100 Revs Blog

Went to the Grand Performance - sponsored bike swap this morning, but can't say that it was all that great. Ended up being more of a higher end bike swap and not as many sub-$200 bikes. Perhaps, this was due to a high price for tables.

Oh well, maybe next year.

It was good at least to see all of the other bikers there. The season is about to start.

Tom Danielson has been keeping a diary at CyclingNews.com. Very interesting and a pretty quick enjoyable read.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2005/diaries/tom/?id=default

Below is the graph from the Cicylosport HAC4 HR monitor, showing grades. (I'm bored and felt like posting something.)

Highlights are:

• 5% incline up Hwy 13 before turning to the airport lookout point
  
• 6% + going down hill at Lilydale from Hwy 13
  
• 8-10% incline up Ohio to High Bridge
  
• 10-14% incline up Ramsey Hill, steepest near top

From VeloNews Vol 43/No. 3 June 8, 2005, p. 13

VeloNews posted their "Cream of the Shops" list, including One On One Bicycle Studio in Minneapolis. Chris DiStefano had the following to say about it:

A visit to One on One just might be about an art exhibit, rummaging for Nervar cranks, or a bike derby in the alley. Owned and operated by former World Cup mountain bike racer Gene Oberprillar and his wife Jennifer, One on One is home to a cool collection of Bianchi memorabilia. There are also some sweet rides for sale. If you seem trustworthy, you'll be shown the basement, a place for which there are no words to describe.

100revs note: This is same shop that hosted the "21 Days to Paris" art show by Caroline Yang

From VeloNews Vol 43/No. 3 June 8, 2005

Great article about the new UCI ProTour. I thought that the images would be a great reference:

From the June issue of Bicyle magazine, p. 32 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

Don't re-use disposable water bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). According to Elizabeth Griswold, exec director of the Canadian Bottled Water Assoc., a study found that repeated washings likely accelaerate the decomposition of the plastic, resulting in potentially toxic compounds to seep into the beverage.

From the June Bicycle magazine, p. 87 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

Freeze a tube of all-natural, organic yogurt before a ride. Keeps your back cool. Each 2oz. serving tube has 10% of RDA calcium, 2 grams protein, ..., low in sugar & fat. Good flavors. stonyfield.com (There is a section on the site for downloading coupons -- if you can get the plugin to work properly.)

From the June issue of Bicycling Magazine, p. 90 (paraphrased to save typing)

Sound: high-piteched chirp near pedal
When: every downstroke, mostly when you stand
Try First: Tighten pedals on crankamrs, lube cleat-pedal interface & replace cleats if worn to point of shiny areas on contact points.
Then Try: Tighten pedal cage bolts, clipless bolts or other bolts on pedals.
Sometimes a chipped bearing or hidden grit is the culprit.
Another Solution: Go to the bike shop and drop the money to make it their headache.

Originally posted April 14, 2003

Only in Minnesota, eh?!

It was 90 degrees today and we're supposed to have snow flurries on Wed or Thur, with a high of 35 degrees. What the hecK??!!

Gotta be about 100 or more ASCII options listed at ASCII Bicycle Art Page

     __o         __o          __o         __o         __o
    _`\<,_      _`\<,_      _`\<,_      _`\<,_      _`\<,_
   (_)/ (_)    (_)/ (_)    (_)/ (_)    (_)/ (_)    (_)/ (_)



      /\   
     /  \/\     ____   __o   
  /\/      \  ---__  _ \<_
_/          \_______(_)/(_)  

I just got a new 32 oz water bottle, rinsed it out, and went on a ride - YUK!!! The taste was there. I just found the following thread discussing this on Google -- from 1993: Water Bottle Taste. Recommendations include:

• put lemon juice in the bottle and let it sit for a while
  
• clean with a baby bottle brush
  
• let the bottle stand around empty with the top off
  
• clorox (I'd skip that one though!)
  
• vinegar solution
  
• baking soda and warm (or hot) water & let sit overnight

Lemon juice technique seemed to work pretty good for me.

From the November 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 76 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

From Jens Heppner on cornering:

1. Scoot your butt back - hips slightly to the rear of saddle; back flat & parallel to top tube as possible.
   
2. Use hands - hands in drops, gently pull up with outside hand; removes weight from the bar and lightens steering & improves control.
   
3. Keep inside knee in - begin turn by pushing inside knee against top tube, then use pressure from knee to adjust line through curve. Press against tupe to tighten turn. Let off to widen arc.
   
4. Weight outside pedal - The more weight shifted to outside pedal, the more traction. Drive 80% of body wieght into the pedal.
   
5. Stay centered - bike, torso, and head should be at same angle.
   
6. Scan 30 feet ahead - keep head up and follow corner with eyes.

Major Don't: Don't grab your brakes. About 10 feet before you enter a corner, you should be done braking and at the speed you can take the whole turn. Be prepared for hidden obstacles. Keep one finger over each lever - helps to lightly brake if necessary instead of making a hard & hazardous brake.

From the February 2003 issue of Bicycling, p. 21 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

Avoid a Cold by Exercising
Univ. of S. Carolina researches surveyed 547 adults over a year and found that active people have 25% fewer colds than inactive people.

Eat less, Live Longer
Although not concrete, the National Institute of Aging have an ongoing study of men that shows that consuming fewer tan average calories increases longevity.

Don't Worry, Be Happy
The Mayo Clinic analyzed personalities of 447 people in the 60s and then 30 yrs later. Result: people with a dark outlook tend to have worse health than more positive people.

Quick Tempers & You'll Suffer
An Assistant Prof at Vanderbilt Univ. correlated quick tempers to those more sensitive to pain. There is less "endogenous opiods" (brain chemical that surpresses pain) in those individuals.

OK, Riding Against the Wind!

From the August 2002 issue of Bicycling, p. 70 (paraphrased to reduce typing)

Align head and back, keeping side-to-side motion of your head at a minimum. Aerodynamic testing shows that keeping head and back aligned so that your back is flat is most important, more so than getting your head down as far as possible. Keep head 4-6 inches above bar. (or if too windy - in a bar - 100revs addition).

Training for the wind:

• Get in a gear that you can maintain 80-100 rpm.
  
• Pedal 2-3 cogs harder for 10-20 minutes.
  
• Recover 10-20 minutes in a lighter gear.
  
• Start with 1 rep and work up to 3.
  

Ampu-cycle.com

The following story from Cycling News caught my attention - very encouraging!

Amputee to cycle across US

Below-knee amputee Daniel Sheret is currently training for a 52 day, 6100 km tour across America, aimed at raising awareness about the Ertl surgical procedure and The Barr Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives of amputees worldwide. The 40 year old from Wilmington, North Carolina, will ride in the company of 60 other able bodied cyclists, starting in San Francisco on June 7 and finishing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on July 29.

The Barr Foundation, located in Boca Raton, Florida, provides funds to purchase prosthetic limbs for amputees who cannot otherwise afford them. "Two thousand five hundred people face amputee surgery every week," said Sheret. "It is our goal to bring the hope and awareness that when someone is faced with this challenge, life is not over. It is only just beginning!"

For more information about Sheret's trip, visit www.ampu-cycle.com.