My Morning Ride...

[sheldonsmith]

This is how it looked earlier this morning on my daily ride. It started at 18 degrees when I left, then rose to 29 degrees (F) when I finished my ride.

Here's the particulars:
Leave at 5:30 AM
Home by 7:00AM
22 miles, 2000 vertical feet.
triple gloves...
Picture from my Treo700P

The Polar monitor on the stem shows 29 degrees at the end of the ride. I have to mount the Polar monitor on the stem as my headlight (15w) wreaks havoc on the wireless speed sensor.

Oh, yes, that is a SeaDweller (Z series) on my wrist.

-Sheldon

[C.J.]

Sheldon, I'm jealous I can't wait til my back is back up to par

[dman]

Nice post Sheldon, I thought about doing some excercise, about two years ago.

[JJ Irani]

Great post, Sheldon.

JJ

[miner]

18F is -8C. And that's without wind chill. What are you doing on a bike at that temp? Are you nuts!!
That's not exercise that's survival under extreme circumstances!!


PS 35C in Perth at the moment (thats 95F) much more civilised!!

[SLRdude]

I went bike riding today too!
Except that it was much warmer in TX. I rode in tshirt and shorts. I probably did about 15 miles.

Wore a G-Shock though.

[Lol-x]

Good to see you are doing some miles on the bike. In the cold weather I really think the hands and especially the feet are the 2 most important areas to keep warm. Overshoes in the cold is a must.
Looks like you have a Cinelli light, I haven't seen that before. I think I would go nuts looking at my speedo sideways on the stem. Do you find your SD comfortable on the bike. I have found that if I wear my Sub while riding the crown and crown guards seem to dig into the back of my hand, because of the angle of my wrist when holding the top of the bars.
The Polar looks like a good model, I see that they now make dedicated bike computers/HRM's that look very smart. Then I saw a Gamin Edge 350 with a built in GPS, man that looked cool too. There is so much stuff to buy for bikes it never ends. I think I've politely suggested before that I prefer Campagnolo to ShimaNO
Anyway, nothing wrong with Shimano. My biggest problem is doing the miles (kilometers), but I hope to get in some riding over the Christmas season.

Very cool (literally) shot! I haven't taken a camera with me on a ride in years.

What bike are you on?

I'm with Steve on the equipment thing. Been riding Campagnolo for 23 years and will until I can't ride anymore. Not that Shimano isn't as good... personal preference.

But living in Canada, I can relate to the cold weather riding. Coldest I've done is -35C on a mountain bike, -30 on a road bike. Yeah, gotta have good gloves and warm booties. Clipless pedals really helped stop cold feet though. Those old clips and straps really cut off the much needed circulation.

[Dan Pierce]

Great shot. Been an avid cyclist myself. Did one ride at 16 degrees F.
Here's my ride:
And a ride I did earlier this year in Maui.
Safe riding,
dP

[astcell]

Cool pic, looks like Mars. I want to know what the little red sign in the background to the right says.

Nice bike and a buddy of mine did that ride in Hawaii a few years back!

Here's my "retro" stuff:



And from about 10 years ago, when the red bike in the foreground above was in it's original paint scheme:

[Lol-x]

Titanium Litespeed mmmm nice
I've had a couple of Litespeeds, and I have presently got a Litespeed mountain bike "Owl Hollow" that I use to ride to work and the supermarket.
My main bike is a Cannondale CAAD8 with Campag Record. It weights about 7.3kg. It is a great ride, and I will not go back to Titanium (but I might be talked into a Pam 93).
Ride Safe and thanks for the photos.

[Dan Pierce]

I want to know what the little red sign in the background to the right says.

Being colorblind I had trouble finding that in the pic!
It says to stay on the walking paths and watch that first step, it's a doosy!
dP

[Lol-x]

Those Silca track pumps last forever. Pinerello's are classics, I had a friend offer me one over the telephone for $100. It had full campagnolo vintage gear and was basically brand new. I told him I couldn't use it and to take it to a friend of mine who manages a bike shop. Several weeks later, I saw the bike and have to say I was a little disappointed, I didn't buy it myself. Oh well, you can only have so many bikes. I find it hard to sell my old bikes, after having done so many miles on them, they do, especially the good ones, have memories. Nice bikes, and it looks like someone was doing quite a few miles.

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Those Silca track pumps last forever. Pinerello's are classics, I had a friend offer me one over the telephone for $100. It had full campagnolo vintage gear and was basically brand new. I told him I couldn't use it and to take it to a friend of mine who manages a bike shop. Several weeks later, I saw the bike and have to say I was a little disappointed, I didn't buy it myself. Oh well, you can only have so many bikes. I find it hard to sell my old bikes, after having done so many miles on them, they do, especially the good ones, have memories. Nice bikes, and it looks like someone was doing quite a few miles.

Keen eye there, Steve. That Silca pump died about two years ago, after about 20 years of faithful service. Still have it and replaced everything I could but no joy. I have a Topeake Joe Blow now and it's 10X the pump the Silca is... but doesn't have the soul of the Silca.

I hear you on the used bikes... that's why I still have my circa 1983 Super Record that's in the background. Plus, at 63cm, there aren't many who can ride that frame. LOL I almost sold it to a guy for a G-note a few years back but he backed out.

Back in my peak, I was riding 10-20,000km a season (not bad considering our short season) and was ranked in the top 5% of racers in Canada for about a decade. Good times!

[sheldonsmith]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Good to see you are doing some miles on the bike. In the cold weather I really think the hands and especially the feet are the 2 most important areas to keep warm. Overshoes in the cold is a must.
Looks like you have a Cinelli light, I haven't seen that before. I think I would go nuts looking at my speedo sideways on the stem. Do you find your SD comfortable on the bike. I have found that if I wear my Sub while riding the crown and crown guards seem to dig into the back of my hand, because of the angle of my wrist when holding the top of the bars.
The Polar looks like a good model, I see that they now make dedicated bike computers/HRM's that look very smart. Then I saw a Gamin Edge 350 with a built in GPS, man that looked cool too. There is so much stuff to buy for bikes it never ends. I think I've politely suggested before that I prefer Campagnolo to ShimaNO
Anyway, nothing wrong with Shimano. My biggest problem is doing the miles (kilometers), but I hope to get in some riding over the Christmas season.

Yep, use neoprene overshoes and headband. I kind of got stuck with Shimano as I have been using Campy since 1979 when the only Shimano people saw were on fishing reels and department store bikes. I purchased an E5 from Specialized and they did not have Campy bikes at the time. The bike pictured is almost 5 years old, Shimano 9. I do have another E5 that is two years old with Shimano 10 (pictured below). I have been using Specialized since 1981 as I had bike number 13 when they first came out...

The light is a NiteRider Digital Evolution (www.niterider.com). Great light as oncoming cars lower their high-beams when they see it. I use the Polar to track and save altitude, temperature, distance, speed which is then transferred to my computer. I have use the Polar for almost three years; it died four weeks ago and Polar replaced everything under warranty. Buddy of mine has a Garmin that tracks his rides which he plays back on his computer using National Geographic topo maps.... Kinda cool.



During the summer months, I see myself switching to a NATO band like the one above on the No-Date Sub I had (traded it in for the SD). So far, no crown digging into the wrist with the SD, but I do see my wrist getting the black mess that comes with sweating on a stainless steel band.

If I had thought of it at the time, I should have taken a similar pict when I rode the Paris-Roubaix and Flanders courses a few years back.. Hey, an excuse to plan another "classics" trip.

Keep Ridin'

-Sheldon

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by astcell

Cool pic, looks like Mars. I want to know what the little red sign in the background to the right says.

Get your oxygen here!

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by C.J.

Get your oxygen here!

[madformac]

Well, I'd rather have this as MY morning ride.........

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by madformac

Well, I'd rather have this as MY morning ride.........

Morning, afternoon, evening and night....if you please!!

[Dan Pierce]

Morning, afternoon, evening and night....if you please!!

and then some.............................................. ................

I should have taken a similar pict when I rode the Paris-Roubaix and Flanders courses a few years back.. Hey, an excuse to plan another "classics" trip.

Keep Ridin'

-Sheldon

Sheldon,
Riding Paris-Roubaix must have been tough. I'd love to try that sometime. How long did it take you? Did you ride solo or with a group?
dP

[Flyjet601]

Originally Posted by madformac

Well, I'd rather have this as MY morning ride.........

Why settle for one......when you can have a pair (taken at the Macau grand prix last month)

[JJ Irani]

Nice pair, Larry!!

[Lol-x]

A 63cm frame...Atomic, you must be pretty tall.
I don't know how those steel bikes stand up to years of flex from riding. Do you have any modern day bike to ride?
I love the vintage, but I also cry out for bottom bracket stiffness. Cannondale has really answered this with their system integrated (SI) bottom bracket/crankset system. Also somehow the frame, although aluminium, feels really comfortable.

[Lol-x]

Here is my list of the road bikes I've had/have over the years:
Cannondale CAAD8 Aluminium with Campag 10 speed
Trek USPS carbon with Campag 9 speed
Bianchi Aluminium sloping top tube
Bianchi Aluminium Marco Pantani Replica Aluminium
Litespeed Ultimate Titanium
Eddy Merckx EX Pro Titanium (Litespeed manufactured)
Look KG196 Carbon Fibre
Peugeot Carbon Fibre
Peugeot Reynolds 753
Peugeot Reynolds 531
Raleigh Super Course Mk.II Reynolds 531

Originally Posted by Lol-x

A 63cm frame...Atomic, you must be pretty tall.
I don't know how those steel bikes stand up to years of flex from riding. Do you have any modern day bike to ride?
I love the vintage, but I also cry out for bottom bracket stiffness. Cannondale has really answered this with their system integrated (SI) bottom bracket/crankset system. Also somehow the frame, although aluminium, feels really comfortable.

Steve, I'm 6'6" tall, and the Super Record is a box-stock size. My custom-made Pinarello is 62cm, but since Campy doesn't make a seat post long enough to accomdate my inseam, I have two now discontinued Campagnolo Record mountain bike seat posts that do the trick.

Both my road bikes pictured above have about 150,000km on each of them. The SR is built with Columbus SL, which isn't the stiffest tubeset around but I would guess that it hasn't lost much rigidity over the years. It has a really lively feel to it, moreso than my TSX frame when out of the saddle.

My TSX frame is rock solid, 13 years later. Like I said, I have no issue putting my hands behind my back on twisty descents at 80km/hr on that frame. And when I'm climbing, it's pretty stiff as the seat tube is SPX.

[charles]

Nice and glad to see there's a few other cyclists on the board! I've been riding for years and fortunate enough to do cycling photography.

Here's my stable:

Wow Charles... nice couple of steeds you have there. That C50 is stunning!

Last year I was on a group ride and a girl on a new Wilier said my about my Montello, 'wow, that's really retro and very cute'.

Hi, my name is Atomic and I am not only a dinosaur, apparently I ride one too.

[charles]

Originally Posted by Atomic

Wow Charles... nice couple of steeds you have there. That C50 is stunning!

Last year I was on a group ride and a girl on a new Wilier said my about my Montello, 'wow, that's really retro and very cute'.

Hi, my name is Atomic and I am not only a dinosaur, apparently I ride one too.

Cute!? Argh!

Thanks...I love the C50 rides like a dream but the Moots is just too tricked out to resist for rides...especially climbs.

Originally Posted by charles

Cute!? especially climbs.

I bet. That girl who called my bike 'cute' was on a tricked out full record Wilier which only weighed 17lbs. Right there she had a 4lbs advanage over my bike alone.

BUT... riding a heavier bike and being a clydesdale myself, NO ONE can catch me on the descents. Possibly cuz I"m on every descent, especially the twisty ones.