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Archives for April 2008

I’m riding in comfort now

04.18.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

When I started biking, I had no idea about equipment or accessories. A lot of that stuff looked the same to me, so I looked first at price when considering a purchase. I was familiar with Nashbar, the online catalog bike store, and made several purchases from them early on. One purchase was for two pairs of their bike shorts, the Nashbar Essential short, a six-panel basic model, and the “Fusion Splice” short (who comes up with these names?), an eight-panel short for five dollars more that features a splash of color down the leg.

They seemed fine. The fit was okay, and I really had no issues with them, except…well, except that my butt started complaining just a few miles into a ride. I had to periodically lift off the saddle to give it a rest. Didn’t think much about it, because it seemed lots of cyclists complained about sore bottoms. And besides, I thought the problem wasn’t the shorts, but the saddle.

But two weeks ago, when I bailed out of a 52-mile ride at 37 miles, not only had I bonked, but I was really hurting down below. In fact, when I got home, I discovered a saddle sore — my first one ever.

My wife and I hit the LBS the next day. Besides stocking up on energy foods and drink mix, I checked out the shorts. I was looking for one thing, and one thing only — padding. I bought the pair with the biggest pad (or chamois, if you insist) in the store. The comparison is striking.

The basic, thin pad in the Nashbar Essential shorts.

The pad in the Pearl Izumi “Race” shorts.

The next morning, I went out for a ride, and wore the new shorts. They’re by Pearl Izumi, and seem to be called the “Race” model, judging by the label on the price tag. Not only is the pad huge, it’s augmented in key areas with extra padding.

For the first time since I can’t remember, my butt was not one of my riding issues. They felt great. Not only was the new pad a revelation, but the fabric in the legs compressed better than the Nashbar shorts, which seemed to give the thighs a little extra pep. I’m a fan.

At $89 a pair, I’m not going to run out and buy two more. The Nashbar shorts will stay among my riding gear, but I’ll only wear them for rides of an hour or less. The Pearls will be my regular weekend ride apparel. Your heard it from the Bike Noob: “A happy butt makes for a happy ride.”

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Categories // Accessories

Smoked by an old guy

04.16.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 17 Comments

So I’m headed home after my after-work ride. I’m pedaling slowly but easily up a hill toward a stoplight, when a biker glides past me. I catch him at the light, and we chat briefly. When the light turns green, he jumps across the intersection ahead of me.

The next light is only a few hundred yards away, and that’s red, too. I catch up to him, and we chat briefly again. He’s tall and thin, with a craggy, tanned face and gray-white hair. I guess him to be about 65 years old. His jersey is from an event five years ago, judging by the date on the logo. The bike is in good condition, with shiny clean cogs and chain.

This time, I jump ahead when the light turns. I’ve been feeling good this evening anyway, and want to keep up my pace for the last two miles home. Getting ahead of the other guy — well, that’s something I can now do on the new bike that I couldn’t do on the old bike. But I’m not racing. If he wants to keep up with me, fine. I pedal alone for the next mile, when I turn at a stoplight. The road here goes downhill, and I can pick up some decent speed. Another half mile, and I hit a light at a busy intersection.

Once I cross this street, there’s a long, but not very steep, uphill. It goes past a large supermarket, whose parking lot is always busy at this time of day. I’m in one of my lower gear combinations, going slow, just starting to push a little harder against the grade, watching for cars turning into the lot — when suddenly I hear, “On your left.” I move slightly right, and HE goes by. I never even knew he was there. He must have stayed with me ever since I passed him. And now, he’s showing me who’s the King of the Mountains (or at least Baron of the Mild Suburban Incline). I boost my effort to stick with him, but it’s no good. He’s in a much higher gear than I am, and he’s pedaling at a faster cadence. I’m near the end of a 15-mile ride that I did at a faster pace than usual, and I have nothing left. I watch him with envy as he pulls away effortlessly, climbing the grade as though it were flat.

Dang! Smoked by an old guy again! I hate it when these geezers do that. Even though I’m a noobie compared to him, my youth and vigor ought to be enough to overcome his experience and cunning. But I have something to look forward to: By the time I’m his age, I’ll be that good, too. I’ve got time. I’m only 57.

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Categories // Rides, training

An incentive to train

04.14.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

I just signed up for my first organized ride of 2008, the Armadillo Hill Country Classic, sponsored by the Austin Cycling Association.  It has a reputation for being a good ride, and since it covers much of the territory I rode last fall in my first organized ride, I know the terrain will be agreeable.

I’ve been looking forward to this ride for awhile, but I haven’t been doing anything special to get ready for it.  My mileage has increased with the better weather, from 96 in February, to 127 in March to 111 so far in April, and we’re only halfway through the month.  I’m averaging about three rides a week, and will be able to bump that up to five once we get into May, and some of the demands at work slow down.

But as I wrote the $30 check to pay for ride registration, it occurred to me that just the act of paying money to join a ride might be an incentive to train for it.  Why spend good money on a ride and not be ready for it?  Why run the risk of stopping before the full distance is finished?  I wouldn’t get my money’s worth out of the ride.

So maybe I will pick up the pace a bit, and actually train for the ride.  I could sure stand to do some hill intervals, and maybe do some short rides at a pace faster than I intend to ride the Armadillo.  I know this is a departure from my usual attitude about training, but I don’t want to just survive the ride, I want to finish it with a creditable time, with some gas left in the tank.

That 30 bucks may buy me more than a place in the pack — it may also buy me better cycling fitness.

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Categories // Rides, training

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