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Bicycle thread
- Thread starter North ride
- Start date
Mambo Danny
Member
Funny, you ask - I tried to book her for before the event for a possible pinched nerve in the shoulder. As always, this lady is SUPER booked. But it was Covid that took her out of any appointments. She offered an appt for this morning while we were texting back and forth on Sunday of last week, and I figured 'why not?' Turns out I was her first client, her first day back from getting hit with Covid moderately hard. She was probably only going to do three people, then head back home for rest today.
It wasn't the distance that did my legs in - causing a lot of pain and awkward walking, locking up, etc. It was the being stuck in a harder gear for the energy sapping sands for so long, keeping my speed (and heart rate) stupidly high to just try to get through it. Add to that the five surprise angry-dog sprints Saturday and Sunday (22 MPH ain't near enough - you gotta do a second push to get away), and that's probably why I was feeling what I did Monday, Tuesday and early this morning. I only found out last evening that one of the other competitors was bitten by a dog on the route. Based on what I told my slower friends who were way behind me, they picked up two pepper spray canisters to protect themselves for the rest of the ride. These weren't kind dogs - I've never met angrier white people in an area, and angry white people don't raise friendly dogs. On top of that, one of the lead groups encountered a wild dog pack.
Mambo Danny
Member
People were strung out along most of the route. When the first finishers (three guys shared the first place finish) hit the end, others had only made it less than half way across. A few took two (planed, AirBnB reservations) nights and three days to do it.
I was researching the types and brands of small pepper spray canisters last evening, and will be ordering one for the bike for future adventures that aren't south Florida based.
edit: well, looks like I have to use some ordering method other than Amazon. I can ship cs tear gas / pepper sprays to friends in a few different states, but can't ship it to Florida it seems (even though it is legal to ship 2 ounces or under in FL). It is sold even at Home Depot it seems, so I'll pick some up.
I was researching the types and brands of small pepper spray canisters last evening, and will be ordering one for the bike for future adventures that aren't south Florida based.
edit: well, looks like I have to use some ordering method other than Amazon. I can ship cs tear gas / pepper sprays to friends in a few different states, but can't ship it to Florida it seems (even though it is legal to ship 2 ounces or under in FL). It is sold even at Home Depot it seems, so I'll pick some up.
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Mambo Danny
Member
I haven't, but I'll deal with it. At some of the points I'd be using it, I would still be coasting forward on the bike. Dog attacks on soft sugar sand would take on a whole other set of tactics as one can't even run or maneuver well on that stuff. We considered ourselves lucky that we could at least attempt to out-pedal the dogs where they popped out of.
Along the route, on even worse sand roads connected to sand roads, that were connected to gravel roads, I saw one house with a driveway that impressed me. The driveway and property was all sugar sand, with grass growing in areas that tires hadn't tried to go through. In the driveway were two 4x4 vehicles, but the car - they couldn't park their car in the driveway since it would sink to its axles, so the car was kept parked out on the side of the road, lol.
Stormdog
Well-known member
A can of bear spray and a pruning saw are standard equipment in my day pack that I use for mtn biking. After a couple of close calls with bears, I like the false sense of security it gives me.
It is usually the two legged critters that cause problems. I feel sorry for the four legged ones... they don't know.
Busy, busy week. Just enough time to read and hit like a couple of times. A lot of work and trying to make a little bit of a difference. 560km, 13,000m on the bike. A couple of hours on the track. Swim and gym. Re-qualify at the range.
Busy, busy week. Just enough time to read and hit like a couple of times. A lot of work and trying to make a little bit of a difference. 560km, 13,000m on the bike. A couple of hours on the track. Swim and gym. Re-qualify at the range.
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Mambo Danny
Member
Mixed two different groups together for a Sunday 'relaxed' gravel ride ... that became no relaxed pretty gosh darn fast, lol. And the dude with the 4" or 5" wide tires? Kept up just fine until the speeds maintained 19 MPH or over. Strong as all get out rider, says he rides five days a week.
A stop to allow the slower riders time to catch up, and taking a break in the only shade out there - it's a little electrical building that casts a long shadow in the early morning. Somehow we boosted the speed to 19 or 20 MPH on the gravel, and that dropped a lot of folks.
A stop to allow the slower riders time to catch up, and taking a break in the only shade out there - it's a little electrical building that casts a long shadow in the early morning. Somehow we boosted the speed to 19 or 20 MPH on the gravel, and that dropped a lot of folks.
Mixed two different groups together for a Sunday 'relaxed' gravel ride ... that became no relaxed pretty gosh darn fast, lol. And the dude with the 4" or 5" wide tires? Kept up just fine until the speeds maintained 19 MPH or over. Strong as all get out rider, says he rides five days a week.
A stop to allow the slower riders time to catch up, and taking a break in the only shade out there - it's a little electrical building that casts a long shadow in the early morning. Somehow we boosted the speed to 19 or 20 MPH on the gravel, and that dropped a lot of folks.
Didn't you hear...wider tyres have lower rolling resistance.
You're instantly recognisable in that group... the socks!
Mambo Danny
Member
This is
We few - we don't cower to the UCI.
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This isSPARTASOUTH FLORIDA!!!!!!
We few - we don't cower to the UCI.
UCI be damned... There is such a thing as poor taste!
Mambo Danny
Member
I surely used something for that ride that morning, not the pemethrin though. Couldn't believe how much I was being bitten up while waiting on others to get ready. I have two bottles, one with pemetrhin for clothing/equipment, and one with a different chemical for skin.
Mambo Danny
Member
Screwed up a 93-mile gravel ride by getting the mix wrong with the sticky rice squares. I added a bit too much coconut oil, and I suspect that eating too many of those squares at one time coated my stomach / internals with the oil, preventing nutrients and water from absorbing fast enough. First half of the ride went just fine, then we stopped for a break at the halfway point at Lake Okeechobee. I ate too many squares at one time, could tell they were oily. Tasted great tho.
Here is me at my lowest ... soft sand (that the others could maintain about 11 or 12 MPH on), into the wind, me just not being able to push hard at about mile 75. That next bump in speed was a paved road , North, not directly into the wind where I could spin out my RPM's (which is my default back-up mode when I can't lay down power). By this time we were all low on water (forgive me, but I didn't expect a 90-mile gravel ride without a water stop... I was ill-prepared), so we took this route to get to a Palm Beach county shooting range which we knew had water bottles for sale. I downed a bunch of water, but I still am not sure that is what the problem was as much as the coconut oil preventing the absorption of both water and carbs/sugars. Or... maybe I felt great at the mid-way point for no great reason, and really did just tire out - but I don't think that is what it was. And my legs weren't hurting.
This carried over to the next day where, again, seemingly no matter how much water I was taking in, I wasn't peeing like I should before or during the ride. No matter what I did, it didn't seem to be enough water. Perhaps I was feeding my body too many electrolytes?
So there's this morning - blood draw for physical testing. I drank water last evening and two bottles this morning with and after a light breakfast because I thought they were going to take many large tubes of blood. They ended up taking two tiny tubes of blood. In fact, the girl taking the blood asked me if I had fasted. I told her 'Nope - nobody told me to fast.' So she suggested rescheduling. Well, the entire medical system is such a pain in the ass anymore with such distant scheduling that I told he to just take it, and that hopefully it would affect much.
I also learned that my Wahoo Bolt V2 is even worse at elevation than my old Garmin watch is.
Here is me at my lowest ... soft sand (that the others could maintain about 11 or 12 MPH on), into the wind, me just not being able to push hard at about mile 75. That next bump in speed was a paved road , North, not directly into the wind where I could spin out my RPM's (which is my default back-up mode when I can't lay down power). By this time we were all low on water (forgive me, but I didn't expect a 90-mile gravel ride without a water stop... I was ill-prepared), so we took this route to get to a Palm Beach county shooting range which we knew had water bottles for sale. I downed a bunch of water, but I still am not sure that is what the problem was as much as the coconut oil preventing the absorption of both water and carbs/sugars. Or... maybe I felt great at the mid-way point for no great reason, and really did just tire out - but I don't think that is what it was. And my legs weren't hurting.
This carried over to the next day where, again, seemingly no matter how much water I was taking in, I wasn't peeing like I should before or during the ride. No matter what I did, it didn't seem to be enough water. Perhaps I was feeding my body too many electrolytes?
So there's this morning - blood draw for physical testing. I drank water last evening and two bottles this morning with and after a light breakfast because I thought they were going to take many large tubes of blood. They ended up taking two tiny tubes of blood. In fact, the girl taking the blood asked me if I had fasted. I told her 'Nope - nobody told me to fast.' So she suggested rescheduling. Well, the entire medical system is such a pain in the ass anymore with such distant scheduling that I told he to just take it, and that hopefully it would affect much.
I also learned that my Wahoo Bolt V2 is even worse at elevation than my old Garmin watch is.
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Screwed up a 93-mile gravel ride by getting the mix wrong with the sticky rice squares. I added a bit too much coconut oil, and I suspect that eating too many of those squares at one time coated my stomach / internals with the oil, preventing nutrients and water from absorbing fast enough. First half of the ride went just fine, then we stopped for a break at the halfway point at Lake Okeechobee. I ate too many squares at one time, could tell they were oily. Tasted great tho.
Here is me at my lowest ... soft sand (that the others could maintain about 11 or 12 MPH on), into the wind, me just not being able to push hard at about mile 75. That next bump in speed was a paved road , North, not directly into the wind where I could spin out my RPM's (which is my default back-up mode when I can't lay down power). By this time we were all low on water (forgive me, but I didn't expect a 90-mile gravel ride without a water stop... I was ill-prepared), so we took this route to get to a Palm Beach county shooting range which we knew had water bottles for sale. I downed a bunch of water, but I still am not sure that is what the problem was as much as the coconut oil preventing the absorption of both water and carbs/sugars. Or... maybe I felt great at the mid-way point for no great reason, and really did just tire out - but I don't think that is what it was. And my legs weren't hurting.
This carried over to the next day where, again, seemingly no matter how much water I was taking in, I wasn't peeing like I should before or during the ride. No matter what I did, it didn't seem to be enough water. Perhaps I was feeding my body too many electrolytes?
So there's this morning - blood draw for physical testing. I drank water last evening and two bottles this morning with and after a light breakfast because I thought they were going to take many large tubes of blood. They ended up taking two tiny tubes of blood. In fact, the girl taking the blood asked me if I had fasted. I told her 'Nope - nobody told me to fast.' So she suggested rescheduling. Well, the entire medical system is such a pain in the ass anymore with such distant scheduling that I told he to just take it, and that hopefully it would affect much.
I also learned that my Wahoo Bolt V2 is even worse at elevation than my old Garmin watch is.
That sucks. My money is on fatigue.
All consumer barometric altimeters are awful. Better to use a computer elevation model. Strava is okay, but too optimistic. The open elevation model is better for me.
I don't know why it matters to you in Florida though. You could pick a per kilometre elevation based on a sample of your rides and apply it to all your rides and it would be okay. Inaccuracy would likely be within a range of normal error.
Days are getting colder and shorter. B didn't make it home before sunset, she's smart enough to not thread a needle 3500ft below terrain in the dark, no matter how inviting that big beautiful lit runway looks so she took the girls to other home. Maybe they'll spend the weekend or I go there. Maybe not. Track riding is more and more popular as temperature drops. More fun than a trainer and mentally healthier. I am still riding on the road and won't stop. Half my morning ride is before the sun comes up and sometimes chilly, we have seen snow in the passes.
Keep moving forward...
Sometimes Garmin uses GPS elevation for altimeter calibration. But it can take some time to lock and then the result may not be especially accurate due to things like satellite geometry (elevation is difficult because the earth blocks out satellites needed for good geometry), atmosperic conditions and shape of the earth. Expect VDOP up to about 20m 95% of the time. It'll be a lot closer than that most of the time, but even +/-2m drift (more like jitter) is not great for ride data. Garmin also used manually entered altitude / position information and calibrates the barometric at those positions . Barometric drift is much slower and works well with more reference points to update the altimeter. Garmin just makes it so hard in new Edge head units.
I don't bother with any of it. I use SRM PC8s and elevation is fixed after the ride file is copied to my computer. My only use for altitude while riding is sometimes tracking my progress on climbs and it doesn't need to be especially accurate.
Off airport landings are a very high risk venture in IMC or at night.
The girls stayed and entertained the hangar rats for most of the day on Saturday arriving here late for a party the UA girls were throwing that nobody wanted to miss. They also had an afternoon track session which tends to have a party atmosphere. We were doing some rolling match races... hard to explain the format, but it is organised so there is a 2 or 3 rider match race every two minutes or less. I thought that at 50kg and (now back) over 1000W maximum I was a fairly good sprinter. Some of these women though... they blow straight over the top of me! Both days I rode a quiet 80km in the morning with another group.
I don't bother with any of it. I use SRM PC8s and elevation is fixed after the ride file is copied to my computer. My only use for altitude while riding is sometimes tracking my progress on climbs and it doesn't need to be especially accurate.
Off airport landings are a very high risk venture in IMC or at night.
The girls stayed and entertained the hangar rats for most of the day on Saturday arriving here late for a party the UA girls were throwing that nobody wanted to miss. They also had an afternoon track session which tends to have a party atmosphere. We were doing some rolling match races... hard to explain the format, but it is organised so there is a 2 or 3 rider match race every two minutes or less. I thought that at 50kg and (now back) over 1000W maximum I was a fairly good sprinter. Some of these women though... they blow straight over the top of me! Both days I rode a quiet 80km in the morning with another group.
Sure, just put it down between those poles over there... It is always fun when a non pilot tells us how it is done. 
You got it backwards. All Robinson helicopters have a low inertia rotor system and a poor safety record (the worst in the case of the R44) often attributed to inadequate pilot training (that has been rectified). S300 is a forgiving training aircraft with good characteristics and a solid reputation. Look it up...
I did my flight training in an S300. 2016 or something I spent two years in Australia with clients and got to chase cows around a cattle station in an R22 and it is a totally different helicopter. Nimble, but will bite the unwary. I preferred the S300 for long days in out of trees. I flew an R44 at about the same time. Low inertia needs immediate action to maintain rotor rpm. It is a dangerous game to try to hover or climb on rotor energy.
The runway at home is new btw. It was built last year as part of the property extension. Until then I was in and out in an AW139 and AW189 from a pad near the main house and it is still the default all weather option or when we need the seats. It doesn't have much to do with cycling until we pack ten teens and their bikes in the back.
You got it backwards. All Robinson helicopters have a low inertia rotor system and a poor safety record (the worst in the case of the R44) often attributed to inadequate pilot training (that has been rectified). S300 is a forgiving training aircraft with good characteristics and a solid reputation. Look it up...
I did my flight training in an S300. 2016 or something I spent two years in Australia with clients and got to chase cows around a cattle station in an R22 and it is a totally different helicopter. Nimble, but will bite the unwary. I preferred the S300 for long days in out of trees. I flew an R44 at about the same time. Low inertia needs immediate action to maintain rotor rpm. It is a dangerous game to try to hover or climb on rotor energy.
The runway at home is new btw. It was built last year as part of the property extension. Until then I was in and out in an AW139 and AW189 from a pad near the main house and it is still the default all weather option or when we need the seats. It doesn't have much to do with cycling until we pack ten teens and their bikes in the back.
Stormdog
Well-known member
If I get a vote, keep talking about flying machines.
I don’t feel quit as old and out of shape as when you folks talk about your bicycle rides.
I don’t feel quit as old and out of shape as when you folks talk about your bicycle rides.
Danno
Well-known member
Anyone got some good head tube tricks for steel frames. My bmx beach cruiser build has taken a beating. The last destroyed part was the fork. I located a fork which wasn't exactly easy. My lower bearing cup is slightly loose. I could peen it or green retaining compound. Maybe epoxy. Ideally, it would be nice to shrink the tube. Maybe a reverse cone die. Metal is always more fun to stretch than to shrink. The bike is back together for now with a little extra preload on the bearings. Maybe epoxy would be the way to make the head tube and bearing cup stronger rather than just a press fit.
Next build will get way thicker drop outs and a better headtube.
Next build will get way thicker drop outs and a better headtube.
Mambo Danny
Member
I just like imagining CTG's life.