Cycling / Running - Logs, Stories, & Pictures (any fellow cyclists or runners here?)

[astrosammy]

STOP! I'll start cycling if you guys continue to post! :rofl:

I'm totally untrained, so I'll start with the 8 miles to my university I think. (Well, I survived 27 miles on a hot summer day a few years ago)
And there are some beautiful places around my home.
My bike is a Kettler "Paris", I can't find any pictures of it right now.

I just hope that I still have my helmet...

 

[Tex]

I've gotten some weird looks over this, but nothing compared to the disgraceful act of walking into a grocery store in cycling shorts.

Haha I don't care anymore. I'll go out for beers and lunch still in my cycling shorts before heading home.

 

[Jarvitä]

I'm not even considering commuting by bicycle. Empty country roads are fine, but given the driving culture around here, I value my continued existence too highly to risk cycling in a city.

By the way, can a more experienced bicyclist clear up just how serious a faux pas riding a bicycle of the wrong "gender" is? Several cyclists stressed this and it just doesn't seem like that big a deal to me.

 

[DanM]

IIRC the only reason female bikes are shaped the way they are is because when they were first invented women would always wear dresses. That bar going from the seat to the front wheel was lowered as to not interfere with the dress.

 

[Urwumpe]

Damn, I should really get a camera to document my routes.

 

[Ghostrider]

Here's a reasonably long video covering this Tuesday's Paperclip ride. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzQQ0H4ZXQo

That's some smooth footage. Which camera are you using? And what about the mount?

 

[Tex]

That's some smooth footage. Which camera are you using? And what about the mount?

I've got the 'Drift HD 170' camera. It comes with several mounting options, but in the end I came up with a custom way to mount it after lots of experimenting to find the most stable image. That turned out to be directly under the stem with a little padding added between the camera and stem, held together with tie wraps.

 

[DanM]

Yesterday I biked pretty far, I think around 30 miles. Today I ran 8k. I'm feeling pretty good.

 

[FADEC]

Yesterday I did a 26 Km trip through my town, at night. It took only one hour and fourteen minutes. That's only an average speed of 21 Km/h, but at an elevation gain of about 60 meters, with a bike that weighs about 17 kilograms and which still carries that annoying dynamo (I'll get battery powered LED lights next month). I actually exceed the limit of that cheap bike. I'm faster than the gear change enables me to be when driving "normally".

So I guess I really should get a better bike in future. Especially with a lower weight (below 10 Kg should be a good goal). But for now I urgently need a different seat :lol:

Yesterday I biked pretty far, I think around 30 miles. Today I ran 8k. I'm feeling pretty good.

I quite believe it

Damn, I should really get a camera to document my routes.

Same here. It was exactly my thought yesterday once again, when I returned from my route.

I think I'll buy the GoPro HD Hero. It's small, very light (≈200 grams), comes with a waterproof case and is relatively cheap for what you get (≈250 €).

http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero-naked-camera/

 

[FADEC]

I did a 40 Km tour today, visiting my brother again until Sunday. The bad thing was that I had headwinds of up to 60 Km/h and more. But luckily only slight rain once. But my notebook was packed safely anyway. Now, while I'm writing this, there is one interesting question which comes into my mind: why the hell did I take the battery of my notebook along at all? I don't need it. I could have saved some weight. I think it's almost heavier than the entire notebook :facepalm:

Well, at least one learns from mistakes...

 

[Tex]

http://blakesenduranceblog.com/2012/05/16/reflection/

 

[FADEC]

http://blakesenduranceblog.com/2012/05/16/reflection/

Very nice picture.

 

[martins]

I decided to get a bit more into cycling again to do something about my lack of fitness. I take it a bit more leisurely than Tex :thumbup:, but still, managed a decent trip yesterday from London to (close to) Cambridge and back (about 160km round trip). The only reason I turned round early was to get back in time for the CL final. What a waste of time...


London - Newton trip


River barges on the Lea


The Lee valley white water centre for the 2012 olympics


It's not that there aren't any cycle lanes in the UK. They are just rather short.


Hobbit country ...


Lunch break


This is as far as I got. My trusty (and sadly rather decrepit) bike.

 

[Tex]

That's a nice ride there Martin, regardless how fast you rode it! Great scenery too. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[FADEC]

Returned home from my brother today (or actually yesterday; it's past midnight now). 40 Km. And I did weigh my baggage this time: 12 Kg. 8 Kg on my back and 4 Kg on my pannier rack. So I guess 02:15 total time is good with that baggage, a normal (heavy) trekking bike, a few winds, and road traffic. Not to mention a few "nice" gradients...

This is as far as I got. My trusty (and sadly rather decrepit) bike.

The main thing is that it works My bike is not really better although it's a new one.

Nice British landscapes by the way. But 160 Km? Does not sound leisurely at all :thumbup:

 

[DanM]

I ran about 7.5 km today. I was aiming for 10, but had to adjust my route and go home because for whatever reason the police were blocking the road I wanted to use. I'll try again on Wednesday during daylight hours. If I succeed, then I will have a new distance record.

This weekend I am planning on participating in Chicago's annual Bike the Drive. It's when Lake Shore Drive gets shut down early on a Sunday morning and is open only to cyclists. The ride is about 50 km. I just got my road bike from the mid 1980s fixed up for this.

 

[FADEC]

I'll visit my brother again by bike tomorrow. 40 Km (through 3 cities by the way) including 12 Kg of baggage again. The weather is "green" this time (only 10% chance for rain). I will arrive at noon so I should be able to watch Dragon dock to the ISS live

 

[martins]

After turning round short of my destination last week, and since Summer has finally arrived, I decided to try the same tour again today, and this time I made it to Cambridge (190km round trip).
It took all day, including a few lunch breaks and a puncture, and now I'm feeling somewhat ... delicate. :lol: Not as young as I used to be ...







Best of all: I missed the Eurovision!

 

[DanM]

This morning I cycled roughly 50 kilometers on Lake Shore Drive. The weather was perfect and I was out during the sunrise. The bike I used was a Schwinn World Sport from the mid 1980s. Also, on friday I ran 10 kilometers. I don't think I've ever been to do all this in such a short time frame.

 

[Codz]

I just walked about 4 kilometers through hilly terrain today. The dog drank almost all of my water...