So Saturday morning, I rolled out of the sack at 4:45am, put my cycling clothes on and figured I’d be riding 30mi to the quarry. I think of Jocko or Dave (these guys are the epitome of grit and determination) and just say to myself – “Go, get after it”. Now, a few years ago – that thought would be sending me scrambling back to bed and wondering if i needed my head examined. I was supposed to start something for work last night at 1am but I figured a way around it so I wouldn’t have to get up to run a 30s script.
Anyway, I never really gave much thought to bike riding and people who ride thinking that they were just wannabes. Wearing the clothes – lame, riding the racing bikes – lame, wearing the gloves – lame, clipped shoes – lame. People who embraced that crap were in effect – lame. Boy, have I changed my tune. It was a gradual adoption or conversion :p I now ride a Trek Madone 5.1, which I bought used on BicycleBlueBook.com from a guy in South Bend right before the pandemic. Its a biking buy/sell site which my neighbor (who incidentally is a mountain bike fanatic) turned me on to.
It all started about 10 years ago, I bought a pump that I could never use. It had some funky valve that always leaked air (it was for presta valves). I only knew traditional valves – schrader valves. I was too embarrassed at the time to bring it back. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and my neighbor took me mountain biking at the “Triangle“. I found out that we live in a really good place in the Midwest for mountain biking – imagine that? My buddy at work found out that I ride – he rides road, and the rest as they say is history. I had a 1992 Schwinn Woodlands that had tire rot and could never hold air. Its kind of a early hybrid. So I put fairly wide road tires on it and rode with my brother in law on gravel trails. My shifter broke and it was always stuck in a high gear. They don’t make replacement parts for a 28 year old bike. I needed a new bike. I then bought a new Trek Hybrid (Dual Sport), my wife supported my decision (“it won’t be good at anything” my neighbor said…) – did I listen? Hell, no! Actually, its really good for getting you on a bike, off the couch, and incidentally it’s also good for fitness. I bought a new helmet, in which anyone who values their noggin’ would tell you to “protect it”. My Trek hybrid has disk brakes (a nice feature), a noob shock absorbing fork (OK for off road) with a lock out (good for riding streets) and semi (not like mountain bike tires) wide tires – good for riding streets, trails, gravel, anything in the Chicago-land area. I rode it the first year and a half I bought it, took it occasionally off road (dirt – single track, gravel, multi track), rode “Bike-the-drive” and paved trails. It was a good bike and wasn’t too expensive. But riding road long distances was killing me. A hybrid is so inefficient. I will relate it to swimming. If you are not an efficient swimmer, swimming distance is a killer. So I took the plunge and invested in a real road bike – lame (not). There was still no way you’d catch me wearing the biking “get-up”. I wear sweats and a “T”shirt. Riding bike the drive convinced me via thigh chaffing, that there was wisdom in padded bike shorts. OK, but you’ll still never get me in a bib or crap like that! After a few flats, I invested in gator skins. Now if you don’t know what those are, they are a great investment in tough tires. They aren’t the lightest tires, they aren’t the fastest tires, but these are one tuff mutha’ of a tire! Now i don’t get flats. My road bike’s frame is carbon fiber and is quite a bit lighter than my aluminum hybrid. Big difference on hills! The power goes right to the wheels, and it makes the bike more responsive. I have had small bike computersin the past on my bikes – speed, distance, timer (simple). I have been using a heart rate strap since 2002 – i started using it on the bike. My compadre bought me a more advanced bike computer (Garmin 130) after the bike app I was using kept draining my phone. I was hooked! I could see my heart rate, measure my speed, my route, my time, average moving speed. I now know how hard I was pushing myself, or not. It was liberating. I bought a inexpensive power meter so I could measure my power and cadence. I then proceeded to upgrade my Garmin to a 530 which gives me instantaneous power readings, power over time, heart rate, where I’m at on the trail, my cadence, how efficient I’m training, elevation, calories burned, temperature, and weather. Its really kinda cool. I have recently invested in new wheels (again used). I want to see how they stack up to my current wheels. One is carbon fiber (rear) and the other is notoriously lightweight aluminum. Meh, although they ar emismatched, i don’t care. BTW, after all the crying and complaining, I did end up buying a bib. It was a no frills bib and I hate wearing it. Well, not exactly – I don’t like getting in or out. And its not exactly user friendly if you have to pee. I also recently bought clipless pedals and clipless shoes. I haven’t worn them yet. I am going to use them over the winter indoors to get acclimated.
I will admit, I did not enjoy riding the first year. Now, I can’t go a week without it, I’ll even ride the Octane or airdyne in lieu to keep my cardio up I miss riding bikes outside in the winter. I have become the wannabe I abhorred. I’m a bike data junkie! Life is funny that way – you end up eating crow that you prepare yourself, in a way you didn’t expect! Maybe someday I’ll get a fat tire bike and continue to ride in the snow.
-Rat
