For bicyclists, a widening patchwork world

This article describes the increase use of bicycles... It looks like we are beginning a cycling boom. While Northern Europe and Japan have figured out how to make bicycle commuting a safe, cheap alternative to driving, the United States, Canada, Australia and Britain have not. And the world's two most populous nations, China and India, are discarding bicycles in favor of cars. A rising middle class in both countries views cycling as an unhappy reminder of the recent past, when nearly everyone was poor.

the rest of this article can be found here

REI Sale!

I picked up a cool black Pearl Izumi Zephrr vest at the REI Sale... They normally go for $60 but i got it for $20... Not bad! I tried it on yesterday for my evening bicycle... I think this vest is better during the day than in the evenings. I should at least get something bright yellow so drivers can see me during the evenings. But other than that its a great deal!

I found an old product review here.

quick workout

its been 4 days since i last rode my bicycle... today i went out for a quick 30 min ride around the neighborhood. this was the first ride using my Novara Padded Bike Boxers that i purchased from REI a few weeks ago.

here's what i have to say about the product. its great and super convenient. i can wear these under my gym shorts and still get the same effect as bicycle shorts. the mesh material provides extra cooling when going down hill. the padding is good enough for long and short trips... at first i thought the padding was kind of loose but once i sat on the saddle it worked like a charm. i would definitely buy this product again and recommend it to my friends. it takes the discomfort that i've had before when riding without any paddding.

back to my ride...

climbing the hill was good. i think all that running helped build some strength in my legs... i totally hate that the bike lanes full of little pebbles and rocks. especially when it gets dark i hit those rocks and just messes me up in terms of my peddling. i also was lazy to check the air in my tires. so i kind of felt that my tires were a bit sluggish in some parts. it might just be a mental thing though... but when i got home i made sure i pumped 100 psi in them.

i think i need to work on the hills a bit more to build more strength!

more strength = faster runner and faster cyclist


Garmin 305 Info

Distance: 5.82 miles
Time: 30:45
Avg Pace: 5:17/mile
Avg Speed: 11.3 MPH
Max Speed: 17 MPH
Avg Cadence: 75 RPM

Basic Maintenance Course @ REI Chula Vista

Yesterday, I took a basic maintenance course at the REI in Chula Vista. They provide this course to customers completely free of charge. I don't have any bicycle maintenance experience so going to this class was very informative. a lot of the resources covered are online but going there first hand and seeing it helped out a lot. we covered a lot of things in the two hours. richard, the master tech was the one that was in charge of the whole course. he's a funny. he seemed so in a hurry to cover all the topics and kept on dropping things on the ground.

richard first covered the quick release. he showed us how to install and remove the front and rear tire. the thing that i learned about the quick release was that i didn't have to take out the bolt completely. all i had to do is lift the lever up and unscrew the bolt and remove the tire. and when installing the tire back onto the bicycle it needs to be on straight so it won't run against the brake pads. the tension is also important. u don't want to tighten it too much, just enough tension that my palm and close the quick release. he pointed out that some tires are directional, so i would need to pay attention to the placement of the tire.

next we covered tubes and removal of the tire. he showed us that its not really necessary to use tire levers to remove the tire from the tube. you can just forceful remove the bead from the tire making sure you start at 180 from the valve. Richard said that having tire levers can be handy if you can't remove the tires with your hands. to put back the tube in the tire, you would need to inflate it a bit first... then with the tire somewhat on the rim carefully align the valve inside the rim and slowly place the tube between and the wheel. once done you can continue putting the tire bead on the rim. the last step is just to pump the tube to its recommended pressure.

which led us to a discussion about tire pressure and what is adequate... usually mountain bike tires require less pressure than road tires. road tires are skinnier and require more pressure. the guy said its good to fill up the tires once month... but i usually do it before a ride. i think its best to check the pressure before going out so you wont worry about the being flat.

he also showed us how to lube and clean up chain. it's pretty easy... go to the lowest gear while the tire is suspended. he recommended a product called white lightning. its a wax that prevents dirt from going on the chain and lubes. its like a 2 in 1 product. wipe down all the junk from the chain and move the chain while applying the lube onto the chain.

the tech quickly went over the installation of brake pads. he went so quick that i can hardly remember... i think i might have to just service my brakes at REI or any bicycle shop when the time comes.

patching flat tire with a patch kit is a pretty easy. but id rather just replace the tube with a new one. first finding the hole can be a task. then you have to sand down the hole to make sure its smooth and apply the glue. after applying the glue add the patch. then you can slowly inflate the tube and insert it into the tire.

the REI Basic Maintenance course was very informative and a lot of that information can be found online. seeing it in person helps out a lot. the class felt a bit rush since we had to cover a lot of topics. it was longer than expected but all in all it was a good time.

cycling clothes

in different activities there is a specific set of apperal. you can wear anything you want but sometimes its recommended. like in basketball you see players wear baggy shorts and tops. hardcore runners wear the short shorts and tight top. but for me when i go running i like to wear something thats not too tight and not too loose. the average cyclist usually wears the spandex style shorts with padding in the crotch area to provide a comfortable ride and a zippered jersey to cool down. at first i thought that the whole looked dorky. after purchasing my fox jersey from REI i found out that cycling clothes definitely function the way it should. they wick the sweat away and make the ride more comfortable... for zippered jerseys... when you feel a bit hot and sweaty i can just zip it down alittle and cool down...

you can pretty much wear anything but wearing jeans increases the chances that youll get the pant leg stuck in the chain. i also picked up some fox mountain bike shorts, which are a bit looser and have the padding and a sleeveless performance jersey for those summer rides. cycling clothes can really be expensive, so its good to wait till they go on sale.