TABR training notes
I mentally committed to riding TABR 2021 at the end of January 2020, and started training in earnest in March. I didn’t know what I was doing at first—I was still figuring out structured training, but...
View ArticleBike gear capsule reviews
I bought a lot of bike stuff preparatory to riding the TABR. Here are my comments on some of it. Parts Redshift Shockstop seatpost I’ve got mine set fairly firm. I rarely notice any bobbing except on...
View ArticleMueller-Lexington-Mueller 200K
I’ve been vaguely interested in randonneuring for a long time—after I completed my first Austin-Houston ride, I met a guy who was into it, who suggested I ought to check it out. More recently, I...
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Wildcard Bicycle Novelties
Something reminded me of a website I visited years ago, Campy Only, where Campagnolo aficionados would congregate to rejoice in their shared disdain of Shimano. I always thought this was silly, and...
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Experiments mounting a phone to clip-on bars
I’ve been playing around with the best way to mount my phone and headlight on the aerobars of my distance bike. This is a weird setup: most cyclists use bike computers that are considerably smaller...
View ArticlePace Bend Ultra 2022
On February 5–6, I competed in the Pace Bend Ultra. There were a number of divisions: 6-hour, 12-hour, 24-hour, solo and teams, men, women, and mixed (for teams). The idea is you ride around a loop as...
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Accessory mounting plates for aerobars
Updated–see end of post I’ve written before about different options for mounting gadgets on aerobars. None of them really address the needs of bikepacking cyclists, who may want to have two sets of...
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Packed and ready
Take to the Sky, ready to go Apart from a handful of small items I’ll need between now and tomorrow morning, my bike is ready for the Trans Am Bike Race. My self, that’s another matter.
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Ride report: Ontario, OR
I got off to a reasonably early start after sleeping like the dead. The weather was cloudy and cool, which was a nice change from the day before. The first part of the day was riding along a dam...
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Dynamo hubs, USB converters, power banks, and phones
My bike has a SONdelux dynamo hub and I recommend it to anyone interested in distance riding, especially when self-sufficiency is important. I also ride with a power bank, and use my iPhone in lieu of...
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Southern Tier infographic
I have prepared an infographic (PDF) to illustrate some of the information about my Southern Tier tour.
View ArticleThoughts on an iPhone app for bike touring
I’ve played around with a number of iPhone apps for cyclists. None of the ones I’ve looked at are really optimized for bike touring—instead, they’re mostly oriented towards fitness cycling, which has...
View ArticleBike-share systems and the poor
This morning there was a story on NPR about bike sharing, specifically how it doesn’t do a good job of serving the poor. There are basically three reasons for this: The bike stations are not located in...
View ArticleFour years
Four years ago today, I was smack in the middle an adventure: a transcontinental bike ride. When I finished that ride, my body was wasted: I had lost at least 15 pounds. You could see my ribs through...
View Article900 miles
At the end of July, I had a routine doctor’s visit. Got on the scale. Clocked in at 170 lb. I hadn’t weighed that much since 1991. So I got back on my bike. I still remember when I was six years old...
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Gears
figure {padding-left:0; padding right:0; margin-left:0;margin-right:0; border: none;} img {padding-left:0; padding right:0; margin-left:0;margin-right:0; border: none;} SRAM just introduced a new...
View ArticleDiving into structured training
I started getting interested in bikes when I was 13. My interest has waxed and waned over the years, but never really went away. I’ve thought of myself as a cyclist since I got my first pair of cleats...
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Bad rides
© OpenStreetMap contributors Ride Time: 4:53:17 Stopped Time: 27:16 Distance: 75.08 miles Average: 15.36 mph I went for a ride yesterday that I can only describe as a bad ride. It was cold and rainy....
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Take to the Sky
This is my new bike. The setup Frame Kinesis RTD. This is a 55.5 cm frame, bigger than the 54 cm I would usually ride, which I chose at the suggestion of a fitter, who was concerned I wouldn’t be able...
View ArticleReasonably priced bike gear
Cycling is expensive. Any activity that requires equipment is going to involve some expense, and cycling’s equipment requirements are fractal in nature. You don’t just get a bike, you get clothing. You...
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