9 straight days of bicycles

[BailOut]

Some folks live within the bicycle culture full-time. As of today I do not but I am 6 days into 9 straight days of bicycles.

Tuesday: Mountain biked the Galena Creek/Jones Creek/Whites Creek/Zolezzi "Beat Me Up" trails with the Tuesday Night Ride Group (Reno, NV).

Wednesday and Thursday: Attended the annual Nevada Bicycle and Pedestrian Conference at South Lake Tahoe, NV (I caught a ride to and from the conference and achieved zero waste for the whole time, including the party on the first night.).

Thursday night and Friday: Attended the League of American Bicyclist's "Traffic Skills 101" course in Carson City, NV, which included classroom time, skill drills and a group ride (I again caught a ride and achieved zero waste.). I strongly recommend this course for anyone that bicycles anywhere for any reason.,

Saturday: Took my Little Brother on a mountain bike ride on the Manzanita segment of the Steamboat Ditch Trail (Reno, NV). I don't know exactly what changed in that young man but all in one ride he figured out the 7-speed gearing on his bike (this has eluded him for several rides despite my attempts to familiarize him with it), gained a huge amount of stability and speed and actually attacked the rougher segments of the trail where he used to cower in that kind of terrain. I am so proud of him!

Today, Sunday: Bicycled the grocery run and some other errands (haircut, lunch, bike shop), a round trip of 25 miles. It was a heavier shopping day so my trailer was loaded with 80+ pounds for the return trip. Along the way I ran into a fellow that was biking from Boulder, CO to the West coast via Yosemite. We rode together for a while and I gave him some routing advice for getting out of town and towards Yosemite.

Tomorrow: I will bike to my wife's employer's home (mansion) after I finish our own yard work and gardening as he allows us to use his pool when he and his wife are out of town (which they frequently are). It's a 12 mile ride with a 1,000 foot elevation gain. I will be able to ride back with my wife as she will be driving there in the morning to do some work (she gets a comp day for this). When we get back home I'll barbecue and cook some corn in the solar oven.

Tuesday: I'll be mountain biking with the Tuesday Night Ride Group as usual.

Wednesday: This is my usual night to volunteer at the Kiwanis Club's recycling bicycle shop so that's where I'll be. It will be a little different as I'll be giving the initial training to 10 Job Corps folks, and I'm looking forward to it.

Thursday evening I think I'll relax.



This time last year I hadn't been on a bicycle in 20 years and couldn't wrench on bicycles beyond fixing flat tires but I have come a long way since then. I have become a stronger, smarter, more technical rider and a competent bicycle mechanic in the last year. I surprise myself sometimes. It is not feasible for me to ride to work as there is a 4,500 foot elevation gain and a 2-lane road with no shoulder in the way but, as you can see, when I'm not commuting I use bicycles for just about everything else.

If anyone is curious the road bicycle I use is a 1994 Schwinn CrissCross that I refurbished and my trailer is a years-old single-wheel B.O.B. Yak that I found on Craigslist and refurbished. Here's a picture:

[yaris-me]

And the Tour de France next.......

[GeneW]

While bikes are great for exercise and are cheap transportation some Eastern European sports authorities do not recommend their frequent use for folks who want great flexibility. This is especially the case for gymnasts and martial artists who want flexibility in the hip areas.

See http://www.stadion.com/question_stretching.html or Consult Thomas Kurz's "Science of Sports Training" for more details.

Gene

[nemelek]

I try to get 100 miles per week on a bike during the summer. This year will be easier. I have an old fat dog (16) that rides in a hand held shopping basket lashed on the back of my mountain bike. She doesn't want to go this year so I take the road bike and travel 20% faster.

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by nemelek

I try to get 100 miles per week on a bike during the summer. This year will be easier. I have an old fat dog (16) that rides in a hand held shopping basket lashed on the back of my mountain bike. She doesn't want to go this year so I take the road bike and travel 20% faster.

Good for you, Nemelek. I would love to see a picture of you riding with your dog, if you can get one.

[SE-RIX]

i seriously need to get my ass on a bike. i drive too much. any suggestions on what kind of bicycle i should get?

[BailOut]

Heya SE-RIX,

That's a tough question to answer without knowing a few things:

- What kind of riding do you like to do? Road, mountain or trail?
- How much do you weigh?
- How much do you think you'll ride?
- Do you know how to wrench on a bicycle?
- What is your budget?

[nemelek]

She doesn't think much of the view. I always get good comments and she was a real babe magnet while riding when I was single. She used to run 6 miles out of a 15 mile trip at 15 mph. She has climbed 6 14,000 peaks in Colorado. Now she is just a door stop. On the way to Zion last year my wife and I made up a song about Ginger.

OLD FAT DOG (SUNG TO HEEL & TOE)

OLD FAT DOG,
OLD FAT DOG
GINGER IS AN OLD FAT DOG

SHE IS PLUMP
SHE IS ROUND
SHE IS ONE UGLY HOUND

WHEN YOU LIFT HER
SHE WONT BUDGE
THAT'S CAUSE SHE EATS LOTS OF FUDGE

SHE CAN'T JUNP
SHE CAN'T RUN
SHE IS NOT A LOT OF FUN

FATTY FATTY
2 BY 4
SHE CAN'T FIT THROUGH THE DOGGIE DOOR

WADDLE WADDLE
DOWN THE STREET
SHE LOOKS LIKE A PIG IN HEAT

AT THE BEACH
SHE WILL SWIM
THAT'S CAUSE GREEN PEACE ROLLS HER IN

[BailOut]

Totally cute.

[nemelek]

Originally Posted by SE-RIX

i seriously need to get my ass on a bike. i drive too much. any suggestions on what kind of bicycle i should get?

Start with an entry level mountain-cross over bike. Something where the tires aren't too knoby. Try Bicycle Village look for a Trek, Diamond back, or something similar for the $250 - $300. Look for comfort and proper fit. If in a years time you are still riding 3 times a week upgrade. If you have only rode it 3 times in the past year than you aren't out too much money. If you know what you are looking for try Craigs list to save big $$. Never get a bike from Wallmart.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

That's a whole lotta biking. hehehe.

[BailOut]

I was able to squeeze in a little more biking in this 9 day period than I originally planned. I lost my 2 carpoolers a few months ago as their schedules match 100% but mine does not. They have been carpooling together since then, with one being dropped off by her husband on his way to work at the other's home.

I had one of those conservation epiphanies recently in that while our schedules don't always match up they do indeed synchronize 2 to 4 days each week (I'm still usually driving us each Tuesday as the fellow and I both have our mountain biking group that evening). The driver's house is just 3.7 miles away and a bit uphill from mine. Why not bike to his house on the days we sync and join their carpool?

I did just that this morning.

It's not all roses, though. First, I forgot my keys. I wasn't driving so I didn't think to grab them but that ring also has my office keys. Oops. Also, I was cut off in the designated and solid-lined bike lane at a right turn by a GMC Yukon XL driven by a lone woman talking on a cell phone. It was enough for me to slap the side of her vehicle twice to let her know I was there and that she did wrong (my biking equivalent of honking).

I also had the trailer with me this morning as I will be bringing home a network switch this evening that is too large to fit in a backpack. That slows things down a touch, and I got a text message from the office that I had to stop and respond to, and I had to adjust the seat once, but I still made the trip in about 19 minutes.

I am continually glad that I took that traffic skills course last week as it has made me a much more confident road rider. I had to use several of the techniques I learned in that course this morning as the route takes me through a busy highway underpass with on and off ramps (Damonte Ranch at Highway 395), in front of a huge shopping area replete with Wal-Mart and lots of coffee/juice/fast food places, through an intersection at the major north-south artery (South Virginia St.) which is also the detour for a highway merging ramp right now, through a non-stop bike lane pass through at a busy right turn (Zolezzi Lane) in and then a left turn across a busy road populated with 3 subdivision's worth of commuters (Arrow Creek at Wedge Parkway).

[SE-RIX]

Originally Posted by BailOut

Heya SE-RIX,

That's a tough question to answer without knowing a few things:

- What kind of riding do you like to do? Road, mountain or trail?
- How much do you weigh?
- How much do you think you'll ride?
- Do you know how to wrench on a bicycle?
- What is your budget?

i wanna just ride my bike around town or around the block with my GF
i weight 185lbs
prob be on the bike for awhile till i get a few flats then garage that bitch!
my pops could help me out with the wrenching(he used to do it when we where lil kids)
i am willing to spend like 500 on me and my girlfriends bike.

i dunno, i was looking at some nice beach cruisers. but then again i do miss my old Haro! lol which we left at my old house when we moved

[SE-RIX]

Originally Posted by nemelek

Start with an entry level mountain-cross over bike. Something where the tires aren't too knoby. Try Bicycle Village look for a Trek, Diamond back, or something similar for the $250 - $300. Look for comfort and proper fit. If in a years time you are still riding 3 times a week upgrade. If you have only rode it 3 times in the past year than you aren't out too much money. If you know what you are looking for try Craigs list to save big $$. Never get a bike from Wallmart.

my first thought was going on craigslist and getting somthing cheap but somthing that will do the job. you know?

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by SE-RIX

my first thought was going on craigslist and getting somthing cheap but somthing that will do the job. you know?

Yeah, I would definitely hit Craigslist and look for either a cruiser or hybrid (light mountain bike frame and handlebars with road-type tires and components) bicycle. Look for something rust-free and without frayed cables, etc., that looks like it has been kept lubricated. Avoid tires with dried out, cracked sidewalls.

Here's how to size a road bicycle:

Stand over the top tube (the one that goes from the seat to the handlebars) and lift the bicycle up levelly into your crotch. The tires should be 1-2" off the ground.

[SE-RIX]

Originally Posted by BailOut

Yeah, I would definitely hit Craigslist and look for either a cruiser or hybrid (light mountain bike frame and handlebars with road-type tires and components) bicycle. Look for something rust-free and without frayed cables, etc., that looks like it has been kept lubricated. Avoid tires with dried out, cracked sidewalls.

Here's how to size a road bicycle:

Stand over the top tube (the one that goes from the seat to the handlebars) and lift the bicycle up levelly into your crotch. The tires should be 1-2" off the ground.

dang, i really appricate that help. +1 for you my friend

[jbracefan1977]

WOW!!! I have to get back on a bike soon! btw, I love your trailer..

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by BailOut

Also, I was cut off in the designated and solid-lined bike lane at a right turn by a GMC Yukon XL driven by a lone woman talking on a cell phone. It was enough for me to slap the side of her vehicle twice to let her know I was there and that she did wrong (my biking equivalent of honking).

I give bicyclists lots of leeway because the wind currents from passing them can upset their balance. Cutting one off is an outrageous act. I hope she was frightened, perhaps it will improve her "be there skills".

Gene