Join in the fun; The Calorie-Count Cycling Club...

Welcome to all who have an interest in anything cycling of any kind.( road, mountain, commuting, stationary, whatever).

This is the place to come to ask that question you have been wanting to ask,

or tell that story about your latest adventure riding your bike,

find out how to use cycling to get in better shape, or anything else you can think of.

So, to start, tell us, what you ride, where you ride and what type of riding you enjoy.

Come back often too check out what's going on and see what's on everyones mind or add your knowledge to the group. 

 

I found this URL for an interesting video in my inbox this morning:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=mYIKfEU8yl8

Just a few things to add to your bag of tricks.

Joe

RickT: trek 2200, road/exercise, spin classes 4 times a week, climb Mt. Lemon on week ends, tucson,az

Joe, that is what I call total control of a bike. Wow!

I decided to ride over to my boss's house today. Just because she said that I wouldn't be able to do it. I ran into all kinds of trouble. The road I was riding on is one big giant puzzle of cracks in the road. The schock from bouncing around so much made both my hands completely numb. Then I got a little reality check on how important it is to wear the right kind of shoes. My tennis shoes are just a tad bit too big so my feet kept sliding forward in them, squishing my toes, with the result that all 10 toes started cramping really bad. Then my elbow started acting up because I have not had a chance to raise the handlebar on the Trek. By now I am riding down the road with no feeling in my hands, cramped up toes and an elbow that hurts so bad I can't stretch my arm. With 10 miles to go and nobody to call to pick me up, I was not a happy person. I don't think I have ever been so happy to see my house.

Jane

Jane:  You will need to get some adjustments on that new bike.  If you haven't got toe clips, get them.  Of course, properly sized shoes will help.  Take one hand off of the handlebars occasionally; flex the fingers and rotate at the wrists -- that should help restore feeling.

By the way, Ras did okay in the time trial today.  He lost a minute to Vinokourav, Cadel Evans (an Australian) and Andi Kloden but he held on to his yellow jersey.  On the other hand, a major doping scandal is developing and the Flying Chicken may not be able to stick around long enough to show that he is capable of winning the whole TDF.

Joe

Jane, cool that you've got your new bike! That's exciting! Do take some time to get the fit just right (handle bars & seat adjustments). Sounds like you've got an aluminum frame that's giving you a jarring ride (was your Schwinn made of steel or al?). There are some things you can do to make the ride more comfortable. Gloves with gel padding can reduce the impact on your hands/arms and might help with numbness. A suspension seat post is another idea. It's a seatpost with a little shock absorbtion built in, to reduce impact through the saddle. I've always been intrigued by them because my aluminum bikes have always kinda beat me up. And toeclips are a good idea to keep your feet on the pedals :-)

Joe, are they saying Ras is doped? This is exactly why I don't want to get hooked on watching the Tour (not that it only happens in cycling; it happens in all the other sports as well). I get so disappointed.

It does help to flex my fingers and rotate the wrist, but I am a little scared to do that when I am going down a road that feels like I am hitting a pot hole every second. Vandemark road is off limits for me and my bike, lol

carrihound, yes, the Trek is aluminum and the Schwinn is steel. That is such a major difference. The Trek is sooo sensitive to everything on the road. Those gloves sounds like a good idea and I like the shock absorbtion in the seat post - it sounds expensive though.

I knew you guys would tell me to get toe clips. I have been avoiding that whole issue because of being a little intimidated by the thought of being locked in. However, I am not going to be able to enjoy riding if my toes are cramping like that.

The elbow thing I already figured out the solution to; I just need to get around to raising the handle bar.

Jane

I haven't posted anything on this forum for a while now thought i'd give an update.

Still got my borrowed bike lol but its muddy as ever and i have become an addict to dirt haha I love taking it down my forest still and have become much more comfortable on roads but yet i am not using it to commute- maybe i should get a road bike too??

Jane: The seat isn't necessarily expensive, which of course is a relative assessment.  Check with your bike shop but also check on-line prices at  http://www.nashbar.com/.  They don't have exactly the saddle that Carrie described but they have some options.  Also the clips I am talking about are not the clipless stuff that has caused such comical crashes.  These are just metal or plastic pieces that attach to the front of your pedal and have a curved piece that will keep your foot from sliding forward or jumping off of the pedal.  The downside is that the weight of the clip makes your pedal flip over when you take your foot off of the pedal.  When you start riding again you have to step on the back of the pedal to rotate the clip into the proper position.  It gets to be automatic -- like putting on your seat belt.

Ras has been dropped from the Danish National Team for missing two out of competition drug tests.  Missing a third would be the equivalent of testing positive.  The more serious problem are allegations that he tried to have a friend smuggle some pretty scary stuff in to Europe a couple of years ago.  At least one team manager is pushing to have action taken against Ras for missing the drug tests.  But so far he is continuing to race and doing well.  He was edged out today by a young Spaniard, who races for the Discovery Channel Team (America's team).  Ras has a 2:23 lead over the Spaniard, which is good enough to win as long as nothing bad happens.

Jane: Congradulations on the new bike!  You may also want to check your tire pressure.  If you're using standard 700 cc clinchers, optimal tire pressure (per Leonard Zinn for a 150 lb rider) is 95 psi front and 105 psi rear, a little more for bigger riders and less for smaller riders.  Some people inflate to the maxium printed on the tire (usually 120 psi) but this not recommended.  Often people think that more pressure equals less rolling resistances but this is not true.  A properly inflated tire will resist pinch flats but still have some compliancy for a more comfortable ride and better handling.  Some saddles are more compliant than others and sometimes they need a little breaking in.  And I always wrap my bars with cork ribbon which is gentler on the hands.  And I agree with jc343, you need to have some sort of foot restraint for safety and performance even if it is just toe clips with sneakers.  As well as bike fit, if the saddle and bars are not yet properly adjusted, you will be out of balance with the bike.  Enjoy!

Jane,

I don't use toeclips... but my pedals aren't flat anyway.  They have little teeth on the edge that easily hold my running shoes in place even allowing me to push my foot on the forward and pulling back part of peddaling.   Maybe switching out the pedals to something with a little more bite would help (and wearing shoes that fit right as well).

Thanks all for the advice. I have not been able to ride since saturday and I am not happy about it. This week is tough because Christopher is out of summer school. I am going for a little ride right now.

Joe, I just asked my Mom about Ras. She seems to think there is a lot of jealousy stuff going on, but that is just coming from her. If there is a doping problem then it needs to be addressed and I don't like that he is bailing on the drug tests.

trhawley, all I know about the tires is that the guy at the bike shop said to keep the pressure at 80 pounds. Where do you get the cork ribbon?

nightc1, the pedals does have teeth on them to grip the shoes. I really think the problem is with the shoes and not the bike. I am going to get some shoes that fit better (and maybe not quite as heavy as regular tennis shoes.

Well I better get out there before I end up on the couch instead. Hopefully I won't get attacked by any groundhogs, lol.

By the way, cursed be the new Harry Potter book. I have been up until 2am all weekend reading this stupid thing - I feel like such a kid, lol. I am done now. Who want to know if Harry dies or not?

Jane

Well it happened, I crashed my mountain bike last Wednesday. I am sorry to say that I was not on an epic cycling adventure.  I rode up to the Library to return some books. On the way home I was flying down a large hill through the park. I realized that I had way to much speed to make the turn at the bottom of the hill so I figured that I would just make the turn wide through the grass and get back on the path. Just as I was returning to the concrete path my front wheel slipped into the little groove between the grass and the concrete.  I was violently thrown down into the cement when the front wheel hit that groove.  I broke my helmet into 2 pieces. It split in half lenghtwise. I trashed a set of Optic Nerve cycling glasses and a pair of gloves. On my person I have road rash on the right side of my face 7 stitches over my right eye I had a concusion and road rash on almost every part of my body except my left leg. while I took the bounce and tumble on the concrete my bike bounced around on the grass and sufferd only minor scratches on the bar ends and seat. I feel pretty lucky that I didn't break any bones. I was a little fuzzy after the initial impact and do not remember getting home. My wife took me to the ER after that.  I am still recovering but I think I will be able to resume commuting tomorrow.

Oh my god, gmule! That is horrible! My thoughts are definitely with you as you recover from this.

Jane

Gmule: Life can certainly come at you fast.  I suppose the fact that you made it home means that everything is working satisfactorily.  I hope that there is no long term damage to your hip, knee, elbow.

gmule, glad you are, for the most part, OK!  Hope you heal quickly.

DAN

Gmule: It's good to know that your helmet did it's job!  Good luck with the mend.

Jane: You must have different tires than what I'm used to but tire pressure will effect the comfort of the ride.  You want enough not to pinchflat but not so much that you have a jarring ride.  The cork you can get at most bike shops.  I almost always buy stuff online.  That time I bought some it was Cinelli Cork from Competitive Cyclist.  They even make it with a layer of gel inside but I have the regular cork and wear padded gloves.  Of course I'm using standard road bars.

trhawley, I have standard bars as well so it should be pretty easy to put on. I was looking for some info on the tires in my owner's manual for the Trek, but couldn't find any.

Jane

gmule, A+ for that helmet! Glad to hear you weren't injured more seriously. Good luck with your recovery!

jane, i recently put the gel Cinelli tape on my aluminum bike and i like the feel of it over the plain cork tape. anything to soften the harsh ride of my aluminum bike is welcome (i've got a gel seat pad, the gel bar tape, and buzzkill bar end plugs). it all helps, but i still stand up over bumps & holes because the bike is very stiff. i also run my tires around 85, which softens the ride from what i'd get at 100-120psi. and definitely get shoes, even just tennis shoes, that fit :-)

rode home in the aftermath of a thunderstorm last night. it was still a light rain, with lightning & thunder, but i'd missed the worst of the rain judging by the mud and the rivers of water along the roadsides & in the puddles. i made it here dry this morning, but i will probably have a repeat performance this afternoon, as there are storms in the area.

It is raining here too, carrihound, but no thunder so I ventured out there. I love the smell of the ground when it is raining.

I noticed that for most of the ride my hands were doing fine, but as soon as I got to the city limits and the road started getting rough, my hands started acting up. So I will definitely get some of that cork stuff. I also paid attention to where on the pedals I placed my feet and I had no problems at all.

Funny thing: I was zooming along on my ride, thinking to myself that I was doing better than usual. I of course attributed this to the new bike but when I had to turn around and head home I was straight up against the wind. No wonder I was doing so good - the wind was carrying me, lol.

Jane

TdF followers, check the pages (velonews & cyclingnews). they're reporting that Vino's come back with a positive test today.