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Archives for November 2014

Avoiding the Mud

11.30.2014 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

A beautiful fall day. It’s hard to imagine that on November 30, the temperature reached 80 degrees (26C). Who wouldn’t go biking in that weather? I sure would.

For the second ride in a row, I took out my mountain bike. Usually, Sundays are reserved for longish rides on the road bike, but it’s been giving me problems in the shifting department lately, and I’ll have to take it to my mechanic. So, the mountain bike it would be.

That raised a new concern — the condition of the trails. We had two solid days of rain a week ago, which was a blessing for our drought-afflicted area. But the ground became saturated, and standing water in the area has just begun to disappear. The best mountain biking trail close by — Slaughter Creek Trail — remains closed because of some muddy spots. I figured I would head to my go-to trail, because odds were better that it would be usable.

My go-to trail is Dick Nichols Park. It’s a good-sized metropolitan park, a little over a mile from home. To get there, I can take some trails through the neighborhood that I discovered during my mountain biking epiphany over the summer. One little loop of about seven-tenths of a mile winds sometimes rocky singletrack through woods. It looked okay, so I set out on it.

It was mostly okay. I hit a patch of deep mud that was only about five feet long, but required some powerful pedaling to keep from bogging down. That clogged the tread of my tires with heavy, wet mud, that got thrown against the bike frame and me as we kept on. But when I hit another dry and rocky stretch, a lot of the mud fell off.

I continued on to Dick Nichols Park, dodging dog walkers along a wide part of the trail that is dedicated to multiple use. In the park, a paved walk winds in a wide circle around the park, and although I have to ride it a ways, I can jump off and take some of the unmarked trails that have popped up there.

One leads north, where it exits the park at a local library. This is a particularly enjoyable path, because it’s got a couple of nice features — an abrupt hill that leads around a small pond. Near the pond, a sign explains its role in the ecology of the area. Our recent rains have been great for the pond. I’ve never seen it as high as it was today.

Along my route is this huge spreading live oak that is dubbed "The Learning Tree," because it can shelter an entire class of school children (Note the tables). The trail heading past the tree was damp, but not muddy.
Along my route is this huge spreading live oak that is dubbed “The Learning Tree,” because it can shelter an entire class of school children (Note the tables). The trail heading past the tree was damp, but not muddy.

The trail along here is hard-packed earth, and it might have been damp, but it wasn’t muddy at all. Back in the park proper, I took some more unmarked trails through the woods, and found that spots in the shade — in almost constant shade — were still a bit muddy. In most cases, I could stay right at the edge of the path and miss the bad stuff.

One thing I’ve discovered about riding a mountain bike: When you’re on a trail, it dares you to go fast. I pushed a little too hard for a little too long, and had to stop for a breather. It takes twice the effort to pedal a mountain bike as a road bike, and on a day like this, maybe even more. For me, an hour and a half on the mountain bike is a great workout. I knew I could count on a good night’s sleep after this jaunt.

The bike got a much-needed bath after I got home. Looking pretty spiffy, now.
The bike got a much-needed bath after I got home. Looking pretty spiffy, now.

I headed home, happy that I was able to get in a couple of good rides over the weekend, and looking forward to the end of the semester at the university — when I’ll once again try to ride every day. That never happens, but I can dream, can’t I?

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Categories // Rides Tags // mountain bike

Gifts for the Cyclist

11.23.2014 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

As an internationally-renowned bike blogger, I get hit up on a regular basis from entrepreneurs who would like to some help publicizing their products. I generally resist such entreaties, because this blog is not in the business of giving free publicity to consumer products (Although I’ve done it before, and will probably do it again).

Anyhow, with the holidays approaching I’ve been besieged with more requests than usual. So I figured, what the heck? Let’s feature some of the more interesting ones that have come my way. Maybe you’ll be interested enough to back these budding billionaires, or maybe just buy their products for Christmas gifts for your cycling buddies.

First — Dappercap! It’s a British-made cycling helmet for the urban cyclist, that aims to bring a touch of style to a much-maligned cycling essential. The helmets will be hand made in Cornwall and tested to European standards.

dappercap

Dappercap will launch with these four colors, but expects to add more.
Dappercap will launch with these four colors, but expects to add more.

Sorry — it’s not available in time for Christmas this year. They expect to introduce it in Europe in April, 2015, and reach the U.S. and Canada in September next year. But if you’d like to support them, their Kickstarter program is open until December 5.

Wearable technology is all the rage now, and a company called 1 Voice hopes to fill a perceived need among workout fiends who can’t be without their music. They’re introducing the 1Voice sports headband. It’s got a built-in Bluetooth receiver, which eliminates the need to hard wire your MP3 player. The headband has built-in earbuds, which the company says will not fall out during a workout.

1 Voice has just introduced the headband to go along with its beanie.
1 Voice has just introduced the headband to go along with its beanie.

If you’re interested, check out 1 Voice’s website.

Ever get frustrated when you signal your turns, but for whatever reason motorists don’t see you? Another Kickstarter program hopes to remedy that situation. It’s another British venture called Wing Lights, and they’re bicycle turn indicators. Attach them to the ends of your handlebars, and when you intend to make a turn, press them with your hand and they’ll start to flash.

3bf0bd8a1695dc2df3615e10c69498ca_large winglights

 

Wing Lights are only available for straight bar bikes. They can’t be fitted to drop bars or cruiser handlebars. For more information, check their Kickstarter page.

Finally, here’s one just for the guys. Because I know we all have this problem, right? It’s a problem unique to guys, because of our…uhh…equipment. A new product called “HappySacs” is supposed to make sure you’re not caught during Public Displays of Adjustment, as the company puts it. It’s very simple — a sack for your sac.

happysac

They claim you won’t have to worry about discomfort and chafing, and won’t have to use chamois creams, either. For info, check their website.

Now that I’ve handled your Christmas shopping needs, we can get back to biking.

 

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // gift ideas

A Reordering of Bike Stuff

11.16.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

The deep freeze that has spread across so much of the country has made its way down to Texas. We’ve had a few nights where the temperatures hovered around freezing, and we’re due for another tonight. Meanwhile, the dayside conditions have been miserable, too — with a persistent mist and a chilly dampness that you can feel right through to your bones.

So I was neither surprised nor upset when my pal Maggie texted me this morning to say she was not riding. That suited me. Although it meant that I would be off the bike for more than a week, I figured I could give it a rest and do something else.

It turned out that something else was bike-related — sort of. We’re redecorating the house a bit, and my wife wanted to give the bedroom some attention. One of the problems I faced was the big basket of clean clothes from the laundry that needed to be put away. Many of them were my biking things. But my “bike” drawer in the dresser is way past being full. So I made that my immediate task.

First, I unloaded the whole drawer onto the bed. Then, I picked through what I had, and started to cull. A couple of old jerseys are being retired, along with an unused cycling cap, some bandanas, some headbands, some socks — you get the idea.

Even with that, I couldn’t fit everything back into the “bike” drawer. The socks and bandanas and arm warmers and such get packed into a large shoebox, and that moved to another drawer. I culled some items from that drawer and added them to the discard pile. When I was done, everything fitted perfectly.

A place for everything, as they say. Jerseys on the left, base layers in the middle, shorts on the right. Arm & leg warmers lower left.
A place for everything, as they say. Jerseys on the left, base layers in the middle, shorts on the right. Arm & leg warmers lower left.

But my bike stuff has now expanded to a second drawer. I suppose that was inevitable — and overdue. I also suppose I should rethink how I store my bike stuff. Maybe a large plastic tub that sits in the closet might be a better way to handle it.

Well, as I said, we’re redecorating. That means what I think our bedroom will look like is going to change a time or three before we actually start shopping for new furniture. So I might have the opportunity to “design in” some storage space just for biking gear. And in the interests of open-mindedness, I’m going to solicit your input: How do you store your jerseys, shorts, jackets, and other biking clothing? Maybe I can add your ideas into the final product.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // clothing

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