Cycling - The Good

I'm passionate about cycling right now.  Good weather, so I'm doing more and more, even whizzing into the city for meetings, where I don't need to wear a suit.  And I've found the bike path that goes unbroken from Port Melbourne into Melbourne, which means I'll tend to ride along the bay from Brighton to Port Melbourne, and then cut into the city.  Nice.

Also did Amy's Ride with Daryl Cook on Sunday, 65km circuit from Geelong along to Ocean Grove and then back round.  Absolutely beautiful view along the sea, and the ride was easier on the legs than I thought it would be, except at about 50km the cyclists from the 120km circuit overtook us, which meant they were 60km ahead of us!!  We had stopped for a coffee earlier, so that's our excuse.  In fact, I'd cycled 20km at sunrise to meet Daryl at Westgate Bridge, and of course I forced him to drop me off at Westgate Bridge after Amy's Ride, so I could cycle back and brag about the 100km I cycled in the day.  If it's not windy, I can cycle most things, but the final 20km were murder, into a strong wind.

Of course all this cycling enthusiasm means I've put the bags on the back of my bike to carry my laptop, so I don't get so hot, and uncomfortable carrying my stuff on a rucksack. It doesn't look as cool though!!

And just to keep the obsession up, I've got a bike computer to track my speed and distance, as well as my cadence, which is the beat rate at which I'm cycling.  A year ago, I dropped down to a lower front gear so that I'd increase my cadence.  The higher level cyclists tend to have a higher cadence.  You tend to be able to go further with less injuries on a high cadence.  This has been all the rage for a few years, because Lance Armstrong is known for having a high cadence average of 120 per minute.  To my joy, my cadence seems to be at about 100 on the whole, but let me tell you something, you can push it to 110 in short bursts, but you try even to get 120 per minute.  How the hell did he keep that up!!

And the bad news.  I'm sitting in a cafe in Middle Park.  Yes, you guessed it, another puncture!!  The count is now, no punctures in 10 years, and 6 punctures in less than a year.   What the hell is going on.  It might just be that the tyres that were replaced after 10 years were better at resisting punctures, or I'm cycling more, but I just don't get it.  I'm paranoid now, and perhaps it's time to learn to repair my own punctures.  I haven't needed to learn, until the last year, but just for peace of mind.

And finally, more good news.  Cycled 20km yesterday back to the doctors, and my blood pressure is down, so that's good. Oh, and I've cycled so much recently, I've run out of podcasts to listen to!!  I've caught up with my backlog, and I'm now wondering what the hell to listen to.

Comments

[Murky]

Punctures are pretty straightforward. I'd recommend having quick release levers though, and having a practice at home on your back wheel (if you practice on the front, you'll only have to practice on the back later on).

Personally, I carry an inner tube, wrapped in a baggie to prevent holing due to rubbing, in my underseat saddlebag. It'd be faster than waiting for rubber glue to dry. I also carry a puncture kit and tyre levers (three).

[Murky]

Hint. No bucket of water is needed to find the hole. Take the tube out. Inflate it (it will inflate much more than if in the harder tyre). Once inflated, go around it and put it to your face. Listen and feel.

Don't forget to (carefully) feel inside the tyre to check for foreign bodies before putting your tube back!

The reason for a third lever is so that if you can't slide the second all the way round, you can lock off lever number 2 on a spoke, then continue with lever 3, and if needed, lock this off and leapfrog it with 2.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fix-a-bicycle-puncture

[Tony Goodson]

Thanks Murky, great advice, and after my recent experiences it's time to learn via the link you sent me and others on YouTube.