[SteveTheTech]

Gotta love the small world we operate in.

I’ve been next door since 06.

We have an empty bay over here. They are having a wicked time finding anyone with product experience.

[SteveTheTech]

Aww man sorry to hear about that.

If you haven’t come by south pickett st in Alexandria there are now 3 high end dealers (and a Nissan plus a Mini a few blocks up), two indy shops and two body shops in a few blocks. Places like Lindsey and Koons both have high volume body repair facilities in the west end, you should check it out if you decide to stick with cars.

I agree with making cold calls, stop by somewhere you want to work and speak with whomever is in charge of hiring. The auto service industry doesn’t usually follow white collar guidelines I imagine bike shops operate in a similar manner.

What do you have to lose if you walk in with a resume and speak to the manager…Go get ’em!

[SteveTheTech]

@Dirt 14474 wrote:

I learned to be a master mechanic from him, but I never learned to keep my shirts clean. Thus the Simple Green.

Those silly Italians do the same thing with cars, always so much focus on appearance. Their cars are well known for leaking fluids yet the techs remain clean, in a low volume facility with a full time house cleaning staff you can achieve starch white perfection, IRL things are a bit different.

I find keeping greasy things a foot or two away from my chest and at chest height gives me the best angle to keep grease at bay. This holds true for replacing a front axle with grease everywhere or cleaning gunk from a rear derailleur where the majority of the mess is concealed until the cleaning begins.

Rubber gloves are my top recommendation as long as you get a size that fits properly.

Thanks for the tips I’m going to try some of these.

[SteveTheTech]

Garmin seems to be the dominate over here huh ?
I can see why

The DC Rainmaker site would have seriously complicated my decision making…over the top reviews are awesome.

I was looking at the 610 for triathlon training so the touchscreen and multisport support is ideal in that case. Although I do really like their bike specific models and would not kick one of those off my handlebars.

[SteveTheTech]

First of, sorry for bumping an old solved thread but this is quite relevant to my interests. I’ve been researching these for a little while now. What I was looking for is similar but slightly different after reading I wanted to add a bit for others reading this, and went with the Garmin.

I ended up going entry model HRM with the ANT+ system and Garmin connect. Both of which are awesome features and some of the simplest software I’ve come across. My needs in a device were a trackable heart rate monitor with some expandability. From Amazon I got a bundle with the ANT+ stick, a footpod and device for a hundred bucks(seen here). I plan to add a the cadence monitor shortly, but the graphs look pretty cool and the batteries are all the same and user replaceable.

For GPS tracking I’ve got something really interesting. seen here
I bought this last year since the battery in my cell dies before the end of most rides which is something I do not care for being two or three dozen miles from the car. It uses gps (no sensors) to track speed and distance and produces a KML file that works in Google Maps.

I plan on getting a Garmin 610 next anyone have any experience with this?

[SteveTheTech]

Wooo Nissan fans represent.

Welcome to the group.

In the real world I’m an Infiniti master tech and Nissan/Infiniti super fan. I accidentally turned old and had to get rid of my J30 and instead of getting the late 90s Q45T I wanted, I ended up with a slightly more adult car. I actually moderate over at the nico forum.

Have you taken the typical obsessiveness 240 owners have and applied it to your bikes? I know my knack for tinkering has cost me more money on a bike than even on cars.

Cheers,

[SteveTheTech]

@Tim Kelley 11639 wrote:

If you’re looking to get involved with a group, both DC Tri Club and Team Z have beginners programs.

Be careful though–it’s a slippery slope. I did Nation’s Tri my first year and by the second year I found myself in the middle of full Ironman training…

I imagine that the color/consistence/salinity make the swim more of a challenge. After all if it were easy more people would do it. I think I’ll look more closely into the Old Town Tri Club, I don’t think I am competitive enough for a DC based club. I do however fear that as with most of the hobbies I get into I will get bit by a bug and only a major injury would change my tune….oh it was so much easier being an overweight chain smokering bar fly.

@PotomacCyclist 11652 wrote:

Swimming is a very technical sport, much more than cycling is. While you’ll still need to develop some swim-specific endurance and speed, you should focus on technique.

The tricky part about running is the higher-impact nature of the sport. If you increase your weekly mileage or single workout mileage too quickly, you risk developing overuse injuries. You’ll probably have to start out at a very basic level.

It is clear you have a passion for this type of excise and I greatly appreciate your incite and help.

At this point I thinking I am going to pay someone to teach my wife and I basic stroke technique. I tend to absorb bad behavior quickly. Swimming sucks, but loosing crucial energy (and after the first few, time) needlessly due to bad form seems like a really bad way to start a(even a sprint length) tri. I’d rather not half ass this, my wife has MS and I have a very physically demanding job so it would be smart on our part to get as much initial help as possible, starting out the right way.

I had only started casually reading about the proper way to get into running. It seems like there are several ways to hurt yourself, it’s time consuming and can be monotonous…yet people love it. I do not plan on attempting to move any faster than a quick jog without a pair of new shoes and a proper fitment from a running store. There is a low impact 1 mile measured trail in my condo complex I think that the first month or so of training will be completed there. Seems like most people say to I like the idea of starting with a timing schedule instead of speed and distance, as a car guy I tend to be a speed freak. Although I am very interested in tracking my pace to monitor progress.

Over the next few weeks I’m sure we will begin to form a training plan that starts slow with some mild cross training until the bikems ride in June then we’ll probably focus more on the run swim disaster that shall be unavoidable.

Guess the chances of next year being the year I don’t kill everything in the garden have gone down way earlier than last year. haha.

[SteveTheTech]

That kind of sucks. You think your are going to be the enlightener for once only to have face a sad sap. I guess it’s better than other possible outcomes, first that comes to mind is a car full of teens which may have lead to a different outcome. ugh, I’m so old

There have only been a few times when I would like to have hunted someone down and sought karmic vengeance but being the guy dressed like a fool I feel like I start out mildly disadvantaged, although a clean break can typically be quickly made if needed.

Next time bump the old thread around here. At least you’ll have a more receptive audience.
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1115-The-quot-I-bit-my-tounge-quot-incident-thread

cheers,

[SteveTheTech]

Oh you guys are great, thanks a bunch for the incite.

This one looks really fun and not too intimidating as a first.
http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=2033

This one has a warning about hills but I really enjoy a challenging ride. Plus the combo of bike/run/bike/run looks pretty wild. I wonder if doing both would be possible…
http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=1841

I know the structure is a race by nature but I would be looking to just complete one for the first try. I say this now though when the time comes my overly competitive nature will change that. Friendly competition against yourself and the clock is a much more interesting goal than just riding a hundred miles (which is what I was actively training).

I feel like I could flounder my way through a couple hundred meters of steady water well within the allotted time. Swimming has got to be my biggest mental hurdle, I do not much care for breathing while trying to make forward progress in the water. Running just seems like it would suck but unless my form and/or shoes are wrong I’ll be able to get it. The only kind of swimming I really have any confidence in is wading in 3′ of water on the way to the swim up bar.

Is increasing swimming distance like accumulating distance on a bicycle?
The first few hundred yards are the hardest then the rest are not easy per say but getting into a rhythm makes it much more tolerable.

Running I assume feels slow and boring compared to sailing along in the 20 mph range. Running a full marathon sounds ok but running 26.2 miles for practice sounds awful boring. I’m sure like when you get complacent you get hurt though, using anything other than full focus and concentration seems like it can get costly…quick.

Adding the concept of a brick workout sounds interesting, not fun or like any sort of good idea but interesting and beneficial. I was worried about getting cycling shorts contaminated with river/lake/ocean water and causing the worst saddle sores known to man (literally). The idea of using a smaller wetsuit (from knees to elbows) is ideal (at least in planning phase) with a bib or whatever is appropriate under.
My complex has a gym that overlooks a indoor lap pool, that I have only used separately….I can no longer come up with a reason not too combine them. Although I’m sure to catch an odd look I could set up a transition area to practice. But as mentioned above treadmills are very popular in all gyms.

[SteveTheTech]

I rode on the indoor trainer last winter, we watched two seasons of Dexter that way. It is a fair workout but try adding an interval trainer to maximize your workout, it made a world of difference.

http://www.amazon.com/Gymboss-GB2008-SILVER-HARDCOAT/dp/B00194PWNQ

I have come to prefer the class. It really kind of shames you into pushing harder. Which seems to work for me. But then again I am going for distance so increasing my VO2 max is, so my training/gym schedule is a bit more than the average.

This was a good article
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/how-ride-inside-indoor-trainer-workouts-cyclists
Another decent on when looking at interval training timing.
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/pimp-your-indoor-ride

I do find climbing on my bike in a trainer more difficult than the spinning bike although the spin bike weights a 100+lbs so it feels absolutely solid. I see many people with just poor frame but everyone takes something different from any work out especially time spent out of the saddle.

[SteveTheTech]

I was unable to find a reliable source with compiled data and 15 minutes before I need to be at work is not the time to figure that out. A quick google shows hundreds of articles on individual municipalities reporting costs for pay the cops overtime to protect these folks from…these folks. I’m sure the total is quite a bit.

Good intentions tend to be thwarted by a small group all the time.

I really wonder what the long term implications will be for those who would actually support change of some sort…the working class that can’t set up in a shanty town. It looks like no matter what you occupy things will continue to be the same.

[SteveTheTech]

Blocking traffic during a commute out of the city is not something that will win too much sympathy among the locals.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2636784

Hope everyone made it home fine.

[SteveTheTech]

That looks like fun.

I really enjoy spin class.

We went to the dedicated studio near old town for a few months, but we ended up settling on the “big box gym” 1/2 mile from home. The gym has the weirdest setup…they have blacklights and reactive murals on the wall…it adds an interesting effect. I was a little suspect at first but it is actually quite fun. And for about $3.50 per class we can easily go three or more times a week.

Do “real” cyclists spin???

[SteveTheTech]

Wow I cannot imagine being in your clips, sir. Glad to hear there was a great showing and help was on the way where you rejoined the party.

Cheers to a speedy recovery. I hear cava is great for road rash….but it’s not so good on head injuries.

Were you by chance wearing a helmet?

Lastly, Tegaderm is indeed a miracle of modern science.

[SteveTheTech]

@PotomacCyclist 10625 wrote:

“The treaty also expressly prohibited the development or use of cloaking device technology by the Federation.”

+100 Internets for Trek geekry.

[Author]

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