What are these bicycles of which y'all talk? I haven't seen mine in over a week. I'm going a little stir crazy here in training in Chicago. ...oh, and I got a job offer to go run a bicycle shop in Warrenton, VA while I was here. Decisions, decisions! M
That makes me feel better. My touring bike is a Long Haul Trucker. I had small rear panniers on it as well, but only tools and lunch to take with me. I'll often ride around town with four panniers on, even if their empty in hopes the bright red makes me more visible, plus I have to work harder on those windy days. It's been a long time since I've pushed my cardio that hard for that long, but everything went well, so my months of strengthening have been successful. My next challenge will be a century. I recently had rides from 35-70 miles. I've been waiting for the heat to go away, but now I'm losing light quickly.
I drank the nastiest crap next to the stuff they gave me before my colon scope:huh while on my ride Saturday. Cytomax never again. Does anyone make anything that taste half way good.I am almost afraid to pop open one of my Power Bar Gel packs while riding. Who know what so called tangerine taste like. Please speak up oh god of riding. What works for you please? Joc
Take the job slacker . They have a on line store? You know we someone on the inside for price breaks.
What flavor of Cytomax did you try ? I use the Tropical Fruit flavor but I never mix it to the same strength as they suggest - I always use about half the Cytomax and I actually really like the taste.
Got a hankering for a Brooks saddle. I know a few inmates here have a Brooks - which model and would you recommend it ? I think I've narrowed it down to a B17 Standard or a B17 Imperial - I think I saw a pic of an Imperial from an inmates bike, if so how is that saddle ? I am def leaning towards the imperial because I really like the cutout. I have read some reviews that said though that they can feel the cutout ? Not looking to shave grams or race, I try to ride 100 or so miles when the weather cooperates and the most I do in a day is 70 or so miles. Cheers
I tried the grape, and mixed it just like they said. Have one pack of Tropical Fruit seating here on my desk. I'm not to sure, I want to try it..
I never mix it as strong as they say - that tastes like shit to me too. Try it at 50% strength before you give up on Cytomax. Not a big fan of grape to be honest either - big fan of the tropical fruit.
Thanks to those that posted their average speed and how long ya'll been riding. Mucho help in my research! This thread gets more and more useful for me as the days go by.
and if your crew is holding on you, Clif shot-bloks work well. The black cherry is nice and tart. :dg
I rode a just over a mile. Pretty wimpy, I know but I'm still getting my legs back. I get some burn but it's a good feeling so I'm gonna guess the muscles still remember. I'm trying not to ride too far since I still don't have a helmet and even though I look dumb with one on, I look more dumb when I'm the only one without one. I'll be rectifying that soon. I'm hoping my pedals arrive this week. The creaking is very annoying. I'll probably ride the bike as is for a while and collect some parts. Some other friends seem to think I should do a 3x9 or 1x9 which means a complete overhaul. My turd will be very polished.
I rode 13.4 miles tonight it took me 1h36m it was all trail half of it after dark, makes you feel like your hauling. Got a Garmin 305 last week and am loving it, tracks my mileage, elevation, heart rate, then draws a pretty map of my route for me. Its pretty cool you do have to charge after every use it seems like. My max heart rate tonight was 171, i was in zone 4 for the bulk of my ride at about 160 for 1h17m. It's a neat tool that helps me stay motivated. Now my running lets not talk about those numbers.
I've got a B17 Imperial. I tried many others, but, will not give up my Brooks. If you get one, it's important to soak it in neatsfoot oil. Follow the instructions here. I bought mine from Wallingford. They have a generous exchange policy. Just be sure to not treat the saddle with anything, until you're for sure keeping it. I don't feel the cutouts in the saddle. When I first got it and test rode it in my regular shorts, I felt the cutout. But, it wasn't broken in and I wasn't wearing a chamois. This saddle isn't something you'll jump right on say "Wow! This is comfy". It's not a Lazy Boy. It's a saddle that'll allow one to ride all day with no discomfort. I rode several centuries, this year, with no discomfort. I'd say to go with the Imperial. With the B17, you'll feel the pressure of the crown down the middle. I can't tolerate that. The Imperial gets nice and pliable down the middle, as there's no material to maintain rigidity. The real advantage to the Brooks is that the leather gives way and conforms to your pressure points. A plastic saddle doesn't give, no matter how many miles you ride. Again, it's important to use neatsfoot oil to help the leather gain suppleness.
ah do remember the old brooks saddle that I liked the best for long mileing was the "Professional", which had the large copper rivets, it was a little leaner shape than the b17, and a bit lighter.
I have a b17 and a b17 narrow. Both are very comfortable. The b17 is on my commuter and has the large copper rivets. The b17 narrow is on my salsa pistola and has the smaller rivets. I needed to hammer the rivets in on the b17 narrow a little as I was feeling them through my shorts. I have ridden a metric century on the b17 narrow with no discomfort at all. The brooks saddle require some breakin period and need to be treated with proofide or the like. You might also consider the selle anatomica - http://www.selleanatomica.com/ has a cutout , you can get it in waterproofed leather and no breakin very comfortable out of the box. Can be squeaky but oh well. This saddle is on my salsa fargo.
