Keepin' it a clean machine...

I ride my bike a lot and I’d be the first to tell you that I don’t have the best record of keeping the bike as clean as I should. Now there’s a good reason for this: I’m lazy! If the bike is looking extra dirty, I’ll do the quick wipe down with spray cleaner, so it doesn’t look like it’s been through a mud storm. Even that takes time and patience. But a deep cleaning, degreasing and lube requires time be set aside, something I have never had a problem not doing!

My ride buddy Marc finally broke down and deep cleaned his beloved Trek, degreasing the gear cassette and chain, washing it and lubing it. He pointed disapprovingly at my gear cassette and noted it was blackened and gritty, with no evidence of the shiny silver metal that the gears are made of. I admitted it was sad, pretty cruddy, should be cleaned. So, shamed as lax in my bike maintenance ways, I broke down and bought some bike wash, degreaser and lube.

I’ve been using Tri-Flow spray lube for a lot of years, first on my mountain bike and on my road bike. But even though Tri-Flow gets high marks for its lubrication qualities, the one thing I noticed is that it tends to attract road grit and dust like a magnet. I asked the guy at the local bike shop, and he said Tri-Flow is a great lubrication, but does attract dirt. Other dry lubes don’t bring on the dirt, he said, but they’re not quite as good, in his opinion. But being the lazy bike maintainer that I am, not keen on doing a lot of degreasing of a sludge coated cassette and chain, this time I decided to try a spray on dry Teflon lube made by Finish Line. It goes on with a milky color and seems to be a bit waxy, which is probably the main property that repels grit. So I’m giving it a shot. Let me know your thoughts.

It absolutely is nice to ride a clean, nicely lubed bike! It feels better, so I’m telling myself to stay on it to keep it that way. Now, it remains to be seen if I follow my own advice. Sometimes that’s hard to do!

Earbuds and music, pros and cons

 I like to ride with music playing over my Bose earbuds, because to me, music of my choice is a perfect compliment to bike riding. Now, at least three guys I ride with don’t agree with me at all. They want to completely tune into their surroundings while they ride, and think music interferes with that. They kid me about always riding with my music playing.

But for me, especially when I’m pushing the limits of my endurance on a ride, music has many times taken my mind off the suffering and plugged it into the inspiration from hearing my beloved tunes. Others say it can keep you from hearing cars in traffic and in doing so, possibly cause a wreck. But I tend to turn down the music when I’m riding in traffic, so I think I hear everything I need to. So for me, music and earbuds work well, enhancing the built-in fun of riding. I have ridden plenty without music, in fact I never have had it while mountain biking. But to me it goes better with road biking, where rhythm is everything, which is what is key to music, too. I do think high quality earbuds make all the difference. While Apple earbuds do OK, Bose earbuds are top notch, the best, and they’ve hooked me. So I’ll keep on riding with ‘em, as my buddies keep on shakin’ their heads!

Sunglasses outside

While the guys I ride with have chided me about riding with music playing, we have another difference. They wear their sunglasses inside their chinstraps. Now, to me, no other riders I’ve seen do that! The pros definitely wear their glasses outside of their chinstraps, so I figure, hey, I gotta do what they do, so I always wear them on the outside. But not the guys I ride with. They insist it makes more sense to wear them on the inside, so if the helmet somehow flies off, they’ll theoretically still have their sunglasses on their head! That may be right, I don’t know. Pat, one buddy does it for a good reason. He rides with a GoPro on his helmet a lot and likes to take it off while riding to give a head shot narrative of his video. So Pat gets a pass. But not Marc. If the pros don’t do it that way, it’s a no go. No brainer. Unless videoing, sunglasses, outside!

Cold riding ahead

Autumn rides, then winter rides are ahead – unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, of course – and that means keeping warm while riding through frigid air. Toe covers, arm condoms, windbreakers, undershirts, leg condoms, thermal gloves, get ‘em all and wear ‘em. Because it truly sucks to freeze your butt off in the saddle!

Layer it up and remember to keep drinking to keep feeling as strong as possible in the cold. Last spring my buddy Marc and I got caught in a sudden hailstorm while descending a twisty rough road. No gloves, but that was because the rest of the ride had been much warmer and only light mist. But the combination of hitting an ice cold cell of air, and hail peppering us, and the icy wind of the descent, took all feeling out of my feet and hands within a few seconds. I had to alternately sit on my hands to get feeling back in them! Which was dicey because the other hand had to guide the bike over rough road and if necessary, brake effectively.

So now if I’m in the mountains and there’s a chance of rain, I figure it could also hail and maybe even snow in pockets, so I put on the toe covers and thermal gloves get stuffed in my back pockets of my long sleeved winter jersey. Nothing like learning the hard way how to be prepared!

Here’s a coolish, pre-snow autumn ride in the foothills near Placerville, Northern California that Pat, Marc and I did last year, and Pat videoed. Serious descent on the end of this video that seemed like it was straight down, a bit hairy controlling speed. Wouldn’t ever want to climb back up it! We climbed out of the deep ravine on the other side, which was very steep itself, but wasn’t nearly as long as the descent we’d just done. Otherwise we would have definitely needed a sag wagon and oxygen tanks! Here it is. Enjoy!

Thanks for the video, Pat!

Until next time, remember to strap on a helmet before every ride. Then do all in your power to keep the rubber side down!

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf

Run down by Tubby Town!

On a recent ride in the Sierra Nevada foothills with two cycling buddies, the subject of mind over matter came up. How do you keep pedaling strong when you feel like you’re ticket’s been punched? Where do you get more gas in your tank when you feel like you’re running on empty?

That’s a good one to ponder. Our minds can mess with us when we’re getting tired on the bike. But if we tell ourselves we’re tired, we let the negatory bug work against us. And that’s a crack in the armor of endurance.

But knowing that, I have a strategy to keep that self-defeatism at bay.

I make up my mind to keep the word “tired” out of my head. Or any word or phrase with roughly the same meaning, like “exhausted,” “all-in”, “I got nothin’ left,” or the unmistakable groans of suffering that come out as, “ughgg…”

So, if you’re slogging along on a long climb or toward the end of a 50, 60 or 70 mile ride and you feel those negatory man, you’re tired thoughts trying to bang into your brain, just keep on pedaling, doing your best to burnish your denial skills. Because sometimes, after you think you’ve hit the wall, with nothing left in the tank, you surprise yourself. You find another gear that was hidden deep within.

Now, the main way I’ve discovered that buried gear is when I decide to challenge myself; call myself out. Yes, the overinflated ego can be plugged in to pull up a well disguised extra gear. It just takes a little prodding of the ol’ pride to scare it up.

To make sure I crack the whip on mostly flat terrain rides I do just to stay in shape, I make a few vows:

• I will ride as brisk a pace as I can that I can keep without burning out.

• If anybody passes me, I will get on their rear wheel no matter how fast they are going – unless it’s a recognizable Tour de France sprinter.

• I will do all I can to pass and ultimately drop them.

So when I’m riding along and suddenly get passed, I pretend the passer is challenging me to a little race. They may not be, but this sparks the afterburners!

So even if I really am tired, I take the challenge and dig deep to start a burst of speed then work to keep that faster pace. I can safely say, not all, but most times I am able to eventually pass the rider that passed me. Sometimes I feel strong enough to do it relatively soon.

Other times, when I have to work awhile just to get on their rear wheel, I do that, then catch my breath while drafting them. Then I blow past them with a friendly thumbs up or wave, my way of saying thanks for getting me off my kiester and making me push myself! At that point I work on getting far enough ahead to drop ‘em!                 

Once I came across a rider that I initially had pegged as a guy who was too fat to be a fast rider, as he easily passed me up while I was going close to 20 mph.

“What? This guy’s too tubby to keep that pace up for long,” I said to myself. “I’m going to catch him, pass him, and drop him.”

So I got on it, and really had to work to catch this guy. I tailed him a little bit, then really punched it, passing him, doing all I could to keep my pace, which was an all out sprint. After a time I let up because I was tired. And that’s when Tubby Town, as I called him, in his sausage wrap, tan spandex riding kit, passed my ass again -- with seeming ease!

I was not only tired, but I couldn’t believe Tubby Town had that kind of stamina! Here, I had found somebody that liked to pass other relatively fast riders as much as I did.

“No way this guy can keep that pace,” I reassured myself as I dug deep to try to run him down again.

This guy was strong as an ox, and he was fast. And while he may have been tubby, the dude was fit, riding like he’d just been unfairly fired and had some venting to do.

I decided my goal would be to catch him before we got to an upcoming bridge on the bike trail, then do all I could to keep ahead of him. I was in my highest gear and built up speed as I slowly reeled him back in. Tubby Town had a relentless pace. This guy was killing me! But as the small ascent to the bridge neared, I passed him again and gave it all I had riding up to the bridge’s crest. At that point, all the chasing caught up with me and I slowed down to catch my breath.

And hey, wouldn’t you know it? That’s when Tubby Town passed me again!

I knew then that Tubby Town had more pedal power than I did that day. Whipped and dropped, I was more than happy to tip my helmet to him.

That was a serious workout courtesy of Tubby Town. It wasn’t until the last time he passed me on the bridge that I realized I’d been fooled by his tubbiness, which was probably due to a lot of muscle rather than fat. So we may think we can outlast a rider just by sizing them up, but believe me, there are very beneficial surprises out there!

So thanks, Tubby Town, for mopping me up on the bike trail that day. You gave me a solid challenge that was fun to take on, even though you schooled me. But it was a good thing, because I learned not to judge a rider by his spandex, and got stronger during the lesson. Ride on!

And now, check out this video that my riding buddy Pat put together with his GoPro in May while doing a climb in Italy. He’s got it going on with some uplifting music. Enjoy...

Thanks Pat, nice stuff!

So until next time, remember to always put on a helmet before getting on the bike. And then, remember, at all costs, keep the rubber side down!

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf

Get a bike you love, you'll ride it!

A friend recently told me he’s finally going to get into cycling. He asked if he should find a cheap used bike to start with, then later buy a nice bike.

My answer? Don’t get a cheap used bike. Just don’t! I have one very good reason for that. If you get a cheap used bike, you probably won’t love riding the bike. It’s likely to be a compromise to what would match your needs as a rider. It could be too heavy, have components that don’t allow for smooth shifting, and isn’t easy to maneuver.

Or it could pass all the crucial tests because you were lucky enough to find a used bike that suits you perfectly. But that’s more likely than not to be a long shot. Now, you may love riding something like this, something with a personality you have to put up with, but the odds are you won’t. And as a result, you won’t be overly fond of the bike because of its built in challenges.

If you’re just getting into cycling, I think it’s best to find a quality new bike that suits your riding style and needs. Almost everybody who has gotten into cycling will tell you that their bike was a huge key to their inspiration. My theory is that the only way you’re going to want to ride your bike is if you absolutely love it! Yes, it's key to love riding the bike. Because if you don’t, riding it won’t really be anything you look forward to. Just the thought of getting on a rough riding, junk bike will be in the back of your mind all the time. And having that bad association with a junk bike will often be enough to convince you to pass up riding when you initially wanted to go for a ride. Ultimately it may even steer you away from becoming a regular cyclist that loves to ride.

So, for you men and women, boys and girls that want to get a bike because you want to ride, there’s only one thing to do.  If you or your parents can afford to, and these days, that may be a stretch, it’s well worth it to go to your local bike store and check out the inventory of new bikes they have. Figure out what kind of bike will suit your needs best, be it a road bike, mountain bike, cruiser, one-speed, tandem, recumbent, unicycle, whatever. Tell the bike guy your situation, whether you need a bike to get around town, one to get out on a bike trail, paved or dirt, or for country road routes you want to try. Take some test rides and let your instincts tell you what bike speaks to your riding mojo; what bike makes you smile spontaneously, makes you want to keep riding beyond the test ride!

Then, after enough test rides, make your pick, make your buy. And believe me, you will ride your bike, for one basic reason: You love riding it! And when that happens, you’ll make time to ride because you and your bike are having a blast riding to your destinations. And then you’re hooked, into something great. You’re in for the joys and inspiration of regular cycling that many long-time cyclists will tell you, helped them to better fitness and a lightness of being that could be described as, well, happiness.

Here’s a ride descending Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, Northern California, that I enjoyed a few months ago with two riding buddies, Pat and Marc. Pat had a Go-Pro helmet cam on and video recorded his view down the mountain and put it to music. For riders to be, expericnces like this, on a bike you love, is why you’re a regular cyclist. You can’t get enough! It’s inspiring! Check it out:

Thanks, Pat, great video and audio work! He has more cycling video I’ll show in future posts.

Get route clarity before taking off

Now, there’s another little thing I wanted to touch on that I’ve found can’t be stressed enough when cycling with others. And that is: Communication! Sounds obvious, but I’ve found a lot of times, even when riders think they’re on the same page with other riders on route specifics and agreed upon stops, often times miscommunication results in wrong turns. And in some cases unwanted bonus miles to get back to the route!

When riding with friends, the first thing you find out once you start on a ride is that everyone rides at their own personal pace. Sometimes those paces are close and riders stay together. But often times, those paces are different according to the various levels of fitness and energy of each rider on any given day.

Before taking off, it’s a good idea to huddle up and get clear on any turns needed to stay on the route, and easily recognizable meeting places to stop and regroup. So if everybody’s clear on the route turns and stops, they’re less likely to take a wrong turn or get stranded from help due to a mechanical problem or injury.

Unplanned separation can happen fairly easily, if there's no clear knowledge of the route ahead. If you happen to be leading other riders and you’re unclear which way to go on a turn, stop and wait for the other riders to tell you the right way. Otherwise,  you may end up riding alone, looking back, and eventually realizing you’re probably on the wrong road! Best thing to do then is to stop, and call or text message  the rider who knows the route – assuming of course, that there is phone reception in the area. I’ve cycled in more than a few areas that are out of phone reception, and have gotten temporarily lost this way. All has ended well so far, but when those situations have come up, I’ve ended up putting in the old “bonus miles” to get back on track.

At worst, you get lost on a lonely road in the woods, there’s no phone reception, you have a flat, possible injury from a fall, and it’s getting dark. (I did say at worst!)  You can only work hard to stay calm and retrace your route.

At best, you put in a few extra miles, hopefully not many of them on climbs, meet up with your cycling friends, and continue on. But the pre-ride communication is the way to avoid such problems altogether.

And....it's good to be clear to fellow cyclists that ride at a slower pace, when you plan to ride ahead at your own faster pace, and where you’ll meet up ahead. That, I can say from experience, will definitely help keep riders of different levels still talking to each other at the end of a ride!

Til next time, remember to always put on a helmet before every ride. Then while cycling, do everything you can to keep the rubber side down!
-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf

Break that wind!

No doubt, wind can rough up a ride. Which is good for building endurance. And as long as the wind gusts don’t get too high! For me, 20-25 mph headwinds or crosswinds are barely worth fighting. But some riders, like the guy in the video you'll see below, are game for even windier rides.

Just to keep the wind surprises from being nasty, check out the wind conditions for your ride area on Weather Channel the day before you go, and you’ll get a good idea of what you’re up against, if anything. It really is best not to be surprised, by being suddenly blown off the road. Or, finding out too late that you’ll be pedaling for hours into a steady, brutal headwind, just to make it back to your starting point. Ugh! How did this happen?

Some of the scariest seconds on a bike for me have been when I’ve been descending at fairly high speed and BAM! hit suddenly with a surprise, seemingly out of nowhere cross wind. The bike jumps away from the gust and you do all you can to keep control. Hopefully you’re holding rigidly enough to make it through without getting blown over.

After that, the toughest condition other than a steep, long climb is riding straight into a headwind, either on a flat stretch, a gradual climb, or oomph, as a bonus challenge to a long, steep climb.

Mountain passes often have whistling gusty winds that will try to knock you off your bike, so when starting a descent down a mountain, remember that, and brace yourself with a strong two handed grip on the bars.

Two riding buddies and myself rode down Monitor Pass to Highway 395 in Northern California last January. The beginning of the downward fly required plenty of bracing against some really nasty cross gusts. It was getting so bad, we were thinking about turning around about a quarter of the way down. Then, after turning through a few switchbacks, we were suddenly out of the wind. The ride got enjoyably faster and we could relax while flying down to the desert and 395.

In mountain biking, speed is your friend to get through tough, technical parts of a trail. But I’m not sure if going fast, or slowing down is the best policy when road cycling through crosswinds. Speed might be the best way to get through a gust, but, this is a call your instincts have to make for each situation. But here’s a great video done last year in which a rider out of Austin gives some great safety tips on coping with windwhipped riding:

Good stuff to remember.
Just a few days ago, my ride buddies and myself rode out of Markleeville, CA. up Monitor Pass, and down its backside in calm, sunny conditions. Then we headed north to ride 19 miles on 395 to Gardnerville, and immediately hit a tough headwind coming into our grills. It was relatively flat, but this was just as tough as a major grind climb!

We weren’t worn down too badly from the miles we’d already put in, but the headwind along with rolling climbs that slowly gained altitude over the miles, dogged us! It felt like we were losing about 5 to 10 mph in our pace from the headwind while climbing. Not to mention the major side gusts from huge semi-trailer trucks regularly bellowing by.

By the time we got to Gardnerville we were more than happy to turn toward the mountains and off 395. Apparently the winds regularly whistle through the area. We ran into a pair of local riders who said the police close the two lane 395 every few weeks or so, when the winds get up to 60-70 mph. They don't want any trucks -- and possibly cyclists -- getting blown over!

So even though we felt overly buffeted on our ride, it actually turned out to  be one of the calmer days in that desert wind-tunnel! We hit some more headwinds heading back to Markleeville through a twisting back road, although they weren't as rough as the 395 blows. When we finally got back to the truck, the wind felt like it had added another 10 to 20 miles to the 63 miles we’d logged. OK, no problem, bonus miles!

Til next time, remember to always put on a helmet before getting on the bike. And then, do your very best to keep the rubber side down!

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf