Tralfaz

Category: cycling

  • Mountain Biking – Starting from Scratch

    Mountain Biking – Starting from Scratch

    As I return to the fold of mountain biking, it is quite like a fresh start. I used to ride a lot, beginning in the late 1980’s on an old Diamondback Ascent, and graduating to front suspension in 1997, I got quite proficient. However after a several year layoff, it is indeed like starting from zero. I have to remember and relearn all my skills and instincts.

    I thought it would be good to highlight some learnings, and hopefully help some other newbies to not get discouraged. This will likely run to several parts, so strap in and get ready for a ride:

    • Fear – Unless you only ride flat trails without any real topography or obstacles, you will have some natural fear. This is your brain telling you that you aren’t ready for the challenge you face. It is telling you to slow down and work up to it. If you do not feel any fear, you are likely a sociopath, and probably have a GoPro camera mounted to your helmet. As a beginner, don’t sweat it.
    • Condition – Even if you spend a lot of time at the gym, or riding a road bike, the odds are high that your general state of condition will be wrong for mountain biking. You use different muscles, and very few exercise machines can get you ready. Don’t rush it.
    • Shame – If fear grabs you on a trail or obstacle you are attempting to negotiate, there is no shame in getting off and walking over it. Trust me, no ace mountain biker will give you any crap for it. The alternative, a nasty crash and possibly injuring yourself is not worth the risk. There is no shame in backing down.
    • Safety Gear – While you might argue that you don’t need a helmet on the road (a crazy assertion), there is no way you can make the same case off road. If you ride dirt, if you do anything challenging at all, you WILL fall. Wear all the gear. Helmet, glasses, gloves. If you fall a lot, consider elbow or knee pads. Nothing sucks worse than being miles into the wilderness and getting hurt. Walking out dripping blood is no fun. Be smart.

    The thrill is still there, and the reflexes are (slowly) returning. I have gone back to being a total newbie, riding trails that I know, and it is a joy to learn the basics again.

    As my condition returns, and as I gain confidence/skills, I will again glide over obstacles that are giving me pause today. And that is OK.

    I will never be a GoPro Hero, and that is OK too.

  • Review – Santa Teresa County Park

    Review – Santa Teresa County Park

    As I mentioned in my last post, I have once again slung a leg over a mountain bike, in the quest to get back in shape, and to reduce my stress. One of the impetuses of this is living really close to Santa Teresa park, a place with some amazing riding.

    While the bike is new, and fun, I am not quite ready to write a full review of the bike, but I can write about Santa Teresa park.

    The main entrance is off of Bernal Road. It is a tough climb that is paved into the park. However once you get to the top, there are picnic areas and parking lots. You can rest a bit if you need to before taking to the trails. There is also a parking area, and a pen for the equestrian crowd. Although I have never seen a horse and rider in the park, I am sure they do use the park (you can see the road apples.)

    Last week I rode the north side of the park. Mines trail, from the top of the road (near the IBM entrance). over Joice trail, and finally down Norred trail and out. That was a pretty easy ride, some moderate climbs, and smooth downhill and single track.

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  • Wow, am I out of shape – Mountain Biking

    Wow, am I out of shape – Mountain Biking

    On moving back to the San Jose area, I started fantasizing about getting back into mountain biking. When we moved to south San Jose, close to Santa Teresa Park, the urge grew.

    My last mountain bike was a Specialized Stumpjumper Comp M2. I think I bought it in 1997, when I lived here before. A really nice bike when I bought, I rode the hell out of it, all over the bay area. Unfortunately, living in Arizona, I got out of the habit. Not that there wasn’t great riding, but I just didn’t get with it there.

    When we moved from Tucson to Chandler, I hadn’t ridden the mountain bike in a few years, so it was sold at our moving sale. In Chandler, I got back into road riding, racking up lots of miles on my Lemond Buenos Aires.

    I ended up buying a new bike. A Specialized “Crave” Expert model. A hardtail, 29’er bike. Not top of the line, but a high quality ride nonetheless.

    Today I took it for a first ride. Santa Teresa park. The climb up Bernal road was brutal, but getting to the top, and veering onto the trails was bliss. The reflexes, and the skills are still there, a little dormant, but they come back.

    I am embarrassed with how many times I had to stop to rest. I will get back into shape, but, it is going to be brutal.

    A future post will give a review of the bike.

  • Cycling in the Bay Area

    Cycling in the Bay Area

    From the first time I slung my leg over that second-hand Schwinn Stingray (banana seat and all), I have love bicycling. A happy day when I was able to start bicycling to school, and then getting serious about it after I finished with college, my happiest times were when my work schedule allowed me to get in 200+ miles a week. Last year, while living in Chandler, I got back in the saddle in a serious way, putting on 50 – 90 miles a week, even riding into the office.

    Having moved back to San Jose, the place from which I hail originally, it is comforting to get back on the bicycle again here. Having spent time in the south San Jose area, I know a lot of good routes, and am taking advantage of them. Slowly getting back into shape.

    After a lot of time in Arizona, riding where it is basically flat, and the biggest grade you see is the slight elevation gain on the irrigation canals, you get a bit spoilt. Of course, there was plenty of wind to add to the challenge.

    Here in San Jose though, there are actual, honest-to-God HILLS. Holy shit batman, I am out of shape. The minor hump in Santa Teresa south of Bernal road almost makes me barf my lungs out. I used to think nothing about heading up Big Basin way and riding up to the top of Highway 9, north on Skyline, and then dropping down Page Mill road for a 40 mile loop.

    Well, I will have to get back into the grind. Being almost 50 is hard enough.

  • Saying Goodbye to a Faithful Friend

    It is with sadness in my heart that I must announce the passing of my Cateye Enduro 2 cycling computer.

    I acquired it in early 2002 when I bought my road bike, and it has been a rugged companion since then, logging and recording over 9,000 miles on the bike.

    It was not the first (my first cateye was on a roadbike I bought in 1988), but it will be remembered as the last.

    The Cateye Enduro 2The UI was meh. The process to set it up and program the correct wheel circumference was a bitch. But it kept decent time (I think I reset the clock only a couple of times in the 12 years it was on the bike).

    But its real strength was in the design. As an embedded system, with a very limited size envelope, it lasted 12 years on one CR2032 battery. Crazy in this day of having to recharge your cell phone every day.

    The engineers who designed this fine piece of equipment knew how to optimize for low energy usage, and long battery life. 12 years, 9000 miles of pulses on the speed sensor is a mighty impressive feat.

    But alas, in the era of the iPhone, GPS, and cool bluetooth connectivity, I log more and better data to my phone than ever before. The concept of a dedicated cycling computer is dying.

    I will miss it, but the future is bright.

  • Mountain bike buyers guide – the internet disappoints

    In just about every way, the internet has improved life. From booking airline tickets, to looking up local businesses in the yellow pages, the internet has streamlined the process, and upset business models everywhere.

    $9,000 of dreaming
    $9,000 of dreaming

    But I found something it didn’t improve. I am moving back to the bay area, and I am contemplating getting back into mountain biking to explore all my old haunts. I had to sell some things so I have some cash, so I thought I would do a little research.

    A google search for mountain bike buyers guide returns a huge number of hits. Cool, right? Not so much. Unfortunately most of them are either for true noobies, or for the extra elite (bikes that cost $7,000 or more).

    Nothing for that mid range that I might be able to afford (note to my wife, I am just browsing). So, I figure I will just go to the maker’s sites, and look around. Giant, and Specialized are the big players. There are a lot of smaller marques that are interesting, but for a full line, these two will give a lay of the land.

    Unfortunately, their product lines are complex and confusing. From inexpensive good starter bikes (which I am not interested in) to elite bikes.

    But to figure out what I should look at, I am still as confused. Lots of questions. Unfortunately not really easy to find definitive answers.

    So, I guess I will go back to how I used to shop for bicycles. Go to a couple of different dealers and talk to the staff.

    Seems like I have gone full circle.

  • Back in the Saddle – New Shoes too!

    Today I got back out cycling. First time since the Christmas shutdown. I had three weeks of travel, and then came back with a gnarly chest cold. that kept me down for more than two weeks.

    I know, I know, lots of excuses.

    Today, I felt pretty good. Not much expectoration, and I have not needed any cold medicine for two days.

    I also took the opportunity to mount the cleats on my new shoes. Back in December, I splurged on a new pair of riding shoes. Since I have wide feet, there are limited choices that fit. Pretty much the Sidi’s or the um, Sidi’s. (gulp, they are also about $200) My old shoes I bought with my bike, back in 2002, so they were 11+ years old, and were really not very supportive anymore.

    I also bought new cleats. I have been a long time Look pedal and cleat user. But the cleats I bought are a little different They are designed to float a bit (several degrees). There are some that are more rigid, so you can tune your ride.

    The new cleats mounted up easily, and the shoes fit well (still need to break in a bit).

    The new cleats are a bit strange. It is much easier to get into the pedals with these cleats. Big bonus. But the floating feels weird. It almost feels like you are not clipped in. But you are, and you can stand up and pump the pedals.

    I am going to have to get used to them, but I think I am going to like them.

    The ride was an easy 15 miles. I felt pretty good, I didn’t push too hard. I probably could have stretched it to 20 miles or more, but I thought that caution was in store.

    I can hardly wait to get out again.

  • A good ride

    I haven’t been able to ride for a few weeks. My left foot was strangely painful, and the cycling shoes made it far worse.

    Today I sucked it up suited up, and headed out into the chilly (50F) morning. I put on an easy 21 miles. Didn’t set any speed records, and I didn’t want to push it too hard.

    The result is good. No pain in the foot, and my hand was OK too (it is a mazing what 800 mg of ibuprofen can do…)

    I may head out again tomorrow.

    My shoes are going to be replaced though. They are 12 years old, and are thoroughly shagged. The problem is I have wide feet. 11.5 EEE to be precise, so I had to order up a pair of cycling shoes. I am sure that they will improve the situation as well.

    Looking forward to heading out tomorrow. Good to be back in the saddle.

  • Idiot Bicyclists

    The weather is (finally) cooling down, and that brings more people on the roads and trails.

    A while back I posted on the lunacy of cyclists here (not knowing hand signals, riding against traffic, riding on the sidewalk etc), but today I saw some new ass-hattery on the canals in Gilbert/Mesa.

    First, I was passing a slower cyclist. Wide open path, plenty wide, and he was well to the right. So I called out “On your left” and breezed by. I am no longer surprised by cyclists wearing earphones, but as I was passing at 22+ mph, with a bit of wind noise in my ears, I could clearly hear his music. Wow, that is one dude who will be having a date with a set of hearing aids.

    I never ride with headphones/earbuds. Running?  sure, I jam out, but cycling on the road, and even on the car-free path of the canals, you need to be aware of your surroundings, and you can’t while blocking an essential part of your sensory input.

    Second, some jackass with his little kid trailer on his bike just pulled across the trail (there was a bridge). No looking at what he was riding into. The fool was fiddling with his smartphone, headphones in, and completely oblivious that he almost took out someone walking on the path as well as making me jam on my brakes hard. He never once glanced up from his phone.

    Third, as I was approaching a street crossing, a couple were riding on the sidewalk, the wrong way (against traffic). I am usually looking left to get an idea of when it is safe to cross. I was luckily able to see them in my peripheral vision and stop, but again, completely oblivious.  They did say “sorry”.

    Why the hell do people (adults) ride on the sidewalk. There are bike lanes all over this town. I swear the police could make bank just hassling stupid riders.

    Fourth, the group riders. I cut slack for families with kids. Nothing like a family outing, and they are usually very polite as you pass (slowly so as to not scare the kids). But today, there was a jackass pack. I saw them pass me the other direction before I made the turn, so I knew I would see them again. But maybe not, they looked pretty serious, so I hoped that they would stay well ahead of me. Alas, my fears were confirmed. I caught them almost instantly, and had to trail them for far too many miles until I could pass them at a major road crossing.

    These idiots were riding 2 and three abreast, taking the whole trail. They were going fast enough that it would have taken a heroic effort to blow by them cleanly, but they were slow enough to let them comfortably talk while they rode.  And they were about 3mph below my “pace” so following them really sucked.

    I will admit it, I am not a group rider. Even riding with one or two other people is something I don’t like to do. I consider bicycling to be me, the bike, the road, and the elements all out there doing battle. I get in a groove, and I keep pushing myself. It is why I like running, and hiking as well.

    I don’t hate coming across groups of riders, but I do try to get by, or redirect my route to not be caught up in their ride. Not my thing, but more power to them. I do hate groups who are completely oblivious to their surroundings, and who are completely inconsiderate of others.

  • A passion rekindled: Cycling

    Off and on throughout my life I have been more or less a serious cyclist. From my first used Schwinn Stingray (I wish I still had that bike) to my current road bike, I have at times been engrossed with the sport, pushing myself to the extreme, and at times I have backed off, not riding much at all.

    I am now going through a phase where I am increasing my cycling, and I am enjoying it. I am currently comfortable doing 25 – 30 mile rides. We have it pretty flat, but I know where to find some good hills that are challenging but not too brutal. Waiting for the weather to cool off a bit for that.

    One thing that has changed is the electronics that you can use. Phones with GPS’s and cool apps for tracking your ride abound, and really help you track your progress. Way back, I remember my first Cateye cycle computer (I still have one) and logging my rides on a paper notebook. Now I use my iPhone, and one of the awesome apps to track and monitor my progress. Added a heart rate monitor, and I now track my cardio (important for a heart attack survivor).  I will be adding a speed and cadence sensor, again, to help optimize my conditioning.

    So much fun.  If you have Strava, follow me on the journey

    Definitely on an upswing. The passion is growing.