Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Bicycle and resolved

Quick! Release this tube.

cellura p — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:29:27 -0800

I need an easy, sturdy, quick release method for connecting two parallel pieces of aluminum tube for a bike trailer rebuilding project. I haven't been able to come up with the right design by myself and I'm hoping someone out there can help me. I'm rebuilding a bike trailer and had to make it narrower to fit my purpose. It's similar to this project but I have a specific requirement that I want to be able to remove the hitch from the trailer if I'm stranded in terrible weather and want to catch a ride in a car. (The bike will go on a rack.) What is a sturdy, simple but cheap way to create a connection that will let me quickly and easily remove the hitch from the trailer?

Powering a work environment from a bike dynamo?

jaduncan — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:59:59 -0800

I'll soon be off on a big bike tour, and would like reccomendations for running a computer/tablet able to do actual work from a bike dynamo hub (details inside). The work I will be doing is mainly word processing with internet research, and I am aiming to be able to charge the batteries of my device from the day's riding (as well as those of a Galaxy S III). My dynamo is a Shimano Alfine front hub limited to 6V 3W, and I'm considering the Tout Terrain Plug II to produce a reasonably steady USB 5v output.

My initial thoughts are to use an Alphasmart Neo II to draft things, and hook that up to a Nexus 7 with Ubuntu dual boot to finish. I'm very open to other suggestions for both components, and have been considering an OLPC but it appears to be very hard to get a modern model.

My requirements are these:

* Must be able to use Debian/Ubuntu, with chroot from Android acceptable if there's 2gb of memory as otherwise things lag.
* Enough power to be able to use Chrome for Google Docs/Drive.
* Ideally able to charge for 4-5 hours of work in a day's cycling.
* Reasonably robust, as I'll be camping almost every night and will at least occasionally be working under a tarp.

Any suggestions on how to do this are very gratefully received.

Is downtown San Diego bikable?

number9dream — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 17:40:01 -0800

San Diego: bikable? I am going to a conference at the San Diego Convention Center in early January. Most likely I will being staying somewhere not too far from the Gaslamp Quarter.

Is it feasible to bring my bike and ride to and from the conference? What is traffic like around there? Anything else I should be aware of?

I'm not biking this whole way just to take a picture in front of the White House.

vulgar_wheat — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:09:47 -0800

Biking to Washington, DC, arriving Oct 19 and leaving the 21st. What should I do (bike-related and not) while I'm there? Y'all helped me have a nice time in San Francisco and Portland with my bike, and I figured I would ask for more travel help.

I've been planning my trip so far with the purpose of getting there and haven't thought much about what I'll do once I've arrived. I'll be arriving in the early afternoon on the 19th, staying in a friend's place in Vienna, and leaving some time on the 21st, and that's about all I know. I'd prefer to get around by bike, but I'm not opposed to taking the metro if it's bike friendly.

If there's some sort of neat bike-related thing going on that weekend, or a particularly scenic bike trail, or cool things in general that are easy to get to by bike, I want to know. I'm also interested in restaurant recommendations, with the caveat that I'm a vegan.

Are there weird DC bike idiosyncrasies (locking, helmets, laws, whatever)? I don't want to bike all that distance, only to get a ticket for doing or not doing something, or lock up my bike with my u-lock to find when I get back that my rack or front tire has been stolen.

My only plans so far are to go to some bike shops, test-ride some imported city bikes, and eat lots of delicious vegan food. There's gotta be something more for me to do (though if anyone knows where I can test some nice imported Dutch or English or Italian bikes I'd be much obliged). I went to DC earlier this year as a tourist, but mostly stuck around the Mall, museums (Newseum, Crime and Punishment, Spy Museum), and also made my way to the Zoo.

For what it's worth, I'm a Pittsburgh cyclist who averages somewhere between 15 to 20 hilly-to-mountainous miles a day, is comfortable with somewhere up around 60 or 70 miles, and I'll be on a road bike. To be fair, I'll be coming off of 5 days of biking about 70 miles a day.

Jealous? Of Denmark? Why, yes!

Ndwright — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 10:27:17 -0800

Danish bicycle superhighway. How could something like this get built in a US city? And what could an average citizen do to support such efforts? To be more specific, what exactly is the US process by which something like this could be made? How could it come about? Just a general overview of (or a link to somewhere that explains) the studies, city council meetings, funding sources, and other miscellaneous municipal actions that need to take place to build something like this. Assume we're in a relatively bike-friendly city.

Also, what could a nonspecialist citizen do to draw attention to/enable this process? Getting bikes out of the way of both cars and peds like this seems to be the best option for all three.

Can my mountain bike frame be repaired?

Gomez_in_the_South — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:31:48 -0800

Can my mountain bike frame be repaired? My frame broke recently on my mountain bike. There was a crack that I neglected to fix for a while, and it finally gave in. The break is all the way through. Images at http://imgur.com/a/Y83zi

Is it feasible to have this repaired? If not, is it likely I'll be able to use most of my existing parts on a new frame? This bike is ~12 years old.

How do I build a rear bicycle wheel for use on the indoor trainer?

Borborygmus — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:51:48 -0800

I want to get a new rear wheel for my bike so I can swap it out when I put it on the indoor trainer and not wear out my current tires. How do I do this? Do I just need another wheel, another hub and another cassette? I've been riding through the winter without changing my tires. The summer's ending, and one of my tires is starting to wear through, with the sidewall material appearing in the treads. It's still a good tire though.

I thought what I might do is use this tire when I'm on the trainer. I thought it would be easiest to buy a new rear wheel to put the old tire on. Is this very difficult or expensive? I see rims going for $30, and a 9-speed cassette going for $10. Would I need a hub too? Or would it be better to just change my tire? I hate changing tires. Thanks!

How can I watch this years Vuelta a España online?

u17tw — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:38:01 -0800

How can I watch this years Vuelta a España online? Watching it live is the ideal but would settle for highlights. Any good websites, twitter accounts, etc also appreciated.

If it makes a difference I'm in the UK.

Cheers

Pedals worthy of my noble steed

scruss — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:13:02 -0800

I have a very nice Dutch roadster bike. Help me (in Canada) find replacement pedals fit for this king of the road. I have a high-end Batavus roadster. Its pedals, though pretty, haven't held up well. One has lost its cap, and the other is beginning to get a little grindy. The treads have worn too, so it's not as if I could do a simple bearing job on them.

What I'm looking for are good quality replacement block pedals. The kind you can use with any shoe. I've done every kind of bike, cycling style and pedal in the past; now I'm a runcible middle-aged gentleman just riding his bike to the station every day. None of the local bike shops have what I'm looking for, and Batavus no longer have a dealer in Canada.

What sort of bike to get

aerotive — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:06:14 -0800

Should I get an expensive new bike or a cheap used one? Any specific styles or models? Would the models the local bikes stores recommended be any good? I would use it for getting groceries, tooling around the local (paved) trails and parks, random errands, visiting people, etc. It's hilly where I live so I figure a single-gear bike is out...my budget is about $500, less is better. I biked a lot as a kid but nothing much over the past ~ 20 years...for sizing purposes, I'm 6ft 3, 220lb.

I went to three local bike shops and got these recommendations:

Electra Townie 7D, for $450

Cannondale Quick 5, for $450

Trek 7.2FX, for $550

Would these bikes have much resale value in six months or a year if I end up not using them much? With the Trek I could do a day's rental, and if I buy it they would apply it to the purchase price. The others just let you do a brief trail ride. They all say they will do adjustments for the first year.

I could also just buy a $50 used mountain bike and put a rack/basket on it, then trade up if I regularly use it.

Tips to keep cool on a long bike ride

bluedaisy — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:03:31 -0800

Please give me your best tips to keep cool while I'm doing long bike rides on my road bike on warm days (and assume I know the basics of hydration, electrolytes, sports drinks, etc). I overheat really easily when active, even when the weather might not seem that hot to other folks. My face gets really red, my head is hot and often headache-y, and I feel warm all over, even when I'm hydrated and in good shape (and the same thing happens to my dad and sister).

On Sunday, I'm going out for a long bike ride, 90 miles or more, near where I live in Portland, Oregon. The weather should be in the mid-70s and not too humid, which probably sounds great to hot-landers, I'm sure, but it'll feel hot to me, especially on long climbs.

This isn't dehydration, and drinking more water doesn't help (which is the common advice you find online). My body and especially my head don't sweat all that much, even when my cycling companions are drenched. On my last long bike ride last weekend, I was drinking so much, at least one and a half to two water bottles an hour (electrolyte tabs dissolved in water, mostly, with some plain water too), that I had to pee constantly (and yes it was clear to light yellow).

My helmet is well-ventilated, and I have good cycling clothes.

What works pretty well, at least on my a couple of recent, shorter rides:
Using one water bottle for electrolyte/sports drink and using the other for plain water, which I squirt onto my head, neck, and chest when I'm feeling warm (artificial sweat!).

Making sure to stop in the shade when I do stop.

Wetting the pads inside of my helmet (more artificial sweat) when I stop to re-fill my water bottles.

Some other things I might try (some based on this article in Bicycling Magazine):
Ice my legs before the ride
Drink protein with my carbs
Make a pre-ride slushie (and see if I can buy one or two along the way)
Switch to breathable sunscreen
Wear deodorant but not anti-perspirant
Pack my water bottles with ice before filling (when ice is available).
Take my gloves off at times.
Bring a tube sock and stuff it with ice and put it on my neck/under my jersey.
Stop at streams along the way to splash.

So how else can I keep cool, especially when I don't have any access to ice?

Oops!

Scientist — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:48:43 -0800

So, um, how do you put a bicycle hub gear back together? So, following this question, I bought myself what I hope will be my first flipper bike. It's an unpretentious but rather handsome three-speed from the '70s, a nice, comfortable, practical ride of the sort that I see all over New Orleans every day. Minor rust, needed some re-lubing and adjusting and general cleaning up, no big deal. Excited to turn it around and get it into top shape, I set to work immediately.

Everything went well with the servicing except for one teeny little thing. While working on the back wheel, I decided (perhaps foolishly?) to open up the three-speed hub bear and see how things were doing in there. I started disassembly (which was straightforward enough) and as I was separating the two halves of the hub, I heard the dreaded *clink* of a small piece of metal falling out of the inside of the hub and hitting the ground.

It didn't look like it had broken off of anything, but it was a mysterious object. The piece that came out was about a centimeter long, perhaps three millimeters in cross-section, and had a D-shaped cross-section with one flat side and one round side. I was unable to find a definitive location for where it ought to have come from – the axle has a cut-out in it that seems like it *might* be the place that it came from, but what it might have been doing there and what its purpose was I do not know. I stuck it back into where I thought it most likely belonged with a bit of grease, reassembled the hub, and finished working on the bike.

Except I didn't get it right, because now the darn thing won't shift gears. I'm not 100% sure that this is down to the piece that fell out, but it may be. There's a pin that is supposed to be actuated inside the axle by a mechanism attached to the shifter cable, but that pin won't move anymore. I may have blocked it or gotten something wedged somehow, I'm not sure. I intend to have another look inside there at the earliest opportunity, and I've been looking online for any how-tos on the dis- and re-assembly of old bicycle hub gears, but I'm not finding much. I could use some advice on how best to proceed. Help me out, MeFites! How do I undo this and salvage the bike from the ignominy of becoming an accidental single-speed?

Things to see and do in the UK while travelling by bike

ar0n — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:04:47 -0800

Two guys travelling by bike through England/Scotland from mid-July to mid-August, but no definite plan. What to see and do? We've got no fixed plans, other than a ferry landing at Harwich, a visit to Cambridge for a day or two, three, heading up to Edinburgh (hopefully in time for the Fringe) and ending up in London for another day or two before embarking at Harwich again at the end of our four week trip. If relevant: we'll be carrying tents, but will also (hopefully) be staying in hostels or any place that will take us.

I understand this is a pretty wide open question, but anything the (British) hive mind may recommend two travellers would be welcome.

When do I cut my losses on broken spokes?

Kyol — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:57:45 -0800

I keep breaking spokes on my rear wheel! My bike is only a few years old (more than 2, less than 5), and I've broken 3 spokes so far this season. Help! Last summer I discovered a nice section of unpaved trail that linked two normal paved trails so I started riding it as a change of pace. However, at the end of the year my rear wheel was pretty far out of true. It's a hardtail bike, so it's not too surprising. The local wrench expressed doubt that he would be able to get it true and round, and to my surprise, he did. (mostly. Within reason, anyway. It's more true than round, but not enough to be uncomfortable.)

But this summer, I'm going through a spoke a month. They're all breaking at the head, two on the freewheel side, the latest one on the left side. I don't have a spoke tension gauge, so I can't tell if the spokes are just pulled too tight to bring the wheel in to true. They don't feel too asymmetric when I manually squeeze the spokes to let them reseat (ping! ping! plink!) after getting the wheel back from the shop, though. The two on the drivetrain side broke under torque, but this most recent one just went ping as I crossed the road.

When do I cut my losses and just buy a new rim and have it built up? Or is the rim probably alright (assuming they're checking the spoke tension, I'll ask) since it can be pulled into true, and I'm just experimentally discovering the wear life of my spokes? Having the rim rebuilt with all new spokes instead of onesy-twosy spoke replacement at ~$18/pop seems like it would be cheaper, but it might be a case of diminishing returns.

The bike is a relatively cheap clunker of a Trek hybrid, so the wheels aren't particularly exotic. Anything but! But since the bike is cheap, I hesitate to spend a couple hundred on a new wheel (labor and local price, estimating) when I could buy a new shiny for a few hundred more.

I checked Sheldon Brown, and I couldn't find any guidance there. Do I just keep replacing spokes as they break, replace all the spokes (keeping my hub and rim), buy a new rim, or buy a new wheel? I think I'm already behind the curve for buying a truing stand and a box of spokes, but I never was all that good at truing wheels myself, which is why I let someone more experienced than myself handle it.

Wanted: Bike Routes in New England that meet specific criteria.

safetyfork — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:09:12 -0800

Please suggest bike routes in New England that meet some specific criteria. We took our son on a section of the East Bay Bike Path near Providence for his first bike ride last week and he loved it. He sits in an iBert on Mom's bike. We are looking for similar routes. In looking for similar I articulate what specifically I think is good about this path for us in the extended explanation. We can ride weekdays in addition to weekends. Thanks. Critical:

Accessible by car / parking near to the path

Up to 60 minute drive from Providence, RI

Paved bicycle path -- the wider the better

Important but not required:

Painted lanes

Relatively flat; no steep hills

In sections or simply offering easy ways to turn back; his travel stamina is still short.

Bonus:

Beautiful scenery

Not too crowded

Lunch/picnic places relatively near the route

70 flat miles: too much for a fit, beginner cyclist?

pompelmo — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:18:52 -0800

Should my sister do a 70 mile bike ride with me? I'm planning to ride the 70 mile course in the Ride to Montauk June 16. My sister had been planning to do the 30 mile course, but after a friend canceled, she's now thinking of doing the 70 mile route. The route is very flat.

She is not an experienced cyclist. I don't know if she's done more than a ten-mile ride. She owns a hybrid, but we're both renting road bikes for the race (we live out of state and don't want to deal with flying with a bike). On the plus-side, she's pretty fit. She recently completed a half-marathon in about 2 hours and works out / lifts weights regularly. She's also just a generally tough person. I'm not a super-experienced cyclist; I've gotten into it over the past year, and have worked up to doing 55 miles. I'm confident I can complete 70 miles, but I don't have a good sense of what it'll feel like at the end.

I'm bringing a bike computer, so she can get a feel for cadence early on in the ride, and I have padded bike shorts to lend her. My question is, does this ride sound like the kind of thing a fit person can just show up and do, or is she likely biting off more than she can chew with this?

How can I get the most out of a 3-month stay in Copenhagen?

zingiberene — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:32:56 -0800

Moving to Copenhagen for 3 months, excited and nervous! What will I eat? What should I bring with me to wear? How will I get around? How will I stay in touch? Hope me, hivemind! (MANY details inside because I am such a special snowflake) Hivemind, can you help me get the most out of my 3-month stay in Copenhagen? I am going to be there June-July-August doing a research project. I am a (female, mid-20’s) PhD student in the sciences living on a reasonably generous (for grad school) fellowship stipend. I have a flight and a place to live in Østerbro , and I know who I will be working with (haven’t met them in person yet, but we communicate over email, and I work with people who have worked with them and adore them) and the visa seems just about set. I have read many Metafilter threads on Copenhagen think I have got kind of a read on the city but still have some things I’d like to figure out.

Climate and clothing- it seems like summer in CPH is like summer in San Francisco – slightly cool? I was planning on bringing a bunch of light sweaters, jeans/trousers, some dresses/skirts and tights, a light trenchcoat, and decent-looking sneakers and flats to wear. Anything I’m missing? Rain-appropriate gear like boots?

Feeding myself- I was planning on mostly cooking for myself and subsisting on mostly Smørrebrød the rest of the time. Anybody who’s lived in CPH able to give me an idea of their grocery/food expenditures? If I’m coming from a Northern California/NYC mindset for food shopping, am I going to find anything surprising? What kind of grocery stores should I look for? (I know, for example, that grocery stores there won’t take credit cards, and I know that the restaurants are more expensive than NYC – but what are groceries like?)

Transportation – I’m going to be regularly commuting from Østerbro to Frederiksberg and Christianshavn. I currently use a 6-speed folding Dahon Boardwalk bike to get around everywhere in my small University town. Any good resources for where I can get an inexpensive bike during my stay? Rent or Buy? Will I be able to sell it when I leave? What about a bus/Metro/train pass- does a public transit pass(es) make sense to buy for a 3-month visit?

Keeping in touch- I have an iphone 4 ~1 month from the end of its contract. I was planning on getting it unlocked. Is there a good/inexpensive Danish SIM card/Data plan (unlimited is a plus, but then so is inexpensive) I can get for it? Would there be a benefit to forward my US # to google voice or skype?

Fun Things: I have a reservation at Noma and am very excited to go to the Mikkeller Bar, and eat lots of smørrebrød and fish and things. I also love coffee, beer, spirits, and cocktails. Any other food destinations I should check out? My tastes run to both the ultra-traditional and ultra-modernist/experimental and I’d rather splurge occasionally than go out to eat all the time. What about the other areas of culture? Museums? Libraries? (this thread has been helpful!) Places I can visit on the train (other neighborhoods/Malmo)? If I want to go off and study for a while, any suggestions for a café/library with wifi?

Thank you, hivemind! I am really excited (I get along well with Danes I have met!) but have never done this kind of short-term move to another country by myself before. I appreciate input on any of my questions, or on anything important I forgot to ask!

First-time bicycle rider: I want to buy a bicycle and learn how to ride it.

eisenl — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:42:21 -0800

First-time bicycle rider: I want to buy a bicycle and learn how to ride it. Any recommendation / advice? Recently I have been diagnosed with Runner's Knees (from training for a 10k marathon) and the physiotherapist suggested riding a bicycle instead of running/walking. Unfortunately I have never properly learned to ride a bicycle.

Except for my recent hobby of walking (and the tragic attempt at running) I have been fairly un-active and un-athletic all my life. I am a female in her late 20's, 5' 2'' and a healthy weight. But I have naturally poor reflex, sense of balance, sense of distance, strength, speed, flexibility, etc, etc. i.e. I was always the slowest and weakest kid in class whose best possible grade in gym class was a C.

Therefore I do have doubts and fears about this 'moving very very fast with possibility of falling or hitting something with high speed and minimal protection', but then everybody else seems to be doing it and I want to learn too.

I eventually want to ride it around to get to places and also for fun. I am not interested in mountain biking or any other strenuous genre. I am thinking more paved roads and dirt roads in parks.

1. Any recommendation for a first-timer bicycle? I would want to lift it when I need to (stairs?) and also be able to reach the ground comfortably when I am sitting on it.

2. My plan is to i) get a bicycle and ii) start practicing in a large, open and completely flat area, like an empty parking lot. If you have any tips/advice for practicing, please share. I already have one tip from a friend: a helmet and knee pads.

Pick my commuter bike pedals

cccorlew — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:31:59 -0800

Help me pick which SPD/flat pedal to get for commuting. I'm a roadie at heart. I ride SPD-SLs all the time. I love clipless pedals. Clipping isn't an issue.
I also have 2 sided SPDs on my current commuter bike. I'm getting a new bike that doesn't come with pedals to use as a commuter I'd like to:
1. have nice SPDs that clip in that I'll use a lot
2. be able to ride it to the store without putting on special shoes if I want to
3. I have commuter/mountain bikeshoes with recessed spd cleats I can walk in that I'd like to keep using.

Shimano 540? 530? 520? M324? Help me!

Shorten my bike commute

crazycanuck — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:35:55 -0800

When should I expect to see a reduction in the amount of time I spend bike commuting? After a seven and a half year hiatus, I am back to bike commuting. I start a new job in a few weeks and I intend to bike commute full time (rain or shine, but not snow - so I should miss maybe 10 days a year). Today was day 3 of my test ride and the ride is getting worse, not better.

The route is a little over 6 km long each way. The route starts with a very steep and long downhill grade, some flat riding, a long gradual incline, followed by some flat city biking, then a short steep uphill climb to the office. I reverse this route on the way home. This is a road commute, with 98% of the route on a side street designated as a bike way (so there are signals to help cross major streets). Assume this route is an optimal bike route given the terrain and location of bike ways.

I am overweight (5'11" and 202lb) and out of shape. I am riding a 20 year old hybrid, same bike I commuted on years ago without incident.

I've done this three days in a row now. My ride times are getting worse every day. The ride there was 27 min day 1, 28 min day 2, 31 min day 3. The ride home was 34 min, 34 min, 38 min. Where I could climb maybe 50% of the short steep incline to work and maybe 33% of the long steep incline on the way home from work on day 1, my climbing ability shrank to 0% of the short steep incline on the way to work and maybe 15% of the long steep incline.

I do my training ride all at once, with an additional km tacked on either end that I won't do in a real commute (so 14 km round trip). When I get back from this 14 km ride I am knackered and need to sit down and just rest for a few minutes. My back is sore and one knee is sore (I think poor adjustment on bike), but I don't feel like my muscles are sore.

Questions:
* Bike commuters - when did you see reductions in your commute times? How long should I expect to wait to see the results of practice?
* Given my current fitness level, do you think I will be knackered when I get to work, or should I be fine (given that the ride to work is a subset of my training ride)?
* What is the best way to prepare for the commute so I am faster on my first day of work. Should I ride the route 5x a week, or should I take rest days?
* It rained on day 3. Is a 3-4 minute increase in ride time just a "rain tax", or is it something else (fatigue from days 1 and 2)?
* I know that my seat is way too low (the quick release is broken so the bike seat is fixed at the lowest position) and the front gear is not working properly, so I can't fully shift into granny gear in the front. The bike shop is full though so they can't fix my bike until Saturday. Can I expect gains once I have the bike repaired?
* Map my ride claims that this ride burns ~600 calories a day. Assume I make a 500 cal reduction in diet (say no wine with dinner on weeknights) to get an even pound-a-week weight loss. How does that change my ride time?
* What is a good target time for the ride to work. Is 20 min a realistic goal?
* How long do you think it will take me to learn to ride 100% up that final hill? Pushing the bike uphill is a bit demoralizing.
* When does it get better? I like the ride but the fatigue/tiredness associated with it is not really the best thing for a brand new job.
* Given my current sweatiness quotient, I am going to bike in workout clothes (not work clothes but not hard core cycle clothes). Is it tacky to show up on the first day slightly sweaty and ask to be shown to the washroom to change?

Thanks

Steeper climbs, more intervals, or faster pace for century cycling training?

bluedaisy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:54:12 -0800

I'm signed up to do a century, a 100-mile bicycle ride, in a little over four weeks. Given the training that I've been doing, what are the best specific things I can do in the next month to get stronger and faster? The background: I'm a woman in my late 30s who is a few pounds overweight. I ride an old ten-speed bike to and from work, only three miles each way, but enough to give me some base miles and lots of time riding in the rain. For about the past six weeks, I've been cycling progressively longer distances on my (better than my ten-speed) road bike, on long weekend rides.

In early March, I rode (by myself) 40 miles, only 500 feet of elevation gain, with a slow average pace of just over 11 mph. Over the next few weeks, I added distance and elevation and got a bit faster. I did a few rides (usually by myself) in all kinds of weather that were 50-65 miles with a slightly faster pace and more elevation.

I also added in a couple of shorter, steeper rides, and for the past few weeks, I've done intervals twice a week and some strength training. I've now done five or so interval sessions of 15-20 minutes. I usually do something like 30 seconds as fast as I can, 30 seconds recovery; then 60 seconds fast, 60 recovery; sometimes up to 90 seconds or sometimes repeating 60. I have a little bike computer but not a heart rate monitor and definitely not a power meter. I was already doing some incline push-ups and light yoga, but recently added in weighted squats sometimes with curls and presses (with light hand weights), calf raises, more ab strengthening, more push-ups, back rows, etc. I'm doing this at home.

Last weekend I rode about 70 miles (with a friend though not drafting the whole way) with 2800 feet of elevation gain and an average pace of 14-14.5 mph. That was my fastest, hardest, longest ride, and I felt better than I have on many other rides. My legs were fatigued but not too sore the following day.

My weakness is climbing: I'm really slow. I can get in my granny gear and keep going, sometimes crawling at 6.5-7mph, but I'd like to be faster and stronger on those climbs. The century has only two climbs, one Cat 5 and one longer, steeper Cat 4 early in the ride, but nothing too terrible. Being overweight doesn't help, and I am losing weight slowly, but I won't be that much lighter in a month.

I'm not worried about making the distance for the century, and I'm planning a few more long rides, including probably at least one with my friend who is riding the century with me. However, I'd like to be able to go faster on the climbs, and I want to do more than just finish my century. I want to feel pretty good at the end.

The bike is comfortable--I've adjusted the seat, got new drop handlebars with a shorter reach, etc.--and I've got my eating and drinking figured out; I'm not bonking or getting dehydrated.

What should I do to get faster on the climbs? I can probably get in a short, steep ride once a week in addition to a longer weekend ride. I won't be joining a gym, but I can do squats with 10 or 15 pounds of weight or other exercises. Or, should I do more intervals? Or do steeper, harder, shorter rides? Or cross-train? I can do all of those things a little bit, but if one would help more (ie intervals harder or more often--details would be great), please let me know.

hike/bike trails, passing on the left. proper etiquette?

camdan — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:43:31 -0800

i go bike riding from time to time for exercise, almost always on hike/bike trails. generally, if i'm passing someone, i don't say anything, if it looks like they're clearly to the right, and if there is room to pass on the left. if they're in the left a bit or look like they're wobbling or not paying attention, i'll give a strong "to your left!" today, i was riding on an urban trail with a striped line down the middle. i passed a young couple on the right without saying anything. the guy seemed pretty put off. he yelled at me three or four times that a "to your left!" would have been nice, or words to that effect. he didn't stop shouting until i was out of earshot, and i didn't respond.
was i actually breaking some rule of etiquette by not shouting out my presence? we were on a hike/bike trail for chrissakes, don't walkers expect bikers to pass them? i was in no way close to hitting this guy, unless he was about to hop to the left, or he wasn't paying attention at all and i spooked him. i don't remember getting "to your lefts" as a matter of course myself, unless i'm in the way, but then again i'm not walking. i was passed 2 or 3 times on the same ride by other bikers who didn't peep.
no doubt he just wanted to impress his girlfriend by yelling at people, or trying to get a rile out of people. i didn't think i'd done anything wrong, so i wasn't about to yell out a "sorry!", and i wasn't about to turn around and get into a confrontation, and i'm sure he knew that. still i'm curious if i should be more yell-happy, if i'm "doing it wrong", if pedestrians on a stroll maybe aren't paying as much attention to their physical surroundings as bikers, and would like it as a courtesy. i've perused a few sites on the question, which go from saying it's a common courtesy to it shouldn't be expected. again, i'd always thought if they weren't in the way, it wasn't necessary.

Should I buy an urban cruiser bike, and is a single-speed version going to make me happy?

L'Estrange Fruit — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:29:47 -0800

About to buy a city bike. Are urban cruisers as good as I've heard? Is a single-speed bike comfortable for commuting? Best brands of same in Canada? Last year I tried to go cheap for a commuter bike and got a spectacular lemon from Canadian Tire. Having learned my lesson, I've picked out a reputable and reasonably priced bike shop, and I'm willing to spend more this time, but not crazy more - a max of $400-500 preferably. The low end urban cruisers fit this price range.
I'm a terribly out of shape older lady and don't need a performance bike, but I would like to be able to choose to challenge myself during the ride to work as my shape improves with the daily biking.
In case I'm using the terminology wrong, this is the sort of bike I'm talking about.

1. I read an article saying that urban cruiser bikes - the sort used by Bixi et al - are actually the most comfortable and practical for commuting, especially for a more casual rider like myself. Do the experienced bike crowd here agree with this?

2. I also know they come with no gears (one gear?), three gears, or more. I'm thinking I'd like three gears so I can amp up the challenge of the ride when necessary; back when I was in shape I generally just kept my bike on the hardest gear. My commute is more or less level so no hills.
Single-speed are the cheapest though, and I'd like to hear from people who love them and people who hate them.

3. Brands. I see Norco, which is a name I know as good, but also Electra (no idea), Genesis (no idea). Is there a name you trust for an affordable but reliable commuter cruiser?

I don't like rattling noises.

dd42 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:16:47 -0800

Can you identify this bike noise? I brought my bike into the shop this afternoon for a tune-up, and when I got it back it was making this rattling noise (begins 2 seconds in) from somewhere in the vicinity of the rear wheel.

The shop claimed that it's the chain scraping alongside the cage of the front derailleur, and that I could eliminate the noise by adjusting the derailleur with the gear shifter at my left hand.

I was happy with that (I know nothing about bikes), but a) playing with the gear shifter doesn't seem to eliminate the noise and b) the noise happens even when I'm coasting and the chain's not moving. I'm worried something else is wrong.

Some other information:
* the noise sometimes starts as soon as I get on the bike, sometimes not.
* hitting a bump in the road often makes the noise

Any advice would be great. I'm happy to provide more information if that would be helpful.

A Chariot at my back?

ambrosia — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:46:21 -0800

Help us figure out which bike trailer to buy. We have two kids, 3.5 and 1, and most of my trips with them are just a few miles each way, if that. Our town is flat and pretty bike-friendly, and I'd like to ditch the car as much as possible and bike with them instead. So we're looking at bike trailers, but the range of alternatives is enormous. Are fancy suspensions and reclining seats worth it, or needless frippery? Is it worth it to splash out for a Chariot, or a higher-end Burley? We don't really *need* it to convert to a stroller or any of the other options that Chariots allow. On the other hand, I'd like to use it daily if possible, so I want something that will be comfortable for the kiddos and relatively easy for me. I'll be pulling it with a 24-speed hybrid.

We'd like to hit the sweet spot on the value curve, where we get the most bang for our buck, without spending more than we need to.