There is a saying that it is hard to make things foolproof because fools are just so ingenious. That seems to be the case of my first day wearing my new waterproof cycling gloves.
Last Friday, I was taking a rest day from commuting in preparation for my first brevet. I decided to drop by a bike shop on my way home. Having checked the weather, I knew some waterproof gloves would be a good addition. I was also checking the sales on winter gear in general.
They had several brands and models of waterproof, winter gloves. I settled on a pair of Specialized Radiant gloves. They were 20% off. I was eyeing a jacket/heavy jersey, but it wasn't for the rain, so I decided to wait and see if I find something else or if it gets discounted further as the weather warms up.
So I started the all day ride on Saturday wearing my new gloves. I brought a lighter, but full fingered, pair in case it got warmer in the afternoon. It started raining within the first 10 minutes of the ride, so the gloves were getting a test. And so was the fool.
I had on my rain jacket with nice tight cuffs, but I had pulled the gloves over the cuffs. Now picture your self on your bike. Your arms slope down to your hands. When it is raining, the water runs down this same way. In my case slowly into the lining on the cuffs of the gloves. They gloves slowly wicked this water inside. So they got wet and heavy, but I did not notice until they were too wet to dry that day. Still I have to say they did stay warm if not dry.
To make sure there was not a problem with the gloves waterproofing, I did a little experiment after they dried out. I put them on and ran water on them under the sink. I was careful not to get water into cuffs. They performed perfectly. The outer layer is wet to the feel (from the outside), but the inside of the gloves stayed perfectly dry.
So next time I will pull my jacket cuffs over the gloves. I will have to find a different way to be the fool.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My First Brevet
This is not about commuting but another ride I did, a 200k brevet. I will say that some of the things I learned from commuting helped on this ride which was part of a randoneuring series offered by Bicycle For Life. Plus the overall attitude of bicycle commuting and randoneuring share some things.
RUSA defines randonneuring like this:
Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.
Like any kind of cycling, people have different goals, but a common one for randonneurs is to ride Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) which happens every 4 years including 2011. To qualify to ride PBP, you have to ride a 200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K brevet. The day I rode there were 200K, 300K, and 600K riders. In fact I think there were more doing the 600K than any other distance.
So I did the longest ride I have ever done, but it was the shorest route being offered. But I did find the common attitude of being self sufficient and pushing through are certainly shared between randoneering and bicycle commuting.
In particular this ride was done in rainy and cold weather and finished after dark. So my experience with choosing clothes for daily commuting conditions gave my confidence that I was picking the right thing to wear. Finishing after dark was not a problem because I knew my lights would work. After all, I have been using them everyday, twice a day, while commuting during the short winter days.
My only real problem was with the new waterproof gloves I bought just before the ride. I will talk about them more tomorrow.
RUSA defines randonneuring like this:
Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.
Like any kind of cycling, people have different goals, but a common one for randonneurs is to ride Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) which happens every 4 years including 2011. To qualify to ride PBP, you have to ride a 200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K brevet. The day I rode there were 200K, 300K, and 600K riders. In fact I think there were more doing the 600K than any other distance.
So I did the longest ride I have ever done, but it was the shorest route being offered. But I did find the common attitude of being self sufficient and pushing through are certainly shared between randoneering and bicycle commuting.
In particular this ride was done in rainy and cold weather and finished after dark. So my experience with choosing clothes for daily commuting conditions gave my confidence that I was picking the right thing to wear. Finishing after dark was not a problem because I knew my lights would work. After all, I have been using them everyday, twice a day, while commuting during the short winter days.
My only real problem was with the new waterproof gloves I bought just before the ride. I will talk about them more tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Mini-Rant About Transportation Funding
I want to touch on a recent news story where US Representative Duncan Hunter of California said having bicycle funding in the transportation bill is unconstitutional. The heart of Representative Hunter's statement comes from thinking cycling is recreational rather than transportation. Without getting into Constitutional law which I don't feel qualified to discuss, I would like to comment on these ideas.
Many of us who ride for transportation would dispute that cycling is just recreational. Also a significant number of miles people drive in cars, including me, are also recreational. If I drive back and forth to work all week that is about 100 miles. If I drive to the beach of mountains for the weekend that is 200-400 miles.
I poked around a little and found some things in the documents our country is built on that I would interpret to cover the support of cycling infrastructure. The Declaration of Independence includes the words pursuit of happiness. All the cyclists I know riding for transportation would say that cycling gives them more happiness than driving. The Declaration of Independence goes on to say government should organize its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. So if the government is building transportation infrastructure it seems imperative to consider the safety of all users. After all we don't let the truckers just do what they want. There are plenty of rules to make their use of the transportation network safer. The same is true of trains and planes.
It seems like I could go on and on, but I will stop here and see if others would like to comment.
On a related note, Tom Bowden had an article on Commute By Bike discussing How to Talk About Cycling to a Conservative that is worth a read.
Many of us who ride for transportation would dispute that cycling is just recreational. Also a significant number of miles people drive in cars, including me, are also recreational. If I drive back and forth to work all week that is about 100 miles. If I drive to the beach of mountains for the weekend that is 200-400 miles.
I poked around a little and found some things in the documents our country is built on that I would interpret to cover the support of cycling infrastructure. The Declaration of Independence includes the words pursuit of happiness. All the cyclists I know riding for transportation would say that cycling gives them more happiness than driving. The Declaration of Independence goes on to say government should organize its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. So if the government is building transportation infrastructure it seems imperative to consider the safety of all users. After all we don't let the truckers just do what they want. There are plenty of rules to make their use of the transportation network safer. The same is true of trains and planes.
It seems like I could go on and on, but I will stop here and see if others would like to comment.
On a related note, Tom Bowden had an article on Commute By Bike discussing How to Talk About Cycling to a Conservative that is worth a read.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Bicycle Podcasts
I thought I would share a list of the bicycle podcasts I listen to*. This is just one bicycle bloggers opinion, so don't keep it from sharing yours. I try to mention the sound quality mostly because it is a pet peeve of mine, but also if you want to listen while riding it helps if the volume and clarity are consistent. I don't listen too loud when I am riding, so good quality keeps me from missing things.
VeloReviews - The podcast is an extension of the web site and offers practical advice for riding, training, and maintaining your bike. Nice style and banter. You can almost always hear what is going on.
Bicycle Radio - covers wide range of topics. I have often discovered new cycling events and causes from this show. Very casual style with lots of banter. You can hear the main people well, but some of the others are hard to hear. They struggle with their phone interviews.
Bike Show - This is an actual radio show in London. There is usually some general news, some about racing but mostly about more ordinary cycling. The interviews are very good, ranging from master frame makers to the new Olympic Velodrome. The sound is good. I want to know how he gets good recordings when interviewing a person while they are both riding bikes in London.
Two Johns - The Two Johns cover international news, local (meaning US with some weight on Ohio and North Carolina) news, and lots of email questions. They can be a little scattered but in an entertaining way. They have improved their sound recently.
The FredCast - Just having the single voice of David Bernstein, gives this podcast a different feel. David has lots of industry connections and that gives him a different perspective. There is lots of racing news but also bicycle industry in general. The shows have lots of information but not too much entertainment.The sound is nearly flawless.
The Spokesmen is a round table discussion with a rotating cast of industry insiders. They have lots of information and passion for almost all aspects of cycling. There is plenty of talk about racing but also general industry and current events related to cycling. David Bernstein of the FredCast is the host most often and the sound quality reflects that. It is almost as good as the FredCast. The multiple people via Skype makes it more challenging but it is still very good.
Velo Club Don Logan is a new podcast from Scotland. The accents are pretty heavy, but I can follow it just fine. They talk about road (mostly racing and some touring) and mountain. Their local news is certainly about Scotland and the UK, but it is still generally interesting. It can give you some good ideas of places to ride if you visit. The sound is a little uneven, but I am hoping a little experience will smooth it out.
WJCU - The Outspoken Cyclist - I just found this one. I haven't heard enough to give an opinion, but I suspect it is a keeper.
I know there are probably more Podcasts out there, so chime in with your favorites.
* I know this sentence ends in a preposition, but that is the way people talk. It does remind me of a story. Being a former student at Texas A&M I will tell it with an Aggie. You will have to supply your own accents. So am Aggie goes to graduate school at Harvard. On arriving on campus, he asks a student walking by, "Can you tell me where is the library at"? The Harvard student responds "At Harvard, we do not end out sentences with a preposition". So the Aggie corrects the query "Can you tell me where the library is at, jerk".
VeloReviews - The podcast is an extension of the web site and offers practical advice for riding, training, and maintaining your bike. Nice style and banter. You can almost always hear what is going on.
Bicycle Radio - covers wide range of topics. I have often discovered new cycling events and causes from this show. Very casual style with lots of banter. You can hear the main people well, but some of the others are hard to hear. They struggle with their phone interviews.
Bike Show - This is an actual radio show in London. There is usually some general news, some about racing but mostly about more ordinary cycling. The interviews are very good, ranging from master frame makers to the new Olympic Velodrome. The sound is good. I want to know how he gets good recordings when interviewing a person while they are both riding bikes in London.
Two Johns - The Two Johns cover international news, local (meaning US with some weight on Ohio and North Carolina) news, and lots of email questions. They can be a little scattered but in an entertaining way. They have improved their sound recently.
The FredCast - Just having the single voice of David Bernstein, gives this podcast a different feel. David has lots of industry connections and that gives him a different perspective. There is lots of racing news but also bicycle industry in general. The shows have lots of information but not too much entertainment.The sound is nearly flawless.
The Spokesmen is a round table discussion with a rotating cast of industry insiders. They have lots of information and passion for almost all aspects of cycling. There is plenty of talk about racing but also general industry and current events related to cycling. David Bernstein of the FredCast is the host most often and the sound quality reflects that. It is almost as good as the FredCast. The multiple people via Skype makes it more challenging but it is still very good.
Velo Club Don Logan is a new podcast from Scotland. The accents are pretty heavy, but I can follow it just fine. They talk about road (mostly racing and some touring) and mountain. Their local news is certainly about Scotland and the UK, but it is still generally interesting. It can give you some good ideas of places to ride if you visit. The sound is a little uneven, but I am hoping a little experience will smooth it out.
WJCU - The Outspoken Cyclist - I just found this one. I haven't heard enough to give an opinion, but I suspect it is a keeper.
I know there are probably more Podcasts out there, so chime in with your favorites.
* I know this sentence ends in a preposition, but that is the way people talk. It does remind me of a story. Being a former student at Texas A&M I will tell it with an Aggie. You will have to supply your own accents. So am Aggie goes to graduate school at Harvard. On arriving on campus, he asks a student walking by, "Can you tell me where is the library at"? The Harvard student responds "At Harvard, we do not end out sentences with a preposition". So the Aggie corrects the query "Can you tell me where the library is at, jerk".
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Flat By Any Other Name Still Stinks
Last year on the first Saturday in February I attempted my first brevet. A 200km ride in a nice flat part of the North Carolina coastal plain hosted by Bicycle For Life. I ended up with more flats than spares. I had some new wheels but not new tires or tubes. I made it past half-way and had to abandon.
Tomorrow I will be riding the same brevet again. I have much confidence in my fitness, nutrition, bike and preparation for flats so I am confident of making the full distance this time.
Here is what I am carry for fixing flats on both my road bike and commuting bike. I carry two spare tubes and a Slime Scabs patch kit. For inflation I carry a Crank Brothers Power Pump and a Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus with 3 CO2 cartridges.
Besides fixing flats I also like avoiding them. Besides doing my best to avoid road hazards I run 28mm Schwalbe Marathon tires inflated to about 80 PSI.
Tomorrow will tell, but again I am confident that my tires will not foil my ride.
Tomorrow I will be riding the same brevet again. I have much confidence in my fitness, nutrition, bike and preparation for flats so I am confident of making the full distance this time.
Here is what I am carry for fixing flats on both my road bike and commuting bike. I carry two spare tubes and a Slime Scabs patch kit. For inflation I carry a Crank Brothers Power Pump and a Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus with 3 CO2 cartridges.
Besides fixing flats I also like avoiding them. Besides doing my best to avoid road hazards I run 28mm Schwalbe Marathon tires inflated to about 80 PSI.
Tomorrow will tell, but again I am confident that my tires will not foil my ride.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
When Does a Rain Jacket Make You Wet?
Currently i just have one cycling jacket, a Pearl Izumi Slice. But this morning I found myself kind of wet and kind of chilled wearing it. This is for two reasons. The first is while the jacket is breathable, you can still generate enough heat inside of it to sweat. Then the base layer shirt I wore this morning is too loose. It gets sweat on it but does not stay right against my skin. That lets it get cold and then contact the skin again making me cold.
All this on a day with no rain, so I really didn't need the rain jacket, but I don't have anything else to block the wind that was anymore breathable. I am keeping an eye out for a wind block jacket. The pants I wear in the cold weather have wind block on the front and much more breathable fabric on the back. This seems to work very well and the range of temperatures wearing just these (well I wear padded bike underwear with them) is great. They are warm enough if the temperature starts in the high 20s and still comfortable if it goes up into the 60s. I have worn them as low as 15 degrees with long underwear under them.
I don't expect a jacket to give that wide of temperature range, but if you know of a good jacket that works from around 30 to 45 degrees deepening on what you wear under it, I would love to hear about it. In the meantime I will check the end of season sales at the local shops.
All this on a day with no rain, so I really didn't need the rain jacket, but I don't have anything else to block the wind that was anymore breathable. I am keeping an eye out for a wind block jacket. The pants I wear in the cold weather have wind block on the front and much more breathable fabric on the back. This seems to work very well and the range of temperatures wearing just these (well I wear padded bike underwear with them) is great. They are warm enough if the temperature starts in the high 20s and still comfortable if it goes up into the 60s. I have worn them as low as 15 degrees with long underwear under them.
I don't expect a jacket to give that wide of temperature range, but if you know of a good jacket that works from around 30 to 45 degrees deepening on what you wear under it, I would love to hear about it. In the meantime I will check the end of season sales at the local shops.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Winter? Weekend Ride
While much of the country is dealing with cold, snow and ice, this last weekend in North Carolina was very nice. On Sunday afternoon I went for a ride in clear weather with little wind and temperatures around 60 degrees.
I think it was the first ride in shorts since sometime in November. I rode with my church group, the Spiritual Spinners. For this time of year, we are hosting Sunday afternoon rides. We had an A (18+ mph) group of 4 or 5 riders, a B (16-18 mph) group of about 8 riders, a C (14-16 mph) group of 5 riders and 2 people doing an in town route. It was a good turnout for Fuquay-Varina (population around 9,000), I rode 10 miles to the ride, then co-led the C group and rode 10 miles home. My total was just a hair over 45 miles.
It was nice to ride with a group. We did a little chatting and a little pace lining. It was a very nice ride.
Being a religious group, the ride always starts with a prayer. I wanted to share some words that are almost always part of our pre-ride prayer and extend the prayer to all the riders out there.
God, let us loom large in the eyes of the drivers and help them and us make good decisions.
I think it was the first ride in shorts since sometime in November. I rode with my church group, the Spiritual Spinners. For this time of year, we are hosting Sunday afternoon rides. We had an A (18+ mph) group of 4 or 5 riders, a B (16-18 mph) group of about 8 riders, a C (14-16 mph) group of 5 riders and 2 people doing an in town route. It was a good turnout for Fuquay-Varina (population around 9,000), I rode 10 miles to the ride, then co-led the C group and rode 10 miles home. My total was just a hair over 45 miles.
It was nice to ride with a group. We did a little chatting and a little pace lining. It was a very nice ride.
Being a religious group, the ride always starts with a prayer. I wanted to share some words that are almost always part of our pre-ride prayer and extend the prayer to all the riders out there.
God, let us loom large in the eyes of the drivers and help them and us make good decisions.
Spiritual Spinners jersey, from the NC Bike MS 2010 rides
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