So my new Long Haul Trucker is soon to be delivered. Sherry said it should be in the shop the first week of April, which is next week! While it's making me crazy waiting, I've spent the time obsessing about upgrades and changes I'd like to make to the base bike before I take ownership. Some of the things I've considered are:
External bearing bottom bracket. I'm convinced this is the way to go. See my previous rant about it here.
Fenders. I know I'll need fenders, since it rains here quite a bit, and I hate getting soaked on the way to work - or worse yet, while on an extended ride or tour. I have Planet Bike Freddy Fenders on my current touring bike, and they work great. I'm also considering Axiom's Rainrunner MTB Reflex fender as well, since they have it in stock at my LBS. The difference in price is about $20, but the Axiom's come with a reflective stripe, which I'd want to add the Planet Bike fenders anyway.
Pedals. The LHT doesn't come with pedals, so I'm in the market for some new ones. I've always used Shimano SPD, so I'm going to stick with that. The question is really about which model to buy. The XTR pedals (PD-M970) run around $250, the Deore XT pedals (PD-M770) run around $150, and the PD-540's run around $100 or so. I think you can guess which ones I'll end up with. :-) I've used the 540's before, and they work just fine.
Racks. I'm leaning towards the Surly Nice Racks, but I'm not sure about the cost. They're well over $100 each. That's a lot of rack... I do like the front rack though, as it's a high/low design, meaning that I can mount panniers in either position, and have the added option of using the upper deck to strap on bags/etc.
Tires. I've decided to go with Vittoria Randonneur's rather than Swalbe Marathon Supremes. While both are good tires, the Vittoria's are a bit cheaper. As well, I have some experience with them, as I've been running the randonneurs for a couple years now on my current touring bike, and without invoking the wrath of the flat gods, I haven't had any flats that I can recall.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
This year's cycling goals
So I suppose this post is my New Year's Resolution of cycling... There are a few goals that I'd like to reach this year, and my hope is that by putting them out there, I'll keep them on the radar, and work towards getting them completed. In no particular order, they are:
Try not to drive when I can bike. I've heard of folks giving up bikes for a full year, on a challenge. I also know that there are folks that are more or less completely car free. Kent Peterson and his family are a great example. I'm not sure I'm ready or committed enough to go completely car free, but I'd like to try and see how far I can shift my default behaviour for local transportation. Cycling to work is one way I can shift that behaviour. Using the bike to get groceries is another. I hate making rules, because inevitably they get broken, and if they're resolution type rules, then it becomes a sign of failure, so I'm not going there. Instead, I'll work with guidelines, which are basically rules with some flexibility built in. The guideline I'm going to try to work with is that I'll aim to ride my bike whenever there aren't any time or physical constraints that would make it impractical or bike.
Don't make every ride a race. In past years, every ride seems to somehow morph into a race of sorts. Whether its following someone down the bike path on the way to work, or going for a relaxing Sunday ride to St. Mary's, time and speed always seem to take on greater importance than they deserve. What's my average speed on this leg? How long did it take us to get here. How does that compare to the same trip last time?
I'm tempted to take my computer off the bike, and simply arrive when I arrive, however I do want to be able to track my overall mileage for the year. Which leads to my next resolution:
Double last year's mileage by year's end. This one is likely do-able, but won't be a slam dunk either. I didn't start riding until almost July last year, but once I did, I rode with a vengeance. And I rode late into the fall. Almost until Christmas, because of the bus strike. My total mileage for last year was 2273 kilometers, or 1412.5 miles. That puts my goal for this year at 4546 kilometers. Certainly do-able, but it will take some serious effort and commitment to put those miles on.
I'm sure I have others, but those are all I can think of for now.
Try not to drive when I can bike. I've heard of folks giving up bikes for a full year, on a challenge. I also know that there are folks that are more or less completely car free. Kent Peterson and his family are a great example. I'm not sure I'm ready or committed enough to go completely car free, but I'd like to try and see how far I can shift my default behaviour for local transportation. Cycling to work is one way I can shift that behaviour. Using the bike to get groceries is another. I hate making rules, because inevitably they get broken, and if they're resolution type rules, then it becomes a sign of failure, so I'm not going there. Instead, I'll work with guidelines, which are basically rules with some flexibility built in. The guideline I'm going to try to work with is that I'll aim to ride my bike whenever there aren't any time or physical constraints that would make it impractical or bike.
Don't make every ride a race. In past years, every ride seems to somehow morph into a race of sorts. Whether its following someone down the bike path on the way to work, or going for a relaxing Sunday ride to St. Mary's, time and speed always seem to take on greater importance than they deserve. What's my average speed on this leg? How long did it take us to get here. How does that compare to the same trip last time?
I'm tempted to take my computer off the bike, and simply arrive when I arrive, however I do want to be able to track my overall mileage for the year. Which leads to my next resolution:
Double last year's mileage by year's end. This one is likely do-able, but won't be a slam dunk either. I didn't start riding until almost July last year, but once I did, I rode with a vengeance. And I rode late into the fall. Almost until Christmas, because of the bus strike. My total mileage for last year was 2273 kilometers, or 1412.5 miles. That puts my goal for this year at 4546 kilometers. Certainly do-able, but it will take some serious effort and commitment to put those miles on.
I'm sure I have others, but those are all I can think of for now.
Almost a month!
It's been almost a month since I started riding this year, and it feels great to be on the bike so early. The weather has been great - no snow on the ground, and not much in the way of rain even. Last year was a completely different story as far as biking went. It was late June - almost July before I started to commute. I guess my head was just in a different place then. Yuck!!!
I've been riding about 3 or 4 days a week so far, and working from home the other day or two. Its been a good way to ease back into the season.
I've been riding about 3 or 4 days a week so far, and working from home the other day or two. Its been a good way to ease back into the season.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The cycling year begins!
Monday was my first ride of the year. Kate and I went to the Toronto Bike Show on the weekend, and with the weather being unseasonably warm (high of 6C on Saturday!), and with my new LHT on order, I couldn't stand it any more!
The commute in to work was good. A bit cold, but good. My eyes watered a bit from the cold at first, and I think I had a tear freeze on my cheek, but I didn't get hypothermia or anything. I rode through a LOT colder weather last fall before I put the bike away for the winter. I was comfortable by the time I got to the office.
The ride home was nicer. 8C outside, no wind to speak of, bright, bright sun and I had the path mostly to myself. The ice that I had to slowly navigate over on the way in to work had become large puddles that I had to steer around. I prefer the water to ice. No one slips on water.
I reset the bike computer while at work yesterday, but before I did, I wrote down the odometer reading: 2273.3 km, or just over 1400 miles. Not a great number, but certainly a good starting point. I expect to double that this year, at least.
The commute in to work was good. A bit cold, but good. My eyes watered a bit from the cold at first, and I think I had a tear freeze on my cheek, but I didn't get hypothermia or anything. I rode through a LOT colder weather last fall before I put the bike away for the winter. I was comfortable by the time I got to the office.
The ride home was nicer. 8C outside, no wind to speak of, bright, bright sun and I had the path mostly to myself. The ice that I had to slowly navigate over on the way in to work had become large puddles that I had to steer around. I prefer the water to ice. No one slips on water.
I reset the bike computer while at work yesterday, but before I did, I wrote down the odometer reading: 2273.3 km, or just over 1400 miles. Not a great number, but certainly a good starting point. I expect to double that this year, at least.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
