Tag: cycling Page 2 of 3

Goose has a cavity

On June 25, 2020

My faithful bike Goose has a broken spoke.

Around the 3,000 mile point, I noticed the rear wheel getting a bit of a wobble which eventually began wearing on the brake and rim.

When I finally took the time to investigate and repair it, I discovered a spoke was broken at the hub.

So a new adventure begins… where do you find spokes and how do you replace one. For the spokes, Amazon of course. But even that was work because you have to know several things like the gauge of your spokes and the length in millimeters. Once you have that best guess, you need to find a supplier and like many things today, there are very few in this country.

After I place the order and watch some how-to videos, I go into disassembly mode, only to discover I need another special tool to take the rear wheel sprocket assembly apart. Fortunately, a company named Park Tool has some great videos and of course, had the tool I needed (and in the USA).

The tool is on order, the spokes arrived, now let’s hope I can get it all to work when I get to work on it again.

In the meantime, my backup bike, Kermit is back on the road and doing well.

1st below freezing ride of 2019

By Jerry Schotz

On November 2, 2019

In Blog

It was great to go for a bike ride after several days of rainy and blustery conditions. Walking is alright, but you really can’t get an aerobic workout very easily. Obviously, there are obstacles and challenges to deal with riding a bike in cold weather. Clothing seems to take the longest to get right.

I opted to layer cotton and polyester with one layer being a thicker thermal shirt, then the outer shell being my Work-n-Sport coat then finally my reflective shirt. With a scarf around my neck and a thin hat under the helmet, it actually worked pretty well. I was cold at first, but within a mile or so I had generated enough heat around the torso to expand the ride outside of town and into the fields a few miles.

With two pair of socks on in my leather boots and wind pants, the lower body remained reasonably comfortable. The toes did a little complaining after about 10 miles, but weren’t brutally cold. I’m not exactly a fitness magazine model, but I’m able to keep riding a bit longer outside, for which I am grateful!

August 2019 Stats

By Jerry Schotz

On September 1, 2019

In Blog

Wow! Such a month of fitness change! The leg issues, the bike, the way the body changes when not running… yet, I’m grateful to report a pretty full month of activity! There was no running in August but a lot of cycling and the bike stats are below.

I was able to start taking a few 2 mile walks toward the end of August and I’m still hopeful to try some running mid-September. If you’re working through an injury, find what works for you and keep moving!

A few weeks on the bike

By Jerry Schotz

On August 26, 2019

In Blog

I am grateful to have a bicycle! I’ve had to convert to a cyclist while this knee injury recovers. I am using the bike as part of my physical therapy. My Sports-Ortho was cool about me doing my own therapy once I explained what I was doing and my recovery plan. Of course, he offered to be of further assistance if I needed it, we’ll see.

Picture of the Mongoose Bedlam bicycle — The Mongoose Bedlam

The knee is getting better day-by-day, I can do my regular stretching/yoga/pilates again and have been able to walk a few miles at a time without issue. I’m not ready to give it a run though as the memory of that pain is keeping me cautious. My plan is to attempt a slow run, two weeks after it doesn’t bother me doing these other low-impact activities.

I have over 375 miles on the bike since August 4th (3 weeks). I’ve been averaging 19 miles each morning at an average pace of 14.5 MPH. Maintaining this pace keeps me exuding an effort almost the entire ride, with very little coasting (not that we have much for hills around here). The rear tire is showing a little wear but overall the bike is holding up well, even today while the entire ride was in the rain.

This bike has the shock-absorption front forks and the rear independent suspension. Most bike have similar front forks nowadays, but the rear is not as common. Personally, I like the extra impact reduction of the rear suspension.

You may wonder why I use a mountain-style bike as basically a road bike. The answer is that the roads I ride are not city streets, they are country roads, sometimes dirt and often rough. These are (to use the common term) tar-and-chip roads which are maintained by adding oil and loose rock during the summer months. This loose rock adds a certain element of “surprise” to a road-ride in which those narrow road-cycle tires don’t perform well at keeping you upright. Plus the rock accumulates at intersections and roadsides for additional excitement.

4-Cemetery Route

By Jerry Schotz

On August 10, 2019

In Blog

I like Cemeteries, not in a weird or spooky way, I like the serenity and peacefulness of the majority. They also remind me to be grateful, grateful I’m still just a visitor and not a resident there, but also I’m mindful of the lives of those folks that are now out-of-mind with the passing of time. We don’t think enough about the folks who were farmers, teachers, soldiers, laborers, etc. which helped form the amazing civilization we have today.

I get to ride on paved, straight roads (well, mostly), I get to purchase a new bicycle easily at a store or online and I can get accessories to make that experience safer and more enjoyable. So many little things we take for granted today which someone in our past had to build, support, or contribute to in order for us to make significant transactions from a device in our pocket. It’s amazing if you stop to think about it.

One big plus of riding the bike while my running injuries heal is I can expand my travels out in the open air. This morning I didn’t have any time-crunch pressure so I just ventured “wherever”. As I started out I thought about the cemetery just up the road, which helped me decide to ride to four different cemeteries which turned into a decent ride (see below).