Connect about my progress. This was easy to track since it not only displayed my mileage goal and current mileage but also showed me where I was supposed to be at that specific day of the month (for example, each day the “ticker” moves about 12-13 miles forward which is about the average number of miles you have to ride daily to do 400 miles in 30-31 days).
I encourage you to set your own goals. Be reasonable. Start with goals you know you can achieve and then begin to stretch them (e.g., I had previously completed a “300 miles in 30 days” goal a year ago). Make sure you create or utilize a method that allows you to keep a detailed log of your progress. Depending on your goal, consider sharing it with family and friends – their support can be instrumental to your success (I had several cyclists volunteer to share some rides with me to help me reach my 400 mile goal – it was awesome!).
Best of luck to you on blasting through your own goals and milestones – you can do it!!
Just a few miles away from my goal…at McAllister Park
Posted in cycling advocacy | No Comments »
June 26th, 2010
Fun ride this morning with about 12 other cyclists from the USAA Cycling Team.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
June 26th, 2010
Summer has certainly arrived here in South Texas and with it the return of my portrayal of the salt monster.
As your body attempts to cool you in high temperature, high humidity situations the egregious amounts of sweat and salt you exude result in yet another transformation – you become a stink monster.
Enter WIN Detergent. WIN is specially formulated to remove embedded sweat odor from clothes using a “super oxygenated” detergent. ”Super oxygenated” = lots of dirt & sweat fighting bubbles. If you need proof, keep the lid open on your top loading washing machine and take a look at all those bubbles when the washing machine gets started (ok, that’s fun for about 5 seconds but still).
In my experience, this detergent is the real deal and certainly earns my strong recommendation. My stinky cycling clothes emerge from the washer clean and bright with a nice fresh scent that is noticeable but not overwhelming.
So give it a shot – let me know what you think!
Posted in product review | No Comments »
May 30th, 2010
To put things in perspective, Rutherford B. Hayes was President when the League of American Wheelmen was founded in 1880. Bicyclists, referred to simply as “wheelmen”, formed the League to advocate for for paved roads and to band together against antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers and others.
The Wright Brothers and John D. Rockefeller were members of the League.
Last weekend after being a member of the League for about two years, I attended a seminar in Houston, TX where I earned my certification as a League Cycling Instructor (LCI). It feels great to be an official bicycle safety advocate and educator for an organization (known today as the League of American Bicyclists) with such a rich history.
The League is serious about bicycle safety and it shows. There was rigor in the certification process – from the comprehensive pre-seminar exam to the aggressive seminar agenda which included teaching & demonstrating bicycle safety and emergency maneuvers as well as applying the principles of vehicular cycling repeatedly at a busy intersection in heavy Houston traffic.
As a newly minted LCI, I have already discovered a formidable hunger exists in San Antonio for bicycle education and safety — in just two days, I had the names of 30 people interested in attending a Traffic Skills 101 or Commuting class.
I’m looking forward to doing what I can to help these folks improve their riding confidence and honor their commitment to improving their safety.
Posted in cycling advocacy | 2 Comments »
May 12th, 2010
May is National Bike Month and I’ve been busy supporting activities at work to educate and engage employees about riding their bikes and in particular, bicycle commuting.
I decided that in honor of “Bike Month” I’d set a goal for myself — 400 miles in 30 days. I succeeded at 300 miles in one month last May, completing about 333 miles by the time June 1st arrived. I’m finding 400 miles is quite a challenge so far!
It averages to about 13 miles a day. This means that everyday I don’t ride, I start falling behind the goal pretty quickly! I’m tracking this goal on Garmin Connect and MapMyRide – both web sites feature some fun tools to let you see your progress.
Garmin Connect even has a indicator that shows where you SHOULD be at any given moment. On days when I complete my 20 mile round trip bicycle commute, I get close to this indicator or exceed it. On days I drive, it quickly jumps out in front of me!
Setting this goal has been great because it’s made me seriously think about my transportation options. ”We need a gallon of milk. Hey, I can ride my bike for that! Need lunch? Hey, there are like 10 restaurants within 5 miles round trip.”
So, it’s driving the right behavior which is great!
Wish me luck…I just noticed the indicator has once again jumped out in front of me!
Posted in bicycle commuting, cycling advocacy | 3 Comments »
April 17th, 2010
Last December, I replaced the stock Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase tires on my Trek Valencia after 2,000+ miles. With the Valencia playing the role of both my commuter and touring bicycle, it was critical for me to find a pair of tires that would be extremely durable, highly flat-resistant and competent in inclement weather.
If the first 350 miles are any indication, my selection of Schwalbe’s Marathon Supreme tire appears to be a wise one.
Let’s take a look at these tires in more detail:
- Weight : At 375 grams, the Marathon Supreme’s are about 50 grams lighter than the stock Bontrager tires they replaced. Considering 50 grams is less than a 1/4 of a pound, the difference is not significant but I’ll take any weight reduction I can get (since I’m typically in the mode of adding weight to this bike in the form of accessories, etc.)
- Reflective Sidewall: A strip of reflective material on each side of the tire goes a long way in increasing your side visibility when you’re on the road in low-light conditions.
- Tread: The tread pattern on the Marathon Supreme seems to be a nice balance between providing excellent traction on wet pavement with a minimal price in rolling resistance. In my experience, I’ve noticed a slight reduction in top speed compared to the slick (and higher pressure) Bontrager tires but a noticeable increase in wet-weather traction. That’s a trade-off I’m more than willing to make on a bicycle dedicated to commuting & touring.
- Road Feel: This is perhaps the most impressive improvement I’ve experienced since switching to the Marathon Supreme – ride quality is definitely improved. Hitting bumps, uneven pavement and the like is now a noticeably less jarring experience. This is both a result of great tire construction and the fact that the tire has a lower maximum pressure of 85-95 psi. Fully loaded with touring gear, the ride quality improves even more – providing miles and miles of comfortable riding — a testament to its roots as a bicycle touring tire.
- Price: No doubt about it, these tires are not cheap. I purchased mine for around $60-70 a tire from Amazon.com. Do I regret this investment? Not for a second.
As I continue to experience these tires, I will post another update once I cross the 1,000-1,500 mile mark. At the moment, I have to give the tire a highly recommended rating based on my experiences with it so far.
Posted in product review | 3 Comments »
