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Archives for May 2010

What kind of cyclist are you?

05.06.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

A little bit ago, I ran a post here called “Are You a Cyclist or a Biker?”  It got lots of response, but some folks thought that applying labels to ourselves is counter productive.

One reader answered the biker-cyclist question, but then posed one of his own — a better one, to my mind:

Better yet, what kind of cyclist are you? Over the holidays, I found that I had become a “care-taker” cyclist. I was going through the motions of a 30 mile ride without putting a whole lot of effort into it. Fortunately I snapped out of the lull and now enjoy “working” at it.

The serious cyclist.

That got me thinking. I hadn’t considered what kind of cyclist I am, because I always took it for granted. I ride a road bike, therefore I am a road biker.

But there are different kinds of road bikers. And I’ve got road biker friends who can’t wait to get dirty on mountain bikes. I’ve described myself as a “B” rider here — a charter member of the 15 mph club — but even that doesn’t answer the whole question.

Tweedy cyclists.

I’ve been a “caretaker” cyclist before. That’s not a lot of fun. I don’t race, except for the occasional time trial, when I’m racing against myself (Oh, all right, I do pay attention to certain guys’ times). I enjoy riding for distances, but I’m beginning to think that 100 miles is over doing it, and 100 kilometers might be just right. I’m not the most gregarious guy you’ll ever meet, but I do enjoy the social aspect of cycling, which is one reason I joined a club.

Mostly, I ride for fun and exercise. Notice I didn’t say fitness. I’d have to push myself harder to lose weight through cycling, but a one-hour ride can get me to sleep longer and deeper at night, can curb my appetite so I’m not eating so much, can slow my resting heart rate and lower my blood pressure.

The "oh my goodness" cyclist. (Liz Hatch.)

The fun of riding comes when I go places I haven’t been before, or when I’m with a group of like-minded congenial people, or when I push myself a little bit, and find that I’m up to the challenge.

I guess I’d call myself a “recreational” cyclist. If someone can provide a more descriptive term for the kind of riding I do, I’m open to your suggestion.

How about you? How would you describe your riding?

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // cyclist

Ponza — My One-Hour Saddle

05.04.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 17 Comments

Over the last year, I’ve blogged more than once about my Selle San Marco Ponza. It’s the saddle I mounted on my bike last May, after complaining about the hard ride on my previous saddle.

I liked the Ponza for its narrow race-inspired shape. It has a slight upsweep at the back, which cradles the butt. I wasn’t getting the soreness on my bottom that the previous saddle was giving me.

That was before I started riding longer on it.

It’s been evident for some time now that the Ponza is okay for anything up to an hour. At about that time — maybe 55 minutes, maybe 65 — my butt hurts. Specifically, the soft tissue area right at the bottom of my bottom hurts. And the soreness will be there well into the next day.

In addition, I’ve been developing saddle sores. Bag Balm seems to do a good job of dealing with them, but still — on a ride of several hours’ duration, you don’t want to have to deal with an irritated pimple on your butt being rubbed uncomfortably by a saddle that has turned against you.

Much of the time, a one-hour saddle is fine for me. I can ride from my home to the Veloway, do three or four laps, and ride back home in roughly that 55-65 minute window I mentioned above. That’s about 15-18 miles.

But on weekends, I like to go longer. Two hours would be the minimum for me there. And to do that would require another saddle.

Recently, I did a Sunday ride with a group of folks I’d never ridden with before. Looking over their equipment, I saw many more generously padded saddles than I do on my club rides. When I asked people if the padded saddles don’t cause them problems on long rides, I got a unanimous no. Everyone said they feel as good after three hours on the bike as after an hour.

So, despite everything I’ve read or heard about how padded saddles can compress your sensitive parts, and cause just as much discomfort as the hard ones, I decided I would go for something cushier this time.

The new saddle is on the bike, and I had a good first ride. But I’m going to wait a bit before I review it. I need to get more miles on it — and rides of longer than an hour.

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Categories // Equipment, soreness Tags // saddle sore, saddles, Selle San Marco Ponza

Tighty Whitey

05.02.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 14 Comments

Guest poster Jeff Hemmel tries a new look.

Today I rode in a white kit.

Not just a white shirt, not a colored outfit with some white accents, but a white kit — white jersey, white shorts, heck, I even had on white socks. What’s the big deal? I’m not quite sure, but I can tell you it was the most self-conscious 30 miles I’ve ever spent on a bike.

Jeff tries a white kit. What’s your take? Would you ride in this outfit?

Before this goes any further, let me clarify. No, I didn’t buy it. I’m working on a story on cycling gear, and Pearl Izumi sent this particular outfit. And truth be told, I really like it. The fabric is super comfortable, everything fits well, and the chamois is awesome.

So what’s the problem? I don’t know, but I just felt like, well …a poser. It was bad enough worrying about what people in their cars were thinking about a guy clad in a skintight white outfit, but the idea of coming upon another strong, legitimate cyclist? I was getting chills just thinking about it. (Well, not literal chills, but give me a little artistic license here.) As to what would happen had I needed to change a dirty tire or fix a greasy chain…I won’t even go there. The ridicule that would ensue should my tighty whiteys get slathered in grease might damage me for life.

So yes, the pressure was most definitely on. I skipped the call to a friend I ride with on weekday mornings and opted to go solo, I purposely chose a route where I wouldn’t see many people I knew in traffic, and I prayed I had timed everything right so that most people would be anywhere but on my intended route. If my name were Ted King or Mark Cavendish, I’d be wearing this outfit with pride. Heck, even if I was just the fast guy in the local club I might be confident enough to pull it off. But just Joe Average cyclist? I wasn’t worthy.

Silly? You tell me. I love the look of these outfits on the rack, or on pro race teams, but I just don’t think I could pull it off on a regular basis myself. Yeah, after a while I started to actually think I looked kind of cool, but don’t tell anybody, because I’ll deny it. My story is I was mortified…even if I did notice how tan and strong my legs looked offset by all that snowy white fabric.

Long story short, I love the gear, but I’ll probably mix-and-match from here on out. But I do have to admit, being the dude in the tighty whiteys did make me ride a little faster. Over the course of 30 miles, on a windy day with three bridges and three stoplights thrown into the mix, I averaged nearly 20 mph, probably an all-time best on this particular route when riding solo.

It’s amazing what a little embarrassment can do…

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Categories // Equipment, guest post Tags // bike shorts, jersey, team kit

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