Biking Tip of the Day
Get a bicycle pump that has a pressure gauge built into it. Before each ride, check your tire pressure (of course, you must know what the optimal pressure is for your particular tires!). If you need to add some air, do that before you ride. This is the single most important thing that you can do to avoid flat tires.
Ride on!
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
Just got back from a 28-29 mile ride by myself this morning. Finished it off with ten minutes at the pool at the gym swimming slow stretchy laps and then sitting in the hot tub.
I'm still on a friend's mountain bike and hope this was the last ride on that particular bike. I'm supposed to get mine Thursday. The guy at the shop will help fit it to me and show me how to fix a flat. He assures me once he's shown me how. I'll be able to do it myself.
The guy at the bike store put together kits for us with a pump, tube and patch to fix a flat. And levers to get the tire off. Hopefully he's right, that it's fairly easy.
WWM or others - have any of you tried the online bike log sites? I'm looking to join one to keep track of mileage, speed, etc and to keep myself motivated. Looks like there are a lot of them and I'm wondering if someone could recommend a good one?
GD, we have never used one but Mr. WWM and I do keep a bike log on our computers. If you'd like a copy of the spread sheet that we use, we'll send it to you.
The advantage to an on-line site is that you "meet" other people and can see what other people are doing. Mr. WWM uses www.mapmyride.com a lot but I'm not certain if they have a log. He has also looked at the one at www.polarpersonaltrainer.com He says he didn't use it because he's an engineer (he likes to do his own stuff) but he said that it looks like a good site.
Good job on your ride! Changing the front tire is way easier than the back tire. My strategy is to stand by my bike and look pitiful and usually someone else will change my tire! Now I have Gatorskin tires and they don't flat out as easily as other tires.
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
Great, I'm going to check those out. The lady I bike with has a fancy Garmin watch with a cadence for the bike that tells her absolutely everything! She showed me yesterday on the computer how it lists every mile, the spped, her heart rate, etc. Very nice, but out of my price range. But I would like to find a bike log site where I can do a little bit of the same.
I shot a few pictures today from stops on my ride and may post them later. Not sure you'd all want to see them - you may all want to book a trip here for you and your bike afterwards :)
Here I am, WWM. I haven't been riding this summer because a. it's too darn hot and b. the last time I rode I saw someone get hit by a car (well, he was right behind me so I didn't actually see it, but I heard it and I saw the aftermath). I'm pretty leery of the bike path after that, and NYC streets are out of the question. I'm hoping that by the time the weather cools off enough to ride I'll be feeling less skittish. I know some of you think nothing of riding in 80+ degree weather, but I feel sick just walking around in the heat, so I think biking would be a bad idea for now.
I do use the spinning bikes at the gym and I AM going to make it to class on Thursday.
We have to ride really early to try and beat the heat. Even with that by the end of a long ride we can really feel it.
Kilroy, I can sure understand about the streets. You know how often I've fallen so I'd probably be a mess on those streets. Of course, I wouldn't be riding using clipless pedals, which is why I fell.
There are some beautiful parks up 9W towards Poughkeepsie that would be great to ride in, if you don't mind hauling your bikes. I would love to ride in that Seven Lakes region. It's so beautiful!
GD, my bike computer doesn't give my my heart rate, but I do wear a heart rate monitor.
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
Here are some pictures from my ride today. There are 5 of them you can scroll through:
http://thebobster06.multiply.com/photos/album/41/Bike_Rides#photo=2
Great pictures, GD! We, on the other hand, have to ride by the same frigging oil derrick, the same pump jack, the same squished lizard......... ACK!!!!!!!! We have so few choices of places to ride around here and so we keep doing the same 42 - 53 mile loop. BORING!!!!!
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
WWM and GD, you have such fascinating "wildlife"!
You go Cheri, you bike like me, stationary-ish!
Posted 1 year ago by mollycat71 #
I saw a couple of live ones scurrying along the road, too, Amy. They were quite big and when I saw the first one, I didn't know what it was, screamed and almost fell off the bike!
Gosh GD, that looks like something you should throw into a basket and bring home to cook!
It's odd but all of the tarantulas that we were seeing are gone. Same with the millipedes, which I found particularly disgusting. They have a very hard shell and are about five inches long. Yuck!
One thing we have noticed on our rides this summer is that horned toads seem to be making a comeback. For years we just didn't see any and this summer we have seen quite a few. If we spot them we always come to a screeching halt, Mr. WWM gets off of his bike and relocates the toad to the other side of the barbed wire fences. We hate to see them get hit.
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
I have seen guarder snakes while riding. I stopped and watched it till it slithered away.
I need to go some time soon with my camera and take some pictures along the river. I need to find a visor for my helmet if I am going to ride early in the mornings. The sun is low and right in my eyes. Not so bad if I am just riding in the sun, but I go through trails that have dark and light areas and this may be the one time transitions are a slight bit too slow at transitioning lol!
Chey
Definitely take pictures, Chey!
I called the bike place and my bike still isn't in (I ordered it a week ago tomorrow). Hopefully I'll get it before the weekend. I'm going north by the beach this weekend and will try to take more pictures.
I'm glad the tarantulas are gone, WWM!!! Around here, the giant iguanas have dwindled significantly in numbers. With the cold winter we had, they all went into "iguana comas" (they become paralyzed below 40 degrees) and I think the Department of Wildlife sent out personnel to collect them as they've been battling them for years.
I don't mind at all not having hundreds of them sitting by the side of the road!
You never told us what kind of bike you are getting!
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
It's a wonderful ride, Marsha! SOM and I were talking about a meetup on their way north the Saturday after Thanksgiving at a place in Boynton on my bike route. Please join us!!!
WWM, I'm getting a Cannondale Quick 4. Can't do a road bike with my hip, but this'll work!
http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bikes/Recreation-Urban/Quick/Details/1307-9QR4-Quick-4
Sweet, GD!!! I have a Cannondale Synapse WSD 5 carbon fiber bike - I really, really like my Cannondale!
Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
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