As promised, I commuted to work this morning, however, it didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

It wasn’t raining, but it had been and was still rainy, so I put my rain fly on my commuter’s backpack.  If I had put it on properly, it wouldn’t have flown off and grabbed the spokes of my back wheel.  So after dealing with that minor fiasco, I was back on my way.

Traffic was terrible.  Over the holidays, a bridge, the city had been building for over a year, was completed and traffic was diverted from the old bridge to the new one which runs parallel.  This new addition was clearly difficult for people to accept as the traffic bottlenecked at the bridge despite it being wider and devoid of the sprinklings of pot holes common to its predecessor.  I managed to safely pass the “parked” cars on the right to maintain a reasonable speed.

Once I passed the car clutter, I experienced the strongest headwind that I have ever encountered on a bike – which I am sure is due to my inexperience.  I looked up the wind measurement and found that weather.com reported sustaining winds of 22-25 MPH with gusts of up to 35 MPH.  Not knowing what this really means, I did a little research and found a measurement called the Beaufort Wind Force Scale, more commonly referred as “The Beaufort Scale”.  It seems that Sir Francis Beaufort, an admiral in the British Navy, developed this scale to bring common terms to identifiable wind behaviors.  Unlike the Saffir-Simpson Scale, used for measuring hurricanes, the Beaufort Scale includes measurements for casual breezes and zero wind.

Using the Beaufort Scale, I estimate that I was riding in between Beaufort numbers 5 & 7, probably spending the most time in the 6 (Strong Breeze) region.

This had a daunting affect on my commute.  First, I could not gain any speed.  I normally average out at about 16 or 17 miles-per-hour for my 19+ mile commute, but this morning, I had trouble maintaining 12 mph.  This added significant travel time.  I also dealt with a lot of cross wind, particularly when I turned down a different street. This turn made significant change in my direction thus changing the angle the wind was hitting me.  The cross winds were so harsh that I pulled over twice to check for flats because my back wheel felt very loose.

My legs are sore.  More from lack of riding then effects of this morning’s winds, but I know I exerted my self more than usual.  My ride time was roughly 28% more than normal due to the heavy winds.

I figure I need to learn how to ride in such conditions, so I did a little research.

1.  Overall, every place I found gave this as the first and most important tip:  Make yourself as small as possible, giving the wind the least amount of surface area to hit.  Sit back in your saddle, pull your elbows in and get low.  Be careful not to get too low, though.  Arching your back past horizontal can create a negative aerodynamic effect by increasing turbulence.  Do your best to keep your back parallel to the ground and inline with your head.

2.  Keep your head still.  Shifting your head from side to side as you pedal, may normally provide your with better cadences, but during headwinds, it allows the wind to shift back-and-forth from one side of your body to the other.  This makes it more difficult to keep your bike straight, thus increasing fatigue.

3.  Gearing.  I have found conflicting advice on gearing.  Some places indicate that you should gear up to maintain a slower, but smoother cadence decreasing wind resistance.  Others indicate that you should gear head winds the same as you do hills.  When it is more difficult to pedal because of the environment, make adjustments to maintain cadence.  I agree with the latter.

4.  If you expect to be riding in windy conditions, avoid wearing loose fitting breakers.  Breakers cause wind resistance and keeps it from “blowing through you”.  This is good and needed, however, wind breakers that flap in the wind create unnecessary resistance and drag causing fatigue.  If you don’t have a tight fitting breaker, you may try putting your breaker on under your jersey instead of over it.

5.  Never stop pedaling.  Coasting allows the wind to have its way with your and your bike.  If it doesn’t push your wheel out from under you, it will gradually send your bike of course.  If you find yourself making constant adjustments to keep your bike in a straight line, maintain your pedaling.

6.  Crosswinds are dangerous!  Not only can gusts blow you of course, but constant crosswinds can be dangerous also.  Leaning into a constant side wind to maintain course can set you up for an accident if a truck passes by temporarily blocking that wind.  This can cause you to veer in the direction of the wind and the truck!  If you can’t avoid it, be careful while doing this.  Keep your upper body loose and prepared for sudden shifts in wind patterns.

7.  Be careful when riding with a tailwind.  Tailwinds generally allow for riding with less effort, however, don’t stop spinning as a great tailwind can shift into a nasty crosswind without warning.  If you are coasting, you will get pushed offline.

Winds are non-negotiable.  Learn to deal with them and keep a positive attitude.  Remember that you burn exponentially more calories when riding into a headwind, so be prepared.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Wow… December was a very good and bad month for me.  It was a good month in the fact that I like the holiday season, especially Christmas.  It was really bad for me in that I didn’t ride my bike but one day, Christmas day, the entire month.

I couldn’t decide on a title for this post, so I gave it two.  I could’ve actually given it many more – Belly Buster, Scale Tipper, Glut Gut.  You get the picture.  I have put on 11 pounds since Thanksgiving.  Compare this to last year, I lost about 30lbs from Thanksgiving to the first of the year and had lost a total of 50lbs by the beginning of February.

I attribute this to several things.  First, the most obvious, I am not watching what I am eating.  More to the point, I am eating tons of junk!  I am perpetually snacking.  This is very bad.  Second, I haven’t been exercising.  I haven’t been biking, I haven’t been to the gym.  My healthy life came to a screeching halt right around Thanksgiving.

Sure, it is not uncommon for Americans to put on weight around this time of year, but I don’t need to fall into senses of justification.  I need to get back into the swing of it.

Starting on Tuesday, since I am unable to on Monday, I am resuming my strict routine.  Bike to work, workout at the gym, eat my brought-from-home lunch, bike home – with my professional work routine sprinkled in between.

The holidays are over and so is my excessive behavior.

And there you have it.

Joe.

This past Wednesday, I attended a general bike maintenance class at REI.  This is a free class and I would recommend it to any beginning rider.

To kick off the class, we covered changing a tire.  The instructor, Cat, demonstrated on a road bike tire, but assured us that the principles she was going to show us applied to several different types of tires including mountain bike and hybrid tires.  Though stressing that a better practice is to bring a spare, she proceeded to show us how to patch a hole in a tube.  This exercise was thorough and complete.  Here are some of the tips she shared with us:

• Identify where the hole in the damaged tube is, even if you are going to replace it, so that you locate the area on the tire for inspection.
• Ensure that the tube has a little air in it before trying to install it.  This will keep the tube from twisting and make it easier to manage.  A tube that is installed with a twist, once inflated, can rupture or have other problems.
• If possible, refit the bike tire using only your hands, as using tire levers to perform this task risks damage to the tube.
• Before fully inflating the tire, inspect the entire tire to insure that the tube will not get pinched between the tire and the rim.  This could either cause the tire to lose its bead, or the tube to get a pinch flat.
• Fill tire to proper pressure.  When on a trail, there are two basic ways of inflating your tire.  A hand pump or a CO2 cartridge.  It is tempting to put “just enough” pressure with a hand pump.  Be sure not to under inflate the tire.  Most tires have minimum and maximum tire pressures listed on the side wall.  Make sure you achieve a tire pressure that falls within that range.  A lot of tires max out at 120psi and CO2 cartridges dump about that pressure into the tire when fully engaged.  Be cognizant of this and check your pressure before you ride. 

Next we covered derailleurs.  A quick definition of derailleurs.  Most bicycles have multiple “gears” and the mechanism that changes these gears is the derailleur system.  The derailleur system consists of a front and rear derailleur.  Both consisting of a chain and several sprockets.  The front derailleur has a guide called a cage that is used to move the chain between sprockets derailing it.  The rear derailleur has what’s called a jockey pulley to control the derailing of the chain between the rear sprockets.  Both the front and rear derailleurs have adjustment screws that control the high and low gear limit stops.  The limit stop is the distance that the cage or jockey pulley allow the chain to go horizontally along the sprocket grouping.  A maladjusted limit stop can either allow to chain to go too far, causing it to fall off of the sprocket group, or not far enough, causing it to not shift into the highest (or lowest) gear.  When adjusting derailleurs, you should also consider the amount of tension the cables have.  Too loose or taught cables can also affect the shifting of gears.

I am by no means an expert in this area, so I will not attempt to explain how to adjust derailleurs.  In fact, some REI store locations offer a Derailleur Adjustment class.  In Atlanta, the Perimeter location is the only one that offers it ($30 for members/$50 for non-members).

Finally we covered basic maintenance.  How to care for your chain and other components.  Here are some of the talking points:

• All Allen Bolts on bicycles are metric.  It is very easy to mistakenly use a standard Allen Wrench on them, thus stripping them.  Only use metric Allen Wrenches.
• Keeping the components that have moving parts properly cleaned will extend the life of the component.
• Use a degreaser to clean the chain.  She recommended  Finish Line Speed Degreaser.  Ensure that you do not ride the bike after degreasing without first lubing the chain.
• Allow the degreaser to completely dry before applying lube to the chain.  She recommended Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant.
• When lubricating the bicycle, find all parts where metal touches metal and add lubricant to that area.  A single drop of lubricant is usually enough.
• Do not forget to add lubricant to the cables where they meet the housing.  These cables are called Bowden Cables and the plastic sheathed housing is lined with metal where it contacts the cable.  Be sure to place the cable on the smallest sprocket when applying the lubricant as the smallest sprocket causes the least amount of resistance on the cable, thus putting it in the most exposed position.  Then change the gears to the largest sprocket (progressing to the easiest gear for the rear derailleur and the hardest gear for the front derailleur).  This will increase the tension of the cable causing it to get pulled through the housing dragging the newly applied lubricant with it.

One quick note that was covered in the class was to be cognizant of chain wear.  The chain is the quickest thing to wear out on a bike and is often overlooked until it breaks.   She recommended the Park CC-2 Chain Checker though REI doesn’t carry it.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Yesterday, I cashed in on my wife’s Birthday present to me: a Bike Fitting at Atlanta Cycling, Vinings.

Before I dive into the details, let me explain what a bike fitting is and why they are a good idea.  Many people purchase bikes.  Road bikes, mountain bikes, time trial bikes, hybrids… all kinds.  The people who purchase them from mediocre bike shops should expect that the sales person will ask you your height and possibly the length of your pant inseam, if they ask you anything at all.  From this they will determine what size bike you should purchase.  Some places will even have you stand over the bike to determine the clearance between the top tube and your body.  Sounds good, right?  I thought so, too.  Fortunately, most good bike shops have competent employees that know at least the minimum measurements needed to purchase the correct size bike for a person.  But that is just getting the right sized bike…that doesn’t fit the bike.  A bike fitting is a series of measurements and observations that tell the bike fitter how to adjust both the bike components and you, the rider, to get a better, more comfortable fit on the bike.

The reason I felt I needed to get fitted was because my arms would fatigue far faster than my legs and my breathing.  Occasionally, my hands and my left foot would fall asleep during rides.  I stumbled upon someone else getting fitted at Atlanta Cycling and I watched for about 10 minutes.  I was sold.  I learned so much just watching someone else’s fitting that I knew I would greatly benefit from getting one of my own.

As instructed, I brought my bike, to the shop dressed in full riding gear.  After mounting my bike onto the bike trainer, Mike, the fitter, observed as I rode for about five minutes.  He asked me to make a few small adjustments to the way I was riding (i.e. hand placement) while he observed.  After he was satisfied that he saw enough, he explained that he was going to record me during some interval riding.  He started the recording and I rode for about 3 minutes.  He had captured my video into a program on his laptop.  Now he could do analysis of my riding posture in slow motion and using the program’s measurement utilities.  Once he established a baseline, he started to the first of the many changes.

Starting “from the ground, up”, he wanted to adjust the cleats on my shoes first.  He has me walk in a straight line, and the return to toe a line he made with masking tape.  Measuring off the natural position of my feet while standing with more tape, he used this information to adjust my cleats.  After he was done, I rode the bike again.  Using a tripod-mounted laser pointer, he pointed them at my knees.  We could both see that my knees now went smoothly up and down during each rotation.  Before the cleat adjustment, my knees made tiny loops at the top of the rotation.  This sounds like a small change, but I could tell a big difference.

Next he decided to work on getting my heel lower.  Apparently, I, like many people, “toe pedal”.  Toe pedaling is when you point your toes too much while pedaling.  After asking why this is bad he replied with an analogy.  Imagine that you were sitting on a balance beam with nothing to support you but a set of 2×4’s just close enough to touch with your toes.  This would be fine enough to take the pressure off of your perineal nerve until your toes and calves got tired.  Eventually, you would rotate back off of your toes and put most of your weight on your perineal nerve.  Not only does this cause discomfort, but could put a damper on future fatherhood, if one so desired.  Keeping the heel parallel to the ground for as much of the rotation as possible engages larger muscle groups in the leg and thus is more power and less fatigue.  He fixed the problem, mostly, with seat adjustment.  He raised my seat a total of about 2 inches.  Interestingly enough, the bike shop that sold me my bike said that I may have to lower my seat some more, but it would involve cutting the seat post since it was as low as it would go.  Initially, I could tell the difference of the seat adjustment, but it put more pressure on my arms.

Next he addressed the added pressure to my arms.  First he changed the stem of my handlebars.  It raised the handlebars significantly.  The pressure of on my arms disappeared, but I still wasn’t fully comfortable.  He measured my shoulder width and then my handlebars.  I didn’t realize there is a correlation, but my shoulders measured 44 inches and my handlebars measured 40 inches.  I wasn’t sitting natural on the bike because I was reaching inward two inches on each side of my body just to grab the handlebars.  Replacing the handlebars and the stem turned my Bianchi into a totally different bike. 

After a few more adjustments and measurements and a lot more observations, we were done.  I rode around the parking lot and couldn’t believe the difference that all the little adjustments made.  He then recorded me doing intervals again.  He overlaid the first, baseline, recording over the new recording.  You could see many differences.  One was my head placement.  My head was higher and it was more comfortable for me to look forward, so I did it more.  My heel position was lower to the ground and the angles were less aggressive.  I was able to sit up higher in the saddle.  One huge difference I saw was the raising and dropping of my hip during rotations.  Initially, they were so dramatic that you could see my biking being pulled from side to side as I strode.  Now it was minimized and the bike was stationary.

This was a great experience for me, and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about riding.  I am sure that there are a lot of places that do this, but if you are in the Atlanta area, visit Atlanta Cycling’s Vinings store.  Ask for Mike, he’ll do a good job.

And there you have it.

Joe.

This morning was my first group bike ride.  I rode with the Atlanta Cycling weekly group ride.  They have rides nearly every day.  They have two to choose from on Saturdays: a 40-53 miler and a 20 miler.

I oft have bigger eyes than stomach, but I avoided this temptation and chose the 20 miler that is rated easy or moderate.  Without realizing it, I chose the moderate group which is significantly faster than the easy group. 

The ride initially seemed like it was going to be enjoyable without much challenge.  That is until I hit the first big hill.  I fell back, but was able to catch up during the straight away.  After assuring the  rest of the group that I was Ok to proceed, I was informed that the hill I had just topped was a beginner hill and only a warm up for the ride.  This, I found, was not an exaggeration, in fact it was quite accurate.  The hills were plentiful and the pace was a around 17mph.  It was quite a work out.

It is sometimes painful to realize that you are nearly as in shape as you once thought.  Experiences like this tend to motivate people or cause them to reconsider what they are doing.

I choose to be motivated.