Seven-Day Challenges

I did much soul-searching last fall fall, realizing that the greatest impediment to my riding was the challenge of getting out the bike, in particular on a day when it looked unpleasant outside.  I've been pleased to find that something as trivial as a <2-mile daily commute (each way, to be fair!) has made tying on the cycling shoes, putting on the helmet, rolling up the pant-leg, and getting outside something near to second nature.  No claim to high mileage in the last three months of 2014, but I am certain it is my densest period of cycling in terms of rides taken -- in probably 37 years of riding bike.

Lesson from 2014:  daily riding is good.  Not riding because "it's not far enough to be worth the trouble" is counterproductive.

We're not ones to set high bars here at HBC.  Riding to beat people and to prove something is both annoying and stressful.  But one wonders if there is not a way to achieve a mutually supportive goal-setting project.  I propose a series of seven-day challenges.

Challenge 1:  ride each day, outdoors, for seven consecutive days, sometime in the month of January.  "Ride"=30 minutes out on your bike.  If you are commuting through town, that may be 5-6 miles.  If you are out for a Saturday morning hard ride, that may be 11 miles.  Of course, you can go longer, but you cannot take the day off and make up for it on day 2 (or vice-versa).  The goal is not to ride hooka miles or to climb thousands of feet or to win seven races; the goal is to ride your bike for seven days, including those days when you just don't feel like riding.

Report in the comments on your challenge.  Did you make it?  Did you learn anything from it?  Are you interested in the February challenge?  Any ideas for the February challenge?

Future months' challenges: February, March, on to December will, needless to say, build on this January challenge.  Maybe February ramps the time per day to one hour.  By June I hope we can shoot for something like seven x 50 miles -- but we will see when we get there.

HBC Rides, final week of 2014

Sam made it to the right coast with A__ for the winter holiday.  We had good -- but crisp! -- weather, and the region is light on traffic from Christmas through to the New Year.  What to do?

Our primary project, I am sorry to report, is this:

What used to be the kitchen wall.

Being a homeowner sure does cut into one's riding!  But we do have time for a total of ~90 miles showing Sam some of the hidden, and not so hidden, gems, as well as a tad of the not-even-so-precious roads and trails in the area around DC.

There is more play in the seatpost on the Focus, so we raise the saddle and switch the pedals and Sam rides the new bike:

No accounting for the photography, of course.

He isn't a fan of the fit, but from a casual glance I would say a 60cm Focus Cayo Evo is about dead-on for Sam.

Ride 1:  Beach/Tuckerman/Glen/River/Persimmon/MacArthur Loop.  36 miles, 2:07

This one is one of my favorites for a quick two hours.  I rode it with A__ some years back when she was in town for work and it is my go-to when I need a quick fix that is more interesting than Beach Drive.  This loop offers it all -- flats, hills, winding roads, semi-urban 'scapes and posh wealth -- and manages to do all of that in 35 miles.

On the 28th it is superlative weather at between 55 and 60 degrees, partly overcast and partly sunny, and imperceptible wind.

We ride out Beach Drive across the Maryland line, where it becomes pancake flat at the base of what I call Temple Mount.  (The Washington LDS Temple sits near the top.)  That out-and-back you see on the map is where we ride to the end of Beach Drive before heading back for the second leg across Bethesda-Rockville.  The road on Beach Drive is too nice to skip those last miles before continuing.

The rollers pick up a tad after we leave Beach Drive and stay with us until we are through Potomac:

The end of the upward-trending flat section is where we leave Beach Drive.

We then follow Tuckerman Road from Rockville Pike to Falls Road.  The first short stretch to Old Georgetown is modestly unpleasant with no shoulder, but after that it opens up and is perfect suburban riding.  At Falls Road we join Glen for a few miles before heading back on South Glen -- that junction comes at the far western portion of the map -- and pick up River Road at Norton.  Glen to South Glen to Norton is the DC region's version of Hollywood Hills.  This is the upscale section of already posh Potomac, Maryland.

River takes us through the small downtown of Potomac, Maryland, which is really a junction with competing outdoor shopping malls, and up to Persimmon Tree.  Maybe my favorite road within easy reach of my backdoor, Persimmon Tree descends 250 feet from Potomac to MacArthur Blvd. on the edge of the Potomac River.  It winds through large properties with pretty -- but no longer obnoxious -- homes.  Traffic is light.

And the final stretch follows MacArthur southeast through Glen Echo, Maryland and into the Palisades neighborhood in DC.  One final climb up Arizona to Nebraska before following Nebraska into increasingly urban environments -- the American University campus, Tenleytown -- and returning home.  Stats for this ride:

Ignore the temp:  I carried the Garmin in my front pocket!

Ride 2:  Rock Creek to Capital Crescent Loop:  25 miles, 1:37

This ride might be described as interesting, convenient, and in parts fun, but not cycling in the sense that we tend to think of it here at HBC.  It is a cold day with temperatures at about 40 and winds approaching the double-digits in speed.

Just to make it interesting we enter Rock Creek Park via the Grant Road climb, which ascends for 1/2 mile at between 7 and 10% in grade.  Right on Ridge and again -- in the interest of not missing a marvelous road -- left on Ross to the junction with Beach Drive and Military Road.  After that winding the loop begins at Beach Drive heading south and then onto the Rock Creek bike trail at Tilden.

Beach Drive on a day very like ours.

The trail from Tilden to K Street is at best unpleasant and -- at some points -- only marginally ridable.   When the running/walking/tourist traffic is heavy it is downright miserable.  For our ride we have the trail mostly to ourselves and we manage the puddles, frost-heaves, and broken tarmac without a hitch.  We leave the trail to follow Water Street along the Potomac at the base of Georgetown and picked up the Capital Crescent by the boat house at the end of the street.

Rock Creek bike trail from bikewashington.org.  Solid red is the actual trail.

 In contrast with the Rock Creek trail, the Capital Crescent is smooth and pleasant riding.  The traffic is still light, but not nonexistent, and we are pushing into the north wind as we slowly climb from Georgetown into Bethesda, cross the towpath and Canal Road at the footbridge, and then climb in slightly more earnest (maybe approaching 4% in parts) until a tunnel not far south of Mass. Ave.

Capital Crescent from bikewashington.org.  Dotted line denoted very ridable but unpaved.

Just north of here we encountered old family friends N__ and J__ out for a walk, so we stopped for a brief chat and then continued on.  In Bethesda the Capital Crescent turns to dirt for the few miles until Jones Mill Road, but it is a well-groomed dirt trail that our 28mm tires handle without difficulty.

Although it is usual to join the road at Jones Mill, this has been a bike-trail loop so we follow it further across East-West Highway and back to Beach Drive at the DC line.  The chill is coming on fast as the sun goes down and we hurry over the short rise at Wise Road and back downhill to Bingham Drive and Nebraska Avenue to return home.  The sun is setting and Nebraska heads straight west, rendering forward visibility nonexistent on the first climb on Nebraska; fortunately we can ride in the parking lane while cars drive by blind several feet to our left.

Stats on the tourist's loop of Bethesda and DC here:

Ride 3:  Sugarloaf from Poolesville:  26 miles, 1:43

For the final ride of 2014 we park in the public lot in Poolesville Maryland on a 28 degree morning with a beautiful blue sky. The plan is a Sugarloaf loop that can be finished in time to grab a bite before taking Sam to the airport.  This is winter riding:  we are dressed in layers top and bottom with full insulated gloves, wool socks, and warm hats.

Sam on Hwy. 109, fully kitted for winter.

From Poolesville we head west on White's Ferry Road, turning north toward Sugarloaf on Martinsburg Road. Martinsburg is a lovely quiet stretch with few cars.  This short video is from that stretch:

Martinsburg joins Hwy. 28 not far past the power plant at Dickerson and we follow that much busier road past the little market and under the Marc Train tracks before turning right on Mt. Ephraim road.  Mt. Ephraim is another of my favorite roads in the region.  The pavement is good, it boasts rolling hills and light traffic, and the views of farms and up toward Sugarloaf Mountain are lovely.  I frequently envision driving to Sugarloaf for a tempo workout on Mt. Ephraim -- a perfect road for 15' hard rides back and forth with a finale of repeats on the Sugarloaf climb.

The Sugarloaf Climb

Sugarloaf ascends maybe 500 feet over 1.5-2 miles, a relaxed 5-6% average grade but one of the few longer climbs this close to DC.  We reach the parking area up top and descend quickly, though we are hampered by the low winter sun's limiting visibility on the technical turns.  We leave through the opposite side of the Sugarloaf parking lot, east toward the tiny town of Comus where we turn back south on Highway 109.

109 is a beautiful road through farmland with a series of mid-sized rolling hills, up and down past tiny river valleys, before crossing Highway 28 and returning us to Poolesville and the car.  We load up and return to DC in ample time to get Sam to the airport.

Stats on the final ride of 2014 here:

Ignore the temperature reading -- the unit was in my pocket!

Review: Motobecane Boris

Oregon probably isn't traditional fatbike territory, at least not the Portland area where we have neither snow nor sand. But tradition gives way to necessity when building a stable. After all, Catniss didn't traditionally have exploding arrows, but they sure came in handy once she had them! Likewise, with a fatbike in one's stable, every ride becomes an opportunity to use it.

I picked up the Motobecane Boris during one of BikesDirect's sales, which is to say their everyday price. As is the trend with BikesDirect, they stick a single mid-range component on the bike (in this case the SRAM X9 rear derailleur), and then compare it pricewise to bikes that have the full X9 gruppo (compare to bikes costing $2400!). But once you understand that ruse, and accept it as merely a charming fib rather than maliciously deceptive, the $800 price of the Boris is very reasonable. To my eyes, the components appear nearly identical to the KHS 4 Season 3000 which retails for $1800. The frame, too, is a dead ringer. Perhaps we have a third-shift special? Seriously, these bikes are virtually twins.

My Boris arrived in fine shape. UPS is no match for a bike protected with 4 inch tires.

I've put together enough partially assembled bikes that it took only about 10 minutes to have a mostly functional ride. I'll admit to always being frustrated by handlebars. Either the bikesdirect builders employ the world's weirdest cable routing, or they twist the handlebars oddly when attaching them to the tubes for shipping. The end result is this:

The routing works fine, but is awkward. Cables that should go around the headtube go instead behind it. Weird, but serviceable. I'll re-route when I get some free time. The end result looks like a fat-bike:

The first thing I noticed.. This thing is heavy. Bikesdirect glosses over this fact:

How much does a fat bike weigh? These bikes are big and Big FUN. Big weighs more. Most average fat bikes weigh between about 30 and 40 pounds. How much do these fat bikes weigh? Compare specs, aluminum fat bikes with similar parts will weigh the about the same.

37.25 pounds is between 30 and 40 pounds, but realistically a quality fatbike will weigh between 25 and 30 pounds. 37.25 is a substantial premium. The > 8 pound front wheel is part of the problem.

The components are fine, but budget. The Avid BB7 discs are no match for a modern hydraulic brake. Locking the wheels with light pressure from a single finger is not an option, and modulation is coarse at best. The Front Derailleur (Sram X7) and crankset (Sram X5) suit the bike.

The Ride

If Max' Cannondale is the Mclaren above, then the Boris is my F-350. After breaking my Trek's (brand new) rear derailleur on a log, I took the Boris out for the same 6 mile cross-country loop that I usually ride on the Trek.

At the trailhead I had my first surprise; we tend to steer a bike by instinct.. Just lean and nudge the bars and the bike turns. Turning the Boris, at first at least, is a much more intentional action. Rather than counter-steering, I found myself steering in the direction I wanted to turn. I've never driven a cruise-ship, but I imagine it feels something like the Motobecane Boris. Over the course of my ride I got used to the bike's handling and steering became more natural.

Climbing was also an interesting experience. At 37 pounds the Boris outweighs my Trek by... a lot. 10 pounds maybe? On the other hand, without the rear suspension you lose a lot less energy to useless up-and-down movement. Again the first few hundred yards took getting used to, as with the low tire pressure (about 7 psi) the bike bobbed in time with my pedaling. But again I quickly learned to work around that, and climbing on the Boris seemed about as quick as my Trek. With the tires at urban riding pressures (20psi or so) it would probably climb better than a full suspension rig.

Descending highlighted the Boris' biggest component shortcoming (though admittedly not for the target market). While the quick release seat is handy, it is no match for the dropper seatpost that I've become spoiled by. In rolling terrain with the seat high enough for comfortable pedaling, descending was a treacherous experience, with every feature threatening to chuck me over the bars. When I did finally stop to drop the seat, descending was actually a blast. With a bit more practice, I suspect it will be every bit as fast downhill as is my Trek (at least under my inexperienced guidance). I'm not sure if I'll put on a dropper post, but if I do the 31.6mm seat-tube should allow a generous 6-inch drop.

The real pleasure was climbing on low-traction terrain. A couple notable climbs where I tend to slip out on my Trek, even with mud-tires, were easily conquered with the Boris' 4-inch low-pressure tires. I haven't tried snow yet, but with the right tires it should be a great snow bike.

What Next

We here at the Huffman Bicycle Club are seldom happy unless we're tweaking our rides. But with the Boris I'm not so sure. It's a cheap bike, and if I spend money on upgrades it'll be a cheap bike with a few expensive bits and pieces. For now, while I'm considering upgrading the tires (the stock Vee Mission tires are much derided by those in the know), I'll probably hold off on more expensive upgrades like rims and components.

It's not hard to spend 4 figures trying to shave a pound or two off a road bike. Were I to try, I have no doubt the same money could take 8 pounds off the Boris. But if I decide that I like fat-biking, I would probably come out well ahead by selling the Boris on Craigslist, and picking up a better brand with better components. You know, like the Salsa Beargrease, which allegedly comes in at about 24 pounds... Yowza.

I'm planning a couple trips to snow country, and will try to bring the Boris with to give its intended usage model a try.

Conclusion

For $800 the Boris is a buy. It's cheap and, while a hardtail is just a full suspension ride that bounces less, a fat-bike is a genuinely different experience. I anticipate the Boris getting weekly use in the future.

Badass or Herbivore?

I've blogged recently about what a hard guy I am riding in winter weather.  At the same time, my bike is taking a beating.  Returning to the Indy airport after 10 days away, bike locked up under a roof but in the open air, I was shocked -- appalled! -- at the grinding, squeaking, and shrieking from the drive-train.  It turns out 10 days well below freezing wreaks havoc on Shimano 105.

Working some long hours, so I haven't made it to the bike shop during open hours.  Water on the chain alleviates the symptoms for long enough to get home, but needless to say, that is not a long-sighted strategy.

Time to ride home after a long day.  What to do?  In the under-desk fridge I found . . . Newman's Own Balsamic Vinagrette.

Fortunately about Newman's Own:
1.  No weird ingredients. Oil, vinegar, and spices.
2.  Oil rises to the top.
3.  Less expensive than real chain lube!

The chain hummed like a country ballad all the way home.  And it smells phenomenal!

So, vote:  badass or herbivore?  (Poll on the right.)

Reviewed: Proviz Reflect 360 Jacket

I think we can all agree that the ideal jacket for night-riding would be about this bright:

But the dose of radiation required is a little more commitment than most of us have. After reading a few (quite a few...) very positive reviews of the ProViz Reflect 360 jacket, I decided maybe it's a close second. Amazon's selling them for a tad over $100, so I figured it was worth trying out.

Reflective enough?

Whereas most jackets use a few stripes of reflective material on a Gore-Tex base, ProViz doesn't bother with the Gore-Tex. They just do the reflective stuff. I imagine their R&D department skipped right over light reflection, straight to ludicrous reflection:

It's really hard to explain how remarkable this is. In broad daylight in my house with the jacket hung over a chair it still shimmered as it caught the occasional angle of light.

I've got a couple other biking jackets; an old Performance Gore-Tex jacket, and a recent Showers Pass of some type; one of their expensive ones, though we're talking about Showers Pass, so that hardly narrows it down. So of course a reflect-off was in order.

I lined all three up and put on a headlamp. Granted it's not exactly a car headlight, but it's nearly as bright, and I think it's close enough for this admittedly unscientific test. I jiggered with the camera settings until the picture matched approximately what I saw with the naked eye.

Direct light; Proviz Reflect360, Performance, Showers Pass

Here I was standing about 20 feet away with my headlamp pointed directly at the jackets. The Proviz is a solid mass of whiteness. The Performance jacket does reasonably well due to its yellow color. The Showers Pass jacket is visible only thanks to its reflective stripe. Again, this reflects (haha) pretty much what I saw.

Same vantage point, but with my headlamp pointing toward the ground in front of the jackets. Here the Performance jacket is nearly invisible. You can make out a faint glimmer of the Showers Pass jacket's reflective stripe. But the Reflect360 is still very reflective.

Having shown the futility of comparing the Reflect360 with my other jackets, for this test I walked about 100 feet away. The picture above is with direct light on the jacket

And this is with the light pointed way off to the left. The Reflect360 jacket is still very visible.

I had very little doubt that this jacket is less waterproof than a Gore-Tex jacket. But to be honest, wearing Gore-Tex on a wet Pacific Northwest day I still get soaked. So I'm not sure that's a big problem. The material feels a tiny bit stiff, but the jacket is brand new. I'm sure that it will soften as it breaks in. It's got sealed zippers, three exterior pockets (two chest pockets, and the usual back pocket), and an interior velcro pocket. Most cycling jackets give you only one or two pockets. I was pleased to have plenty of places to stash my keys, wallet, and cell phone.

The fit is "normal US" fit, as opposed to the euro-fit that most bike apparel companies adhere to. So an XL is a little big on me, but with a couple layers underneath it's about perfect.

I gave the jacket a trial run, with a 2-hour mountain bike ride in a downpour. It was sufficiently wet that my Gore-Tex gloves ended with the fingers full of water. And sure enough, the Reflect360 got soaked as well. My riding companion commented that the wet jacket was less reflective than when it was dry, but even at the end of the ride it was still reflecting significant light.

Granted I've had it for only a week; who knows if this jacket will have the longevity of a Showers Pass. But it needn't last very long to warrant the purchase.

Collection of Rides

There's a poster that used to adorn 1/3 walls in the Cornell dorms, which must be ubiquitous across rich-kid colleges.

Could you be more obnoxious?

Apart from the obvious falsity -- what about education makes such an ostentatious display of wealth either possible or desirable? -- the poster is proof of every American male's desire to possess a diverse and beautiful array of rides.

There's a limit to what we can acquire when it is cars. I had to dump the WRX to buy a cheapo German toy last December.  Even if I could afford to keep both, I could not afford the necessary storage.

What presents the best alternative?

What to Collect?

Part of the collection!

Bicycles.

Even a penny-pinching academic like myself can find a way to locate a bike for each car in the higher education poster.  Even with our modest 1500' sq. we can store them all.  Even with a third-rate training ethic I can ride them -- and regularly.

Here's my list.  You probably have your own.

The Audi S4

I'm a big fan of Audi's everyman's sports car, a wicked fast jobbie that still has four doors and room for groceries, luggage, or the dog.  This is what you drive if you want to get somewhere fast -- but you want to look sort of normal doing it.

Family sedan?  That's my kind of family.

The bicycle analog?  You need carbon, to be sure; probably electronic shifting; I'd say deep-dish wheels and maybe a bling paint job.  How's this?

The Focus.  Pretty, no.  Fast and fun, yes.

The XKE

For a Saturday afternoon cruise on a sea-side highway, it is difficult to imagine something you'd rather have available than this car.

XKE Roadster.

Not the fastest car on the highway.  Doesn't handle the best.  Nonetheless a marvelous vehicle to drive.

Enter my analog:  the Gunnar Roadie.

Gunnar Roadie.  The choice for a Saturday afternoon ride.

I once had my ears assaulted by a supposedly knowledgeable sort who explained that steel bikes must suck because even Walmart sold aluminum and carbon bikes.  The alternative view, of course, is that one of those represents a Honda Civic and the nice steel number an XKE.  I'll take the Jaguar.

The SUV

No matter how much I prefer the driving experience with a low slung compact car, sometimes one just needs bigger tires, better ground clearance, and the ability to carry a load.

Wikipedia for "SUV."

Nice for traveling and, we all tell ourselves when buying it, filling up with a load and hitting the road.

Mine:

Ritchey Breakaway at the literal end of the road.

The Ritchey Breakaway goes places and has the capacity to wear racks and panniers.  I hope for at least one self-supported multi-day ride next summer.  This will be the bike of choice.

The ZR-1

We all want 500 hp and a 200 mph top speed.  But not all of us can afford the latest version.

1990s ZR-1.

Corvette's 1990s offerings get pretty close.  And they present a fine analogy to a cheap-skate's tri bike.

Not a Ferrari, but with the right driver it may still come out ahead.

For those dozen or so times a year when you want to ride fast and don't care how much you actually enjoy it, the Cervelo P2 serves as well as any other.

The 128i

I decided last year that as little as I drive a car, I may as well enjoy it when I do, so I bought this little number at an end-of-the-model clearance sale.

As economical as Germany gets.

It's pretty without being lovely; high-performing without being exceptional; fun without being unwise.  Even, dare I say, practical -- if the kind of use I envision is a trip to Costco and the occasional bike-in-the-trunk en route to a race.  A fine car for everyday use.

The daily driver.

The Neuvation is my cycling "daily driver."  It's perfect for sprints out of stoplights and fun for an afternoon on a quiet road or trail.  At the price-point, no need to stress about leaving it parked while I'm out of town.  But I always look forward to riding it when I get back.

The Golf Cart

This powered four-wheel vehicle is great for getting around town.  Not designed for going very far, but admit it -- it would be an adventure if you tried.

Yes, if you have to ask, I do want one.

A good fixie or single speed is about the right alternative.  This one is still to be built.

Gitane. Even sounds like "golf cart."

Maybe I'll include a shelf for clubs.

The Unimog

One day the zombies will, indeed, attack.  We know it is coming.  And when it does we need to get out of town.  Enter the Unimog:

Want . . .  Need!

Bussing it home from the airport after a snow-storm, bike racked on the front of the bus, I realized Sam was right, and I needed one of these.

One -- kind of like this -- coming in the mail.

I'll use winter riding to get used to it, knowing full well it will become essential when the apocalypse descends.  Almost looking forward to it.

Summary

I once thought of myself as a car guy, but the most profligate I ever got meant two cars titled in my name at one time.  I'm now down to one and it spends most of its time sitting in a parking lot in Indianapolis.  Having shown such restraint, one understands why I might feel privileged, even obligated, to keep a good collection of bicycles instead. 

Marathon Plus

Pretty awesome new shoes from Schwalbe.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus in 25 mm.

A few notes:

1.  Hard to mount, although they are the first wire-bead tires I've mounted in -- literally -- years if not a decade, so maybe this is par for the course and I had forgotten.  I had to fight to seat both beads in one place, wrap that with a Velcro strap, and move around the wheel adding straps until enough was seated that the beads would not pop out unexpectedly.

2.  They look awesome.

3.  They do next to nothing on packed, grooved, ice.

4.  There is something just a tad off about 25 mm. semi-all-terrain tires.  28s are a tight squeeze on this bike in the best of circumstances and I was concerned that 28s with tread would not fit.