If you grew up riding a bike on unpaved country roads, riding BMX or mountain bikes, then you are probably confused by all the fuss about gravel. After all, it's not nearly as gnarly as hitting a triple jump on a pump track. And if the only way to get to Jimmy's farm two sections over was to get on your bike and ride - what's the fuss?
Shockingly, a lot of the folks interested in trying gravel have never ridden the stuff! And so for those pavement only riders, gravel riding can seem something mysterious, and perhaps a little forbidden or even dangerous. Hopefully we'll take a little of the mystery out, and help you get ready for your first few rides.
Just like pavement, there are all sorts of gravel roads, from freshly dumped beds of 1/2-1" size granite (usually reserved for underlayment before pavement) down to limestone or granite dust that packs down hard and smooth. We rode a recently repaired section of the Minnesota Valley Trail that was smoother and harder than any pavement in town. Probably won't stay that way, but it was smooooth.
'Gravel' also encompasses all manner of dirt roads, roads that the state no longer paves, farm "B-roads" (barely a road?) that are only used at planting and harvest time, 'two track' forest roads, and a whole lot of well maintained gravel that is left unpaved but heavily traveled by cars, tractors, pig haulers, turkey trucks and harvesters. Rounding a corner in farm country and coming face to face with a combine that is 10' wider than the road is always entertaining! A good gravel bike can take you places that you'd really rather not ride a full suspension mountain bike, too. Long headwind rides get pretty numbing on an upright position - which is why we have drop bars and hoods as an option!
Actually learning to ride gravel isn't hard, it's just a matter of progression. For your first rides, find a packet limestone path (like many of the state trails in Wisconsin and a few in Minnesota). You can ride your road bike, hybrid bike, mountain bike or whatever. Get used to how the bike feels. Learn to focus on what's coming in 50 feet and 50 yards ahead, not right in front of your wheel. what you see in front of your wheel will already be under your tire by the time you react. On bumpy roads - like washboard, the best technique is to 'float' slightly off the seat (transfer your weight to your feet as you pedal so you push your butt slightly off the seat) as you see even small bumps. You'll find even this slight bit of suspension will make your ride much more pleasant and cut down on pinch flats.
Next, find a dirt parking lot or baseball diamond at the local park. Practice riding turns on this. Make up slalom games, practice sudden stops and some 'fast' turns. Get used to the feel. Learn to corner with your bike in different angles, and positions. Practice really slow riding. Ride on the grass. Note- in certain regions, be careful with grass. I was in Oklahoma last fall, and learned the hard way about the burrs in a lot of the municipal grass! Two flats, and absolutely ruined a set of tires. Darn goatheads.
Riding gravel takes a bit more energy than an equivalent road ride. Rolling resistance from the surface and knobbier tires, and loose gravel contribute to this energy consumption. I also find that I'm better off dropping my cadence a bit and pedaling in a slightly harder gear. This makes it much easier to float off the seat as mentioned above, and unless all out top speed is needed, is a little easier on energy consumption.. Also, I'm constantly looking at the road for the firmest/smoothest line. Don't be afraid to move back and forth across the road (with an eye on other riders and any traffic). Use common sense, but look for the harder packed surfaces.
One safety note - cars and trucks DO NOT expect riders to be out on 'their' roads. I've rarely had an issue on this, but the place you do not want to be is on the wrong side of the road nearing the crest of a hill or in a blind turn. If you can't see the road, the cars can't see you!
Weight distribution is also important, especially when climbing, braking and cornering. Again, try to look out in front of you, being at least peripherally aware of everything around you.
When climbing, if you find your back wheel slipping, you'll need to scoot back on the seat a bit. This is especially true when climbing out of the saddle.
Cornering, you may want to ride with your bike a bit more upright than you would on the road, which means your weight needs to move inside a bit. Stand on the outside pedal (it's down, of course) with your butt off the saddle, and move your nose over the inside brake lever.
And when descending, make sure your weight stays back and on your pedals, not your butt. This will ensure the bike stays 'sprung' and in contact with the road, not bouncing up and down. It's easy to overthink this, but in terms of function, "the front brake is for stopping, the back brake is for steering." Put another way, the rear brake will lock up easiest, and a sliding back end is not exactly what you want to deal with in most cases.
The bottom line - start out on easy surfaces, fun trails and work your way up to the more challenging unsupported rides and routes. Have a great ride!
~mj
Coach
Showing posts with label ride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ride. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Test driving gravel bikes
This is sort of a 'part 2' of yesterday's post.
What makes a good gravel bike? Opinions vary, but I'll try to give a few thoughts on what makes one good to me.
Note - even if you fall in love with the very first bike you ride, you owe it to yourself to ride several more. This is a major purchase - you may like every one you ride, but to be sure - one will talk to you.
First and foremost, it's got to fit you. My preference is to have it sized just a little more upright than my 'best fit' for a road bike. Most gravel bikes will be set up with a slightly wider bar which makes the position feel 'right'. You want to make sure you don't have an overlap between your toes and front wheel (toeclip overlap). While this isn't a big deal on the road, I think it's a lot more of an issue on gravel. You are a lot more likely to encounter 'awkward positions' that entail very low speed turns like going up a steep hill and tacking back & forth.
How does the saddle feel? Start out with it dead flat, and adjusted to 1/4" less than your road saddle height (you did bring your own shoes and pedals, right?). Why the difference? Most people find they push back a little bit more, and the extra reach gives better leverage at lower cadence. You may find it better at the same height. I have the same length cranks on both road and gravel, and set my seat about 1/8" lower than road. My bars are about 1/2" closer at the flats, and almost an inch closer at the hoods (different bar).
Run up and down through the gears. How does it shift? Does it feel right to you? If not, ask the shop guys to check it and make sure everything is adjusted well. And do the brakes work without squealing or shuddering? Be careful how hard you grab disc brakes until you get used to them. It's very easy to lock up the brakes even on dry, clean pavement. This will take a bit to get used to the action.
When you test ride, make sure the tires are pumped up to something like 60 psi. I did a test ride, and the very diligent shop guy pumped the tires up to the rated 90 psi and sent me out. I got all the way around the corner before I dropped the pressure to around 50 psi for the rest of the ride. When I got back, the other shop guy apologized for sending me out on such low pressure. I spent a few minutes educating the guys on 'good' gravel riding pressure and why it wasn't the sidewall pressure.
Try to find a sidewalk or some rough, crappy pavement that you'd ordinarily avoid and ride that. You still can't bang into lips, breaks and potholes, but normal breaks in the sidewalk are perfect. You should get a feel for how the bike handles rougher stuff. If you need a reminder, borrow a road bike with properly pumped road tires and ride that first. You'll get the idea.
Next, take it around a few corners, progressively faster. Not criterium fast (if you've ever ridden crits), but see how it feels. Make sure it doesn't 'push' (want to keep going straight) when you corner. This is often where bikes will emit a very Zen-like 'Ommmm.' The right bike will 'flow' around the turn.
And now climb. Climb in the saddle, climb out of the saddle. It's a sad thing, but most bike shops are located on the flats, and away from hills. Try to find *something* to climb. You should feel connected to the bike - not flopping around when you climb, and without a bunch of flex in the bottom bracket. Hint - if you hear the front derailleur rub when you climb, the bottom bracket is flexing.
Finally, try some fast riding. If you can go downhill, make sure it feels OK. Any twitchy feeling? If so, it will feel more pronounced at full speed on gravel. Make *sure* it feels right to *you*. Most things can be fixed. A noodle-ey, twitchy bike on a long downhill is one thing you can't fix. A good bike should feel solid, not bouncing around, and not require tons of steering input to hold it on line.
Make sure you can reach the water bottle without difficulty, that 2 bottles fit, and that you understand how to take off the front wheel, the rear wheel and more importantly put them back on!
Now go ride your new bike!
~mj
What makes a good gravel bike? Opinions vary, but I'll try to give a few thoughts on what makes one good to me.
Note - even if you fall in love with the very first bike you ride, you owe it to yourself to ride several more. This is a major purchase - you may like every one you ride, but to be sure - one will talk to you.
First and foremost, it's got to fit you. My preference is to have it sized just a little more upright than my 'best fit' for a road bike. Most gravel bikes will be set up with a slightly wider bar which makes the position feel 'right'. You want to make sure you don't have an overlap between your toes and front wheel (toeclip overlap). While this isn't a big deal on the road, I think it's a lot more of an issue on gravel. You are a lot more likely to encounter 'awkward positions' that entail very low speed turns like going up a steep hill and tacking back & forth.
How does the saddle feel? Start out with it dead flat, and adjusted to 1/4" less than your road saddle height (you did bring your own shoes and pedals, right?). Why the difference? Most people find they push back a little bit more, and the extra reach gives better leverage at lower cadence. You may find it better at the same height. I have the same length cranks on both road and gravel, and set my seat about 1/8" lower than road. My bars are about 1/2" closer at the flats, and almost an inch closer at the hoods (different bar).
Run up and down through the gears. How does it shift? Does it feel right to you? If not, ask the shop guys to check it and make sure everything is adjusted well. And do the brakes work without squealing or shuddering? Be careful how hard you grab disc brakes until you get used to them. It's very easy to lock up the brakes even on dry, clean pavement. This will take a bit to get used to the action.
Try to find a sidewalk or some rough, crappy pavement that you'd ordinarily avoid and ride that. You still can't bang into lips, breaks and potholes, but normal breaks in the sidewalk are perfect. You should get a feel for how the bike handles rougher stuff. If you need a reminder, borrow a road bike with properly pumped road tires and ride that first. You'll get the idea.
Next, take it around a few corners, progressively faster. Not criterium fast (if you've ever ridden crits), but see how it feels. Make sure it doesn't 'push' (want to keep going straight) when you corner. This is often where bikes will emit a very Zen-like 'Ommmm.' The right bike will 'flow' around the turn.
And now climb. Climb in the saddle, climb out of the saddle. It's a sad thing, but most bike shops are located on the flats, and away from hills. Try to find *something* to climb. You should feel connected to the bike - not flopping around when you climb, and without a bunch of flex in the bottom bracket. Hint - if you hear the front derailleur rub when you climb, the bottom bracket is flexing.
Finally, try some fast riding. If you can go downhill, make sure it feels OK. Any twitchy feeling? If so, it will feel more pronounced at full speed on gravel. Make *sure* it feels right to *you*. Most things can be fixed. A noodle-ey, twitchy bike on a long downhill is one thing you can't fix. A good bike should feel solid, not bouncing around, and not require tons of steering input to hold it on line.
Make sure you can reach the water bottle without difficulty, that 2 bottles fit, and that you understand how to take off the front wheel, the rear wheel and more importantly put them back on!
Now go ride your new bike!
~mj
Saturday, November 29, 2014
2000 mile review - Foundry Auger +
If you've read my initial thoughts on the Foundry Auger "Plus", I fairly gushed about my intents and early thoughts on how it rode. Now that I've got a couple of thousand miles of road, gravel and
everything in between, I thought I'd share a few more thoughts at the end of a season's riding.
First, I'm still in love with this bike. I've had a number of bikes over the years, and my riding style/goals have certainly changed as I've aged. Bikes that felt good 20-30 years ago now are overly twitchy. What felt just right for crits is not much fun to bump along on backroads. And frankly, I don't care. I'm not riding crits, time trials or road races. The occasional road gran fondo can be ridden just fine on a responsive cyclocross bike (with decent brakes, of course).
One of my original changes was to go with the thru-axle fork, and I've been very (very, very) pleased with the choice. I like the total lack of ambiguity in steering, and I don't notice any bad habits with jarring or buzz from the stiffer front end. The overall configuration of the Auger helps here too - good vertical compliance, but rock solid lateral stiffness at the bottom bracket. I've noticed no click/creak in the BB30 either. A couple of people have asked why I use the heavier, cheaper Gossamer crankset instead of one of the more svelte carbon ones. The answer is pretty simple - it's bulletproof. Not that much heavier, 1/3 the price, no flex, no bad habits. Understate, overperform.
A couple of changes I've made since the original configuration. I think I'm swapping the saddle back over to my old favorite Selle Italia Flite '91 instead of the more current Flite, complete with center relief. This thing has just never felt quite right, although it's a pretty comfy saddle most of the time.
Also, I have changed tires. I still think the Challenge Almanzos are one of the best tires I've ridden, I've had no problems with them, and no complaints about the way they ride or durability. But then I got on a pair of Challenge Gravel Grinders, 38mm and in basic black. Whoa... what a feeling. These tires are marked '3 bar' for racing on the sidewall, which seems just about perfect for mixed surface use. I've ridden road paceline at 23-25mph, paved descents at 45+, and gravel drops at over 40. They fly. With latex tubes, they don't have a bouncy 'ping' to larger rocks, and really smooth out pavement cracks, rough roads and track through loose gravel amazingly well. Yeah, these are a keeper. The only downside is that the tread life may not be super great, which isn't really surprising since they weren't intended for a lot of road use. I've got to rotate front to back to balance wear. I'd love a set of 35-38mm road tires with the characteristics, but a harder compound and more of a road profile. Maybe name them IARBGARs or something.
To date, the only adjusting I've had to do was to the brakes. I *did* find that the bosses for the Whisky 9 match up to a 140mm rotor (options?, don't know), so I added the bar to move it to 160mm. After a couple of rides, I noticed an occasional clicking, which I finally traced to an slight interference between the edge of the rotor and the caliper. Huh? What? So I started to look at moving washers under the caliper - and realized that the bar could be turned around and then it lined up perfectly. Again, who knew? I'll rack that up to unfamiliarity with proper adjustment...
I've got my bike for the next few years. Anybody want a really nice Ridley Noah?
Future tweaks and enhancements.
- 1000 lumen headlight set. Night riding on commuter lights isn't bad if you are in town and there's lots of ambient light. Pretty sketchy on gravel though.
- Different rotors. The stock TRP rotors have a tendency to 'sing', and growl/grind under braking. I'll put on some kind of 2 piece rotor to see if that improves things.
- 2nd set of wheels, configured more for road. Fewer spokes, smaller freewheel (like an 11-26 instead of 11-36).
Foundry pushes the 'workman' status of their bikes, and I agree. Not the lightest, not the sexiest, but it tops the 'just a bike' list, And that's a high compliment in my mind. No bad habits, nothing to snark about, just a bike. Again, understate and overperform. Chapeau, Foundry.
First, I'm still in love with this bike. I've had a number of bikes over the years, and my riding style/goals have certainly changed as I've aged. Bikes that felt good 20-30 years ago now are overly twitchy. What felt just right for crits is not much fun to bump along on backroads. And frankly, I don't care. I'm not riding crits, time trials or road races. The occasional road gran fondo can be ridden just fine on a responsive cyclocross bike (with decent brakes, of course).
One of my original changes was to go with the thru-axle fork, and I've been very (very, very) pleased with the choice. I like the total lack of ambiguity in steering, and I don't notice any bad habits with jarring or buzz from the stiffer front end. The overall configuration of the Auger helps here too - good vertical compliance, but rock solid lateral stiffness at the bottom bracket. I've noticed no click/creak in the BB30 either. A couple of people have asked why I use the heavier, cheaper Gossamer crankset instead of one of the more svelte carbon ones. The answer is pretty simple - it's bulletproof. Not that much heavier, 1/3 the price, no flex, no bad habits. Understate, overperform.
A couple of changes I've made since the original configuration. I think I'm swapping the saddle back over to my old favorite Selle Italia Flite '91 instead of the more current Flite, complete with center relief. This thing has just never felt quite right, although it's a pretty comfy saddle most of the time.
 |
| 15% pavement descent on LaCrosse Gravel race |
To date, the only adjusting I've had to do was to the brakes. I *did* find that the bosses for the Whisky 9 match up to a 140mm rotor (options?, don't know), so I added the bar to move it to 160mm. After a couple of rides, I noticed an occasional clicking, which I finally traced to an slight interference between the edge of the rotor and the caliper. Huh? What? So I started to look at moving washers under the caliper - and realized that the bar could be turned around and then it lined up perfectly. Again, who knew? I'll rack that up to unfamiliarity with proper adjustment...
I've got my bike for the next few years. Anybody want a really nice Ridley Noah?
Future tweaks and enhancements.
- 1000 lumen headlight set. Night riding on commuter lights isn't bad if you are in town and there's lots of ambient light. Pretty sketchy on gravel though.
- Different rotors. The stock TRP rotors have a tendency to 'sing', and growl/grind under braking. I'll put on some kind of 2 piece rotor to see if that improves things.
- 2nd set of wheels, configured more for road. Fewer spokes, smaller freewheel (like an 11-26 instead of 11-36).
Foundry pushes the 'workman' status of their bikes, and I agree. Not the lightest, not the sexiest, but it tops the 'just a bike' list, And that's a high compliment in my mind. No bad habits, nothing to snark about, just a bike. Again, understate and overperform. Chapeau, Foundry.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Miesville Redux - a little more info
I added a sign-up form just so we can let King's Place know that we're invading. Same deal as before - no fees, no times, no much of anything except a nice ride with good people.
Looking forward to riding without the glacier - but there could still be mud! And turkeys!
~marsh
Looking forward to riding without the glacier - but there could still be mud! And turkeys!
~marsh
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Compendium of errors
Watching water levels rise over much of the country this week, plus seeing a posting that the Snake River Canoe Race is going to require PFDs to be worn this year has me thinking about safety. I started out planning to write about boating safety, but after watching the carnage at Trans Iowa, creek levels on the Almanzo course, and dodging storms driving back from Oklahoma last weekend, I'm going to broaden out a bit and write mostly about common sense.
Years ago, in another lifetime, I was a sailor. I raced on Puget Sound in everything from 14' dinghies to 50' ocean racing yachts. But most of the time, I was racing in 24' one design boats of one form or another. And we raced in some truly idiotic conditions. Usually, foul weather gear, wool pants and a wool sweater were enough to keep you pretty toasty, but with 48 degree water, 42 degree air, and often a little rain or spray - hypothermia could be a real danger. And there's nothing like a 30knot breeze, too much sail, bad judgement and an abortive spinnaker run to put you in the water, further hampering your decision making processes.
After a couple of instances like that, I took safety a little more seriously - in fact attending a symposium on rescue techniques and survival. One of the presenters was a Coast Guard captain who talked about several incidents, and their chronology. I've never forgotten the phrase "a compendium of errors" that he used to describe the chain of events leading up to the final disaster. In most of the cases he cited, it wasn't one single event that caused the problem - it was a chain of manageable crises, any one of which could probably have been survived, but when coupled together spelled disaster. Wife unfamiliar with operating the diesel, husband knocked unconscious by the boom, poor grounding on the electrics affecting radio and instruments, no radar reflector and rapidly degrading weather. Any one or even two of these could likely have been handled, but in the end...
A compendium of errors.
I've gotten home from springtime bike rides shaking so badly that I had a hard time opening the door and stood in the shower with my clothes on until the hot water was gone trying to warm up. A flat tire would've been more than I could've handled. I've also done a quick strip on the side of the river to put on dry clothing after an untimely swim in mid-April, when staying wet would've likely been problematic - but dry and quickly warming up, I continued on for the rest of the 4 hour paddle. And I've lost a good friend in a surfski accident on an inland lake due to that same compendium of errors. Temperature and precipitation are not your friends in the spring and fall.
I haven't had a chance to talk to Trans Iowa riders yet, but I'd bet that the ones who survived and the ones who had to stop have some incredible war stories of cold, wind, rain, storms, mud and maybe a little glory. Incredible effort this year.
OK, enough doom and gloom. Whether riding, paddling, sailing or hiking in the spring (or any other time) be prepared for conditions. "Check six" as pilots say - look behind you to see what the weather is doing. If you are paddling, have a change of clothes and a warm hat. Bring a rain jacket, fingered gloves, a vest, cape or whatever. Bring a little extra food, and make sure you know the conditions. Traveling in the spring often gives you a different perspective on the countryside, so enjoy it. But be prepared for the conditions.
Years ago, in another lifetime, I was a sailor. I raced on Puget Sound in everything from 14' dinghies to 50' ocean racing yachts. But most of the time, I was racing in 24' one design boats of one form or another. And we raced in some truly idiotic conditions. Usually, foul weather gear, wool pants and a wool sweater were enough to keep you pretty toasty, but with 48 degree water, 42 degree air, and often a little rain or spray - hypothermia could be a real danger. And there's nothing like a 30knot breeze, too much sail, bad judgement and an abortive spinnaker run to put you in the water, further hampering your decision making processes.
After a couple of instances like that, I took safety a little more seriously - in fact attending a symposium on rescue techniques and survival. One of the presenters was a Coast Guard captain who talked about several incidents, and their chronology. I've never forgotten the phrase "a compendium of errors" that he used to describe the chain of events leading up to the final disaster. In most of the cases he cited, it wasn't one single event that caused the problem - it was a chain of manageable crises, any one of which could probably have been survived, but when coupled together spelled disaster. Wife unfamiliar with operating the diesel, husband knocked unconscious by the boom, poor grounding on the electrics affecting radio and instruments, no radar reflector and rapidly degrading weather. Any one or even two of these could likely have been handled, but in the end...
A compendium of errors.
I've gotten home from springtime bike rides shaking so badly that I had a hard time opening the door and stood in the shower with my clothes on until the hot water was gone trying to warm up. A flat tire would've been more than I could've handled. I've also done a quick strip on the side of the river to put on dry clothing after an untimely swim in mid-April, when staying wet would've likely been problematic - but dry and quickly warming up, I continued on for the rest of the 4 hour paddle. And I've lost a good friend in a surfski accident on an inland lake due to that same compendium of errors. Temperature and precipitation are not your friends in the spring and fall.
I haven't had a chance to talk to Trans Iowa riders yet, but I'd bet that the ones who survived and the ones who had to stop have some incredible war stories of cold, wind, rain, storms, mud and maybe a little glory. Incredible effort this year.
OK, enough doom and gloom. Whether riding, paddling, sailing or hiking in the spring (or any other time) be prepared for conditions. "Check six" as pilots say - look behind you to see what the weather is doing. If you are paddling, have a change of clothes and a warm hat. Bring a rain jacket, fingered gloves, a vest, cape or whatever. Bring a little extra food, and make sure you know the conditions. Traveling in the spring often gives you a different perspective on the countryside, so enjoy it. But be prepared for the conditions.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Some final thoughts about the Miesville Grinder
Thank you to everyone who came and made it a fun day. King's Place invited us back for next year already! I hope everyone had a fun ride, found a little new scenery and got a good warmup for the Mammoth, Almanzo, Dickie Scramble or whatever your next event is. Even though I didn't get to ride my own event, I had a lot of fun bopping around the course taking pictures. I apologize if I didn't get your picture in the album. I tried to grab as many as possible, but I recognize that there are more of the leaders than the back end.
We had a pretty good turnout, especially considering the conditions. I counted 70-72 riders, which isn't bad on a 100 rider registration. I discussed this some after the ride, and there does seem to be a bout a 30-40% 'no show' rate on free races. I'd assumed without dollars committed, the social contract would be less firm, and I think that is the case. Some thought needs to go into this aspect of gravel riding and the 'free' ethos.
I was pretty irritated to see someone riding without a helmet. I'll say it again, and I hate to be blunt, but - if you come to an event that I put on, wear your helmet. If you have an issue with wearing helmets, please don't bother coming to my events. This is a huge safety item, and regardless of how you feel about it, *I* view it as a safety issue, and important enough that I'm willing to risk your negative feelings about *my* event rather than have you participate. Enough said.
While I was out touring around, taking some side roads and short cuts, I did find a couple of really nice roads that I hadn't ridden on before, and I've already toyed with how to incorporate them without adding a bunch of distance. Trust me - next year will be more of the same and yet with a few improvements!
So we move on and enjoy some other events. Thanks again to everybody who came out and made it a memorable event!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Miesville Grinder 2014 - Map up
It's a bit of a teaser, and the Dan Henrys on the map are a bit confusing, but here's a sneak preview of the course. The arrows denote the *direction* of the turn, not necessarily the direction on the course. GPX, TCX, KML and cue sheet files will be up later in the week. They are still being reviewed by our highly paid team of editors.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Plus one
Riding a bike is pretty simple for most people. We learned how to ride as a kid, and some of us just never grew up. Riding a bike well - now that's a different subject. For some, riding is something that they do occasionally - renting a bike at the lake or the beach, pumping up the tires and hooking up the trailer to take the kids to the park, or maybe doing a Sunday afternoon trail ride on one of the paved trails around the region.
Or maybe it's doing rides with friends on the weekends. Going for a breakfast ride or to ride for coffee along the greenway. Or maybe do part of the Grand Rounds and wind up at a cafe for lunch.
At some point, some part of some people make the slow (or fast) slide into 'bikers' (or riders, depending on your upbringing). This is accompanied by the inevitable acquisition of a helmet, actual bike shorts, and maybe even a jersey. Which is generally followed by the sad realization that the bike you've been riding since high school isn't really up to the task of riding from here to wherever in the company of whomever it was that you wanted to ride with in the first place, and they aren't really in a mood to wait for you at every single intersection. So down to your local bike shop you go, and the salesperson says "you would be really happy with this year's Hornsucker Zipflash". It's right there with the Makoozie, and we've got a special discount package on it. And since it feels *so* much better than the cast iron pig with octagonal wheels that you've been riding, you buy it. And you feel pretty good about it - at least until you go for a ride with your friends, and now they only have to wait at every other turn. And as they talk over coffee about tires and chains and things, you listen - and decide that maybe if you get better tires, and maybe a new jersey, you'll be able to keep up better. And you know what comes next. Plus one.
You are standing in the bike shop and the owner walks by and sees you eyeballing the Velociraptor 7000 that's a replica of the bike that won some big race you've never heard of, and he says "looks like it's your size, take it for a ride..." and you do. And now you have 3 bikes in the garage, not just two. And you are trying to explain to your significant other what a great deal this was, and why it is going to help you achieve your fitness goal which will make you a better performer at work, And. And. Plus One.
And then comes the fall, and you actually can keep up with the guys. And occasionally be the first one to the top of that hill, and your buddies are all congratulating you on how much you've improved (and they really do mean it). So now when you sit around drinking coffee on Saturday morning after your 80 mile base ride, and the subject of tomorrow's ride comes up, 'the boys' are talking about going on a little ride that's on gravel roads - just about 50 miles, but it's epic countryside, and you don't want to miss it, but... Your Velociraptor only takes 23mm tires, and it's stiff as a board. And one of the guys says "I've got a spare cyclocross bike you can ride". And so you do. And it's pretty fun feeling dirt on your face, sand in your crotch, and damn that was a cool picture with all of you after the ride, all covered with mud. And Joe casually mentions that he thinks your friendly local bike shop has the Mudpuppy like his (only black) that's about your size, and clearance priced. Plus one.
Somewhere along this progression, your sainted wife, who has turned a blind eye to all this adult male pirate-looks-at-50 foolishness, watched you buy new toys, and really hasn't made a big deal about it decides that perhaps she'd like to ride more with you. Since she is actually pretty fit and active, and you being the smart partner who knows that buying her a cheap bike is not going to make her a better rider, you take her down to your friendly LBS (who by this time is rolling out the red carpet and firing up the cappuccino machine when they see you approach). And they get her set up with a nice woman specific Terraplaner 3000, helmet, jersey and matching shorts, and all the trimmings as you calmly watch her lay down her platinum card. Plus one.
Pretty soon, she's riding with you, riding with a group of women on Sundays and Tuesdays, and mentions that a grocery bike would be really good to have so that *you* can go to the store by bike instead of in the car. Plus one.
And now in December, those same friends are calling you to go ride down along the river on something called a 'fat bike', and since you are both bored to tears riding the trainer, you make another trip to your LBS to get her a fatbike so she can go for rides with the girls all winter long. Plus one.
And then you realize that she's having a lot more fun than you are, and you know what happens next...
Plus one.
Or maybe it's doing rides with friends on the weekends. Going for a breakfast ride or to ride for coffee along the greenway. Or maybe do part of the Grand Rounds and wind up at a cafe for lunch.
At some point, some part of some people make the slow (or fast) slide into 'bikers' (or riders, depending on your upbringing). This is accompanied by the inevitable acquisition of a helmet, actual bike shorts, and maybe even a jersey. Which is generally followed by the sad realization that the bike you've been riding since high school isn't really up to the task of riding from here to wherever in the company of whomever it was that you wanted to ride with in the first place, and they aren't really in a mood to wait for you at every single intersection. So down to your local bike shop you go, and the salesperson says "you would be really happy with this year's Hornsucker Zipflash". It's right there with the Makoozie, and we've got a special discount package on it. And since it feels *so* much better than the cast iron pig with octagonal wheels that you've been riding, you buy it. And you feel pretty good about it - at least until you go for a ride with your friends, and now they only have to wait at every other turn. And as they talk over coffee about tires and chains and things, you listen - and decide that maybe if you get better tires, and maybe a new jersey, you'll be able to keep up better. And you know what comes next. Plus one.
You are standing in the bike shop and the owner walks by and sees you eyeballing the Velociraptor 7000 that's a replica of the bike that won some big race you've never heard of, and he says "looks like it's your size, take it for a ride..." and you do. And now you have 3 bikes in the garage, not just two. And you are trying to explain to your significant other what a great deal this was, and why it is going to help you achieve your fitness goal which will make you a better performer at work, And. And. Plus One.
And then comes the fall, and you actually can keep up with the guys. And occasionally be the first one to the top of that hill, and your buddies are all congratulating you on how much you've improved (and they really do mean it). So now when you sit around drinking coffee on Saturday morning after your 80 mile base ride, and the subject of tomorrow's ride comes up, 'the boys' are talking about going on a little ride that's on gravel roads - just about 50 miles, but it's epic countryside, and you don't want to miss it, but... Your Velociraptor only takes 23mm tires, and it's stiff as a board. And one of the guys says "I've got a spare cyclocross bike you can ride". And so you do. And it's pretty fun feeling dirt on your face, sand in your crotch, and damn that was a cool picture with all of you after the ride, all covered with mud. And Joe casually mentions that he thinks your friendly local bike shop has the Mudpuppy like his (only black) that's about your size, and clearance priced. Plus one.
Somewhere along this progression, your sainted wife, who has turned a blind eye to all this adult male pirate-looks-at-50 foolishness, watched you buy new toys, and really hasn't made a big deal about it decides that perhaps she'd like to ride more with you. Since she is actually pretty fit and active, and you being the smart partner who knows that buying her a cheap bike is not going to make her a better rider, you take her down to your friendly LBS (who by this time is rolling out the red carpet and firing up the cappuccino machine when they see you approach). And they get her set up with a nice woman specific Terraplaner 3000, helmet, jersey and matching shorts, and all the trimmings as you calmly watch her lay down her platinum card. Plus one.
Pretty soon, she's riding with you, riding with a group of women on Sundays and Tuesdays, and mentions that a grocery bike would be really good to have so that *you* can go to the store by bike instead of in the car. Plus one.
And now in December, those same friends are calling you to go ride down along the river on something called a 'fat bike', and since you are both bored to tears riding the trainer, you make another trip to your LBS to get her a fatbike so she can go for rides with the girls all winter long. Plus one.
And then you realize that she's having a lot more fun than you are, and you know what happens next...
Plus one.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Miesville Grinder - April 13, 2014
It's really hard to put together a continuous gravel loop in the metro (unless you head for the Luce line and do an out&back. Funny thing how people expect their trails and roads to be paved in the city...
Over the past year, I've scoped out several good rides within an hour of downtown Minneapolis, and I'm sure there are a number of others - in the deep secret recesses, off the beaten track. One in particular, which I call the Miesville Grinder is pretty good as a training ride for other grinders, and I think has potential to be a pretty fun little race itself this year if we can pick a good weekend, and sort out logistics like parking and bathrooms.
Depending on the loop(s) used, it's anywhere from 25-50 miles, all but perhaps 2 miles of which is on gravel with virtually no traffic, few intersections, several really nice climbs and not a whole lot of non-obvious turns. The question is - how formal does it need to be? I'm fine with saying "turn list will be available at the ball field at 9:00 sharp", and then leaving extras under the wiper. In fact, I'd probably prefer that.
It would be nice to keep it low key and accessible to newcomers who aren't part of the 'inner sanctum' and maybe just want to try out the sport - or use it as a training ride for Almanzo. It looks like April 13 is an open date in the Minnesota area. How about it?
Over the past year, I've scoped out several good rides within an hour of downtown Minneapolis, and I'm sure there are a number of others - in the deep secret recesses, off the beaten track. One in particular, which I call the Miesville Grinder is pretty good as a training ride for other grinders, and I think has potential to be a pretty fun little race itself this year if we can pick a good weekend, and sort out logistics like parking and bathrooms.
Depending on the loop(s) used, it's anywhere from 25-50 miles, all but perhaps 2 miles of which is on gravel with virtually no traffic, few intersections, several really nice climbs and not a whole lot of non-obvious turns. The question is - how formal does it need to be? I'm fine with saying "turn list will be available at the ball field at 9:00 sharp", and then leaving extras under the wiper. In fact, I'd probably prefer that.
It would be nice to keep it low key and accessible to newcomers who aren't part of the 'inner sanctum' and maybe just want to try out the sport - or use it as a training ride for Almanzo. It looks like April 13 is an open date in the Minnesota area. How about it?
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