Cold, wet, and… days are getting longer.

It’s cold and wet and dark when I go to work (by car), but the days are getting longer and I’m getting excited about biking again. I have managed to lose 55 pounds since the end of the summer. Crazy. I have 25 or so to hit my target, at which point I might not qualify as “clydesdale” class anymore. Hmmmm…

Although I haven’t been biking, i have been “fantasy-shopping” on ebay and elsewhere for internally geared hubs… and wheels… and other component parts to turn my bike into a 3-speed. I am favoring the idea of old-school Sturmey-Archer hubs. Starting to explore Shimano… and should look at them all….

I *did* buy some bike shoes and pedals on clearance sale a month ago. So far only using the shoes for an occasional spinning class and once-every-other-week solo workout on the spinning-style bike in the corner of the workout room at the gym. So far, I like ’em.

February is the teaser month with hints of spring coming… Daffodils starting to peek… Days getting longer. This is when I start to get excited for summer. WAY too early, of course, which may help explain why I tend to be all grumpy and edgy when mid-April comes around…

Spinning

I did the “studio cycling” (aka “spinning”) class at the gym this morning. One word: OUCH!

I did better than I thought I’d do, but the (virtual) steep hill climbs and sustained off-the-seat business toward the end nearly killed me.  I resorted to sitting on the saddle whilst the hardcore fitness types around me stayed on their feet.

A few hours later — I have sore muscles where I don’t care to have sore muscles.

We’ll see how the weekend goes — not so sure I will, but I think I’ll try it again next week.

dusting off the cobwebs

FINALLY pulled my ‘cross bike off the hooks on the garage wall yesterday morning to go for an hour long (cold!) bike ride yesterday morning.  I noticed cobwebs on the spokes when I was pumping up the tires.  Realized my bike isn’t so new anymore, and my big plans to spend lots of time on it this past summer… didn’t really pan out.

That said, it was great to be in the saddle again, especially since I’ve lost close to 30 (!) pounds since I bought the bike — thanks in large part to the LoseIt! iPhone app and a heavy almost-daily regimen of cario exercise at the gym.  I found the daunting hill-climb part of my favorite ride wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered it to be, and continued the hill-climb further on a new route that I’ve avoided due to the hills… so, it was quite fun.  Sad in hindsight that I didn’t also take advantage of Saturday’s nice weather, as I find myself jonesin’ for another bike ride.  Perhaps this weekend?

Sad that my weekend was too busy to make it to the annual Oregon Manifest hand-crafted bike show over the weekend — made it a couple of years ago, which helped stimulate my renewed interest in bikes and biking.  Now the big question: Am I ready to give the bike-to-work idea another shot… now that the days are short and the weather cold-and-crappy?  Hmmm… getting there.  I’ll have to keep an eye on the forecast and my schedule (work and family) and see if I can squeeze in one day this week or next.

After taking in the first Cross Crusade race of the season a few weeks ago, I was pretty sure I WOULDN’T be attempting my first cross race this year.  Now that I’ve been out on my bike… I might have to rally to see if I can do the beginner class out at Portland Int’l Raceway this Sunday. That sounds a little aggressive… but might have to give it a try.  More on that later.

Back in the saddle… almost.

I’m nearly fully recovered from my crash, and gearing up (mentally) to start the commute again.  I *could* have started weeks ago, but vacation… heatwave… laziness… late nights and early mornings… no really good excuse, but I like to use excuses.

I’ve been slightly regretting buying a one-speed bike for my commute, which involves considerable hill-climbing both to-and-from work.  I’ve been telling myself that the bike is great, but both ways face a long uphill grind (the commute home is longer & grindier) during which I usually long for an easier gear ratio.  And I occassionally (less often) long for a gear ratio that allows me to pedal faster on a the flat or downhills… usually happens when I *think* I’m tooling along pretty quickly, but then someone raced-dressed, light and zippy passes me about 2x the speed I’m going.

Semi-tangent:  I picked up a newish kid-sized 5-speed Electra cruiser at a garage sale for free — the garage sale-er felt guilty charging for it, because it had some derailer issues. It’s very very similar to this $350 model at REI, except it’s a several-year-older model that has a full-length chain-guard instead of the BMX-style crankset/chainring.  I took it to the shop, and spent about $90.00 on the repair — still a great deal for a great little bike, just right for one of our sons who was in need of something a bit bigger than the once-upon-a-time training wheel bike he was using.  Unfortunately, I’ve come to discover that the chain falls off easily will the light abuse any aggressive young boy might put on a bike.  He can’t re-chain it, so nearly every day I have to do the job when I get home from work.  I took it to the shop.  They gave it a once-over and suggested that there’s nothing they can do about it.  I’ve been thinking about two fixes: (1) get a new front crankset/chainring that has built-in guides on the sides to keep the chain on it — BMX style thing, or (2) buy a new hub/wheelset with integral 3-speed or 5-speed hub… shorten the chain and remove the tensioner/derailer, which would allow for a chain that’s tight and wouldn’t come off.

Searching for a solution for the kids bike, I’ve realized that an integrated 3-speed (or 8 speed?) hub/wheel for my commuter bike might be just the thing I need.  I can’t really justify spending more money on this bike right now… but seems like such a smart thing to do.  If it’s integrated, then I could easily swap it out with my single-speed hub if/when the whim strikes me.  I’m really starting to like this idea.  I really like the old-school Sturmey Archer hubs… but wonder if Shimano might be better for Portland’s wet gritty roads?  I’ll be looking at reviews.

In the meantime, I hope to be back on the commute-by-bike agenda this week or next.  The weather is outstanding… the thumb is ready… I could use the exercise and discipline.

More to come.

Twice

Yesterday I did the commute-by-bike again.  Enjoyed it.  Tweaked my knee during the day and was concerned that the uphill ride home would make it worse, but it turned out to be just fine, if not better than had I not biked home.

I drove to work today.  So, week one of the commute-by-bike:  3x by car (M/W/F); 2x by bike (T/Th).

Next week I’ll do M/W/F by bike.  Swear.

(yesterday) morning weigh-in: 289 (WTF?!?)

Maiden Voyage

This morning. 8 miles.  Three miles flat-ish to mild climb, followed by one steep.  Rest.  Two miles downhill glide, two flat.  Home.  Could have gone more… but no time.

I know I’m not in shape, but daydreaming about biking lately… being out of shape hasn’t been a part of those daydreams.  Good kick in the pants to get with the program today.

I don’t think I’m ready for the commute.  A couple more practice runs… and I’ll be there.

It has arrived…

UPS wouldn’t deliver without an in-person signature, so I braved the thunderstorm last night and picked up my new bike at UPS.

Hopefully not the french word for "Sucka!"

I was about to head to bed… but couldn’t resist.  I took it out of the box – very well packaged by BikesDirect, then snipped the cable ties and started assembly.  By the time I retired for the evening, I had it about 90% assembled — just the front brakes left to install.  Before I ride it, I’ll be adjusting the brakes and other adjustables, and make sure the cranks are tight… then take it for a test ride (weather permitting).  It comes with a flip/flop rear hub – fixed on one side and freewheel on the other.  The package deal included a single speed freewheel, but that was not installed.  So, I’ll likely take it for a quick spin as a fixie, then remove the wheel and install the freewheel and flip it… or flop it… when I put the wheel back on.

I also bought a new (larger) saddle to attach, as the stock saddle is about the size of a guitar pick.  I’m sure I’ll try it someday, but my arse is like twin bowling balls… so a larger saddle is needed in the short run.

Test drive — this evening? tomorrow morning?  Review coming soon.  One question… how much slack (or lack thereof) is called for on a single speed bike with no chain tensioner?  I’ll have to do some research before I ride it too much.

I’s gotta have it…

Please baby, please baby, please baby, baby baby please!

UPS is coming back today. I am making arrangements for someone to take delivery. I cannot go another day without my new bike.

Thunderstorms in the forecast.

Knee pain.

I’m not trying to come up with excuses to avoid diving into the commute… just sayin’

UPS came… UPS went…

My bike arrived today, at least according to the UPS sticker on the door. No one home. My bike left today. I have yet to see it.

Bike comes today.

My new bike arrives today. I’ve been mapping out my commute. Gearing up. Forcast for the next couple of days: occasional thunderstorms and/or “AM Rain” which doesn’t excite me – I don’t have fenders for the bike, yet. Hmmph.