Consistent in effort

Systematic workout schedule is a guarantee of results, one might think.

Although this general opinion is true in essence, there are multiple conditions to success:
- you need to avoid injuries. The best way to accomplish it is resting days, enough sleep, and cross training. For instance swimming, running, tennis, are great complements to the sport we love
- micro adjustments. When miles pile up, you will start noticing new discomforts. An adjustment that felt great one or two months ago, doesn't feel right today. I am talking about saddle height, saddle for-aft, maybe even cleats position on the shoe.
- the weather changes for most of us, and the cold mornings have started appearing since about a week here. This alone requires adjustment on food intake, clothing, maybe even schedule.
- our weight fluctuates also. Getting lighter is a good thing, but what if it translates into a loss of power?
- there are plateaux we face. We need to understand them to overcome them. Intervals, cross training, will help.

So systematic workout is a very good thing, but needs lots of tweaks along the way. Some days we feel strong, some others weak and subjects to injuries. Tweaks and close look at our progress is necessary. One fundamental need to progress is not to get discouraged a bit, and walk carefully towards our goals.

JL

Under pressure

There have been times when I thought I was doomed with flat tires. There wasn't a week where you wouldn't see me stopped somewhere on the ride, setting a tube in a rim or pumping frenetically! This reached a point where I simply thought I was doomed! I would blame this on the ride itself (and the debris that would cross my path), my heavier complexion compared to the previous season, my position on the bike (thought i might put too much weight on the rear tire, mainly in climbs), the quality of the tires, the quality of the tubes, the wear of the tires!

I think I figured out the very main factor, since my rides have remained inflated for more than a month.

You need to check the pressure of both tires EVERY WEEK. I ride every day. I noticed that I lose 20 PSI a week. I need 100 PSI all the time. Checking and inflating tires every week, keeping them hard, makes a great difference. Makes debris harder to pierce through. It also keeps my rides smooth.

As a recreational rider, I don't mind a little weight addition, so I have opted for the Continental Gatorskin tires, very strong on the contact surface as well as the sides. They look great, and are tough. At $40 a piece they are not cheap, but are worth every penny.

Other than that, to avoid the nightmare of walking back home or hitch hiking, I always carry 2 tubes with me, a box of glue less patches, and a pump (not the tiny ones, often too awkward to use, but a full size pump, that I fix to the frame). This way I can ride worry-free.

Oh I almost forgot: I have had very bad experience with both compressed air cartridges and slime tubes.

This post applies to road bikes. For mountain bikes the game is different, since you should not put that much pressure in the tires to keep traction. The riding technique is an important factor, mainly because of the risk of these snake bites (double punctures) you get when jumping stuff like curbs, when the rim slams against the tubes. Anticipation and smoothness are a very important factor in mountain biking.

Have tricks to keep your tires hard? Please post!
JL

Bike adjustments

I haven't ever gone to the length of getting my bikes professionally adjusted, but i did some reading. I think a few measurements will allow you a comfortable yet efficient position.

Distance saddle-handlebars
Put your elbow in front of the saddle tip, arm horizontal towards the handlebars. You should be 3cm short (3 finger widths) from the handlebars.

Saddle height
When in the 9:15 position of horizontal pedals, with right pedal in front, the tip of your knee and the pedal axis should be in vertical alignment.

Cleats position
Unless you're an aggressive rider, you can move your cleats totally backwards. You'll be more comfortable.

Stem length
Unless you're an aggressive rider, short stem is best (mine is 90mm); 1cm shorter makes a great difference in comfort. I recommend not to purchase an adjustable stem, unless you really need to get your stem much higher. Steerer extension can also be an option or addition in this case.

JL

Green cities

We've all seen and sometimes envied the European green cities such as Amsterdam, London, or Paris. Well, regardless of the vast resistance to locomotion other than cars, green U.S. cities slowly appear. Latest in the book is San Francisco and its upcoming bike lanes.

Read article for the details. We know how difficult the life of pedestrians and bikers is in SF, this change is great news!

What's your experience as a fellow biker in U.S. Cities? Please post comments, thank you.

JL

Bikes bikes bikes!

Dear reader,

I have run multiple blogs in the past, the main one being a technical one when I felt IT was me. Truth is today, the only passion that really sticks, and domain where I feel I can contribute, is bikes!

I am not a professional biker, I am what is usually called an enthusiast! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and although not commuting these days, I do ride everyday. I own a road bike, a single speed bike, a full suspension mountain bike, and a hard-tail. After frenetic times in shops I have been calming down, and am now focused on the riding, than on the having. I will depict gear and accessories I have tried in the past, and what I have been settling down to use permanently. Yes I have not discovered any Holy Grail, yet I have found, after many trials, a very good formula for the sport I love.

I hope you will find is blog useful, and entertaining.

Regards,
JL