Run, Bike, Run

kif_5451, originally uploaded by Russ Nelson.

The way rail trails normaly work is this. 1) Find old railroad tracks 2) Tear them out 3) Put in trail.

But if all goes by plan, the Brooks Preservation Society agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation will allow for the restoration of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Rail corridor. Not only will passenger excursions and some freight trains, but rail bikes. Rail bikes are small and light pedal powered bikes that ride on the rails like full sized trains. Tours would be lead by a group leader over isolated sections of track to minimize problems with trains.

The pictured rail bike from Russ Nelson’s photostream on Flickr

http://waldo.villagesoup.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=145511

Well, it’s amazing what 3 days in Las Vegas will do to you. Well, tomorrow will be back on the diet and back on the bike. The wife and I did a whole bunch of walking but the meals at Rao’s, Thomas Keller’s “Bouchon” and Wolfgang Puck’s “Postrio” really didn’t help. So back to my after work intervals on the trainer for a real work out.

While in Vegas the Tour of California started and it was a bit hard to follow on my iPhone at first. But the Twitter community has really kicked into overdrive. With Twitterrific I was able to follow the race pretty much up to the minute thanks to the likes of Twitters @tourdetweets, @cyclefilm and @jonofTeamWill. Once back on the ground in Seattle I was able to get caught up on the events that happened while in the air, even before the jet got to the gate.

The Amgen Tour of California kicks off tomorrow, February 14th,  in Sacramento California. Starting with the Prologue (with an expected crowd of 80,000 spectators) then heading off with 8 stages taking the riders from Davis and ending up in Escondido. Follow the tour at http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/

A special shout out to David Bernstein at the FredCast for starting my interest in professional road cycle racing. He has a great podcast that I highly recommend listening to.

If finding a rain jacket isn’t hard enough, trying to find something to keep the lower half dry is a real problem. For cycle specific rain pants the only pair I have had are from J&G. Then I have tried some other non-cycling pants, some worked, others didn’t.

The rain pants from J&G I purchased were the basic Waterproof pants in the 3X size. Construction is right on with the jacket, nicely sewn with reflective tabs around the ankles. While the 3X size is listed as a waist of 47-49 inches and a inseam of 34 inches, I found the rise in the back of the pants to be tad short and gave a bit of “plumbers butt” if not careful. But just to keep in mind, at 6′4″ I’m a Clyde in both girth and hight. I have a long torso and wear a 32″ inseam, so they get a little baggy at the bottom. The zips at the bottom are a bit small for my size 14 shoes.

My first set of non-cycling pants that I have used are Frogg Toggs  Pro Angler Suit. I purchased these some time ago and for use on both my bicycle and motorcycle. I carried these with me on my 20o mile self contained tour of the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island. The pant’s are a bib style that help prevent the “plummers butt” but also can be a bit warmer due to the extra fabric on the chest. But for me that is not a minus since most of the rain here is on the cool side. The sizing on my set are very much on the big side with the 3x showing a waist size of 50-54 inches and inseam of 36′ inches. They seem every bit of that and maybe a bit more so they are baggy on me (not something I’m use to). The inseam kills since it all bags up at the ankles and can get caught in the chain ring really easy.  I have not used the jacket that comes with the set for cycle riding but I would think it would be comfortable, but since it is designed for bib use it is a bit on the short side.

The last set of pants are are from the sporting goods store Cabela’s. Their packable Nylon Rain Bibs are very well made and are very true to fit with the 3X running 48-50 inch waist. The length is good with the standard inseam measuring 30 1/2 inches and the tall (yes you can get talls here) adding another 2 inches. The appropriate inseams make these alot better while riding, minimizing chain ring  interference. The only real minus on these pants are they with out a doubt non-breathable. If you really work up a hard sweat you will know it, but at least you will stay warm. These are the pants that I wear the most when commuting, they go on quick and y easy over the shoes. With the current price at $44.95 for the tall 3X size makes them pretty reasonable. If you don’t feel like bibs are your thing they are also available in regular pant style. 

If you have any other pant’s or jackets that you like I would like to hear about them and share with others.

This is just a bit on the strange side of working out. OK, cross training is good for you.  Let’s face it, I’ve been called one but I’ve never actually been one.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/4303781/Gym-has-human-dumbbells-to-help-customers-exercise.html

With the winter season the Pacific Northwest, the weather still allows riding if you don’t mind the rain. But for the Clyde, finding gear that fits can be difficult. I currently have 2 different cycling specific jackets that I wear while riding.

The first jacket is the J & G  water proof rain jacket. This was my first cycling specific jacket and probably still the one I wear the most. The sizing listed by J & G shows the 2X chest size at 52-55 inches and a 3X size going from 56-58 inches. I have the 2X and find it true to size, fitting well through the chest and a good length. The jacket is ventilated very well by huge zippered openings in the armpits that extend down the arm and body of the jacket. These “pit zips” are perfect for riding the recumbent allowing a nice controllable air flow that the back vented jackets can’t due with our high back seats.  Having worn this jacket now for over 2 years, it still is showing very little wear and looks great. J & G does have a breathable version available but note the sizing is smaller than the plain water proof jacket.

The other jacket in the closet is the REI Novara Express Jacket.  It’s a well made jacket that is a 2 layer coated nylon, the model I have only has the back venting for air circulation. This is a problem with the recumbent but it did do a nice job while riding my diamond frame bikes.  While the construction seems good, I have had problems with the zipper pulling apart near the bottom while it is zipped up.  Also while the chest sizing and arm sizing are right for it’s size, I do find the the jacket tapers down at the waist which does make it a bit tight. I’m not sure why the cut the jacket that way, most “extended size” people don’t taper in that way very often. Currently the extended sizes available are 3XL with a 52-55 inch chest and 4XL with 56-59 in chest. Of note, the current jacket does list under arm vents missing from mine.

http://www.bicycleclothing.com

http://www.rei.com/product/771256#

From the Seattle Craigs List bicycle ads:

young rider hit by car in ballard on BG trail, info wanted (ballard)

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Date: 2009-02-04, 9:28PM PST

My 13-year-old son was hit by a car while riding his bike on the Burke Gilman trail in Ballard at 6:10PM, today, Wednesday, Feb. 4th. The motorist stopped to offer aid, but did not leave any contact information or insurance credentials.

My son was in shock and did not get the plates or any means for follow up. His bike is damaged and the rear wheel was destroyed. The car hit the rear of his bike and caused him to crash in the road. He was travelling roughly 15mph when hit. He heard the motorist try to brake, but it was too late. He was lucky to walk away without serious injury.

The car was a late model black Mazda pickup with red decals. This was a smaller truck. There was at least one other rider who witnessed the crash, possibly more.

My son’s bike was equipped with a rear red flashing light, front white light, rear reflector on fender, and reflective tape. He knows the rules of the road and has been riding on the Burke Gilman trail for the past four years without major incident. This happened at the intersection of NW 43rd St and 8th Ave NW (near Hales Brewery and Albert Lee warehouse).

The rear wheel (700c) is seized and will need replacement. I tried to true it but it’s just too damaged. The hub is still good, but it’s a 20 hole. The rim was a 28mm semi-aero Supergo Korso (same rim as Neuvation M28).

I would hope that the motorist would see this and step forward with an offer to repair the damage. We are not litigious people and not out to ruin anyone’s lives. We just feel that the person responsible for causing the accident should be willing to step up and replace the wheel or pay for replacement of the rim.

Any information would be appreciated.

Unique visitors to post: 2

Well, mornings here are still a little too frosty for riding to work. This really sucks since the afternoons have been so nice and warm for this time of year. So the bike is sitting on the trainer in the garage, and I have been getting a good work out on it. Each day I can’t ride to work, I spend an equal amount of time on the trainer when I get home.

I find even though I spend the same time on the trainer as when I commute, I get a lot better work out. Riding the trainer gives me a simular feeling as when riding my fixed gear. Got to keep the crank spinning to keep the wheels turning, no coasting, no stop lights and no breaks.

To add  a bit to the ride I have downloaded the Interval Trainer by Conceited Software.  Although it’s a pretty basic timer, it really helps me push it for short periods as I get my base fitness level back to pre-knee injury levels. Check out the web site, the timer is only $0.99 there, but $1.99 on  the iTunes App store.

It appears that a cycle rider, who crashed on the Montlake Bridge in Seattle’s University District, is having a little problem the State.  He is looking for information on accidents happening in the same area from the Washington Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol.

But it appears the State is refusing to help. According to the Olympian newspaper the state has told them the release of information for a civil lawsuit would jeopardize federal highway safety funds.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008698117_webbikesuit02m.html

11 days after a left knee meniscectomy (partal removal of meniscus) I am back to my commute on my Rans. The surgery PA told me to becareful as to not over do it, so I will be cycling a few times a week to start. Once I got to work I felt a little discomfort but nothing like prior to the sugery. The stairs up to the lab went easy with need of the hand rail. This was a striking difference to the one commute prior to surgery where I almost couldn’t even make the stairs due to the pain.

This morning stats:

• Miles     3.9
• Time:    15 minutes
• Weather: Overcast 39 Degrees
• Gear used: North Face Goretex shoes, REI Cycling Jacket, Cabelas polypro and windshield fleece pants.