(no subject)

[camwyn]

Tried putting the fenders on my bike yesterday. They tend to scrape at odd moments. I may remove them for now and maybe get someone else to install them- I'm probably doing something wrong and don't even know it. Since kicking up mud all over my legs hasn't been a problem so far, I don't really think I need them at the moment anyway.

Bought a headlight for the bike, or at least a signal light for the front end. I haven't tried it in the dark, so I don't know just how effective it is. I also got a flashing light for the rear end, but that'll be my rear end. With the cargo rack attached to the back, the rear reflector is effectively invisible. The light I bought has a clip on it and the clip doesn't fit over the rear of the cargo rack. It does clip nicely to either my bike shorts or my denim cargoes, so there you go.

Thinking of getting cow horns when I replace or pad the seat. Not that I don't like the steering the mountain bike grip allows or the opportunity to change gears straightaway, but leaning forward like a road rider would be helpful at times. I need a mirror, too, and saddlebags to attach to the cargo rack. (Although the rack is the right size for me to attach a Domino's medium pizza to it with bungee cords and get it not only home but up to the fourth foor without serious damage to the pizza.) Possibly racks for the front wheels, too... see, back in maybe my second week of freshling year of college, I bought a book with a title like The Ultimate Bicycling Book. I remember being greatly impressed with the touring bike they showed, which was a hybrid rigged for bags on both the front and back wheel. I went back and looked at that bike today, and it's really not very different from my current model, except for the chain drive on the one in the book and the makeup of the frame (mine's aluminum, that one was steel). It kicked up a lot of memories, including some fairly silly ones involving crossing the country on bike-back. I say silly because let's face it, the Rocky Mountains are in the way of any attempts to cross the country and I am big fat hairy wuss. Even if the rest of the country was one big downhill or flat stretch, mountains=WAH GOD WHY OH WHY.

On the other hand... there are no significant mountains between here and, say, Philadelphia. And I can always take the train back.

By summer of next year I intend to be able to ride in a century- a bike race or event wherein you cover one hundred miles. This is their answer to marathons, I suppose. What I really would like to do is take a week or so of vacation time next year and ride to Washington, DC, possibly along US 1... just because I can.

I have time. I can get ready. Let's see if I can do this, neh?

... oh, yeah, yesterday I only did six and a half miles. Home -> 11th St in Hoboken -> Observer Highway -> Domino's -> home again. I was not aware Hoboken had a Ben and Jerry's. Nor did I know about the Hudson County Homing Pigeon Fanciers club (well, I did, but only because of earlier bike rides). Is that for real or is it a bad cover for some kind of criminal activity?

Comments

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

I'm tired just reading about this! :)

[mephron]

I've never seen the Pigeon club open, but then I was passing it at 8 AM and at 6 PM, so YMMV.

The B&J has been there for about three years.

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Speaking of bikes, have you seen GhostCycle.org (http://ghostcycle.org/) yet?

[camwyn]

Oy. No, I hadn't, but I can see where that'll be effective (I hope).

That reminds me. My current helmet is one I bought when I was still in college. I haven't sustained any head injuries in it, but it's still old and heavy and I don't know if it'll still protect me properly. I should look into what they've got now.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you probably should replace the helmet. Especially if any of the styrofoam is exposed; car exhaust and ultraviolet tend to degrade it after a while. The one I ride with now is a Louis Garneau model with the entire thing encased in plastic, outside and in.

[camwyn]

I don't think any of it's exposed, other than the interior surface, but honestly, why take a chance? That, and all the padding on the inside's worn through or fallen off. I could replace that without much trouble but if helmet technology's advanced any, I'd rather upgrade altogether.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

The difference between marathons and centuries is that darned near any bikie can ride a century without too much trouble, provided you train for it. I rode 'em in my forties. Just work your way up to it ... gradually extending your weekend rides, and giving yourself time to do two or three longer rides a week for the exercise. If there's a cycle touring club in Jersey, it might be a good idea to join ... I used to ride with the Toronto Bicycle Network, for example. They organise everything from city tours to the Niagara Hairshirt Double Century. (Yup, a double century ... 200 miles, from TO to the Falls and back.)

Might be a good idea to locate an Effective Cycling course too ... you could be a surprised as I was about the stuff you may be doing wrong in traffic.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

The interior surface, exactly. Probably time to replace it, then.

[camwyn]

I'll have to look for the touring folks. I was going to join Transportation Alternatives New York, most likely- given that I work there, I have at least as much of a stake in the city's transit systems (mass, individual, and otherwise) as I do in those of my own state. On the other hand, TA NY isn't exactly a touring club- more of a pressure group, from what I understand- so I'm going to have to look for other people the next time I go shopping for bicycle shorts. The local Modells stores sell what look like bike shorts, but they're meant for runners- no reinforcement, no nothin'.

[camwyn]

Right, then. When I last bought a helmet they said to make sure it was both ANSI and Snell Foundation certified. Does that still hold? Is there a number I should be looking for?

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

Dunno. Mine's CSA certified. Any reputable brand oughta be good, look for the sticker on the inner casing: Bell, Gyro, etc.