Apparently, the Revolights bike lighting system got funded two months ago. I want one for my errand bike.
1speeder :: Cliff Leong
Riding just for the fun of it.
This appeared in my twitter feed this morning: low cost reflective rim strips, funded as a Kickstarter project.
My old Rockhopper singlespeed with the Miami Vice paint job has a lot of reflective tape on it to help keep me safe at night, but also to cover up all the rust spots.
I finally got out today for a ride. After six days since my last ride, it felt great to have time to get some pedal time in. I rode the Fargo out to Clayton and dropped in for a loop for a 35 mile total. Today was actually the first time I had time to ride the Fargo on some actual MTB trails.
Being lazy and not wanting to drop my tire pressure from 60 psi to something more trail friendly, like 30 psi, I was getting bounced around. Clayton is fairly rooty and not so technical, so ride speeds are pretty high. This results in a lot of bouncing around, especially without any suspension. I haven't had time to pop the Thudbuster/Brooks back on.
When I was riding at Clayton, I came across a father with his two kids in a little electric toy Jeep, and their dog. We chatted briefly and as I rode away, the dog followed me down the hill. I've always wanted a canine companion to share my woods ride with. Dogs are so much fun. Perhaps, one day.
Sometimes we cyclists get too hung up on the performance aspect of cycling. We kit up, in varying degrees, with our clipless shoes, wicking jerseys, padded shorts, $200 vented helmet, and gloves, then go get the bike out of the garage. It doesn't have to be that way. When I was a kid, I'd just jump on my bike and ride. I didn't even own a water bottle or helmet. I never brought tools with me. I had a chain wrapped around my seatpost and a Master combination lock. That's it. Nowadays, I at least bring a water bottle with me. And my wife always makes sure I have my cell phone.
I'm still sick with a cold, but the weather was too nice not to go for a ride. Riding always seems to make me feel good. My lungs instantly cleared up and I felt energized. Never let how you feel dictate whether or not you should ride. Once the endorphins kick in, you'll feel fine even if you are sick. Even if you're sick from chemo treatments, just jump on a bike and start pedaling and everything is great.
I've been riding my Fargo more than the other bikes lately, being the new arrow in the quiver, but that bike requires clipless shoes and I just wanted to jump-on-and-go, so I took the errand bike. I still like that bike even though it's too big for me and it's heavy and the 20 year old Answer aluminum bar is fatigued and creaks (I'm sure it's going to snap on me one day). Once the big 27" wheels get accelerated, that bike is surprisingly fast.
Fall is my favorite season for solo riding. Being out alone in the woods, riding over multi-colored leaves while breathing in the cool air, is one of my personal joys in life. Having a lingering cold for the past two weeks has put something of a damper on my ride time lately. I had to turn down a ride at Jim Thorpe with the guys today because I just wasn't feeling up for, or had time time for, a full day out. Today was also the perfect Fall day for an epic ride at Jim Thorpe.
So, I took the Fargo out for a fun 20-miler. I swapped the saddle/seatpost to the WTB Rocket V Stealth/Thompson when I did the weight measurements the other day. I wanted to feel the difference in the ride without the comfort of the Brooks/Thudbuster and compare it to something I was used to riding since 1995. (Before I started riding WTB saddles in 1995, I was riding leather Selle Italia saddles. I even had a carbon fiber shell saddle that I raced on. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement.) Saddles with "cutouts" were just starting to appear around that time.
Here are some pics from today's ride (with more pics in the gallery):
GPS track: 2011-11-06 Mixed (19mi/Fargo)
Since I'll be doing all kinds of riding on the Salsa Cycles Fargo Ti, including hilly races with 25,000' of elevation gain, I want to start seeing where I can swap parts to save weight.
One obvious component is the wheelset, but for now I just compared the saddle/seatpost combination of the Brooks B-17/Thudbuster with my standard combo, the WTB Rocket Stealth/Thompson.
Brooks B-17 + Thudbuster: 978g
WTB Rocket Stealth + Thompson: 456g
The difference is 522g, or:
- 0.522 kg
- 18.41 ounces
- 1.151 lbs
When I don't need the comfort of the Brooks/Thudbuster, I know I can save over one pound with the WTB/Thompson.
What's wrong with these pictures?
I'll tell you: this bike is too clean. Being sick and busy, I haven't had time to hit the trails. I hope to remedy this "problem" this weekend.
Just saw this on Gizmag: easy on-off fenders that look like they might work, from Full Windsor. I like simple, useful products like this, assuming they are also reasonably cheap.
Image from Gizmag.com