I went on a leisure ride yesterday on my road bike with my brother. I rode the road bike and he rode my mountain bike. We took it fairly easy on the way up to Will Rogers (19 miles) and made it in about 1:20. I felt like we averaged around 14mph.
On the way back we kicked it up a notch and spent a lot of the ride hauling ass between 18-21mph. I feel like we probably averaged around 17mph. We made it back in around 1:10 with a few short breaks for random saddle adjustments, etc.
It actually felt a little odd just riding for recreation instead of commuting. When I'm commuting, I have a purpose...I'm going to work. I rode a little beyond where I normally go for work and just came right back home. I guess it's a little bit like going for a drive for the sake of just going for a drive. I don't remember ever driving 20 miles simply to turn around and drive back home.
But anyway...it was fun.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Today's Commute 11/13/2009
It's Friday the 13th! This morning's commute was nice. It was really sunny and warm so I didn't wear my arm warmers.
I felt a bit sluggish so I was riding at a very leisurely pace. I left the house at 7:50 and got into the office at 9:20 so it took about 1:30 (yes, it was very leisurely). I was riding at around 10-12 mph instead of the usually 12-14 mph.
I also spent some time adjusting my new Brooks Flyer saddle. At first I was slipping down and the saddle was way too forward so I moved it back and moved up the nose. I made a few more adjustments so it required some more stops but I think it's pretty close to good now.
The leather is very slipper though so hopefully it will soften up and have some more grip soon.
I felt a bit sluggish so I was riding at a very leisurely pace. I left the house at 7:50 and got into the office at 9:20 so it took about 1:30 (yes, it was very leisurely). I was riding at around 10-12 mph instead of the usually 12-14 mph.
I also spent some time adjusting my new Brooks Flyer saddle. At first I was slipping down and the saddle was way too forward so I moved it back and moved up the nose. I made a few more adjustments so it required some more stops but I think it's pretty close to good now.
The leather is very slipper though so hopefully it will soften up and have some more grip soon.
weird stuff while commuting
I've seen a few weird (and sometimes cool) things while commuting.
This morning I saw a dead pigeon on the side of the road. I could have sworn it's head was cut off. I didn't check closely though.
I saw 2 dogs with their owners taking a crap. It must be nice being a dog owner and cleaning up the crap afterwards.
I saw one lady cleaning up random dog crap on the bike path. She had a plastic bag. She didn't have a dog with her so I guess she was just being nice.
Almost daily I pass a guy on a bike that I call "Ghost Man." His face is covered in white lotion (maybe sunscreen)? He also wears a hat and usually has some cloth covering his face. But his face is completey white. His ride is the opposite direction.
Last night I passed a rollerblader in Marina Del Rey. He was blading pretty fast but I passed him. I let off a little bit and was riding at around 15mph and he stayed right behind me. Maybe he was pushing himself a little bit because he didn't have lights and I had my bright light but he stayed with me for a few miles. It was amazing that he could maintain that speed for so long. Very impressive.
This morning I saw a dead pigeon on the side of the road. I could have sworn it's head was cut off. I didn't check closely though.
I saw 2 dogs with their owners taking a crap. It must be nice being a dog owner and cleaning up the crap afterwards.
I saw one lady cleaning up random dog crap on the bike path. She had a plastic bag. She didn't have a dog with her so I guess she was just being nice.
Almost daily I pass a guy on a bike that I call "Ghost Man." His face is covered in white lotion (maybe sunscreen)? He also wears a hat and usually has some cloth covering his face. But his face is completey white. His ride is the opposite direction.
Last night I passed a rollerblader in Marina Del Rey. He was blading pretty fast but I passed him. I let off a little bit and was riding at around 15mph and he stayed right behind me. Maybe he was pushing himself a little bit because he didn't have lights and I had my bright light but he stayed with me for a few miles. It was amazing that he could maintain that speed for so long. Very impressive.
Brooks Saddle
I finally did it. After reading about how comfortable Brooks saddles are, I finally bought one. I bought a Brooks Flyer saddle. It's a nice and comfortable saddle with 2 springs for added comfort. It's a little heavy but I figured that since I'm riding my bike every day to commute, comfort is pretty important.
The old Bontrager Race saddle that the bike came with was an ass-hatchet.
The old Bontrager Race saddle that the bike came with was an ass-hatchet.
shopping
After I started commuting on my bike, I had to go shopping. I am trying to balance maintaing the weight and integrity of the bike vs. comfort.
I ride a Trek 6500 mountain bike as my commuter so for example, I considered converting this bike into a commuter bike. This means that I would need to buy thinner tires, get fenders, maybe a rack for panniers, etc. But if I do that, I think I'm ruining the integrity of this bike. This is a hard tail mountain bike with front shocks and is meant to be ridden off road, over curbs, up and down dirt hills, etc.
So I decided that if I go that far, I'd be better off just buying a dedicated commuter bike.
But I still had to go shopping. I bought the following:
light: I had my old set of blackburn flea lights so I was using those but at 40 lumens in the front, it just wasn't bright enough. I bought a Magic Shine 900 lumen light. It's not really 900 lumens but it's really bright.
Bento box: I bought a bento box to store my cell phone and wallet.
Arm warmers: I bought a set of Pearl Izumi arm warmers for the cold morning commute.
Leg warmers: I bought a set of cheap nashbar leg warmers. I haven't tried them yet though.
Planet bike ankle light: I bought an ankle light for my pants. It also wraps around my right pant leg so that it won't get caught in the chain.
I think my setup is pretty good now.
I ride a Trek 6500 mountain bike as my commuter so for example, I considered converting this bike into a commuter bike. This means that I would need to buy thinner tires, get fenders, maybe a rack for panniers, etc. But if I do that, I think I'm ruining the integrity of this bike. This is a hard tail mountain bike with front shocks and is meant to be ridden off road, over curbs, up and down dirt hills, etc.
So I decided that if I go that far, I'd be better off just buying a dedicated commuter bike.
But I still had to go shopping. I bought the following:
light: I had my old set of blackburn flea lights so I was using those but at 40 lumens in the front, it just wasn't bright enough. I bought a Magic Shine 900 lumen light. It's not really 900 lumens but it's really bright.
Bento box: I bought a bento box to store my cell phone and wallet.
Arm warmers: I bought a set of Pearl Izumi arm warmers for the cold morning commute.
Leg warmers: I bought a set of cheap nashbar leg warmers. I haven't tried them yet though.
Planet bike ankle light: I bought an ankle light for my pants. It also wraps around my right pant leg so that it won't get caught in the chain.
I think my setup is pretty good now.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Redondo Beach to Santa Monica
Welcome to my Southern California beach commuting blog. On 10/28/2009 I started a new job in Santa Monica, CA. I live in Redondo Beach, CA and plan to commute by bike. Join me as I blog about this journey.
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