[Geoff]

@Fast Friendly Guy 78546 wrote:

…REPLACE TROLLHEIM plank bridge!

I’m with you. I fell and got hurt bad there a year and a half back. Couldn’t ride for months. Still have problems in one of my hands.

[Geoff]

Concerning “no issues with Garmin”:
Some sensors / cycle computers use encoding to prevent interference from nearby riders. I suspect that Garmin does this, and is able to simply ignore the noise emitted by the light.

Or – doesn’t Garmin work off GPS signals rather than a sensor on the fork? In that case interference from the light is probably a completely different radio frequency from what the GPS uses and shouldn’t be expected to be a factor.

[Geoff]

I have had similar problems with my Lumina 650 and wireless computer (don’t recall the brand without checking). They seem to get along with about 4″ separation.

[Geoff]

@mstone 78077 wrote:

I don’t really know how to change a culture, but since there are so many people who can’t do anything more with a suggestion to focus on issues beyond helmets than mock the suggestion, the culture clearly needs changing.

Problem is, I don’t know what Chris Boardman’s suggestion is. I read the article, sure, but didn’t see where he thinks attention should go. I didn’t even realize mandatory helmets was a big issue. I think helmets are a good idea and have some personal anecdotes, but I actually think they should not be mandatory. A helmet law would probably discourage a lot of CaBi use.

I don’t know about changing the culture, but maybe we could change this conversation. What are the issues we should focus on? What are the local laws on helmets? Are they at all controversial?

[Geoff]

I give up. Can we file a petition to have Chris Boardman tell us what the top issues are? It will be my #2 priority in life (#1 is getting Justin Bieber deported back to Canada. Oh wait, not such a good idea, I like Canada…)

[Geoff]

@baiskeli 77643 wrote:

…the helmet is one way I can help keep my fate in my own hands.

I always do lots of things: wear a helmet, a reflective vest when it’s dark, check my brakes and tire pressure, check for glass in my tire that will give me a puncture on my next ride, watch for parked cars that are about to door me, etc. I’ll bet that most people on this forum do the same and recommend that others do the same also. Probably few of these specifics are in that top ten list either, but it is about keeping your fate in your own hands. Fine, concentrate on the “real issues”, but it isn’t either/or.

It just occurred to me that even if the infrastructure was perfect, I would still do most of the same things, and would still recommend that others do them.

[Geoff]

@roadfan 77636 wrote:

I am afraid to ride in this weather, since i fell hard last winter on an icy patch and broke my leg and totalled a wheel too.

Totally understand your point of view. I’ve had a couple of bad falls that put me out of action for months at a time too. Discretion is the better part of valor.

[Geoff]

This morning was a “personal chilliest” for me, with my thermometer showing 15-17. (For those of you who rode during the Polar Vortex, you have my respect.)

My commute takes about an hour, and I was pushng the limits of my clothing. I have some good cycling gloves, a size too large to leave room for my liner. The finger tips were headed toward numb and moose mitts would have been nice. My feet were better off than my hands (tennis shoes with heavy wool socks) but there would have been problems after another hour.

A word about the tennis shoes, since that must sound horribly anti-elite. These are not running shoes, which would breathe too much. I think a big advantage the tennis shoes have is a heavy rubber sole which insulates better than the soles on bike shoes. The disadvantage is that if you want to use booties, you have to get something 2 or 3 sizes too big to fit over that sole.

[Geoff]

I do some basic strength training at home, more in the winter than in the summer. Maybe 30-40 minutes 3 times a week. Having some basic equipment in the basement – barbells, a bench – makes it easier to fit in than if I had to go to a gym.

Mostly I do upper body and core workouts. I do some lunges in the winter; they make hills seem smaller. I have to be careful because my knees sometimes get sore. During warmer weather there is no need for lunges because I do plenty of actual hills.

I also do some stretching and tai chi. I would do more if time allowed.

[Geoff]

@Tim Kelley 77026 wrote:

Do you drink coffee or beer? Caffeine and/or alcohol have that effect on me. Perhaps being dehydrated from the exertion makes you more sensitive to either of those?

I drink tea daily, beer or wine a few times a week with dinner. I’ve never noticed a pattern involving caffeine or alcohol, which doesn’t mean there isn’t one. I think having a sports drink and laying off the sodas helps – but is that because I think it “should” help? Is a sports drink just a soda without carbonation and with different marketing?

[Geoff]

I notice that after a hard ride I sometimes have trouble sleeping. It’s hard to describe, except maybe to say I feel tight all over. Sometimes stretching helps. Taking an aspirin helps but I always wonder if it is psychosomatic.

Interestingly, I feel the same way after two or three days with no exercise at all.

Anyone notice anything similar?

[Geoff]

@dasgeh 77019 wrote:

Basically all jeans are at least a little tight in the thighs…

In my younger days I used to get jeans a couple inches too big in the waist, so they would fit my thighs. Somehow, things have evened out since then. Maybe Levi’s changed their sizing?

[Geoff]

@DCAKen 76860 wrote:

…they’ve kept my feet pretty warm down to about 25°.

I use toe clips on my commuter bike. Tennis shoes (not running shoes) plus wool socks have kept my feet warm at 20.

[Geoff]

@eminva 76900 wrote:

For those of you with an iPhone doing the C&O self-supported or semi-supported, please download the C&O Companion app; it got rave reviews from all of us on the scout trip last summer. Helps you find the nearest lodging/food/water/bike shop. It wasn’t available for other phones then but it may be now.

Liz

That does sound useful. It would definitely help with the issues I raised.

[Geoff]

@sethpo 76918 wrote:

After reading about the Race Across America, I’m starting to reevaluate what is and isn’t possible on a bike. These guys go from California to Annapolis in eight days. EIGHT!!

There’s what’s possible and there’s what’s advisable. The guy who organized my C&O + GAP trip took part in RAM. For training, he once (maybe twice, don’t remember) averaged 200 miles per day for 14 straight days. Sound insane? Twenty years later he still had stress injuries that limit how much riding he can do.

[Author]

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