Bike Geek

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!

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.

I enjoy using my bicycle for small grocery store visits so when I noticed the Topeak Trolleytote I was instantly intrigued.  On the outside it looks like nothing more than an egg crate strapped to my bicycle’s rear rack but in this case, looks are quite deceiving.

As I put the Trolleytote through its paces for a full review, here are some first impressions I’d like to share based on my first trip to the grocery store:

1. The design of the Trolleytote is pretty impressive.  Unassembled it can be stored with a minimal space requirement.  When you’re ready for that grocery store visit, the assembly process really shows the thought that went into the design.  I got the sense I was a kid again playing with a transformer toy – here’s a video to see what I mean!  This video will also give you a sense of some of its key features.
2. During my 5-mile roundtrip ride to the grocery store the Trolleytote stayed secure to my bike both with a load and without.  I liked having the weight distributed down the centerline of the bike (versus the balancing required when loading up left and right panniers).

So far, I’m pretty impressed.  I’ll be keeping a close eye on how well the Trolleytote can hold up to repeated use.

During my sojourn to Fredericksburg, TX on my bike, my Trek Valencia crossed the 2,000 mile mark. I thought I’d pause and reflect on this milestone and give an update on how the bicycle is doing. I purchased the bike in December of last year.

In a nutshell, it’s doing great! The bike has really held up well despite taking a lot of punishment from the pavement. The life of an urban bike is not an easy one but the Valencia has met these challenges and continues to deliver solid performance.

Now for a little details:

• Brakes: the mechanical disc brakes continue to perform confidently in all weather conditions. They do squeak a little from time to time, but I’ve never found this to be very annoying.
• Frame: despite the punishment of railroad tracks, pot holes and uneven pavement, the aluminum frame looks as good as new. A small ring of metal that the front derailleur is attached to picked up some corrosion which I’ve treated – not a complete surprise given the humidity and moisture I’ve encountered along my journeys. The frame itself is corrosion free, of course.

I’ve taken the bike to the shop a couple of times for minor adjustments – most recently, I discovered a loose spoke which was easily tightened back up.

In summary, at the 2,000 mile mark the Valencia continues to demonstrate that it packs a lot of value and longevity into an urban bicycle well suited for bicycle touring, errands and of course, commuting.