It wasn't broke.... But I fixed it!

When I was working in San Francisco I'd see the bicycle messengers riding around on these odd bicycles.  They only had one gear.  The handle bars were unique.  They often didn't have brakes.  And when they came to intersections they would stop pedaling, the back tire would stop spinning, and they would come skidding to a stop.  Needless to say, my curiosity was peaked.  I had to know more about these bikes.

Turns out this type of bicycle is called a 'Fixed Gear' bike, or a 'Fixie' for short in today's youth vernacular.  They have their roots in bicycle track racing where the tires are bolted to the frame (vs. a quick release lever) and there are no brakes (that way one racer doesn't hit the brakes and take out everyone behind him).  To slow these bikes you simply pedal slower.  But pedal you must, as the back cog is bolted to the back wheel.  If the tire is moving, so are the cranks.

I thought this must be a specialized bicycle that would only be suitable for racing or those crazy enough to ride them in the streets of San Francisco.  It turns out that there is a great reason to train on one in the days when sun light is at a premium:  You cannot stop pedaling.  Thus, the time you spend on your bike is more efficient.  No coasting...  Sure, you can't climb hills as easily (unless you have a big cog in the back, which would preclude you from riding long on the flats...).  But the miles you do put on it you are working for.

I found a great resource here on how to convert an 80's style road bike in to a fixed gear bike.  After much research and hunting on the web, I also found all the parts I needed to do it.  All I needed was a bike...

One evening in late August I was at a dinner party at my neighbor's house.  I was chatting about this unique bicycle with a friend, and he told me he had a Schwinn World Sport bike that was about 20 years old gathering dust in the garage.  If I wanted it, it was mine.

Below are the before and after pictures of this bike.  I pulled off the derailleurs (front and back), as well as the shifters, and cables.  I pulled out my trusty grinder, and ground off the shift cable guides and the rear derailleur hanger.  I completely disassembled the bicycle, and had the frame and forks powder coated in red.  To finish it up I cleaned and repacked the bearings (bottom bracket, headset), cleaned and polished the parts I was reusing (stem, cranks, small chain ring), and flipped over and cut the drop handle bars to create 'bullhorn' style bars.  I reassembled the bike, including installing a new wheelset (specifically for fixed gear bikes), new tires and tubes, new brake levers (I did decide to keep the brakes!) and new brake cables/guides.  A new seat post and saddle wrapped up the build.

Needless to say the build was fun.  When I took it out for it's maiden voyage, I found that the ride is super fun!  A great workout, for sure!  I can't yet ride it backwards.  Nor have I perfected the skid stop.  I won't be taking the brakes off any time soon either.  All in all it is a fun bike.  For a small investment, I have a brand new, old bike.

Thanks again, Aimee and Bill for the Schwinn!

Before:

After:

In retrospect...

Two weeks ago Team in Training sorted the 95 riders in the spring season in to pace groups:  Groups of ~10 riders who all ride at the same pace, more or less.  We rode in those pace groups this Saturday.  The ride was just over 20 miles, with a decent steady climb of about 1,200 feet.

It was a great feat for me to complete two iconic rides this week.  Diablo, Three Bears.  I had a blast!  Yesterday's training ride with Team in Training, however, suffered a bit for it... 

I don't quite know what the problem was.  Maybe I had one too many beers on Friday night.  Maybe I didn't get enough sleep.  Maybe I didn't eat enough.  Or perhaps I overtrained.  What I do know is that I was struggling on Saturday.  Perhaps, too, it is attributable to the pace group.  I was sorted in to the fastest group...  Next time we ride in our pace groups, I'll keep a little more gas in the tank going in to Saturday.  I don't want to be the slowest in my group!

P.S.  My totals for this week of training were:  86 miles ridden, 6,532 feet climbed, 6,218 calories burned.

This week in training

This week started horribly for bike riding.  Just ask the guys in the Tour de California.  The week ended beautifully for the sport, however.  I had the opportunity to do two great rides I've been wanting to do.  

On Thursday I rode from my house to the ranger station halfway up Mt. Diablo.  A total of 23 miles, 2,648 vertical feet of climbing.  It took me just under two hours, and I burned 1,800 calories!

Today I rode the 'Three Bears' ride in Orinda.  That ride was 20 miles with 1,781 feet of climbing.  It took me 1 and a half hours, and I burned 1,500 calories.  

Both rides were accomplished with members of the Team in Training group.  We had all kinds of fun!  Given the rocky start to the week, I'm pretty proud of the fact that I have logged 65 miles on my bike as of today, with another 20 miles scheduled for tomorrow.  

See you on the road!

What a Valentine's day

It's been raining all week long.  All night on Friday it rained.  The forecast for Saturday:  Cold, with a 30% chance of rain.  I called the Team In Training hotline to see if the ride was on for Saturday and it was.

I arrived at the Orinda BART station at 7:30 a.m.  The temperature:  high 30's.  The roads were wet and covered with debris from the week of rain.  The morning was cold.  I'll tell you one thing, not all 95 of us showed up that morning.  I was nearly fully prepared for the cold.  I had everything to keep me warm except for a beanie.  One of the coaches was nice enough to lend me one.

The ride for me was pretty uneventful.  For others, not so much.  The coaches were collecting tubes to change flat tires.  One bicycle nearly met its maker after a crash  (okay, it did meet its maker when the bike shop put it back together).  

I probably wouldn't have ridden on my own that day.  I wouldn't have risked crashing due to wet roads.  I'm glad I went.  These guys have to ride in the rain.  You just slow down a bit, anticipate the slipperyness and ride a bit more carefully.  

Oh yea, and it only took me an hour to clean all the gunk off my bike... 

Eating while riding!?!?!

These are just the kinds of tips I was hoping to learn during my time with TNT.  You have to continue to eat while you train.  Okay, so I'm not that dense.  I knew you had to replace calories.  What I didn't know was just how many, and how often you have to eat.  I learned that you burn about 1,000 calories an hour...  If you ride at 17-20 miles an hour, you'll complete a 100 mile ride in about 5-6 hours.  5,000 to 6,000 calories!  I also learned that you can only process about 300 calories an hour, so you have to eat a lot, and start right away!

I don't know about you, but for me, this is supposed to be a healthy hobby.  I'd like to reduce the amount of processed foods I eat.  Plus, I don't want to be creating thousands of wrappers over the course of the next few months.  I found this recipe for Appalachian Trail Cookies in a bicycling magazine, and they are actually pretty good!  A little dry, but that gives them some durability (a good thing for stuffing them in the pocket in the back of a cycling jersey).  And at almost 160 calories each, you don't need to carry that many.  The pastry flour can be found at a health food store (like Whole Foods), and I'd try using the mini M&M's to get a bit more even dispersal throughout the batch.  Give them a try.  Leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Not a 'TNT' virgin anymore

On Saturday I did my first official Team In Training ("TNT") ride.  We got together to have the orientation, then a quick ride.  The orientation was...  I'll say it, long.  All the bases were covered.  We went over how to change a tire.  How to signal other riders of dangers in in front of them.  The gear necessary to ride.  We covered basic nutrition.  We had professionals help to ensure we had a proper fit on our bikes.

The beautiful thing about this program is that all these people get together and do this thing.  Looking around the room there were all kinds of people, and all kinds of bikes.  There were mountain bikes.  There were full carbon fiber race bikes.  There were old 10 speeds, along with the tell tale spiderwebs in the spokes...  In a word, everyone was welcome.  Everyone was there.  Pretty cool.

We all rode in order to put us in the proper groups to train.  They don't want the fast people being slowed down by the slow, or the slow being frustrated riding with the fast.  So they had us all ride 9 miles, and timed us.  The object was to ride to the level where you can still talk.  Not overexert yourself.  Just a comfortable out and back.  I'll have to let you know next week which group I am slotted in, but I know that I did the route in just over 30 minutes.  I imagine that puts me in one of the faster slots...  I do know that these people know what they are doing, and I'm glad I'm working with them.  I know I'll learn lots over the next 4 months!

See you on the road!

Teeth cleaning, riding advice, my dentist is full service

I had my teeth cleaned today.  What does that have to do with training to ride a hundred miles, you ask?  Lots.  My dentist is an avid cyclist.  He rides up Mt. Diablo for kicks.  I hope to one day be able to do that.  He does it on the weekends.  Without training during the week.  

I had a great opportunity to pick his brain, while he picked my teeth.  I asked him about layering for warmth.  About the different types of shoes, and why one is better than the other.  We talked about different sprocket set up options.  About the myriad of trails and bike routes around the neighborhood.  He was a wealth of information.  He answered all the questions I have, but don't want to look like a dork asking the people at my local bike shop.  My dentist fixes all my mouth issues.  I don't have the option of not looking like a dork to him...

I learned something else valuable.  You never know who shares your love of a sport.  Get to talking with people.  They may surprise you.  Who knows, they may inform you, inspire you, and you may learn from their mistakes.

See you on the trails!

Training, Day 1

I officially started my training today.  A bit of full disclosure is necessary however...   I bought a bike in August, trying to lose a few pounds I put on during last winter.  In late November I was laid off from my job, and I've been riding my bike almost every day since.  I've got the time, so I've been getting out between interviews and being Mr. Mom, riding 10 - 20 miles each day.  But still, this was day one of my effort with Team in Training.

My daughter added a bit of challenge (weight for me to pull along) today.  We rode 11 miles from our house to a local horse stables.  We had a great father-daughter day!  We rode along, sipped our water, watched the horses, played in the park.  Awesome training day!

Let's get started!

Yesterday I stepped out of my comfort zone.  I attended my first meeting with Team in Training to prepare for America's Most Beautiful Ride in Lake Tahoe on June 7, 2009!  

I will cycle over 100 miles to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I've never done anything like this before.   So join me as I log the training miles!  

Donate to support the cause!  You can even join me on the ride, if you feel up to it!