Shoe Breakdown

I'm on my fourth generation of Salomon's XA Pro trail running shoes. I've worn this model (and it's updates) as my primary footwear for many years now. They really are incredible shoes. But here's the issue... they don't last any longer than less expensive shoes.

I think I'm hard on shoes. It doesn't seem to matter if I spend $75 or $175, they last me no more than a year. And I'm not someone who wants to spend money on shoes.

But my current generation of Salomons have just about had it.

Here's what I want from a shoe:

• good arch support
• more-than-decent protection against water
• synthetic outer material that wipes off easily (I sometimes find myself walking from the bike into a meeting)
• balance of form and function

I don't like to own lots of shoes. So I want a pair that look good for everyday office use but perform well on the bike or trail.

Any suggestions or should I go with a fifth duration of the XA Pro despite the cost?

Get out there.

Yikes

Anyone in the Lexington area up for working on some donated bikes soon?

Shoot me an email or leave a comment if so. We need to get these things out of storage and on the road for spring!

(FYI, if you're not sure what I mean... we have a ministry that repairs bikes and gives them to kids and adults who wouldn't normally be able to afford one. I've let things get a little backed up.)

Get out there.

Tire Swap

For the last year, I've been running Schwalbe Marathon Cross tires on the Xtracycle. They've performed flawlessly. I really have loved them. There have often been times, though, that I have wondered if something less aggressive would feel a little better. I found myself wanting to try the Big Apples that Schwalbe makes in comparison to the Marathon Cross. The picture above is the Cross and below is the Big Apple.

Well, it's going to take a while before I wear through those Cross', so I wasn't going buy them anytime soon... so I thought. I saw a set of Big Apples on Craigslist and emailed the guy to see if he'd be up for a trade. I had some great 700c tires in the garage that only had about 30  miles on them. To my excitement, he was in.

Now I get to play with the new tires' performance and see what works best for the application I need them for. It's fun to play with bikes. I'm a bit of a tinkerer and a gear junkie. I love to experiment with stuff like this and change things up. I'm excited to get it all tested out.

Get out there.

Running

I've been training for the Louisville Half-Marathon recently. I've never been a runner and it's not something I can naturally lean into. But my wife is an incredible runner. She's got one of those brains that can ignore the realities of the human body and just run and run.

Last year for Valentine's Day I bought her a bike and she loved it. She rode with me all over town with kids in tow and a smile on her face. She willingly adopted my passion as her own and I was very grateful.  This year, my commitment to her is to run. We're doing the race together and it'll be wonderful.

So I am actually off the bike a little more than usual but my endurance is certainly increasing. In the end, this running thing will benefit my cycling lifestyle. Even after the first two weeks I can see a difference. My body has developed just for riding a bike. The first few runs nearly killed the muscles that I never use on wheels. I've realized that mixing in some variety is a good thing.

So you may see a post or two here about human powered movement without the assistance of wheels. My training schedule still allows me to ride three days a week, which is good. But expect to see running shoes sprinkled throughout the ramblings about new tires and whatnot.

To me, I love being outside. This morning I thought about how I was running in the 30 degree weather when normally I'd be riding at that very moment. It didn't matter. I was outside and I loved it.

Get out there.

Dreaming of Warmer Days

Last week's warm weather is gone and we're back to cold commutes. Well, time to get the wools socks back out.

Get out there.

Drawing

My daughter drew this picture of me riding my bike. I'm a big fan. She said that all that black stuff is to keep me warm in the winter snow. Let's hope these kids are learning that riding your bike is awesome. It seems like they're fans right now.

Get out there.

YEEEEE-HAhhhh!

That pretty much describes the expression on my face for the entire commute today. After being out of commission for two weeks and having the weather turn like it has, the result was a stupid grin from ear to ear for all 11 miles.

I even took some extra time to hit up a little gravel double-track on the ride. This is exactly why I love the Cross Check. I was doing about 18mph on pavement and jumped right onto this little gravel road with ease. Very few bikes can make that transition period. The Cross Check does it with finesse.

This little road is fun. But the winter ice has brought lots of branches down... one of which smacked me in the shoulder while I was cranking pretty hard. Ouch. That's the type of thing that happens on a mountain bike ride. I'm proud to say I brought a similar injury to a bike commute. That's a good thing.

Hopefully, you guys and ladies that have bikes in the garage are feeling the call of this weather. If you're not, search for it. It's in there somewhere.

Get out there.