Those of you who follow my blog (current count = zero) will remember that my last entry was a bit of a cliff hanger. Near the end of my last ride something felt wrong with my bottom bracket - my chainring was wobbly and the bike was making scary cracking sounds. The last time I broke my bottom bracket I ended up in the hospital and buying a new bike. I took the bike to Redlands Cyclery and waited for the news.
As my bike has Campagnola components I assumed the bottom bracket would be at least $200 and that I'd probably be looking at a $250 bill. Two days later I went in to see how my baby was doing. Wouldn't it be great if the repair department of the bike store was set up like a ward in a hospital with visiting hours, a gift shop, etc? Come to think of it, the entire bike store is a gift shop for your bicycle.
Jason, the mechanic, told me there were no complications and installed the new bottom bracket while I waited. I couldn't bear to watch my baby being operated on so I wandered around the gift shop looking for something nice to get her. I noticed that NiteRider now has a two watt tail light that looks identical to the Cygolite. I smell a lawsuit.
Fifteen minutes later my bike was all fixed up and the bill was only $60 - that's pretty impressive. I thanked them and took my baby home to get cleaned up. That last ride went through quite a bit of mud and water.
Friday night I rode my monthly Lucky Greek permanent populaire (100k) and on the way back ticked over 10,000 miles for the year. The bottom bracket worked perfectly. I'll be heading back over to the bike store to give them all a Christmas present.
Tonight Amber and I will be riding to Beachwood BBQ and back.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Dodging rain, eating crabs
Amber, Sherry, and I spent three days in Santa Barbara this week and, unfortunately, so did a rain storm.Amber and I planned a bike ride from Santa Barbara to Ventura and back so I could show her the two new bike paths I discovered on the Big Dipper 200k the weekend before.
We had heavy rain all nigh and light rain in the morning - easing up over lunch. We decided to go ahead with the ride even though the roads were very wet and, being from Southern California, we don't have fenders. On the way south I showed Amber the new bike path south of Rincon Point. She loved it. I measured it at 3.5 miles long. That's 3.5 miles of not riding on the shoulder of the 101 freeway.
When we got to Ventura it started to rain. It was exceedingly cold. We grabbed water and headed back north as fast as we could to get out from under the rain-cloud. Three miles later it stopped raining so we ate quickly and kept going. At Rincon Point I showed Amber the second bikepath that Jonathon had showed me which was also cool. Carpenteria Avenue is ripped up all the way through Carpenteria (thanks CalTrans) so we rode on the sidewalk.
About 15 miles from the end of the ride my bike starting making scary cracking noises and there was noticeable movement in my bottom bracket so I eased off to make sure I got home. The last time I broke a bottom bracket I ended up in the hospital.
We got back to Santa Barbara having ridden 55 miles in 3:40 ride time. We were covered in mud but we had had a good ride. We celebrated with a crab dinner at the end of Santa Barbara pier. My bike is now in the bike shop.
We had heavy rain all nigh and light rain in the morning - easing up over lunch. We decided to go ahead with the ride even though the roads were very wet and, being from Southern California, we don't have fenders. On the way south I showed Amber the new bike path south of Rincon Point. She loved it. I measured it at 3.5 miles long. That's 3.5 miles of not riding on the shoulder of the 101 freeway.
When we got to Ventura it started to rain. It was exceedingly cold. We grabbed water and headed back north as fast as we could to get out from under the rain-cloud. Three miles later it stopped raining so we ate quickly and kept going. At Rincon Point I showed Amber the second bikepath that Jonathon had showed me which was also cool. Carpenteria Avenue is ripped up all the way through Carpenteria (thanks CalTrans) so we rode on the sidewalk.
About 15 miles from the end of the ride my bike starting making scary cracking noises and there was noticeable movement in my bottom bracket so I eased off to make sure I got home. The last time I broke a bottom bracket I ended up in the hospital.
We got back to Santa Barbara having ridden 55 miles in 3:40 ride time. We were covered in mud but we had had a good ride. We celebrated with a crab dinner at the end of Santa Barbara pier. My bike is now in the bike shop.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Upper Rio Hondo bike path
Amber and I rode from the San Gabriel trail head in Azusa down to Montebello then onto an unfamiliar bike path called the Upper Rio Hondo. This travels eight miles from Montebello to Arcadia giving us an out and back total of 44 miles.
It's not often I give a thumbs down to a bike path but I don't fancy riding the upper Rio Hondo again. The first problem is that it passes near a shooting range called Triple B Clay. The constant noise of gunfire is very disturbing and the complete antithesis of why I ride. Then the route is very urban, just concrete and graffiti, and lastly near the north end there is a series of difficult-to-navigate gates and then the bike path dumps you out onto Live Oak - a very busy and bike unfriendly road.
The only funny thing about the bike path is where a model aircraft park is next to a rifle range. Painted on the outside wall of the rifle range in 10 foot high red letters is "DO NOT FLY OVER RIFLE RANGE". I can well imagine that low flying model aircraft might make too tempting a target for inbred rednecks to resist.
I finally got to eat at Grand Burgers on Grand in Glendora. It's a typical american food restaurant. We had zucchini fries, chicken sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, and chili fries. It got a bit exciting when an 80 year old woman collapsed in front of the soda machine. She looked pretty chipper when they loaded her onto the gurney so I'm sure she's OK. When they finally wheeled her out, you can bet there was a big rush to get soda!
 |
| View from trail head |
The only funny thing about the bike path is where a model aircraft park is next to a rifle range. Painted on the outside wall of the rifle range in 10 foot high red letters is "DO NOT FLY OVER RIFLE RANGE". I can well imagine that low flying model aircraft might make too tempting a target for inbred rednecks to resist.
I finally got to eat at Grand Burgers on Grand in Glendora. It's a typical american food restaurant. We had zucchini fries, chicken sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, and chili fries. It got a bit exciting when an 80 year old woman collapsed in front of the soda machine. She looked pretty chipper when they loaded her onto the gurney so I'm sure she's OK. When they finally wheeled her out, you can bet there was a big rush to get soda!
 |
| We're going to need more people! |
Monday, December 8, 2014
Big Dipper 200k
I rode the PCH Randos Big Dipper 200k yesterday and I had the most fun since my September Night Audax 200k.
It was a big ride (26 riders) for December because we were there to commemorate the life of Mathew O'Neil who was killed while riding the C3R on Foxen Canyon. I got to meet a lot of riders who normally ride at a much higher level than me.
The weather was perfect as we rolled out a little after 6:30am to start the initial 50 mile loop that took us back to the Bott home. Somehow I found myself in the lead group of nine riders including Jim, Shai, and Kerin and I managed to hang in there even as we were whittled down to five, mainly by Jim taking monster pulls in some strong crosswinds. By the time we got to the first control at mile 37 I was starving and ordered a huge burrito. Unfortunately they screwed up my order so by the time my food arrived the lead group had already left.
This is where I met Tim, who had ridden the Dead of Winter double century the day before. I'd never met this guy before and within seconds he had borrowed money off me and eaten half my burrito. That's OK - he did a lot of pulling before the day was up. I also had my first coke from a bottle that I can remember - I swear it tastes better.
I left the control with Tim and Jonathon (both low-profile, no-draught recumbent riders) and another rider whose name I did not catch. Back we went to the Bott home to grab muffins, chocolate milk, and other goodies. I left with pretty much the same group and headed up the coast to Santa Barbara.
I had not ridden the new bike path alongside PCH to the South of Rincon Point and it was an absolute treat. We had the usual headwind but pace-lined our way through it very efficiently. Jonathon was navigating brilliantly and even showed us a bike path through Carpenteria that I had not seen before. Two new bike paths on one ride - how wonderful.
The long climb up to the turn around control at the Lazy Acres market was a drag but the market made up for it. The lead group was leaving just as I got there. I bought about a gallon of apple juice to ward off incipient cramps and stuffed my face because last time I did this ride I bonked ten miles after this control. We waited around quite a long time greeting some of the slower riders and then took off - two bents and three regular bikes.
Now we had a tailwind and made good time back down the coast. For some reason I was feeling strong and picked up the pace a bit. When I looked around there was only Tim and one other guy with me. I had dropped navigator Jon! The other normal bike stopped for a bio-break and I suddenly had to navigate which was a problem because my Garmin had stopped working the night before.
I managed to add a mile in Ventura but otherwise I got Tim and I home in a total of 9:15 hours. Not my best time but my moving average was excellent. After a baked potato, cornbread, soda and a lot more chatting with old friends I reluctantly left for home.
Thanks to everyone, especially to Linda and Larry, Tim and Jonathon.
It was a big ride (26 riders) for December because we were there to commemorate the life of Mathew O'Neil who was killed while riding the C3R on Foxen Canyon. I got to meet a lot of riders who normally ride at a much higher level than me.
The weather was perfect as we rolled out a little after 6:30am to start the initial 50 mile loop that took us back to the Bott home. Somehow I found myself in the lead group of nine riders including Jim, Shai, and Kerin and I managed to hang in there even as we were whittled down to five, mainly by Jim taking monster pulls in some strong crosswinds. By the time we got to the first control at mile 37 I was starving and ordered a huge burrito. Unfortunately they screwed up my order so by the time my food arrived the lead group had already left.
This is where I met Tim, who had ridden the Dead of Winter double century the day before. I'd never met this guy before and within seconds he had borrowed money off me and eaten half my burrito. That's OK - he did a lot of pulling before the day was up. I also had my first coke from a bottle that I can remember - I swear it tastes better.
I left the control with Tim and Jonathon (both low-profile, no-draught recumbent riders) and another rider whose name I did not catch. Back we went to the Bott home to grab muffins, chocolate milk, and other goodies. I left with pretty much the same group and headed up the coast to Santa Barbara.
I had not ridden the new bike path alongside PCH to the South of Rincon Point and it was an absolute treat. We had the usual headwind but pace-lined our way through it very efficiently. Jonathon was navigating brilliantly and even showed us a bike path through Carpenteria that I had not seen before. Two new bike paths on one ride - how wonderful.
The long climb up to the turn around control at the Lazy Acres market was a drag but the market made up for it. The lead group was leaving just as I got there. I bought about a gallon of apple juice to ward off incipient cramps and stuffed my face because last time I did this ride I bonked ten miles after this control. We waited around quite a long time greeting some of the slower riders and then took off - two bents and three regular bikes.
Now we had a tailwind and made good time back down the coast. For some reason I was feeling strong and picked up the pace a bit. When I looked around there was only Tim and one other guy with me. I had dropped navigator Jon! The other normal bike stopped for a bio-break and I suddenly had to navigate which was a problem because my Garmin had stopped working the night before.
I managed to add a mile in Ventura but otherwise I got Tim and I home in a total of 9:15 hours. Not my best time but my moving average was excellent. After a baked potato, cornbread, soda and a lot more chatting with old friends I reluctantly left for home.
Thanks to everyone, especially to Linda and Larry, Tim and Jonathon.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Ivation Bullet Bluetooth mp3 player
I just bought a new toy for my bike - the Ivation mp3 player. I like to listen to music when riding on my own, but I've never liked earphones for many reasons. First they are illegal, second they make me deaf to cars approaching from behind, third they are uncomfortable.
Sometimes I see people riding beach cruisers with boom boxes strapped to them which is perfectly legal and fun but doesn't really fit with my $7000 custom build Ti Serotta. The Ivation is a bluetooth speaker with a micro SD card slot and mp3 player built in. It's small enough to attach to my handlebars (about the size of a good headlight) and loud enough to hear well.
I took it for a 40 mile test ride last night after work. Although it was inaudible in heavy traffic, once I got onto the bike path it sounded great. I rode for about three hours and kept it on for the drive home so I can confirm the battery lasts for at least four hours. The sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small speaker - certainly good enough to accompany a run or a ride.
I purchased a 16Gb micro SD card which is more than enough to hold my entire music library. I have a 200k brevet tomorrow so I'll see how long that battery lasts!
Sometimes I see people riding beach cruisers with boom boxes strapped to them which is perfectly legal and fun but doesn't really fit with my $7000 custom build Ti Serotta. The Ivation is a bluetooth speaker with a micro SD card slot and mp3 player built in. It's small enough to attach to my handlebars (about the size of a good headlight) and loud enough to hear well.
I took it for a 40 mile test ride last night after work. Although it was inaudible in heavy traffic, once I got onto the bike path it sounded great. I rode for about three hours and kept it on for the drive home so I can confirm the battery lasts for at least four hours. The sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small speaker - certainly good enough to accompany a run or a ride.
I purchased a 16Gb micro SD card which is more than enough to hold my entire music library. I have a 200k brevet tomorrow so I'll see how long that battery lasts!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Scoping out the Five Rivers 300k brevet
I rode 40 miles on the upper SART again with Sherry on Saturday and spent Sunday scoping out part of the new Five Rivers 300k brevet that I am hosting in February 2015 with Amber.
We started in Azusa at the north end of the San Gabriel bike path. The control in Duarte is perfect and there are no issues accessing it so it stays on the route untouched. Then we followed the route on the San Gabriel, Rio Hondo, and Los Angeles river trails. We had one mile of road and 40 miles of bike path. For some reason we had a slight tailwind and made excellent time to Shoreline village in Long Beach which is the next control on the route.
I had originally planned on using a 7-11 four miles further along as the control but ridewithgps.com pointed out that there is a potential shortcut. Amber and I ate at the Yardhouse which was really nice. I even drank half a pint of Murphy's Stout which is very unusual for me. After our meal we wandered around Shoreline village and saw many good options for food so I decided to move the control here instead. I think the riders will like it. La Copa Empanadas looked really good and we plan on eating there during a ride at the first opportunity.
After Shoreline village we rode along the beach path to the San Gabriel bike trail and rode all the way up it to the end for a total of 84 miles which included maybe four miles of road.
I've submitted my application for the Five Rivers 300k brevet and hope to get it approved soon.
We started in Azusa at the north end of the San Gabriel bike path. The control in Duarte is perfect and there are no issues accessing it so it stays on the route untouched. Then we followed the route on the San Gabriel, Rio Hondo, and Los Angeles river trails. We had one mile of road and 40 miles of bike path. For some reason we had a slight tailwind and made excellent time to Shoreline village in Long Beach which is the next control on the route.
I had originally planned on using a 7-11 four miles further along as the control but ridewithgps.com pointed out that there is a potential shortcut. Amber and I ate at the Yardhouse which was really nice. I even drank half a pint of Murphy's Stout which is very unusual for me. After our meal we wandered around Shoreline village and saw many good options for food so I decided to move the control here instead. I think the riders will like it. La Copa Empanadas looked really good and we plan on eating there during a ride at the first opportunity.
 |
| Shoreline Village |
I've submitted my application for the Five Rivers 300k brevet and hope to get it approved soon.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Fantastic Weekend
As Tuesday was a holiday I decided to take Monday off too and make it a four day weekend.
I started with a 30 mile ride on my exercise bike on Friday night, then rode 40 miles with my wife on the upper SART on Saturday. On Sunday I rode the 56 mile Backbay loop with Amber, eating at the wonderful Champagne Bakery for the first time in too long.
On Monday I rode with a lovely couple from Kansas - Mike and Nancy Myers. They've ridden 12,000 sanctioned km so far this year. That's more than two years worth of riding for me!
They had chosen my Lucky Greek 100k permanent populaire to get their California brevet. They have ridden brevets in about 30 states now. After this ride, they were driving up to Las Vegas to do a Nevada ride tomorrow.
We met at the Panera at 6am which meant I had to get up at 5:00am :-( We got started at 6:18 under heavy cloud cover but with no wind and no chance of rain. We reversed the course because I was worried about rush-hour traffic, what with it being a week day. The upper SART was lovely and the recent storms meant there was actually water in the river. I joked with them and told them the river only flowed three days a year, but in California that still counts as a river.
They (especially Nancy) told me about the seven trans-continental rides they had done, and the different bikes they had used trying to settle on one that addressed all their different medical issues. They currently have a stretch limo of a recumbent tandem. Their license plate is [TANDUMB].
Before we knew it we were at the end of the SART and the traffic on Arlington was unpleasantly heavy. We got off after half a mile and onto River road through Norco which was nice and quiet. Traffic on Rincon, Smith and Railroad was heavier than usual, probably because it was a week day.
We got to the Lucky Greek and I decided to make the brevet an out and back to avoid traffic. We got pretty much the same number of miles either way. A gyro and fries later and we headed back. We talked a lot more about the people we had met and the kinds of things that randos like to talk about - how eventually every road reminds you of another road - how 300k rides always seems so hard. We talked about family and how lucky I was to be able to ride with my wife and both daughters in the same weekend.
I learned about slugburgers (seriously) and discussed how lucky we SoCal randos are with so many RBAs putting on so many rides for us.
About ten miles from the end the sun started to come out but it remained a pleasantly cool 65-70F.
It was a very special ride and I am honored to be part of Mike and Nancy's epic adventure.
I finished up my long weekend with a 23 mile ride on the upper SART with my youngest daughter and my wife. In the evening I virtually rode the first 43 miles of a new Utah 200k brevet that I am validating as part of my new duties for RUSA.
I started with a 30 mile ride on my exercise bike on Friday night, then rode 40 miles with my wife on the upper SART on Saturday. On Sunday I rode the 56 mile Backbay loop with Amber, eating at the wonderful Champagne Bakery for the first time in too long.
On Monday I rode with a lovely couple from Kansas - Mike and Nancy Myers. They've ridden 12,000 sanctioned km so far this year. That's more than two years worth of riding for me!
 |
| Mike and Nancy Myers |
We met at the Panera at 6am which meant I had to get up at 5:00am :-( We got started at 6:18 under heavy cloud cover but with no wind and no chance of rain. We reversed the course because I was worried about rush-hour traffic, what with it being a week day. The upper SART was lovely and the recent storms meant there was actually water in the river. I joked with them and told them the river only flowed three days a year, but in California that still counts as a river.
They (especially Nancy) told me about the seven trans-continental rides they had done, and the different bikes they had used trying to settle on one that addressed all their different medical issues. They currently have a stretch limo of a recumbent tandem. Their license plate is [TANDUMB].
Before we knew it we were at the end of the SART and the traffic on Arlington was unpleasantly heavy. We got off after half a mile and onto River road through Norco which was nice and quiet. Traffic on Rincon, Smith and Railroad was heavier than usual, probably because it was a week day.
We got to the Lucky Greek and I decided to make the brevet an out and back to avoid traffic. We got pretty much the same number of miles either way. A gyro and fries later and we headed back. We talked a lot more about the people we had met and the kinds of things that randos like to talk about - how eventually every road reminds you of another road - how 300k rides always seems so hard. We talked about family and how lucky I was to be able to ride with my wife and both daughters in the same weekend.
I learned about slugburgers (seriously) and discussed how lucky we SoCal randos are with so many RBAs putting on so many rides for us.
About ten miles from the end the sun started to come out but it remained a pleasantly cool 65-70F.
It was a very special ride and I am honored to be part of Mike and Nancy's epic adventure.
I finished up my long weekend with a 23 mile ride on the upper SART with my youngest daughter and my wife. In the evening I virtually rode the first 43 miles of a new Utah 200k brevet that I am validating as part of my new duties for RUSA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)