Saturday afternoon I joined up with Oliver for a trip out on the Mopac. Man.. this week has been awesome. Gravel, wabash, ride around town with Cindy from the LJS then on to Eagle, evening ride, then capped off with a sweaty muggy ride out to Elmwood. Last week I spent about 15 hours on the bike over 5 days, most of it on gravel or limestone, and all of it awesome. I'm looking forward to being back at work, but man, it's goona be tough getting used to not just running off and spending 3 hours on the bike in the afternoon. Most notably, getting lost out past Eagle where it's only you and the tractors.
The emails keep coming in, and they keep getting more awesome. I've added a couple blogs off to the right, and will keep adding 'em as they come in. Lots of common questions, one of which is what bike I ride. I'll answer that one right now, thought about a seperate post, but I don't need one. Here she is:
It's a Surly Long Haul Trucker Complete, which has proven to be the Best Bike Ever over the past year, and probably 5,000 miles I've put on 'er. Mods for my weight? The stock rear wheel was taken apart and rebuilt (new spokes, etc) by hand over at Cycle Works, and it's been rock solid. Other mods are Schwalbe Marathon Cross tires (roll great on pavement, are comfy like whoa, and just rock on gravel), a Nitto Noodle 48cm Handlebar (I've got a wide shoulder span, this cured my constant shoulder pain on long rides), Brooks B-17 saddle (I'll never ride anything else, I've never had butt comfort problems since going Brooks), and some Shimano PD-M520 pedals. There's been three saddles, three handlebars, three sets of pedals and two different kinds of tire on this bike since I purchased it, and this is how it's staying. It's rock solid and it can go anywhere, setup like this I've taken it on long road rides, through wilderness park, and on gravel centuries.
I'll have more on clothing in another post, and other common questions that seem to come up - but the summary is to just find something and ride. When I started out I was wearing a baseball cap, sneakers, gym shorts and a t-shirt on a mid-90's Raleigh mountain bike that was a size or two too small for me. But you know what? I still had a blast.
Remember, 1 pound a week is still 52 pounds a year. 5 miles a day is still 35 a week. Both of those numbers are better than zero. Dig it, smile, ride and the rest comes later. The long ride is always the best one.
7 comments:
Your going a great job and are an inspiration.....keep those wheels turning
Any weight loss is a positive. For now with pushing the distances Im doing it seems to be really helping combined with watching my carbs/caloric input. Average week loss is about 2-3lbs but I still have the occasional 5-7lb loss weeks. I know Im gonna hit the time when Im getting 1 to 2 lbs if Im lucky but I hope its not for another 20-30 lbs *LOL*
Steve
Schwalbe Marathon Cross... Yep, those tires are a great investment. What's cool is that they run tubeless with sealant as well as they run tubed. That actually saved me in the Dirty Kanza 200 last year, when Cornbread had 8 flats and I was able to go flat-free and ride to fifth place.
I certainly wasn't the strongest rider there (Cornbread was clearly stronger than me that day), but not having the time loss of flat tires allowed me to ride up into the upper ranks of the finishing order. It was a clear advantage. Those tires are the golden ticket.
Great review of your ride, Ben. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Glad to hear it was a good weekend of riding.
Cheers,
MG
Sounds like you've been having a lot of fun!! I am seriously impressed that you've put 5000 miles on your bike!
So I have a question...and it's probably a dumb one because I'm a rookie cyclist and just moved here from Oregon last year, what the heck do you all do in the winter months in this tundra?? Do you continue to cycle?
Philip - Thanks! And you all are inspirations to me to keep going. Man I'm motivated lately.. and riding is good.
Stephen - That's pretty awesome, you have to let me know how to get those 5-7lb weeks again.. haha.. been a long time. :)
MG - Glad I'm not alone in my love! I think I'm sticking with them, they may be a little slower than others, but the smooth rides and no flats are pure love.
Sara - In the winter, you just have to keep rolling. After the first week or two of cold, your body gets used to it and it's not so bad. I wear lots of goretex and fleece gear to keep the wind out, and many times I'm pretty darn warm. When the snow flies, ride something with knobbies and you'll be set. Also remember the first 5 minutes of any cold ride will be a tad uncomfortable, but once your body warms up - you're golden. It's actually pretty fun!!
Love the pics of the mixed-terrain bike fest. It's inspired me to find some gravel love near the 'Ville in southern Indiana. Keep 'em turning!
I happen to come across your blog and it's extremely inspirational!
If you don't mind, I'll be taking some notes.
Going to have to work on my blog now. ;)
take care,
Angelo
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