Recap

Back in April I did a story on cycling caps.  Walz caps and Pace caps.  At the time, I felt the Pace cap was a better fit for me.  6 months later I am now on my 3 rd Walz cap.  I gave up on cotton and purchased wool.  The wool cap is so much more comfortable, soft and has better wicking.  It is great alone or under a helmet.  I recently received an email notification from Walz. They have had tremendous interest in their caps with ear flaps and have added a few new designs.  Now that the weather is turning colder I thought I might try one.  I bought the plaid one as can be seen in the photos.  At first, I questioned my choice, thought it might be too dorky, and should have gone with safe black.  When I got it I was quite impressed and my wife liked it too.  The ear flaps are formed and have elastic to create a nice comfortable fit.  You do look a bit dorky, but that is the price you pay for comfort and necessity.  You are also able to fold in the flaps and it looks and feels like a regular cap. Today was a perfect day to try out my new Walz cap with ear flaps.  Temps started in the mid 30's and finished at 40 after 30 miles.  The one benefit to the cap I did not realize was, the ear flaps continue around the back.  It places the rear of the cap at your hair line.  This with the elastic keeps everything snug and the back of your neck and ears covered and warm.  A great addition to my cycling clothes. 

KEEP RIDING!!!

Stiff As A Board

I woke up this morning with sore legs and an ache in my back.  It all started on Saturday when I decided to do a club ride on my Fuji Tourer.  Normally not a major problem, but this ride was a bit faster and had more climbs.  There were only 5 of us. I new I was out classed with 2 Titanium, 1 Carbon, 1 Aluminum and me with my 35# Cromoly frame but I was determined to try the ride.  I advised the leader that if things got too tough for me I would jump off.  I had no problem finding my way home.  I did suck wind on some of the climbs and they were kind enough to wait.  On the flats and down hills I was on target.  The ride started off quick and I was curious if all could maintain that pace.  As it turned out 2 of the riders had trouble keeping up towards the second half so I was pretty happy with myself.  This was a 40 mi ride, but since I rode to the start, the ride was 52 miles for me.  The following day on Sunday there was another club ride right by my house.  It was a familiar slower pace and flatter ride so I felt comfortable.  More riders and all with their usual feather light bikes.  There was an old friend I hadn't seen in a while who new me as a recumbent rider only. We laughed as she made fun of my steel bike with fenders and kickstand.  I met some old and new people and had a great time on this 40 mile ride.  Today, Monday, I woke up stiff as a board.  The weather was unusually warm and I decided the best remedy would be a relaxing ride by myself, at my own pace, on my trike.  At first, I had trouble and found myself using lower gears, especially on the hills.  As the ride went on I felt stronger.  I was surprised to finish this 30 miler with my usual average speed.  Not quite as sore anymore either.  I also realized it's easier to go from Recumbent to Diamond Frame, than the other way around.  Great couple of days.
KEEP RIDING!!!

Radical Alfa ICE Side Pods.

This has to be my favorite accessory on my trike.  It holds 25 liters, does not require a rack and weights about 1 lb.  Since I do many utility miles, it is important to always have available space to carry items.  These bags have served me well for the past 4 1/2 yrs.  They are by no means water proof or even resistant but they have held up well and carried more than their share of weight and volume.  I used these bags for my 2 day tour on the Pine Creek Trail.  They also help fill that void behind the seat on a trike.  This makes them well suited as a second pannier for those extended self contained tours.  You just have to make sure you secure your items in water proof bags.  The one major problem is price.  They run from $110-$175 depending where you buy.  This seems to be the norm on most recumbent specific products.  I paid about $100 and was a bit disappointed when I opened the light and flat package, especially compared to my other bags.  Sometimes it's a test of time to see what works best.  For me this was a great decision.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Great Long Sleeve Shirt

I have a few Sporthill Infuzion shirts that I swear by.  Unfortunately, they are a bit expensive and work best in colder weather.  Now that the temps are a moderate 50-60 I needed some less expensive long sleeve wicking shirts.  I found such shirts at Target for around $15.  They are made by Champion using their Duo-Dry fabric.  These shirts have a great true to size fit, are extremely comfortable and can be used alone or as a base layer.  I even got 2 thumbs up from my son on style.  I am obviously no model but these pix give some idea of fit and style. 

Getting In And Out With My Streamer Fairing

I have received a few request on what acrobatics are needed to get on and off my trike with the Streamer Fairing in place. Some times explaining just doesn't do it. So as they say actions speak loader than words. Enjoy the video.
KEEP RIDING!!!

A New Milestone

I just hit 4000 miles for the year. My annual goal is over 3k and this has been an outstanding year so far. I was hoping to hit 5k, but with just 2 1/2 months left I would have to manage 100 miles per week. This is not impossible but with life's obligations and the upcoming season it would be quite difficult. I do expect to finish off with over 4500. In either case this has been one of my best cycling years yet and it's not over.

KEEP RIDING!!!

It's That Time Again

Fall has slowly arrived and that means it's time to install my Screamer Fairing. Having rained for the past few days gave me the perfect opportunity. Temps predicted in the mid to upper 60's did not warrant immediate installation of the fairing, but, the 15 plus mph winds did. It's not that the fairing makes me faster as it does not. It does help cut through the wind therefore making pedaling against it easier. In the freezing temps it does help in keeping my feet warmer, but you still have to dress appropriately. It is like driving your car without heat with the windows closed instead of open. It's still cold but the wind is not biting at you. It is difficult to get on and off the trike and it loses any transportability but for me the benefits far out way any inconvenience. It adds minimal weight, is great eye candy, and most of all allows me to,

KEEP RIDING!!!

Yin and Yang

This weekend I decided to ride my trike on Saturday and due a Club ride with my Fuji on Sunday. Saturday was a beautiful fall day and I managed to get 35 carefree miles in. The repairs I did were spot on and the trike performed flawlessly. Sunday I left my house at 8:30 to make a 9:30 club ride as scheduled at Thomson Park in Jamesburg. I like when rides start from that location as I am only 8.5 miles away and I can ride my bike to and from the rides. As usual I did not call the ride leader to confirm the ride. To my surprise, the park was filled with about 1000 cars and I realized it was Staten Island's Annual Pumpkin Patch Club Ride. I decided to ride around and see if I could find my club, but to my dismay, I could not. I did not want to just ride home so I decided to follow the short route of 25 miles. This is my backyard and I ride this area all the time, but, since I did not pay for this event I would not utilize their rest stops. I miss riding these events with my old cycling buddies so it was fun to reminisce. The weather turned cool and the 2nd half was against the 15-20mph winds. After all was said and done I did 43 miles and had a good time. I will have to find out what happened to the original club ride.
KEEP RIDING!!!