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Archives for May 2009

More thoughts about bike clubs

05.10.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

The bike club post drew more comments than most posts have recently. Obviously, riders would like to exploit the social aspects of cycling. The problem is, are most bike clubs set up to help them do that?

From the comments here and elsewhere, it appears that most bike clubs are dominated by what I call the “A” riders — the ones who can go long distances at good speeds. Most of these riders are experienced and well conditioned. For many newbie bikers however, those kinds of rides are intimidating. As Ramon commented in the previous post, once you combine a 40-mile ride with a 16 mph pace, it’s not a beginner ride anymore.

I’ll say one thing for the A riders: They show the rest of us how far we have to go to get better. In that regard, they serve as inspiration. Some of us set a goal of improving to the point of being able to keep up with the A riders. In my case, I realized that although I’m not destined to be an A rider, I am aware of room for improvement, and I have made it a point to build my speed and endurance, and mainly my hill-climbing ability.

What many clubs seem to lack is an organized effort to accommodate riders of all levels. Most of what I’ve learned about biking has come from tips by a friend or two who are experienced, but not necessarily fast. Some bike clubs conduct certification classes for their members, and require them to pass these classes before going on the more challenging group rides. But if a club’s primary purpose is to get together and ride once a week, instructional activities take a back seat.

I’m glad to see that there are bike clubs that work hard to cater to the needs of newbie cyclists. If you’re new to the game and want to join a club, shop around. Area bike shops should be aware of the local clubs, and might be able to point out the differences between them. Try a ride — or to be fair, try more than one — with a club to get a feel for the atmosphere. You’ll be able to judge if they’re into speed, hill workouts, or socializing.

I’m sticking with my club. Through it, I have met other bikers of my ability who are a pleasure to spend time on the road with. I’ve gotten better, especially in terms of endurance and climbing ability, if not speed. And finally, remember that no one gets paid to run clubs. If you want to see some changes in policy, get involved yourself and make it happen from the inside.

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Do you belong to a bike club?

05.07.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 17 Comments

Once I started biking, I looked for ways to make it a more social activity. Just as I was about to join a large area-wide bike club, I discovered a club based in my own neighborhood.

I’ve written before about it. We do regular Sunday morning rides. They’re supposed to be no drop rides, but I’ve managed to get dropped more than once. The 15 or so riders who show up on Sundays are nice folks, but they’re too strong for me.

Sometimes, we slower riders get a “B” ride together. That’s a lot of fun, and it’s the kind of experience I had in mind when I decided to join the club. We don’t go as far as the regular group, or as fast. But we’re all at about the same level, so the ride holds together. The trouble is, we can’t seem to sustain a regular “B” group ride.

It also turns out that a sub-group of the club is into mountain biking, and they’ll get together for some trail rides in the area.

The club’s original intent was to provide something for everyone, including families with children and older folks who might ride cruisers or hybrids, and wouldn’t mind going several miles, but don’t want to make a hammerfest of it. However, if we do any of that family-oriented riding, I’ve never heard about it.

In fact, the more active members of the club seem to be heading in a more hard-core direction: racing. A club racing team formed this spring, and one of our members recently took first at a local criterium. A number of members ride in a time trial in the neighborhood every other week.

I’m not interested in racing, and since we have trouble putting a “B” ride together on a regular basis, I find myself skipping club rides and heading out on my own. It’s been a bit of a disappointment to me, although not a big enough deal for me to mope about it. I suppose the active members of any organization will set the tone for the rest of the group to follow.

So I wonder: Are you in a club? Why did you join? Does your club specialize in any particular type of riding? Are you getting out of it what you wanted?

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The wrap job

05.05.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Had an hour to kill the other day, so I finally gathered up my stuff and went out to the garage to perform major surgery on the bike. OK, it wasn’t major by any means, but it did repair some damage, and did alter the look of the machine. I put on new bar tape.

A number of readers weighed in a few weeks ago about which way I should go on the tape. Thanks for your input. I decided on black, which is the way I had been leaning anyway. Since the bike came with a white saddle, which I had changed to a black one because I didn’t like its looks, why would I put white tape on the bars? I already knew I wasn’t crazy about the blue. It pretty much had to be black.

At the MS 150 Bike Expo in Houston, I found some tape that filled the bill on a number of fronts. It was black. It was relatively cheap — $10. And it was a cork-gel compound that feels squishy to the touch.

It was instructive to peel off the old tape. On the drops, I found some gel inserts that the Specialized factory apparently puts in place before they wrap the stock tape. That was a nice bonus. I’ve never developed the ability some bikers have of reading the road through their hands on the bars. I much prefer a cushioned place to grip during a ride. Furthermore, the new tape gives the bike a slightly more subdued appearance, which appeals to me.

beforeafterThe Before and After look.

I’m afraid inside the garage at night doesn’t give the same quality picture as outside during the day does, but you get the idea.

New bar tape is one of the easiest things you can do to change the look of your bike. The possibilities are endless. You can keep it simple, or make it flashy. It’s an easy do-it-yourself job that takes less than an hour — even if you have to unwrap and rewrap portions along the way. Who knows? Maybe in another year, I’ll be ready for yet another look. Maybe some of that marble pattern…

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