Roger Bikes

Category: Daily Ride

Everyday I go for a ride on a bike. These posts are about those rides.

  • WTF? : 33/100

    WTF? : 33/100

    Its hard to think of what to write about right now that doesn’t address the elephant in the room. The US, the country that I live in, is continuing to fracture across ideologies at a lightning pace.

    I remember the Rodney King video in 1991 and watching it on TV. I was 15 years old and had grown up in the mountains of Colorado. I played ice hockey and we would travel to Denver most weekends during the season. This exposed me to the city, but mostly to the suburbs. Basically nothing really happened while I grew up.

    Then the Rodney King video came out showing several Los Angeles police officers ruthlessly beat Mr King. News organizations around the world picked it up and broadcast it constantly. It seemed really hard to believe that Mr King was fighting back somehow, which was the defense of the officers. At 15 I knew it was wrong and that the officers needed to be held accountable for their actions.

    Fast forward one year and the trial of the 4 officers charged had them all acquitted. Los Angeles blew up. For 6 days people reacted to the verdict with anger and violence. Many people died, the camera footage was graphic and constantly on TV.

    Today I am watching hundreds of Rodney Kings and LA riots unfold at the same time. The police response across the country has varied from horrific to humanizing. I mentioned at work earlier that I am still in shock about it all.

    I started searching for how to be a white person and fight racism. My thinking was that I can use logic and reason to become a better white person. The good news is that you don’t have to study too much. You just treat everyone with the respect that you expect from them. Regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, education, employment, or choice of music.

    Then we need to talk about this to everyone we know. I have friends and family that don’t treat everyone with respect. There are a myraid of reasons they think this way and I try to talk with them about it. Helping people see their prejudices is difficult but rewarding.

    Also we need to vote, but politics is a whole other can of worms.

    Workout detail

    Finally got on the bike for the first time in many days. It felt good to ride up the road a bit. Once I was warmed up I came back and road the fence-line loop a few times. It still needs a lot of grooming but its a fun loop around the property. Kate and I also did the post dinner trail walk.

  • Trail Building : 26/100

    Trail Building : 26/100

    I grew up mountain biking in the Colorado Rockies and just as the sport was taking off in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I looked up to riders like John Tomac, Ned Overend, Tinker Warez, and others. We would toad trip to Moab, UT for spring break and ride Slick Rock, Poison Spider, and Porcupine Rim. I love riding the dirt.

    When we purchased land a few years ago my first thoughts were to make a system of bike/hike trails. Reality hit me when I realized that trail building is also shallow ditch digging. However, this year is the year that I kick things into gear. I am riding well and the strength routine has my arms ready for digging.

    The first trail is the one that came with the land. Its called fence-line cause it follows our fence-line. The prior owner had walked the perimeter a lot and the trail formed over time. Its not a great biking trail, yet. I need to rake it and in places dig vegetation back a bit.

    The outside line is mostly where fence-line trail exists. Lots of work to be done here.

    Fence-line is fun but I wanted to build something smaller and slower for anyone to ride. It has some challenge to it so you feel accomplishment, but mostly its just for fun. There is a good amount of cactus throughout this area of the land. So we call her: Kiss of Cactus

    It’s a quarter of a mile long, and gains 16ft of elevation.

    Kiss of Cactus is a fun quick rolling spin around the highest point of the land. It was fun to build the first trail small so that it would be ride-able quickly. The next trail will be a little longer and faster. I hope to have it done in a few weeks. However, we are hanging drywall this weekend so there may be a delay.

    • Flag the trail
    • Rake the trail
    • Cut the trail
    • Ride the trail

    Workout detail

    3 sets of 3x10second sprints.

    The Fence-line to Kiss of Cactus is the perfect trail for 10 second all out efforts. There is a small climb on Fence-line to the corner where Kiss of Cactus begins. That is where I do the 10 second sprint and then cool down for 3 minutes by riding back down.

    Happy Tuesday, y’all!

  • Making bicycling a habit : 24/100

    Making bicycling a habit : 24/100

    If you have been with me for that last 3 posts on getting started with bicycling, you should now know:

    The 4th installment of this series examines how to make riding your bike into a habit. Making riding a habit is as easy as getting on the bike and riding 3 or more times a week. Putting some thought into the why and how of riding a bike can help you find time to go riding.

    Motivation

    Find motivation, or a reason to ride. Then on days where you aren’t as excited to go riding, or time is short, you will have a reason to help you get it done. You will also be better at explaining to others why you are spending time and money on this new activity.

    There are a lot of reasons to ride a bike:

    1. Its a lot of fun
    2. Its a form of exercise
    3. You can go fast
    4. There is more to see

    Choose one, or all of them, and make up your own. There are very few downsides to getting a bike and riding it 3 times a week. If you have any medical conditions you should consult a doctor before. Otherwise anyone can take up riding a bike and have a great time.

    Finding motivation for riding is the first thing you should put some thought into. Write it down if that helps. Having a reason to ride makes spending time riding more enjoyable and probable.

    Finding a place to ride

    Is it safe to ride from your home? Riding from home increases the probability that you go for a ride. You just put on you riding clothes, get on your bike, and go for a ride. This is also a new way to see where you live. The pace is slower so you see more. This is how I do the majority of my bike rides.

    If it is not safe to ride a bike around your neighborhood; then don’t do it. The last thing you want is to be nervous and scared while riding your bike. If it makes sense to drive to a nearby park or area of town with bike lanes then drive.

    If you are going off road Trailforks is the site and app to use. The data is crowdsourced, but moderated by local trail groups. In my experience it has been very accurate.

    If Trailforks is a bust have a look at Strava. You can look for local riders and see where they ride. We have found some trails that were on no maps with the Strava method. Also check with the local bike shops, especially for trail conditions.

    For city riding you will want to check Google Maps. They have the most cycling lane data for the planet. Search for your location, have the bike lane setting on, and the bike lanes should appear as green lines on the streets with them. Also just do a Google Search and have it in bike mode and Google will suggest routes. You can use Gmaps Pedometer (now called MilerMeter) if you want to draw your own route.

    How far to ride is determined by your average speed, and how long you have to ride. If you have 20 minutes to ride and average 5mph then you need to plan a 1 mile course. Some people find they can average 10mph within a few weeks of regular riding. Then you would want a 2 mile course, and so on.

    Maintain your bike

    • Wash after each ride
    • Keep chain clean and lubricated.
    • Keep tires inflated.
    • Learn how to change a flat tire.

    Have your gear ready to ride

    I tend to ride in the morning. Its nice to do before work and there’s less wind. It really helps if I have all of my clothing laid out and ready to wear. My water bottle is filled and the tire pump is next to the bike. My helmet is hanging next to the pump.

    Software and hardware

    There is no requirement that you track your rides. However tracking your bike rides is really easy to do if you have a smartphone. My first suggestion would be to use the Strava app to record your rides. It has an intuitive interface and the free version has what you need.

    To begin with you just need to focus on time of ride. Go for 20 minute rides to begin with.

    Riding buddies

    Riding with friends and meeting new people is a great part of riding. However, currently I am not riding with anyone outside my home. Its probably going to be a little while till this changes.

    One extra benefit to using Strava is that you can connect with friends. By following each other you will see when they post a new ride. This can help inspire each other to keep riding. Its also kinda cool.

    Next steps

    Ride for four weeks, 3 times a week, for 20 minutes at a time. Your butt is going to get sore. If it gets too sore then you may need to get a different seat. There is a lot to consider when choosing a seat. Maybe someday I will write a post about that.

    Workout detail

    2.5 hour ride prescribed. I rode some new trails and it was a very nice day. I felt good all ride but my seat was feeling sore in the last 10 minutes or so.

  • Riding safely : 23/100

    Riding safely : 23/100

    This is part 3 of a 4 part series on getting started with bicycling. In part 1 we covered getting a bike and in part 2 we covered proper clothing and tools to start cycling. In part 3 we are going to discuss how to ride your bike safely.

    Its just like riding a bike

    If you haven’t ridden a bike in a few years, or more, you should take some time to re-acquaint yourself with how to ride a bike. The is best done by going to either an empty parking lot or a grass sports field. Lower your seat so that you can sit on it with both feet on the ground. This ensures that if you need to stop suddenly you can just put your feet down.

    Now, practice starting your bike. Put your dominant foot on the pedal at the pedal’s most forward position. If your dominant foot is your right foot the pedal will be at 3 o’clock, if looking at the bike from the right. If it is the left foot then the pedal will be at 9 o’clock, if looking at the bike from the left.

    With both hands on the handlebar stand on the dominant foot and pick your other foot off of the ground. You should be moving forward and placing your non-dominant foot onto its pedal. As the pedal gets to the most forward position, push down on it. Keep repeating this alternating pedal pressure and you will continue forward.

    Remain seated and adjust the handlebars either right or left to avoid objects like curbs, rocks, people, and cars (to name just a few). If your bike has handlebar breaks make sure your fingers are on them. If you need to stop pull them both gently towards the handlebar.

    Once you have starting and stopping down you can work on turning. Start with making a 360 degree turn to the right. Then do them to the left. When you are comfortable with that link them together into a figure 8: Start pedaling and turn one direction until you come back to where you started. Once you are at your starting location start turning the opposite direction until you are back to where you started. Practice figure 8’s going both directions. Try getting the circles to be as small as you can without putting a foot down.

    Riding on roads

    In the US and many countries bicycles have to follow the same rules as cars. This means that when biking on a road you should be on the same side that cars travel. In the US this means you are on the right side of the road. Be aware that you are sharing the road with cars and try to get as far over to the right as is safe.

    You need to obey all street signs and lights that a car does. This includes stop signs and lights. Try to remain predictable to cars and other bikes. This will allow them to anticipate where you are going to avoid running into you.

    Always keep in mind that car to bike collisions are the most dangerous part of riding a bike. Don’t count on cars seeing you on the road. If the shoulder is small then you may want to find a safer route to ride. If there is no alternative you may consider wearing high visibility clothing and/or flashing lights:

    These have been our favorite lights for a few years. They are super bright and USB rechargeable.

    Riding on trails and paths

    When you are riding your bike on trails and paths there is some basic etiquette to follow. Bikes should always yield to pedestrians and animals(horses, etc). There are many reasons for this, but you just need follow it. Also if you are going down a narrow trail and someone is riding up you should stop and pull off the trail.

    If you need to pass anyone from behind you should alert them of your presence well before you get to them. Based on your speed this may be 20 yards or further. Let them know which side you will be passing on. This should give them enough time to adjust without jumping into your path.

    Let people know where you are going

    When you are setting out on a ride you should let at least one adult know where you are going, and when you expect to be back. This may mean that you get a fresh lunch or dinner when you get home. More importantly this lets people know where and when they might need to look for you.

    If you get a flat tire, or worse, having someone drive and pick you up is always nice. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged before setting off for a ride as well. That way if something does come up you can either call for help or let people know you will be late.

    What to take with you

    Besides having your bike, wearing proper clothing, and having a water bottle there are a few essential items you should have on a ride:

    1. Identification – If you are incapacitated from a fall having your ID on you will be invaluable.
    2. Cash money – You may need to pay a mechanic or get some calories at a gas station. If you tear your tire’s sidewall a dollar bill can help get you home by patching it.
    3. Multi-tool – The multi-tool you bought after yesterday’s post should fit in your pocket. Bring it.
    4. Fully charged cell phone – Besides calling for help you can see where you are on the GPS map, and take cool photos of your ride.

    Staying safe while riding is not too hard but you need to take it seriously. Overall riding bikes is a fun and safe activity. Keep this post in mind and you will be fine.

    Workout Detail

    Long slow ride for 2 hours. Today was another beautiful day in Colorado. I road up to the Chicken Creek Nordic Center on Road 40. From there I road on the main large trail loop and then headed home. There were some deer on the road near the start of Road 40. Overall there were not any people out that I saw.

    I hope you had a great Saturday as well!

  • Getting started with bicycling : 21/100

    Getting started with bicycling : 21/100

    I spend a lot of time on this site talking about how I ride my bike. Currently I am on week 7 of a 12 week base training program for mountain bike racing. My thinking was that I needed a distraction from current events. I also wanted to add some structure to my bike rides.

    Not everyone who rides bikes needs to follow this path though. You can ride for fun, to workout, to get to work, or go shopping. Some people play polo on their bikes. The great thing about bike riding is that even just doing it for fun is a great form of exercise.

    If you are thinking about getting a bike here are some things to consider:

    I am going to write about each of these considerations over the next 4 days. Today I will cover:

    Choosing a bike

    If you are just getting started with riding a bike my #1 suggestion is to find friends who ride. Generally they have extra bike(s) lying around. If you mention to them that you are thinking about getting a bike there is a good chance they will offer one of theirs to try out. You will want to make sure the bike fits you of course. This will let you try riding with almost no expense.

    Second to bumming a friends bike is buying a used bike. There are a lot of ways to go about finding a used bike. Maybe you tried a friends bike and they are willing to sell it to you. Check your local bike shop (LBS) as some people will trade a bike in when they buy a new one. The best place to look though is on Craigslist. Here are some more articles on buying a bike on Craigslist.

    Budget depends on a number of things and will be individual to everyone. My general rule of thumb is that if you want a bike that is in good riding condition you will want to budget around $500US. My experience has been that bikes selling for less generally have some type of major mechanical issue that probably are not worth repairing.

    You also want to keep in mind that if its too sweat a deal to be true then its probably a stolen bike. There are various sites where you can check to see if a bike has been stolen. When our bikes were stolen a few years ago we registered them on Bike Registry. A few months later we got a call that someone had found my wife’s bike.

    Hey Deer

    When you are looking for a bike you want to think about what types of riding you will be doing. Are you going to only ride on pavement or concrete roads and paths? Are you going to want to ride off road on dirt paths or roads?

    My personal opinion is that everyone should start off on a cruising bike or a hard tail mountain bike. These bikes are the most comfortable with an upright riding position. This means you will be able to ride with less back and arm strain. You will also be able to look around more clearly which is great for safety.

    A cruising bike is mainly for riding on paved surfaces. There is very little tread to the tires and only a few gears, if any. When we lived in Phoenix we had a lot of bikes and 2 of them were our cruising bikes. They may have had coconut can holders. For soda of course.

    A hard tail mountain bike gives you the most options for riding a variety of terrain. The tires are larger and have more tread for riding in softer terrain like dirt, gravel, and sand. If the bike was made after 2000 it probably has a front suspension fork.

    There are a lot more types of bikes than these two, but when you are just getting started they keep it simple and fun. They will make you feel comfortable which means you are going to have a better chance of enjoying your first few rides. Before the saddle soreness kicks in. 😉

    Once you find a bike that rides well and is within your budget you will either want your mechanically inclined bike friend or local bike shop to look it over. Just like with a used car there are a lot of things that can go wrong with a bike. Its no fun to get home and find the bearings are shot or the cables need to be replaced.

    I hope some of that helps you if you are looking for a bike. Let me know if you have any questions. Tomorrow we will cover proper clothing and tools for riding you bike.

    Workout

    3 sets of 8 minute high tempo intervals at heart rate zone 4. This is a challenging workout and I went out too hard on the first one. By the 3rd I was getting the tempo right and felt great.

    Happy Thursday! See you tomorrow!

  • Sprints : 19/100

    Sprints : 19/100

    Some days are a series of sprints, one after another, until you collapse, or are ready to. Today was one of those days. It started with a morning workout of nine 10 second sprints on the bike. Then work ended up being a lot of sprints. Suddenly the day is over and I am ready to stop sprinting.

    Ideally you don’t need to sprint all day. Ideally you have things planned out and there are no distractions. Unfortunately we live in reality. The important part is to make sure that in between the sprints you take a moment to breath. During that moment you check in with yourself and everything else that is going on.

    During a workout you may want to take a sip of water. You should also check your watch to tell how long a rest you need to take. Maybe shift down a few gears to recover.

    At work you may want to check your messages in which ever platform you use. If you have a lot of urgent work that will require repeated sprints then you will want to prioritize them. Priority may be a certain client or just whatever has been around the longest. It may also be something that is preventing other things from working. Determine the priority and then move to get things done.

    Workout Detail

    L6+ sprints 3 sets 3 x 10″ (structured) is the name of the workout. L6+ means maximum effort, all you got. Sprints means high gear short burst. There are 3 sets. In those 3 sets are three 10 second sprints.

    Between the sprints you get 3 minutes of rest. Between the sets you get 5 minutes of rest. It helps to find a hill with a 3-5% grade so that you can push as hard as possible with no chance of it being easy.

    This was my first sprint workout in over 6 years. It was fun and different. I was a little nervous about keeping count of everything. Since the workout was broken up into 3 sets it was easier to keep count though. It will be interesting to see how my legs feel tomorrow.

    Happy sprinting!

  • Sunny Day : 17/100

    Sunny Day : 17/100

    Another beautiful day in Colorado. We went on a small group ride for a couple of hours. Then came home and sat in the shade as it was also a warm day. I think everyone got sunburned today. Ooopsie.

    Workout Details:

    2 hour ride at level 2 heart rate zone. Nice and easy to finish out the rest and recovery week. The new wax chain setup seems really smooth. I am excited to ride on it more and see how it does.

    Tomorrow we are back at it with a strength workout and then Sprints on Tuesday.

    Weather forecast says Tuesday is going to be very windy and then freezing temperatures Wednesday night.

  • Wax on : 16/100

    Wax on : 16/100

    After your tires the bike chain is the most used piece of equipment. A chain is as critical as the bearings in your wheels and bottom bracket, but it gets none of the protection. Keeping a chain clean and lubricated is a constant process. The main method of lubricating a bike chain is with grease and oil, and require almost constant work.

    #nasty

    If we remain open and calm, uncertainty can be seen as an abundance of opportunity.

    Swiss miss

    Now that I am riding 4 or more times a week the maintenance of my bike has also increased. As you ride the dirt builds up in your chain. Wiping the chain with a rag simply pushes more dirt further into the links and rollers leading to more friction. Eventually you need to remove the chain and soak it in spirits to clean it.

    When I was a kid I recall seeing chain wax in bike parts catalogs. Back then the idea of removing your chain that often was a scary proposition. Then a few years ago I saw this video:

    Then this one came out just a few months ago with an improved process:

    The idea of waxing a bike chain seems so bizarre at first glance that I dismissed it without additional thought. Fortunately those videos above explained it well enough that I had to give it a try. Now that we are back on the land I have all of my materials:

    • Slow Cooker
    • 1 lb Wax
    • 1.5 oz PTFE/Teflon powder 1.6 microns or smaller
    • Gasoline
    • De-greaser
    • Denatured Alcohol
    • New Bike chain

    When you get a new bike chain it is covered with a sticky film that almost everyone recommends you remove immediately. In this case we do 3 soaks in 3 spirits to strip it down to bare metal. The first step is to soak it in gasoline for 12 hours. Then soak it in de-greaser for 30 minutes. After rising the chain with water it gets soaked for 30 more minutes in the denatured alcohol.

    • Overnight Gasoline
    • 30 min De-greaser
    • 30 min Alcohol

    As the final two soaks are started you can fire up the slow cooker and melt the wax. Apparently the ideal temperature is between 194 and 204 Fahrenheit. Once the wax is all melted you add the PTFE powder and stir it up.

    Wrong focus

    Once you pull the chain from the alcohol it dries pretty quickly. Slide it onto a piece of wire coat hanger and dip it into the wax. The first application gets soaked for 10 to 15 minutes.

    Then pull the chain out and let it cool. It will be very stiff with the hardened wax and you will need to run it through your hands to free each link up. At that point it is ready to be returned to your bike and ridden.

    Every 150 to 180 miles you need rinse the chain by pouring boiling water on it. This will rinse any dirt off of the outside of the chain but leave most of the wax and PTFB between the pins and rollers. Then reheat the wax mixture and dip the chain for 5 to 10 minutes.

    You should be able to keep rewaxing with this batch for over 9000 miles. At that point the chain may be ready for replacement. This is far more life than most chains ever see. In addition the rest of the drivetrain will last for another 18000+ miles by which time you may be considering a new bike. For comparison I hope to ride 5000 miles this year but will probably come up short of that.

    There are some drawbacks to this process:

    • Lots of equipment involved
    • Preparation and organization is required

    I am looking forward to seeing how this process works. From everything I have watched and read it sounds like the benefits are huge. I will report back as we progress with testing.

    Pro tip in Gutenberg: If you want to add a paragraph before the first one use: ⌥⌘T . It will insert a block before the one you are currently in. Use ⌥⌘Y to put one after.

    Workout detail:

    This is the 6th week of my 12 week training program. While the majority of the week was full of rest and recovery workouts, today was different. Today we did a fitness or FTP test. This involves 20 minutes of maximum effort. You should be ready to puke near the end of this workout.

    The idea behind the fitness test is that you go really hard for 20 minutes. From that you can make an educated guess at what your average heart rate would be for a 60 minute all out effort. From that you have your functional threshold heart rate and from that you get your heart rate zones for training. (The reason you only do 20 minutes is because doing 60 minutes would probably result in injury or death.)

    Today I matched my effort from 6 weeks ago. While I wish I had improved I feel good about this. I know I could have push myself harder during the 20 minute effort. Also it was another beautiful day of riding.

    I hope your Saturday was great too.

  • Maintenance : 14/100

    Maintenance : 14/100

    What do I want to write about today? So many options and yet so little determination to make a decision. I have to work in just over 30 minutes so I need to make this quick.

    Its Thursday which means we are close to the weekend. Close enough that I am already making plans:

    • Mow the yard
    • Work on the old Trek, replace chain, tune up
    • Get fitness test done on Saturday
    • Go for long slow ride with Kate on Sunday
    • Work on the workshop

    Before then I am going to try out a new-to-me technique of waxing my bike chain. Basically you take a new chain and strip it down to bare metal by soaking it in gasoline, then de-greaser, then denatured alcohol. Then you heat up parrafin wax and mix in some powdered teflon in a crockpot. You let the chain soak in the wax for 15 minutes and then pull it out to dry. Then you ride with it. About every 200 miles you pull the chain off and rinse the dirt and exterior wax off with boiling water. The chain gets another dip in the wax and you continue riding.

    Based on the following video this technique keeps everything super clean and smooth. Which results in the drive train lasting much longer. Also there are a lot fewer chemicals used over the life of the chain compared to typical lubrication techniques.

    This guy is the new sham wow man!

    I am documenting the process and will report as things progress.

    Workout details:

    We are still in the rest week so today’s ride was a simple 1 hour cruise at heart rate level 2. I went right out the driveway to Road 40 today. The temperature was a little crisp and my butt was a little tired. Still the sun was shining and I was smiling.

    I hope your day is going well!

  • Turn and do not burn : 12/100

    Turn and do not burn : 12/100

    I had a lot to say but none of it sounded great today. So now I have 3 drafts going for future posts.

    Haven’t thought about ATP since high school biology.

    Workout Details:

    Bison, not Buffalo

    This week is a rest week in my training. It is the 6th week of a 12 week program focused on getting my base fitness to a solid foundation. I was expecting to be exhausted all week. Yesterday I woke up and took my time and had planned on skipping the strength workout. By the end of the work day I was recovered and ready to do the workout.

    Today’s prescription was a 1 hour ride at level 2. Turn and do not burn. I took a left out of the driveway and headed up highway 184 towards the town of Dolores. I went out about 30 minutes and then came home. The air was a little cold but once I got moving in the sun everything was good to go.

    Overall the ride was great and today was pretty solid overall.