Friday, October 3, 2008

Hanging in There

So last Saturday I set out on the bike and got my best distance yet, and I haven't been on the bike since.  Heading out of town this weekend to visit my Dad, so no biking.  My new bike racks are on the way from Swagman, and I think I may have begged and pleaded my case enough that my friend Karla over there is going to let me off of the mat on the 20% restocking fee and maybe even return shipping?  The racks are on the way, and no charges have showed up on my accounts that I can tell.  If that is the case, I will immediately reverse my position that no one should ever buy anything from them ever again.  The racks should be here on the 8th.

But regardless, my new racks are on the way, meaning that I don't currently have any now, meaning the bike can not travel to Indianapolis with us for the weekend.  It is looking like it is going to be a beautiful week next week though.  I may just need to stay home Monday, just to get in another ride and then take care of some other things around the homestead in preparation for the upcoming cold weather.

Which brings up the question: I'm thinking of riding the bike into the house over the winter.  If the weather breaks from time to time it will still be wet and messy, so I'll probably just run the Schwinn on those days.  So, do I go with the trainer that just lets you spin, or do I go for full rollers?  It seems that rollers would give a  more realistic ride, allowing me to continue messing with the fit of the bike for more comfort.  But then, I still need to shake about 10 pounds, so  I thought I might just spend the winter using the bike as a sweating machine, and worry more about form in the spring. 

I'm asking this question as if there are millions of people reading... I need rest.

4 comments:

Paul said...

Trainer - rear mount. Magnet or hydro - not fans. Put a towel over the stem/bars/top tube to prevent rust. Put something under the front wheel to level it (I use a 2x4). Just spin. 10 minutes will feel like forever. 15 minutes is forever. Put a cheap rear tire on the rear - it'll wear out pretty quickly.

Rollers are good, but ... You got to want it. Steep learning curve Can't lose concentration. Lots of falling.

I really don't miss the trainer days... And in truth - I road nearly every day of the year in MN/MI/CO. I also got frostbite and crashed a lot. :)

Paul said...

Correction: I rode outside nearly every day...

-T. said...

Yes, but you were working toward riding as a profession. AND you were a young man.

I am neither. By a long shot.

I could fall and break a hip!

Paul said...

Exactly.

These days I don't want to ride if it's less than 60 degrees. Or cloudy.