your daily bicycle log

I have them at 80 in winter.

gatorskins are tough, but it's really the only good thing about them. i just got grand prix 4 seasons 28s for the cross bike and will be fitting them shortly - have heard good things.

There is a certain coterie of male Melbourne bike riders who really need to attend to their threadbare bibs. Far too much arsecrack on display today.

71 miles today, still pretty cold for a ~mild~ day

was too slow paying up at the cafe stop so had to tack onto the back of the fast group for the return leg. definitely felt a lot faster in the legs but held my own except on one of the climbs when I started to filter back through the ranks pretty quickly. wasn't dropped tho ^^;

65 degrees shorts and shortsleeves, miles of perfect cx singletrack, what a perfect day. It started poorly- I went to race and discovered I forgot my helmet just before I was to register. Blew it off and went ridin

it's -9 deg F here now, but i'll say -22C since that sounds way colder. i'm committed to riding my mile to the train, but my headset is nearly completely frozen. i have no idea what the deal is with it, it is an antique threaded 1 1/8" for which i have no wrench to even attempt adjustment, and the condition made riding on the snowed-over bike gravel path very difficult last night.

last night, on the way home, i saw two sets of fatbike tracks on the path, wished i had fatbike.

bloody cold & wet 68 miles today

makes for some ~metal~ photos tho
http://distilleryimage10.ak.instagram.com/9f2c9d7e5f4711e38fad1290e8e859c5_8.jpg

NICE!

Pulled a calf muscle. Wonder if I did it at football on Friday and 45 miles yesterday exacerbated it. Humph.

gws

think I may have to retire from football, played first time this week in 3 months and my knees have been creaking ever since. blech

My friend jumped into a basketball game instead of riding and ruptured his Achilles a couple weeks ago, so awful.

Ouch.

I play five a side at least twice a week, so I'm used to it, but it's brutal if you only play once in a while.

I went from playing three times a week to not playing in 6 months, after getting braces. that first time back has been brutal on my knees

http://www.comedykings.co.uk/ck-data/stage/87bobby.jpg
???

http://pigletinfrance.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/ugly-betty.jpg

I dropped from 3 games a week to 2 after Em had to retrieve me from A&E once too many times and told me off.

Anyway, I commuted by bike today. Only 1.6 miles in, so it hardly seems worth it...

I got back on the bike yesterday for the first time since the crash a fortnight previously - no big problems riding (though no power and can't get out the saddle), but getting on and off the bike is still uncomfortable. I also commuted to work by bike: 1.0 miles.

When it takes longer to get bike out if she'd and lock bike up at work it feels vaguely pointless.

Than to do the actual pedalling.

yeah threat of A&E increasing means more and more I'm migrating towards cycling for fitness, which, touch wood, hasn't found me in A&E yet

When it takes longer to get bike out if she'd and lock bike up at work it feels vaguely pointless.

Somehow I read that as "out of the shed" without noticing that is says nothing of the sort (but presumably is supposed to). Yeah, I agree, but it does make me feel slightly virtuous and it does at least mean I get a few more miles in (even if it's only a pitiful 6 a week). I've taken the eggbeaters off my commuting bike and just got plain pedals so I can ride in wearing my work clothes and not have to faff around with cycling shoes.

God damn iphone and its crazy predictive text.

so hellish today I abandoned

60 mph gales & howling rain... a saturday in hell

now my front brake won't return when released

BLECH

50 miles shaking the cobwebs off. sweet tailwind on the second half after stopping for coffee, then i almost choked trying to hit the high falsetto in I Can't Go For That cruising home.

You've got to try though, haven't you?

what would you be if you didn't even try

any tips for removing stuck pedals? : /

make sure youre turning each the correct direction (one of them is reverse threaded...but which one? it's diabolical).

then, a longer wrench.

then, a trip to a auto garage that has an airhammer (i actually never did that for a pedal, but i DID do it for a crank removal, after stripping out the crank threads).

maybe something involving fire, which is always exciting.

I have tried:
- GT85
- increased leverage
- pouring boiled water over it

now I'm going to try:
- bike shop

blech, cold and rainy 69 miles today. and I got told off three times by some guy who usually rides in the faster group. once because my mudguards were too short, again for not calling out a pothole (it wasn't there and then it was), and finally for half wheeling him. : /

that is why I prefer riding w/the slower group (less douches) but numbers are lower in winter

on the plus side, upgraded the wheels on my concorde so took it out today
http://distilleryimage4.ak.instagram.com/0d41d8da6a2211e3b8590a1f8b30899c_8.jpg

tbf tho he did push me up a big hill when I ws burst so he's not all bad

Omg if dude came at me 3 times in those conditions. Much credit to u for riding in those conditions.

Calf is tight as hell after five a side last night, so no riding for me today. Might manage a very brief and gentle spin tomorrow.

easy 25 miles today, was really nice on the way out then started blowing a hoolie on the return. no fun

also switching from a compact to a standard = ow, my knees. will riding a standard make me a stronger rider eventually? switching to a bike w/friction shifters really makes you appreciate the constant, minor adjustments you make to your gearing to maintain cadence at a comfortable level. worried about blowing out my knees w/the standard + friction shifters combo

Standard shouldn't be a problem, you will just have a different useful range so you may not have much use for 53x11 and might not have the lowest of climbing gears you would as a compact. All that means is you'll be able to spin less on hills and end up grinding it out sooner.

festive 500's started and haitch has already knocked it out the park

weather in aus looks ridic rn

I really need to get back on the bike again before I turn into a slug

what a lovely morning for a ride here, guys- even if it was going to work. very light traffic, very warm temps around 40, bright sun, ice off the roads.

otoh i also rode the trainer for an hour before that, and, grateful as i am to have a great workout setup, it rarely feels good. i'm doing intervals, some of which i know i cannot complete. i just go til i have to give up. it is sorta bad for morale.

I really need to get back on the bike again before I turn into a slug

this has happened to me :-/

six months into intern year and I'm probably in the worst shape of my adult life. I'd sorta taken for granted just how much value there was in the basic commuter miles I accrued while living in the city. 5-10 miles a day ain't much but it's a whole lot more than zero.

I'd hoped to commute from my current location (~9mi from work) but man, I get up at 0545-0600 with just enough time to shower and drive 20min. And then work 10-16hrs. Riding would take another 40min on the morning, easy.

Kinda hoping that I can tune my schedule and my gear better next year. Cuz the ride that my commute would entail is actually really nice (gravel rail trail along a brook for most of the way). Plus I could add some sportiness on the way home if so inclined.

But right now? Slug town

25 miles today. Want to do 10 tomorrow before breakfast and festivities.

Left my parents' place without much of a plan, random dude rolled up and asked if I wanted to do some climbing. He turned out to be a masters racer, dragged me up and down canyons for like five hours. Shot. But - also discovered an amazing descent to the ocean, a one-way road all the way, just a blast.

Sounds grim, gbx. Merry Christmas folks

12 miles for Xmas day breakfast.

think front tyre is knacked after that long Tuesday ride in the sun that I put on strava - reinflated to proper pressure for today, then 5 mins later heard loud *tsssssss*. could do without trip to my place to get replacement...

10.5 miles up to the top of Mt. Chapel in the Hollywood Hills. Cool to see other folks on the road for Xmas.