Bike Noob

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Archives for April 2008

A feel-good ride

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Went out today eager to try some new stuff, based on the helpful comments regarding my bonk last week. I rode 22.4 miles from my house to Southwest Parkway and back, including a loop through Travis Country for good measure. (For those readers unfamiliar with Austin, Southwest Parkway is a 4-lane road, sometimes divided, with reasonably good shoulders and lots of hills. Travis Country is a neighborhood at the east end of Southwest Parkway, with a loop road that also has a couple of decent hills.)

I’m going to be trying different kinds of foods to keep nourished during rides. On a trip to the bike store yesterday, I got some Accelerade, some Clif Bars, and some Clif Shot Bloks. Filled one water bottle with Accelerade and the other with water. I made it a point to start drinking the Accelerade even before the ride, and about every 15 minutes during it. At about the 12 mile mark, I took a brief rest, ate a Clif Bar, and drank water.

It surprised me how quickly the fuel worked. Pulling up hills, I could feel that my thighs had plenty of energy. I suppose I’ve always taken this for granted before, but since last weekend’s misadventure, I’m a lot more attuned to the way I feel when I’m on the bike. Felt great at the end of the ride, and two hours later, my wife and I went out and played nine holes of golf. I took a drink of water on every hole, but was not in the least fatigued.

I’ll be trying different food and/or drink combinations on my rides, but for now, I’m confident that my bonking days are over.

The elusive go-to riding position

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One of the toughest things I’ve had to adapt to since being back on the bike is the idea of riding with a relaxed posture. Elbows bent, shoulders and neck relaxed. It’s always been second nature to me to ride with straight arms, which pushes my shoulders up, so I’m a bit hunched at the neck.

I’ve read articles in magazines and on web sites, chapters in books, and heard from experienced cyclists to relax. “Bend those elbows!” they say. I comply immediately. For about a minute and a half.

When I was being fitted for the new bike, the salesperson had to remind me several times to bend my elbows and drop my shoulders. “I know it,” I said. “But it’s hard to break a bad habit.”

So this afternoon, I decided to concentrate on riding relaxed. I bent my elbows as I pulled out of the driveway, and pretty much kept them that way. The position felt all right, but not all-out comfortable. I tried varying the amount of bend in the elbows. Mostly, that just helped me move around on the bike. Any change is good for comfort, but I’m not discovering that one go-to position that I’d like to have. Then, the hills come, and I’m sitting back on the saddle with my hands on top of the bar. Once the road flattens out, I’m searching again for the elusive go-to position. When my hands are on the hoods, the handlebar blocks my view of the front hub, which is as it is supposed to be, from what I’ve read. So, I must be in more or less the right position. But it just doesn’t feel normal. What’s a fella to do?

What’s with fixies?

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I was riding the Veloway recently, when I ran into (not literally) a friend of mine.  I didn’t recognize him right away, because he usually rides a blue bike, and this time he was on a black one.

I stopped and we chatted, catching up on riding experiences.  But while we talked, he continued pedaling in slow circles around me.  I asked him about the different bike.  “It’s purely a training bike,” he said.  “I use it out here, but don’t take it out on the road much.”

I looked at his crankset.  A single sprocket ring.  “Is that a single-speed?” I asked.  “Kind of.  It’s a fixed gear,” he said.  “I have to keep pedaling.”

I’ve noticed over the past few months lots of articles and references to fixed-gear bikes.  They’re single speed, but have no freewheel, so the pedals continually turn.  Most seem to have one front-mounted brake, like my friend’s.  If he has to use it, he has to quickly get his feet out of the toe clips on his pedals.

I can see where a fixie could be a good training bike.  Whenever the rider hits a slight variation in the terrain, it means a change in pedaling tempo.  Uphills can be especially challenging.  But I guess downhills can, too, if the bike builds up a lot of speed and the rider is spinning the pedals for dear life.

Call me chicken, but that strikes me as dangerous. Besides worrying about cars and trucks along your route, you have to worry about whether you’ll manage to stay upright on your bike.  I see lots of forum posts from riders who ride 50, 62, even 100 miles on their fixies.  I can’t imagine doing that, and have a hard time imagining why they’d want to.

Are fixies a passing fad, a hot trend, or are they going to be a “fixture” on the biking scene from here on out?

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