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The biking thread....


mcsluggo

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it is amazing how much the route has changed this week, alone.    

 

  • On monday, the air wasn't that cold, but there was ice all over the trail, and the potomac river was still iced over in the spur between Roosevelt Island and Virginia, and there were "icebergs" floating down the river
  • Tuesday, it rained, so i didn;t bike.
  • Wednesday, the Potomac was ice free, but the canal was still frozen
  • This morning the air was colder, but thetrails were ice free.  

and my legs are are jelly. 

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still too cold to bike in the morning for me. i don't have the gear required to ride comfortably in 35-45 degrees :(

 

but the evenings are starting to be warm enough that it's about time to start back up... still waiting for my yard to dry up a bit, since the bikes are in the basement. don't want to tear up my grass, it has a rough enough life as is :(

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still too cold to bike in the morning for me. i don't have the gear required to ride comfortably in 35-45 degrees :(

 

but the evenings are starting to be warm enough that it's about time to start back up... still waiting for my yard to dry up a bit, since the bikes are in the basement. don't want to tear up my grass, it has a rough enough life as is :(

 

once you get moving , it is not bad when the temp is 35-45 degrees... AS LONG AS YOU HAVE GLOVES AND A HAT

 

 

and i don't have anyhting fancy (to say the least)  i have:

 

  • some loose knit wool gloves (like you would see on a hobo in a 1930s movie)
  • the left leg that i cut off of some of my daughter's "Jeggings" in the rag bag pulled on my head under my helmet
  • a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt 
  • bike shorts

 

and other than the fashion disaster aspect..it isn't bad once i get moving

(and by fashion disaster.. i mean the bike shorts.   atrocious!)

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....

I do have trouble with my lock freezing. Does anyone have a recommendation for that?

 

 

Move to somewhere warmer.

 

 

 

Yeah.... every time i read that i see it as:

 

"....I do have trouble with my junk freezing. Does anyone have a recommendation for that?"   

 

 

i got no advice.

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Yeah.... every time i read that i see it as:

 

"....I do have trouble with my junk freezing. Does anyone have a recommendation for that?"   

 

 

i got no advice.

 

 

 

For runners in cold climates there are special briefs.you can buy, or it you or a family member are good at knitting you can go the home-made route:

 

2513313943_0b0337548e_z.jpg

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ok.. i biked m, w, th, and f this week

 

AND.. in years past i always cheated (and drove half way) at the beginning of the season.. 

 

i am feeling mentally proud, and physically wiped right now

 

 

(and...it was damned coooold again this morning!  everything was iced back up.  i need to turn in my hobo gloves for some real gloves :(

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I bike a lot here in NYC, but last fall I got doored really bad by some asshole who stopped in the middle of the road and his passenger opened their door into the bike lane I was in. I was doing 10+ miles a day at the time, I've been doing much less since. 

 

I wear normal shorts without any issues, I don't see the point in the full on bike jerseys unless you're in a race. Maybe they really come in handy when doing rides over 30-35 miles? 

 

I flip bikes on the side, I've ridden pretty much everything because of it, but my beater fixed gear is still my main ride. Nothing quite rides/feels the same for me. Now it's warming up, I guess its time to get out there more. 

 

Safe riding everyone!

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i know it is supposed to be warm today... but it was FREEZING this morning.... 

 

i was il-prepared, and wearing basketball shorts commando (very well aerated).   My boys were protesting profusely, and retreated so far that my armpits ached. 

 

and my HANDs were numb when i stopped.  I actually couldn't tell if my keys were in my hand or not as i was reaching my backpack for them, without looking.   

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Yeah.... every time i read that i see it as:

 

"....I do have trouble with my junk freezing. Does anyone have a recommendation for that?"   

 

 

i got no advice.

 

 

Ouch! My junk is just fine thank you. I have a great pair of biking pants (same material as compression shorts/shirts, but looser) from Sugoi that keep me toasty and don't offend anyone else. No issues there. Lock, though, is a problem.

 

During the worst of the winter weather we had a spate of fat bike sightings here in the Boston area. Have you guys seen many/tried one/have one?

 

I think I want to get this one:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/fatboy/fatboy

 

I could have started back biking a while ago, but my lock-up point at home was buried under 6+ feet of snow, plus I developed trochanteric bursitis/IT band syndrome. Not fun. I did manage to bike last Thursday but my leg just doesn't work right yet (no power when standing to accelerate). Ugh.

For runners in cold climates there are special briefs.you can buy, or it you or a family member are good at knitting you can go the home-made route:

 

<snuggly wool briefs>

 

Did you knit those yourself? Nice work! ;-)

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Ouch! My junk is just fine thank you. I have a great pair of biking pants (same material as compression shorts/shirts, but looser) from Sugoi that keep me toasty and don't offend anyone else. No issues there. Lock, though, is a problem.

 

During the worst of the winter weather we had a spate of fat bike sightings here in the Boston area. Have you guys seen many/tried one/have one?

 

I think I want to get this one:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/fatboy/fatboy

 

I could have started back biking a while ago, but my lock-up point at home was buried under 6+ feet of snow, plus I developed trochanteric bursitis/IT band syndrome. Not fun. I did manage to bike last Thursday but my leg just doesn't work right yet (no power when standing to accelerate). Ugh.

 

Did you knit those yourself? Nice work! ;-)

 

 

Fat-bike sightings??

 

i assumed THIS is where you were going..... 

 

heaviest-twins-main.jpg

 

 

and my junk DID freeze this morning.   no fun :(

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I am a newbie when it comes to biking. What type of bike should i invest in if i want to begin doing trails like the capital cresent or other trails in the DMV area?  Any one around bethesda who would want to start up.  I went to a local bike shop and he said beginner bikes start at 599

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Anyone know of a Cx bike for under 700? It's eithet that or get a 29er and throw some slicks on it.

 

How tall are you? Letting a Ridley X-Bow 20 from 2013/14 go cheap.

 

XL frame, probably not going to be happy with that frame if you're under 6'2"

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The fat bikes are a lot of fun. I've tried out a few, they ride nice on the beach and pavement. I didn't get a chance to ride one in the snow. I thought they would be hard work pedaling with those tires, but it was not difficult at all. I am on the fence on whether or not I want to pick one up, I lack the storage space. Though, that picture may sway the decision.

 

Check out any area bike expos, if there are any in your area. They sometimes offer pretty decent deals trying to move inventory.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I haven't biked in since LAST monday...  its been in the low to mid 30s every morning , 

 

i was was getting ready to go for it ANYWAY this morning, but NPR said it was 25 in Herndon at that point, and low 30s in DC, and freezing rain was moving in.

 

wtf is this March???

 

 

(it is supposed to warm up tomorrow... but with precipitation)

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  • 1 month later...

So I did this 30 days of biking challenge for April. Had to bike every day regardless of weather. I had set a goal of 400 miles, but was only able to hit 348 miles. The weather during the 3rd week was horrible, windy, chilly and rainy...typical Wisconsin April. I will take it though, last year, I wasn't able to ride until mid May.

 

I am looking to do some trails that will require me to transport my bike. Does anybody have suggestions on 2" hitch mounted rack? I am just looking to transport 2 bikes max. This is one area I have never looked into.

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all i have is a crappy rack that a fellow grad student left behind when he graduated (and if a grad student parts with crap..it IS crap!)

 

it hooks on to the trunk, but never seems very stable... i'm considering getting one of the ones that pops out of the trailer hitch, but it is hard to convince myself that the not-free one i don't own yet is better than the free one i already own :P

 

 

April was tough here (in DC)... i didn't end up biking in all 5 workweek days until last week --- most weeks i only went 3 days or less, and only had 300 miles for the whole month.

 

 

---- already 100 miles for May, though ;)

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