SF Cyclotouring
Ride reports and other ramblings from a San Francisco cyclist.
9/28/2009
Finally got this frame swap done. Bought the frame only 8 months ago! Needed some TLC -- lots of paint touch up on some rusty spots, missing TT decal, rust in seat tube, then frame-savering. Rear indexing is a bit balky, like there's excess friction in the cable -- I can get it to shift smoothly in either direction (up/down) but not both. I did replace the cable (needed a longer one) and a short section of housing, but otherwise all the parts are the same. Maybe the derailleur tab on this frame is tweaked a bit? Looks OK to my eye. At any rate, my old Race frame is for sale now... see http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/1396749302.html
9/27/2009
Changing Rear Flat Video from Bicycle Quarterly
Was a bit of a pain to find Mark VK's flat-changing video in the current issue of Bicycle Quarterly, so I'm just adding it here for bookmarking purposes...
9/19/2009
Pine Mtn Mixter Loop
Exploratory mixter ride to try to connect SP Taylor Park with Pine Mtn Fire Road and Fairfax. Took the usual road route out towards Fairfax, rode up and over White's Hill to San Geronimo where we stopped for a quick snack at the store, then hit the trails at Kent Lake across Sir Francis Drake Road from Inkwells Bridge. 8am to 5pm, 68 miles, approx 6200 feet of climbing.
9/14/2009
SF Randonneurs Fall Populaire
Just saw this on the SFR website:
More details and registration at http://sfrandonneurs.org/fall_2009_115k_populaire.htm
The San Francisco Randonneurs would like to invite you to participate in our first ever Fall Populaire, to be held on October 3rd, 2009. This is a free event.
More details and registration at http://sfrandonneurs.org/fall_2009_115k_populaire.htm
9/12/2009
SFR Russian River 200k Brevet
Yesterday, I rode the SFR Russian River 200k brevet with Carlos and Mari. Overall, it was a quite interesting time...
In the middle of the night before the ride, the SF Bay Area was hit with a freak lightning storm, which had most of NorCal on alert for brush fires. The flash and noise woke me up at around 3:30am. Rain started falling just after I got out of bed at 5am. If I hadn't committed to driving us up to the start, I probably would've bailed at that point.
Then, due to some slight delays mostly caused by juggling 3 bikes around until they fit on my roof rack, we arrived at the start late, and finally rolled out at about 7:10am.
The last 4 riders to start (us and Veronica) had a 75% flat rate within the first 30 miles of the ride -- Mari flatted just 5 miles into the ride; then just after Rancho Nicasio we passed Veronica, who needed to borrow pliers to yank out the bent tack embedded in her tire. Later on, just at the turn onto Hicks Valley Road, I thought I heard a faint "tick tick" from one of my tires, but I couldn't tell for certain. I managed to climb up Wilson Hill and then fly down the other side, plus make the left onto Chileno Valley Road before my front tire went soft.
A short while later, the skies opened up on us, and I finally got cold and wet enough to dig out my rain jacket...at which point the rain stopped abruptly. We had a strange mix of cloudy, overcast skies, a bit of sun, and damp fog throughout the rest of the day. But fortunately no more rain.
We had some odd accompaniment out on the roads -- coincidentally the MS 150 "Waves to Wine" ride was held the same day but apparently in opposite directions to our figure-eight route, so there were some confused motorcycle volunteers who pointed out a particular left turn, when we went right instead.
The middle portion of the ride went smoothly enough. We rode at a steady pace throughout the entire day, which really helped me conserve energy and I felt quite good for the whole day -- unlike my usual performance where I get caught up in the excitement of the starting group, ride hard for the first third of the ride, and then struggle afterwards.
Starbuck's Double Shots and Frappucinos, as well as Diekmann's Bay Store pepperoni pizza, really REALLY hit the spot.
In spite of Loctite, my front fender had started to rattle loose, and I managed to tighten it somewhat using a micro adjustable wrench that I carry in my tool kit. I really need to create an additional fender mount under the front rack.
Unfortunately we had a minor accident as we were leaving Bodega Bay: Some wheels got crossed, and Mari went down hard on her elbow. Luckily, many MS 150 riders were pedaling in the opposite direction at the time, and there were several ride marshalls and a SAG wagon nearby who kindly offered her some excellent help, even though she wasn't one of their riders. They took her to their lunch stop at Nick's Cove where she received some first-aid attention, and were in the process of figuring out how to transport her and her bike back to civilization, when Mark B., SFR's champion Volunteer Coordinator who'd happened to be out roaming the brevet route in his car -- appeared. Other SFR riders had managed to get in touch with Mark at the next control, which we were unable to do since there was no cellular signal at Nick's Cove.
With Mari snug in Mark's car and on her way to the finish, Carlos and I set out on the final leg of the ride. The penultimate control at Marshall came quickly. After a couple small helpings of chowder, we were again on our way. More overcast skies loomed as we pedaled once again through Rancho Nicasio, but things started looking up a bit as we wound our way up and over Lucas Valley Road. After a quick stop at the World's Nicest Porta Potty, we arrived at the finish just as my watch read 6pm.
In the middle of the night before the ride, the SF Bay Area was hit with a freak lightning storm, which had most of NorCal on alert for brush fires. The flash and noise woke me up at around 3:30am. Rain started falling just after I got out of bed at 5am. If I hadn't committed to driving us up to the start, I probably would've bailed at that point.
Then, due to some slight delays mostly caused by juggling 3 bikes around until they fit on my roof rack, we arrived at the start late, and finally rolled out at about 7:10am.
The last 4 riders to start (us and Veronica) had a 75% flat rate within the first 30 miles of the ride -- Mari flatted just 5 miles into the ride; then just after Rancho Nicasio we passed Veronica, who needed to borrow pliers to yank out the bent tack embedded in her tire. Later on, just at the turn onto Hicks Valley Road, I thought I heard a faint "tick tick" from one of my tires, but I couldn't tell for certain. I managed to climb up Wilson Hill and then fly down the other side, plus make the left onto Chileno Valley Road before my front tire went soft.
A short while later, the skies opened up on us, and I finally got cold and wet enough to dig out my rain jacket...at which point the rain stopped abruptly. We had a strange mix of cloudy, overcast skies, a bit of sun, and damp fog throughout the rest of the day. But fortunately no more rain.
We had some odd accompaniment out on the roads -- coincidentally the MS 150 "Waves to Wine" ride was held the same day but apparently in opposite directions to our figure-eight route, so there were some confused motorcycle volunteers who pointed out a particular left turn, when we went right instead.
The middle portion of the ride went smoothly enough. We rode at a steady pace throughout the entire day, which really helped me conserve energy and I felt quite good for the whole day -- unlike my usual performance where I get caught up in the excitement of the starting group, ride hard for the first third of the ride, and then struggle afterwards.
Starbuck's Double Shots and Frappucinos, as well as Diekmann's Bay Store pepperoni pizza, really REALLY hit the spot.
In spite of Loctite, my front fender had started to rattle loose, and I managed to tighten it somewhat using a micro adjustable wrench that I carry in my tool kit. I really need to create an additional fender mount under the front rack.
Unfortunately we had a minor accident as we were leaving Bodega Bay: Some wheels got crossed, and Mari went down hard on her elbow. Luckily, many MS 150 riders were pedaling in the opposite direction at the time, and there were several ride marshalls and a SAG wagon nearby who kindly offered her some excellent help, even though she wasn't one of their riders. They took her to their lunch stop at Nick's Cove where she received some first-aid attention, and were in the process of figuring out how to transport her and her bike back to civilization, when Mark B., SFR's champion Volunteer Coordinator who'd happened to be out roaming the brevet route in his car -- appeared. Other SFR riders had managed to get in touch with Mark at the next control, which we were unable to do since there was no cellular signal at Nick's Cove.
With Mari snug in Mark's car and on her way to the finish, Carlos and I set out on the final leg of the ride. The penultimate control at Marshall came quickly. After a couple small helpings of chowder, we were again on our way. More overcast skies loomed as we pedaled once again through Rancho Nicasio, but things started looking up a bit as we wound our way up and over Lucas Valley Road. After a quick stop at the World's Nicest Porta Potty, we arrived at the finish just as my watch read 6pm.
9/11/2009
9/06/2009
A Hundred Miles To Petaluma and Back
Met up with Carlos, Greg, Rob, and Mark to ride to Petaluma via Nicasio, Hicks Valley Road, and Wilson Hill for lunch. We'd planned to stop at the usual deli, but discovered it's closed and will reopen under new ownership, so we visited a nearby burrito joint. Mark gave me a dose of Hammer Enduralites on the return leg, which really seemed to help quell a queasy stomach and improve my overall saltiness -- gotta look into getting my own supply of those! 8am to about 5pm, 103 miles total.
9/04/2009
Eurobike 2009
My wife got to go to Eurobike this year, for work even! I wish I could've gone too! Random Flickr photos tagged with "Eurobike 2009"...
Oh My!
MMMMmmmmmm. There it is, in the Flickr-flesh...
The matched set...
And apparently comes in your favorite anodized flavors!
The matched set...
And apparently comes in your favorite anodized flavors!
9/03/2009
Taking Ibuprofen during during long rides? Think Again!
This interesting article from the NY Times just surfaced on the SF Randon list...
Well: Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?
Whoah!
Well: Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?
Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream.
Whoah!