your daily bicycle log

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).

i'm probably going to get one anyway and then y'all can make fun of my lame bike.

re: serious, my big goal for the summer is to leisurely bike to milwaukee (70 miles), get drunk, and bike back the next day (or perhaps take the bus). not sure if this is over-ambitious or not.

Looks OK, kind of a flat bar road with a nice gearing range.

my big goal for the summer is to leisurely bike to milwaukee (70 miles)

you can definitely ride a hybrid 70 miles, or 140 miles but if yr gonna do many rides over 20 miles or so, you might wanna a lighter, speedier ride like a cx. try em both?

Yeah, make sure you test ride as many bikes as you want to, but definitely when they're completely different machines. When I was looking to buy my last bike I was only thinking of touring types, and then some dude in a shop suggested I try the Trek. OMG it was a revelation.

Talking of cx bikes/my Trek, can people let me know what, other than knobbly tyres, I would need to change on my road bike to make it cx-worthy?

got a massage yesterday, did 90 mins this AM with 4x5 minutes at Z3/Z4

another race tomorrow based on hill points. i think i'll kill it.

Cutty, what are the races in which you're taking part?

mark- frame, fork and caliper clearances will be yr big barrier. consult a shop that knows cx rubber, i doubt youll get anything wider than 28s on there, and even that is dubious ime. you dont need a lot of knobby on those tires, even diamond or file treads (theyre really meant for mud)a will be helpful and would provide more clearance

you really dont need to change anything else though a slightly shorter higher stem is nice.

the race i won last week was a club race for the century road club association of which i am a member:

http://www.crca.net

but there are plenty of races to go around in the greater NYC area. you usually can take your pick of which races in the city to attend, or take a trip upstate.

The Club was established in 1898, the same year in which the City of New York was formed, and has been a major force in bicycle racing throughout its more than one hundred years of operation. Racers who have entered the sport through the club have gone on to win National and World Championships and Olympic medals.

i got a bike! it's a marin san anselmo. i'm sure it's not sexy, but it feels comfortable. i've never had a bike with a front shock before, that's pretty crazy (it's got a switch to lock it).