Finally, springtime has arrived, albiet two months late! Despite what the global warming crybabies are carping, this has been a spring of extended cold and rain that has put a serious dent into my outdoor riding activites. I'm not a spring chicken anymore, and I just don't do rides in the rain anymore. After six months on the trainer, I was getting quite tired of looking at the same four walls and scrambling for new riding music.
Today was a wonderful day for a ride. Sunny, 87F, with almost no wind, and intermitant clouds. After all the cold and wind, this was such a change that I decided to ride a 40+ ride, the first time i'd done that since October, and only the second time to ride that far in the last thirteen years. I had tried this particular ride only two days ago, but had only made it 34 miles because of the cold and strong headwinds on the way back to base. This time, however, I was able to get in the full 43 miles and then some, and burned 2400 cals doing it!
I have to admit, after thirty miles, the legs were a bit tired, and the balls of my feet felt like they were on fire. But I made it home, and actually had energy to spare!
It's going to be a good summer!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Another piece of cycling garbage.
I have another piece of cycling-junk to tell you about.
Back in November, I bought a Trek I6 cycling computer. Calling it a computer was a stretch, as it was just a wired digital speedometer/odometer. Well, after only a few months of use (about 700 miles) the thing failed. Although the clock and timer kept on working, the speed, distance, and odometer functions stopped working. I tried repositioning the wire leading into the unit, repositioned the magnet and sensor, all to no avail. I finally tried replacing the battery, and that also did nothing to restart the unit. My last action to try to get the unit working was to crush it with a 10lb sledge hammer. That didn't make it work, but it did give me a bit of satisfaction!
As a replacement, I bought a cheap Bell "computer" from Wal-Mart. This little piece is about $10 cheaper than the Trek, and it has more functions. Yes, it will probablly fail too, but at least I wont be out as much money as with the Trek. Just goes to show that even when a product has a high-end name brand, it can still end up in the junk pile. Do your research before you buy!
Back in November, I bought a Trek I6 cycling computer. Calling it a computer was a stretch, as it was just a wired digital speedometer/odometer. Well, after only a few months of use (about 700 miles) the thing failed. Although the clock and timer kept on working, the speed, distance, and odometer functions stopped working. I tried repositioning the wire leading into the unit, repositioned the magnet and sensor, all to no avail. I finally tried replacing the battery, and that also did nothing to restart the unit. My last action to try to get the unit working was to crush it with a 10lb sledge hammer. That didn't make it work, but it did give me a bit of satisfaction!
As a replacement, I bought a cheap Bell "computer" from Wal-Mart. This little piece is about $10 cheaper than the Trek, and it has more functions. Yes, it will probablly fail too, but at least I wont be out as much money as with the Trek. Just goes to show that even when a product has a high-end name brand, it can still end up in the junk pile. Do your research before you buy!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Burned by Blackburn
A few months back, I wrote about purchasing my first bike trainer for exercise and sports training purposes. Now, I’m revisiting the same subject, but with a warning.
In October of 2008, I purchased a Blackburn Trackstand Ultra trainer. The trainer, which attaches to the rear wheel of my road bike, enables me to ride indoors on days when it’s to cold to get outside and ride. During the first few workouts, I found that the trainer actually improved my road riding abilities by about two miles per hour. However, the benefits of the trainer would soon be replaced by troubles.
For the first two months, the trainer performed flawlessly. During the third month however, I noticed that my speeds suddenly increased to about twenty miles per hour on long workouts. I was still pushing and sweating a good bit, so I thought that maybe my legs were just getting stronger as time went along. One day though, as I was riding along, the trainer suddenly became very hard to pedal. This lasted about twenty seconds, and then the resistance went back to normal. A few workouts later, the trainer unit completely locked down during a workout. It was pretty obvious that something was wrong with the Trackstand.
I used the supplied tool to disassemble the resistance unit and was surprised to find a large quantity of brake dust inside the unit. Apparently, the resistance disk had worn out, just as car brakes wear out, only this happened much faster. I cleaned out the flywheel, ball bearings, and washed the resistance disk, but the damage was pretty much done. Every workout after that was a gamble to see if I could get through it without locking down the trainer. After about four months, I had had enough.
I first tried to contact Bell Sports, the people who either make or distribute the Blackburn Trainer. I e-mailed them twice, and got no reply either time. I finally called them, and after being put on hold for quite a few minutes, I was told by the customer service rep that the best thing to do would be to take the trainer back to the store where I bought the unit. After that, I reluctantly called East Ridge Bicycles about the problem (I didn’t see this as their problem), and was told that bringing it back would be ok and that they would be happy to replace the unit.
As I see it, after ruining a brand new bike trainer in the span of only four months, I can honestly say that the Blackburn Trackstand Ultra is a piece of junk that you should steer clear of. There is no way that this thing should have been brought to market. For a new trainer to wear out in three months is ridiculous. Even worse, if I had been a serious rider who rides for four or more hours a day on this thing, it probably wouldn’t have lasted two weeks! The main problem is the friction component; the unit generates resistance by grinding a metal flywheel against some sort of brake pad. Of course, friction is going to gradually eat away at the brake pad, causing it to eventually fail and have to be replaced. As quickly as this happened, it’s pretty clear that the friction material was of a pretty low grade, almost rubbery, substance. If I had known from the beginning that this thing was “made to fail”, I definitely would not have purchased it.
Anyway, I returned the Trackstand Ultra to the store where I purchased it from, and in exchange I got a Trackstand Fluid unit - the store was out of Ultras, and I really did not want another one of the blasted things anyway. Maybe, it will last a couple of more months until the outdoor riding season starts, then in the fall I can buy a REAL bicycle trainer, something like a CycleOps.
To you serious bike riders out there, you have been warned. Don’t be lured in by what you may think is a bargain. Blackburn makes some serious, very expensive junk, so steer clear! Spend a few more dollars and get a good trainer!
ADDNENDUM – The Blackburn Trackstand Fluid is not much better quality-wise than the Ultra. This unit vibrates very badly until the resistance fluid warms up, which take about fifteen minutes. The resistance adjustment screw unwinds at least once during each workout, meaning that I have to stop my ride and readjust the resistance setting. Also, the fluid housing gets so hot that you can’t even touch it! Another unit made to fail!
Folks, once again I say, STAY AWAY FROM BLACKBURN!
In October of 2008, I purchased a Blackburn Trackstand Ultra trainer. The trainer, which attaches to the rear wheel of my road bike, enables me to ride indoors on days when it’s to cold to get outside and ride. During the first few workouts, I found that the trainer actually improved my road riding abilities by about two miles per hour. However, the benefits of the trainer would soon be replaced by troubles.
For the first two months, the trainer performed flawlessly. During the third month however, I noticed that my speeds suddenly increased to about twenty miles per hour on long workouts. I was still pushing and sweating a good bit, so I thought that maybe my legs were just getting stronger as time went along. One day though, as I was riding along, the trainer suddenly became very hard to pedal. This lasted about twenty seconds, and then the resistance went back to normal. A few workouts later, the trainer unit completely locked down during a workout. It was pretty obvious that something was wrong with the Trackstand.
I used the supplied tool to disassemble the resistance unit and was surprised to find a large quantity of brake dust inside the unit. Apparently, the resistance disk had worn out, just as car brakes wear out, only this happened much faster. I cleaned out the flywheel, ball bearings, and washed the resistance disk, but the damage was pretty much done. Every workout after that was a gamble to see if I could get through it without locking down the trainer. After about four months, I had had enough.
I first tried to contact Bell Sports, the people who either make or distribute the Blackburn Trainer. I e-mailed them twice, and got no reply either time. I finally called them, and after being put on hold for quite a few minutes, I was told by the customer service rep that the best thing to do would be to take the trainer back to the store where I bought the unit. After that, I reluctantly called East Ridge Bicycles about the problem (I didn’t see this as their problem), and was told that bringing it back would be ok and that they would be happy to replace the unit.
As I see it, after ruining a brand new bike trainer in the span of only four months, I can honestly say that the Blackburn Trackstand Ultra is a piece of junk that you should steer clear of. There is no way that this thing should have been brought to market. For a new trainer to wear out in three months is ridiculous. Even worse, if I had been a serious rider who rides for four or more hours a day on this thing, it probably wouldn’t have lasted two weeks! The main problem is the friction component; the unit generates resistance by grinding a metal flywheel against some sort of brake pad. Of course, friction is going to gradually eat away at the brake pad, causing it to eventually fail and have to be replaced. As quickly as this happened, it’s pretty clear that the friction material was of a pretty low grade, almost rubbery, substance. If I had known from the beginning that this thing was “made to fail”, I definitely would not have purchased it.
Anyway, I returned the Trackstand Ultra to the store where I purchased it from, and in exchange I got a Trackstand Fluid unit - the store was out of Ultras, and I really did not want another one of the blasted things anyway. Maybe, it will last a couple of more months until the outdoor riding season starts, then in the fall I can buy a REAL bicycle trainer, something like a CycleOps.
To you serious bike riders out there, you have been warned. Don’t be lured in by what you may think is a bargain. Blackburn makes some serious, very expensive junk, so steer clear! Spend a few more dollars and get a good trainer!
ADDNENDUM – The Blackburn Trackstand Fluid is not much better quality-wise than the Ultra. This unit vibrates very badly until the resistance fluid warms up, which take about fifteen minutes. The resistance adjustment screw unwinds at least once during each workout, meaning that I have to stop my ride and readjust the resistance setting. Also, the fluid housing gets so hot that you can’t even touch it! Another unit made to fail!
Folks, once again I say, STAY AWAY FROM BLACKBURN!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Back in the saddle again
Going on a diet is hard enough, but going on a diet two months before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is basically diet-suicide.
I started out in September, rode my bike on almost a daily basis until the weather turned cold, then moved to an indoor trainer after the first of November. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. By the end of November, I was back to eating fast food almost daily again, though I was still watching my calorie counts. My riding dropped from five days a week to every other day, then to twice a week, then to one day a week. Then, when Thanksgiving hit, my diet was unofficially on hold. I did not gain any of the weight back, but I didn’t lose any more either.
However, just like they can be stopped, diets can be restarted. A day before the new-year began, my family and I sat down for a family meeting. We discussed, among other things, our poor state of health and the causes of it. Eating out every day was slowly killing us physically and mentally, and it was also taking a heavy toll on our monetary budget. We spent an estimated $5,000+ in 2008 on fast food, and ate out an average of five times a week. Our diets (and our budgets) would never work if we continued to eat restaurant cooked food.
So, the first thing that was done was to do away with fast food. I had never been much of a cook, but it’s never too late to learn. I increased the grocery budget so that the money that had gone to fast food would be going to buy foods that could be prepared at home and portion-controlled for calorie counting. We stopped eating out and started eating at home, and after a while, we found that the fast-food cravings began to subside and we came up with new and inventive ways to prepare low-calorie, great tasting meals.
The second thing was to get back on the trainer again and go. For me, there is just no way that a diet will work without exercise. The “fat gene” runs in my family, and food and my waist-line just do not get along well. I went back to riding four days a week, five if possible. The hardest thing about starting the exercise regimen again was dealing with the cold. Despite all of the alarmist ranting about Global Warming, this has been one of the coldest winters that we have had here in years. My bike and trainer are set up in a detached storage building, and there is no heat in there. If you can ride an hour on your bike at three in the morning when it’s fourteen degrees outside, then the Force is with you dude!
Despite what turned out to be a grindingly slow restart, pretty soon, the weight started to drop again, and I was moving forward to my goal of losing 60 lbs. by April 2009. In mid-January, I got a big mental boost in my quest. My workplace is sponsoring a “Biggest Loser” type contest for money and company merchandise, so I entered it. I figured that since I was already on a diet anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little competition. At my first weigh in, the first time that I had been on a scale since my diet had started, I found that I had lost thirty pounds! Now that’s a swift boost for the cause!
I started out in September, rode my bike on almost a daily basis until the weather turned cold, then moved to an indoor trainer after the first of November. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. By the end of November, I was back to eating fast food almost daily again, though I was still watching my calorie counts. My riding dropped from five days a week to every other day, then to twice a week, then to one day a week. Then, when Thanksgiving hit, my diet was unofficially on hold. I did not gain any of the weight back, but I didn’t lose any more either.
However, just like they can be stopped, diets can be restarted. A day before the new-year began, my family and I sat down for a family meeting. We discussed, among other things, our poor state of health and the causes of it. Eating out every day was slowly killing us physically and mentally, and it was also taking a heavy toll on our monetary budget. We spent an estimated $5,000+ in 2008 on fast food, and ate out an average of five times a week. Our diets (and our budgets) would never work if we continued to eat restaurant cooked food.
So, the first thing that was done was to do away with fast food. I had never been much of a cook, but it’s never too late to learn. I increased the grocery budget so that the money that had gone to fast food would be going to buy foods that could be prepared at home and portion-controlled for calorie counting. We stopped eating out and started eating at home, and after a while, we found that the fast-food cravings began to subside and we came up with new and inventive ways to prepare low-calorie, great tasting meals.
The second thing was to get back on the trainer again and go. For me, there is just no way that a diet will work without exercise. The “fat gene” runs in my family, and food and my waist-line just do not get along well. I went back to riding four days a week, five if possible. The hardest thing about starting the exercise regimen again was dealing with the cold. Despite all of the alarmist ranting about Global Warming, this has been one of the coldest winters that we have had here in years. My bike and trainer are set up in a detached storage building, and there is no heat in there. If you can ride an hour on your bike at three in the morning when it’s fourteen degrees outside, then the Force is with you dude!
Despite what turned out to be a grindingly slow restart, pretty soon, the weight started to drop again, and I was moving forward to my goal of losing 60 lbs. by April 2009. In mid-January, I got a big mental boost in my quest. My workplace is sponsoring a “Biggest Loser” type contest for money and company merchandise, so I entered it. I figured that since I was already on a diet anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little competition. At my first weigh in, the first time that I had been on a scale since my diet had started, I found that I had lost thirty pounds! Now that’s a swift boost for the cause!
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Trainer
Rohan the Barbarian , a fellow bike rider that I work with, said that no matter what else in cycling I do, a trainer is the best investment I could make. I wasn't so sure about the trainer thing. One reason I like cycling is the feel of the open road. The wind, sun, and the sense of going somewhere under my own power without owing anything to the camel jocks. However, there is the downside of cycling; dogs, cars, horse poop, and road rash. Winter was also coming on pretty quick, which meant there would probablly be day upon day with no riding because of the weather. So, I decided to give the trainer a closer look.
Of course, making any sort of decision like this has to be complicated. A trainer is simply a device that attaches to the rear wheel on your bike to turn it into a stationary bike you can ride indoors. However, if you want to get a presidential debate sized arguement going, just ask the more experienced bike enthusiasts which trainer they would choose: fluid or magnetic? Then, you've got to choose what color. What brand? Aluminum or steel? Do you want the one with the remote control? A full body stand? Do you really need a DVD of some pro-dude's road ride to go with it?. The choice in itself is almost enough to make me store the bike and hibernate the winter.
After checking out several sites on the internet, I settled on the trainer that I thought would be best for a someone who was new to indoor riding, the Blackburn TrackStand Fluid. So the "experts" tell me, a fluid trainer has several advantages over magnetic spinners. One advantage is that the fluid trainers are quieter (I guess so the dogs don't hear you coming), and the other being that fluid trainers offer a more realistic road feel. Anyhoo, supposedly, the Blackburn is an off-name brand, but since i'd never had a cycle trainer before, I wasn't in the position to judge it's performance from say, a Cycleops trainer.
Of course, making any sort of decision like this has to be complicated. A trainer is simply a device that attaches to the rear wheel on your bike to turn it into a stationary bike you can ride indoors. However, if you want to get a presidential debate sized arguement going, just ask the more experienced bike enthusiasts which trainer they would choose: fluid or magnetic? Then, you've got to choose what color. What brand? Aluminum or steel? Do you want the one with the remote control? A full body stand? Do you really need a DVD of some pro-dude's road ride to go with it?. The choice in itself is almost enough to make me store the bike and hibernate the winter.
After checking out several sites on the internet, I settled on the trainer that I thought would be best for a someone who was new to indoor riding, the Blackburn TrackStand Fluid. So the "experts" tell me, a fluid trainer has several advantages over magnetic spinners. One advantage is that the fluid trainers are quieter (I guess so the dogs don't hear you coming), and the other being that fluid trainers offer a more realistic road feel. Anyhoo, supposedly, the Blackburn is an off-name brand, but since i'd never had a cycle trainer before, I wasn't in the position to judge it's performance from say, a Cycleops trainer.
I traveled about fifty miles to a bike store in the nearest large town to pick up the bike. Now we do have bike shops around here, but most of them are small mom-and-pop operations that sell primarily bikes and not much in the way of accesories. If you want to see some really good stuff at really cheap prices, you got to go to the big city. At the bike shop, the sales clerk worked his magic on me, telling me about the gizmos on and how much better the Ultra model was compared to the one I had picked. My wife was with me, and she was very amenable to the price of the trainer and knew the "side benefits" (wink) of my weight loss plan, so I came home with the Ultra. (BTW, the clerk gave me $30 off the trainer, making it only $20 more than the mid-ranged model I had originally picked).
The trainer was an easy setup - pull it out of the box, screw the holders to the rear wheel skewers, adjust the resistance module against the back wheel, and ride! I found out very quickly that riding a stationary trainer was going to be a bit different than riding the road. Riding the road, you've got hills. You ride one side, then rest (or spin) down the other. On a stationary, you are riding your rear-end off the whole time that you are riding. There ain't no coasting or breathers, just ride, ride, and more ride! And this trainer is very realistic in simulating the road riding experience. If you pedal harder, or you switch to higher gears, the trainer pushes harder, giving you the feel of riding up hills or trying to ride all out in 53:11. Amazing!
There is nothing that can replace the experience of riding the roads, but Rohan was right. If you are cycling, you've got to get a trainer!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Health Fair
October 31, 2008
Fortunately for me, one of the few benefits of the company that I work for that hasn't been castrated by the corporate bean-counters is the company Health Fair. The reasons for this health fair seem kind of dubious to me. It always happens in the fall, just before we are supposed to make our yearly elections for Health Insurance coverage. I think this Health Fair is a way for the company to report the overall health of it's staff to the insurance providers, so they can jack up the premium prices and the company can have a convenient excuse to pay less of their share for coverage.
For these reasons, real or imagined, I usually don't participate in the health fair. However, being that this year I was on a diet and fitness regimine, I was curious as to what a work-up would tell me about my progress. The news was bitter-sweet.
In addition to flu and tetanus shots, I had my blood drawn and checked for lipids. Lipids is a measure of fat and cholesterol in the blood. I found out that while not in the high range, I was very close to high at the time of the check. I had already been on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet for about a month when the sample was taken, so before the diet, the reading could have been even higher. I have some work to do on this, but my glucose and triglyceride levels were both in the normal range.
My blood pressure was running a bit high, but that should come down in time with more diet and exercise. My body mass index was 33, one point down from where it was before my diet. This indicates obesity, but again, it changes as the diet and exercise progress. The best news though was that at the time that the results of the health fair were given, I had lost thirteen pounds (18 without my steel toed boots) since I started this diet. It started September 2 (this blog is a bit behind), so that would average out to be 1.6 lbs per week. That kind of weight loss would not be possible without exercise.
The results for right now are very encouraging, even though i've still got a long way to go and a lot of improvement to make. Hopefully by this time next year, all of my tests will be in the normal range.
Fortunately for me, one of the few benefits of the company that I work for that hasn't been castrated by the corporate bean-counters is the company Health Fair. The reasons for this health fair seem kind of dubious to me. It always happens in the fall, just before we are supposed to make our yearly elections for Health Insurance coverage. I think this Health Fair is a way for the company to report the overall health of it's staff to the insurance providers, so they can jack up the premium prices and the company can have a convenient excuse to pay less of their share for coverage.
For these reasons, real or imagined, I usually don't participate in the health fair. However, being that this year I was on a diet and fitness regimine, I was curious as to what a work-up would tell me about my progress. The news was bitter-sweet.
In addition to flu and tetanus shots, I had my blood drawn and checked for lipids. Lipids is a measure of fat and cholesterol in the blood. I found out that while not in the high range, I was very close to high at the time of the check. I had already been on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet for about a month when the sample was taken, so before the diet, the reading could have been even higher. I have some work to do on this, but my glucose and triglyceride levels were both in the normal range.
My blood pressure was running a bit high, but that should come down in time with more diet and exercise. My body mass index was 33, one point down from where it was before my diet. This indicates obesity, but again, it changes as the diet and exercise progress. The best news though was that at the time that the results of the health fair were given, I had lost thirteen pounds (18 without my steel toed boots) since I started this diet. It started September 2 (this blog is a bit behind), so that would average out to be 1.6 lbs per week. That kind of weight loss would not be possible without exercise.
The results for right now are very encouraging, even though i've still got a long way to go and a lot of improvement to make. Hopefully by this time next year, all of my tests will be in the normal range.
Torpedo, the Kamikazee Dog
October 29, 2008
The now infamous bike vs. dog shot from the Tour de France
After several weeks of shorter rides that were gradually lengthened in duration, I finally got the strength and the courage to ride my bike 27 miles to work. The ride actually went pretty well. The day was sunny, with temperatures in the mid-70's; perfect riding weather. I was working nights, so I was able to ride in the middle of the afternoon, and by the time I was ready to ride home in the morning, the sun would be coming up. It was the perfect setup.
Well, almost perfect.
About twelve miles into the ride, I had just crossed a range of medium sized hills and was coasting onto a flat plain at about twenty-five miles per hour. Suddenly out of nowhere (they always come out of nowhere), a small dog, a mutt-mix about the size of a Boston Terrier, comes flying out of a yard towards me. Usually, this kind of dog is just a nuisance, what cyclists like to call "ankle biters". Most of the time, they are more of a danger to themselves than to the biker.
Usually, when a dog runs at you, they will cross the yard and turn parallel to you just as they hit the road, then chase as close as possible behind your legs until they get tired and give up. Well, this particular little fellow was a bit dumber than most of his counterparts, and instead of turning at the road, he crossed a lane of traffic without even thinking to look for oncoming cars and ran headlong into the side of my bike! He impacted my left pedal and lower leg, gave out a bloodcurdling yelp, flipped, and then went under my rear wheel! It was a heck-of-a jolt, but i'm a pretty hefty fellow, so the bike did not flip.
It all happened so fast, it was almost sureal. There was no time to stop, no time to swerve. After it was over, I looked back to see if Fido gave up the ghost. Fortunately for him, he was able to scamper back to the house, tail between his legs, hopefully wiser for the experience. The experience could have been much worse, for him and me! If he'd hit the front tire, I could have flipped. If a car had been coming from behind me, or towards me in the other lane, the dog would have been road pizza, that is if the driver had decided to actually hit the dog instead of swerving and hitting me! Anyway, I continued on to work, and the ride was pretty much uneventful from that point on.
The next day, I retraced the ride in my car to make sure my bike odometer was accurate. I passed by the house where "Torpedo, the Kamikazee Dog" lived, hoping maybe he would want a rematch. He was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, his owners have wisely restrained him or caged him in the house.
As a last note in this entry, i'd like to address those of you reading this who own a pet. For the pet's sake (and mine), restrain your animal. Animals who are allowed to roam free have an average lifespan that is only 1/3rd as long as a pet who is kept restrained and sheltered. And the pet's welfare aside, if your animal bites or mauls someone, or in my case, causes and accident, you can be held criminally and civily liable for whatever damage it causes. To add insult to injury, a lot of insurance companies are beginning to refuse to pay for injuries or damages caused by out-of-control pets, so if you get sued, you will be on the hook for the whole amount.
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