The Big-Bearded Bicyclist

Pedal-less and Very Frustrated

Three weeks ago I finally began taking my bike to work again to cycle home after work. What finally got me going again was the situation with my partner's use of the car for her internship in Toronto. She drops me off at work with my bike in the morning and continues on to Toronto and I cycle home after work instead of waiting for her to battle traffic back to Aberfoyle to pick me up on the way home. It would get home around the same time I do now, but would have to stay at work much too late. Plus, as soon as I began cycling home again I felt so good about it.

Having gained a fair bit of weight back over the winter, the first day's 39K commute took me about 2.5 hrs. That's a ridiculously long time for that commute, even if there are two or three decent hills to climb. The second day I had cut that down to 1:58. The third day, 1:45. From then on it's been 1:35. Within two weeks I noticed my strength, recovery and stamina improve significantly.

I had purchased a cycling computer so I could more easily and accurately keep track of the distance I'd cycled and a rain jacket to stay a bit drier on rainy days home. The jacket is great, but the cycling computer not so much. While I'm quite happy with it's functions, I am unhappy about the fact that it resets so easily, causing me to lose all my data. Apparently just keeping it in my pocket when it isn't on the bike is able to reset the whole darn thing. It happened to me twice. The first time I remembered what my odometer had read, but not the second time. I am reasonably sure that I've accumulated well over 500K in the last 3 weeks (it was well over 400K the last time I remember seeing it), but I don't know the exact figure. This bothers me...

While I had found a nice short-cut from Waterdown towards York Blvd in Hamilton, using a largely downhill and very aptly named Snake Road, the new running shoes I'd been using, purchased in the Spring, are so soft that I ended up with rather sore feet after about an hour on the bike. I needed to get cycling shoes and had been eyeing a pair of Keen cycling sandals for some time.

I finally decided that I was barely able to afford the sandals, so I went to MEC in Toronto today and purchased the sandals, a set of half/half pedals by Wellgo (platform on one side and SPD on the other) and a pedal wrench so I could change the pedals myself rather than pay a shop to do it. The guy at MEC mentioned something about pedals sometimes being hard to remove or frozen if they'd been on the bicycle for a long time.

My pedals came off quite easily. Perhaps too easily. When I tried to install the new pedals, I could not get them in. (Yes, I did look at the 'L' and 'R' on the pedals and turn the correct pedal the right direction on the crank to screw it in.) It turns out the thread is damaged or stripped on the left crank arm. This puts me into quite the predicament: if I don't get a new crankset (the chainring has had a wobble for some time too) I am left with a bike that has no pedals, which means I have to stay at work every day 'til my partner can come and pick me up. This can sometimes get quite late. It's bad enough that I usually have to get up at 5:00 to get to work in time. I do not relish the idea of staying there 'til 6 or 7pm every day as well. Yet I cannot presently afford a new chainset, at least not 'til my next pay--chainsets are not cheap. If I were to return my sandals, pedals and pedal wrench to afford a new chainset, I'd end up having to cycle home in my soft running shoes and have sore feet every day again. Maybe, if possible, I'll have to just replace the cranks, even though the whole crankset needs replacing anyway.

Aargh! If I can't find a solution tomorrow, I may have to take a half day off work, when bike stores and the local bike co-ops are open, to get it done, then cycle all the way to work. That would mean cycling up the Niagara escarpment, getting completely sweaty, and having to shower at work before settling into my cubicle. I am very frustrated!       

Trekking (Butterfly) Handlebar for my Montague MX

I finally did it. I got myself a trekking handlebar. I had wanted one for some time as I really needed to do something for my wrist and neck pain. I was hoping the trekking bar, with one hand position a little closer to me and adjustable to be higher as well, would make a difference for my neck, but the main thing I had hoped it would do is give me more hand positions for longer rides to reduce wrist pain. 

I had asked around at various local bike shops (I'm stretching local here, checking out bike shops in neighbouring cities--Stoney Creek, Burlington, Oakville, Ancaster, Dundas, Guelph, even Toronto) and could not find anyone that carried trekking bars, sometimes called euro or butterfly bars. I had heard Nashbar carried them, but they seemed to have discontinued them for the time being.

I finally ordered mine from Wallingford Bicycle Parts in New Orleans. They had to travel a little distance to make it to me, but I didn't expect it to take 15 days! On the 15th day in the morning, being on vacation and itching to go riding, but not wanting to do so 'til I had my new handlebar installed, finally called Bill at Wallbike to see if they'd actually been sent or he could track them. He gave me the tracking number and I found that it was in Hamilton. I picked it up that night from the post office. Here's what I got:

That same night I went to MEC to get some cork handlebar tape and put the new handlebar on. I had never wrapped a bar with tape before, so I watched a couple of online tutorials before wrapping mine. I think it went okay.

Above is the final positioning of the new bar. I took it out for a ride yesterday--about 4 hours--and felt okay about it. It is really much better for my hands. I love having more hand positions. No neck pain, but my back was getting a little sore. Part of it obviously has to do with the shape I've gotten into over the winter, but I thought bringing the front end of the bar up a little more would be good. So I raised the front end by another couple of inches and went for another 2-hour ride.

I'm really enjoying the new setup. I now have a slightly more upright posture and have more hand positions. No pain today. And it almost feels like I'm handling a steering wheel rather than a handlebar. I really like it!

Next items: a cycling computer that is stem-mountable (the one I got recently was defective), perhaps a little German mirror and, of course, Old Man Mountain racks and Ortlieb panniers. 

Today's Commute with Toe Clips, Fenders and Reflective Tape

While looking for things at the surplus to MacGyver the front fender, I also bought DOT-grade automotive reflective tape, the kind you see along the sides of semi-trucks and trailers. Come to think of it, I could probably have gotten it free. Ah nuts! I put some of the tape--red around the back of the bike and white around the front--on my bike last night.

This morning, having toe clips, fenders and reflective tape on my bike, I was excited to commute to work while it was still somewhat dark out. Jihan said, having watched me pedal away from the drop-off point, that the reflective tape was quite bright and really added to my visibility. I had some idea already, having photographed the bike last night and seen the bright orange and white reflection of the light from the camera's flash. I find it amazing how much brighter the reflective tape is than the bicycle reflectors on the wheels. I should probably add some little pieces to the inside of the wheels, following a suggestion made by Sheldon Brown, as reflections on moving parts make for even better visibility.

 

I found also that the toe clips really make a difference, especially on hills. Having my toes strapped in constrained, and therefore focused, the power of my legs and allowed greater application of force throughout the pedals' rotation. Without them, power is only directed forward and downward.

I also noticed, however, that my leg muscles were not used to working in this position. First of all, the toe clips force one to use the ball of one's feet on the pedals rather than the centre, the arch, and so utilize the calf muscles more. In fact, using toe clips caused a number of muscles in my legs to be used differently. There are parts of my leg muscles little used when pedalling with the arch of the foot that are letting themselves be felt right now. And my ankles, more noticeably on the ride home, also got a little tired. I suspect my calves, hamstrings and ankles will receive more of a workout over the next little while.  

What I did not know, as the weather report did not predict it this morning, was that I would also be able to test my new fenders out this afternoon. People at work began freaking out shortly after lunch as they saw severe weather warnings on the weather network's website--thunder showers, hail, high winds, and possibly a small tornado. What would I do, they wondered, finally getting used to the idea of me commuting by bicycle. Shortly after they started talking about it, Jihan also called me to see if I wanted a ride home.

I decided to have her drive towards me, the rain having decreased a little by the time I got off work, while I began to make my way home. I was rather impressed with how the fenders kept the water away from both my feet and the rest of my body. My shoes used to get completely soaked even during light rain and all kinds of crap got sprayed all over me. Not any more. My shoes, even in fairly heavy rain, did not get nearly as wet as before. They mainly got wet from the top.

One troublesome thing after adding fenders has to do with my Saris Thelma 2-Bike rack. I began worrying about it while trying to get to sleep last night. I suspected the front fender would be in the way, so I brought a piece of packaging foam with me to insert between the wheel and the rack's front wheel holder. It turns out a bigger concern than the fender getting bent from the rack--it did get a bit bent, though I was able to adjust it quickly--was the security of the bike in the rack. It almost came loose on the way to the drop-point in the morning.

At work, during my lunch break, I checked the Saris website and they do indeed have a tiny asterisk with fine print stating that the Thelma rack is not designed to hold bicycles with front fenders. I used to love this rack! The fender prevents the front wheel from fully resting in the front wheel support and also prevents the strap from reaching around the wheel. That stinks! The front fender, as far as I'm concerned, is more important than the rear, yet that is precisely the one interfering. What I ended up doing on the way home, and it barely worked, was to simply place the bike on the rack, without any foam in between, and then to use two bungee cords to secure the front wheel, now not sitting as securely in the cradle. Maybe I'll come up with something better still... For now it barely works.

Mixed Bag: Commuting, Fitness and New Additions

Commuting

I completed my second week of commuting to and from work by bicycle on Friday. I feel good about it, even if on two days I got a ride in to work in the morning--one day the weather report called -- incorrectly, it turned out -- for heavy thunder showers, while the other day I ended up having to stay up too late the night before. Anyway, I still cycled a total distance of 293.7 km.

I noticed a few things over the past two weeks of commuting. I still got a very sore neck -- I have not yet dialled in a proper fit or acquired a new handlebar. I also got very wet on one ride, at least for the first half of it, and worse than the rain itself was the dirty water splashing up from the road. Fenders are needed to mitigate that. Also, I've gotten into a bad habit of using the arch of my foot to pedal. Re-installing toe clips, since I don't have clipless pedals and cycling shoes, should correct that. It should also give me some additional power on the hills, of which there are a plenty on my commute.

Take a look at the elevation charts. A colleague at work was asking me about my commute, remarking that the way to work must be especially difficult because of being mostly up hill. So I showed him the following elevation profiles from my commute to and from work, respectively:

As you can see, to work is mostly up hill, with some minor rewards, while back from work, though containing at least three significant ascents, is mostly and drastically down hill. From Waterdown towards Burlington, especially, drops down more than 200 meters. After seeing the elevation profiles, said colleague was even more impressed with my morning commute.

Fitness

Strangely, my weight is doing unexpected things. I usually weigh myself on Mondays. Three Mondays ago I weighed in at 177.5 lbs, two Mondays ago at 177, and then this past Monday, after my first week of commuting, at 177.5 again. It really puzzled and frustrated me. I don't know whether I simply ate that much more during that first week of commuting to offset the energy used or whether I gained the equivalent in muscle mass.

For some reason I decided to step on the scale yesterday morning, just to see where I stood. I weighed in at 173 lbs. I had a hard time believing it, so I weighed myself several times and had Jihan weigh herself too. The scale seems to be all right. Once satisfied that the scale wasn't broken and tricking me, I was quite happy about the new weight. Now I have only about 13 lbs to go to reach the goal set when I began this blog. I hope tomorrow's weight will still be the same...

Now the main thing I need to do is to add some strength training, especially to tighten up the still-too-soft-though-diminishing mid-section. Maybe some crunches are in order.

New Additions to the Bike

I had already decided to put the toe clips that came with my bike back on the pedals to force me back into using the balls of my feet to pedal and generally to more effectively use my pedalling power. I will pay specific attention to hills over the next week to see if the clips make a tangible difference. I hope they do.

I also decided to do at least one thing about rainy weather cycling -- get fenders. I went to MEC to check out their selection of fenders, spent some time online looking at and reading descriptions of various types of fenders sold there, and reading user experiences on blogs and fora. I knew I didn't want the little, dull, clip-on plastic fenders. Part of me leaned towards steel fenders, not so much for the look as for the solid construction. I also liked the look of the Soma EuroTrip Fenders. I didn't want to wait though, so I walked over to my local LBS, knowing that they had some fenders and would likely give me a decent deal and be willing to chat about options. I ended up going with black polycarbonate fenders by Sunny Wheel Industrial Co. (strangely, I can't find the ones I bought on their site).

Anyway, installing them, as I've read in numerous places, and was told by the bicycle store owner as well, was not straightforward or easy. Or, as he put it, 'it's a bitch to install'. The worst part was the front. It turns out the suspension fork on my Montague MX doesn't have eyelets on both sides. One side has two, likely designed for disc brake installation, while the other side has none. I did find a couple of mid-fork braze-ons (I think that's what they're called), the purpose of which I am unsure.

It took me a while to figure out a way to DIY it. At first I thought I might be able to use the plastic clamp from an unused headlight for an additional eyelet, but my fork is too thick. So I went to the local surplus store to look for stuff. I ended up buying a set of nuts and bolts, a set of hose clamps, and some reflector strips. Turns out, after fiddling with them at home, that the screw doesn't actually come out of the clamp altogether, thus rendering it useless for my purposes, that is to fasten the stays to it.

After some further frustration, I decided to modify the front stays so that they could be fastened to the mid-fork braze-ons. I bent them sufficiently to fit. After that, everything else flowed.

A bit more of a close-up showing the way I bent and attached the fender stays.

Here's a pic with both fenders and toe clips installed.

Now I'll have to test them out. I'm sure it will rain again this coming week. I'm interested to see how much of a difference fenders really make in the rain.

First Week of Commuting to Work by Bicycle

Yesterday I completed my first week of using my bicycle to commute to and from work. As mentioned previously, on the way to work I have Jihan drive me up to Waterdown, thus avoiding the extra time it would take to climb up the escarpment near the beginning of my ride. Then, from Waterdown, ON I cycle along smallish rural roads to work in Aberfoyle, ON.

On the way home from work I cycle all the way, door to door, from the office to my apartment. That ride is a bit longer, but the part from Waterdown into Burlington is sweet. Mostly downhill, winding down the escarpment. I actually have to brake to make some of the corners on Mill St. -- the bike speeds up that much. It is, as you can see if you zoom into the terrain view just south-east of Waterdown, a 200m drop in a fairly short distance. See trip below.

Partly because I am not properly geared up for wet weather cycling, and because I got to bed too late on Sunday night to get up early enough to cycle to work, I only did 2 return trips. Oh, and Wednesday night a coworker gave me a ride back because we'd gone to a farewell thing at a pub in Guelph and I didn't feel like much like cycling the distance and get home at 2100 or later.

Altogether, however, I am happy with the total distance traveled this week -- 279 kms. That is more in one week than I've ever done before, and while there were some temporary issues with my Montague MX -- screwed tire on Tuesday and lots of chain/gear noise on Thursday's ride back, having been thoroughly soaked on the morning commute -- both the bike and I are doing fine.

I still need to do more modifications on the bike, however, and dial in a proper fit to both enhance my performance and reduce my physical discomfort. I'd love to be able to visit the Bicycle Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ to get fit properly, or a similar place around here, if it exists. Since I can't afford that, and I am not interested in racing at this point, but just commuting and touring, even my LBS should be able to improve my currently rather inadequate fit. I'd like to do it before making too many more modifications in case specific changes, like getting a new stem, are needed for a proper fit.

First Commute Home with Axiom Journey Seatpost Rack Installed and Loaded

This morning I got a ride to work but rode all the way home. I had planned to start from Waterdown in the morning, riding the rest, but had gone to sleep much too late to get adequate sleep for such an early departure. So today I did half the commute with my new seatpost rack loaded up.

I had taken my MEC daypack with me, as I usually do, stuffed with my cycling clothes, water bottle and lunch. After work I got changed, stuffed all my work clothes and the now empty lunch container into the daypack, strapped the pack onto the rack with a couple of little bungee cords and cycled home.

I noticed a few things: 1) with the weight on the rack above the rear wheel, rather than on my back, the ride felt significantly different -- smoother and more stable; 2) the weight on the rack made climbing hills a bit more difficult, forcing me to use lower gears than normal for the same hills; 3) though I still got a sore neck and wrists, not having the daypack on my back reduced the pain somewhat; and 4) the clicking disappeared. Now I'm really not sure what caused the clicking. How could adding a rack and putting some weight on it make the clicking go away? Could the clicking have come from the seatpost? Or perhaps from the rear wheel? If from the seatpost, I can see how the clicking could correspond with my pedaling. If from the back wheel, however, I don't see how it could correspond. 

Just the feel of the weight on the back got me dreaming of touring. I can barely wait! Next year, for sure, I intend to use my vacation time to do some touring. By then, hopefully, I'll have acquired not only a trekking handlebar (actually, I think I'll have that much sooner -- more on that soon), but also Old Man Mountain racks and Ortlieb panniers.

Now I'd better go to sleep so I can get up at an unholy hour to get a ride up to Waterdown. Tomorrow I intend to commute not all the way, both ways, but partway in the morning and the whole way after work.

Wish me luck!

Preparing to Commute Regularly

I'm in a strange financial predicament. I want to be more active and cycle more. To cycle more, both safely and comfortably, I need money to work on my bike. I need to fix some things -- I noticed significant wear on the teeth on my largest chainring, which may need to be replaced, and the bottom bracket may need replacement, or at the very least a good cleaning and lubing, to stop the infernal clicking. I also need to add things -- reflective tape, a decent headlight for night cycling, a trekking handlebar, a handlebar bag, racks (at least a rear one), and panniers (at least a rear set) -- for both safety and comfort. 

Because money is so tight, I finally decided to spend a little money on a couple of bike things based on the fuel I expect to save by using my bicycle to commute most of the way to work and all the way back. The way I see it, if I get a ride at least up the steep hill into Waterdown, I can cycle the rest of the way without taking too much time. The drop point in Waterdown is almost exactly a third of the way to work. That should result in a significant fuel savings. I thus calculated my savings on fuel this month and put that money towards the bike.

In Ontario, to be legal on the road before sunrise and after sunset (my morning commute would start before sunrise), a bicycle must be equipped with a headlight. I wanted a nice headlight that would not only make me visible, but would also light my way. Something like a Busch & Müller Big Bang would be nice, or even one of their IXON IQ or LUMOTEC IQ lights. However, those are way out of my reach for now, so I bought a cheap Blackburn Voyager 3.3 LED headlight to at least be visible.

To avoid having a backpack on my back on my ride to and from work, something that not only leaves the back soaked with sweat but also causes backaches and exacerbates my neck pain, I purchased a back rack. While I'd like an Old Man Mountain rack, that will also have to wait. For now I got an axiom Journey seatpost rack. With the rack in the backmost position, it still cramped the seat bag a little, which is a bit irritating as I am used to carrying my spare tubes and toolset in there.

I haven't tried out the light yet as it wasn't dark when I went for my 20 km ride today, but I did have the seatpost rack installed. There seemed to be some rattling noise coming from its direction. I'm not sure if it was the rack itself or the rear blinky light I have velcroed onto the back. Tomorrow I intend to test the rack with my loaded little backpack strapped to it. We'll see how that works out. The max capacity listed for it is 15 kg, or about 33 lbs. My little backpack won't come close to that.

Oh Would that Infernal Clicking Stop?! Please! It's Becoming Embarrassing!

That has to be a record in the number of exclamation marks in my title... Anyway, the clicking and the neck pain (not related, though my poor neck is making noises all its own too) are driving me nuts! On yesterday's commute home from Aberfoyle, my Montague MX was clicking more loudly and incessantly than ever.

The clicking noises seem to be coming distinctly from the bottom bracket/crankset area. For a while there was one faint click, when climbing or otherwise exerting significant torque, every time the right crank left the top. Gradually the frequency increased and the clicks got louder. Now, still only with some torque, and mostly when the chain is on the largest chainring, the clicking is loud and occurs with every downstroke. Both sides, now.

I've read up somewhat on the possible causes of clicking noises, and Jim Langley has quite the list, so I suppose now I'll just have to go through things one by one, trying various things--lubing, tightening, etc. The problem I'm a newbie and know very little about bicycle mechanics, nor do I own more than a very basic tool kit. I know I don't have the tools to take the cranks off or open the bottom bracket.

If anyone has some additional advice, please, please share! The noise is driving me nuts! And it's embarrassing to have such a noisy, clickety bike. It's like, shut up already! Shushing doesn't help. Whistling can only cover up so much. And besides, who whistles anymore while riding a bike?

As for the neck pain, it is also getting worse. But I know what the issue is -- I need to get a handlebar with more hand positions, with at least one position that allows me to sit a bit more upright, and in general get my bicycle properly fitted to me.

Commute Home from Work: Aberfoyle to Hamilton

Since Jihan got her knee surgery last week and now needs to follow it up with at least two weeks of intense physiotherapy, she needed the car. While she can walk on the knee that was operated on, she can't put weight on it for too long. Both walking all the way to the clinic from the house, about a twenty minute walk at a decent pace, and walking to the bus stop, itself about 6-7 minutes away, are therefore too much for her. In short, she needed the car, so she drove me to work in the morning, with my bike, and I cycled all the way home.

I've mentioned before that I work out of town, some 36 kms by car (highway), but 42.7 kms by bicycle (smaller country roads). I thought it would take me between 1 3/4 and 2 hrs to cycle home, but my speed has really increased. I left work at 1715 and got home at 1850. It took me just an hour and 35 minutes to cycle home. Since I don't have a bicycle computer, I have to calculate average speed from time and distance traveled. I averaged 26.97 kph.

View Larger Map

Interestingly, while I can certainly feel that I've used my leg muscles, they are not really sore. Mainly sore are my neck, back and wrists, in that order. Usually it is only my neck and wrists getting sore. This time, because I don't have a paneer, yet needed to take my lunch bag and clothing home with me, I had to wear a small backpack. This, I think, caused the backache.

Slowly, slowly, as I can scrape a few dollars together, I'll improve my setup. Anyway, despite needing a few things--cycling shoes and clipless pedals, trekking handlebar, racks, paneers and cycling computer--I am making progress on the fitness front. While last Monday's weigh-in did not reveal any weight loss, this morning I was down to 177.5 lbs, having started a few weeks ago at 187. And my speed and endurance are getting better too.

Does This Jersey Make Me Look Fat?

Ever since all the weight gain during my teacher's college and brief teaching days, reaching at my worst 197 lbs, I've learned to dress in a way that minimizes the appearance of being overweight. According to BMI charts, for my height and frame, I was shocked to find out, 197 lbs is borderline obese. After I left teaching and made a radical shift in another direction, beginning during my in-between-jobs phase, I tried to get my weight back under control by doing lots of walking, push-ups and crunches, and a bit of urban cycling on my old Raleigh Tarantula. I managed to lose about 20 lbs by the time I began working again, but the work I went into, first being on the road a great deal and then working in an office, did not make keeping the weight down easy.

I tried to make the time to do some exercise during my time on the road--I purchased my Montague MX full-size folding bike at that time--but made more progress after I settled into a support role in the office. I pretty much kept it up also when I was promoted to an administrative position. I never got back down to a normal weight range, however, and once I got promoted to a management role, there was additional workload and stress to keep me from looking after my health and fitness. Over the last couple of years then, I've fluctuated with the seasons--during the warm months I'd get into an exercise routine and make some progress, weight and fitness-wise, but then over the winter months end up losing most of those gains. The only thing that kept me from gaining everything back, and then some, was our mutual love for nature walks. Even throughout winter, including in snow storms, we'd make time for a couple of decent walks a week.

The recent economic downturn resulting in leaner staffing, downloading of ever more work and, most recently, pay cuts, brought things to a point where I decided that I needed to find an outlet to not only keep work stresses from taking over my off-time, but also to get back in shape. I tried jogging a little bit and found that the impact was just too much for one of my knees, injured as a teenager and never properly fixed, so I got back to cycling again. And now I'm becoming obsessed with it. I just love it!

To make longer rides more comfortable, I finally managed to scrape together enough cash to purchase a fairly basic set of padded cycling shorts and a short-sleeved European-fit jersey. They do make long rides much more comfortable, but I've found them to make sprinting better too. No longer do underwear seams embed themselves into my skin, nor do cotton t-shirts get drenched in sweat and stick uncomfortably to my body. I have better movement and stay drier. And I love the 3 pockets on the back of the jersey to stash my keys, ID and an energy bar or piece of fruit too. 

The problem, in answer to the question the title poses, is that the jersey, form-fitting as it is, shows off my, um, padding around the waist. Here are a couple of pictures, at risk of embarrassing myself a little (sorry, the image quality isn't the best, and you're not getting larger versions either :-{)}}). I'm hoping a little embarrassment will keep me working hard. Also, it will look pretty good when I put 'post' pictures up in a month or two after more fitness gains.

I think I'll start doing some upper body work again as well. I don't intend to bulk up at all, but I would like to firm up, putting a little muscle over my belly in place of the fat. A little six-pack never hurt anyone...

As for working harder, the route I did yesterday, up the escarpment and back, I did again today. Twice. And in between I cycled to a store in town. Altogether I covered about 45 km, 40 of them at a nice, brisk pace, half uphill and half down.

Because of both logistics with Jihan getting to and from her post-op physiotherapy, increased for the next 2 or 3 weeks, and to be able to scrape some money together for further bike customization, I will probably start commuting to work by bike. It is out of town, about 35 km, and part of it is quite uphill, so I may get a ride at least up the hill in the morning so I don't have to get up at 0430 to make it to work in time. I made it from work to home last summer in 1 3/4 hours, but to work, because of the incline, it may well take a full 2 hrs, if not a bit more. And I have to start work at 0700. Getting a ride part of the way will still save me a fair bit of fuel money, allow Jihan to have the car during the day, and get me a good deal of daily exercise. If I did the whole thing, back and forth, I'd do about 70 km daily.  

Day Off Work for Knee Surgery (not mine)

Jihan called me at work yesterday about mid-day to tell me that she had a surgery date. Someone had cancelled at the last minute and the surgeon had thought about her. So here she was, just over a year and a month after the bicycle accident that resulted in multiple ligament damage in her left knee, getting a surgery date at a day's notice. While her knee had gotten much better with all the physiotherapy, and she was indeed able to not only walk at a decent pace and carefully ride her bike, she wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to get scoping done on her knee to clean up the scar tissue built up in there.

So I told my employer that I needed today off to take Jihan to the hospital for her surgery. What I didn't know was that I'd need to take tomorrow off as well as the surgeon's instructions were for her to not be left alone for 24 hours after the surgery. Oh well, this is important and I wanted to be the one to stay at home with her, rather than calling another relative over. She's doing okay, except for some nausea and vomiting and the pain, subdued by powerful pain medication, that naturally follows surgery. But she does have to be in bed much of the time for a day or two with her leg elevated and iced. That, as well as cooking and other errands around the house, is where I mainly come in. Every 40 minutes or so I switch out her ice pack, bringing her a cold one and putting the other back in the freezer.

I spent pretty much all day around McMaster hospital in West Hamilton. Around 0930 Jihan had her pre-op appointment which, with all the waiting, kept us there 'til she got wheeled in to the surgery room about 1230. I was told her surgery and post-op recovery should take 'til 1500 or so. Once she was in the operating room, there was nothing for me to do any more but wait.

While waiting, McMaster University being my alma mater, I decided to grab a bite to eat and check out a new development on campus related to bicycles. I found out fairly recently that McMaster had set up, perhaps a year or two after I graduated, a bicycle repair co-op called MACycle. It is only the second co-op in Hamilton, the first, recycle cycles, having been started as an OPIRG-McMaster working group. Since MACycle is only open during business hours, Monday to Friday, I decided to check them out.

I liked what I saw there--a shop with all the tools necessary to work on one's bike and learn about bicycle repair essentially for free, provided one is a member ($5/year). One room was the shop, while another room, in the back, was full of bike frames and parts. The young man on duty there at the time said he could get me a frame for as low as $20 which I could then use to build my own bike. An interesting proposition, though useless to me. I am normally at work during their open hours. I do intend to check recycle cycles out soon. Turns out the have some Saturday hours and are only a few blocks from my house.

When Jihan got out of the recovery room, she was wheeled to another room where I could be with her as she was prepared, slowly, to get ready to get out of the hospital clothing and into her own to go home. The first thing she told me, when I met her there, was that she had dreamt about bicycle touring as she came out of her general anaesthesia. This just goes to show how eager and determined she is to get riding again as soon as possible. In fact, we've been talking seriously about doing longer, fully loaded, self-supported bicycle tours for vacation. We don't care about lounging around at some resort. We want to be active, and cycling is a wonderful way to be both active and take in the scenery and flavour of new places. Last year and the one before that we took a week in April to go on cycling vacations, though both, in Lake Placid, NY and Minden, ON, we stayed in paid lodging. We're hoping, beginning next year, to outfit our bikes for self-supported touring complete with tent and camping gear.

Jihan was finally released from the hospital around 1600. I brought her home and tended to her for a while. Knowing I'd really like to get some cycling in today, she came up with the idea of putting some ice and the ice packs in a cooler next to her bed so she could switch them out herself. She thus released me for a couple hours in the evening to cycle.

I got into my cycling gear, picked my bike off the balcony and headed out. I decided to head towards the Escarpment Cycling Trail, really a multi-use trail built along an abandoned CN rail line. I had decided that I'd be out for a maximum of two hours. I left around 1930 and made really good headway on the way up, despite the incline (don't know what the grade is). I was up at the Albion Falls parking lot, at the end of the trail, at 2000. It basically took me only half an hour to cycle the 10 km, of which 8.1 km are up the escarpment. Not too shabby, I think.

At the top, I went a little further, exploring a bit, then returned home the same way, keeping a steady, brisk pace in my highest gear. Along the way I passed mulleted guy riding his mountain bike, hands-free, down the trail. Since I was going at a pretty good clip, I passed him rather quickly and didn't think anything further about him. A little while later I heard someone approaching on my left and saw him pedaling rapidly to pass me, then resumed his hands-free riding. Keeping at my steady pace, I soon re-passed him and didn't see him again. I just found it somewhat humorous that he felt the need to alter his pace to pass me when he obviously wasn't up to maintaining that speed. Reminds me of a roadie's rant I read recently... Though I don't consider myself a roadie, when I'm out for my fitness ride, not unlike him, I like to keep a steady, focused, brisk pace and do not care to race anyone.

I made it back home, about 20 km all in, in exactly an hour. I felt good and was quite happy about that. I intend to do the same route again in the morning, before Jihan gets up, since I'm home from work another day.

After I got home I made miso soup for dinner. Yum, though unfortunately Jihan couldn't it down. Poor girl threw it up, then went to bed. I should go too...

Eventful Day: a Visit to the Vampire and Cycling

After breakfast, yesterday, my partner and I went up to our local vampire office, a.k.a the Canadian Blood Services, to donate blood. I have a very popular blood type :-{)}} There must have been something missing in my diet the last couple weeks as my blood, normally sinking like a stone to the bottom of the iron testing vial, sunk about 3/4 of the way down, then slowly floated back up. This meant the nurse had to draw another drop from my finger to test in a little device with a digital readout. My blood, though having less iron content than usual, was acceptable for donation.

In the little screening room where blood pressure, pulse and temperature are taken and an additional questionnaire is administered, I was asked a question I'd never encountered before. She asked, after reading my pulse, whether I engaged in a sport or other regular physical activity. Answer: yes, cycling. For the past four weeks, I've cycled at least 45 minutes, briskly, every weekday during my lunch hour, followed by anywhere between 40 and 118 km rides on the weekend. Apparently my pulse was low enough to warrant the question as, in the absence of rigorous physical activity, the low pulse could have been a negative sign. I was quite happy to see not only my weight dropping, my leg muscles developing nicely, and my energy levels increasing, but also my cardiovascular health improving.

Anyway, after the blood donation I went back home to rest up a little and have lunch. Then we packed up our bikes and headed to Confederation Park. Jihan, because her leg is not yet in a condition to cycle briskly and on public roadways, decided to stay at the park for the duration of my ride, traversing the paved bike path at the park. I set off on a brisk ride from the Confederation Park in the east end of Hamilton, to Charles Daley Park by the Town of Lincoln waterfront.

 

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Total distance cycled, about 80 km, as I cycled a little within both parks as well, accomplished in 3 3/4 hrs.

It was probably a combination of factors--the blood donation, insufficient amount of water, and no sweet, high-carb snacks--but I was very tired on the way back. On the way there I cycled briskly all the way, feeling quite good and passing a number of other cyclists. On the way back, however, having taken only a 10 minute break at Charles Daley park and not having any snacks on hand, I ended up doing my best to simply keep at a steady, though considerably slower, pace. I really should have at least taken some fruit with me.

Worse than my energy levels, however, was the wrist pain, causing numbness in the fingers of my left hand--one finger is still feeling slightly numb as I type, almost a day later--and neck pain. I really need to do something about the handlebar and about getting a proper fit. The good news is that I did not have any welts or rash from shorts underwear, and my upper body felt nicely ventilated throughout, as I did finally manage to buy a set of summer cycling shorts and jersey at MEC on Friday.

I bought the cheapest short-sleeved traditional European cut cycling jersey they had, and the second-cheapest European cut, padded, cycling shorts (there seemed to be a big quality difference between the cheapest and next one up for only a $4 difference in price). Even these seemed really expensive to me, but the performance was so much better than the soccer shorts and cotton t-shirts I had been wearing. The t-shirt, once sweaty, stays that way much longer and sticks to the body in uncomfortable ways, whereas the jersey stays nicely dry and does not stick. And the 3 rear pockets come in handy too. My ass seems in need of adjustment to the padding, however. It did get somewhat tender, even though the shorts kept me dry and free of sores.

Though I didn't do even a metric century this weekend, it was quite eventful. Incidentally, I did see a lot of riders out yesterday, many of them particpating in the Great Waterfont Trail Adventure happening this week, from July 4th through 11th. I saw a great variety of both riders, including individuals of varying ages and ethnicities and a few small families, and bike styles, including at least one recumbent and a number of folding bikes, a couple of Dahons and a small group on Bromptons. I wished I could have particpated. It would have necessitated a week off work, however, something I can't afford to do this year as I'm forced, in December, to take a one-week unpaid furlough. But there's always next year!

Hamilton to Port Dalhousie: my First Metric Century, Observations, and Lessons

The journey there

Yesterday, my brother and I went on a cycling trip from Hamilton to Port Dalhousie following, on the way there, the Waterfront Trail. Most significant for me about this trip is that it, at 118 km, constitutes my first metric century ride.

We were going to start out between 0700 and 0800, but my brother's bike needed to go to the shop. His bottom bracket bearings needed replacing. He had bought both the parts and the tools with which to do the replacement himself, but it turns out he was given the wrong parts. Now he needed to wait for the shop to open again on Saturday morning to either exchange parts or have them do it after all. He ended up returning the tools and getting the shop to replace the bearings.

Anyway, we ended up leaving the house at 1115 after getting his bike back from the shop and packing our supplies. We took Barton St., for those familiar with Hamilton, up to Centennial, made a left turn and followed it onto Van Wagner's Beach Road and the Waterfront Trail.

The route to Port Dalhousie

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Though sunny, it was not too hot, and there was a gentle breeze, making the first hour and a half quite comfortable. We made good headway, getting to Grimsby in decent time.  There, by the waterfront, we stopped for a short break to rehydrate and have a snack. During our break, we encountered a little rodent critter cavorting on the rocks between the grassy park and the water. I managed to get some nice shots of the little guy, or gal--I think it may have been a juvenile groundhog. Look through my full photoset on Flickr to catch a glimpse of the furry and not at all unphotogenic critter. After about 15-20 minutes, feeling quite refreshed, we continued towards Port Dalhousie.

After another hour or so of cycling, the breeze having disappeared and the heat set in, we were starting to get a bit tired. My brother, not being as prepared as I for this kind of trip, began to talk of getting someone to just pick him up in Port Dalhousie by car. I maintained that I would make the return trip, even if he got a ride back. I'd get a head start by heading out as soon as he'd arranged his ride. We settled, for the time being, on him deciding after an extended break and lunch in Port Dalhousie

After Beamsville, but especially around Jordan, we began riding past nurseries, cherry orchards and multiple vineyards and wineries. I was so tempted to stop at one or another winery to have a sample or two, but that would have slowed us down and delayed our trip. Some of these labels are well known throughout Canada and increasingly exported to Europe as well, especially their icewines.

On an interesting side note, we noticed how all the workers to be seen in the orchards and vineyards were foreign guest workers, mostly Mexican or Jamaican. Some workers, either on break, headed home or to work, could be seen, in their dusty work clothes, riding their old bicycles along rural roads. At one place, coming to a halt at a red light, we saw a group of 4 or 5 men on their bicycles, waiting to cross, each of them carrying a hoe. During tough economic times, sights like that should give us pause. While these workers no doubt need the work, why is it that we, as Canadians, or indeed North Americans, no longer do our own manual farm labour? We grumble about unemployment, yet import workers. And what lofty work do the (mostly) white children of farmers do instead of working on farms? Many, I've read, opt instead for minimum wage jobs at McDonald's, Tim Horton's, or other food service or retail establishments. I don't get it.

End of side note... (Why not take a look at this beautiful vineyard along our route?)

While there are short lakeside portions of paved trail for shared bicycle and pedestrian use, much of the Waterfront Trail consists of a bicycle lane on the service road running alongside the QEW to Niagara. Some sections meander through little towns and suburbs, including, unfortunately, a number of newer cookie-cutter developments (I'll refrain from another side note here... ), while other sections leave you with no paved bicycle lane or shoulder, forcing you to ride at the very edge of the service road along the white line. 

When we finally reached the outskirts of St. Catharines, we found a nice little park at which to stop for another brief break. Once again, the view was just great. On Lakefront Park, we found a picnic table and bench overlooking the lake. Here, instead of the park being separated from the lake by a strip of rocks, there was a strip of dense foliage. A set of stairs and a little path led from the park, through the thicket, to the water's edge. We did not, at this time, go through to explore. We were focused on a snack and lots of water. It was a nice park though.

Knowing we were within St. Catharines city limits and therefore close to our destination, we headed off again. In town, as the Waterfront Trail winds through mostly small residential streets, the trail signage could be better. There were a couple of areas where the signage directed us to turn right or left, then just disappeared, leading us ultimately to take a guess at where to turn or end up in a crescent or at a dead end. When already tired, having to double back to find your way, especially if the way out of the dead end is uphill, can be irritating.

At our destination

We were quite happy to arrive at the quaint, historic, harbourfront village of Port Dalhousie. It is a village within a city, as their website puts it. Though geographically a small area, quite a few establishments--restaurants, clubs, and retail outlets--are found around the boat-filled harbour. Some of the buildings, including a couple of small lighthouses, have been there since the early 1800s.

We dismounted and walked around to absorb the sights and sounds of the place and to find a place to eat. Being tight on money, and wanting to stay within sight of our bikes without necessarily locking them up, we looked for a place that wouldn't be too pricey and where we could sit on the patio. 

 

Seeing a few places that didn't really fit our needs, we walked around the harbour for a little while, past the boats gently bobbing in the water, past an antique carousel where both children and adults were able to ride for only 5 cents, and past a stretch of sandy beach full of people relaxing on their beach towels or standing around like peacocks strutting their stuff. The feel of the place was not unlike Port Dover, for those who know that town, with plenty of opportunity for walking in the park, lounging by the beach, dining in a chic restaurant or reveling in a bar or tavern. Lots of bikers around too, and bicyclists.

After exploring the town a little and even venturing a little further into St. Catharines proper, we returned to the main tourist strip and found ourselves a little restaurant by the name of Spice for Life. While the food was somewhat pricey, the portions small and the falafel sandwiches tasty but dry, the cold water with a wedge of lemon was oh so refreshing.

The return trip

After our leisurely exploration and lunch, we decided to head back. At this point my brother said he'd start cycling back with me and then, if needed, call from some place en route to get picked up by car. So off we went.

The return route was quite different, mainly because of the signage, but ended up being slightly more direct and therefore shorter. We followed the Waterfront Trail back up to the town of Jordan, at which point we saw a sign directing us to turn left to keep following the trail. Or so we thought. Turns out that was a poorly labeled sign for a sidetrip into the town of Jordan. We were surprised that the trail on the way back would lead us that far away from the waterfront, but continued on until, right in town, we saw a sign reading 'End of Jordan sidetrip'.


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Not wanting to go all that way back towards the waterfront, we decided to make a left on Hwy 8, knowing that it would take us all the way back to Hamilton. After about half an hour of cycling, my brother decided that he would call for a ride after all at the next opportunity. Not only was he tired, but some freaking idiot in a blue Camaro from the oncoming lane threw a ceramic mug at him. I heard some noise behind me, but didn't know what had happened. Fortunately the mug landed on the ground just a few feet in front of him, shattering into a thousand little pieces. Had it hit him, he could have been seriously injured, if not killed. We had a few others yell at us to get off the road. There's still much anti-bicycle sentiment going on around here. These people may want to consult their driver's handbooks, wherein they will find that bicycles have every right to be on the roads (with the exception of certain high-speed highways and expressways).

By the time we reached Beamsville, this time going through town rather than along the waterfront, we pulled into a plaza from which he called for his ride. He arranged for his ride to come up towards us, as he continued riding down Hwy 8. We made a wrong turn somewhere, having to check a map before getting back on track, and in that time missed his ride. She must have gone past that stretch when we were off it. In the end, through extremely tired, he made it all the way back. Though evidently ill-prepared for a century ride, he completed it and now has some bragging rights.

Lessons Learned

I discovered that only four weeks of preparation with daily rides of between 8 and 16 km, with 20-40km on weekends, could adequately prepare me for a metric century. Though tired on the way back, I felt pretty good. I even got a good second wind shortly after entering Stoney Creek at the east end of the city of Hamilton. There, knowing we were now not so far away, I sped ahead on my own as I felt I had energy to spare to pick up the pace and sprint the last few kilometres towards home.

I learned, though I already knew this from my reading, that an extended trip like this done while wearing inappropriate, that is non-cycling-specific clothing, can be painful. I had pretty nasty welts on the inside thighs from the outer edges of the underwear in my soccer shorts. Ouch!

I also learned that riding a bicycle that is not fit properly to the rider can cause great discomfort. While I was feeling pretty good in terms of both energy levels and muscle soreness, my neck and wrists were just killing me. They are still quite sore.

As soon as I can afford to, I intend to purchase proper summer cycling apparel and to go to a local bike shop where I can have my bike properly fitted to me. I need to definitely do something about the handlebar. It needs to be raised a couple of inches, I think, which will require a new stem. And I'd like to add aero bars or drop bars. But drop bars, I'm told, will necessitate the installation of new shifters as well. Oh well, one little piece at a time, as money permits.

For now I am proud to have completed a metric century!

A Different Lunch Hour Ride

I hadn't checked the weather report before taking my bike to work this morning. I expected, as has been my routine over the past four weeks, to use my lunch hour to do some hard riding. I eat my lunch afterwards, at my desk, for those who are wondering what happened to my lunch.

I usually go riding at 1130, returning about 1215 for a quick shower before settling back into the cubicle. Today I overheard people talking about severe thunderstorm alerts for our area beginning sometime in the morning. Flash downpours, hail the size of golf balls and winds upwards of 100 kph the reports threatened. 'Don't go riding in that,' one of my co-workers said. But I was determined to get my ride in, so I took my lunch hour at 1000 instead of 1130, hoping to beat the storm. Part of me looked forward to getting soaked, though, on a hot day like today.

Having been driven to abandon my former route by the relentless swarms of black flies that followed me like a squadron of fighter jets through the half-mile section of dirt road that cuts through a small patch of forest, I had to find an alternate route. The last few days I made my way through that section, I could see the ominous shadow they cast on the ground, hot in pursuit of my blood. Now and again a fly would catch up, hitting my cheeks and ears with surprising force. It was getting scary. 

Having only hastily plotted out an alternate route avoiding the forested patch altogether, I set out. I had plotted a loop of roughly 10 km, but ended up getting a bit lost, missing a turn, and doing 15.4 km. Because I didn't know the route, especially after missing my turn, I rode even harder to make it back to work in time.

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The first two sections were a little too industrial for me, a route used by gravel haulers and other transport trucks. Two or three passed me within a couple of kilometres. There are a number of gravel pits in the area, as well as trucking company yards.

The bulk of the route, however, was rather pleasant, taking me along a mixture of paved and hard-packed dirt roads past old farm houses, fields and orchards. I even saw a couple of nice historic stone houses, but unfortunately did not have the time to stop and take pictures. That is the one drawback of these brisk lunch hour rides.

The last little bit, after finding my way again, was on the gravel shoulder of a fairly busy road. That part I did not enjoy much, but at least my bike still has the Kenda Kross Plus tires on it with knobby edges.

(Aside, my scale reported my weight at 182lbs on Monday, June 22nd. I hope to have a graph up on the sidebar soon with both weekly weight and distance cycled.)

Three Weeks into Cycling for Fitness

Today I marks the end of three weeks since I took my bicycle out of the basement, dusted it off and began cycling for fitness throughout the week. The intent, though two weeks in a row it didn't quite work out that way, was to cycle at work five days a week, then cycle at least enough on the weekend to top it up to a hundred kilometres for the week.

At the beginning of the first week, Monday morning after my shower, to be precise, I weighed myself. 187 lbs. Monday through Thursday, following a route I'd done last spring and summer at work, I did 8.3 km a day and Friday, because a co-worker, unused to cycling, came with me, I did a shorter loop of just 5.6 km. Total for the work week, 38.8 km.

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Then, over the weekend, I went, with Jihan, to Bayfront Park by Hamilton's harbour in the city's north end. Approximate distance cycled there, 20 km. Total distance, about 58.8 km.

The following Monday I weighed in at 185.5 lbs. That's good. Reduced by 1.5 lbs. That week was also somewhat interrupted by a crazy work schedule. Monday I did the 8.3 km route, while Tuesday I was unable to go at all, being forced to work through my lunch break. Wednesday through Friday, however, on the suggestion of another co-worker, I tried a different route. I suspected it would be a little longer, but didn't actually plot it out before trying it. Turns out it is 15.3 km. It's a much nicer route though--less industrial, more rolling hills rural.

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Click on the satellite option to see the rural nature of the route. It's really quite nice. And there's a couple of really nice hills on Watson Road.

Last Monday I weighed in at 184 lbs even. Another 1.5 lbs gone. Excellent! I followed the 15.3, which I'll call the Badenoch route, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday was another crazy day, leaving me with no time to cycle during my lunch hour. But did I ever make up for it today!

I went over to meet one of my older brothers at my mom's house. From there, in Hamilton's east end, we cycled to Grimsby, a small waterfront town on Lake Ontario known for its peaches and vineyards. It is at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment and part of Niagara Wine Country, with stunning views of the lake.

Me, all sweaty, with my bike.
 

Enjoying the view of the lake

Part of the route was along a service road, a fair bit meandered through small suburban cookie-cutter developments (what a shame), the nicest part, captured below, went through Confederation Park, and the rest was urban industrial. No pics of the latter portion of the route. Yuck!

Here's a pic of the part going through Confederation Park:

  

The entire route is along a small portion of the 900 km waterfront trail. The portion between Hamilton and Niagara Falls is, unfortunately, the most developed.

The route from Hamilton to Grimsby and back was 52.8 km. Here it is:

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All in, I cycled 114 km this week. I'm happy about that. And I'm looking forward to doing it all over again starting tomorrow.