Quite a Gale Today

Have you ever tried to take a picture of the wind? Not likely. Well, I was pushing against a 15 mph headwind with gusts up to 25 mph when I pulled of for this snapshot. There was an entire field of hay and weeds bent over from the push of the gale (okay, gale is an exaggeration).

I really enjoy riding in almost any weather. Snow is fun. Rain is fun. Sun is fun. Wind is not. I'm wimpy when it comes to wind. I still ride, of course, but I tend to whine to myself the whole time. I figured confessing my wussiness would help me to get over it.

So, there's the truth, World. I'm a wind baby. But I still won't let it stop me... just slow me down.

Get out there.

Bike Transport

Last week I picked up a used Yakima trunk rack off Craigslist for $20. I've had roof racks on all my cars since I was about 18 years old and they've been incredibly good to me. Actually, Yakima's stuff has carried bikes, kayaks, gas cans, tents, paddles, skis and about anything your could imagine on my vehicles... but always on top. The idea of a trunk rack is something new to me.

My Subaru has a roof rack but we have a minivan that I've never put anything on. I do have a rack that would work, but the reach to get anything on it's roof would be terribly inconvenient. For 20 bucks, I figured we couldn't beat this little guy.

I'm really surprised how well this thing works. I've seen a lot of super-store versions of this type of rack and they haven't seemed too sturdy. This thing is. The engineering behind it is simple, but affective. It has rubber straps that go across the top tube and a drop-down brace that straps to the down tube to keep the bike from swinging. That's where I've seen other trunk racks fall short. They allow the bike to sway when the vehicle accelerates or brakes. This one doesn't.

I don't need to transport my bikes too often. In fact, I frown upon it (I figure I should ride my bike, not drive it around). But this will be perfect for when I need to go somewhere with all three kids and up to three bikes.

I'd recommed it to anyone.

Get out there.

Mittens

One of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is, "Don't you get cold?"  Well, yes.  I used to.  I commuted during the winter for three years before I discovered the little gem known as mittens.

I have had two really expensive pairs of gloves that have left my fingertips numb by the end of a ride.  Both were cycling specific.  One pair was fifty dollars and the others were ninety.  Yes... NINETY.  They really are some of the most expensive pieces of cycling equipment I've purchased... and neither worked.

That's some major disappointment.  The common factor in both sets were that they were five-finger gloves.  And I couldn't help but think that maybe mittens would be warmer.  Well, my boss gave me a $25 gift card to Dicks Sporting Goods for Christmas this year and I couldn't help but think that this would be the perfect opportunity to buy some cheap mittens.

I walked in and within five minutes grabbed a pair of twenty dollar Columbia mittens off the rack and checked out.  What an awesome purchase.

My hands are warmer now than they've ever been.  I've never gotten cold since buying these things.  I was honestly concerned about shifting without fingers but it hasn't been bad at all.  I'm a fan of bar-end shifting (being a commuter, I want the reliability) and the function hasn't changed one bit.

So, if you're out there wondering how to do it with snowy days and numb fingers, try the cheap mitten approach.  It's worked wonders for me.

Get out there.

Great Weather

We had one of those days today that was truly a gift.  We've been stuck inside for quite a while and while we've invented a lot of great things to do with ourselves (including playing Christmas and setting up the tent indoors), it was time for a visit to the park.  My lovely wife said that I should go for a ride at some point today (she's a winner, I know!) so I decided I'd meet the whole family at a park that was a good 10-12 miles away.  We could get in a good family outing and I could get in a ride.  Good choice.

The weather made it feel incredible.  I'm so used to having all the snow gear necessary to survive temps in the single digits.  It was so great to just be wearing a t-shirt and cut-off jeans.  In fact, I felt so good I decided to leave the road and journey through some single-track that would lead me to the park.  Good decision?  Probably not.  But I figured I had put those knobby tires on for snow, I may as well use them for mud since it was 60 degrees out.

The Snowpocalypse had left the ground muhhhd-dy.  It was sloppy and nasty. But it felt great.

I even had to pick my bike up and carry twice because the mud had gotten so thick between the tires and fenders. The Surly CrossCheck is the perfect bike for this scenario.  It's exactly why I chose it.  It will handle all my commuting needs, take me on a light bike tour for a camping trip, maintain the speed I needed for a triathlon, but also pull off into the mud with no worries.  I love this bike.

I have a buddy of mine considering this bike right now and I told him there's no way he could go wrong with it.  It will beckon from his garage to be ridden.  Near perfect for any scenario.  In fact, my next bike I buy will absolutely be his brother, The Long Haul Trucker.  But, I digress...

I got in all the mileage I had wanted, broke a good sweat and had an awesome time with the family at the park.  I think the little guy had fun, too.  By far, today was the greatest day I've had in a long time.

Get out there.

Kona Smoke 2-9 Review

It was great to finally get out on the Smoke today. The weather was perfect and there wasn't much that could have kept me inside. Of course, though, Angie had dibs for the first ride. I was a little anxious to know whether or not she would enjoy it. It was her first bike ride since she was a kid.

She. Loved. It. *sigh of relief* It was really cool to see her come back with a huge smile on her face. She had the same feelings I had after riding a bicycle for the first time as an "adult." So naturally, when she got home, I wanted to see how it rode.

Overall, I'm incredibly pleased. The 29" wheels were awesome for hopping curbs and absorbing the rough roads beneath. It truly handles like a mountain bike but feels fast like a road bike. I was even surprised that the gearing was as fast as it was. This is my first experience with a hybrid. I kind of expected it to be exactly like an mtb with slick tires and rigid suspension. But it wasn't. The right rider would easily hang with a roadie on a race bike.




I averaged around 16mph just messing around the neighborhood... until I took it into the wet grass. It felt great with it's big fat tires. They rolled over all the ruts and bumps the grass could give.

My only issue with the bike, at all, was the shifting. I'm not a big fan of grip shifting. It seemed that every bump and curb would cause me to accidently shift. That's not to say that I won't get used to it. I probably will. And Ang most likely won't notice at all. She probably won't put the bike to the same tests that I did :-).

Overall, I'm VERY pleased. I think it's gonna be a great bike for our family. I'm gonna put a rack on it and send into commuting duties this week!

Bike Camping

This photo was taken on my last bike camping trip. It was well over a year ago and I'm eagerly awaiting a chance to get back out there. The last trip was 50 miles there and back for one night. My hope this time would be to head to the Red River Gorge, which is closer to 70 miles from my house.
I've also not been able to do any rough camping. The Gorge would offer me the opportunity to pedal into the woods and be completely removed from any sign of civilization.
As of now, I'm waiting for the weather to clear up a bit and maybe see if anyone would want to join me.
For now, though, I'll be looking at old pictures.

Sick

I'm sick today. Last night was spent over the toilet.  I had to drive into work. During lunch I went home to try and maybe ride back to work via bike but it didn't happen.  Bummerville.