Miles: 25.6
Time: 1:54:50
Elevation: 608
Average Speed: 13.4
Max Speed: 37.2
Beautiful cool morning ride. About 82 when I left and 92 when I returned. Mild NW breeze. Still some pretty deep dirt on Pinto Mountain Road but I have learned how to get through it on 1" tires, just keep pedaling.
I put water bottles in freezer to cool while I got ready. When I got almost to Goodwin Road, 11 miles out, I realized I had no water. I was dried out by the time I got to park Headquarters at mile 20.2. I was lucky it was a cool day. This could be a nightmare on a 100 degree day.
A week ago I put knobby tires back on Fuji mountain bike. I also took off steering tube extender and adjustable stem and put stock stem back on which lowers the bars about 4 inches. Bike is all stock now except for rear rack.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
09/29/2012 - The Usual Loop on the Touring Bike
Miles: 24.2
Time: 2:07:38
Elevation: 539
Average Speed: 11.4
Max Speed: 38.7
A slow and easy ride on the touring bike to test my body and new Shimano SPD/Platform pedals in combination with my "touring" sandals. This is my first ride in 2 weeks. After my last JTNP ride with Doug I had to go to Northern California for family reasons. I came home via Los Angeles where I spent a couple of days with my oldest daughter and family. When I got back I had a new Google Nexus phone on a T-Mobile plan and a cold. I laid low for almost a week. The ride was uneventful and pleasant. I started late in the afternoon so the sun was not too intense and it was relatively cool, 93 out and 83 in. I did not hurry and just relaxed and enjoyed the evening. The touring bike is too heavy and not geared for speed so there even if one does want to rush it doesn't work out so well. I used the new pedals for the first time. I started the ride clipped into the SPD side. Within the first 2 miles the ball of my left foot started hurting where it had been badly blistered on a hike in early August. I was able to unclip and use the platform side which takes the direct pressure off the ball. This turned out to be pain free and I rode most of the remainder of the ride with the left foot on the platform side and the right clipped in. I did unclip the right foot for a few miles when I felt the ball starting to heat up. The ride turned out to be almost completely pain free. This is what I was hoping for when I bought these pedals. To the left is the SPD side of the pedal. You can see the raised mechanism which engages the cleats on the shoes. This type of pedal puts most of the pressure on the center of the ball of the foot. This can get quite uncomfortable on a hot day or if the foot is injured. SPD pedals were originally designed of mountain biking where long periods of more or less consistent cadence pedaling it not the norm. Many touring cyclists use SPD pedals because of the ability to walk normally in the shoes but they are just not as comfortable as so called "road" pedals. On the right is the bottom of the sandals with cleats. You will notice that the cleats are recessed which makes walking in the sandals off the bike almost like any other shoes. I say almost because the cleats are shallow enough that you hear the crunching of small stones and other debris that one walks through or on. Some SPD shoes have more deeply recessed cleats but these work fine for my purposes in that they feel completely normal to walk in. I have worn them around home and around town and they feel like any other good quality sandals. The most common alternative is road shoes and cleats. Road cleats are bolted onto the outside of a hard and slippery sole. The cleats are slippery and quite noisy on many surfaces and the whole package is a challenge to walk in, especially on tile floors. They are more comfortable on the bike though as they spread the load on the foot over a larger area, much like the platform side om my new pedals. I expect this sandal and pedal combination to contribute to a very comfortable and relaxed touring experience. Of course a lot of being relaxed has to do with attitude but it is much easier to be relaxed if one's feet do not hurt and he can walk like a normal human when off the bike. Abraham Lincoln said, "When my feet hurt I can't think." It is true on a bicycle.
Time: 2:07:38
Elevation: 539
Average Speed: 11.4
Max Speed: 38.7
A slow and easy ride on the touring bike to test my body and new Shimano SPD/Platform pedals in combination with my "touring" sandals. This is my first ride in 2 weeks. After my last JTNP ride with Doug I had to go to Northern California for family reasons. I came home via Los Angeles where I spent a couple of days with my oldest daughter and family. When I got back I had a new Google Nexus phone on a T-Mobile plan and a cold. I laid low for almost a week. The ride was uneventful and pleasant. I started late in the afternoon so the sun was not too intense and it was relatively cool, 93 out and 83 in. I did not hurry and just relaxed and enjoyed the evening. The touring bike is too heavy and not geared for speed so there even if one does want to rush it doesn't work out so well. I used the new pedals for the first time. I started the ride clipped into the SPD side. Within the first 2 miles the ball of my left foot started hurting where it had been badly blistered on a hike in early August. I was able to unclip and use the platform side which takes the direct pressure off the ball. This turned out to be pain free and I rode most of the remainder of the ride with the left foot on the platform side and the right clipped in. I did unclip the right foot for a few miles when I felt the ball starting to heat up. The ride turned out to be almost completely pain free. This is what I was hoping for when I bought these pedals. To the left is the SPD side of the pedal. You can see the raised mechanism which engages the cleats on the shoes. This type of pedal puts most of the pressure on the center of the ball of the foot. This can get quite uncomfortable on a hot day or if the foot is injured. SPD pedals were originally designed of mountain biking where long periods of more or less consistent cadence pedaling it not the norm. Many touring cyclists use SPD pedals because of the ability to walk normally in the shoes but they are just not as comfortable as so called "road" pedals. On the right is the bottom of the sandals with cleats. You will notice that the cleats are recessed which makes walking in the sandals off the bike almost like any other shoes. I say almost because the cleats are shallow enough that you hear the crunching of small stones and other debris that one walks through or on. Some SPD shoes have more deeply recessed cleats but these work fine for my purposes in that they feel completely normal to walk in. I have worn them around home and around town and they feel like any other good quality sandals. The most common alternative is road shoes and cleats. Road cleats are bolted onto the outside of a hard and slippery sole. The cleats are slippery and quite noisy on many surfaces and the whole package is a challenge to walk in, especially on tile floors. They are more comfortable on the bike though as they spread the load on the foot over a larger area, much like the platform side om my new pedals. I expect this sandal and pedal combination to contribute to a very comfortable and relaxed touring experience. Of course a lot of being relaxed has to do with attitude but it is much easier to be relaxed if one's feet do not hurt and he can walk like a normal human when off the bike. Abraham Lincoln said, "When my feet hurt I can't think." It is true on a bicycle.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
09/16/2012 Up and Up and Up then Down and Down and Down with Doug
Miles: 55.0
Time: 5:01:34
Elevation: 4,122
Average Speed: 10.9
Max Speed: 42.2
Doug came to 29 Palms Saturday evening after he finished his "Men's Retreat" near Idyllwild. He came to my place and after some bike talk and chain cleaning we went to dinner at a local Mexican Food place. He left here to go camp at Jumbo Rocks in JTNP and I went to bed and tried my best to sleep because I knew this ride was going to be rough. Sunday morning Doug arrived by bike at my home at about 9:00 and we got on the the road shortly thereafter. We stopped at park headquarters 3 miles out and drank some extra water and used the restroom. We took short breaks at the parking lot on the flat spot just above the park entrance kiosk and at the El Dorado Mine Road junction before stopping for snacks and fluids at Doug's campsite at the 15 mile mark. After our break we started out for Desert View and arrived there about 1 1/2 hours later. At the top we rested awhile and had a pleasant conversation with a French couple who had just come from Las Vegas where the husband had placed second in his age group (50-54) in the Iron Man Triathalon World Championship. We stopped at Doug's truck on the way down for a break. There was a young guy next door named Phil who had come on a loaded touring bike from Oakland, CA, via San Diego and the Low Desert. We compared bikes and talked. Since the plan was for Doug to ride back to my home and have me return him and his bike to his truck we offered to bring Phil a burrito and a beer. The ride to my place, mostly coasting, was uneventful. We loaded Doug's bike into my car and went to the Mexican place and got 3 carne asada burritos, stopped at a mini-mart for the beer then drove back to the Jumbo Rocks Campground. When we arrived it looked like Phil might have left but he had only moved to a shadier campsite in the rocks across the road. Doug was in a hurry to get home so he loaded up and left while I took the stuff, including a gallon of water I brought from my home stash, to Phil. Phil and I talked a bit. He was planning to return to Oakland via Highway 395 and across the Sierras. I did my best to explain to him a route he could take to bypass the town of Yucca Valley which would avoid some steep climbs. We also discussed his options for crossing the Sierra.I expressed the opinion that Tioga Pass might be the easiest in the long run. Even though it is steep it is short and sweet and then it is basically downhill to Oakland from the top. The passes farther north are either very steep and bicycle unfriendly and/or require a lot more climbing to get to.
Time: 5:01:34
Elevation: 4,122
Average Speed: 10.9
Max Speed: 42.2
Doug came to 29 Palms Saturday evening after he finished his "Men's Retreat" near Idyllwild. He came to my place and after some bike talk and chain cleaning we went to dinner at a local Mexican Food place. He left here to go camp at Jumbo Rocks in JTNP and I went to bed and tried my best to sleep because I knew this ride was going to be rough. Sunday morning Doug arrived by bike at my home at about 9:00 and we got on the the road shortly thereafter. We stopped at park headquarters 3 miles out and drank some extra water and used the restroom. We took short breaks at the parking lot on the flat spot just above the park entrance kiosk and at the El Dorado Mine Road junction before stopping for snacks and fluids at Doug's campsite at the 15 mile mark. After our break we started out for Desert View and arrived there about 1 1/2 hours later. At the top we rested awhile and had a pleasant conversation with a French couple who had just come from Las Vegas where the husband had placed second in his age group (50-54) in the Iron Man Triathalon World Championship. We stopped at Doug's truck on the way down for a break. There was a young guy next door named Phil who had come on a loaded touring bike from Oakland, CA, via San Diego and the Low Desert. We compared bikes and talked. Since the plan was for Doug to ride back to my home and have me return him and his bike to his truck we offered to bring Phil a burrito and a beer. The ride to my place, mostly coasting, was uneventful. We loaded Doug's bike into my car and went to the Mexican place and got 3 carne asada burritos, stopped at a mini-mart for the beer then drove back to the Jumbo Rocks Campground. When we arrived it looked like Phil might have left but he had only moved to a shadier campsite in the rocks across the road. Doug was in a hurry to get home so he loaded up and left while I took the stuff, including a gallon of water I brought from my home stash, to Phil. Phil and I talked a bit. He was planning to return to Oakland via Highway 395 and across the Sierras. I did my best to explain to him a route he could take to bypass the town of Yucca Valley which would avoid some steep climbs. We also discussed his options for crossing the Sierra.I expressed the opinion that Tioga Pass might be the easiest in the long run. Even though it is steep it is short and sweet and then it is basically downhill to Oakland from the top. The passes farther north are either very steep and bicycle unfriendly and/or require a lot more climbing to get to.
Friday, September 14, 2012
09/13/2012 Same Old Loop, Different Pedals
Miles: 23.3
Time: 2:00:49
Elevation: 408
Average Speed: 11.1
Max Speed: 19.1
I set out on this ride about 6:30 PM with the objective of testing my new "Commuter Sandals" with platform pedals with toe clips. Since these pedals were already on my Fuji mountain bike along with my good battery powered headlight I took it after strapping on my quick release phone mount and smart phone running the Strava bicycle tracking app. After going west on Amboy Road to Adobe into what I thought was a mild headwind I discovered the real wind was blowing from the East or NE... again. I plodded down to Valley Vista and then settled into tolerating the wind for 4.5 miles. At least it is mostly down hill to the end of Valley Vista. There is still quite a lot of dirt on Valley Vista and Pinto Mountain Roads and this bike handled it much more gracefully than my other two bikes even though it has 1.5" street slicks mounted. The first thing I discovered is that the strap on the phone mount will not clamp onto the thin mountain bike bars tightly enough to keep it from rotating on a rough road. I will try a slice of inner tube under the clamp to see if that will solve the problem. My other, bigger problem was that I did not think about how dark it would get before I finished the route. I did not take a backup headlight or my LED safety vest. By the time I got to the halfway point a bit before the airport it was dark enough to require the headlight. I stopped at the airport for a quick break and a photo or two then started west on Highway 62. About a mile before the turn north onto Utah Trail the headlight battery pack ran dry. The traffic was light and it did not present a serious issue at least on this stretch. The fog line is florescent and it was still glowing from stored sunlight and my taillight was working fine. When I turned onto Utah Trail it became a bit dicier. The new pavement was pitch black as was the sky and there was no fog line. I did OK until cars came in the opposing direction then I was more or less blinded. All I could do was steer towards the middle of the road to make sure I did not run off into the sand shoulder and also be sure to not get far enough to the left to get in the path of the oncoming car. This gave me a somewhat nerve racking 7/8 mile until I got to Luckie park where there are streetlights. From there the last 1 1/2 miles was no problem. As far as the pedals go, the toe clips seemed more comfortable than the SPD mountain bike pedals I have been using. The SPD pedals engage "cleats" attached to the soles of the shoes. This arrangement does not allow for any change in foot position during a ride. It is hard to know if tonight's test was "apples to apples" because it was quite a bit cooler than on the previous rides I have done in the sandals. I still got bad hot spots on the bottoms of my feet near the end of the ride. I got out of the toe clips and used the other side of the pedals the last mile or so. This was a great relief. I think the long term solution may be to use combination pedals which have SPD clips on one side and a flat platform on the other. The "cleats" are recessed on SPD shoes so there is a flat surface to walk on or use to platform pedals. With such pedals I can alternate between the two sides as needed. This option is not available for road bike shoes and pedals as the "cleats" are bolted on the outside of the soles which leaves no flat surface for walking or using standard flat pedals. The other issue is whether or not I had more time on the light than I realized or if the battery is dying. The light could run for at least 2 hours if all is well. It only made it about 1/2 hour tonight. I will have to watch this closely and see if I can tell what is going on. Also I need to consistently take a backup light and my LED vest when I suspect I may be out in the dark.
Time: 2:00:49
Elevation: 408
Average Speed: 11.1
Max Speed: 19.1
I set out on this ride about 6:30 PM with the objective of testing my new "Commuter Sandals" with platform pedals with toe clips. Since these pedals were already on my Fuji mountain bike along with my good battery powered headlight I took it after strapping on my quick release phone mount and smart phone running the Strava bicycle tracking app. After going west on Amboy Road to Adobe into what I thought was a mild headwind I discovered the real wind was blowing from the East or NE... again. I plodded down to Valley Vista and then settled into tolerating the wind for 4.5 miles. At least it is mostly down hill to the end of Valley Vista. There is still quite a lot of dirt on Valley Vista and Pinto Mountain Roads and this bike handled it much more gracefully than my other two bikes even though it has 1.5" street slicks mounted. The first thing I discovered is that the strap on the phone mount will not clamp onto the thin mountain bike bars tightly enough to keep it from rotating on a rough road. I will try a slice of inner tube under the clamp to see if that will solve the problem. My other, bigger problem was that I did not think about how dark it would get before I finished the route. I did not take a backup headlight or my LED safety vest. By the time I got to the halfway point a bit before the airport it was dark enough to require the headlight. I stopped at the airport for a quick break and a photo or two then started west on Highway 62. About a mile before the turn north onto Utah Trail the headlight battery pack ran dry. The traffic was light and it did not present a serious issue at least on this stretch. The fog line is florescent and it was still glowing from stored sunlight and my taillight was working fine. When I turned onto Utah Trail it became a bit dicier. The new pavement was pitch black as was the sky and there was no fog line. I did OK until cars came in the opposing direction then I was more or less blinded. All I could do was steer towards the middle of the road to make sure I did not run off into the sand shoulder and also be sure to not get far enough to the left to get in the path of the oncoming car. This gave me a somewhat nerve racking 7/8 mile until I got to Luckie park where there are streetlights. From there the last 1 1/2 miles was no problem. As far as the pedals go, the toe clips seemed more comfortable than the SPD mountain bike pedals I have been using. The SPD pedals engage "cleats" attached to the soles of the shoes. This arrangement does not allow for any change in foot position during a ride. It is hard to know if tonight's test was "apples to apples" because it was quite a bit cooler than on the previous rides I have done in the sandals. I still got bad hot spots on the bottoms of my feet near the end of the ride. I got out of the toe clips and used the other side of the pedals the last mile or so. This was a great relief. I think the long term solution may be to use combination pedals which have SPD clips on one side and a flat platform on the other. The "cleats" are recessed on SPD shoes so there is a flat surface to walk on or use to platform pedals. With such pedals I can alternate between the two sides as needed. This option is not available for road bike shoes and pedals as the "cleats" are bolted on the outside of the soles which leaves no flat surface for walking or using standard flat pedals. The other issue is whether or not I had more time on the light than I realized or if the battery is dying. The light could run for at least 2 hours if all is well. It only made it about 1/2 hour tonight. I will have to watch this closely and see if I can tell what is going on. Also I need to consistently take a backup light and my LED vest when I suspect I may be out in the dark.
09/10/2012 A Road "Trip"
Miles: 68.4
Time: 6:37:00
Elevation: 4,245
Average Speed: 10.3
Max Speed: 40.5
I got a late start on today's ride because I decided I wanted to Clean the chain on the road bike using the new Pedro's Chain Cleaning Kit generously given to me by my good riding buddy Doug. I knew the chain was a mess but I did not realize how bad it was. It took me over an hour to clean and wax it. I had to put Pedro and the kit degreaser on it twice and use a bunch of elbow grease and the special brush that came with the kit along with my Dollar Store Degreaser and Tub and Tile Cleaner. I finally got it to look decent and let it dry and then applied some of the "Ice Wax" from the kit. By the time I finished the chain and got myself together it was noon, I got away at 12:02. The ride down the highway to Joshua Tree was ugly. It was hot with erratic winds and the motor vehicle drivers seemed extra aggressive and rude, even the professional truck drivers who are supposed to know better. The rule seems to be that if you are on the shoulder than you are not entitled to any room or courtesy. It is not so bad in the few places where the shoulder is 8' wide but where it is 6-12" it gets a bit scary when these 2 or more ton monsters come by at 70 MPH inches away from my left arm. I actually get better treatment if I move out in the traffic lane but I do not like to do this if it is not necessary because all it takes in one person who is not paying attention to turn me into instant road kill. There are some stretches with absolutely no usable shoulder where this is the only option but I will not do it otherwise even though I am legally entitled to. Being in the right dos not help a dead person much. I finally made it to the community park in Joshua Tree where I took a 10 or 15 minute break, ate a granola bar and drank 2 bottles of water. I started up the hill towards the JTNP West Entrance Station. I was not so happy at first, the heat, the wind, being a bit rattled from riding the highway, all played on me but after a few miles I got a bit of shelter from the South wind, it cooled of a some and of course the traffic was considerably thinner, all of which added up to me starting to enjoy the ride. I stopped at the entrance and drank 2 more bottles of water then started up the hill onto the park plateau. Once on the relative flat of the plateau I started feeling much better and started toying with the idea of taking a side trip to Desert View which would add 10-12 miles and several hundred feet of climbing some of it quite steep. I stopped at Quail Springs and ate a Cliff Bar then got going again. At the road to Desert View I decided to go for it and stopped about 1/4 mile in at Cap Rock to drink some water and rest a minute or two. I started up the hill to Desert View. It went well. It took me about 45 minutes to get up. I parked and took a couple of pictures and got a passer by to take mine then got ready to descend. By now I had about 45 minutes of daylight left and 30 miles to go to get home. I migh have made it, barely, except that I still had about 4 miles of climbing to do to get over the two small passes between the road to Desert View and the beginning of he serious downhill back to town. Fortunately I had my small battery powered headlight with me so I put it on the handlebars and took off. I got to the top of the last climb near Jumbo Rocks just after sunset and made it almost to the North Entrance Station before it got really dark. My little light served me well the last 7 miles. I arrived home about 8:00 tired and hungry but well satisfied with the afternoon. .
Time: 6:37:00
Elevation: 4,245
Average Speed: 10.3
Max Speed: 40.5
I got a late start on today's ride because I decided I wanted to Clean the chain on the road bike using the new Pedro's Chain Cleaning Kit generously given to me by my good riding buddy Doug. I knew the chain was a mess but I did not realize how bad it was. It took me over an hour to clean and wax it. I had to put Pedro and the kit degreaser on it twice and use a bunch of elbow grease and the special brush that came with the kit along with my Dollar Store Degreaser and Tub and Tile Cleaner. I finally got it to look decent and let it dry and then applied some of the "Ice Wax" from the kit. By the time I finished the chain and got myself together it was noon, I got away at 12:02. The ride down the highway to Joshua Tree was ugly. It was hot with erratic winds and the motor vehicle drivers seemed extra aggressive and rude, even the professional truck drivers who are supposed to know better. The rule seems to be that if you are on the shoulder than you are not entitled to any room or courtesy. It is not so bad in the few places where the shoulder is 8' wide but where it is 6-12" it gets a bit scary when these 2 or more ton monsters come by at 70 MPH inches away from my left arm. I actually get better treatment if I move out in the traffic lane but I do not like to do this if it is not necessary because all it takes in one person who is not paying attention to turn me into instant road kill. There are some stretches with absolutely no usable shoulder where this is the only option but I will not do it otherwise even though I am legally entitled to. Being in the right dos not help a dead person much. I finally made it to the community park in Joshua Tree where I took a 10 or 15 minute break, ate a granola bar and drank 2 bottles of water. I started up the hill towards the JTNP West Entrance Station. I was not so happy at first, the heat, the wind, being a bit rattled from riding the highway, all played on me but after a few miles I got a bit of shelter from the South wind, it cooled of a some and of course the traffic was considerably thinner, all of which added up to me starting to enjoy the ride. I stopped at the entrance and drank 2 more bottles of water then started up the hill onto the park plateau. Once on the relative flat of the plateau I started feeling much better and started toying with the idea of taking a side trip to Desert View which would add 10-12 miles and several hundred feet of climbing some of it quite steep. I stopped at Quail Springs and ate a Cliff Bar then got going again. At the road to Desert View I decided to go for it and stopped about 1/4 mile in at Cap Rock to drink some water and rest a minute or two. I started up the hill to Desert View. It went well. It took me about 45 minutes to get up. I parked and took a couple of pictures and got a passer by to take mine then got ready to descend. By now I had about 45 minutes of daylight left and 30 miles to go to get home. I migh have made it, barely, except that I still had about 4 miles of climbing to do to get over the two small passes between the road to Desert View and the beginning of he serious downhill back to town. Fortunately I had my small battery powered headlight with me so I put it on the handlebars and took off. I got to the top of the last climb near Jumbo Rocks just after sunset and made it almost to the North Entrance Station before it got really dark. My little light served me well the last 7 miles. I arrived home about 8:00 tired and hungry but well satisfied with the afternoon. .
>
Saturday, September 8, 2012
09/08/2012 Night Manuevers
Miles: 24.0
Time: 2:18:13
Elevation: 507
Average Speed: 10.4
Max Speed: 31.6
I did the usual loop out to the airport and return on the touring bike and mostly in the dark. I got away about 6:45 and the sun set within the first 2-3 miles. By the time I got to the end of Valley Vista (about 7 miles in) where a lot of the road is covered with dirt from recent rains it was dark enough to turn on the headlight. From that point on it was definitely a night ride. It was a beautiful warm evening for a ride, 94 when I left home and 90 when I returned. The traffic was very light. There was an annoying 5-10 MPH east windgoing out to Goodwin Road but then it died out or became a mild tailwind which made the climb back from the airport much more pleasant than usual. I did stop at the airport briefly for photos and a drink but otherwise rode straight through. I left home wearing a flashing LED safety vest and a flashing ankle light. I also had the Planet Bike "Blinky" mounted on the rack and flashing. Did I look like a geek who gives bicyclists everywhere a bad name. Probably. Was I visible? Definitely and I did live to tell about it. How did the new gear work you ask? The Biologic Recharge Unit: I left the house with the phone battery at 92% and running the Strava app. I rode with the hub charging the Biologic and the Biologic charging the phone. When I turned on the headlight I turned off the charge to the Biologic battery and left it charging the phone with no input charge. When I got to the airport the phone was at 93% where it stayed until I got home. The Biologic reports that it is still fully charged. I am not sure what this all means, if the Biologic cannot gain on the phone's battery drain or if the phone is limiting the charge received from the Biologic. Either way it could make using the phone to track a tour and to keep other devices charged a bit difficult. More experience is needed to figure out how this setup is going to work. The Lumotec Headlight: My assertion of yesterday that the light makes maximum illumination at or above 5 MPH turns out to be untrue. The beam gets noticeably brighter around 10-12 MPH. It may get even brighter beyond that but it is hard to detect from the riders vantage. The beam is somewhat irregular in shape but it lights the road well and I was very comfortable riding in it up to my maximum speed of 30 MPH. As I was climbing a short very steep hill on Pinto Mountain Road at about 4 MPH with the light flickering and getting very dim a car came over the brow of the hill from the opposite direction. I was momentarily concerned about being seen but then realized my vest and other lights probably made me quite visible, perhaps even a spectacle! In the future I will carry my small battery powered headlight and run it in flash mode just to guarantee some light in situations where I am going too slow to power the generator light. All in all I consider the ride and the new equipment to be a great success.
Time: 2:18:13
Elevation: 507
Average Speed: 10.4
Max Speed: 31.6
I did the usual loop out to the airport and return on the touring bike and mostly in the dark. I got away about 6:45 and the sun set within the first 2-3 miles. By the time I got to the end of Valley Vista (about 7 miles in) where a lot of the road is covered with dirt from recent rains it was dark enough to turn on the headlight. From that point on it was definitely a night ride. It was a beautiful warm evening for a ride, 94 when I left home and 90 when I returned. The traffic was very light. There was an annoying 5-10 MPH east windgoing out to Goodwin Road but then it died out or became a mild tailwind which made the climb back from the airport much more pleasant than usual. I did stop at the airport briefly for photos and a drink but otherwise rode straight through. I left home wearing a flashing LED safety vest and a flashing ankle light. I also had the Planet Bike "Blinky" mounted on the rack and flashing. Did I look like a geek who gives bicyclists everywhere a bad name. Probably. Was I visible? Definitely and I did live to tell about it. How did the new gear work you ask? The Biologic Recharge Unit: I left the house with the phone battery at 92% and running the Strava app. I rode with the hub charging the Biologic and the Biologic charging the phone. When I turned on the headlight I turned off the charge to the Biologic battery and left it charging the phone with no input charge. When I got to the airport the phone was at 93% where it stayed until I got home. The Biologic reports that it is still fully charged. I am not sure what this all means, if the Biologic cannot gain on the phone's battery drain or if the phone is limiting the charge received from the Biologic. Either way it could make using the phone to track a tour and to keep other devices charged a bit difficult. More experience is needed to figure out how this setup is going to work. The Lumotec Headlight: My assertion of yesterday that the light makes maximum illumination at or above 5 MPH turns out to be untrue. The beam gets noticeably brighter around 10-12 MPH. It may get even brighter beyond that but it is hard to detect from the riders vantage. The beam is somewhat irregular in shape but it lights the road well and I was very comfortable riding in it up to my maximum speed of 30 MPH. As I was climbing a short very steep hill on Pinto Mountain Road at about 4 MPH with the light flickering and getting very dim a car came over the brow of the hill from the opposite direction. I was momentarily concerned about being seen but then realized my vest and other lights probably made me quite visible, perhaps even a spectacle! In the future I will carry my small battery powered headlight and run it in flash mode just to guarantee some light in situations where I am going too slow to power the generator light. All in all I consider the ride and the new equipment to be a great success.
Friday, September 7, 2012
09/07/2012 Rub a Dub Hub, Just Soakin' in the Tub
Miles: 5.8
Time: 0:41:11
Elevation: 206
Average Speed: 8.4
Max Speed: 30.9
I received my "Dyno" wheel and Lumotec N2 Halogen light this afternoon. These items along with the Biologic Recharge Battery Pack are to be the electrical system for my touring bike which will make me energy independent on tour. During the day I can switch the light off and use the dyno to charge the battery pack and consequently my cell phone, the smart phone I run the Strava bicycle tracking app on, my MP3 player and any other small USB chargeable devices I might care to carry. If I ride at night I will have a serviceable headlight always on tap. The wheel came in good shape. It has a Shimano Alfine "Dyno" hub, a Sun CR18 double wall rim and double butted 14/15 spokes. It is a machine built wheel and Harris Cyclery where I purchased it will true and tension the spokes for $12.00 which I had them do. Contrary to some reviews I had read I had absolutely no problem getting the tire on the rim. I did have a small bit of frustration installing the light and battery wires in the hub connector. The drill is to twist the light and battery wires together then plug them into the connector. This would have been a piece of cake with one device only but I had some trouble getting the wires from both devices twisted tightly enough to go through the small holes in the connector. This was a very minor issue and the connector arrangement looks like it will be reliable and durable and easy to unplug in the event the front wheel needs to come off. The Harris Cyclery Dyno Hub web page has a very good graphical depiction of the connector and how to wire it. One thing to notice is that the light, the battery and the connector are all polarized. One must make sure to get the plus and minus wires paired correctly and in the right holes. I mounted the light on the front cantilever brake bolt with the fender and zip tied the Biologic regulator and both light and battery wires to the fork then picked up the front and gave it a spin. The light came on instantly. A good sign. Next I switched off the light and turned the Biologic to "Charge In" and spun the wheel again. The green charge light on the Biologic came on. Success! I next spent some frustrating time improving the front fender installation. I ended up taking the fender off the bike to get the struts right. I will have to do the same with the rear when I get up enough gumption to take on removing the wheel. The front fender comes off with the wheel on but not the back. By now is was well after dark so I put on my helmet and new sandals and went out for a short test ride. The light appears to reach full brightness at about 5 MPH. Below that it dims and flickers. I did not spend the extra money to get the "Standlight" version which charges a capacitor and stays lit to some degree for several minutes after coming to a stop. I do not intend to travel at night except in dire circumstances and if I do I will use a small AA battery powered light set on flashing mode for visibility when not moving. The Lumotec light I chose is halogen and not LED. It makes a beam as good or better than my fairly high end NiCad or NIMH battery powered lights. It may not be quite as good as my friend Doug's expensive (~$100 or more) Lithium battery lights but it requires no charging an only cost $16. It is always available. I imagine some of the more expensive LED lights are fantastic! Eventually I may get a wired taillight but for now will use Planet Bike Blinky lights. I will comment further when I have had a chance to give the Biologic a good test by charging it from the Dyno.
Time: 0:41:11
Elevation: 206
Average Speed: 8.4
Max Speed: 30.9
I received my "Dyno" wheel and Lumotec N2 Halogen light this afternoon. These items along with the Biologic Recharge Battery Pack are to be the electrical system for my touring bike which will make me energy independent on tour. During the day I can switch the light off and use the dyno to charge the battery pack and consequently my cell phone, the smart phone I run the Strava bicycle tracking app on, my MP3 player and any other small USB chargeable devices I might care to carry. If I ride at night I will have a serviceable headlight always on tap. The wheel came in good shape. It has a Shimano Alfine "Dyno" hub, a Sun CR18 double wall rim and double butted 14/15 spokes. It is a machine built wheel and Harris Cyclery where I purchased it will true and tension the spokes for $12.00 which I had them do. Contrary to some reviews I had read I had absolutely no problem getting the tire on the rim. I did have a small bit of frustration installing the light and battery wires in the hub connector. The drill is to twist the light and battery wires together then plug them into the connector. This would have been a piece of cake with one device only but I had some trouble getting the wires from both devices twisted tightly enough to go through the small holes in the connector. This was a very minor issue and the connector arrangement looks like it will be reliable and durable and easy to unplug in the event the front wheel needs to come off. The Harris Cyclery Dyno Hub web page has a very good graphical depiction of the connector and how to wire it. One thing to notice is that the light, the battery and the connector are all polarized. One must make sure to get the plus and minus wires paired correctly and in the right holes. I mounted the light on the front cantilever brake bolt with the fender and zip tied the Biologic regulator and both light and battery wires to the fork then picked up the front and gave it a spin. The light came on instantly. A good sign. Next I switched off the light and turned the Biologic to "Charge In" and spun the wheel again. The green charge light on the Biologic came on. Success! I next spent some frustrating time improving the front fender installation. I ended up taking the fender off the bike to get the struts right. I will have to do the same with the rear when I get up enough gumption to take on removing the wheel. The front fender comes off with the wheel on but not the back. By now is was well after dark so I put on my helmet and new sandals and went out for a short test ride. The light appears to reach full brightness at about 5 MPH. Below that it dims and flickers. I did not spend the extra money to get the "Standlight" version which charges a capacitor and stays lit to some degree for several minutes after coming to a stop. I do not intend to travel at night except in dire circumstances and if I do I will use a small AA battery powered light set on flashing mode for visibility when not moving. The Lumotec light I chose is halogen and not LED. It makes a beam as good or better than my fairly high end NiCad or NIMH battery powered lights. It may not be quite as good as my friend Doug's expensive (~$100 or more) Lithium battery lights but it requires no charging an only cost $16. It is always available. I imagine some of the more expensive LED lights are fantastic! Eventually I may get a wired taillight but for now will use Planet Bike Blinky lights. I will comment further when I have had a chance to give the Biologic a good test by charging it from the Dyno.
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