Cruisin'

Okay, so I realized that I’ve been using advanced cycling jargon on what I’ve always touted as a beginning biker – or even non-biker – blog. So, this post is meant to clarify some items that may have caused confusion from earlier posts related to the Salt to Saint Bicycle Relay Race.

In Slow Ride, I talked about crusier bikes. I should back up and explain the basic types of bikes on the market today to help explain this comment. Generally you can find bikes in one of three broad categories: road (or race) bikes, mountain bikes, and cruiser (or comfort) bikes. Now, for those in the industry, this is far too simplistic a set of choices as there are sub categories within each of these groups. There are also commuter bikes, but these are usually specific applications of one of the main categories I’ve listed. For my purposes, I’ll deal with only these three broad categories for simplicity.

Let me compare the main types of bikes in a table to show differences:

	Road Bikes	Mountain Bikes	Crusier Bikes
Main use	Rapid travel with minimal resistance across paved roads for long distances	Ability to climb and descend steep unpaved trails without losing traction	Moving comfortably around neighborhoods or to local stores
Benefit	Light weight, and low friction	Suspension (on most models) to smooth out rough trails	Affordable, easy-to-use transportation
Drawback	Bumps in the road come through to the rider	Traction on dirt translates to more friction on paved surfaces, requiring more effort	Upright position and soft tires can make long distance travel more challenging
Pricing	Occasionally found at big-box stores for under $200, but most models begin around $700 and can go as high as $10,000	Many examples found in big-box stores for under $200 without good dependability. Quality models begin around $450 and can go up to $7,500	Some can be found in big-box stores for under $200. Quality models start around $300, but top out around $1,000
Tires	Narrow, high pressure tires with minimal traction to provide least resistance when traveling	Large, low pressure tires with large traction blocks to provide most grip on dirt	Large, medium pressure tires with minimal traction to provide a mix of comfort and low resistance when traveling
Gearing	Most have 18 or 20 gear options, often gears are tightly clustered	Models have 18 to 27 gear options, with wide spreads between gears to provide choices from climbing to descending.	Most have a single gear ratio, but some have 3- or 7-speed internal geared hubs
Recommended distance	Rides of 10+ miles on pavement	Any distance over rough terrain	Rides up to 5-8 miles on pavement

That is probably too much information for most readers, but I wanted to be thorough about the differences before translating the Slow Ride post “into English”.

On the Salt to Saint, as with most road-based bicycle races, most riders will use a race bike. That is they’ll choose a bike with narrow, high pressure tires, that has handlebars that allow them to tuck into the most aerodynamic position for a long haul. There will be some riders who will use their mountain bikes, but with tires switched from the standard large tread pattersn to “slicks” with smooth rubber or minimal tread patterns. These are riders who usually ride on the dirt, but want to experience road riding without a major investment in a new bicycle. No-one will be riding single-speed, cruiser bikes just because they are not designed to travel rapidly over the distances involved, nor to climb hills efficiently.

To make some comparisons, it’s like the difference between wearing running shoes, hiking boots, and flip-flops on a walk. Each could be appropriate, but each will have the use for which it is the best. I wouldn’t run a marathon in the hiking boots or flip-flops. But the hiking boots would be great for summiting a mountain, and the flip-flops perfect for a stroll down the beach.

For the driving crowd, the difference is between a Porsche, a Jeep, and a Cooper Mini. Take the Mini to a club, the Jeep off-roading, and the Porsche on a long, fast drive.

Still with me after all of this rambling? I guess you are, or you wouldn’t have even read the question. Let me try to now put it all into English.

So, riding the Salt to Saint on crusier bikess. It’s like running the RAGNAR Wasatch Back in flip-flops. You’re missing out on some equipment that would make the event so much quicker and easier, but it is still something that could be done. Will you have the coolest footwear and tan lines (and blister locations) of any team in the event? You sure will. Is it absolutely insane? Yup, it is.  However, when fielding a team of novices the cost of getting the equipment is significantly lower, so that makes it an interesting idea.

The only reason to even consider riding the Salt to Saint on cruiser bikes is to win the possibly coveted MVP award that is given at the organizers’ discretion to the team they like the most. I just don’t see how they could not love a team on rainbow-hued cruiser bikes that have no business finishing – or even entering  – the event.

The entire concept is thinly veiled humor at the futility of even trying to win the event, therefore taking a stance that precludes you from even competing so that when you don’t win you can claim that was your goal from the beginning.

Was I serious about gathering a team to do the Salt to Saint event? Certainly. Was I serious about doing it on crusier bikes? Maybe. If I have enough friends insane enough to try it with me, and to get in shape for it with me, then I’ll ride it on whatever style of bike the team chooses.

I hope that has made things more clear, and not obfuscated the matter further.

Slow RIde

Okay, here's the deal: any team I fielded to enter a bicycle relay race, like the Salt to Saint, wouldn't stand a chance of winning. Let's must be honest. I'm not that quick, and while I know some quick cyclists, they would probably form their own team for such an event: a team that had a chance at winning.

However, I like winning. I'm competitive. I just don't devote the time it takes to be the fastest cyclist. But, the Salt to Saint has an MVP team category, and I have just figured out how to win that. (Next year, of course.) I have determined that the team I field will do the ride -- please note that I'm no longer calling it a race -- on cruiser-type bikes. Yup, Electra bikes will be de rigeur on the team. We will do it on single speed and Rohloff hub bikes with full chain guards and large tires. I don't know how this will affect the climbing portions of the ride, but the team would have to be a shoe-in for the MVP award. Talk about style and throwing elegance in the face of efficiency.

The other upside is that cruiser bikes are significantly cheaper than race bikes, even if you do customize them beyond belief. So, we could get people involved who typically wouldn't have the opportunity to take on this type of a challenge. Sporting the racks and baskets, we would be the de facto support riders for anyone else slow enough to stay with us. If we did it right, we could have a rainbow of bikes for the team. I already know someone with an orange bike, and my wife's old Schwinn High Plains could count for red. Who has the rest of the colors? We could toss in a white or black to round out the team as well.

I may allow a race bike or two to act as support riders and pace the person riding each leg of the relay, but that remains to be seen.

So, with that, what do you think? Who's with me? Let's ride from Salt Lake City to St. George in under 24 hours! Well, maybe 36 hours? Try to be there for the awards ceremony? Be off the road by Sunday? I know there's a good goal in there somewhere.

I Miss You

There is a lot of missing in the musical literature. I'll let you fill in the band and melody with which you're most familiar. I just want to use the sentiment.

I miss my bike. It's just sitting at home right now, but I miss it. I haven't ridden since Friday morning. I had some scheduling issues that precluded my riding yesterday or today for my commute. I will hopefully be able to ride tomorrow.

The weekend was heavily booked with family and church commitments, so no ride then. Instead I had to talk to people about the Salt to Saint relay ride I had recently learned about. So far, the interest has been marginal. Definitely no takers for this year.

I have this great idea to ride my bike from my home in West Jordan out to Vernon, then follow that up with some waterskiing. I just then need to determine if I try to ride home, or if I can get a ride back for me and my bike. I just think that could make something quite near the ideal day of recreation for me: biking 50+ miles with some significant climbing across long grades, and some passes through the waterski course. Too bad the warm weather is rapidly fading.

But, I digress. I just need to get back on the bike and ride to keep me from packing on the pounds, and to keep myself happy. Commuting tomorrow, and the rest of the week.

Unbelievable

If you like this idea, drop a comment and let me know.

I just learned that there is a bicycle race from Salt Lake City to St. George, Utah: The Salt to Saint. Yup. That's right: a 385 miles of cycling goodness, and it's timed. Now, before you all tell me that you're not randonneurs, let me tell you that this is a team, relay race. Depending upon the number of team members you do 3 legs of 10 to 40 miles each.

So, let me put this out there. At the end of september you go for 24 +/- hours with either three or seven of your best cycling buddies over mountains and hills from Northern to extreme Southern Utah. The race happens two weeks from the day of this post. As their web site says, "You in?"

The price is kind of high, but it is fully supported. You're paying $75 to $100 per rider on the team, and have to provide your own support vehicle(s). But, what's not to love about that kind of ride. I mean, seriously, who can claim to have ridden their bike from Salt Lake to St. George? (I mean aside from my Uncle Grant?) Talk about cool bragging rights! Now that I think about it, the price isn't that crazy compared to other rides, like the ULCER that runs $55 for a mere 111 miles. Cost per mile, the Salt to Saint is a great value.

I don't think that common sense or my wife will let me do it this year, but who wants to prepare for next year? Check out the race's web site, and drop me a comment. Am I insane or inspired? Who wants to join me?

Never Surrender

Corey Hart made a great point when he sang the song, "Never Surrender." At least I think it was Corey Hart. Maybe it wasn't. I don't really know. But I do like the song, and I was singing it on the way home. It also seemed appropriate given the time that has passed since my last ride, and the time that has passed since my last post. It appears that I missed an entire month -- of posting, that is. It's only been two weeks since my last ride. That is still far too long since a ride. Fortunately I rectified that situation today. It appears that I'm rectifying both situations today.

I was reminded of the challenges of bike commuting both yesterday and today. I had planned to ride home from work yesterday, and Tuesday before that; but I was thwarted until today. Tuesday it was just easier to have a car back home rather than riding home. So I simply decided to drive both ways. That was just plain laziness.

Yesterday was another set of problems for me. I started getting everything ready for a ride. I got the rack loaded onto the truck to take the bike one way. I got bike clothes ready. I got my shoes and helmet packed up. I made lunches for the rest of the week. Then I realized that I was missing my bike computer, heart rate monitor strap, and gloves. I could have ridden without these, but felt just frustrated enough at not finding them that I left the bike home.

These two days followed up a week when I was out of town and my bikes were being repaired. I picked the bikes up a week ago. Then I had major commitments through the entire weekend and couldn't ride. I spent the Labor Day holiday waterskiing. As a side-note, I was really close to riding my bike to the lake. It's only about a metric century each way. I mean, I could have done it in a few hours; but between a neighborhood breakfast and inviting friends to the lake it just didn't happen. (Both of those events were fun, and well worth giving up a ride for.)

Finally, last night I found the bike computer, HRM strap, gloves, and some other items I misplaced just before the trip. With that I was ready to take the bike to work today and ride home. After such a long break, I couldn't take just the short route home. So, I took one of the longer, but still nearly direct, routes home. I somehow survived the short climbs of the route, managed to avoid rear-ending the car that just had to hit the brakes in front of me, and slid through two yellow (okay, more orange) lights to get home alive. All I forgot to take with me was the keys to the house, and the case for my glasses. But by the time I realized this, I was committed and rode home anyway. Thank goodness I have a combo lock on the garage door.

I realized somewhere during today's ride that I really do need to never surrender. Several years ago I set a goal to be in better shape when I turned 40 than when I was 30. To achieve this, I need to keep working every week and every day to not get complacent. I've managed to hold a level of fitness, but haven't really improved. I have my work cut out for me if I want to see real improvement. I have a few benchmarks to test myself against in 2011. Anyone up for the Showdown at 5-Mile Pass? Desperado Dual? LOTOJA Classic?

As I close, I do want to give a shout out to my friend at So Many Layers who got the really cute, orange Electra Townie last week. The great part is that she's using it frequently. Good for you.