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Archives for December 2011

Doc’s All-Natural Chamois Cream–A Review

12.20.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

What do you use down there? Guest poster Jeff Hemmel has some stuff you might not have heard of.

I used to ride sans anything slippery in my shorts, then followed my local bike shop owner’s suggestion to try chamois cream as I began to put in more and more miles. Now, spending a LOT of time in the saddle every month, I’m a believer in that weird glop known as chamois cream.

I’ve tried quite a few, even did a little “chamois cream shootout” for this blog a year or two back. But my new favorite is a lesser-known brand dubbed Doc’s All-Natural Chamois Cream (www.docscycling.com).

All you Texans will probably appreciate the fact that Doc’s is actually made in the Lone Star State, but what I liked about it is that Doc’s is made by, you guessed it, an actual doctor. A practicing physician who is also a Cat 2 racer, this Doc wasn’t thrilled by the price and questionable effectiveness of chamois creams he found on the market, so he decided to whip up his own. Doc’s All Natural Chamois Cream lists no artificial or petroleum-based ingredients like so many chamois creams, but instead relies on stuff like Witch Hazel and a strong concentration of Tea Tree Oil to fight grunge, and Aloe and Coconut Oil to prevent chafe and keep your skin happy.

I found Doc’s while looking for a product similar to Dave Zabriskie’s DZnuts, which I like but find too expensive for regular use. Doc’s follows a similar all-natural route, but gives you an 8-ounce jar for about $20, less than half the price of DZnuts and on par with bike shop standbys like Chamois Butt’r. At first glance Doc’s product seemed just a tiny bit thinner in consistency than some lubes, but after months of use I’ve had no problems with saddle sores, even at the height of the summer, so guess I’m a believer.

Yes, I realize there are cheaper alternatives, from Bag Balm to Aquaphor. But I like the natural ingredient idea, particularly on something I use often, and appreciate that Doc’s appears to wash cleanly out of my shorts. A jar has also lasted me quite a while, so my “cost-per-ride” has been pretty cheap.

Currently the product seems to be available at a few Texas bike shops. If you can’t find it, there are plenty to try out at Amazon.

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Categories // Accessories, Review Tags // chamois cream, Review

Challenging Yourself

12.18.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

The emails started flying back and forth Saturday night: “Anyone up for a B ride Sunday?” “Something like 35 miles?”

Several of us were up for it. The forecast called for cool, but not cold, weather, with little wind. By the time I turned in Saturday night, it looked like we had four committed riders. Since the As were doing an off-the-wall hills excursion, we were ready for a trip out to Creedmoor southeast of Austin.

I was the first of the B riders to show up at Starbucks, and was pleased to see that Jordan would be joining us. He just moved back to Austin after several years in Washington, DC. Jordan started the B rides in this club years ago, and gave them the moniker, “Killer Bs.” He was fresh off the Saturday club ride, which tends to be a fast one, and was looking forward to going at a B pace.

Then we got a surprise. Hugo showed up and said he would do the B ride. Hugo is a fast, fast A rider, but is recovering from knee surgery from two weeks ago. He wanted an easy paced ride to work his way back into A ride shape. His wife, Janis, joined us, letting everyone know that she’s slow on hills and we shouldn’t be expecting too much from her.

By the time we were all assembled, we had eight people in the B ride group. That’s high for us. I was excited to roll out of the parking lot onto the roads. Conditions were excellent: overcast, 50 degrees (10C), and not expected to change in the next few hours.

The first six miles are pretty easy. They’re mostly on flat or slightly downhill suburban streets. One exception is Davis Hill, a challenging — but not difficult — climb three miles from the start. Unusual for me, I led the ride all the way to a stoplight six miles into the ride. Jordan pulled up next to me.

“Man, the pace you’re setting is faster than the A ride yesterday,” he said.

“It’s been mostly downhill,” I replied. “I thought the pace was pretty moderate.”

“They spend more time warming up,” he noted.

It didn’t take long before I wasn’t in the lead anymore. Janis roared ahead on a long, gentle incline — and got so far ahead she missed a turn. No problem, since our routes converged a little farther on.

Now we were out in the country, hugging the side of a two-lane road to make way for the heavier-than-usual traffic. At an intersection, barricades partly blocked our way. They declared the road ahead to be closed, except to local traffic. We decided to press on. But Buddy, who had zoomed well ahead of us early in the ride, came back to us to say we would have to carry our bikes across a muddy stretch. We quickly backtracked to the intersection, and turned onto an alternate route.

That route — Bradshaw Road — has a lot more hills than the one we’d planned. Bigger hills, too. Next thing I knew, I was bringing up the rear, watching the others gain ground as they climbed. Janis, the poor climber, led the way.

For the last leg into Creedmoor, we were on the same farm-to-market road I took when I got separated from the group in October. Non-stop rolling hills, but I gained ground on the others. I was happy to see the convenience store where we stopped to regroup.

The store in Creedmoor.

Jordan made sure everyone got some Fig Newtons.

When bikers stop, they talk about bikes. Jerry D. shows Janis and Hugo some of the features of his beautiful steel DeRosa.

Heading back on a different set of roads, I tried to stay at or near the front so riders wouldn’t miss turns. We sailed over country roads, down a newly-repaved hill (smooth as glass, an easy 34 mph) and through a subdivision. Out in the country again, several others jumped ahead and soon put a gap between us and them. I pulled even with Buddy.

“For a B ride,” I said, “they’re really burning up the road.”

Then I took note of the riders at the front. Hugo and Janis, but also New York John, and Jerry D. Heck, all four of them are A riders. No wonder we were moving quickly. I was going between 19-21 on a road I normally cover at 15-17. It was exhilarating to me to catch them at the Interstate highway and take the lead again, once more to guide them through some unfamiliar twists and turns.

The high average speed was taking its toll. Buddy, who led early, was starting to cramp and fell back. Big Steve muscled his way up the remaining big hill, me on his wheel, mashing hard. Jordan seemed to be recovering well from yesterday’s ride, and managed to keep pace with the four As the rest of the way back.

Once we were all at Starbucks, warming up with hot chocolate, talk turned to the ride.

“What a great route!” exclaimed Hugo. “It was just the ride I needed.”

He had ridden the whole way in the small chainring, to keep pressure off his recovering knee.

I felt good. I rode that route at a faster pace than I usually do, and while I fell back a few times, I was with them at the end. It once again was a reminder that riding with faster riders will make you faster. I don’t think I’m ready to rejoin any A rides, but I might be challenging myself more often from here on out.

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Categories // Rides Tags // Rides

Glasses in the Rain

12.15.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 11 Comments

I was really looking forward to the end-of-semester break. My riding has fallen off in recent weeks, and the coming down time would give me the opportunity to rack up some miles on the bike.

My wife and I rode a whopping nine miles yesterday, amid spatters of rain.

Today, I am confined to the house, as waves of showers move north across Central Texas. After our rainless spring and summer, we need the moisture. But it sure interferes with my ride plans.

I’ve indicated before that if I’m out on a ride and get caught in a shower, it’s no big deal — I’ll soldier on home and not make much of it. But if it’s raining and I’m still in the house, I won’t be heading out to do a ride.

And my reason for not wanting to ride in the rain might not be what you expect. It’s not because I’m concerned about falling on wet pavement. I’ve done that before, so I’m extra cautious when I ride out there. It’s because of my glasses.

It doesn’t matter if they’re clear eyeglasses or dark sunglasses, they’re going to get spotted with raindrops. And that makes visibility an issue. I don’t like to be in a situation where I run the risk of hitting something that I couldn’t clearly see, because my glasses are covered with water.

These glasses have enough spotting after a couple of minutes in the rain to limit one's ability to see.

Maybe that’s a stupid reason not to ride. I know plenty of cyclists do go out and brave the rain. So here’s a question for them: How do you keep your glasses clear of water?

I use a method that kind of works: I use my index finger like a windshield wiper, and rub it across the lens a time or two. Sure, it’ll smear the lens a bit, but it also clears off the droplets, and I can see again. The glasses will need attention once the ride is over, but that’s no dig deal — they’d probably get cleaned anyway.

One old trick I’ve heard of is to smear some spit over your lenses. It sounds disgusting, but there apparently is some merit to it. However, I’ve also heard that the spit trick is really to be used when the lenses fog over. Up to now, I’ve only used my finger in those cases, too.

So how about it, veteran riders? What do you do to keep your glasses clear on a rainy day ride?

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Categories // Accessories, Tips Tags // glasses, rain

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