07.04.09 Ride Report, HRT

I got up early for Independence Day and took off for the Heritage Rail Trail.  I wanted to get in a longer ride but wasn’t sure how I’d do on any hills, so I figured some steady state riding would fit the bill.  Also, this is the first time I’ve been on the HRT this year.

Arrived in downtown York about 8:00am to a fairly empty lot.  As I worked my way south I encountered a few recreational cyclists, but for the most part the trail was hosting runners, mostly women.

It was pretty much an uneventful ride with stops at Hanover Junction and New Freedom.  I was surprised at my pace up the grade from Glen Rock to New Freedom given that I was not intentionally pushing it.  At NF, I stopped in at the little restaurant in the train station and had a good cup of coffee while I rested my legs and did some people watching.  I did hold down the pace a little coming back, but I think part of this was the gusty headwind that managed to stay a headwind even after I turned around at the state line.  Go figure.

Around 10:30 I noticed that a lot more people were coming out.  A number of times I had to almost come to a full stop because of people standing, blocking the trail.  It was enough to make me think that riding on roads are actually safer and more enjoyable – and these weren’t little kids; but adults just not being considerate.  At one point, coming back through the tunnel, some yahoo coming at me decided he had to weave out in front of me to avoid a very shallow puddle.  That sent my back wheel onto the rail and me yelling at the fool, but fortunately I was able to recover and keep on going.  I’ll just chalk it up to the holiday and probably more traffic than normal.

Later on I fell in behind two older guys trying to make their way through some slower family riders.  We were all pretty patient and the guy up front was using his bell.  The guy in front of me could see me in his mirror, and I could tell he was getting a little nervous, so I hung back.  Finally, when the traffic broke, I edged around, hit my brass bell a few times, and joked with the guys about us needing air horns.  They got a kick out of that.

Several times I used my bell to warn riders as I was overtaking them, and it just didn’t seem to register with them.  They were either yakking away or in some other zone.  I had one group where the two women in the back heard me fine, but the one husband up front did not.  I hung back patiently until his wife yelled loud enough for him, and then I think he made a smart comment as I passed.  It was probably an interesting conversation if he said anything to his wife later.

Not a bad ride overall, but the steady state cadence is a different kind of workout.  Later this year I hope to do the whole ride; kind of an annual thing.

Misc. Miles: 2

Distance: 43.6 miles  2009: 648.4

06.30.09: Ride Report

Fitness ride at dusk.

Distance: 12.9 miles  2009: 602.8

Ride Report: 06.28.09

’short ride around town combined with a milk run. 

The other night our neighborhood suffered a microburst that cut a path down through a row of a dozen or so houses.  Even though it took out close to 30 trees, some of them quite large, it did very little damage to the homes.  Both houses on either side of us had damage, but it didn’t so much as blow over our trash cans.

Son #1 is riding the Cannondale more and more for transportation.  He is picking up odd jobs around the community.  This morning he rode over to a farm and was loading hay in a barn.  I might end up putting a triple crank on that bike sooner than I thought, especially if I decide to get some lower gearing on the Trucker.

As for the Trucker, I’m still having issues with ghost shifting.  I played around a little with the derailleur hanger, thinking it might be bent…that seemed to improve, but not solve the problem.  So from looking at higher end touring bikes with similar gear ranges, I’m back to thinking that going down to an 8 or even 7 speed cassette might be the solution.  The Cannondale has a 7, and it never ghosts on me.  The spacing is not as tight and there is more room for the chain to settle on the gears rather than ride on top of them.

Misc. mile: 10.7

Distance: 8.6 miles  2009: 589.9

Ride Report: 06.23.09

A free weeknight, YAY!  Since Ave and I are batching it this week and it’s the only night of the week where he doesn’t have baseball, he hightailed it to a friend’s house for the evening while ol’ dad decided it was time to re-attempt my Dillsburg ride.

With a trued wheel containing all 28 spokes, I took off to Wellsville; but not before checking out the rowing at Pinchot.  I spotted one lone sculler leaving the inlet just as I pulled in, but no one else around.  Admittedly, it was a bit breezy, which can put a damper on your feathering technique as you try to row over the waves, and I sense the old racing contingent of the club has pretty much retired.

Wellsville is…quaint; and I really should explore the town with a camera.  There are a lot of very old homes that have been modernized, but still retain their aged persona.  It’s a pleasant change from many of the McMansions that are springing up in the more affluent areas.  If I had the money, I’d much rather settle for an older home with character than some of these monstrosities that are springing up.

This is a near perfect course for biking.  Both Route 74 and York Road have recently been repaved (actually York Road isn’t quite done), there are good berms most of the way, and there is a combination of flats and hills, none of which are too steep, but a good test of the spinning skills nonetheless.  Route 74 is basically a winding 2-lane through farmland, and York Road is a faster road, but with 8 foot paved berms.  Although I didn’t stop, Dillsburg offers an excellent halfway point for a cup of coffee or a refueling snack.  There were a lot of kids out along main street, and I sensed that they may not be used to seeing a biker cruising through that often.

Without really trying, I ended up riding at a faster pace.  It was probably the pavement conditions and the nice tailwind I had on the return trip.  If anything, I’m trying to slow down a little so I can go out further, but I really don’t want to focus on my pace, and I refuse to switch my computer readout to the average speed setting.  Still, I found myself looking at those little arrows on the speedometer that tell you if you’re above or below the average, and I noted that I glance at the odometer every 8/10ths of a mile (must have been getting bored).

It was a little hot, but not overwhelming.  Red had picked up a couple of shirts for me on clearance, and one is an Adidas “ATS Dry”, meaning it’s supposed to wick away any sweat.  When you first put it on, you can feel it holding in some heat.  But once you start moving, the breeze flows through it, and you can feel the wicking.  Overall, I’ll give the shirt high marks – it looks like a nice t-shirt with some striping, but not like your typical lycra jersey.  And I suppose it looks far more stylish than my old cotton work shirt.

I was, however, having trouble with my helmet.  I have started wearing it again, but I need to figure out what to do on hot days.  I put my bandana in my pocket and would wipe my face periodically, but I think using it as a headband would have been better.  I really don’t want to spring for a new helmet if I don’t have to.

Another scene where I could kick myself for not yet replacing my camera… about a mile north of Rossville I passed three nubile bikini clad tween-somethings standing in a yard jumping up and down and waving to cars.  I’m sure if I would have stopped to snap a pic I’d end up on some sexual predator registry, but the shot would have been priceless.  Still, I can only assume that these girls were doing this because there were no adults home – so while it was great fun, it’s probably not a smart move, girls.  Nevertheless, thanks for the encouragement.

Finally, I noticed about a mile from home that my Superflash had stopped superflashing.  For those last few minutes I thought about how a dynamo tail light would solve that problem, but then I pulled in the garage and replaced the batteries in about 30 seconds, and I was superflashing again.

Misc. Miles: 6.7

Distance: 32.8 miles  2009: 570.6

Ride Report: 06.18.09

Went for a ride at dusk to enjoy a beautiful sunset after spending the evening powerwashing our patio.  It was a bit breezy with a front moving through, but taking it easy and enjoying the ride, rather than pushing it, made for a pleasant cruise.

Two observations: first is that while I’m still seeing deer, they are not in groups, but rather seem to be on their own.   Second, the fireflies are out.  Very cool scene turning the corner on an old farm lane and seeing a meadow lit up.

It probably is a bad strategy to tout the quality of my new Cyo light when I’m trying to sell the IQ Fly, but last night was the first I had used it on a truly dark night.  I think that overall the wash of the light is about the same intensity of the Fly, but then it shoots further and has a slightly wider beam.   With both lights, I focus the main wash of light about 15-20 feet in front of me.  They both do a great job at lighting up the pavement and distinguishing any irregularities like cracks and potholes.  The Cyo, though, shoots a fair amount of light beyond that; enough that I feel fairly comfortable pushing it down hills.  It also shoots just a bit more light off to the sides, enough so that a two lane country road is pretty well lit up.  I’d say with the Fly I’m confident going 15-20 mph on a dark night as long as I’m not looking for road signs.  With the Cyo, that speed goes up to 20-25 mph, and there is enough spill light to catch reflective signs well before I am on top of them.  So far I haven’t been flashed by any cars for blinding them.

This is a “regular” Cyo, as opposed to the Cyo R.  That model replaces the “long throw” beam by focusing more spill light directly in front of the bike.  Apparently one of the complaints of the Fly was that there is a dark area up to 6 feet in front of the bike, so that you can’t see the pavement as well.  I didn’t find that to be the case, and I’m focused on the road further out anyway.  I’m thinking that part of this might be unintended reflections I’m getting off of my chromed front fender stays, or maybe the whole “R” thing is a marketing ploy.  Either way, both the Fly and the Cyo provide plenty of near field light.

Some minor issues:  One thing that I don’t like about the Cyo compared to the Fly is the integrated wiring for a tail light.  The Fly has connectors for the tail light wires to plug into, and are very discreet.  The Cyo has a 6 inch wire hanging out the bottom that I have wrapped around and taped to the mount – not very clean looking, and for now I’m very happy with the Superflash for a rear light.

Another thing is that the mount for the Fly allows you to easily vary the angle of the beam with a simple click.  Once you set the Cyo, that’s where it stays.  There were a couple times where moving along on a back road, I would quickly reach down and click the Fly up a notch – basically a high beam.  This isn’t as critical with the Cyo, but a nice feature nonetheless.

Distance: 11.2 miles  2009: 531.1

I’m Such a Dweeb

‘coming into work this morning, entering town via the Market Street Bridge.  An older model Dodge or Plymouth mini-van.  Tinted windows, but the light is such that I can see through to the front window…and notice the outline of a Brooks saddle.  The classic shape of a B17 and the bag loops.  The bike is resting in the passenger area.

Go a little further but don’t quite “catch” the guy, but see in the side window that he’s wearing a florescent green shirt.

and that was my excitement for the morning…