your daily bicycle log

rest 5 mins in between

Pootling like a vicar to and from work, twice.

Mine is going to be like this: Monday: grocery store; Tuesday: Dumbo bike shop; Thurs: Local bar; Weekend: Everywhere.

Repeat 4x per month.

well you should also post interesting tidbits of what happens during your ride, like a great out of saddle fart or almost killing a squirrel

i very nearly killed a rat the other day, coming down the alley to my garage.

apparently my friend paul broadsided one a few weeks ago, but the fucker kept ticking and straggled off into the darkness

i swear the fucking squirrels at prospect park have deathwishes

I was overtaken by a hearse last week, I'm sure this was a sign.

(PS. It was going fast, cos it was EMPTY)

WELL THEN! Last Sun I went to Floyd Bennett Airfield out at the end of Flatbush. It was a pretty meh ride, passing malls and suburban stuff, but I did run across a half-decent (paved) bike trail way out there, that followed the highway. Dunno yet what trail it was or where it goes, but it's a thought.

Also while riding down Nostrand being in love w/ the world I passed someone who started whooping "white girl, white girl". Neighborhood watch?

there are some great stretches on nostrand if you hit all the greens

I did not.

The airfield is fantastic, though, if you're a transpo/military history/aviation/old stuff geek.

yeah there is a hidden beach there, really weird area

I am so badly out of shape bikewise this year. I keep getting almost fit, then something else comes along that snags my interest so I go off and spend all my time doing that and I get all decrepitated all over again. I think I def. need to buy a proper road bike and get some focus back.

what else is there to snag your interest? stay away from women

Ah, you know how it is. Bike fitness takes huge buckets of time to cultivate. Sloth is so less demanding.

^ 'much'

to work: 4.5 miles of urban commute dodging broken window glass, jaywalkers, insane taxi drivers, homeless zombies, methed-out busdrivers, light rail tracks, subway grates, idiotic tourist drivers, etc.

from work: same as above but uphill (big hills).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/76039319_f5e81e4f93.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/76039318_18b5ac7ad8.jpg?v=0

STAY INFORMED, STAY ALERT

so who takes the squirrel out

bike shop charges extra for that

probably should leave it in like a spoke card

ONLY TREK WOULD MAKE A FORK THAT COULD BE BROKEN BY:
http://www.visi.com/~thornley/david/squirrel/Squirrel.GIF

he was just on the way home from collecting acorns :(

My initial reaction was WTF fork broken, but carbon fibre really is that brittle especially with loads out of the design axis like that. Riding a steel fork would have lead to squirrel guts spread around.

I wish I were riding my bike right now.

THE TREK 1000'S COME WITH A "BONG-RAGER" CARBON FORK NOW. NOT SURE ABT THAT ONE. I'D THINK THE SPOKES WOULD GIVE BEFORE THE FORK CRACKED.

that squirrel is going to be causing a tension load in the spoke, which they are designed for and a shear load in the fork which they are only designed for to a certain extent.

I am going to ride my bike in a few minutes and buy some fresh tagliatelle.

VERTICAL TENSION VS. HORIZONTAL TENSION! EITHER WAY, RIP MR. SQUIRREL!

Somewhere there's one of a critter in a disc brake assembly it is dire.

Oh ya, 14 miles business casual and pannier, 14 to go yet. It is supposed to rain. BUt, also 20mph tailwind out of NNW!

Nothing says for better or for worse like a pair of fenders. (nicked from someone in the internets)

Somewhere there's one of a critter in a disc brake assembly it is dire.

I have seen this, and it is THE HORRORS.

hunter where are you located?

Somewhere there's one of a critter in a disc brake assembly it is dire.

Pinkbike.com had it, it's pretty sad:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/745741/

omg the comments are sadder

i was gonna say.

lolz at flags: I AM FROM CANADA

commute today (a poem):

checked weather: no rain
went outside sunny and nice
rode first half happily
second half started with sprinkles
followed by drizzle
the fucking skies opened up (i was wearing thin sweater, t-shirt, jeans and sneakers)
lol soaked
now wearing samples
straight chillin

this is what this thread is about folks!!

lol soaked

Not how I do. I'm #*(%#&@~~~!!!

Cutty I'm in Denver xpo

I see olympic gold medallist S4ra C4rrigan out most mornings on the gold coast.

And Mc3wen will be ponying up and down the gold coast all summer too.

No ride today. Puncture. Only got fat tubes. Can you fit fat tubes (1.5-2.2 i think) into slick tyres (1.25 i think)?

Not really, you'll be much more at risk of pinch flats.

Invest in Slime.

an hour on the rollers, sweatnet = essential

quick zip in to work and back - left the house at exactly 9.30 and left work at exactly 9.30. front wheel need truing. both do probably. and brakes need some love. also some fucker in a big car tried to kill me twice this morning on tottenham court rd :/

did anyone watch the 'bike messengers are on crack' vid on youtube?

Quick zip up to the Wburg bridge, to the bar. Nice out, a little warm. The pulled pork and cigarettes slowed me down on the way home -- it might be uphill most of the way back to the Heights but it shouldn't be THAT annoying. Fuck stoplights, anyway.

Also fuck the white van that pulled over and stopped in front of my while I was cruising down Kent. They apologized as I blew by, but they weren't sorry enough not to cut me off, I noticed.

more poetry:

A little wet again
Douchebag on a rice rocket gunning it at every light only to slam on the brakes every
200 feet
I blow a red (no cross-traffic)
Almost catches me around 2 lights later
I hear a bang, look behind
2Fast2Furious doored by a work truck while trying to split traffic
Motorcycle down and skidding
Him on his ass
He looked fine (truck driver was on him already)
I keep riding

i call that poem shasta keeps riding

http://boomeria.org/chemlectures/qual/keepontruckin.jpg

2 HR RIDE W DDB, KILLN IT

OH YEAH, WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE. LATER TONIGHT, I'LL TRY TO GET TO FT GREENE IN A SKIRT AND HEELS FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY. UPDATES AS EVENTS WARRANT.

I flatted (rear) for the first time in ages riding home last night. Had a bitch of a time getting tire off (they're very tight fit), it was dark etc. I found the piece of wire that caused the flat, but the new tube leaked on remount, I think that tore it remounting. It was call for a ride or get over to broadway for the bus. I called. =DEFEAT.

"I tore it" that is.

you carry co2 or pumpage?

Mission accomplished, tho I'm not sure I didn't flash the traffic.

Actually I'm pretty sure I did.

For all recreational, CO2. For commuting, a crank bros micro pump in my saddle bag.

Testerday: Me, sick, weather- 72 deg and sunny

Today: Me, better, weather-

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7725/img0182bt3.jpg

2 hours again today, some high intensity intervals up in there

Cutty, you getting coaching?

yessss--this guy:

http://www.empirecycling.com/Sherry.html

SATURDAY, BROKEN TOE STRAP, SEVERAL ADJUSTMENTS, NO WATER, NO FUN.
SUNDAY, WORKED. COULDNT SEEM TO STAY ON BIKE, ATE SO MUCH SHIT.
MONDAY, MELLOW. PASSED ON DOWNHILL BY "FIXED GEAR DOWNHILL SPRINTER" VERY EAGER TO GET TO WORK I GUESS.

Saturday: cycled to Kingston to watch the football, then to the hospital to visit my grandmother. Man, hangovers don't half sap your energy, I felt pathetic. Nice weather though, and saw hell of deer on my way back through Richmond Park. Tried to photograph a big ol' stag but it's ruttin' season and it gave me a very dirty look so I couldn't get close enough.

Can a man on a bike outrun an enraged red deer?

I only rode to Dumbo and back BUT I overhauled the bb (SO SO DIRTY), checked the chain, realized it was massively stretched so replaced it, took apart the chainrings to clean & tighten all (2 out of 3 bolts were scarily loose), found the second (hidden) limit screw on my wack-ass Huret rear DR, adjusted shifting, lubed cables & pivots -- and WOW it rides like a different bike. SO SMOOTH now even though one of the things I confirmed is that my beautiful lg chainring is a little bent. We bent it back some, it'll do.

So quiet and solid now! I let it get too rattled, I should have done this a month ago.

How does a chain stretch (and wouldn't the derailleur compensate)? Sorry to keep asking noob questions, but I'm a noob.

Mark, the metal in each link of the chain will stretch over time, so you chain gradually get longer. Yes, this slack should get taken up by the rear mech, or on singlespeed bikes, you can move the rear wheel axle back in the dropouts to do this (if you don't, you'll end up with a baggy chain that will tend to jump off the chain ring). What will happen though is that as the chain stretches, it'll start wearing down the teeth on your gears in a funny way cos it won't be a proper fit. If you keep replacing your chain when the stretch gets to a certain amount, you can prolong the life of your gears I think.

so you chain gradually get longer so your chain will gradually get longer, duh

You'll find out all about chain stretch when you replace the cassette at the back without getting a new chain, and you'll be wondering why your bike doesn't work anymore.

Ah gotcha. What's the best way to check for chain stretch - or is it really noticeable? I remember on my old bike there was a resistance free split second before the pedals started working which I assume was because of a stretched chain but I guess the problem starts well before you reach this point?

What's the best way to check for chain stretch - or is it really noticeable?

Measure it with a ruler. Should be an inch per pair of links when new IIRC.

I remember on my old bike there was a resistance free split second before the pedals started working which I assume was because of a stretched chain but I guess the problem starts well before you reach this point?

Sometimes this can be down to wear where the crank sits on the axle, but also the top of the chain will be a bit slack when you stop your bike.

Should be an inch per pair of links when new IIRC

This is a pin-to-pin measurement BTW.

Or you could buy a chain wear gauge for, what, $15? $20? It's just a little thing, throw it in your toolbox.

this is the daily bicycle log thread

(1 hr on the rollers 90-100RPM)

One step ahead of you, Grumpy. See Tools thread.

just teasin boo

Cutty = JW-style own-board fascist :)

My Commute, by Hunt3r

White peaks, a pink sky
Make me forget that I have
a boil on my taint.

well done

LAST NIGHT, 11:45 PM, FLAT ON QUEENS BORO BRIDGE. I AS PULL OUT MY TOOLS, I REMEMBER I LEFT MY HAND PUMP IN MY MOUNTAIN BIKE BAG....WALKED TO SHADY GAS STATION IN LONG ISLAND CITY, IT STARTED TO RAIN! REPLACED TUBE, ASKED ATTENDANT FOR QUARTERS FOR THE THE PUMP (50 CENTS, WTF)...HE SAID HE DIDNT HAVE ANY...I BECAME SLIGHTLY UNHINGED, RANDOM SPANISH LADY GAVE ME QUARTERS FOR AIR PUMP. (THANK U MISS).

RODE HOME WET AND ANNOYED.

TODAY, RODE TO WORK IN RAIN. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Left work after sunset yesterday. Entered Hyde Park at Queen's Gate, rode past the Albert Memorial in the dark, all very lovely. Got to Alexandra gate - gates closed. Had to ride down 100 metres of singletrack(ish) - made me appreciate the need for really proper lights doing mtb at night - and then lift my bike over a waist-high fence. Ah could've been worse.

This morning I managed the Hyde Park corner double - both ped xings in one go. Difficult but not actually impossible, seems to be down to the whims of the traffic light gods.

Tom, is there any reason to go round HPC on a bike? Aren't there alternative routes where you're less likely to die?

I'll be doing two laps of Richmond Park on Saturday, but I have the excuse of my less-fit mate cycling with me so no lap times will be taken. Which is lucky cos I was almost 3 minutes off the pace last time. Damn you, age.

Cycled almost all the way to work thinking I was going a lot faster and riding on higher gears than usual, then realised I was actually on the middle chainring, not the big one. Woe.

Mark, I go across the ped (+bike) (+horse) crossings so it's not dangerous - just really annoyingly timed. Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge roundabout are another story - although traffic's pretty slow around them so they're not that bad.

Someone hit me today. A pedestrian with a magazine. Admittedly I has in the wrong I jumped a red light to get out of the sphere of a taxi that was sitting on my rear wheel. Only just as it was going red as well and as I went across the crossing, a man hit me with a magazine. I was flabberghasted.

haha! i always think ppl are going to shove sticks through my wheels :/

yesterday a lady (on a bike herself) tutted, frowned and shook her head at me angrily for riding without hands (ok i'm guessing that was what it was for, can't think of anything else), i was so surprised i started laughing at her and she looked even more annoyed.

should have given her the finger(s)

Playing chicken with people riding the wrong way in your 24" of allotted shoulder space: C/D? I was tempted on Tues but it didn't seem worthwhile in the end.

If people hit cyclists with magazines for crossing red lights in NYC, we'd need a second police force.

I frown and shake my head at people riding no-handed - in my mind. You reckless young whippersnappers.

Playing chicken with people riding the wrong way in your 24" of allotted shoulder space: C/D? I was tempted on Tues but it didn't seem worthwhile in the end.

i end up doing this w pedestrians who don't look before stepping into the road/bikepath all the time. maybe it's childish (no, definite;y it's childish) but fuckit, i'm not gonna hit them and the shocked little noises they make crack me up. and maybe they'll look next time.

We only did one lap of the park today as my mate rightly realised that 2 laps would leave him broken, seeing as he hasn't even looked at a bike in over a year. Was nice and relaxing riding with a less fit friend, though I did feel like I'd only done my warm-up by the time I came home.

rode down to whitechapel to pick up a new chai, cassette, tyre, brake blocks, to limehouse town hall where there were some nice people who helped me with it all, rode a made-up route home smooooooooth...

Chai? You yuppie :)

No rides today, unless it dries up a bit. Too much eating, instead.

rain saturday :(

90 minutes on the rollers

bought new saddle to replace shot 90s gel POS that came on my roadie
removed old seat
adjusted blinky light mounting
attached new seat
began to reattach seat stem
broke bolt that runs through seat tube while tightening

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeee

DAN: DOESN'T KNOW HIS OWN STRENGTH

BINDER BOLT. IVE BROKEN LOTS OF THOSE, THEY ARE ANNOYING TO REPLACE!

One and two halves of a 5 mile cross-country loop at Aston Hill. Wasn't much fun - it's an extremely rooty trail and in the rain it's just waayyyy too slippy. And the most exciting downhill section was chalk, which was also fatally slidy. Won't be heading back there until the summer.

4 hours easy easy

THAT'S how October gets done. THe bigger the base, the taller the pyramid and all that noise.

hi five!

easy jaunt to west town bikes for first day of build a bike class. awesome!

man i don't know what to eat on days where i burn 2,500 calories

A COUPLE SLICES OF EGG PIZZA SHD DO THE TRICK.

^^^ my french roommate buys a slice of pizza then throws a motherfuckin egg on it

Eggs with vegetables and goat cheese and a side green salad and corned beef hash and cafe au lait.

One and two halves of a 5 mile cross-country loop at Aston Hill. Wasn't much fun - it's an extremely rooty trail and in the rain it's just waayyyy too slippy. And the most exciting downhill section was chalk, which was also fatally slidy.

Hey Ledge, I've ridden there in the wet (my sister lives in Wendover) and that one steep slippery chalky switchback is NASTY DEATH. Good on ya for surviving.

Well we survived by walking down it... hey ya gotta pick your battles, discretion better part of valour, etc.

Ah, well don't worry, I won't tell anyone...

I set out to find a shortcut through the back of my neighborhood to a bro's place which is only really about a mile away, if I could somehow take a straight shot. I got lost and ended up 3 miles north of his house somehow on the other side of a gigantic 6-lane road that I didn't cross. I did find some railroad tracks though, so if I can retrofit my shit with some kind of theoretical rail-riding gear I am set.

I have seen such a thing, I have I have. For rail-riding on deserted tracks.

^^^ i have, too!

bike frame with an outrigger

http://www.freeridepgh.org/images/seanrailbike.jpg http://www.hellskitchenmuseum.com/images/sean.jpg

http://www.railbike.com/images/michael1.jpg

Good grief - wow!

HAHA HOLY SHIT.

OMG there are actually a lot of old abandoned railways around here, a guy could really have a good time on a thing like that.

90 mins-almost threw up after 1st interval, yay!

prospect park is best in the fall

apparently i start work as a courier on friday, so my log is about to get a lot busier

we'll see about this

I dunno, but I'm going to enjoy the stories.

90 mins-almost threw up after 1st interval, yay!

Awesome. (structured intervals in October is a bit unconventional?)

YES^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Last night was my first commute home in proper darkness. Fired up the Lumicycles and climbed up through the woods on the singletrack. Been ages since I've done any nighttime riding offroad, awesome to have those sensations again. Spooky shapes looming up then slipping away on either side, so so dark all around, nothing to do but chase the beam in front of you. Got to the top and on to the road over the golf course, city lights in front of me, the quiet shush! of wind off the sea, the tseep! call of the redwings arriving for the winter overhead. Fuck, one more hour and I can get out there and do it again.

Courier job sounds good to me, I'd love that I think. Never ridden intervals on a bike, had some solid dry upchucks running them on the track though. Enjoy!

Awesome. (structured intervals in October is a bit unconventional?)

4x6(20 second sprints at Z5/95% max + 40 seconds Z3)

everyone on my trainer's team placed 1st in one race or another last season, i'm going to do whatever he tells me to do

I GUESS IF U ARE PAYING SOMEBODY, HAVING THEM TELL YOU RIDE BASE MILES TILL ABT FEB, ISNT REALLY WORTH THE BUCKS.

i don;t know anything about bike training

I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT DOCTOR TRAINING!...........................OR DO I?!?!?!?

you seem to think you know everything!

go on tell me how to do surgery right

i'm going to do whatever he tells me to do

STAY! OFF! THE! DRUGS! ha

obey your coach obv. no march champions tho.

one of his teammates placed #1 in sunday cyclocross race

also 20 second sprints =! 30 minutes in Z4 or anything of that sort

what is Z(x)?

x is the interval, Z is the amount of reps

I DO KNOW A LOT!! ANYTIME U NEED ME TO CUT U OPEN...SAY THE WORD HOMIE!!

you aren't even good at WII surgery

i'd let you work on my bike tho

and i'd let you paint a picture of me holding my bike

Also in the HRM training regime of zones 1-5c, Z4 would be at/just below aerobic threshold power. The power based guys do it more calculated off of critical power/duration? xpost

and yeah i don't think of sprint repeats as intervals. they are their own hell. thats why i dint do them and sucked at sprinting.

Wii TENNIS IS WHERE I SHINE!

right, power training is way more accurate, but you don't start that until early spring for the real pain

Mapquest says I just rode 12.8 miles (6.4 there/back to/from coffee shop, where I hanged out for 30min). It is such a gorgeous freaking day; I didn't want to come in but we're having band practice here in t-minus 90min and the jam dungeon is kind of completely out-of-control.

cutty start an ian-style food consumption log

fatty

i'm somewhat moderate intake during the week, but on the weekends when i'm burning over 4000 calories i probably eat something every hour.

i really ought to buy like a flat of clif bars

I've been having Clif bars for brek b/c I love them, but at 250 calories it's really probably a bit much for one meal when I have desk job. They come in better flavors than stupid Luna bars, tho.

If you weigh all food and poop, you can back-calculate your metabolic efficiency, apply it against your tested CP30. When the resulting graph reaches a deflection point, you know youre in danger of overtraining.

k i'm ready to start coaching, i just need clients. i would love to see a coach convice his athletes to weight their poop. just be all 'this is how lance did it, bitch, start weighing"!

uh, "weigh." Or "weight," i guess. "Eat these balloons of lead shot and go train. once you shit that out, you will go uphill like a rocket!"

...apply it against your tested CP30.

http://daedalushowell.com/images/c3p0-luke.JPG

http://www.billkopp.com/keyboards/yamaha-cp30.jpg

heh, i dint evein notice that. it means 30 minute critical power, i think. xpost

i think hes holding up poop?

This is so exciting; all these gnarly cycling mathematical acronysms is incredible. I'm like those people in that thing about the cave seeing the sun for the first time.

"they say your methods have become unsound, coach." "get your ass out of that diaper and start weighing or you'll never make cat 2."

haha. OK COACH!

nick we haven't even gotten in V02 max and lactate threshold.

lactate threshold? sorry, bro, i don't drink milk

LOLOLOLOL GEDDIT

binder bolt replaced, went for a nice hour-long cruise to break in new saddle

Went for a ride just to listen to new(-ish) Cornelius album, rode/listened through it twice.

I'm not really logging all the grocery and/or beer runs because that would get tedious.

Oh absolutely. I only mentioned mine to be ridiculous -- and cos a lot of weeks local transpo's the only riding I do.

commuting is all ive done since the second week of Sept. thats a fucking tragedy.

Just to and from work today (14.25 miles, 1 hour riding time). I felt pretty good, I gotta say. Only got overtaken twice by other cyclists.

90 mins today, spinning in z3

got the cinelli fitted today also!

starting work as courier tomorrow.

Good luck man! How big's the area that you'll be covering?

No bike today as I am going away for the weekend and had to bring bags into work. Waiting for the bus on Theobalds road you get to see some pretty awful cycling, 2 near death experiences and some very bizarre stuff:

1) Mr scruffy media type why are you down on a small ring and standing up to pull away.
2) Pretty lady, look behind you before you overtake not halfway through the manoeuvre then you might see the lorry
3) When riding in a pack of cyclists going in a straight line is probably a good idea.
4) Mr Hipster, why were you riding down the wrong side of the road into the path of 30 cyclists 2 buses and a lorry?

gbx, will you start a thread for your courier experiences? I badly need my faith in couriers restored cos in central London they are THE most dangerous people on the roads and I get a bit angry sometimes.

Tomorrow I am intending to cycle to Weybridge - 16 miles I think? - so I'll report back if so.

easy hour ride.

bike is in the shop right now getting steerer tube shaved and a general fine tuning all around. front derailleur started acting up after the bike fit because i think the shifter cable tension got all outta wack.

I badly need my faith in couriers restored cos in central London they are THE most dangerous people on the roads

i am coming to the conclusion that peds are the worst offenders... last night at like 10pm i was heading east on the bike path thru bloomsbury, not many people around, i see a guy like 40 metres away skip out of a building and down the steps outside it and i'm going pretty fast and he is heading directly for a collision and surely he is going to look to his right as well as his left isn't he? ISN'T HE? no he's not omg so i yell "Oi! Watch out!" like quite loudly and he STILL blithely carries on so i yell again and at the last split second (i am on the other side of the bikepath by now and heading for the kerb) he turns and does this hilarious "weeuurrghgh!" thing and jellyfish move. then about 1 minute later i'm coming up to that horrible-looking generator hostel with the blue light and there are about 7 people walking down the pavement together with their backs to me, except one of them is in the cycle lane, i ring my bell but she veers into my path and i *just* miss her, as i pass i say "yeah, clever place to walk, well done" and she yells "BITCH!!" and i laugh. that route is deathtrap i swear :/

today i screamed at a kid who was just taking a stroll down the bike lane. yeah, just walking in the bike lane, not across it, with it.

I hate people.

Police car double-parked, city bus behind me, car PASSES me to pull over behind the cop, making my path suddenly 10 feet shorter.

OH WAIT I forgot to say that the cop car was parked IN THE BIKE LANE. I just skated into the bus's path and kept going, not much choice. Luckily bus driver wuz not asleep.

Did a quick hour just now; would've stayed out now but it got really freaking frustrating.

(see: BIKE PET PEEVES thread for details)

how did you make that hour so quick

usually mine is 60 minutes or so

10am -- show up at $COURIER company, begin filling out NICA paperwork ("workman's comp? bahahahahahahah")
12.30pm -- meet up with other courier who is going to show me the finer points of operating a cell phone and clipboard. he is a herb, and from kentucky, but a nice dude in general
1.15pm -- herb nearly gets swiped by a cab pulling quickly out into traffic. dude seems, at times, overly cautious (tends to wait at reds crossing one-ways, even when there is no traffic for like 5 blocks), and totally oblivious (see above) and a little unsafe. to his credit, however, he is NOT a sneering black-hoodied DRUM smoker, and is very helpful
2.30pm -- after shadowing like 4 deliveries, i am cut loose on my own.
2.47pm -- arrive at 35 E Wacker, deliver package to somewhere on monroe
3ish -- pickup at 737 N Michigan, which is a Neiman Marcus. Walked around, bemused, until finally asking a tidily dressed sales person in men's wear if he knows where suite XXX is. he very kindly informs me that i am in the wrong building, that yes, it IS confusing, haha, and that i should go downstairs to the lobby and walk through a particular set of glass doors. i follow his instructions, and present myself to a very surly security guard. i pick up the package (small envelope, actually), and head out to 800 w halsted. this is the longest run of the day, and it would've been nice to have a few more stops, as i basically could've hit nearly anyplace in the Loop on the way.
3.22pm? -- make delivery. wait about 15 minutes for dispatch to give me another run.
3.55pm -- arrive at 200 n lasalle. head over to 161 n clark, which is basically around the block, and where i completely fuck up the whole "getting into the building" part. security guard yells at me within steps of the door, telling me to use the messenger entrance. i tell her it's my first day, she softens, and points me in the right direction. after getting inside, i get the floor wrong (30 instead of 47), which means i have to go back down and get into a different bank of elevators. make the delivery (4.10pm), and the secretary is thrilled that my clipboard is so shiny and new! most of the time the messengers hand her grotty dirty manifests that she doesn't want to touch! eww!
4.30pm -- get a cup of coffee at starbucks. check in with dispatch. nothing -- it's late on a friday, not many runs to be made, and i'm low man on the totem pole. slowly roll back to headquarters after chilling in some building's plaza
5.10pm -- punch out, head home, crack beer.

also i fought with three pedestrians, u-locked a car, got a mohawk, and listened to hardcore music on my ipod while i rode against traffic

When can we expect the helmet-cam footage to go up?

i'll see what i can do

always use the messenger entrance

i didn't know where it was!

HA!.....GREAT THINGS ARE GOING TO COME FROM THIS EVAN! MANY MANY LOLZ.

A+ to you mr. gbx.

you are my latest guru. because you drank beer. the messengering is good too.

i'm leaving for my 14 miles home. its too cold waahh.

DFuuck do not cycle in tight jeans. How do the skinny minnies do it? I don't need my clothing to work AGAINST me and pinch things.

Also: drunk. Also: my light fell off my back poskcet somewhere along the way, probably when I hiked my tightest-ever jeans up at a stoplight.

Off to brave the wilds (not wild) of Surrey (flat). I will take my camera.

And I'm back. Longest ride I've ever done.

35.66 miles
2 hours 18 minutes riding time
Average speed: 15.43 mph

Here's the map (central London and Heathrow included for scale) - I cycled through Richmond Park on the way, and through Teddington, Twickenham and Richmond on the way back.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/weybridgecycle.jpg

The maps's slightly out as I cycled along quite a few miles of riverbank - the route should be about 5% longer. Like a nob I forgot my camera which is a real shame because the autumn sunlight on the river was beautiful.

Here's proof of the flatness of the route:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/Weybridgeelev.jpg

nice work mark. break those records!

W-I-N-D-Y 3 hours today. ouch.

H-h-h-h-haaaands c-c-c-old. Glove time.

I've been doing 10-14 miles a day this weekend -- Cavestomp at the Warsaw making up about 9m of that, plus some Prospect Park loops and errands. Tonight is the last of the shows, though.

Also just realizing that the park loop is like 3.6 miles and can be accomplished SUPAH QUICKLY relative to same distance on city streets. GAAH traffic, lights, stupidity.

you were in prospect today? i was there from 8:30 - 12:30 :/

park loop is 3.3 i think tho?

No, I went yesterday. Friend works there, met her and got tour of boathouse/nature center.

Good news: have established that my patent leather red flats and my pointy-toed black boots both fit into toe-clips. Sadly motorcycle boots do not, can't get feet directly over the pedals.

Also there's a bike lane all the way up Bedford now, which is no biggie if fast traffic doesn't bother you, but nice for everyone else.

yeah, im enjoying that bike lane through the hasidic wburg

OMFG 4 hours of a 3.3 mile loop. sorry for that. after 4 hours i bet you now exactly how long it is.

No biking this weekend. But I have discovered that the isle of white has miles upon miles of cyclable bridleway on good chalk downs. Need to get that cross bike, with a triple crank though.

Bike lane is awes b/c on the left you never have to fight w buses and it keeps the fast left-lane traffic out of your ass. However when the street is closed for a shtetl block party (LIKE LAST NIGHT), bike lane is less useful.

Why does the park loop hill always hurt SO much? My suffering seems out of proportion to other hills/bridges I'm used to.

OMFG 4 hours of a 3.3 mile loop. sorry for that. after 4 hours i bet you now exactly how long it is.

yeah it's not that bad because there are plenty of group riders chugging out the same mileage as you. unless you have the time to get out of the city, there aren't many options for traffic free, light-free, training rides. central park loop is 6 miles, so a little more variety, but the marathon was today.

Theres a local park in town where you can do hottie spotting laps of about 2.3 miles, but there's no way you could train there. If you were to try, you're a douchebag, because you end up with a bunch of 200 lbs treksters on your wheel, and you endanger scores of 4 year olds and geriatric rollerbladers. And cops are there with radar- 15 mph limit. So its good its not too hard to get out of town.

Do the NYC parks turn into training races or what? When theres that many people, and not too many venues, I envision like 60 rider packs in those joints.

Fifteen mph limit?? That's like a normal cruising speed, isn't it? God forbid there should be a downhill or a tailwind, apparently?

Well, 10 years ago it was sorta routine to have people doing 25mph+ plus laps, but the inappropriate nature of that speed produced either a lower limit, or increased enforcement, not sure which.

I've never seen the park loop that congested, there are SOME people obv training most times I've been there, but the biggest groups I've seen were 2-3 people. Maybe early mornings are different? I think that's when the SRS riders come out.

I guess the nearest match round here would be the reservoirs, one in SE Denver one in the S Denver, and they each have 10 mile "laps," and plenty of rec racers training. Good spots. But each are almost an hour's ride from downtown.

no there are def large group rides in both prospect park and central park. could be anywhere from 15-20 people sometimes...

the most popular group ride outside of NYC is the george washington bridge->piermont->nyack trip up 9W

To Greenpoint and back on the heavy-as-shit 3-speed. I forgot that riding a slow bike really isn't a problem cos they're geared low, as long as you don't mind poking along and not going too quickly. Nice out tonight, not too chilly. I do love drunken night rides when your energy is good and the cool air perks you up and hardly anyone else is on the streets.

OH HAPPY DAY!

The tavistock place/torrington place bike lane is now cyclable end to end for the first time in years, I am sure they will be digging it up again by the end of next week.

look out for COMPLETE FUCKING MORAN pedestrians.

I had done of those on maple st at lunchtime and my only accident in recent years was caused by one on tavistock place.

yeah they are incredible. it's definitely the most well-marked, clearly separated "HELLO! BIKES COME DOWN HERE!" bikelane i regularly use, and also the one with the most fuckwit pedestrians walking into/along/over it.

Apparently there are no bikes allowed in the cemetery here; is that normal? I was so excited when I rolled in there, miles of crisscrossing empty roads, beautiful trees and mausoleums, I figured this would be my new favorite ride spot.

I did another 90 minuter this morning, but thanks to getting kicked out of the cemetery most of that was just Froggering in traffic; I'll probably ride to my buddy's house up past the JIF factory later if it isn't raining, where I will play drums and drink beer. That ride home is great; entirely downhill, ridiculously wide bike lanes, the great peanut butter smell of the factory.

Also me and the boy rode the whole perimeter of my grandparents' farm yesterday on a couple funky old Huffys, it took us about 2 hours, but we were stopping frequently to climb bails of hay, watch the neighbors run their horses, etc.

Lycra-clad dudes zooming around a cemetery doesn't really smack of proper decorum, so it seems fair enough.

Because dead people care.

cemeteries aren't for the dead though

No, you're right. Maybe some cops to enforce a speed limit and lycra-ban? Surely the nearest and dearest to teh deceased can't object to nice, staid, classy looking father-and-son bicycle outings on heavy old machines, it's practically an affirmation of everything the aged are supposed to stand for.

TOTALLY FUCKING EXHAUSTED

more after i eat all of the food in my house

Brrrrr. Although three layers actually too warm, could do with a thinner middle one. And a headband maybe.

Also, asshole in a Lexus doing some kind of idiot reversing in the main road manoeuvure, right into the path of traffic already backed up by temporary traffic lights.

what kind of layers are they?

http://www.kitchenlink.com/ch/2000/august/desserts1.jpg

thin wikking base/fairly thin mid/wind & waterproof.

kkck

I am gonna need something long-sleeved soon for when it does get cold and i don't wanna wear my waterproof all the time cos then it will get stinky

i was looking at long sleeved jerseys but i can't afford to buy like 6 of them or whatever

are they worth it?

maybe i should just go and get a bunch of long-sleeved ts from the charity shop...

There's always arm warmers as a stop gap measure. Or wear a warm base layer under your short sleeved jersey.

If you get the wicky cycling jersey,s emsk, you can rinse them out every night and they will be dry by morning. check eBay, there are normally loads of cheap ones there.

Tom I was fine in a regular long sleeve t-shirt yesterday. Waterproof? It wasn't even raining!

I kinda wish I'd cycled today - yesterday I just had so much energy (and my combined commute time was 56 mins - never done it below 57 before), and today the weather's nicer. But, I don't read scripts when I cycle and they're piling up (non WGA, I promise!!), so I took the train. However, I am wearing my Condor cycling jersey :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/1580010955_3360df0efc_m.jpg

(weird, I img-ed that okay I thought. Anyway, it's a pic of my sweater)

I can see it. Con D'or eh?

There's always arm warmers as a stop gap measure. Or wear a warm base layer under your short sleeved jersey.

-- NickB, Tuesday, November 6, 2007 12:18 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

arm warmers! what? i have never seen these! i think 2 layers will be too many for me, even in coldest january after 15 minutes i'm having to stop to pull my top layer off. i think it's cos i always use a backpack in winter so it keeps my back warm.

If you get the wicky cycling jersey,s emsk, you can rinse them out every night and they will be dry by morning. check eBay, there are normally loads of cheap ones there.

-- Ed, Tuesday, November 6, 2007 12:20 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

cool thanks! sizing is all weird though..

Snood is definitely the way forward for me I think. Handy for snowboarding too.

Race-gimp arm warmers:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Full/18090.jpg

Those pictures spook me a bit, cos there is obviously an arm in there, but never any body or hand attached. Gah!

raining here in NYC. roller session while watching heroes and curb your enthusiasm.

Mens sizing is 1-5 and I am a 3 or a 4. I'm not sure about women's, go and try something on in evans and buy it somewhere cheap. Emsk, I wouldn't advise you trying to squeeze into a men's.

so i never wrote that log. oh well.

heading to work in fifteen. "high around 45F, 20% of precip, winds could gust to over 40mph"

yikes!

Maybe I need more layers than you hardy souls because I have zero body fat. Actually my flatmate has some of those fancy scales that measure/estimate/guess yr fat ratio etc. Apparently I have 5% body fat and my physique or health "age" is 12!

i've never quite understood how those things are supposed to work, but isn't the only truly accurate measure of body fat obtained if you do the submersion tank thing?

Out of the house at 6.30 for an hour or so of modest pottering around the country lanes north of the Downs before the abrupt hoik up to the top of mean old Ditchling Beacon. Would have preferred to go and get muddy offroad instead really, but some heavy-handed fettling with the big spanner bolloxed up the rear brake on the Voodoo, oops.

xpost they mostly make it up i reckon. supposedly they put a current through you and work out yr fat from yr conductance; but they have tables of body types built in, and you tell them your height, so it's not too hard for them to go "6 foot and 135 pounds? you'd be a bit skinny then".

first truly COLD morning. felt great. 90 mins.

So cold last night, too! I really really didn't want to leave the warm shop & get back on bike but by the time I got home I was toasty.

Dammit, I need a longer ride into work.

I wish there was a nice accessible stretch that I could use for riding to work, but between Manhattan traffic and the bridge workout I think I'd always arrive disheveled, sweaty, and late. Not a good outcome.

Dammit, I need a longer ride into work.

Do what I do and just start off in the wrong direction.

I should. The problem is I don't really want to do that on the Ralleigh and I don't want to lock the merckx outside.

lock the frame and bring the wheels in?

i go for a ride as soon as i wake up, then come home all sweaty and gross and then off to the shower to start my day. i don't have a shower at work unfortunately, it's one thing i wish we had.

I'd worry about component harvesting then. This area seems to be pretty bad for thieving, my boss had his motorbike nicked and there is always broken glass from car theft.

component harvesting! im glad i live in flyover country.

*leaves to go check the IR8*

Mad weather last night, with really cold raindrops being driven into my eyes like bullets by the wind. I hate it when you realise that drivers can also probably see just about bugger all too, makes you feel so vulnerable. Two minutes into my commute, already cold and soaked I went past a cottage with wood smoke coming out of the chimney. What an amazing smell that is in the when you're stuck outside in a storm.

My rear brakes collapsed on the way home last night and I did not have my multi tool only an spanner so wasn't able to do a good job fixing them. Rod pulls are really rubbish.

Pro of last night: I'm really liking rides in the "cold" so far. I know it's going to get much worse, but so far it's a blast -- I can get all the way home and barely have broken a sweat over 3-5 miles. Brilliant!

Con of last night: now that there's a protected bike lane on Bedford, everyone's using it to go THE WRONG WAY. Someone almost hit me last night (I was turning and didn't see him) and I passed another 5-6 people riding against traffic as well. It's not a poky back street, it's a MAJOR three- or four-lane artery through Brooklyn, GET THE FUCK OFF. Plus minivans EVERYWHERE parking in it oh god I was so cranky....

Still am.

i really love cycling in the cold!

they need to make a parallel bike lane on nostrand i think

Isn't Lee a totally weird street? Sometimes when I'm drunk/confused and don't take Wythe I end up on Lee, and it's so 1903 Lower East Side-ish.

generally i like riding through hasidic williamsburg because of that feeling of being somewhere truly alien

Oh, I agree, esp during holidays like Sukkot or Purim when you can see stuff going on, people partying in the streets, etc. I dislike the part where it's pedestrian Frogger, though.

seriously, the idea of riding in bkln is as exotic to me as riding in patagonia. scenic vistas crazy wildlife all that.

nice commute this morning, not as cold, in the mid 30s (weve had a few mornings in the 20s and i had to break out insulated gloves, which i dont liike). its sposed to be 75 degrees today!

i'd prefer riding in colorado.

It's stayed in the 30s-50s f and dry all this week here, my favorite riding weather.

I've been riding around in this broad swath of town I've somehow never (until I guess last weekend) been in...there are these great broad ancient tree-lined streets back there, how did I miss this? The streets don't really form any kind of logical grid and I've gotten lost back there at least 3 or 4 times already.

got out of work at 1:15
raced up to north beach to pick up coat from @l's @ttire
flirted with texan seamstress there for 15 mins., hi u r a qt.
raced up and over chinatown (seriously avg. over 25mph)
swooped down past union square into SOMA flying through traffic
picked up car from shop
drove 2 blocks to jaxon's loft at 1:50.

total ride time 20 minutes, probably covered 7 miles through hilly trafficed conditions.

NOTES FROM THIS WEEK:

* have encountered two old-timey elevators with full-time operators. after leaving one of them, a fellow passenger told me that the old guy that ran the elevator had been doing it for 58 years. (!!!)
* probably averaging at least 25-30 miles a day, maybe more. the round-trip commute is 12 miles alone.
* OVERHEARD ---- three middle-aged black women discussing turducken
* OVERHEARD ---- my dispatcher, at the end of the day, on the phone with his lady, in the tenderest voice you can imagine: "now you know all i want is the best for you, but bitch, you got to stop playing me"
* the fact that i am polite and say please and thank you when i pick-up/deliver seems to amaze most office workers. it has gotten me coffee on at least three occasions!
* most of my comrades are (a) middle-aged black or hispanic dudes on the grind, paying bills (nice guys!) (b) weird strung out/toothless middle-aged men of all ethnicities (i have encountered at least three that mutter to themselves while they work) (c) young men using messing as an excuse to have a chip on their shoulder ("those fuckers are so rude to me whenever i show up, man!" MINUTES LATER: "...yeah, i usually have my headphones in the whole time, why?") (d) soft-spoken dudes/chicks that just want to ride bikes (i knew some of these dudes before i started work...good people) (e) herbs
* i went to the Dunkin Donuts in the Thompson Center (where all the couriers on standby tend to post up) and ordered one donut and one coffee. the cute girl behind the counter gave me two! score!
* i have never had a job that offers such a wealth of opportunities for girl-watching. it is an embarrassment of riches. maybe related: couriers seem to be inveterate cat-callers, and god help me i think i might turn into one (of sorts). in the few days i've worked, i've nearly called out boring-nice-guy stuff like "you're pretty!" at like 50 cuet office girls on the sidewalk. i'm finding it very difficult not to flirt with the secretaries, who must get that shit all the time. instead i just check missed connections, like a loser.

* i need a cham, v v badly
* the guys that get paid hourly have no hustle and don't do shit
* my rear wheel is already out of true :-/
* apparently my company has an account at a few bike shops, so i can buy stuff and they deduct the cost from my paycheck in installments? this seems like a good thing and also a very, very bad thing
* there is one dude that smokes joints at the Thompson Center, in the open, and like a few hundred feet away from the cops that come and go all day
* today i spent a half hour (!!!) looking for an address, only to be told by dispatch that the destination was not actually a building, but the future site of a building, and that i should just make the drop at the trailer in the construction site.
* i think i'm gonna need a bigger bag (and i'm already lugging a BaileyWorks large)
* Dear lady that works the dock at 303 e wacker: u a bich

on bike yesterday @ 5pm, did about 2/3rds of the melbourne 'capital city trail' bike path - 20km from park up the road from my place to flinders street train station. total time around 2hrs. great weather!

I have no recollection of how I got home last night or what route I took especially round kings cross. I had to check my bag this morning to check I had actually locked my bike up. My headache has only just subsided. Damned Red Stripe.

WHERE ARE MY SHOES

HI HAITCH!

3 hours yesterday (shitty out, sun for about five minutes)

2.5 hours today (beautiful, sunny, brisk!)

ddb bitched out on me we were supposed to go to nyack

Couple of hours at Leith Hill, haven't been there often enough to find the good singletrack but did a couple of good downhills, v loose and rocky. Also pretty dry considering the recent rain, so worth going back. Perfect autumnal colours as well, and great light filtering through the trees. And tea and cakes at the top, of course.

in america it's clif bars and gatorade

barbaric

Clif bars, num. There's a thread for them already, isn't there? I want to talk about how good the cranberry-almond one is.

pear apple strudel is still kicking my ass

its all about chocolate peanut crunch.

I gotta try me some.

Whoo cold! The body warms up after about ten minutes, but sadly the feet do not. I'm going to need heavier socks.

5 minutes down the road, front tyre goes flat. 10 minute walk home. Fit spare inner. Cycle to work in horrible traffic and even horribler low-angle winter sun. I can hardly see a thing most of the way in. I could wear sunglasses, but I feel a bit funny doing that in autumn.

on @ 9.30pm, rode for about an hour post-dinner. tried to keep steady rhythm on capital trail (counter-clockwise) for a while, then got on quiet but wide roads and went hard for about 20 mins. thought i'd fucked up chain with downshift as i pulled up to a light, but false alarm. cruised around for another 10 minutes after that then went home. might've gone 12, 13 km? beautiful clear night.

i am getting quite a taste for this with the good weather. i may ride to work tomorrow.

sup cutty!

36 deg and intermittent drizzle. perfizzle!

Totally awesome weather here today. Good day at work, kept fairly busy.

Two bummers, however, one minor and one not-so-minor-at-all:

(1) keep getting told by "old hands" that my company blows and doesn't pay all that well, which is bad news, esp considering

(2) i took off someone's mirror today. before you guys get jumping down my throat, however, let me say this: riding across a wet grated bridge, SLOWLY lacing through cars in gridlock (ie - not recklessly, just doing it like any old person making their way to the light), i over correct my front wheel and start going down. brace my hand against a van (good), but this just tips me into the car next to me, and i brace against it's mirror (BAD). off goes the mirror. i felt fucking terrible, and had the guy meet me at the corner. gave him my number, etc., and he calls me like 30 minutes later. estimate: $500 for a fucking color-matched Toyota Camry mirror. there goes my first paycheck. barf-city.

Oh no, what a pisser! You did a good thing sorting it out though I think, hope yr repaid you with better breaks today.

hope yr repaid you (frozen fingers, broken-down brain)

Unpleasantly cold, hungover ride in today. Tailgated a bus to enjoy the heat of its exhaust. Does anyone else do this?

We've got buses that run on old cooking oil in Brighton. If you do that here you end up smelling like burnt fish.

fantastic ride home starting midnight last night from shepherds bush to homerton... 10 and a bit miles of deserted streets, freezing, still air and me and the bike FLYING... i'd forgotten how much fun that journey can be

gbx does your company not have insurance for this kind of thing???

If courier companies don't insure their riders my opinion of them is going even further down...

insurance, HA!!

90 mins on the fluid 2 trainer today, my first time using it--OUCH! they were serious when they said resistance.

How do you not go mad spending 90 minutes on that thing?

i watched curb your enthusiasm... then i watched the news

then i was my power animal

no, really, i don't have a power animal (yet)

it's called mental stamina! come on!

Why would courier companies INSURE anyone? Insurance is expensive, yo! As far as their employers are concerned, the people riding the bikes are prob only a step or two above the guys delivering Chinese food.

I'd love to do a ten-mile night ride that started at midnight. NYCers: any one ever been on one of the moonlight rides in either Central or Prospect Park?

Mark's assignment this week is to watch the entirety of Quicksilver from the comfort of his trainer.

gbx youre tops, i'm really sorry to hear that.

my sister stepped off a curb on Beacon St and got knocked into next week by a courier. the courier stopped, said "you alright?" she said "uhhhhh..." and he replied "lady, id stick around, but i dont' have insurance. i gotta go." and off he went. (she was alright)

last night i flatted my rear. fixing a tire on an internal with fenders kinda sucks, thank god it was like 50 degrees and pleasant. if the makers want internals to sell broadly, i think they're gonna need to solve the 'bolt-on' issue. no way a normal person wants to deal with that.

dont know if you remember steve larsen the mtb pro, but he did like 90% of his training one year on his trainer to save time-he said it doubled his efficiency. so count every minute on the trainer double and you can probly just ride 6 to 8 hrs on the trainer every week.

xpost that last bit to cutty obv.

Hahah all my wheels have bolted on, internal or no. Is it too much trouble to just snag out the part of the tube with the hole in it? Oh, I guess that only works when there's a nail or glass or something stuck in and you can see where it is. Still....

dont know if you remember steve larsen the mtb pro, but he did like 90% of his training one year on his trainer to save time-he said it doubled his efficiency. so count every minute on the trainer double and you can probly just ride 6 to 8 hrs on the trainer every week.

this might happen this winter depending on snowfall. cold won't stop me, but snow will.

Hunter that's very interesting - how is the trainer more efficient? fewer stops and starts, complete control over the speed/cadence/resistance etc?

Laurel I don't know what Quicksilver is. I feel like ILTRMB's Tuomas.

Well, my recollection is hazy as to the exact assertion, but larsens point was that he was his whole team and mgmt, and wearing that many hats meant he couldn't lollygag, even on the bike.

exacty mark. dont know if its really 2x as efficient, but if you look at power meter readings of a long ride, esp group ride, or one without very structured format, eg. intervals, hill repeats, a lot of time is spent coasting or soft pedalling. big group rides, if you dont hit the front, you can do like, nothing. (even this has big benefits over say, drinking the afternoon away of course)

depends on the group tho. ride the bus stop out of boulder in january when the national pros are home, and you might still get blown out just trying to sit on.

laurel i'll have to try that. but itd be hard to pull out just the cut bit as the bike is super unwieldy-tight bead, heavy, bell wouldn't allow bike to three point cleanly, and rack and fenders make access worse. i'll try though, yall are the bolt on experts. i have move that bell, but drops have so little space and i have two lamps in addition.

Only if by "expert" you mean the fact that I keep a cheap 6" adjustable wrench in my bike bag. Which isn't very experty or specific, really, but more a requirement of circumstances. Anyway, yeah, you pretty much HAVE to 3-point it, that bell is a problem. I admit I'm protective of my Brooks, so I keep some shop rags in the bag too, so I can put one under the saddle point and not scratch it. Haha.

One I go to QR hubs, I'll probably never go back, I know. But right now, bolt-ons don't seem like a big deal since it's all I've got.

complete control over the speed/cadence/resistance etc?

this is the key. no external factors influencing your targets and goals for the session.

NO FUN

I might do a quick train tonight before dinner, get the endorphins going.

xpost srsly my first "good" year was the result of having no fun on the bike from november to july other than the outcomes of particular races.

if/when you finally plateau it will probly not be worth it anymore. everyone gets about 4-5 years.

its key to persuade self that the misery is the fun

well it's not like i would ever choose the trainer over a REAL ride--it was raining this morning

plus it's going to rain tomorrow... and thursday... and friday

thank god friday is a rest day

What is it you're training for anyhow Cutty? Got any target races you're aiming for?

i'm training for the entire 2008 NYC amateur racing season. there is not one race in particular but i obviously i will choose 6-7 specific ones to focus on. there are plenty of races to choose from: prospect park, central park, floyd bennett memorial park, bear mountain...etc

When does that all kick off then?

2008 racing schedule not up yet. march.

Ah, you'll be flying by then. Like a mad monkey set free.

Sorry, actually that's not an entirely flattering comparison to make.

i will be in prime shape but then comes the real in-race learning--tactics, strategy, the paincave

It'll be awesome I'm sure. Feeling a wee pang of envy here I've gotta say. I was always shit at races and could never really get any consistent training together before I'd overdo it and wind up wrecking myself. That said, I'm getting a severe urge to put some big hours in and go and wreck myself all over again. Anyhow, stay sane man!

thanks! the training is so embedded in my life/daily routine at this point that i'm sure i can maintain everything and be at my peak performance come the summer. what i'm looking for now is a team to work with and learn from and i'll have more confidence come race day.

im glad and only a little envious that you have the enthusiasm and opportunity to do it.

im incredibly grateful that i no longer have the enthusiasm to do it as it had become a barrier to other things.

my lack of opportunity is an issue to resolve/accept for the next x years (hopefully /= until im dead).

lack of opportunity = job or wife?

u forgot kids (2). mrs hunter is a far better athlete than i. age grouper now, but international level. she'd support me wasting my time with bike racing, within reason.

being a local scrub when s/o is actually very very good = v. inspiring/ little depressing

i need me athlete wife

so the guy is jerking me around. i will not go into details on the internet, but basically his car (1994 $IMPORT) blue books at about 4x what he quoted me for the mirror (hey, give me a few more weeks guy and i'll just buy the whole thing!). which seems smelly.

also: insurance, LOL. as a private contractor, i'm on my own for everything: health, liability, etc. messengers are very low on the totem pole, and yeah, about one or two rungs above chinese food delivery guy. although, secretly, as an employee he'd at least get workman's comp.

fantastic weather today, good riding, slow-ish business. had two emergency calls that involved dead sprints from the far west of our coverage area to the far north. got lucky with the lights for the most part, so was able to keep moving most of the time. cuet receptionist asked if i had been getting enough exercise today.

Didja tell her you could get a little more?

Insist that $carguy send you an itemized quote from the repair shop. Then take it to another (reputable) repair shop and compare.

Jerk.

Didja tell her you could get a little more?

U SASSY!!!!

Not as sassy as YOU are, Mr Shirtless Sassy Winner. Step It Up.

Headband. Baselayer + fleece. Clif bar. A-OK.

Usual commute. Saw a dude snap the handlebars on his old roadster clean in two, fall off. He got back on and rode off, steering the bike with the half handlebar still attached to the headset and holding the other half completely free, using it to operate the brake like Wii controller. Total bro.

90 mins (outside!)--3x10 minute Z3 intervals

FOGGY!

Am debating whether to cycle to (or from) Chesham on Sunday. It's about 30 miles - for reference it is where the most outlying London underground station can be found. The only real issue I think is rain - 30 miles in wintry rain does not do it for me, I gotta say.

10 minute warmdown on the isometric basement bike 3x2 minutes all-out and 2x2 min slowtimes

Hi, Jergs!

:)

(i think i bought a home workout bike within a day of the start of this board. like whoa cosmic, huh?)

welcome to the best board on ILX, where britishes and yanks and aussies all get along

You'll be charging up the hills of Seattle before you know it, J.

You don't hate me any more then, cutty? ;_;

It has been raining all day and it will continue to rain until forever. I'm about to say fuck it and go out in it anyway.

Hang the bike upside down in the garage and ride it out Dracula style.

Just before I plunge to a spineshattering death.

You don't hate me any more then, cutty? ;_;

nope!

Hang the bike upside down in the garage and ride it out Dracula style.

This made me laugh... and obviously had me scurrying straight off to YouTube to see if any freak had tried this. No luck, so you can be the first! Did come across this sort of spooky image though while rummaging around:

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/uploads/2007/05/bike-in-tree.jpg

http://www.neatorama.com/2007/05/25/a-bicycle-eaten-by-a-tree/

Weather forecast for the morning here looks great - clear skies, temperature near zero, no wind to speak of. I'm digging out my big gloves and going riding in the frost I think.

Hunter: what's your wife's sport anyhow?

triathlon, mostly long course. runner.

Well that's a rather personal question! aaargh xpost MY JOEK, RUINED

(cheers cutty :))

HEY CUTTY,, how's the sram force working out?

it's really great. the doubletap system is intuitive and smooth and being able to shift when sprinting/tucked is rad.

i heard sram red handles cross-gearing a lot better, though.

oh cool.

Yeah the doubletap shits on shimano.

90 mins. moist out. rode with a ch4mp1on systems/s0mm3rville cat 1 who was thoroughly impressed. yay!

Two hours out over the hills before work for me. Quite frosty and cold but still a lot of mud around on the trails. Been a while since I went out on the singlespeed and my thighs now feel like heavy dead meat. It's feeling like a long, long day at work...

Documentary evidence that I did actually get out of bed this morning and go for a ride:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/birdnestsoup/DSCF4592.jpg

PS this is where I turn into an internet bully and tell Mark that he's gotta do it on Sunday, whatever the weather.

jealous

Ach, you can ride it up the hills for me any time you like.

looks like brooklyn (no, it doesn't)

Also, don't stray on the moors!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/birdnestsoup/DSCF4595.jpg

I didn't take my nice short cut through there today :(

Oh wait - I saw a badger on my way home too!

Okay, that's me done.

No biking as working in germ*ny although I have been looking at the db rental bikes that you just swipe a credit card to unlock parked all over berlin, never got a go though.
In chicago in 2 days with a cross check, and in queens in a week. Let's talk riding and drinking.

are those what moors look like then? i thot theyd be flatter. thats nice.

Haha no, those aren't actually the moors, I was kidding. It's the South Downs, which are like a long straight line of chalk hills that stretch for about 100 miles across the south east corner of Britain.

In chicago in 2 days with a cross check, and in queens in a week. Let's talk riding and drinking.

-- Ed, Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:38 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

OK!

ok, its mid nov and the temp at 7:45 was more than 50 deg. WHT IS UP?!?! i rode in a long sleeve tshirt and no jacket. crazy.

Moors:

http://myolympus.org/files/0891/Burbage_pano2.jpg

I ride round here (just outside Sheffield) when I am home with my folks.

holy balls

wowzers. what a green and pleasant land.

omg

gritstone!

You can see bits of Burbage/Stannage edge there too, which is supposedly some of the best climbing in England, although I am not qualified to say. There do seem to be an awful lot of UK mountaineers based in Sheffield though.

Stannage:

http://www.gr8trails.co.uk/Stannage%20Edge.jpg

Ugh. Homesick. And I miss summer.

One 'n'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanage

9 miles around Richmond Park, 9 miles on the trainer.

4 hours, 64 miles from williamsburg to nyack and backs

Nice work Cutty. Wondering whether or not to go out tomorrow morning cos I feel like I've got a cold coming on. Weather looks horrible too - freezing cold plus heavy rain and I'm thinking I'm going to get fitter -or at least less feeble- just by staying in bed. Do you guys ride when you're feeling ropey or what?

(will probably go out anyhow, I just like riding my bike really)

Nick, I take every excuse not to ride in shitty weather! Yeah, if you're actually ill, don't ride. But tomorrow morning you'll know.

Cutty, you're the fucking man. Nice going.

I don't know if feeling like you might come down with a cold qualifies as 'actually ill' or not! In the days when I used to check my resting heart rate, I'd know when it was be a good idea to rest because it would be about 10bpm above what it should be or something like that. These days I don't bother with that stuff, it would just be too depressing. Any other indicators that tell you when to give it a miss?

When trying not to fall asleep is actually painful and your body has shut down from tiredness and you can't keep warm anymore? Hence my bike being parked in Williamsburg.

Sounds like a wise call to me! Get some ZZZZzzzzz's Laurel.

http://z.about.com/d/classicrock/1/7/8/ZZ_Top_Color_3_low_res.jpg

usually its best to rest with a cold. but sometimes i find a little aerobic can actually cure a cold for me!

wahhhhh
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6238/weathersl1.jpg

did my first ride non-commute since labor day, my usual "minimum" ride. 33 miles, 1500 ft of vert, 1.75 hours. with mule deer.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4803/deercreekgm4.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2972/outnumberedsl0.jpg
topped out heading down:

less than 50mph is sorry effort but i tried for you guys

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5443/topdescentej2.jpg

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/8563/maxspeedgw0.jpg

yaow. what a ride!

short trip to check out a flat i was thinking of renting. went flat-out to keep pace with traffic and not get skittled. return trip far more subdued due to finding bike path (cunningly hidden in middle of median strip). flat itself was somewhat disappointing.

less than 50mph is sorry effort but i tried for you guys

modest

short trip to check out a flat i was thinking of renting. went flat-out [...] flat itself was somewhat disappointing.

Luck you didn't get a flat though.

Lucky grr

modest?! i was trying to show off for youse all but coulndt hit 50 i tucked and evrything.

since i brot a camera for my little iltrmb travelogue, here's the exit to the canyon, a red rock wall about 300 ft vert very pretty in the sunsets. i need a closer shot to illustrate

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3458/exitsmalljv2.jpg

i don't think i've ever come close to 49.8MPH. we don't share the same hills though!

2 hours on the fluid2

6x10 minutes-SLOW 60RPM cadence 53x12 ;) (better than going to the gym)
1x15 minutes 100RPM Z2

also that road is beautiful. i need that.

seasons when im not racing (wich is all of them now?) and can "do anything," i probly ride it 150 times a year. its the portal to lots of other climbing routes. 30 miles is the maintenance route, but your typical 45 to 65 mile training rides branch off of it. i do it so much i dont even notice the pretty very much

and yeah, the speed is ALL the hill. the fast stretch on the descent is the top where it is straight at 7% to 8%, the bottom is very twisty at 4%-6%.

when the power training mania for super slow cadence strength mashing came around like 10 years ago, you started to see guys going up the climb above in April in their 53-14 or 53-13 at like 45 rpm. srsly its mental. my patellas wld fly off.

Crazy! I think my top speed ever has been in the 30s, on a distance trip in high school! Beautiful road, Hunt.

Spitty rain and cold here, going to pick up my baby from Jon's house & pop around for noize brunch.

example of profiles of rides "behind" deer creek. the first "prong" is the turnaround of yesterdays ride.

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4295/deercreekhighdriverm8.jpg

that last descent is NICE, 25 minutes of effortlessly hauling ass and leaning the bike over into turns.

My fastest ever is 38.4mph, but it was on a short hill with speed bumps! (next to Wimbledon tennis, geography/racquet sports fans)

Drunkenly rode to bottleshop a couple of kms away to buy sixpack, no shoes on mah look keos :/

river wolf tried that once. I don't think it ended well.

xpost: TS: Six pack of Coopers Green for £6 vs. 24 bottles Toohey's Extra Dry for £8.

^^^ genuine dilemma faced by be in Polish off license in Bristol last year.

TEDDIES, Mate!

I hate that shit. Worst fucking "edgy" advertising too.

I went with the Teddies. 24 bottles when you only need 4-6 was good times. They got confiscated at the festival for being made of glass, but we gave the security guard one and he let us down the rest in front of him. Good times.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/199081502_a6a0f703bc.jpg

Security Guard of the Year 2006.

I miss bottle shops hardcore.

i rode my track bike last night for the first time since i got the cinelli (i had to get new shoes for the time impact pedals on the fixie)--

and i must say riding brakeless has never felt so dangerous. i can't believe i did that for 4 years.

drunk?

i don't drink

stoned, yes

how is cycling high? is it fun?

depends on how you feel when you're high! i love the mental focusing of cycling high--but even more i love the post-ride vaporize session when my lungs are wide open

Bah, Got here on saturday, got my bike put it together. The setup was a little odd, I couldn't get the chain onto the big cogs from the big ring. Thought not too much of it is the rear cogs are very wide ranged. Set off on a ride along the lake whilst my GF was out teaching, did some experiments to get the saddle height right and then set off. On my firs serious push of the pedals I pulled the rear wheel askew. OK, so I tightened up the QR and it happened again. OK, try again. Set off do two circuits of the pedals and the chain snaps, I've never snapped a chain before in my life.

With hindsight, the chain was way too short, the tensioner was horizontal on the big rings and too far forward on the little ones. Very irritating, especially as the south side bike shop all seem to be closed on mondays. So I am heading up to Yojimbos via the metra and red line and hopefully I will be able to ride back via the lakeshore.

Shitty start! Good luck on your quest.

Better results today. Took the Metra and Redline up to division then walked with the bike to Yojimbo's. The guy is a gentleman and a gentle soul. Sold and fitted me a new chain and some other stuff, good conversation whilst he was doing it as well. The road up to North Avenue across to the lake and then all the way back down to 55th St. Overdressed for the mild weather It's great riding by the lake, although knobblies don't stick to damp concrete too well and there was a wind blowing up from the south to ride into all the way. However, lakeshore drive aside, it's lovely riding by the lake.

ED, DUDE, WTF

marcus is an odd duck, but ultimately an A+ bro. responsible for the Tour Da Chicago, which alone makes him rad.

yesterday- 77 degrees, but i cant ride :(

today, 7:30 at home: 46 degrees- i dress appropriately (no hat, lite gloves)

7:55 3 miles away: 35 degrees, 20 mph dead headwind from north!- im cold

8:45 downtown: 27 degrees, windy- i cant feel my face, ice cream headache, numb fingers

now-hot coffee. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Kind of epic ride last night (for me).

Got invited to this Islamic dinner at 7pm crosstown (let's say 12 mile trip). Meanwhile, at the office, boss is laying down work plans until 6:30pm. I'm thinking there's no way I can make it, I've never rode to this area but I quickly I check the SF bike route map and realize there's an outside chance if I just power down, but I also have to keep in mind I have to be in presentable condition upon arrival (and I'm in work clothes, nb: I don't really dress for work, just not cycling clothes).

So I end up hustling for the first half which is essentially my commute home... almost 5 miles of urban traffic with nothing notable save for some douchebag on a pursuit bike with flat bars (fuck you buddy) cuts me off and skid stops right in front of me.

so i get past my house and the next 4.5 miles in through the park to the beach. no stopping at all for cross traffic so it's here where i decide to make up time. hammering down, mostly downhill and windy all the way down to the beach passing a few cars (posted speed limit 30mph) along the way.

finally i hit the beach and it's a straight 3 mile route south along the sand/surf. just spinning the cranks through the night air, not the best street lighting, but a nice cool nocturnal breeze to make sure i don't show up too sweaty.

12 miles in 32 minutes. averaged 22mph despite some downtown traffic with stop lights. i am going to google map and altitude map it for posterity. felt like a champ.

WOO you are my champion

Okay i over estimated by a mile and a half:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/2050093985_b36dd4a0bc_o.jpg

Rock on, Dan!!

Still about 20mph city, which is remarkable.

that route makes me think of running bay to breakers sooooo hungover. in the freezing rain.

Laurel, who's Dan? ;-)

so Hunt3r, do you know Heartbreak Hill section of Bay To Breakers? And you know how I complain about the hills in SF? That's because that's the hill I live on top of. If you look at mile 3 in the map above, you see "the wiggle" which is the easiest way to traverse that section.

Also miles 4-8.5 is essentially shares the second half route of B2B.

I remember the general contours of the area, i thot it was very cool. im glad denver is mostly flat tho.

misty/rainy/"soft" today = downtown bridges are appalling

showed up 2 hours late for work due to an alarm clock malfunction coupled with a flat (yay!). b3linda, however, was understanding and did a bang-up job getting me work. lucked into an 8-piece sweep (pickup at one office, distribute to many different offices, good way to rack up a lot of runs in a short period). no falls, but a few terrifying fishtails. now, more than ever, i want/dream about a bianchi roger (disc brakes and wider tires, ahhhhhh), but i guess the scwinn traveler i'm working on will have to do.

steve shasta u r fast. i had an emergency job the other day that went from the western limit of our delivery area to the northern limit, and i felt like a fast motherfucker getting it there in under 15 (averaged about 17 miles/hr, numerous traffic stops).

also, have recently been informed that some buddies are organizing an impromptu alleycat from Oak and Michigan Ave to Roosevelt and Michigan Ave. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, at around 6pm. Over half the race will be down the Magnificent Mile, which is o_O traffic on days of the year that are NOT the biggest shopping day of the year. On Friday, it'll be bedlam.

They will all be in the hospital when I will be in Minnesota, eating leftovers.

and i must say riding brakeless has never felt so dangerous. i can't believe i did that for 4 years.

-- cutty, Sunday, November 18, 2007 6:54 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

i still do this, but work has made me realize more than anything that you are automatically SLOWER when you ride w/o a brake. like, there are times that i've felt like sprinting like a madman to make a light, but haven't because my stopping distance is longer, so i just slow down like a sucker.

ysi tektro caliper plz

has made me realize more than anything that you are automatically SLOWER when you ride w/o a brake.

yesssssss. i hate these guys who are gingerly counter pedaling in front of me on steep hills, outta my way fashion victim.

My bottom bracket is making ominous noises but I do not have the time to deal with it, and even if I did the weather is too gross to face cold hands in the rain.

sorry off topic, but gbx, ever done margy's hut? adj to aspen obv. i just booked in there for mid march.

we did new york mtn last year it was spec fookin tacular.

Work and back today, back being in torrential rain. Fun!

I've pretty much given up now :( - weather has been pretty atrocious this week but even ignoring that it's too cold, and even ignoring that I'm just far to knackered when I wake up.

alright, you can STOP FUCKING RAINING NOW.

Tom, yesterday morning was lovely! Sun shining, 11 degrees (celsius), perfect cycling weather! AND the weather forecast said it would be dry in the evening. The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

(not that I can talk, since I refuse to cycle whenever you can see your own breath cos I'm a complete pussy)

The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

Yeah I came out of the tube in the evening and thought "thank CHRIST I didn't cycle" :)

Looks pretty nice out there right now...

its 22 degrees F out, and im getting charged up to ride for an hour and a half. this is the day ive been given, this is the day ill ride. lets hope i don't break a collarbone on the ice.

AND the weather forecast said it would be dry in the evening. The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

Lying bastard weather forecasters. I finished work about 9.15pm and had to cycle home in the cold, dark, pouring rain, arriving home absolutely soaked to the skin just in time to see Croatia score their third goal. Not great.

sorry off topic, but gbx, ever done margy's hut? adj to aspen obv. i just booked in there for mid march.

we did new york mtn last year it was spec fookin tacular.

-- Hunt3r, Wednesday, 21 November 2007 00:39 (Yesterday) Link

i haven't, sadly, but i'm v v jealous that you're going to be there in march. CORN-TASTIC.

last years mid march trip came 1 day after a big dump; if it hadn't, we would have had to walk a bit of the trip in and out. as such i'm a little apprehensive about the trail at lower elevations. this trip is a week later than last years.

maybe i'll start a "i love to do some other shit off season" thread.

oh, and yesterdays ride was great--25 degrees, but i rode the cx bike out on a road ride, but left the ritchey speedmaxes on there. about 8 miles out, i saw some singletrack along the side of the road and remembered that there was a trail system there, although not open to non highlands ranch people. couldn't resist, poached it. rode in there for 45 minutes, perfectly buffed winding and hilly singletrack, some dry packed snow in the shade, with great views of the mountains and a couple of shallow water crossings with still running water. a perfect cx ride. not a single person there.

^^^ JEALOUS

last years mid march trip came 1 day after a big dump; if it hadn't, we would have had to walk a bit of the trip in and out. as such i'm a little apprehensive about the trail at lower elevations. this trip is a week later than last years.

maybe i'll start a "i love to do some other shit off season" thread.

-- Hunt3r, Friday, November 23, 2007 9:26 AM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

well, when i lived in aspen it seemed like early april/late march produced biblical dumps, usually after the lifts had closed. so you might get lucky.

no biking yesterday, contemplating taking out my dad's tank-like trek 830 MTB from the late 80s just for shits

I was in Denver 4 years ago when it snowed 3 feet in 48 hours in March (and the US invaded Iraq). Happy days (although no cycling was involved, only trudging through puddles and drifts in unsuitable footwear).

i was on the last plane that got out of denver that day (7:30 flight). had we not got out, we would have been there for 3 days as the highway in and out of the airport was blocked as well. happy days indeed.

That's a cold headwind out there! Brrrsh.

most excellent ride today.

took out dad's classy old MTB (Trek 850) and putzed around the back forty. gravel road down to the river, railroad bed along the shore, old and overgrown trail uphill, bush-whacking through the woods (awesome!), gravel road out to the main road, 100 yards of pavement, into the next-door gravel pit for extra-awesome feats of derring-do down piles of gravel and along 4-wheeler paths, back through the woods to the house.

totally sweet, and enhanced by doing it on a 20 or so year old tank-like mtb and in jeans, a sweater, work gloves, and decaying adidas gazelles. accompanied by parent's 100+ pound 10-month old puppy, who, unlike my old dog, did not feel compelled to stick his face in the spokes.

think i'll head out again, but with camera this time.

what kind of dog is that?!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/1286957573_5cd602da7c.jpg?v=0

the big kind

this is him at 6 months!

Evans, there is a giant wolf at my house! He weighs 130 lbs and has floppy pointed ears and a white muzzle and the biggest head I have ever seen on a dog.

snot rocket saturday

same nyack trip as last week but colder. 62 miles in 4 hours. nice hill intervals on the return. i've got the chill in my bones and need a hot shower!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2176/2058452230_45c448c399.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2058/2058452586_fc7c19ca9b.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2057699247_c3aa321f03.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2058486036_10c79de4d3.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/2057699541_7248be2652.jpg?v=0

hee hee

hai guise: http://velog.com/

it's no "your daily bicycle log"

More trainer work. God I hate it.

its not that bad! were you watching tv?

rode 1.5 hours on cx. mix of road, single track with some packed snow, and dirt road. the dirt road was washboardy and high speed downhill for about 4 miles, which made my assfat hurt. i need to lose assfat. anyway, it was about 38 deg, sunny and perfect.

neon and wool rollneck- a man to bridge yesterday and today. but im not sure which is which.

Maybe I am pushing too hard - I reckon I'm at 95% of capacity basically the whole time. But really I get so BORED, even if I am watching telly, yeah.

95% capacity? do you have an HRM?

i mean, i'm not doubting your perceived exertion, but 95% is like a sprint!

3 hours today at prospect park HQ--

did more of those 60RPM intervals in Z3 (8x4 minutes) and i am truly feeling it in my legs right now. i'm going to try not to do ANYTHING today or tomorrow but consume protein, smoke weed, and play video games (newly unemployed)

Oh rats, was that expected?

newly unemployed led to my second best season. sorry to hear it tho, if it werent yr plan, cutty.

Cutty, sorry, I forget I'm speaking to people who actually do measure these things! No, all I meant is that I cycle at very close to my limit in terms of consistent speed/input/whatever you call it. Short bursts obviously I can near double my effort

Hmm, didn't mean to press enter there. Best to just ignore me - I think all I meant is that I might be putting in too much effort in a short space of time.

Rides like gbx's back 40 is what I'm talking about. If I had gone home instead of Ohio for tgiving I could have done that. Jealous.

are what I'm... >:(

New to these bike threads. I went on two rides over Thxgiving weekend in the hills west of Boston, around twenty miles each. My toes froze in my SIDIs.

23 degrees this morning, had to bust out the swix ear warmers (which i highly recommend, as i dislike hats for riding). still ridin in my work trousers, undershirt/dress shirt, and light windbreaker tho. if it gets colder than that im wearing somethin thermal on top, i think im at the limit.

why do legs not get cold? mine at least.

50 degrees, moist ground, 2 hrs, easy easy hardly hit Z2. feel like i'm still recovering from sunday.

legs don't get cold because they're working....right?

cold and sunny and crisp today. good riding. think that sh33na my dispatcher is sweet on me.

i think my bike is too quiet.

i was passing this guy on the left and i'm around him and then he floats out to the right and bars me on my hip and then goes "woah, sorry!" kinda dusky, so maybe a little dark but he sounded genuinely surprised.

dont wanna ride home at 9 at night bleah.

i nearly did that to someone today, on the ride home.

passed some dude on a LOUD mountain bike, going over one of chicago's "hills" (overpass). i'm being conservative on the downside (LOL NO BRAKES), and hear the clickety-click of a freewheel coming up on my right, fast. move over to the left, a little confused (who passes on the right?), and nearly check some turbo who's overtaking me. no harm, no foul, but motherfucker was red october compared to the dude i had passed.

gaaaaaaah the streets this morning were lousy with morons. i must've yelled at like 20 people in a 30-minute ride. FUCK OFF, FUCK OFF FUCK OFF. (that is not what i yelled.)

My rear wheel has developed a bit of left-right movement, maybe 3mm. This is bad, right? What is the problem? I have Zinn but it's at home and I want to know if I need to pick up parts on the way home.

I went to the Condor shop at lunchtime. <3 <3 <3

i want to go to the condor shop!

did 2.5 hours in central park

I HAVE BEEN TO THE CONDOR SHOP

FACT

i mean, i think.

it was in london, anyway.

LDN, btw, is A++ fun traffic riding

If you like a challenge it is. And by and large people in central London drive quite well, since it's usually their job. I'd be a lot more nervous about *accidentally* being knocked off my bike in, say, Peckham.

I should clean my bike this weekend, and try and book it in for a service. As I've *never* had a bike serviced before - is it okay for me to say "can I have a full service please, and can you also try and sort out the ticking noise in the bottom bracket and return my brake/gear lever blocks ("flight deck"? Is there a proper word for the bit you hold on to?) to their original positions since they've slipped a lot thanks to banging into things"?

Is "LDN" all Lily Allen's fault?

you can blame dizzee

Blocks? Flight deck? Now I'm confused.

Are you sure it's a bicycle you've been, er, "riding"?

Mark: you mean "hoods."

Well I did ask for there to be a glossary thread only to be told to stfu :)

That's because Sheldon Brown already covered it.

It doesn't work the other way round though.

Anyway, I'm not going mad:

http://store.airbomb.com/mmAirbomb/Images/large/q/LD6600.jpg

A quick googling tells me that "Flight Deck" is a trade name for a Shimano cycle-computer that's supposed to be keyed to yr shifters in order to track and display your gearing & cadence calculations. So congratulations, your levers are Flight Deck-compatible.

ive yet to see anybody with the actual flight deck computer, for all of the compatible levers out there.

there was like two weeks in 1990 when i was dying to know my cadence at all times.

so today- 18 degrees. i wore the lobsters, the fleece beanie, the thermal l/s jersey over the dress shirt. diagnosis: toes frozen, all other systems go.

the weather channel had a feature on winter bike riding in chicago last night, gbx, i was hoping to see you. instead they had some wrench from a bike shop- "west lake" or something.

I love the lobsters! Because they're called lobsters!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/2074068928_f930128c51_o.gif

First time riding all the way to work (usual commute = 3 mile ride to train station, 45-minute train ride, 2 mile ride to work each way). Figured I'd do it once in the morning before it started to snow, since long night rides in the suburbs = easy way to get killed. Fun ride.

I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCKING SHIFTER BRAKE HOOD DOOHICKEY WAS CALLED OK