Squeak, squeak. Squeak, squeak. This was essentially the sound my bike was making after my first ride in the rain a few weeks ago. I kept looking at different parts of my bike and realized my bike only sounded bad when I was pedaling so it was something to do with the chain or the gears. That's as far as I was able to get in diagnosing the problem.
A few rides later this noise was still occurring. The thought did cross my mind that maybe I needed to grease my chain, but everything looked okay, so I just kept riding. Finally, someone from the club told me I needed to lube the chain so my bike would be more quiet:) I immediately went straight from that ride to the bike shop, purchased some lube and like magic the squeaking stopped! Now I know that after riding in the rain I need to lube the chain and any moving joints on the bike haha My bike knowledge is expanding, however slowly:)
Sarah
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Riding in the Heat
After battling the wind on every ride for what seemed like a month, the weather has now changed and heat is my new opponent! For those who know me, I don't handle heat very well. I usually end up with a headache and then I start to feel slightly ill...not pleasant! However, I'm learning a few tricks to avoid these issues on my bike:)
On Monday I went out with the Brampton Club for a ride from Georgetown to Cambellville and back in some round-about way of course! The forecast that day was a high of 27 but it was going to feel like 31. How I was going to bike 90+ km that day was an interesting thought! I loaded up on sunscreen, filled by water bottles and headed out. I learned two things that day. First, biking is way easier than running in hot weather because of the added bonus of wind! Second, if you slow down a wee bit and don't push yourself as hard as normal, it may take a tad bit longer to complete the ride, but you'll feel great the whole way! Monday's ride was awesome despite the heat which is great knowledge to have when looking ahead to our trip which is right smack dab in the middle of summer!
Just to be sure that Monday wasn't a fluke, I went out after work yesterday when the temperature was 28 and felt like closer to 34. My plan was to ride 55 km at a slightly slower pace. Again, I finished the ride and felt great! This is a revelation for me...I can do physical activity when it's hot...amazing!
Sarah
On Monday I went out with the Brampton Club for a ride from Georgetown to Cambellville and back in some round-about way of course! The forecast that day was a high of 27 but it was going to feel like 31. How I was going to bike 90+ km that day was an interesting thought! I loaded up on sunscreen, filled by water bottles and headed out. I learned two things that day. First, biking is way easier than running in hot weather because of the added bonus of wind! Second, if you slow down a wee bit and don't push yourself as hard as normal, it may take a tad bit longer to complete the ride, but you'll feel great the whole way! Monday's ride was awesome despite the heat which is great knowledge to have when looking ahead to our trip which is right smack dab in the middle of summer!
Just to be sure that Monday wasn't a fluke, I went out after work yesterday when the temperature was 28 and felt like closer to 34. My plan was to ride 55 km at a slightly slower pace. Again, I finished the ride and felt great! This is a revelation for me...I can do physical activity when it's hot...amazing!
Sarah
Monday, May 17, 2010
Bananas!
Couldn't help feeling like I was part of Mario Kart on my ride today when a banana peel got tossed from a car just ahead of me!! The passenger who tossed the peel then caught a glimpse of me and apologized, but by that moment I was just chuckling to myself wondering when Yoshi was going to zoom past!
Sarah
Sarah
Biking 90 k, the afternoon after, and the next morning...
I did my second ride with the Ottawa Bicycle Club yesterday morning. My first ride with the club was two weeks ago: 47 k with the Ramblers (the slowest group). The first ride felt like a leisurely stroll, so I decided to up the ante… 90 km with a faster group. Don’t ever call me un-ambitious! You can, however, call me crazy and or idiotic. It turns out that 90 k is doable, but pretty exhausting. Managed to make it home, bbq some hotdogs, and pass out for 3 hours. Feels pretty good to have gotten such a big ride out of the way, but I’m paying for it today with some limp-inducing leg stiffness and a seriously tight IT band.
90 k ride or not, a Friday afternoon conversation with some colleagues had me committed to biking to work on Monday morning, and I dutifully met them at 7:30…Nothing like a 17 k ride with people who want to go 5 km/h faster than you do to kick-start the week! I’ll be on my own for the ride home, and I have a feeling it’ll be much, much slower. Thankfully.
Liz
PS. Someone asked how long it took to do 90 k....we did it in 3:45 active time, plus a couple of stops (probably half an hour total). I guess that works out to an average speed of 24 km/h.
90 k ride or not, a Friday afternoon conversation with some colleagues had me committed to biking to work on Monday morning, and I dutifully met them at 7:30…Nothing like a 17 k ride with people who want to go 5 km/h faster than you do to kick-start the week! I’ll be on my own for the ride home, and I have a feeling it’ll be much, much slower. Thankfully.
Liz
PS. Someone asked how long it took to do 90 k....we did it in 3:45 active time, plus a couple of stops (probably half an hour total). I guess that works out to an average speed of 24 km/h.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Fun Fact of the Day
The odometer on my bike is now past 1000 km and 750 km have been from riding this spring!!
Sarah
Sarah
2 Months!
Two months from now Love on Wheels will officially take off!!
The plan is for the whole Love on Wheels team to convene in Ottawa to make final preparations on July 17. Then we'll have a fantastic sleep, wake up and start riding! Even though I've been out riding a bunch so far this spring, I still find the trip a little daunting. Perhaps once I've had my first 100 km ride (which will hopefully be soon!) I'll start to feel more comfortable:)
For now though, I have improved immensely the over the last month and half. I can climb hills more efficiently, ride long and ride faster! My after work rides have gone from 30 km to 50+ km and as the days get longer so can my rides! A 30 km ride now feels like warmup which is the way I soon hope to feel about 50 km rides:) Since our goal is to be riding between 100 and 125 km a day I still have a ways to go haha!
I'm also starting to look like a real cyclist which is exciting...just don't ask me technical questions about my bike unless you'd like to see me slighly confused! Bike maintenance is another area I have yet to explore. If anyone has tips or would like to show me a few things, I'd be grateful for the guidance! As you can tell by my post about opening valves when pumping the tires, my knowledge is limited:)
Sarah
The plan is for the whole Love on Wheels team to convene in Ottawa to make final preparations on July 17. Then we'll have a fantastic sleep, wake up and start riding! Even though I've been out riding a bunch so far this spring, I still find the trip a little daunting. Perhaps once I've had my first 100 km ride (which will hopefully be soon!) I'll start to feel more comfortable:)
For now though, I have improved immensely the over the last month and half. I can climb hills more efficiently, ride long and ride faster! My after work rides have gone from 30 km to 50+ km and as the days get longer so can my rides! A 30 km ride now feels like warmup which is the way I soon hope to feel about 50 km rides:) Since our goal is to be riding between 100 and 125 km a day I still have a ways to go haha!
I'm also starting to look like a real cyclist which is exciting...just don't ask me technical questions about my bike unless you'd like to see me slighly confused! Bike maintenance is another area I have yet to explore. If anyone has tips or would like to show me a few things, I'd be grateful for the guidance! As you can tell by my post about opening valves when pumping the tires, my knowledge is limited:)
Sarah
Monday, May 10, 2010
How Far I've Come
This weekend my one roommate, Ashley, told me I should do a blog entry called "how far I've come" to give myself a chance to tell amusing stories from last summer. Tonight, during my 56 km ride, I had a chance to think about what the first story in this potential series should be, so here goes!
Last spring my sister and I set about (in our respective cities) to buy road bikes. We both went to various shops before feeling comfortable with one. For me, I ended up at Via Ciclante in Streetsville. Everyone there was awesome and they made me realize that buying a bike was about more than just the bike. Everyone at the bike shop becomes your best friend, especially when you're just starting out and have a lot to learn!
For me, one of the more amusing learning sessions took place when I couldn't get my back tire to inflate fully. I didn't really think there was a problem with the tire, but since I had no problems pumping up the front tire, I was perplexed. So into Via Ciclante I went with my bike (this was not the first time I had to go back in with a question:). One of the guys came over and I tried my best to explain my problem without being too embarrassed. Thankfully, as is always the case at the bike shop, the guy didn't make me feel stupid as he kindly explained that in order to put air in the tire, you actually had to open the valve before connecting the pump! Who knew haha!
I found this whole experience pretty humorous (thankfully) and you can be sure that I haven't forgotten that little tidbit of information since! So thank you to Via Ciclante for all you've taught me so far!!
Sarah
Last spring my sister and I set about (in our respective cities) to buy road bikes. We both went to various shops before feeling comfortable with one. For me, I ended up at Via Ciclante in Streetsville. Everyone there was awesome and they made me realize that buying a bike was about more than just the bike. Everyone at the bike shop becomes your best friend, especially when you're just starting out and have a lot to learn!
For me, one of the more amusing learning sessions took place when I couldn't get my back tire to inflate fully. I didn't really think there was a problem with the tire, but since I had no problems pumping up the front tire, I was perplexed. So into Via Ciclante I went with my bike (this was not the first time I had to go back in with a question:). One of the guys came over and I tried my best to explain my problem without being too embarrassed. Thankfully, as is always the case at the bike shop, the guy didn't make me feel stupid as he kindly explained that in order to put air in the tire, you actually had to open the valve before connecting the pump! Who knew haha!
I found this whole experience pretty humorous (thankfully) and you can be sure that I haven't forgotten that little tidbit of information since! So thank you to Via Ciclante for all you've taught me so far!!
Sarah
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Riding in the Rain
So today was my first time experiencing rainfall during a ride! I was out with the Brampton Cycle Club for the usual Saturday ride, but unfortunately Mother Nature had something else in mind. 23 km into the ride the first few flashes of lightning were seen. We pulled over (about 12 of us) and those who had rain jackets with them threw them on. The rest of us just looked at the clouds and contemplated the fact we were going to get wet:) We turned around to head home and sure enough the rain came!
We slowed down a bit as the road started to get wet, but we soldiered on...we had to get back to our cars! The worst part about riding in the rain with a group is that when you're near the back of the group, the spray from all the other bikes hits you which isn't so fun. When you're at the front of the group, although you may be leading the group into the wind, there's no additional spray from anyone and it's awesome. We made it back safety with no wipeouts:)
Lessons learned from this ride are to acquire more cycling clothing (most notably a weather proof jacket), to slow down in rainy conditions and to take full advantage of a hot shower to clean off all the dirt and sand at the earliest availability! One idea I thought of before the ride was to throw my cell phone into a ziplock bag...turned out to be a smart idea!
Sarah
We slowed down a bit as the road started to get wet, but we soldiered on...we had to get back to our cars! The worst part about riding in the rain with a group is that when you're near the back of the group, the spray from all the other bikes hits you which isn't so fun. When you're at the front of the group, although you may be leading the group into the wind, there's no additional spray from anyone and it's awesome. We made it back safety with no wipeouts:)
Lessons learned from this ride are to acquire more cycling clothing (most notably a weather proof jacket), to slow down in rainy conditions and to take full advantage of a hot shower to clean off all the dirt and sand at the earliest availability! One idea I thought of before the ride was to throw my cell phone into a ziplock bag...turned out to be a smart idea!
Sarah
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