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Change of life, change of gearing

10/17/2012

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This year I turned 45 and I am really ok with it.  I feel great but for the odd ache or pain.  I have most of my hair, even if most of the color has gone.  In fact, I still feel like I'm 18 except for when the Universe chooses to remind I'm not.  I had one such reminder last week.  
I had jumped onto one of the Friday A.M. townie rides affectionately called "The Coffee Run" because it ends at Starbucks.  The ride consists of 8-10 greying gentlemen pushing road bikes at 19MPH for 30 miles over an ever-changing road selection while mock-taunting each other about creaky knees.  
On this particular day the Coffee Run meandered to the base of Jericho Mountain and the beginning of a climb known amongst this group as "The Bitch".  The Bitch is a steep climb that increases in grade throughout the length until, at the end, it stands straight up to test not only endurance but even wheel grip. 
To be fair, it isn't epicly long, but it's enough to take this rider to his max heart rate and endurance by 3/4 of the way up. The thing is, I secretly loved The Bitch and in many seasons I made it part of my regular route.  Climbing was traditionally the best part of my riding resume.
Now, I hadn't topped The Bitch in a few weeks, but that was no worry.  I was fully prepared to scamper this climb with the biggest dogs of the group, if not lead it out.  Up we went.  Everything started fine.  Legs pumping, heart rate climbing.  I was out of the saddle earlier than I wanted, but that was to be expected.  I wasn't leading, but I was in the hunt.  Up.  OK, max heart rate a little early.  Leg burn setting in.  Steeper now.  A few guys inch past.  "C'mon, push" I hear myself thinking.  Grab another gear.  No more gears to grab?  Uh-oh.  Full-tilt plus, and now the steepest part ahead.  With tongue out, gasping, heart thumping and legs on fire I topped the hill and held my own, but I was pretty wasted for the rest of the ride.
It got me thinking.  Maybe it's time to make some age concessions.  I still ride a non-compact crank with a 12-23 corn cob cassette.  There are more useable configurations for casual cyclists in hilly areas, but it's what I have always ridden and I like the tight gear ratio choices.  That, or maybe I just wanted to impress the chicks.  Either way, I am not getting better as it relates to cycling, I am getting older, slower and wiser. 
Today I ordered my 12-27 cassette.  It's a full 8% increase in ratio over my 23.  With Merckx as my witness, I even peeked at compact crank setups.  I'm not quite there yet, but soon.  Very soon.
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Adventure Racing - The Chilli Tri

8/8/2012

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So, I signed up for an adventure tri (mountain bike, kayak, trail run) in the early fall.  See, it's easy enough for me to skip exercise without immediate measurable consequence, but I will not allow myself to be brutally outperformed in a race while Citizens watch.  Knowing this about myself - that I am competitive when people watch - I plan to use this shallow charater flaw to my benefit.  The fate is cast: there will be a race this fall and I will be there when the gun sounds.  Therefore, I need to train, practice and exercise or fail miserably in front of the entire Community, Nation and Universe. 

There is no hiding on this one.  I either do the work and perform, or others who did the work will show the World that I did not.  Simple, but entirely motivating for me.  I have been paddling, riding and running with amazing consistency.  

I have also been finding speed secrets.  I started using a surf ski instead of my glass tourer...and picked up 15% to the average speed.  I am back to cyclocrossing where I used to mountain bike since the mountain bike portion of the race is pretty tame.  I guess the running is just running, but my Avias make me feel like I can run faster and jump higher.

I can't, but it doesn't matter.  I am motivated and in shape!

       

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Smaht Phone On Board!

5/30/2012

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In the last year I have gotten into the habit of using my smart phone (or smaht phone as they say in Boston) as my cylclemeter.  In fact, I use an app apporpriately called Cyclemeter.  Along with the prerequisite time/distance/speed it also maps the ride and compares it to other rides on the same route.

Now, this technology isn't exactly a secret, but this is: it works GREAT for kayaking, too!  I use a pair of Bluetooth headsets, click on the music, start Cyclemeter and then pack the phone in a waterproof Pelican case. 

The result is groovy tunes for paddling (I prefer surf and ska music when kayaking) and a relatively accurate measurement of my paddle efforts.  So cool.
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Used beats new for Boats n Bikes

2/20/2012

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    When it comes to equipment - specifically boatsNbikes - I tend to have a short attention span.  What I mean is that I am always looking over the horizon for the next one to try or buy.  It's not as if I can't commit, after all i have been happily married for 15 years and together with my wife more than 20, it's more that I really enjoy dating kayaks and bikes. 
    That's why I don't buy new, or almost never.  With new stuff I buy it, I try it, I get bored, I sell it, I lose money.  Call me crazy, but I hate to lose money.  With used stuff I buy it, I try it, I sell it and I break even or lose/gain a little.  SOOO much better. 
    The other reason I love used is that I don't have to cry over the first ding or scratch.  It's a sickening feeling to put a blemish on a perfect bike or kayak, but if they guy before you did it already a new boo boo is no biggie. 
    With bikes, at least, I have settled down a bit.  After owning and riding 36 different bikes and swapping steeds at least every season for ten years I know exactly what I want and what fits my size and style.  The thing is it really took until mid-life with lot's of trial and error to figure it out.  If I had done that at full retail I would be selling pencils in a can by the Art Museum - AND I wouldn't have been married for 15 years.
    It can be a challenge to find what you want on the used market but if you are vigilant and patient almost everything comes up for sale sooner or later.  The musical stylings of Ebay and Craigslist have changed the world. 
    If you have already dated around and you know which kayak or bike you want to settle down with then you might buy new.  Otherwise save your money and save the natural resources by picking up pre-loved and recycled model.
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26" or 29" Mountain Bikes? The Debate Continues

2/8/2012

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The other day I watched a YouTube video that provided a great animation of a 29" wheel going over obstacles better than a 26" wheel.  There it was in black and white, definitive proof that a 29'er will outperform a 26'er when going over animated bumps - and real bumps for that matter.  The problem is that there is more - much, much more - to the 29 vs 26 equation than bumpability.  If it were just about big wheels going over stuff we would all ride Motobecanes built onto Monster Truck wheels, which I have to admit sounds kinda cool now that I wrote it.  Anyhow, let's disect the 29 vs 26 argument AGAIN.
I am the proud owner of a 26" front suspended cromo Kona Hardtail Team Bike from the mid 90's as well as a modern 29" front suspended cromo Hardtail GT Peace (geared, not SS).  On paper these two bikes have an awful lot in common.  They are both multi-geared ridgid-butt steel mountain bikes with suspiciously comparable angles.  This makes them perfect to compare 29 vs 26 in the rubber-meets-the-dirt world.
Let's start with bumpability.  The GT just goes over stuff like a hijacked tank.  Head on obstacles require less body english than the Kona, but we knew that already thanks to the magic of YouTube animation.  The 29'er is also easier to keep at speed due to the increased wheel circumference.  It likes to keep motoring along.   The 26 just doesn't roll as fast or as easy, but while the increased wheel circumference likes to keep going it also tends to keep the GT going straight.  The smaller Kona wheels with their smaller diameter steer quicker and feel more nimble. 
In fact, the Kona feels more nimble all around because not only does the increased circumference of the 29" wheels slow handling, it also puts added weight in the worst possible place.  29" wheels have more rotational weight at the outermost edge of the rotation than a 26" wheel does.  Added rotational weight means that every time you spool up or slow down those big wheels need to overcome added inertia.  I am no weight-weenie, but don't poo-poo this one.  When you accelerate or decelarate everything on the bike speeds or slows together, but wheels ALSO must spin.  Saving weight at the wheels matters more than weight on the frame, and the Kona feels like it accelerates quicker. 
Finally, the added wheel size of the GT requires more frame material and a longer wheelbase, putting on weight and adding to the slower feel of the GT.  Slower handling isn't all bad, though.  The advantage is that the GT feels more relaxed, less squirelly and generally more stable and sure-footed than the Kona.
There are two things that I didn't notice.  First, 29" wheels require more energy to stop, but that didn't show up in the actual performance.  Second, a 26" wheel is stronger than a 29" wheel but I have not had reliability issues with either so we'll chalk both braking and strength to non-issues for this test.
So here is the bottom line.  For tarmac and hardpack roads, rails-to-trails, West Coast fire roads, jaunts to the coffee shop or an all-day tour it would have to be the stable and faster GT 29. 
For technical mountain biking, East Coast switchies, competitive rides or a faster workout it would be the Kona 26. 
So which is right for you? The one that gets you out riding. 
    
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    Mark Elson

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    After Mark Elson sold his successful bicycle shop he continued to be an avid rider and paddler.  Today he has a full-time corporate job but still trades in sporting goods to keep his hands dirty. boatsNbikes.com

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