To Thine Own Self Be True

I've been "Jones'n" for a ride. It's bad enough it's Winter and dealing with temps of 20 degrees but 2 feet of snow. The last few days have been agonizing. Fortunately, temps are above freezing and I was able to get 12 miles yesterday and 26 miles today. I had my share of horn honking assholes today and I had to fight for my piece of blacktop but it was so worth it. I do feel better and yes I have been riding my Fuji. There is something to be said for high seating and being able to see over snow mounds. Having single track is a plus when navigating through slush. I also didn't feel like dealing with all that water on my clean new trike drivetrain.
Since riding my Fuji more and my trike less I feel like a man without a country. I can't very well talk about how great it is riding an "upwrong" in a recumbent group so I joined a couple more general cycling groups on FB and to help deal with Winter Woes. One of the groups is specific to NJ and I thought it would be fun to connect locally. There is not much happening and one main contributor likes to tell me how I'm dressed wrong and I should invest in more technical clothing. I don't suspect I'll be hearing from him again. The other group is supposed to be more about the fun part of cycling which I thought was a great find. There are some recumbent riders but it seems most participants are "hammerhead roadies". I don't ride 20 mph for 60 miles, measure my output in watts or power meters, put my bike on my car drive 20 miles to a trail or barrel down a mountain but I respect those that do. I was thinking of starting my own group but I suspect I would be the only one in it. I very much enjoy my FB groups but sometimes social media is just another platform for self righteousness.
That being said I think I'll just ride my bike.

I Can't Believe

I'm saying this, but I am really enjoying my Fuji. I have become quite complaisant doing the same roads with the same trike. Initially I was just looking for a change but, I have now taken this bike out 4 of the past 7 days.  I took the bike on a couple of very cold days because I knew they would be short rides. The one 38 mile ride I did back in December left me quite sore and I know it will take some time to re-acclimate. Today's ride was around town for errands and then for pleasure finishing with an easy 28. In spite of no padded shorts my butt is fine and I only have a minor neck ache. My speed is 1-2 mph faster than the trike. I very much enjoy having only 1 wheel track as apposed to 3. Although it is a bit heavy by today's standards it is much lighter than my trike and a benefit when climbing. I have been looking at Montague's full size folding bikes and was most interested in mixing things up with their Mt bike but after trying one I find I am better suited with a Hybrid. I have no idea where this is going but for now I'm enjoying the ride. Who knows I might even use this bike for my birthday ride.

Today's 28 miler

Christmas Eve Day 38 miler only 66 degrees

Update: The next day I pedaled 36 miles with padded underwear and my butt is sore!!!
              I need a new seat or less miles.

End of Year Thoughts

Another fantastic riding year, 6,560 miles, WOW!  I wasn't sure I was going to break 6k but retiring early helped. More time means I don't feel the need to get long rides in when I can. I suspect the new year will bring more days to pedal but less daily averages. I've cleaned house and only have 2 bikes of which my ICE T gets 99.9% of my time. It is my forever bike and if something should happen, it will be replaced.  There are times when the trike doesn't work and I am looking into getting a non-recumbent Mt or Hybrid bike. The new bike will have to fold for easy storage when we travel. I don't want it hanging off the back or on top of my car. For that reason I am looking at Montague folding bikes. They are full size and ride like real bikes. I am looking forward to changing things up by doing some light trail riding and my new bike should be just the ticket. My passion for cycling is still strong but I sometimes push myself more for health than for fun. As much as I enjoy using my bike for errands those areas are highly congested and as I age, I become more fearful. I understand more now why people only ride trails. I still prefer road riding and the ability to ride loops over out and back on trails. My plan is to still ride my age in the upcoming weeks and my mileage to be more than respectable for the year. I'm not sure what tours lie ahead, might even try a bikepacking trip in the woods. I will probably do GOBA as it's always easy, fun and economical. I'm hoping to spice things up just not sure how exactly. For now I'll just keep pedaling and look forward to what 2016 brings.

2015 SATS

Year                   2015      2014      2013     2012     2011      2010      2009      2008     

Total miles          6560      6305      6900    6169      4714      5354      3185     2861 

Total rides            199        181       220       199        159       183        126        108       
Average speed      10         9.5      10.4        11          11          10          11          11      
Av.miles per ride    33         35        31         31          30           30          25          27         
Bkjournal standing  205      275      254      460         829        655       1643     1968     
Bentrider standing     7          9        10        13           24          17           49          76        

Mileage Breakdown                  

ICE T                      6123

Catrike                     394
Fuji                             43

Technical Difficulties

Sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone. Such was the case yesterday when I decided to adjust a tic in my rear derailer. Well 4 hours later after changing out my whole drive train a number of times, I finally gave up after making things worse. My trike is now unrideable and I will have to take it to my LBS for his expertise. Being Christmas Holiday it will have to wait a couple of days.
The weather has been unusually warm, yesterday high 72 and today, Christmas 66. Although quite cloudy there was no forecast of rain until late and winds were under 5 mph. Since I don't celebrate Christmas and my wife was working I was not going to let this balmy December day go without a good ride.  Shorts and a light long sleeve shirt was all that was needed. I aired up the tires on my Fuji, lubed the chain, attached my Tailrider bag with an extra tube and pump and off I went.
I wasn't sure how many miles I would or could do but 25 was to be my minimum. It was light traffic due to the holiday and I was moving along pretty good. I made a few stops to rest my butt, take pics and post to FB. After all was said and done it was 38 pleasant miles.

Quick stop at atm

18 mile rest stop

Helmet hair!

Update, After an hour at LBS it was determined the rear cable housing was bad. Closer examination showed it was worn through and cracked, compressing the cable. All is good again.

Minor Alterations

Many trike and recumbent riders detest chain tubes and opt to replace them with idlers. They say not only are they noisy but increase drag on the chain. Manufactures put chain tubes on to manage the 2 1/2 lengths of unruly chain. To be honest for the last 10 years they never bothered me on my ICE T. So why with my increased age related hearing loss do they bother me now, I don't know. I decided to remove the top front tube on the power side. There was an immediate quiet and a smoother pedal stroke. I didn't want to think this was mind over matter so I decided to ride a few weeks to verify the benefit. After all I had no problem with them for 10 years. I was also concerned about getting grease on my pants but that seemed to be a non issue. With the noticeable difference with just the top tube gone I decided to cut and remove the front lower return tube.  The rear 2 tubes will have to stay as they keep the chain from hitting the frame. After a couple of days of rain I was finally able to get out for a test ride.  Today's ride was cold, mid 30's and windy. I had to darn all my Winter gear. After only 22 miles I was ready to get back to my warm home.

Homemade trike stand for maintenance

New cassette and chain

Very cold!

Sunny and beautiful but cold!

Front tubes gone

Rear tubes remain

The verdict, I like it!

Into The Wind

November was record breaking weather and it appears December is too. The past few days you could ride with shorts, t-shirt and sandals(my favorite outfit). I rode 13 consecutive days and enjoyed them all. With so many days of riding I was not enthusiastic about getting out on this very windy day. With sustained 20 mph winds and forecasters predicting gusts up to 35 I took serious thought in leaving my bike in the garage. What helped motivate me was the bright sunshine and promise of 60 degree temps. I decided on 20 miles as no matter how bad, it is easily doable for me. There is no battling wind, just gear down and take your time. The nice thing about riding a trike is you don't have to worry about falling over.  In addition, I was riding slow enough to post to my FB buddies and share the ride. It was with their encouragement and company that made today's ride very enjoyable.

Windy

Look what I found

1/2 way

Very Windy!!!

Need more of these

The End.