tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15785718815616187272024-03-20T08:05:19.364-04:00Mike the Bike PTMike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-73694224967670408962017-05-05T08:47:00.003-04:002017-05-05T08:47:54.387-04:00All City Space Horse - Carbon Fiber Comparisons?Thorondor, the All City Space Horse, has now been my primary long-distance, have-a-lot-of-fun, riding steed for about 3.5 years. Thorondor is a do-it-all kind of bike. You can commute with it, tour with it, bikepack with it, and even do some fast rides with it.<br />
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But how does it compare to a carbon fiber race bike? Up until recently, I had absolutely no idea.<br />
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Prior to early April, I had never ridden a carbon fiber bike of any variety. Any bike I had ever ridden was either steel or aluminum. None of them would be considered "high end". As an avid bike geek, that creates a rather obvious question:<br />
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<div align="center">
<strong>Is carbon fiber better?</strong></div>
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It was a question that I could not answer. There was no practical experience to pull from. And then we went to Florida!</div>
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My wife and I decided to go to Florida for spring break. It is a 20 hour drive from Michigan. On any trip, the first question I have to answer is, "Am I going to bring a bike?" Typically, the answer is "Yes, of course I am going to bring a bike...duh!" But, the thought of keeping track of a bike and keeping it safe over 4 days of total travel did not appeal to me.</div>
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So I looked into bike rentals. AH-HA! There is a bike shop in Clearwater where I could rent a carbon fiber race bike for just $60!</div>
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Sold!</div>
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The bike I rented was a Specialized Tarmac. I do not know what model year but I would guess it was 3-4 years old. Over the course of 2 rides and about 45 total miles, I came to a few conclusions:</div>
<ol>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
When you put power through the pedals of the Tarmac, it takes off like a rocket. Admittedly, that is pretty cool!</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Even on smooth, Florida asphalt, the 23mm tires pumped up to 100 psi combined with the carbon fiber was quite similar to riding on a 2x4. I felt every bump and jolt, no matter how small.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
My average speed was not significantly different on the Tarmac than on the Space Horse.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
If I was going to do more than 20-25 miles, there is not a scenario where I would pick the Tarmac over the Space Horse. The Space Horse with 38-40mm tires is faaaarrrr more comfortable and any difference in speed is negligible.</div>
</li>
</ol>
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To be fair, this shouldn't be the final word on carbon fiber. If I were to ride a carbon fiber bike designed for long-distance riding that had the same tires and the same fit as the Space Horse, I might just sing a different tune. Who knows, I might even fall in love!</div>
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<u><strong>Take home point</strong></u> = the grass is not always greener on the other side. Be grateful for what you have!</div>
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Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-63705594810214789522015-12-26T18:39:00.001-05:002015-12-26T18:39:33.733-05:00All City Space Horse - One Year LaterWell, technically, I have not been riding Thorondor the All-Road bike for a year. The frame and fork was purchased one year ago. It was probably February or March before I actually rode it for the first time.<br />
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<b><u>Overall Impression</u></b><br />
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Is there anything I have not been able to do while on Thorondor?<br />
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<ul>
<li>Long rides = yep.</li>
<li>Fast rides = you bet!</li>
<li>Dirt/gravel rides = sho 'nuff.</li>
<li>Commuting = like a boss!</li>
<li>Multi-day supported tour = with aplomb.</li>
</ul>
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The <i>All City Space Horse</i> has served me admirably. One could easily find other bikes that would be better at any single task listed above. But, especially when you factor in cost, the <i>Space Horse</i> does them all surprisingly well. Here are a few examples:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>July - I did a self-supported, overnight, one-way Century ride. Once to my destination, I was cold and tired but not beat up or uncomfortable like I would have felt with my previous bike.</li>
<li>August - I did an early morning, solo run of the <i>MSU GRan Fondo</i> 25 mile route. My time would have earned me second place on the day of the actual ride.</li>
<li>Labor Day weekend - I did the <i>DALMAC</i> 4-day West route. Thorondor and I were routinely the first ones to the top of the climbs among my group of friends. After four days and 325 miles I had no physical issues other than a small saddle sore which developed after the first day from riding in the rain. There was certainly some fatigue but that was easily the most miles I have ever put on in such a short time period.</li>
<li>August - there was a 30+ mile, dirt road exploratory ride. My average speed on the dirt was nearly the same as when I was on paved roads.</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Changes?</u></b></div>
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Not to the frame and fork. Everything there is hunky-doory. The major winter project is going to be a drivetrain re-do. First, I knew that replacing my chainrings was a necessity. My intention is to go from a 48/34 to a 44/34. Thorondor spent most of last year in the big ring but usually in the top half of my 11-32 cassette. My estimation is that with a 44 tooth front ring I will be able to use much more of the cassette with minimal front shifts. It is not difficult to imagine 25-50 mile rides without moving out of the big ring.</div>
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If you are going to replace the chainrings, you should really change the chain and cassette. Instead of an 11-32 cassette, my thought is to go with an 11-34 cassette so there is a true 1:1 for the long, steep climbs.</div>
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While I am at it (the 5 most expensive words in cycling), the Shimano Altus rear derailleur has not been the best. When I switched from the Dura Ace to the Altus, the first thing I noted was my chain 'skipping' around whenever I was in the middle of the cassette. I even had my LBS give it a once over to make sure everything was kosher. It seems like the Altus is finicky through the middle of the cassette and doesn't like to hold its position causing the chain to repeatedly move up and down from one cog to another. Even with diligence and practice, this became quite annoying.</div>
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Goodbye Altus, hello Shimano Deore! Based on everything I have read, a Deore rear derailleur should perform well without breaking the bank. Per one website's description, "No one ever squawks at Deore". It can take up to a 36 tooth large cog which is more than enough for me. Technically it is a mountain bike derailleur but if it works, it works.</div>
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<b><u>2016</u></b></div>
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You can never know exactly what is going to happen, but my big ride for 2016 will almost certainly be the <i>Michigan Mountain Mayhem</i> in mid-June. If I am going to ride it, I will do at least the century ride. Deep down, the 200k looks so tempting and juicy! Per their website, the 200k has 10,000 feet of climbing.</div>
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I have ridden portions of the <i>MMM</i> route as part of <i>DALMAC</i> and, to be perfectly honest, I cannot wait! Beautiful riding along with the challenge of doing more climbing in one day than I ever have before? Excuse me while I wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth.</div>
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What I love is that until you start talking off road riding and singletrack, Thorondor can do it. Not only can it do it, but it can do it pretty well. And without breaking the bank.</div>
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<b><u>Unlikely Prospects</u></b></div>
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Another idea I have been toying with is converting Thorondor to a fixie/singlespeed. The <i>Space Horse</i> has special dropouts that allow it to be run fixed or singlespeed. My normal commuter bike is set up as a fixed gear after several years as a singlespeed. Riding fixed is super cool and it feels like it is making me a stronger cyclist. This would be relatively simple. Basically, it would involve taking off the derailleurs, getting a rear wheel with a flip/flop hub and slapping on a set of track cranks, along with the appropriate bottom bracket. If I wanted to be dorktastic, I could leave the bar-end shifters on while running it fixed!</div>
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An even more unlikely prospect would be changing over to a Rohloff SpeedHub. This is a world-class, internally-geared hub that costs three times as much as the <i>Space Horse</i> frame and fork. It has the advantage of 14 evenly spaced gears in an essentially maintenance-free set up with an amazing track record for reliability. If you are going to get one of these, it will probably be attached to a custom-made bike with a upper four to five digit price tag.</div>
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I should probably start saving.</div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-80625242253676402172015-06-04T15:08:00.001-04:002015-06-04T15:08:36.764-04:00All-City Space Horse - The One Bike to Rule Them All?<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Brief Warning: This is going to be a long post. You have been warned.</strong></div>
<br />
This Christmas (2014), I was given permission by my lovely, intelligent, wise, caring, sexy, and all-together-awesome wife to go ahead and buy a new bike frame. I, like almost every other cyclist, am constantly on the lookout for <em>The</em> <em>Next Bike</em>.<br />
<br />
My fancies had bounced back and forth between a multitude of different bikes/frames over the last several years. One day it is a Rivendell Sam Hillbourne. The next, I was convinced I should buckle down and save until I could afford an A. Homer Hilsen. Then, lo and behold, the Surly Pacer sounded great. Oh wait! What about the Soma ES? No, no, no. The Soma Double Cross is the one! Each week had a new love. <br />
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The only thing that had kept me from pulling the trigger on any of these was money. I didn't have any, or to be more specific, I didn't have enough.<br />
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After a little bit of scrimping and saving, a few gifts and a nice break on price, I bought a 58 cm <a href="http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/space_horse">All-City Space Horse</a> frame & fork (of the 2013 variety, I believe). Why the Space Horse? Good question.<br />
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<img src="http://allcitycycles.com/images/bikes/SpaceHorseMain.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stock Photo from Allcitycycles.com - mine is a light blue but otherwise identical</span></div>
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As you might be able to surmise from the list above, I was not looking for a light-weight, carbon racer. The mythical<em> One Bike to Rule Them All</em> was more of the goal. Some of my criteria was:<br />
<ul>
<li>It needed to be comfortable and reliable for long distance rides.</li>
<li>It did not need to make me faster but it certainly should not make me slower.</li>
<li>A frame that was mechanically compatible with my current componentry was preferable (I didn't want a frame that would require a different seatpost, stem and wheels)</li>
</ul>
Also, it needed to do several things that my old bike, <a href="http://mikethebikept.blogspot.com/2011/07/gimli-road-bike-2009-jamis-satellite-57.html">Gimli</a>, could not:<br />
<ul>
<li>It needed to fit fenders without having razor thin clearances</li>
<li>It need to allow me to bring my handlebars up just a little closer and a little higher</li>
<li>It needed to allow tires wider than 28 mm with fenders installed</li>
</ul>
The Space Horse had long been on my radar. When it was originally released, it was offered as a complete bike only. There was really nothing wrong with the complete bike build. Good, solid bits and pieces all around, but I had collected some odds and ends over the years that I had come to like. One of my goals was to be able to slide things from the Gimli to the new guy. This, of course, saves money as well.<br />
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Well, lo and behold the good folks at All-City did eventually offer the Space Horse as a frame & fork, along with still offering complete builds. Then, lucky me, I happened to see a 58 cm frame on Ebay in the color I like for about $150 less than list price. The gentleman selling it had apparently purchased it, built it up, rode it for 100 miles or less and then tore it down and was selling it. Why was he selling it? No idea, but it was great for me.<br />
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<strong><u>The New Guy</u></strong><br />
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The frame and fork that arrived was in immaculate condtion. The only signs that it wasn't brand-spanking new were some scuff marks at the dropouts. No big deal there. As I looked over my new frame, I noticed that all of the welds and bends and little details looked...just fine. Nothing sloppy. Was it NAHBS quality? No, but who has the coin for that? The paint was well done and in a color I liked. The head badge has a nicely understated, classic look to it.<br />
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Are these types of things really that important? They don't affect performance, I would imagine. But, whether we like to admit it or not, aesthetics do matter. Every time I look at the new guy, it gives me a little burst of joy. There is something to be said for that.<br />
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<strong><u>Naming</u></strong><br />
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Bikes deserve names, in my opinion. That's how I feel about it, so there you go. The Space Horse was replacing Gimli the Road Bike. What would be fitting for the new guy? How about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorondor#Thorondor">Thorondor</a> the All-Road Bike! One bike named after a dwarf and the next named after the King of Eagles. That seems like an appropriate progression.<br />
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<strong><u>The Build Up</u></strong><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8_Oq1hGdsrc3i95W_twFuUpfrZcJvmex1Gr5twMz2WL-bGNX1FWLNTkyitrDLBOooElM_OtZTZMwmHTNUsPvW_Xq7AHWnIP5iNf4aVxOQx8-V50hhIYsi7nkrqjbfZbEE7Du5TXYDhY/s1600/compress_20150524_143247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8_Oq1hGdsrc3i95W_twFuUpfrZcJvmex1Gr5twMz2WL-bGNX1FWLNTkyitrDLBOooElM_OtZTZMwmHTNUsPvW_Xq7AHWnIP5iNf4aVxOQx8-V50hhIYsi7nkrqjbfZbEE7Du5TXYDhY/s320/compress_20150524_143247.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full build up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I could go into the ups & downs & ins & outs of building up Thorondor but that mostly involves me messing things up, needing help and fiddling around for 4 months before everything was finally all set and <em>the way it should be</em>. The basics are as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>Cranks - Velo Orange 48/34</li>
<li>Pedals - Grip Kings from Rivendell</li>
<li>FD - Ultegra double</li>
<li>RD - Shimano Altus - has the capacity to handle a...</li>
<li>11-32 Cassette - SRAM</li>
<li>Chain - whatever, it's just a chain</li>
<li>Bottom Bracket - not really sure. Whatever they had at <a href="http://www.freewheelerbikeshop.com/">Freewheeler</a></li>
<li>Wheels - Cole Rollen front and Velocity A23 OC rear</li>
<li>Tires - 38 mm Barlow Pass from <a href="http://www.compasscycle.com/tires_comp_700_38.html">Compass Cycles</a></li>
<li>Fenders - silver SKS Longboards - 45 mm</li>
<li>Shifters - Rivendell Silver Shifters - set up as bar ends</li>
<li>Brakes - Origin 8 Cantilevers (medium profile)</li>
<li>Brake Levers - some basic ones from SRAM</li>
<li>Headset - Origin 8</li>
<li>Handlebars - 46 cm Velo Orange Grand Randoneuur (I'm never sure if that is spelled right)</li>
<li>Stem - 70 mm Velo Orange</li>
<li>Seatpost - Velo Orange Grand Cru</li>
<li>Saddle - Brooks B-17 with a waterproof cover</li>
<li>Handlebar Tape - cloth, Newbaum's I think, in a nice grey</li>
<li>Handlebar Bag - <a href="http://mikethebikept.blogspot.com/2014/11/dill-pickle-gear-handlebar-bag-review.html">Dill Pickle Handlebar Bag</a></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUSFqlduTOYSnliwUg7wFoSc3WwieopbG69ZMqmiz5_fMdKve9GyNAUnaJv0q1IuwU4AGIRoqlDew19ctk9cfHcAMqjVC7fjZInfXAmiRk4-3JMwB7Ppdn0UmjHXvTCyAEqvvW9f6YyE/s1600/compress_20150524_143302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUSFqlduTOYSnliwUg7wFoSc3WwieopbG69ZMqmiz5_fMdKve9GyNAUnaJv0q1IuwU4AGIRoqlDew19ctk9cfHcAMqjVC7fjZInfXAmiRk4-3JMwB7Ppdn0UmjHXvTCyAEqvvW9f6YyE/s320/compress_20150524_143302.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nifty head badge (ignore the kids bike in the background)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><u>The Fit</u></strong><br />
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My first rides on Thorondor were on the indoor trainer. A trainer is not how I like to ride but in the deep, dark Michigan winters you do what ya gotta do.<br />
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I don't know about anyone else, but the fit of my bikes have always felt different when I have been on my trainer vs. out on the road. I have no good explanation as to why, but that is the way it is.<br />
<br />
Over the first 2 months, I moved my handlebars up and down several times because, well, I could. On Gimli, I had been topped out on the fork. The handlebars couldn't go any higher and they couldn't come any closer. Thorondor came with a fork with a ginormously long steerer tube, giving me plenty of room to work with. It also helps that the stack measurement was a little higher and the reach measurement was a little shorter.<br />
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When it finally came time to ride outside, I hopped on, started pedaling and within 100 yards I thought to myself,<br />
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<div align="center">
<em>"Holy Cow! These handlebars are up high!"</em></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="left">
This was a completely new sensation for me. Is this a beach cruiser or a road bike? Afterwards, the handlebars got lowered about 1.5 cm and I have been riding around with them this way since early March. My intention is to continue to fiddle around with this for a full year before I decide where the steerer tube needs to be cut. Once cut, there will likely be 1 cm left on top to give me some wiggle room for longer rides.<br />
<br />
On a side note, even though my handlebars felt ridiculously high on that first ride, I was really quite comfortable. Everything was easy to see. There was very little strain on my upper body. I was probably catching wind like a sail, but I may have to take this into consideration for the future. Maybe Grant Petersen is on to something.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ToJNlpT_gZJ9Bolnh4BoKgFQOg60NHAnefqo5XN202Iby8GoR-zA6j5-NKsCYP2O1XPHWfr9Lr_3N5TiDiCDTyhLOlOvTBPiLpGb8FfZTnqA-c8wotK1QPpk29nSApLWZfIrI1wOH_Y/s1600/compress_20150524_143324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ToJNlpT_gZJ9Bolnh4BoKgFQOg60NHAnefqo5XN202Iby8GoR-zA6j5-NKsCYP2O1XPHWfr9Lr_3N5TiDiCDTyhLOlOvTBPiLpGb8FfZTnqA-c8wotK1QPpk29nSApLWZfIrI1wOH_Y/s320/compress_20150524_143324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><u>The Ride</u></strong></div>
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This is where I, admittedly, feel rather silly commenting. My experience is so limited on different types of bikes and frame materials. For instance, I have never ridden a carbon fiber frame. There, I said it. No apologies either.</div>
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With that said, on the first several outdoor rides, the only difference between Gimli and Thorondor was the frame, the fork, the bottom bracket and the brakes. Everything else had been carried over from Gimli to Thorondor. Thorondor certainly did not feel harsher, twitchier or slower.</div>
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My perception is that the ride is smoother on Thorondor but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Placebo and expectation are powerful forces.</div>
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Thorondor corners well. Please keep in mind that aggressive is not a term used to describe my descending and cornering. There are several corners on routes I commonly do that I can take at a good rate of speed and come out of them right where I wanted to be.</div>
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Does Thorondor climb as well? Not sure, to be honest. It is still pretty early in the year and there is a lot of training and riding to do before I can answer that question with any real confidence. On my very first outdoor ride, I thought it climbed like a dream, but there was a lot of excitement and expectation there so you have to take that with not so much a grain of salt as with a full salt shaker.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1vU59f8DW10h-MBmbQVDtr1wQWsAhc2y8oLLYL175Xq7_APHb-si7HOMMi37PEKmE3L98PhKLSkJGg1wcSHWvnEkelaZoy8xouWSddYi04cIz7K_ngvDp3jUKa0uqvkQtikno9yMluE/s1600/compress_20150524_143311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1vU59f8DW10h-MBmbQVDtr1wQWsAhc2y8oLLYL175Xq7_APHb-si7HOMMi37PEKmE3L98PhKLSkJGg1wcSHWvnEkelaZoy8xouWSddYi04cIz7K_ngvDp3jUKa0uqvkQtikno9yMluE/s320/compress_20150524_143311.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The handlebar bag is really quite useful</td></tr>
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<strong><u>On a side note</u></strong></div>
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<strong><u></u></strong><br />
While getting Thorondor built up and fitted out, I ran into issues with either my rear wheel or one of the 38 mm Barlow Pass tires from <a href="http://www.compasscycle.com/tires_comp_700_38.html">Compass Cycles</a>. I won't go into the details because I'm still not sure which one had the problem but during the process I removed the Barlow Pass and reinstalled the 28 mm Ruffy Tuffy from <a href="http://rivbike.com/">Rivendell.</a> I could actually tell a difference between the two. A big question I had was would I actually be able to tell a difference between a 28 and a 38 mm tire? Everything I read said that I would but how do you really know until you try it yourself?<br />
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There was certainly a noticeable difference in the 'bumpiness' along some some of the mangled roads in my area. I was truly surprised. Initially, I would have told you that there was a difference going from 28 to 38 but I would have said it was a marginal difference. Let's upgrade that assessment to a moderate difference. That seems fair.<br />
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<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong><u>The True Test</u></strong></div>
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Based on my first several rides with Thorondor, I am certain he will turn out to be a good, trustworthy steed. That said, the real tests remain.</div>
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So far I have done 50 miles as my longest ride. Thorondor is really intended for rides that are much longer than that. Some questions that still need answering are:</div>
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<ul>
<li>How will I feel both during and after a century ride? Something like the <a href="http://www.rapidwheelmen.com/colorburst.html">Colorburst</a> would be a good example.</li>
<li>How will I feel both during and after a multi-day tour? <a href="http://dalmac.org/">DALMAC</a> is coming at the end of August, so I <em>will</em> answer this question.</li>
<li>How will rides on unpaved roads go? Let's not call it gravel-grinding, OK?</li>
<li>How well will it ride in a more competitive environment, such as the <a href="http://www.msugranfondo.com/site/TR?fr_id=1050&pg=entry">MSU Gran Fondo?</a></li>
<li>How well will it handle long, lonely, rambling journeys?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
The wonderful thing is, I will eventually answer all of these questions and have an absolutely wonderful time doing it. This could be a long and beautiful friendship.<br />
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Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-90003985997872317292014-12-12T09:39:00.000-05:002014-12-12T09:39:14.544-05:00Should I hang on to the treadmill?One of the more frequent questions I get from clients is...<br />
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<em>"Should I hang on to the treadmill or not?"</em></div>
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My honest reply is...</div>
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</div>
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<em>"If you are walking on the treadmill, we've achieved my goal for the day. Hang on or don't hang on. It's the same difference to me."</em></div>
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</div>
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People seem to get worked up about whether they are getting the best "calorie burn" possible. Just get on the treadmill and get yourself a workout. If you are hanging on, that's fine. If you are not hanging on, that's fine too. Is there a difference in how hard you are working from one condition to the other? Yeah, probably but is it really worth putting forth the mental effort to figure out how much? No it is not.<br />
<br />
Let us keep in mind that how many calories you burn while exercising is largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. If, like the typical American, you are trying to lose weight then you need to focus on diet first and lock that down to what works well for you (vegan, low carb, whole foods, paleo, whatever). If you have not done that then it does not matter how many calories you burn exercising.<br />
<br />
Exercise does not lead to weight loss except at the most extreme (and unsustainable) levels.<br />
<br />
You are on the treadmill to improve cardiovascular function, to boost serotonin levels, to lower your risk of some of our most nasty chronic diseases and to just plain feel better about yourself.<br />
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None of those things will be affected by whether you hang on to the treadmill or not.</div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-8251691963934808862014-11-20T13:39:00.000-05:002014-11-20T13:39:46.415-05:00Dill Pickle Gear Handlebar Bag ReviewI purchased a <a href="http://www.dillpicklegear.com/store/">Dill Pickle Gear</a> handlebar bag in September of this year. Below are a few tidbits about Dill Pickle Gear and about myself as a rider, followed by my thoughts on the bag itself.<br />
<br />
<u>Dill Pickle Gear</u><br />
<br />
All of their products are handmade in Massachusetts by Emily O'Brien (I think that is the right name). She offers several different sizes of saddlebags, the handlebar bag, mud flaps, a tool holder, and a U-lock holder. Everything is custom made (she does have a few pre-made items available). You can chose from multiple different colors and multiple different add-ons. The website has a really nice feature where you can instantly see what the final product will look like. Flipping back and forth between different color variations is quite nice because these bags are not cheap. Get it right the first time. I did have to e-mail Emily several times to ask questions (mostly because I am a moron) and she replied quickly and graciously.<br />
<br />
<u>Mike the Bike PT as a rider</u><br />
<br />
Despite how much I love riding, my yearly mileage would best be described as moderate. For several years I was able to cover 2,400 miles/year. Last year was about 1,800 miles (darn third child) and this year will be closer to 2,100-2,200. My favorite type of ride is 100+ miles. I have now done about 10 rides of that distance over the last 5-6 years. None of these have been a brevet or other official rando event, not because I am not interested but purely because there are none that are close to me. My longest single day was 146 miles. My pace would best be described as "spirited". No one would describe me as moving along casually, but neither is each ride a hammerfest. This handlebar bag was my first one. I have nothing else to compare this bag to.<br />
<br />
<u>Why I bought it</u><br />
<br />
Many of the blogs, magazines and websites I frequent talk about how a handlebar bag is so wonderful for carrying essential items on long, self-supported bike rides (the kind I like to do). What had turned me off to the idea was that most traditional handlebar bags require a rack to support them. Would I even be able to install a rack on my bike? Also, when you add up the cost of the rack, the bag and other mounting hardware, it starts to be a pretty penny. The Dill Pickle handlebar bag does not require any special mounting hardware, is cheaper than the rack/bag/mounting hardware combo and is actually lighter overall.<br />
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<u>Initial Impressions</u><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ejaz1gVurNb3pdGqv4Xx3fudLHycM_T_p4toXRqi8Y6ba7VeZWGJhGHFj6gSQbwOuCVIe93OQ7koYZpj8hYhTNkL6LE65Pni7iG1UvIr9ohMTH59IvD2iib_xnsKJOmVnT0RrMd8gPI/s1600/20140906_154020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ejaz1gVurNb3pdGqv4Xx3fudLHycM_T_p4toXRqi8Y6ba7VeZWGJhGHFj6gSQbwOuCVIe93OQ7koYZpj8hYhTNkL6LE65Pni7iG1UvIr9ohMTH59IvD2iib_xnsKJOmVnT0RrMd8gPI/s1600/20140906_154020.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the less than professional photos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8veKxWdF1urcYBf14uZS7lzDGtQk1olSyf3iYyqov7Hg34rF0SiFizpj_qJuV6cpFgYVM39MOTql_Fj-_c7t54CIcWau8hkvx-KvMMDpWD6rDE2NRpcVnHxdsO0y2nmDm06Ai4IxVCEw/s1600/unnamed%5B5%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8veKxWdF1urcYBf14uZS7lzDGtQk1olSyf3iYyqov7Hg34rF0SiFizpj_qJuV6cpFgYVM39MOTql_Fj-_c7t54CIcWau8hkvx-KvMMDpWD6rDE2NRpcVnHxdsO0y2nmDm06Ai4IxVCEw/s1600/unnamed%5B5%5D.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see there is plenty of space for hands/brifters</td></tr>
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After ordering my bag, it took about 5-6 weeks before it arrived. Remember, each one is made-to-order. When it arrived, I eagerly dived into it to see what it was like. Light is an apt descriptor. I did not weigh it but the bag could not be more than about a pound. As I looked it over, one thing that struck me was that I could not see any loose threads, any missed stitches, are any noticeable imperfections. You could see that it was made by hand because some of the stitching was not perfectly straight, but not in a low quality sort of way. The colors (emerald green and grey) were a good match to what I was expecting from what I saw on the website.<br />
<br />
<u>Installation</u><br />
<u></u><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qLKS9RMyt3MAhToAZOThIc1sEm2qvUSII749SUxscyGeOEC4iJpCuXePWxfuB92icXzYUc5l6f-4SwpHOy8uU5qHJ2EevLeJeacPCT9vkV2k-k_TBohjGcDH2s5Wo5SW5GgiUIAuE98/s1600/unnamed%5B6%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qLKS9RMyt3MAhToAZOThIc1sEm2qvUSII749SUxscyGeOEC4iJpCuXePWxfuB92icXzYUc5l6f-4SwpHOy8uU5qHJ2EevLeJeacPCT9vkV2k-k_TBohjGcDH2s5Wo5SW5GgiUIAuE98/s1600/unnamed%5B6%5D.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry, it doesn't sit this wonky once properly set up</td></tr>
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I do not need to go into the details here, but installation is pretty straight forward. It uses a series of straps and velcro closures. I did have some difficulties figuring it out but that is mostly because I am kind of dumb. When I asked Emily about why I was having so much trouble, her answers left me with a facepalm moment. Believe me folks, it ain't that hard, unless you're me. Once you knew how to use the straps, you could probably move it from one bike to another in about 2-3 minutes.<br />
<br />
<u>Steering/Handling</u><br />
<br />
One thing I had read about handlebar bags is that they can affect steering, making the front end more unstable than it normally would be. With the handlebar bag on, there was no difference that I could tell. My bike felt exactly the same. Do you want to know what the geometric trail is on my bike? If I knew, I would be happy to tell you. I once tried to figure it out but I did not really trust the numbers that I got. As a reminder, this is my first handlebar bag so I do not have anything to compare to.<br />
<br />
<u>Utility, i.e. how well does it work?</u><br />
<u></u><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ihvHmM0cvzI_Q9h293NYs1daXFm-klDF1YGYUCDkffYurOsxARkHENsRzU5qTSR3Wkqti50o3hqToVvksLEitRdrEhXH_NYYzWaRGpwpiKd0bpquJ8W-j88lKvdfyOHeZVm5ur8f13M/s1600/unnamed%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ihvHmM0cvzI_Q9h293NYs1daXFm-klDF1YGYUCDkffYurOsxARkHENsRzU5qTSR3Wkqti50o3hqToVvksLEitRdrEhXH_NYYzWaRGpwpiKd0bpquJ8W-j88lKvdfyOHeZVm5ur8f13M/s1600/unnamed%5B1%5D.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top flap flips completely open. The inner skirt is meant to keep stuff from flying out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once it was set up properly, the bag is quite easy to use. The side mesh pockets are loose enough to get your hand in but not so loose as to have stuff fall out. The top flap opens fully without any difficulty. Once fully open, the wind will not accidentally close it. The magnetic closures that hold the top flap shut click into place without much fussing. Even if the magnetic closures do not catch, the flap seems to want to stay shut. The unique shape left plenty of room for my hands to rest on the top of the bars without hitting the bag. The only minor annoyance I can bring up is that my Garmin 500 is not quite able to sit at an angle I like because of the placement of the bag. I would move the Garmin to my stem but a 70mm stem does not work well with the garmin mount. Oh well.<br />
<br />
<u>Waterproofness</u><br />
<br />
Despite having done only two good rides with the handlebar bag, its waterproofness was amply tested. The first ride was drizzly for about 75% of the 64 miles. No water inside. On the second ride, it rained for a least 2/3 of a 130 mile ride. At times it was such a downpour that we achieved terminal wetness (the point at which you cannot be any more wet than you already are without diving in a lake). Once again, no water inside the handlebar bag. Not a drop. When you look over some of the design details of the bag, it is easy to see why. It is obvious that this is a product designed and created by someone who has <em>been there, done that</em>.<br />
<br />
<u>How much did it hold?</u><br />
<br />
During my 130 mile ride the bag held:<br />
<ul>
<li>8 gels in the two side mesh pockets</li>
</ul>
In the main compartment:<br />
<ul>
<li>a rain jacket</li>
<li>arm warmers</li>
<li>extra liner gloves</li>
<li>4 nutella & jelly sandwiches</li>
<li>a spare tube</li>
<li>my phone</li>
<li>sunglasses</li>
<li>a few other small, miscellaneous objects</li>
</ul>
The top flap was snug but it did close. My multi-tool, tire levers and an additional spare tube were in my saddlebag.<br />
<br />
<u>Am I satisfied?</u><br />
<br />
Very. Before shipping, my bag was $170. It is easy to use, can be moved from bike to bike, is waterproof, looks good, can hold a good amount of stuff, and seems to be very solidly made. Well worth the price. If I had a need for another one of her products, I would not hesitate to make a purchase.<br />
<br />
<u>Overall</u><br />
<br />
If you are interested in a handlebar bag but are put off by either the high cost of the traditional type or do not think your bike will accept a rack, give Dill Pickle Gear your consideration. Even though her products are not cheap, they still rate as a very good value on the dollar.<span id="goog_541867988"></span><span id="goog_541867989"></span>Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-79915092684543072722014-11-18T13:13:00.001-05:002014-11-18T13:13:04.509-05:00BlessedI have a warm home. My wife is beautiful, kind, intelligent and hard working. She is a wonderful mother. My kids are healthy and intelligent. My job is rewarding and pays me well. It comes with good health insurance.<br />
<br />
I will not go hungry today. I will not be cold without the hope of being warm today. I will not worry about money today. I will not fear the future.<br />
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I will be with people who love me today. I have seen a child smile today. I will perform work today that helps others. I am able to walk and move and interact with my environment.<br />
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Because of my faith, I believe that I <em>deserve</em> none of this. I am owed nothing. I have earned nothing. If I was lying in a gutter, homeless and alone, deaf and blind with pain ravaging me at every moment, I would still have nothing to complain about. <br />
<br />
Below is my paraphrase of a devotional I recently heard that sums things up pretty well:<br />
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<em>"When you have given as much as Jesus did, then you can complain."</em></div>
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It would be easy to say that many of those things I call blessings really come from luck or coincidence, with a little hard work thrown in. It is not a hard arguement to make.<br />
<br />
But there is no luck. There is no coincidence. There is only providence. I have been trying to purge the words 'luck' and 'coincidence' from my vocabulary. Each day that passes demonstrates that they are words without a real meaning.<br />
<br />
It is possible that someone will read this post and scoff at my beliefs. Go ahead. I am okay with that. I will not hate you, laugh at you, or even think less of you. I will think of you as misguided. All of us are misguided about something we believe. The bugger is that you are usually convinced you are right until that moment when you realize you are not.<br />
<br />
We each have a choice that needs to be made. All my chips have been pushed to the middle of the table and I am surprisingly content.<br />
<br />
I will sleep well tonight.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-79849973906339104602014-11-18T12:01:00.000-05:002014-11-18T12:01:24.048-05:00Writing, righting, rihting, wryting, ryetingRecently, two different people told me I should write a book. These were two completely seperate and independent persons with no known contact between them.<br />
<br />
What?<br />
<br />
Honestly, the idea intrigues me. Imagine it...hours alone with just me and my thoughts trying to carefully craft words into something that a reader will find enjoyable. Sounds like fun, which most likely means that it would not actually be all that much fun. Our world seems to work that way.<br />
<br />
If you look back at my post list, it is easy to see that my writing is pretty sporadic. Occasionally I get inspired to punch something out and then I do. Most of the time, writing never even crosses my mind. A writer should want to write, right?<br />
<br />
What on earth would I write about? How about a book about fitness, health and diet written for the average joe? Maybe a book about dealing with chronic pain? How about a fictional story of a fat kid who grew up to be a PT and had three kids and a wife and really loves cycling?<br />
<br />
Lame.<br />
<br />
The odds of me becoming a writer are about as good as me becoming a pro-cyclist at the grand ol' age of nearly 40.<br />
<em></em><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"If I just had the latest carbon fiber wonderfredsled and did intervals until blood bubbled up through the pores in my thighs from the incredible metabolic heat I created, I just might be able to do it!"</em></div>
<br />
Why on earth would I want to become a writer anyways? What is the motivation?<br />
<br />
Fame? Glory? Admiration? All of us want those things to some degree. Seems like a crappy reason to chase a dream, though.<br />
<br />
What if I did it to share? To share knowledge. To share thoughts. To try to contribute something positive to our world, some little bit of warmth.<br />
<br />
There is a thought that goes through my head just about every day. The phrasing does vary from day to day but it usually sounds something like this:<br />
<ul>
<li>Add, do not subtract</li>
<li>Don't be a dick</li>
<li>Be nice...you will sleep better at night</li>
<li>Nice guys finish last but at least our conscience is clear</li>
<li>This world is not your home, you are just a passin' through</li>
<li>Remember who you work for</li>
<li>Every human is a child of God. Treat them appropriately.</li>
</ul>
I am no where even in the ballpark of perfect. I treat others poorly on a daily basis. But I am trying hard each day to be a little better than the day before.<br />
<br />
Maybe, just maybe, writing could be one of those little ways of sharing a little warmth with our cold, dark, broken world. <br />
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-13868470750476230822014-11-13T13:18:00.001-05:002014-11-14T11:54:29.402-05:00Was today really my first time (riding in the snow, I mean)?Here in lovely West Michigan, we had our first real snow fall of the year. Sure, there had been some flakes in the air the last few days but that was all. No biggie.<br />
<br />
Today was a different story.<br />
<br />
When we awoke, there was a nice layer of white covering the world. Our street was not quite as covered as the lawn, but it definitely had a layer built up on it. The kiddos, not surprisingly, were pretty excited about this. Each of them pressed their faces up against a window and did their age-appropriatet version of "Woooh!"<br />
<br />
Now here is the thing...last night I got everything ready to ride to work today (riding clothes, work clothes, bike, lights, etc.). Did I know about the snow? Yeah...sort of. Was I really prepared for what was actually out there?<br />
<br />
Uhhhh, no.<br />
<br />
While watching the morning news and eating my daily double serving of oatmeal (mmm...oatmeal), the traffic dude was detailing the many slide off accidents that had been reported. My first thought was:<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<em>Those are all on the highways. I'll be OK. I'm not even leaving until after 8:00. There won't barely be any cars on the road. I've never ridden in the snow before. I have to do at least once, right?</em></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Yeah, pretty easy to rationalize when you really, really, reaaaalllllllyyyyy want to ride to work.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I geared up and shoved off about 8:10, after Hannah had gotten on the bus. For a point of reference, I live at the top of a hill. No matter which way I go, it is downhill from my house. In fact, it is downhill and curvy.</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As another point of reference, my bike handling skills, despite my many hours of riding, are probably fair at best. I am a coward, when it comes right down to it. Hitting the pavement sounds a lot like it would hurt so I do not take a lot of chances. I am a pansie descender.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With those two thoughts in mind, you can imagine my trepidation as Sam the Singlespeed began rolling down the hill. The turn off that I usually take part way down the hill? Skipped it. I kept going straight. When I got to Bristol, I looked up the hill and saw police flashers at an accident.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Confidence inspiring, let me tell you.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Luckily I needed to go the other direction. As I came to the hill on Bristol that leads up to Richmond, I realized Hannah's bus was coming up behind me. In my head, I heard the following:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Random Child: Hey, there's some crazy guy on a bike out there!</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Hannah: That's my Dad.</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>Random Child: Is he nuts!?!?</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>Hannah: You have no idea.</em></div>
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</div>
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Strangely, the rest of my commute was pretty uneventful, except for my rear tire slipping some as I got out of the saddle to climb a few hills.<br />
<br />
Lo and behold, I did arrive to work safe and sound and in a reasonable amount of time. As I pulled up to the doors, I realized that my bike was pretty filthy. After bouncing it up and down several times, it seemed like most of the crud came off.</div>
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I keep my bike in my office when I ride to work, not because I cannot lock it outside but because I have an office to keep it in. And it is my bike. </div>
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</div>
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<em>My Precious.</em></div>
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Until I looked behind me, it really had not occurred to me how much dirty, road water I might be dripping behind my bike. Turns out it was an awful lot.</div>
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Once I had changed into my work clothes, I went back down the hall dragging a towel with my foot to wipe up the drips. Not the most odd thing I have ever done, but up there.</div>
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</div>
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Oh, and there was some good size puddles forming on the carpet under my bike. Grab another couple towels and toss them under.</div>
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</div>
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By the way, towels are one of the upsides to working in a health care facility. If you are a bike commuter, get into health care. The towels are worth it.</div>
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</div>
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I still need to ride home but now I can officially say that I have ridden in the snow and not died. That is a pleasant thought.</div>
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</div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-8928341299454706562014-09-26T08:12:00.002-04:002014-09-26T08:12:53.155-04:00Crazy Faith 2014Summarizing a 12 hour day can be pretty difficult. There is so much that could be said. Where do you start? How about the beginning?<br />
<br />
<u>6 am - Westend Church</u><br />
<br />
Dave and I clicked on our lights, checked last minute details and got rolling at 6 am, heading west on Leonard. The temperature was on the cool side but not really too bad. Gloves and arm warmers were in my handlebar bag but didn't seem necessary.<br />
<br />
<u>6:35 - 68th and Leonard</u><br />
<br />
The rain starts. At first it is just some big droplets that seem like they are going to peter out but it quickly becomes a steady rain. Any cyclist will tell you that you don't really get wet from above as much as you get wet from below. The water you kick up is what really drenches you and mucks up your bike. This rain was the perfect kind of rain for this. Just enough to get the road good and wet. My feet were quickly 'swimming' in my shoes.<br />
<br />
<u>7:35 - Garfield and 144th (approximately)</u><br />
<br />
Dave and I are nearly to US 31 when we turn around to head back towards Westend. It seems like it was still raining but it's hard to tell what was coming up from the road vs. what was coming down from above. The ride back was uneventful, although neither Dave nor I can ride close behind the other because of the rooster tail of water and crud coming off our back tires.<br />
<br />
<u>9:10 - Westend Church</u><br />
<u></u><br />
Scott DeKryger texted us that he was starting <em><strong>le Tour de Donut</strong></em> up in Greenville. By now it has stopped raining and the sun even seems like it wants to come out. Over the next 15-20 minutes, we each change our clothes, prop wet shoes in front of a fan, eat, drink coffee, refill water bottles, and wipe off our bikes. I am obsessively checking two weather apps on my phone and my mood is lifted because there doesn't seem to be anything coming toward us on the radar. The hourly forecast, however, is not so promising.<br />
<br />
The next couple hours has us trying not to get too stiff and taking in enough water and food to power us through the next 3 hours of riding. I use my traditional cup-o-soup to make sure I'm getting enough sodium. Michelle and the kids stopped by to say hello. They are always a pick me up. Deep down, we are riding for them and all the other kids who can benefit from a Christian Education (who wouldn't, now that I think about it).<br />
<br />
<u>11:15 - Westend Church</u><br />
<br />
Dave and I got the message from Scott that he is done so we take off again. By the time we get to the corner of Leonard and Westend, my legs are protesting.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<em>"Dude, we've already done this today! What are you doing?"</em></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I give them the "shut up legs" speech and we head down Remeberance toward the Musketawa Trail. Thankfully, things are pretty uneventful. We can't really tell where exactly the wind is coming from. Is it helping us? Is it hurting us? Is it just a crosswind? We eventually make it west of Ravenna before deciding to turn around. To our west, the sky looks dark. We can tell the wind is defintely from the west and there are some rain drops coming down. The temperature also felt like it was dropping. At that moment, I was wondering if we are about to get hit hard but it never happened. Before too long, it was sunny again.<br />
<br />
Personally, this middle section was the hardest. I fully expected it to be. Your legs are already tired from the 50 miles you put in earlier. You know you will still need to ride about another 3 hours after you are done. How do you pace yourself? How do you mentally handle that you are really no where near done despite the fatigue you feel? The finish line is not yet in sight but the body is starting to give some early signs of protest. A ride of this length is as much about mental toughness as it is about physical conditioning. Dave and I are not some type of super-endurance athletes. We are just normal Joes gifted with an unusual desire to push ourselves beyond what seems sane.</div>
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<u>2:00 - Westend Church</u></div>
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</div>
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We arrive back at Church promptly at 2:00 (I would like to emphasize our punctuality. I'm weird that way). Waiting for us are Jen Byle, Linda Vander Schaaf, Betsey Ingraham (my sister), and my lovely wife Michelle. After a brief chat, they take off with instructions to give us a 'good hour' break. By this point, neither Dave nor I is in any exceptional hurry to get back on the bike.</div>
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</div>
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As before, Dave and I go about refueling, using the bathroom, refilling water bottles and just generally taking a break. We also start debating where we are going to ride for the last leg. Being a little fatigued, my thought is to just head down toward Millenium/Johnson Park and the Kent Trails and ride some laps. Simple and easy. No thought needed. Gratefully, Dave has a better plan. He wants to head back west on Leonard to Linden and then follow Linden south past Lake Michigan Dr. This will hook up with Fennesey and eventually to the Millenium/Johnson Park area.</div>
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</div>
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As a side note, Dave's son, Jameson, was hanging out with us while his mom rode. This kid is all boy. Good natured and wanting to play. Jameson wanted to show me his bike and how he can stand up out of the saddle and pedal (pretty cool!). Later, we pulled out a soccer ball and football. Constant motion would be the most apt description. Jameson would throw the football and then run and pounce on it like it was a fumble drill. Ah, the good ol' days.</div>
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<u>3:15 - Westend Church</u></div>
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<br /></div>
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The ladies got back from their ride after covering 14 miles. We were at 139 miles for the day, counting Scott's miles from earlier. That is just 6 miles shy of the total for last year so things are looking good. Dave and I throw a leg over and take off west on Leonard. I won't lie; our pace was moderate at best. We each agreed we were in the <em>keep the pedals moving</em> phase of the ride.<br />
<br />
<u>3:45 - Leonard and Linden</u><br />
<br />
As we got to Leonard and Linden, the rain drops started falling, lightly at first. Too tired to even grab our rain jackets, we just kept chugging on. At first the rain was light but by the time we got to Lake Michigan Dr. it was falling heavy. My comment to Dave was,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"The good news is we can't get any more wet than we already are".</em></div>
<br />
We had achieved terminal wetness.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We wound our way up Fennessy, down Kenowa, over Riverbend and to Butterworth, just north of Johnson Park. This is where the most tedious part of the ride came. We were just cruising around the trails in the area killing time and racking up miles.<br />
<br />
I think Dave will agree that riding to a certain time limit is a different experience than riding a particular distance. Your strategy for riding has to change. It is not so much "Do I have the legs to go 20 more miles?" as "How do I keep my legs good for the next 2 hours?"</div>
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</div>
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<u>5:00 - Johnson Park</u></div>
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</div>
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We were cold, wet, tired and hungry when we passed by Johnson Park where our families were waiting for us. The gave us some cheers and some honks of the horn. My daughter, Hannah, yelled "Are you done yet Daddy?".</div>
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</div>
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No Hannah, Daddy is not done yet (long sigh).</div>
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</div>
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As we kept on rolling, one of us (and I'm not sure who) broached the subject of finishing a little early. I'm not sure who said it out loud first because I had been considering the idea for so long I can't remember what I said out loud and what I was jus thinking. Fatigue is kinda funny that way. By doing a little mental math I knew we had already surpassed last year's mileage by a fair bit. The consensus was to finish the loop we were on and then head back to Johnson Park.</div>
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<u>5:47 - Johnson Park</u></div>
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</div>
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We rolled into the Johnson Park parking lot and then went up the trail just a little ways. We were too close to 130 miles to not go just a little bit farther. The stop button was pushed on the Garmin and <strong>Crazy Faith</strong> was done for 2014 after 176 combined miles in just under 12 hours. As promised, everyone had an ice cream sandwich (I had another 4 later that evening). We snapped a few pictures, loaded our stuff up and headed home, grateful to be done but grateful to have had the opportunity.</div>
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</div>
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<u>Parting Thoughts</u></div>
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</div>
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It is now several days since finishing <strong>Crazy Faith</strong> and life has continued on, as it always does. For me it is simultaneously a big relief to be done and a yet I can't help but feel restless.<br />
<br />
The planning for <strong>Crazy Faith</strong> took a lot of time and mental energy. The number of different scenarios that were hypothesized for how the day would run are beyond count. Did it go well? Did it go poorly?</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I think the answer to both is 'yes'. Since the singular goal was to raise money for Christian education, we won't know until all the donations are in. My suspicion is that it won't be as much dollar-wise as last year which I must admit is disappointing. There was not the same kind of positive vibe from the congregation as I felt last year. Is it donation-fatigue? Is it a waning of support for Christian Eduation? Was it not 'crazy' enough for people? Should the timing of announcements have been done differently? Did I do a junk job of speaking in front of church?</div>
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</div>
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As much as these questions bug me, this much I know:</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<em>A lot of people put a lot of effort into an honest and heartfelt effort to do the right thing and support Christian Education.</em></div>
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</div>
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We had no other goal than supporting families that feel that a Christian dayschool is the best option for their children.</div>
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</div>
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That is it.</div>
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</div>
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That is all.<br />
<br />
Hard stop.</div>
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</div>
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The next question that must be considered is "Will we do this again?" The answer I would give is 'yes'. When? I don't know. A year off might be in order, as much for my sake as anything else. Organizing <strong>Crazy Faith</strong>, along with working full-time, being on the WSCS board and just generally trying to be a good dad and husband takes its toll on you.</div>
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</div>
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I'm a little tired.</div>
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</div>
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One thing I am certain of is that the next Crazy Faith will need to be substantially different. And at this point I have <em>no</em> idea what it will look like. It will have to involve cycling just because that's what I do. After that, the sky is the limit.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally, I once again must thank all those who participated:</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Dave Vander Schaaf</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Linda Vander Schaaf</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Jen Byle</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Betsey Ingraham</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Scott DeKryger</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
and my lovely wife, Michelle</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The biggest thanks must be reserved for those who donated, whether it was $1, $20, $176 or whatever. Because of them, families at Westend will be able to send their kids to a Christian school.</div>
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</div>
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And that is what it was all about in the first place.</div>
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</div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-90937674699266594512014-02-14T09:31:00.002-05:002016-01-22T14:41:50.302-05:00What works for meI'm a fat guy. I used to be a fat kid, but then I grew up and now I'm a fat guy. Irrespective of age, I'm still fat.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
What do I mean by that? It has nothing to do with BMI, weight, body type, body fat percentage or any other number you might want to use to define <em>fat</em>. Here is what I mean by fat:<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
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<em>If I gave into my desire for food, I would be at least 350 pounds or more in a heart beat. I would start eating and not stop until I died.</em></div>
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</div>
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I could have a BMI of 20 and a body fat percentage of 12% and I would still be a fat guy. Certain traits just ain't gonna change. I love to eat and I love food and the sweeter the better.</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Those basic facts needed to be stated to fully understand the rest of the post.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
Over the last 14 months, I've been trying to figure out what works for me in regards to diet and exercise with a basic endpoint of getting to a healthy weight.</div>
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</div>
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By the way, everything beyond this point needs to be prefaced by saying "<strong>This is what works for me</strong>". Will it work for you? I don't know. I'm not you and you are not me.</div>
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</div>
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As a review, in the last 14 months I've lost about 20 lbs. Since 2005, I've lost about 35 lbs total. There has been no one steady plan during that time. My weight has fluctuated pretty significantly, rollercoasting up and down.</div>
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</div>
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The last 14 months have easily been my longest steady effort at bringing my weight under control. When I started last January, I had no real goal except to lose weight. I couldn't even have said there was a number I was shooting for. I probably would have told you that I was trying to find a lifestyle that would lead to weight loss, whatever that looked like. Without blathering on further, here is what I've discerned so far...</div>
<ol>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Eat less food</u> - that one is not exactly rocket science.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Be able to recognize what you eat</u> - if you don't know what the ingredients are then you probably shouldn't eat it. This particular policy gets you away from a lot of processed food.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Eat more veggies. Actually, eat a lot of veggies</u> - eating veggies plays into #2 and #4.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Eat less sugar. Eat a lot less sugar</u> - when people say <em>'eat more fruits and veggies'</em>, it's easy to eat lots of fruits and a few veggies. Fruit is good but it has a lot of sugar in it. Now, if it is the choice between an apple and some Twizzlers, the apple needs to win. It does have a decent bit of redeeming value in it.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Exercise is necessary but it is not how you will lose weight</u> - losing weight through increased exercise alone has never, ever worked for me. In the last year, there have been weeks where I've lost a decent amount of weight without much, if any, exercise. There have also been weeks where I've been quite physically active and have not lost any weight or actually gained weight.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>On the other hand, exercise can help you lose weight</u> - a lot of my aerobic workouts last year fell under the umbrella of <em>High Intensity Interval Training</em> (HIIT). The gist of this type of workout is that you break up periods of all-out effort with brief periods of relative rest. A HIIT workout might not last more than 20 minutes but you cram a whole truckload of training into that time period. They accomplish two things: they fit a good workout into a smaller amount of time and HIIT workouts are supposed to more effectively raise your metabolism than steady-state, long duration aerobic workouts, thereby burning extra calories even once the workout is done.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Nuts won't make you fat</u> - I hope that's true because I've eaten a lot of nuts in the last 14 months. Low in carbs, high in good fats and high in protein.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Weekends have often been my downfall</u> - the overall trend has been to lose weight Monday through Friday when controlling diet is easier and to gain weight over the weekend when splurging and snacking is easier. The last few weekends, I've been able to control my self more and have actually lost weight from Friday to Monday. This tells me that consistency is key.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Splurges are a necessary evil</u> - If I were to say to myself that <em>'You're not going to eat anything sweet or tasty every again for any reason'</em>, I can guarantee failure. In fact, I can guarantee you catastrophic failure. I have ice cream about once per week although less than I used to. If there is a birthday, I have cake and ice cream, although less than I used to. If a special day comes around, I'll eat some of the sweets and snacks associated. Complete deprivation seems to lead to monstrous, over-the-top gorgings of cakes and sweets. Better to let off the steam occasionally.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Changes have to be gradual and livable</u> - a lot of the changes I have made have been done one at a time. None of them have been groundbreaking. Looking back, all of those changes have added up to quite a lot but it was one small step at a time. If I had tried to make all the changes at once, my guess is I would have had less success. I wouldn't know what was really helping, what was hurting, and what made no difference.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Possibly the biggest reason for success?</u> - I decided that there had to be a change and that<u><em><strong> I</strong></em></u> needed to make that change. Going back was not an option.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Could I keep going with this list? Yeah, probably but what I've listed covers most of what I've figured out. What should be interesting is if I look back a year from now at this post, will I still agree with what I've written? Will I still be doing well with maintaining a healthy weight? Who knows, right! Time will tell.<br />
<br /><br />
<u><strong>January 2016 - An update</strong></u><br />
<br /><br />
It has now been almost 2 years since I published this post. At the time, I weighed about 201 lbs. Currently, I weigh 190 lbs. People who have not seem me for a while consistently comment on my weight loss. It feels pretty good, to be honest.<br />
<br /><br />
As I read through my original list, what struck me was how little I would change. Diet is easily the #1 factor. I would not be where I am without dietary change. Small and gradual changes also stands out. There are few, if any, changes I have tried that were so drastic that anyone would notice.<br />
<br /><br />
The only comment I would add is that I have been trying to maintain a focus on being healthy now <em>and</em> being healthy as I age. By the time my youngest graduates high school, I will be about 55 years old. There is a lot of life after that and I want to be able to enjoy it. A few less cookies now seems like a pretty fair trade for better health later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
</ol>
</div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-30577181527592493562013-11-04T08:20:00.000-05:002013-11-04T08:20:01.317-05:00Aerotech Designs Top Shelf Cycling Bibs ReviewBack in September I was amping up for a How-Many-Miles-Can-You-Cover-In-12-Hours ride (I did 145 miles on my first go at it, by the way). Leading up to the big event, I was noticing that the two pairs of bibs that I owned were becoming less and less comfortable.<br />
<br />
My two bibs were a pair of Specialized RBX bibs and a pair of Twin Six standard bibs. Both had served my admirably over the last 2 years but it was obvious the pad in each was starting to get worn out.<br />
<br />
The Specialized shorts had never really provide the leg compression that I wanted and both shorts were more than $100 when you factored in shipping. Now, $100 is really not that much money for a good pair of bib shorts. You can spend $250 for a pair of Rapha bibs and I've heard that Assos has a pair of bibs that go for something like $450. I don't want to say that the Rapha or Assos bibs are not fabulously comfortable but there is no way on this earth I can justify that kind of coin for bike clothing. If you give me a pair, I'll give 'em a go but otherwise it just ain't gonna happen.<br />
<br />
So what's a guy to do? New bibs were needed but I wanted to spend as little money as possible. Often in this world, you get what you pay for. Maybe I should just spend the $100-$150 to get a decent pair. It really doesn't sound that unreasonable.<br />
<br />
But what if you could get a good pair for $60? If you look in the back of most bike magazines, you will likely see an ad for <a href="http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/">Aerotech Designs.</a> They advertise low cost, high quality, made in the USA bike clothing. There is a lot of good attributes there.<br />
<br />
Not expensive? Always good. Made in the USA? You gotta support that. High quality? That's what we all want (assuming their definition of "High Quality" matches your definition of "High Quality").<br />
<br />
They have a pair of bib shorts they call their <a href="http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/top-shelf-cycling-bibs-for-men.html">Top Shelf Bib Shorts.</a> It would be nice if you could give a pair of bibs a test ride before you bought them but that is impractical and kind of icky, if you think about it.<br />
<br />
I ordered up the Top Shelf Bibs in all black in a size large (I'm 5' 10" and about 200-205 lbs). They were definitely on the snug side but not too snug. I might go with an XL if I get another pair. The straps seem reasonably well placed to not cause any undue nipple chaffage (EWW!). The pad felt a little bulky when standing in them but felt fine once I was on the saddle. One thing you will notice from the website is that there is no fancy detailing to these bibs. There is no weird, funky looking panels with oddly noticeable stitching. They are very plain jane. For $60, I can take plain jane.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>A brief pause to highlight a few points for comparison:</em></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<em>As I said above, I'm 5' 10" and about 200-205 lbs (not skinny!)</em></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<em>I ride a decent steel-framed road bike on a classic Brooks B-17 saddle with 23mm tires</em></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<em>My rides are all on roads, 95% paved.</em></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<em>I don't ride in the drops much. My hands are typically on the brake hoods, the ramps or near the stem</em></div>
</li>
</ul>
My first ride was a planned 6 hour training ride. This was an entirely flat ride (no hills to spontaneously get me out of the saddle). As I normally do, I used plenty of <a href="http://chamoisbuttr.com/chamois-buttr/">Chamois Butt'r</a> on the undercarriage before putting the bibs on.<br />
<br />
I managed to cover 81 miles in those 6 hours. I had no issues with sore spots or chaffage of any kind. Was my butt a little sore during the ride? Well, yeah but not to any great degree and certainly no more than with my other pairs of bibs. I thought it was a pretty good first go for these bibs.<br />
<br />
My next ride was, I kid you not, a 12 hour fundraising ride that covered 145 miles. Once again, I used Chamois Butt'r (on 2 occasions, instead of one). As part of my planning for the ride, I brought along my other 2 pairs of bibs to change into if I needed them. I never did. The Top Shelf Cycling Bibs performed admirably consider the number of hours I was in the saddle and my not-exactly-svelte size.<br />
<br />
There was a little chaffage that developed but it never stopped me or made me change the way I was riding. It completely cleared up within 36 hours of finishing the ride. If I had to do 12 hours today, I would definitely reach for these bibs again.<br />
<br />
When you look at the reviews on the Aerotech Designs website, you will see several customers comment on the pad holding onto moisture during hot weather rides. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that. All the riding I have done has been cool to cold weather riding where it wasn't really and issue. Starting next summer, I'll be able to comment on that particular issue, if there is an issue.<br />
<br />
So to summarize the important points...<br />
<ul>
<li>Comfort - they were at least as comfortable as the Specialized and Twin Six bibs</li>
<li>Cost - you can't beat $60</li>
<li>Quality - I could not spot any quality issues out of the box</li>
<li>Durability - no issues yet, but I really haven't put that many miles on them</li>
<li>Style - pretty plain, but for $60 who really cares?</li>
</ul>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-31513811042881333542013-10-30T14:41:00.002-04:002013-10-30T14:41:48.563-04:00Leelanau, oh LeelanauMichelle and I just spent a weekend away as a celebration of our 10th anniversary. We did what a lot of folks in our area do...we went up to the Leelanua penninsula to do some wine tasting and leaf peeping. I know, how pretentious. The Leelanau peninsula is a beautiful place, but it exudes pretentiousness from its every pore.<br />
<br />
During our 48 hours of childless-freedom, we cruised around the peninsula, visited some wineries, stayed at a nice B&B, and did some shopping in little places mostly full of high-class junk.<br />
<br />
Quite possibly my favorite part of the whole weekend was driving around some of the backroads of the peninsula in search of wineries. It is fall and the colors were truly spectacular. Most of thes roads amble up and then over the peninsula in a winding fashion that was just perfect for leisurely driving.<br />
<br />
I was always a little distracted though. I couldn't help thinking of biking. Many of these roads would be fantastic for riding.<br />
<br />
Long meandering climbs followed by fast winding descents the likes of which don't exist around western Michigan. Around here the roads are pretty straight and the climbs are not very long. In order to get a good workout, I often have to do hill repeats. Find a decent hill, then ride up it and then ride back down. Repeat until you are tired of it.<br />
<br />
This would not be necessary up in Leelanau. I think I could spend hours climbing up one road and then descending down another and then ride to the next lovely climb. Most of the internal roads had little to no traffic. The two main roads are M-22 and M-204. Both would be good roads to ride on, but traffic would get a little bothersome.<br />
<br />
Our next venture up that way will need to involve bikes or I might just go nuts!Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-11413101538854695002013-10-21T12:14:00.003-04:002013-10-21T12:14:30.752-04:00What should the next Crazy Faith look like?It has been several weeks since the first <em>Crazy Faith</em>. All at once, it seems like it just happened and it was a long time ago. Strange how that is.<br />
<br />
Almost immediately, I started to think about next year. <em>Crazy Faith</em> was successful enough that planning v2.0 seemed to be a no-brainer. The questions then becomes:<br />
<br />
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<em>What do we do?</em></div>
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Do we do the same thing again? Will the congregation respond as well as they did this year? Should I include others more prominently?</div>
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Before those questions can be answered, a few points need to be considered. There were several reasons I feel <em>Crazy Faith</em> was successful.</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
It was pretty crazy. I mean 12 hours on a bike!?!? C'mon! Really? Probably 98% of the congregation had no conception of what it might be like to be on a bike for that long.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
It was a new and fresh idea. <em>Crazy Faith</em> caught the attention of the congregation.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
It took place at the beginning of the school year when education and Christian Education is on the forefront of people's minds.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
The congregation wasn't asked to do much of anything other than donate money. Most of the effort came from me. All they had to do was pledge and write a check.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Not to toot my own horn, but it was marketed well. There was information given multiple times through multiple different formats to let people know what was going on. No one could say they didn't know about it.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
The money raised went towards a cause that the congregation already supports and has been supporting for quite some time. They were not asked to support some brand new charitable cause.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If the above points are accurate, that tells me we would need to do something different (but still crazy), near the beginning of the church/school year, and do something that doesn't ask too much of the congregation as a whole.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the random thoughts and ideas I, and others, have had:<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Two Man Team Time Trials</u></strong><br />
<br />
So here's the idea...we would have 2, two man teams that would ride an approximate 25 mile route. Team One would start and try to cover the route as quickly as they could. As they pull into the church parking lot, Team Two would then take off and ride the same route, trying to finish as fast as possible. If you repeated the process for say, I don't know, 12 hours, how many miles could we cover?<br />
<br />
<strong><u>100 Miles to Nowhere</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
Imagine running a marathon...on a treadmill. Take that basic idea and apply it to the bike. What if I set up my indoor trainer in the Fellowship Hall and rode 100 miles without moving even an inch? A century ride is hard. A century ride without actually going anywhere might just qualify as torture. This idea could also be adapted for a particular length of time, maybe 8-12 hours.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Duathalon Repeats</u></strong><br />
<br />
Along with cycling, I dabble in running. Not nearly as much as cycling but enough to do a 5K every now and then. What if I picked a cycling route and a running route and I switched back and forth from one to the other for a set amount of time? Maybe something like 25 miles of cycling and a 5K run done over and over. That, honestly, sounds pretty crazy.<br />
<br />
<b><u>100 Miles to Nowhere Duathalon</u></b><br />
<br />
How about combining the duathalon idea with the not-actually-going-anywhere idea? Maybe we could set up a treadmill and a trainer and go back and forth from one to the other until we got to 100 miles. That sounds like a fun kind of self-flagellation.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>The Obvious Plan</u></strong><br />
<br />
If you just rode your bike for 12 hours, the most obvious next step would be something like 13-16 hours. "You rode 12 hours. Thirteen hours isn't that much more!"<br />
<br />
<strong><u>The Overnight</u></strong><br />
<br />
What if we repeated the 12 hour idea but it was from 7 pm to 7 am? The danger quotient definitely goes up for an overnight ride. That makes the overnight option not terribly likely. There is crazy and there is stupid. We're going to avoid stupid.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Other Ideas</u></strong><br />
<br />
Several other little ideas have been floated about. These could be done in conjunction with one of the "bigger" ideas above.<br />
<ul>
<li>Have a fun ride for church members and there families. Maybe around Millenium Park.</li>
<li>Set up a kids race course in the church parking lot and see who can record the fastest lap.</li>
<li>Have a raffle of donated bike goods.</li>
<li>If we do a <em>100 Miles to Nowhere</em> format, we could set up a trainer next to me and charge people $10 for 10 minutes.</li>
<li>If the duathalon idea comes about, let others do the running portion with me, since more church members run then bike.</li>
</ul>
Recently, one of our Westside Christian friends was chatting with Michelle about <i>Crazy Faith</i>. She seemed to like the idea and suggested that I go to other congregations and see if they wanted to participate. There is a world of possibilities that could come from that idea.<br />
<br />
Maybe have one person from each church come up with their own <i>Crazy Faith</i> idea and do it on the same day. Or maybe do the same thing together. Maybe, just maybe, make it into a friendly competition between churches.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Our church can go farther than your church! Na-na-na-na-na!"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We'll try to avoid the above sentiment. Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.<br />
<br />
At this time, I'm keeping my mind open. The sky's the limit. There are lots of good ideas out there and I'll be doing some fishing with others to see what comes up.<br />
<br />
Do you have ideas? Write me a comment.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-36268089130723333192013-10-04T13:51:00.001-04:002013-10-04T13:51:41.199-04:00Crazy Faith 2013 - Riding for 12 hoursOn Saturday September 21st, I rolled out of my driveway at 7 am and kept on pedaling until 7 pm. During the intevening 12 hours I covered 145 miles. This effort raised approximately $5200 for the <strong>Westend CRC Christian Education Ministry</strong>. It would not have been possible without the generosity of the Westend congregation, several cycling buddies, the incredible patience of my wife, and, of course, God's blessing, guidance and grace.<br />
<br />
Now, a lot can happen while pedaling 13.4 inches circles over and over and over again for 12 hours. Here's the story...<br />
<br />
It was 6:58 am and I had just posted on Facebook that I was about to start. I was staring intently at my bike computer so I could hit the start button exactly at 7:00 am. It was now 6:59 am.<br />
<br />
Wait a minute, where are my water bottles?<br />
<br />
Quick into the house, grab the bottles, and back outside.<br />
<br />
The official start to <em>Crazy Faith</em> was 7:00:10 am. The 10 second goof fact bothered me for all of about a minute as I rolled out of the driveway and up the street. Oh well.<br />
<br />
The first big loop of the day was the <em><u>Tour de Christian Schools</u></em>. It was a ride I had done back on Labor Day weekend as a trial run. Basically, I rode to Grand Rapids Christian High School, then to Calvin Christian, over to Unity Christian High School, up and over to Allendale Christian and back east to Westside Christian School and Westend CRC. The loop was about 52 miles total.<br />
<br />
On Labor Day weekend, this had been an uneventful and thoroughly pleasant ride. For <em>Crazy Faith</em>, there was more traffic and a mechanical snafu.<br />
<br />
As a little back story, over the last several years I've had some issues with rear wheels. To keep it brief, I seem to be good at destroying them. Why is that? No idea really. Going into <em>Crazy Faith</em>, I knew my rear wheel was not completely right. Fingers were crossed and prayers were said to just make it through the day.<br />
<br />
By the time I had made it to Unity Christian, I realized that the rear brake was rubbing because of the wheel being out of true laterally. Nothing like starting a 12 hour ride with some brake rub. When I opened up the brake calipers to stop the brake rub, the tire started to rub the fender.<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
The tire rub didn't seem bad so I kept on riding up to ACS and back to Westend. Once back to Westend, I took the fender off (with help from my lovely wife) and made sure the brake caliper was open nice and wide to avoid brake rub. This made my rear brake non-functional but that is ok since I never use the rear brake anyway (I would be happy to explain why, if you are curious). Michelle was there with the kiddos and my Mother-in-law, Barb. It was really good to see them because it reminded me of why I was doing this in the first place.<br />
<br />
What to do for the next loop? My only planned route was the Tour de Christian Schools. After that, my route was up for grabs. One factor that I needed to take into account was the wind. If you remember, Saturday the 21st was quite a nice day. No rain, moderate temperatures, and occasional sun. The 15 mph wind from NNW did change my plans, however. Battling the wind for several hours did not seem to be the best idea on a day where I needed to ride for 12 hours.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, my second loop went towards Millenium Park, Indian Mounds Dr, Butterworth and up the new connector trail that goes from Maynard & Obrien to Rememberance. Not a bad loop, overall.<br />
<br />
Little did I know that Pastor Jeremy had been at church and was ready to ride with me. As many of you will know, Pastor Jeremy is not someone with a whole lot of free time on his hands. Just the fact that he was there and ready to ride speaks volumes. He didn't have to. It's not a job requirement.<br />
<br />
When I got back from my second loop, there was Pastor Jeremy, all geared up and ready to go. After a brief rest break and some more food, we took off.<br />
<br />
Oh wait, is that Scott DeKryger coming up the drive? Yep, it is.<br />
<br />
Scott had just returned from <em>le Tour de Donut</em> (which I highly recommend, by the way) and wanted to put in a little time. After a brief delay, we were off. Pastor Jeremy had about an hour, so we rode west on Leonard to Linden and then turned around and rode back to church.<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, this was the fastest loop of the day. Scott and Jeremy cut the wind (not the cheese) for me and basically pulled me along. It is truly amazing how much a little companionship can make such a huge difference. I have often heard it said that God shows his presence and care by sending others into our lives. You've got a firm believer in me! Michelle's effect on my life has long been proof of this.<br />
<br />
When the Scott/Jeremy loop was done, I had to decide what to do next. No one was around to ride with me. Do I brave the wind or brave some hills or find some boring, flat loop to do?<br />
<br />
What to do? What to do?<br />
<br />
I should pause to say that, by now, I was starting to feel it. I had been riding for something like seven hours. That's a long time in the saddle. My neck was sore. My back was sore. My legs were tired. I knew all of this was going to happen. None of it surprised me, but that does not necessarily make it better.<br />
<br />
The next hour and a half was not a ton of fun. Most of my thoughts were focused on how many different things hurt, how much they hurt, and how much more time I had to go. It was, truthfully, the lowest part of the ride. It was here that I questioned whether or not I would finish the 12 hours.<br />
<br />
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<em>"You've already done 9 hours. That's good enough. No one will blame you. You've already done enough."</em></div>
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And then I saw Dave!</div>
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<em>"You had me at 'Wanna ride?'"</em></div>
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</div>
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Dave VanderSchaaf was waiting at church ready to pull me along for a little while. His company was most welcome.</div>
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</div>
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For nearly 2 hours we rode out towards and then up the Musketawa Trail and then headed back to church. We bike dorked out and talked about wheels, pedals, shoes, DALMAC, bike touring and every cyclists favorite topic...the next bike! There is no topic quite as a juicy sweet as the next bike.</div>
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Was I still hurting? Yeah, I was. Did I notice it as much? No, not nearly as much.</div>
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</div>
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When Dave and I got back to church, my lovely wife was waiting for us to help me along for that last hour of riding. As my Facebook post said, "Just 66 minutes to go. Just 66 minutes to go".</div>
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</div>
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Michelle and I left church with almost exactly one hour to go. Due to the whole having-a-infant-thing, she hadn't been on the bike too terribly much. This was, realistically, a good thing. After having ridden my bike for 11 hours, there wasn't much of an all out effort in me.</div>
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</div>
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As we got back toward church, I realized there was still about 5 minutes left before 7 pm. My thought process was:</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<em>"C'mon, go hard for the last 5 minutes!"</em></div>
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So, I stepped up the pace as I was going around the block a few times. Not surprisingly, I couldn't "go hard" for more than about 30 seconds before I had to back off some and regroup. After 12 hours, your red line is kinda low.</div>
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</div>
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At 7pm on the dot, I hit stop on my bike computer and brought Gimli to a halt. One-hundred and forty-five miles. Not bad.</div>
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I rolled into the parking lot where Michelle was waiting for me. We snapped a picture, loaded up the bikes and headed to McDonalds! Extra large, salty fries? Yes, please!</div>
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By the time I got home, I was basking in the warm glow of endorphins, serotonin and lactic acid. That period after finishing a long ride is really a great one. Everything seems to be right with the world.</div>
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One might think that a person who had just spent 12 hours on a bike would want nothing to do with said bike for a long time. To be honest, that's not the case. By that Tuesday, I wanted to ride to work. The only reason I didn't is because the work day really didn't allow it.</div>
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By Thursday, my body felt pretty normal. In fact, by the day after <em>Crazy Faith</em>, everything except my quads and hamstrings felt just dandy. That's one of the wonderful things about cycling. Once your body has adapted to being on the bike, cycling really doesn't beat you up the way other sports can.</div>
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Next year? I think there will be a next year. Will I do the same thing? No. Will I still do something crazy? Yep. What about involving others? That seems like a great idea.</div>
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More later...</div>
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Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-70651609545086715252013-09-20T10:07:00.001-04:002013-09-20T10:07:15.935-04:00TwitchyI'm less than 24 hours from the start of my first 12 hour ride. Unfortunately, I have a slow day at work. A busy day would have distracted me from all of the quick-fire thoughts running through my head.<br />
<br />
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<em>"Gotta make sure the bikes are ready"</em></div>
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</div>
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<em>"Do I have enough food?"</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>"How often should I eat?"</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>"How much should I eat at at time?"</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>"How much water should I drink each hour?"</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>"How much caffeine is too much?"</em></div>
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</div>
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<em>"Make sure Michelle knows what to bring to Church for me"</em></div>
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</div>
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<em>"How often should I stretch?"</em></div>
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</div>
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<em>"Should I eat 1 or 2 candy pumpkins per hour?"</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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You know, the important questions.</div>
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Here's the goofy thing...once I get riding, most of my twitchy-ness will disappear. I'll be on the bike. I know what to do there.</div>
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Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-63507895436985980182013-08-28T10:32:00.001-04:002013-08-28T10:32:42.894-04:00Tabata intervalsThe following post will be my impressions of using Tabata intervals to improve fitness. I have to be up front that this is not going to be a formal, scientific review of the effectiveness of Tabata-style intervals vs other types of endurance training. All it will be is my impressions reflecting back to previous years of cycling in comparison to this year. There will be no "proof" given.<br />
<br />
Just so ya know.<br />
<br />
When I first got back into cycling in 2009, I saw a big jump in my fitness during that first season. In the spring, a 15 mile ride was quite an accomplishment. In October, I rode my first 100 mile ride. That is substantial change in about 3-4 months.<br />
<br />
This isn't all that surprising. If anyone starts a new exercise program, they will always see a big boost in fitness in the early stages.<br />
<br />
I think of it like climbing a mountain. Climbing the first 1/3 of the mountain will seem pretty easy compared to climbing the last 1/3 of the mountain. Building fitness is easy when you don't have much to begin with. The more fit you get, the more work you have to put in to see further gains.<br />
<br />
During the 2012 cycling season I spent most of my time on the bike just riding. There was no particular speed I was aiming for. There was no "structure" to my training. Hop on the bike and go ride. This attitude was undoubtedly influenced by my experiment with barefoot/minimalist running, which, admittedly, took up most of my mental energy.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against a good ol' fashioned bike ride. However, there did seem to be a downside to that strategy.<br />
<br />
I lost speed. Even when I would push myself a little harder, it didn't seem like I could go all that fast. My average speed really dropped. Most rides were in the 15 mph range compared to the mid 16 mph range. Who wants that?<br />
<br />
For this cycling season, I knew I had to do something different. There were several reasons for this:<br />
<ul>
<li>Leah - with an infant and two older children, I didn't anticipate getting in a lot of long rides. This has turned out to be true. My current mileage totals for the year can attest to the fact that I haven't been on the bike much.</li>
<li>Crazy Faith - when I decided to do the 12 hour charity ride for my church's Chrisitan Ed Ministry, I knew I needed to find a way to get as much out of each ride or run. Quality over quanity.</li>
<li>I don't like slow. Simple enough.</li>
</ul>
What I needed was good quality workouts to make up for the lack of mileage.<br />
<br />
In the past, I have heard about and done a few Tabata intervals. You can find a description at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training">this link.</a> The gist of it is this...go all out for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds and repeat 7 more times. It comes out to 4 minutes total. Four minutes doesn't seem like too much. You can nudge that 4 minutes into lots of different workouts.<br />
<br />
I started using the Tabata intervals probably back in May or June. The goal has been to do them either running or cycling a little more than once per week, which I have been successful at.<br />
<br />
Has it helped? I would have to say yes. When I do a more casual ride, my pace is typically along the lines of 16.5 mph vs something in the mid 15's. I certainly feel stronger on the bike. Hills are still hills but it seems like I'm getting up them a little faster.<br />
<br />
On several occasions, I have done rides between 15-25 miles which I treated like a time trial. Basically, my goal was to go all out and see how fast I could go. Those rides have been between 17.9-18.1 average mph. I really don't think I could have done that pace last year.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned above, I don't have any firm data to prove that I'm more fit. I don't own a power meter so that I can compare 1 minute, 5 minute and 20 minute power outputs. As cool as that would be to have, it is quite unnecessary.<br />
<br />
What have the workouts looked like? It has varied considerably. Below are some examples:<br />
<ul>
<li>Jog to a nearby trail, do the Tabata, and jog back. I usually take a longer route back home than I did to get to the trail.</li>
<li>On the commute to work - a few times I have had extra time on my ride to work, so I've thrown in a Tabata.</li>
<li>Long rides - I did one 30+ mile ride where I threw in a Tabata at around the 30 mile mark.</li>
<li>Ride to a high school track, do a running Tabata, and ride home. Once again, I have often taken a longer and more vertically challenging route home compared to how I got to the track.</li>
</ul>
This year has been the <em>Year of Opportunity</em>. What I mean by <em>Year of Opportunity</em> is this...with a full time job, a wife and three little ones at home, finding time for workouts is tough. I have had to take my opportunities where I can find them. That is where the Tabata intervals have fit in so nicely. I can think of one run that was about 22 minutes total between the warm up, Tabata, and the cool down jog home. Twenty-two minutes. That's all. Many of these have been done after the kiddos are in bed. I might not even start until 9 o'clock at night.<br />
<br />
If I was in the mindset of "I have to do a least an hour or it won't be worth it" then there would be no workout. I would end up being a schlub sitting on the couch.<br />
<br />
Twenty-two minutes. Done.<br />
<br />
Do I want every ride/run/workout to be high intensity? No. That will lead to physical and mental burnout. Sometimes you need to go out and Just Run or Just Ride.<br />
<br />
In fact, I think that's what I'll do this afternoon.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-58848152515765703962013-08-12T08:11:00.000-04:002013-08-12T08:11:25.773-04:00An Ode to Sam the SinglespeedNo, I'm not going to get all poetic on you. Not really my thing.<br />
<br />
When I ride to work, it is typically on Sam the Singlespeed. Sam is an early 90's Raleigh touring bike that has been converted over to a singlespeed. There is a rear rack from which I hang a kitty litter bucket pannier with work clothes, my lunch and other odds and ends.<br />
<br />
Sam was originally a 12-speed and was my first real road bike. I rode him for a little more than a year, including doing my first century ride (The Colorburst around the Lowell/Rockford/Ada area).<br />
<br />
Once I got Gimli the Road Bike, I didn't really know what to do with Sam. I liked Sam, probably for sentimental reasons. The switch to a singlespeed seemed pretty obvious. It cost something like $25-30 at the LBS.<br />
<br />
Whenever I ride Sam, I am reminded of how annoying gear shifting is. You are always aiming for the "Golden Gear". You know, that perfect gear that will allow you to glide along with practically no effort and at a high speed.<br />
<br />
In case you are perplexed, that gear doesn't really exist. You get glimpses of it every now and then when wind, weather, mood, and terrain mix together in that elusive mix that leads to cycling perfection. These glimpses are fleeting, to say the least.<br />
<br />
Sam just goes. We don't worry about gears. Sometimes we pedaling harder. Sometimes we pedal along smoothly. Other times we are not pedaling at all, just gloriously coasting down the hill, Sam and I.<br />
<br />
Sam is reliable. Sam is always there. Gimli has always been more finicky (must be all those gears). While Gimli is off getting a pedi-mani, Sam says, "Wanna go for a ride?"<br />
<br />
Sam is heavy and slow and cumbersome. He makes a series of odd noises. I don't know where most of them come from. They are just there.<br />
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Sam is not pretty. He is scratched and dinged and dirty. He gets a nice wash every now and then, but not often. Still, he is always there.<br />
<br />
Once I rode from Midland MI to Grand Rapids MI (107 miles) on Sam because Gimli had something or the other wrong with him. One-hundred and seven miles on a singlespeed bike. Sam handled it well. Didn't even flinch.<br />
<br />
Thanks Sam.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-58816142964750269252013-08-11T20:13:00.000-04:002013-08-12T07:51:47.920-04:00My Daughter, the Rabbit(Full disclosure - my daughter is not actually a rabbit)<br />
<br />
Today was one of the first instances of me doing something with one of the kiddos and us both actually, truly, fully having a good time. Up until today, all of the fun things that I like to do have been modified to fit the abilities of my kids. This has been done in the patient expectation of "Maybe someday <i>I'll</i> be able to enjoy this too".<br />
<br />
Hannah has been doing much better on her bike after a rocky 3 1/2 years. The last two nights, she has taken a ride around the neighborhood with Michelle and really enjoyed the ride. It <em>wasn't</em> FFF (forced family fun).<br />
<br />
She doesn't yet ride very fast so I thought why not run along side of her? I can get a good workout, she gets a good bike ride and we can do it together. Where is the downside? I cannot see one.<br />
<br />
The first lap around the big block went pretty well. I was definitely playing catch up towards the end. Hannah was even doing a really good job of taking the sharp 90 degree corners of the sidewalk. We stopped briefly after the first lap and decided to do a second. Hannah took off with a giggle and I pursued with a smile. This was cool!<br />
<br />
We were both having fun doing something we really enjoy, at the same time, without the need for modification! Fabulous!<br />
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By the end of the second lap, Hannah was a long ways ahead of me. I turned the second to last corner and heard very familiar crying.<br />
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Hannah had biffed it as she crossed a street and skinned up her knee. Poor Hannah Bear! We got her cleaned up, band-aided up and hugged up and all was well.<br />
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I can only hope this is a glimpse of what is too come. Hannah is the oldest. David and Leah are growing older and bigger each day.<br />
<br />
I eagerly await the day where I can say, "Wanna go for a ride?" and the response is, "Yeah sure old man but can you keep up?"Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-87972055963820965692013-08-10T11:05:00.000-04:002013-08-10T11:05:44.361-04:00Crazy Faith - a Ride for Christian Education<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earlier this year I joined the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christian Education Ministry Committee</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at Westend Christian Reformed Church</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. At the second meeting I attended, we discussed ideas for fundraisers for this upcoming school year (2013-2014). We discussed which of the old standbys we would continue with and whether there was anything new and fresh we could try. If you talk to my wife, Michelle, she will tell you that every now and then I come up with some pretty crazy ideas. Most of these involve cycling. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-66dc196b-68c0-31b1-16c0-225dbfe86cd4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guess what? I had a crazy idea! Here is my idea...What if I did a bike ride where I asked the congregation to pledge money on a per mile basis? What if I picked some crazy-long amount of time, like say 12 hours? Would this work? Would the congregation respond positively? Can I even ride that long?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When an ideas like this gets floating around my head, I can’t really get settled until I go and do it. So I’m going to do it! Saturday September 21</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">st</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will be the first </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crazy Faith - A Ride for Christian Education</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The basics are:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will ride my bike from 7 am until 7 pm</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During that time, I will attempt to cover as many miles as I can</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A GPS bike computer will track and record my ride</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mileage estimate is 130-150 miles total (I've never done this before so I don’t really know; honestly I’m just hoping to make it 12 hours)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day will start with a ride that visits all of the schools that the Christian Ed Ministry currently contributes to.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following the initial tour of Christian Schools, I will be doing ~25 mile loops that will begin and end at Westend.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During August, you will find a pledge form in your mailboxes asking for a $/mile pledge. Please fill out the form and put it in Mike & Michelle Terrell’s box</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will have the option of a flat donation</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michelle & I will be pledging $2/mile</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the funds raised will go toward helping church families pay for a Christian education for their children</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heartily</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> welcome others who want to join me for an hour or two (or three or four!). Find me if you are interested.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will ride rain or shine (Hooray for fenders!)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've created a Facebook event and Facebook page where I will post updates during the day</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Sunday the 22</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">nd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’ll give a brief review of the day</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crazy Faith</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? Because it’s pretty crazy and I will need faith in God to make it successful!</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any questions should go to Mike Terrell (</span><a href="mailto:mikeptocs@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mikeptocs@gmail.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can you pledge 50 cents/mile? Maybe a $1/mile? Go crazy and pledge $5/mile! I have faith in you!</span>Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-5504255403694336382013-08-10T07:34:00.001-04:002013-08-10T07:34:44.477-04:00I should be riding right nowIt's 7:30 on a Saturday morning. I'm an hour and a half into the ride I had planned on doing this morning except for the fact that I'm not.<br />
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When you are getting ready for a how-many-miles-can-I-cover-in-12-hours ride, you're not supposed to skip good quality training rides. You're supposed to wake up incredibly early on Saturday and go out and ride hard until you puke. You know, for the training effect.<br />
<br />
The fact that this post even exists tells you that I have utterly rebelled against that notion this morning. My bed was too comfy. The coffee was too tempting. Watching cartoons with the kids was too lovely to pass up.<br />
<br />
Better luck next Saturday.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-22672736136902111412013-08-07T15:26:00.001-04:002013-08-07T15:26:56.148-04:00Commuting gets easier the more you do it. Whoda Thunk?Commuting to work by bike has become more common as of late. It is likely a combination of good weather, an accomodating schedule and an understanding wife.<br />
<br />
One thing I have noticed, and this really shouldn't come as a surprise, is that the process is getting easier. The evening prior, I can usually get everything ready that I need for the next day in about 10 minutes or less. That includes clothing, wallet, pen, pocketknife, phone, and the bike. I know what I need and where it needs to go.<br />
<br />
One worry I had had was that commuting by bike would take too much extra time and, therefore, take time away from my family. That is a no-no for me. I don't want to be "that guy". Realistically, commuting by bike means I have to leave about 10-15 minutes earlier than I typically would and it probably adds about 15 minutes to my commute home.<br />
<br />
In return, I get about 50 minutes of good quality exercise, I save on gas, save wear and tear on my car, send a positive message to patient's/co-workers/ the general public and I send a good message to my kids (that one is pretty important by the way).<br />
<br />
The pros definitely seem to outweigh the cons.<br />
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Oh, by the way, it can be pretty fun too! Most of my ride is through the city. That means I can modify my route on the fly in any of a hundred different ways. The focus required to ride safely and pick the optimum route makes the ride feel...adventurous.<br />
<br />
On a ride home last Tuesday, I beat an Escalade from Michigan & Lafayette to Coit & Ann Street. I had to laugh.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-26867386083704099092013-06-06T09:11:00.000-04:002013-06-06T09:11:57.761-04:00How I became a commuterI've long enjoyed riding to work. Typically, I only do it on Fridays because it doesn't work out well on other days of the week. Maximize family time, ya know?<br />
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This week changed that. Our minivan broke down on Tuesday, leaving us with just one vehicle. In fact, I left work on Tuesday to rescue Michelle, David and Leah and then had to ride back to work.<br />
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By the end of the week, I will have commuted to work 3.5 times. As you can imagine, I'm pretty pleased about that. That will net me about 42-43 miles I probably wouldn't have rode otherwise.<br />
<br />
This got me to thinking. Gas prices are around $4.30/gallon right now. If prices stay that way or go higher, riding to work more often kinda seems like a no-brainer. It would probably save me about 3/4 to 1 gallon of gas per commute day. That's somewhere between $3-5/commute day. If I do that 2x/week over the next 12 weeks, we're looking at $72-120 in savings. I could deal with that. Money is tight everywhere. Why not save a buck or two.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-68871676364456515842013-06-03T12:04:00.000-04:002013-06-03T12:04:06.898-04:00To Sam or not to Sam, that is the question!As any cyclist will tell you, we are never satisfied with the bike/s we have. There is always something "better".<br />
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We swap cranks, saddles, handlebars, pedals, deraillers, brakes, you-name-it in the eternal quest for "<em>The</em> Bike". Once we've changed over everything possible, that's when get serious about which bike will be the next bike. The next bike will, of course, will be "<em>The</em> Bike". We're sure of it.<br />
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Actually, I should confess that the process is not nearly that linear. Cyclists are always thinking about the next bike, no matter what they currently have, even if they just got back from the bike shop after picking up a new ride. We were probably thinking about the next, next bike before we even laid our hands on the next bike. It's kind of sick.<br />
<br />
Why was I writing this post?<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, to Sam or not to Sam? Which bike will be the next bike? The eternal, unanswerable question.<br />
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A couple months back, I upgraded several components on Gimli the Road Bike. Handlbars were swapped, pedals were switched, shifters were changed and I even added a shiny new stem (just for kicks; it was totally unnecessary). A nice set of fenders were also added during the upgrade process and that's where we ran into a problem.<br />
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With fenders, the frame will allow 23 mm tires. Nothing wider. Riding 28s had been my goal, but I would need to take off the fenders and, well, I really like the fenders. Riding in the rain is kinda fun when you're not getting soaking wet and covered with road grit.<br />
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Ideally, I would like to have a bike that fits 32 mm tires <em>at a minimum</em> (35 or above would be ideal). Gimli the Road Bike won't even come close. I was hoping I might be able to squeeze 28s on but that was a no go.<br />
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What to do, what to do?<br />
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Ever since I first got back in to cycling, I have been mildly obsessed with <a href="http://www.rivbike.com/Default.asp">Rivendell Bicycle Works,</a> out of northern California. They have a vibe, an aesthetic, a philosophy that really speaks to me. They make bikes that are comfortable to ride, look very retro-cool, and are designed for the average joe (not racers). Their bikes are designed to be useful in many different circumstances, from riding to the store to fetch a gallon of milk to doing a century ride. These are not cheap bikes by any means but I have yet to hear anyone, anywhere say they are not high quality or they are uncomfortable. They only complaint I have ever heard about them is that they are not as light as some other bikes. The owner of Rivendell is very up front about the topic of weight and has a well thought opinion on the topic. Read it <a href="http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=29">here.</a> If you complain about the weight of the frame then you really didn't do your homework.<br />
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Several months back I had set my sights on purchasing a <a href="http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/f-hillborne-blue.htm">Sam Hillborne.</a> The cost for the <em>frame alone</em> is $1225! My estimate for saving up that amount of cash was in the 5 year range (that might even be conservative). But I was dedicated. I will perservere. I will buckle down and save every last penny I can find. I will not give in to temptation.<br />
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Why is this so important? I feel like a compromised when I purchased Gimli. I went with something that was kinda in the ballpark of what I wanted but wasn't really all that close. I rationalized (I'm pretty good at that, by the way). Since I purchased Gimli back in 2011, I've upgraded essentially everything on the bike. It's actually pretty cool now, but it's not quite what I want. Had I saved all the money that has been put into Gimli, I might have a Sam Hillborne right now.<br />
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In my head, I hear the little voice saying, "Steady now, stay the course!"<br />
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But...what if I could find a different bike that would be cheaper but would still fulfull all of the objective requirements I have for the next bike? What if?<br />
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What do I really want to do on the bike? Typically, my head is in two different camps.<br />
<ol>
<li>Ride a bike that is comfortable and solidly made with good quality components, even if it is a little slower than other peoples bikes.</li>
<li>Ride a bike that is still set up comfortably but might be a little lighter and a little faster.</li>
</ol>
The first bike would be much more of an all-arounder capable of hauling some stuff and doing fast rides by myself. It is when I'm with others that I would be disappointed.<br />
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The second bike wouldn't be able to have much more than a handlebar bag for a load but would keep up with friends a little better. Let's face it, fast is fun.<br />
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The Sam Hillborne is much more of the first kind of bike. I seriously doubt I wouldn't be happy with it. It's just that it will take so long to save the money!<br />
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Realistically, it will take at least another year before I have saved up enough money to do anything worth doing. Basically, this is a debate that will rage in my mind for at least that long and I will change my mind more times than I can count.<br />
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In the end, it is pretty trivial. I have two good bikes that I will continue to ride even if they aren't "<em>The</em> Bike".<br />
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Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-12608066894360552492013-06-02T20:51:00.002-04:002013-06-02T20:51:39.832-04:00Really, that's all I've done so far?Just yesterday, I did the 65 mile route for the 100 Grand Bike Tour (which I highly recommend, by the hoo). When I was done, I uploaded the data from my Garmin 500 to see how we did.<br />
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Overall, it was pretty good day. I rode with Dave Vanderschaaf and Scott DeKryger, pacelineing it the whole way. This was definitely new for me as I typically ride alone.<br />
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Just for kicks, I checked my mileage total for the year. 598.<br />
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What?<br />
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598.<br />
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Seriously, that's it?<br />
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Yep folks, it turns out having 3 kids, a lovely/beautiful/fantastic wife, and a full-time job will cut into your ride time. Who-da-thunk?<br />
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At this pace, I'll be satisfied if I get 1800 miles for the year. That would be 600 less than 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Oh well. At least the kids are cute.Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1578571881561618727.post-57673683354232169722013-01-10T16:42:00.002-05:002013-01-10T16:42:58.097-05:00What's Next?I'm such a dork.<br />
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Why? Do you know how much I love talking about bike gear? Do you really know?<br />
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This post will be dedicated to me writing about what bike gear I want to buy and why I want to buy it. For the vast majority of the population, this will be as fun as stale bread. If you smile when someone calls you a Bike Geek or if you get whiplash everytime you turn to see that bike that just passed by, you might actually enjoy this.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Gimli</span></u></strong></div>
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Gimli is my main bike. It is the bike I will do all of my<em> Big Rides</em> on for the near future. Because of this, it does tend to get the most attention. Recently, I realized I had replaced every component on the bike except for the handlebars, headset and brakes. Everything else is different (the wheels have actually been replaced twice).<br />
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The big projects for this year involve fenders and a new set of handlebars/handlebar tape/stem/stem spacers.<br />
<ul>
<li>The more I ride, the more I see the value of good fenders. Sam the Singlespeed has decent fenders and they really do a remarkable job of keeping water from spashing off the road and onto myself and the bike. My desires are fluctuating between a pair of fenders from SKS (plastic with an aluminum core) and a pair of <a href="http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/fender-sets/vo-37mm-aluminum-polished-smooth-fenders.html">shiny, aluminum fenders</a> from Velo Orange. The <a href="http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=mudguards&i=11013&RACEBLADE">SKS RaceBlade Fenders</a> would certainly fit and appear to have good coverage. The aluminum fenders from Velo Orange would look better and possibly be more durable. There is some question as to whether they would fit on my bike. I need to take some accurate measurements of the frame and brake calipers to know. There is also the question of wheel size. I want to be able to run the largest tire I can. The RaceBlades might not allow more than a 23mm tire whereas the Velo Orange fenders might accomadate a 25-27mm tire. Lots to think about.</li>
<li>When it comes to the handlebars and stem, the question = <em>Why Change</em>? The way things are set up right now, I feel fairly comfortable. If anything, I would like a set-up that would bring the handlebars up and back just a little bit. My current handlebars have a fairly short reach and my current stem is only 70mm long (stems don't come shorter than that; I've checked). Any change would likely lengthen me out or lower me down. Yuck. Why change then? Aesthetics, purely aesthetics. Gimli has grey paint with black highlights. The cranks, seatpost, and derailluers are all a nice and shiny, silvery chrome (or a decent replication of chrome). Most of this was done purely by accident but I have come to like the idea. What I would really love is a chrome stem, with chrome headset spacers and shiny aluminum handlebars with red or blue handlebar tape (red or blue just for that little "pop" of color). Also, I would order a new stem cap from a company called <a href="http://www.purelycustom.com/c-3-bicycle.aspx">Purely Custom</a>. You can get just about any color you want and have any message you want engraved on it. I'm thinking of <em>You Are The Motor</em>.</li>
<li>Oh, I almost forgot...brakes!!! Why replace the brakes? Why not? Gimli's current brakes do work, but not great. Plus, once again, I could replace them with nice, silvery/shiny aluminum ones to match the overall aesthetic. The question becomes, which brakes and what size? Brakes with a larger space between the calipers would make fitting fenders easier. Would larger calipers work on Gimli? I don't know. This is something I would need help with.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Sam the Singlespeed</u></strong></span></div>
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Sam has become my commuter bike. Recently, I put the fenders back on (which was quite <a href="http://mikethebikept.blogspot.com/2012/11/plastic-surgery.html">a process</a>) and put a rear rack on. Over the winter, my plan is to take some rectangular buckets and make DIY panniers. The idea came from an article in <em>Bicycle Times</em> that used kitty litter buckets. Long story short, you use some nuts, bolts, hooks and bungee straps to make what amounts to cheap, waterproof panniers for a rear rack.<br />
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As of now, I have one bucket that I got from our church. I had tried to find someone with empty kitty litter buckets, without success. One Wednesday morning, I was at my Bible study when I noticed that our church uses ice-melt salt that comes in a white, rectangular buckets (I'm guessing about 3.5 gallons, or so). Perfect! I asked if there were any extras and sure enough, there was! I'm not sure when I will get to this, but it will be fun to work on it.<br />
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The only other thing I would seriously consider doing to Sam is new brakes. Honestly, Sam can't break worth a crap. The brake pads were recently replaced and it really didn't seem to help a whole lot. There is one major problem with new brakes. Sam has 27 x 1 1/4 wheels. This is an older style that isn't used by anybody anymore, as far as I can tell. Brakes meant for 26" wheels or 700c wheels likely won't work (the caliper arms would be the wrong length). If I was to do this, I would have to get some help from one of the local bike shops.<br />
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That is all I can think of for right now. There will be more in the future. Maybe Sam could use a new saddle?Mike the Bike PThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425561489848677155noreply@blogger.com0