I've long wanted to ride my bike to the Oregon coast from Portland and this weekend I'm finally going to give it a go. I've been fine tuning my bike since the 200 mile in 2 day STP ride and I think I'll be pretty comfy for most of the route. The route I'm taking is just over 70 miles and I'm hoping, with stops, and what I'm told is a 6 mile uphill section (oh boy!) I can get to the coast in 8 hours.
Recent adjustments/tweaks include switching out clipless pedals for pedals with cages so I can try and avoid the very dependable mile-30-toes-falling-asleep situation that has come up on every ride 30.01 miles and longer. I haven't tried a long ride with my new pedal setup but I'm hoping it works out ok. I read an interesting post on the Rivendell site about the myth of clipless pedals and how they don't equal more efficient pedaling. We'll see how it goes.
The other big change was swapping out my drop bars for moustache bars and a cool hack for them I found on the internetz which involves putting on dummy brake hoods (is that what they are called?) for a couple of different hand positions. I have been riding with this set up for a few weeks and the more upright position the dummy brake hoods (is that what they are called?) provides is really comfy after a couple dozen miles. So, big ups to the dude on the internetz who I got this idea from.
Next big step will be getting the music together and on the iPod shuffle. I'm feeling like there is going to have to be some purchases made as I am pretty burnt out on all the stuff I've had in the heavy rotation lately. Any suggestions? I am at a complete loss as to what I might want to load up for the ride. Hip Hop? I was thinking about some RJD2 and the new GZA? Mind you, this is going to probably be an 8 hour ride so I'm going to have lots of time to just pedal and listen.
Maybe I need to load up a few free form jazz exploration double or triple LPs?
Posts
5 people felt it was time to chime in.:
I just left you a long comment and closed the fucking window. I'm going to e-mail you the response instead.
were you the one who made fun of me for riding with dummy brake hoods on my travel bike?!
ahoy hoots. i have a blog on the blogger now. except it's all about yoga, for the most part. maybe i'll get all vegan on it one day, but right now it's all yoga.
on the clipless pedals tip: numb toes could mean a couple of things. your shoes could be the wrong size, which sounds really crazy but is a common problem. some salesfolk in the bike world attempt to size customers as if they're wearing street shoes. but cycling shoes clearly have a different intended purpose. also: the cleat could be in the wrong place on your foot. also a common problem.
perhaps you need to hire me as your ride mechanic.
as for tunes: maiden always suits me on rides.
You mean you're not going to be fueled by a soundtrack of pure Dio? For shame.
Good luck! Don't forget the butt cream.
I vote for some Jackie Mittoo, maybe some Ernest Ranglin, & some Upsetters, of course!
good luck josh! this sounds amazing!
Post a Comment