Sunny Day

We decided to battle the cold today and get out in the sun on the bikes.  We decided to start out in the direction I will eventually be taking on my commute.  We knew from the start that we weren't up to doing the whole trip to work and back-the cold weather and dark nights have been obstacles to getting any real quality rides in lately.  We started with a tentative plan of a certain checkpoint with the flexibility to explore several residential areas off our main route.

We both tried to dress in layers due to the cold and I stashed extra gloves in my new panniers.  We have always previously used a very small backpack to carry the camera, a snack, our IDs etc on our rides.  It was really nice to be able to put all of that in the panniers and get the load off our backs.  I also tossed in my multitool almost as an afterthought. 

Our ride starts on a little downhill and before 30 seconds had passed my eyes were crying icedrops.  The wind cut through all the layers and made even downhill seem like a struggle.  After the first 5 minutes or so we turned onto the low traffic road that will be a major portion of my commute.  Headed away from the house it has a very slight grade for the entire length of it.  Today that slight grade combined with the headwind made the ride feel like we were on treadmills!  It probably didn't help that it's been a little while since we've ridden.  Once I was able to concentrate on my ride instead of traffic I quickly realized my seat was feeling low again.  Then I realized I had brought my tool with me and I could fix it so my thighs were not in agony the whole ride!  We quickly pulled over and I made some quick adjustments to raise the seat, making sure it was straight before the final tightening of the screw. 

We took a more leisurely pace (I guess comparatively my pace is almost always "leisurely"!) and rode quietly through a few neighborhoods enjoying looking at the different houses and yards.  We reached the end of the main road and decided to turn around and make our way back.  In my opinion it is almost always better to return a bit early and be able to say "we should've gone a little further" than to push and push and go too far and have the ride turn into a nightmare that makes us both angry and irritable and more inclined to skip the next ride.

We took a little detour down the greenway that parallels the main road every now and then doing some little "races" with each other.  Before long we returned to the road.  I felt like my seat was low again (already!) and asked Becca to look at the marking and see if it had fallen.  Sure enough it had, so off we pulled again and out came the tool again and this time I really cranked on it to get it tight after making the adjustments.

Then all that was left was the railroad crossing and the intimidating hill up to our house.  Bonus, this hill is also along the busiest part of the road, there is almost no shoulder, and it is a single lane each way, leaving little room for cars to pass.  Needless to say, it is my least favorite part of any ride!  The hill has a short and sharp incline then levels out for a few hundred feet and then inclines again until we reach our complex.  I was able to make it up the first incline in 4th gear and only had to shift down to my low gear when I was more than halfway up the second incline.  I was worn out when reaching our front door, but didn't need to collapse just to keep breathing!  We logged about 6 miles, which for us is not wonderful, but not pitiful either. 

Despite the cold, the traffic and the need for two adjustments it was a fun ride on a beautiful day.  That's all I ever want.

Chuck's Attitude Adjustment

So a couple weeks ago, poor old Charlie Brown's seat got a bit twisted during the ride. This made it really uncomfortable--amazing what a difference an inch or two can make when it comes to comfort and fit on a bike.  Now on all my old beater bikes this year, an adjustment to the saddle was about the easiest thing to do and I had no problem fiddling with my old adjustable wrench to get the right height and straighten things out from time to time.

On the new Globe, this means actually having an Allen or hex wrench, which of course I have not "gotten around" to getting.  Well, during all those daydreams (in which I am a bikemaster and can Macgyver a bike out of some old shoestrings, an eraser and paperclips), I had been making a wishlist of bike tools in my mind.  I, of course, want to assemble a good repair kit but would also like some "tinkering tools" too I can rip stuff apart and put it back together.  I feel like there no better way to learn than by doing.  Well, that's a long way off.  So for now when I need to buy something (even inexpensive things) I try to think about what tool will be the most useful and convenient in a variety of situations.  "Bang for your buck" economics.  So while I was out hunting up some Allen wrenches I decided to go with a multitool type that I could throw in my repair kit down the road.  I ended up with the Park Tool AWS-9 which contains the 3 most commonly used hex wrenches along with regular Phillips and flathead screwdrivers and is about as long as my cell phone and half as wide.

In addition to being off the straight and narrow, my seat was a tad bit low.  While I was getting used to the new bike, it didn't seem to far off.  Now on a ride of more than about 5 minutes, my thighs start screaming with the slightest effort.  It basically makes my legs feel like they are having a permanent cramp.  I'm not usually one to shrink from pain, especially the "good" workout type of muscle pain which is sort of exciting because it reaffirms my suspicion that there are muscles under my padding!  But this discomfort from a too-low seat is another thing entirely.  Imagine walking up a flight of stairs (or 10) in your basic "duck walk" position.  It feels like your thighs might feel after doing that.  Twice.  And since it it a simple adjustment, there is just no reason to not fix it.

Finally I was able to make the slight and necessary adjustments.  Bonus that both issues can be taken care of in with the same adjustment.   Seat adjustments are so quick that I'm kicking myself for stalling and taking so long to dedicate 3 whole minutes to addressing the problem.

It's this easy:
Loosen bolt holding seatpost.
Move seat higher or lower
Make sure seat is aligned with frame
Tighten Bolt.

That's it folks.

Now I always take the time to mark  the "before" position of the seat with a Sharpe so if I get clumsy (highly likely) and drop the seat or bump it or whatever I still know where it was so I can make the adjustment.

Remember that small adjustments make a great deal of difference with bikes and don't be dramatic or drastic with your changes.  Since it takes all the time of peeling off a sock to do this adjustment, it's ok if you have to do it again later. 

Now I know my ride will be comfortable and my minor adjustment will mean I can go for longer rides without muscle fatigue. 

This short little fix was made better by the fact that I was listening to this: