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Archives for October 2009

Cool weather gear, or, the wuss factor

10.18.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

LSIt’s that time of the year again — fall. When days are warm, almost, and nights are cool — or downright chilly. For cyclists, it’s time to dig into the jersey drawer to see what new stuff we need, and reacquaint ourselves with our old standbys from last year.

Friday evening, after I got home from work, I decided to head out for a ride. Mrs. Noob said she wanted to come, too, so we figured we’d do a trip to the Veloway, and I’d do my usual three laps, while she did her two.

She was astride her bike, waiting for me, when I came into the garage to put on my shoes and helmet. “What?” she asked, in amazement. “Long sleeves?”

“Hey,” I replied, a little miffed. “It’s getting cool, and the shadows are long.”

I think  I heard her say, “Wuss,” under her breath. We headed out.

I’ve got two long sleeved jerseys that I use a lot come this time of year. One I’ve had for nearly two years. It’s the basic long sleeve model by Performance, and the inside is slightly brushed to trap heat. I love to wear it by itself when the temps are down around 50-60, or 10-16C. The one I was wearing this time is a summer weight jersey with no brushed fabric. It’s light, but it covers my arms.

I don’t react well to wind when riding, and my arms are the main protesters. I learned two years ago when I started riding that if my arms are warm, I’m good for the ride. If a cool wind blows on them, I’ll be uncomfortable. So I’ll go with the summer weight long sleeved jersey any time the temperature gets below 70 (21C). Besides, it has black panels on the sides, which I’m certain have  a slimming effect.

My arm warmers are another option, that are an even better choice because they’re more flexible. I can wear them when the weather is cool at the start of a ride, and pull them off when it warms up. Lots of the riders in my club showed up on a recent cool morning ride with arm warmers, a base layer, and wind vests, which looks like a nifty way to layer for the chill. Wind vests are small and thin, and easily stashed in a jersey pocket when they’re no longer needed. The arm warmers can join them there when it warms up even more.

When we got home from our ride, I mentioned to my wife that I was right to wear the long sleeves. The long shadows mixed with the cool breeze did chill the arms, and the sleeves mitigated the discomfort.

“I don’t think so,” she said, as she walked by in her sleeveless jersey. “I was very comfortable out there tonight.”

I unzipped to reveal my base layer and my bibs.

“Wuss,” she said, as she headed to the shower.

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Categories // Equipment Tags // clothing

A Few Things You Always Wanted To Know About Saddle Sores…But Were Afraid To Ask

10.15.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

HemmelsRide2So there I was, stripped naked, one foot up on the tub, mirror in hand, contorting myself into positions that would make an adult film star proud… all the while hoping no one walked in and said something like “Uh, honey, that’s interesting,” or, “Dad, what exactly are you doing?”

What I was doing, of course, was looking for the source of some recent riding discomfort. Problem was, I had no idea what I was looking for. Sure, I’ve heard mention of saddle sores, but I always thought they were something like a serious case of rug burn, a rough spot that was scraped one too many times by an ill-fitting pair of shorts or poor seat design. Instead, all I found was a small red spot that looked kind of like a pimple. Maybe a spider bite or something. Never seen one? Scroll down; I shot a picture of it.

Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you. I also wouldn’t do it to me. Imagine the above scenario of wife or child walking in, but add me trying to take a picture into the mix. Yeah, that’s an image that would be burned into a family member’s memory.

So anyway, back to saddle sores. I didn’t know what I was looking for because I’ve always been fortunate enough not to get them. I used to ride without chamois cream; lately I’ve been trying it out. But either way, I stayed mostly comfortable down there. Numb, yeah, but not subject to anything as nasty sounding as a sore.

So needless to say, I set out in search of a few answers. There was a good article on saddles in a recent issue of Bicycling that defined saddle sores. Apparently, they come in various types — a simple abrasion, something called folliculitis, even an abscess that might need serious medical care. Yeah, that latter one sounds way too foul to me, too, and I know a simple abrasion when I see it. So let’s focus on what seems to be cyclist’s most common problem — folliculitis.

The name offers a hint as to what it is — folliculitis is essentially an infection of a hair follicle. We’ve all probably heard how to avoid the problem. Stuff like getting a good bike fitting, wearing quality padded shorts, standing on occasion, choosing the proper saddle, using lube, not hanging around in your nasty shorts after finishing a ride, blah blah blah. What I rarely seem to read is how to treat it once it happens.

Apparently, keeping the area clean is a good idea. I’m not going to argue that one, as the last thing I want is some nasty bacteria invading the small piece of real estate that is situated between two relatively important body parts. Beyond that, other suggestions include a basic over-the-counter acne medicine with 10% benzoyl peroxide. Yup, you can oxy-cute ‘em! Other suggestions include treating sores with hydrogen peroxide or witch hazel, both of which apparently are astringents. Prescription solutions are available should things turn serious.

Mine’s not too bad, so for now I’m still riding. If you take the same approach, trying changing your shorts or saddle. A certain stitch or rough spot could be exacerbating the problem. Lube appears to be a good idea, although I’ve read some stories of riders being told by their doctors to stop using lube. You can even try Preparation H, apparently. It should shrink swelling and reduce the pain. Some experts suggest dabbing it on a few minutes prior to applying your normal chamois cream.

I thought mine was already on the mend before today’s ride, but two hours in the saddle proved otherwise. Though I wore my favorite shorts, I can feel something has changed. Maybe the edge of the chamois has developed a rough spot or something. I won’t stop riding, but I’m going to pay attention to it. After all, I don’t want it turning into something worse.

I would, however, like to get back to checking out some butts other than my own…

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Categories // soreness Tags // guest post, Hemmel, saddle sore

Bike fit

10.13.2009 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Now that I’ve had my bike about a year and a half, I’m trying to figure out how to tweak it a little bit more to get a little bit more out of it. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is bike fit.

Like most of us, I had a cursory bike fitting when I bought my bike. Saddle height, leg angle, seat postion were all calculated in a short time, and I was sent on my way. It’s worked out well for the most part, although I have fiddled with fore-and-aft position of the seat and seat height a bit.

Jeff Hemmel’s guest post over the summer about the Retul bike fitting system got me thinking. I’m not ready to drop a couple hundred on a fitting session where I’m all wired up to electronic machines, but I want something that will give me a better idea of how to set all the variables on the bike. A couple of sites have come to my attention recently.

A friend pointed me to the Park Tools website. It’s a place I visit from time to time anyway, because of their excellent tutorials on bike repairs of all types. But they also have a page dedicated to fitting your road bike (and a separate page dedicated to fitting your mountain bike, if you are of that persuasion). Park suggests 17 different measurements to take, from bottom bracket to seat, saddle to handlebars, handlebar angle, etc.

Picture-4The Park Tool Road Positioning Chart.

Park says the chart is most useful as a record of your various measurements, and if any change in performance results from a change in the bike’s setup. It gives details instructions on how to take the measurements, but makes no suggestions about the ideal range.

A second site is for the Accufit bike fitting system. This one involves purchase of a product, the Accufit system itself. It’s a Windows-compatible program that promises the best fit by “computer modeling your measurements and establishing the correct relationships between you and your bike.” The program costs $29.95 and can be purchased online.

Accufit

A screenshot from the Accufit web site. Bill Boston Cycles. (http://www.billbostoncycles.com/)

Accufit is geared toward bike shops and offers them a way to fit their customers. It claims to work on people of all sizes, not just adults within certain height parameters. But for $30, some of us might consider buying a copy for our personal use.

What other options are available out there? Have you ever made use of either of these sites? Have you had a proper fitting done at your local bike shop, and if so, what system did they use? Finally, did the bike fitting make a difference in the way you ride your bike?

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Categories // Bikes Tags // bike fitting

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