your daily bicycle log

Sounds fun - certainly more so than my morning. I didn't learn from Saturday and did another 20 miles in snow/hail/sleet/frozen rain/snow, in that order. WHY WON'T MY BUTTOCKS WARM UP

Weekend in Wales, 3 days, 3 rides - Cwm Carn, and White's Level and Penhydd trails at Afan. Could have done another today but bad weather and aching limbs nixed that idea. About 90k riding in total, over 2k of climbing, max heart rate 179, average 131.

squiggly lines:
http://i30.tinypic.com/30kt8g5.gif

Last time I did these trails was two years ago on a hardtail. I found them sooo much easier this time - either I've got better or full sus just takes all the skill out of it ;)

awesome!

no riding this weekend, but plenty of vert climbing on bc gear, with other bike racers and former bike racers who kicked my ass. part of the view from the hill behind our hut:

pic of view

whoa, i swear i resized that. MODS HELP!

hunter that is ASPEN HIGHLANDS <3 <3 <3 <3

miss you

Holy shit what a view.

I want to be there RIGHT NOW

Gah. 14 miles into a ride this morning I reached the bottom of a hill and changed down onto the smallest ring at the front. As I put pressure on the pedals there was a horrible crunching sound and the chain seized up. I just managed to get one foot out the clips to stop myself tumbling over.

Somehow the chain has gone beyond the smallest front ring and got itself jammed between the ring and the....thing it's attached to (the bit of the frame that holds the bottom bracket). It's completely impossible to get it out. I think someone (not me) will have to remove the cranks and the rings to free it. Even then I think the chain is fucked and quite possibly the small ring is bent now. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if I have to replace all the rings / chain / sprockets / mechs etc. because they say they all need changing at the same time.

I spent half an hour getting covered in oil and breaking my fingernails desperately trying to sort it out, then weighed up my options. I didn't really fancy walking 5 miles home in cycling shoes, but then calling a taxi and abandoning my bike without a lock didn't really seem that appealing either. After about an hour I was able to get a lift off a friend of a friend who for some reason had a borrowed minibus. No matter how much detergent I use I can't shift the oil off my fingers.

eek. that sucks man!

I wore shorts today for the first time since I started riding again in the fall. My calves look weird and bulbous and not like they are my own anymore.

Got caught in a big hard rain this morning because I forgot to check the weather. Glad I have a waterproof bag because I was coming home from Kinkos with stacks of flyers.

removing oil from fingers: i keep on meaning to buy some swarfega but failing that, whatever girly exfoliating body scrubs i can find around the bathroom tend to do a pretty good job.

i am on call tonight from 11pm to 5am :-/

gmap-pedometer sez i did 40 miles today!

thanks, work!

...has only underlined and boldfaced my need for a new saddle, though. OW!

Haven't ridden for 9 days thanks to tonsillitis. Tomorrow, tomorrow...

Mark, what does your commute route look like?

tried to buy a bike yesterday to start serious summer biking, but of course it was the one day of the year that the bike shop is closed for inventory or whatever.

also, i don't have a bike rack = i have to buy a bike from somewhere i can walk to.

Or take the bus or any other public transit to. Or take one of the wheels off and put it in the back of a car from.

Or ride it back!

well yeah, but riding it back means i either walked there or i have to walk back and get my car.

i forgot about the wheel thing, that would work.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GUY WHO STOLE MY BIKE WHEEL

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GUYS WHO WATCHED THE GUY STEAL MY BIKE WHEEL

Are there no bike shops in Chicago that are located near bus or other mass transit routes?

Jordan it does sound like you're making an excuse here! What kind of bike are you after?

Ed, my commute is 7.25 miles north-east from Putney to Soho.

i don't live in chicago.

i don't mind walking to bike shops! it's just that the only decent one in walking distance was closed (forgot about the bus because i never use them in this town).

i just want a decent hybrid.

i say get a cross bike instead of a hybrid so you can still come across as sexy

Already done 21.6 miles today. Will need to do another ~20 in the 1.5 hours, in theory.

BALL-O-CAUST

Sorry, I keep forgetting you are in an M-city instead!

lol bad at math

i did 30 miles today

JUNK MILES

i say get a cross bike instead of a hybrid so you can still come across as sexy

OTM. A Hybrid kind of does nothing satisfactorily - it's heavy and slow on the road and it can deal with fkat paths and tracks and stuff but if you really want to enjoy off-road stuff it'll be next to useless. A cross bike is fine on the road, much nimbler and lighter than a hybrid, and it's also designed for having fun with in far more interesting locations.

When I get my new road bike I think I might bung cross tyres on the Trek and actually explore some surfaces which don't feature tarmac. Almost more excited about that tbh.

oh interesting, i will check it out.

harsh, bro

no cycling 'cause in paris but i observed the cycling habits of parisians in the wild. they like their bikes but they are all very casual - i saw no couriers or fixies or even clipless pedals or lycra, and very few helmets. they have a kind of 21st century white bicycle scheme that is v popular, you have to get a card which costs like 30 bucks a year, then you can pick up an unsexy unisex bike from a fancy stand, first half hour is free then the cost starts mounting up.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2398456063_fe019c6af4.jpg

i was joking!! roadies call everyone else's rides junk miles. ;)

Ugh, ten days without riding makes me feel so unfit. Why is it my lungs always hurt so much when I get back in the saddle? Going to do some longer, slower riding this weekend with my two mates who are cycling to Paris with me.

I dunno, ledge, they're actually kind of sexy! Esp if you start with the more relaxed vision of urban biking you describe.

i say sexxxys how u ride it- or that you ride it

no matter how sexy you know yr cx is, to joe blow yr another bikin loser in the way of his suv

that said i think cx bikes are great for doing lots of things, but short hop urban riding is not really their best bit

he said he wanted to do some "serious summer riding"

if you really want a hybrid, check out the giant cypress series

(not sexy)

it is possible that we have different definitions of "serious" :/

i will check out those giant bikes, it looks like one of the bike shops nearby is a dealer (for the most part this is a Trek down, being Wisconsin and all).

it is possible that we have different definitions of "serious" :/

shit yeah we do

its possible you has different definitions of sexy even

Q: Girls, in skirts, on bikes, drinking beers?

I think we can all agree on that one.

Jamis Coda series gets props from many.

But hybrids are pretty lame (I own one and never ride it).