Flat Tires... eventually you will have one

By CE Taylor  

This isn't about how to fix them but how to tell if you have one.  This may sound like a no-brainer but the last flat tire I had caught me by surprise and taught me a hard lesson.  

I can't tell you how many times I have looked down at my rear tire while I was riding and swore it was flat because it felt like I was riding through sticky syrup.  Usually it was just me but a few times I could see my tire bulging out each side of the rim more than usual and I knew it was going flat.  One time I heard the tire making an unusual noise as it wrinkled around the rim it was so flat.  I would guess that most club members could share their flat back tire experiences and they would be something like this.

My last flat tire was different.   It was my front tire.  Maybe I was having a good day since it was only 3 miles into the ride, but I never felt that sticky or soft road feeling that a rear flat tires gives you.  What I did have but didn't realize why at the time was a slight wobble in the front wheel.  It only happened two or three times in three miles.  It was so slight and only lasted a couple of seconds each time that I ignored it thinking it was a rough spot in the road.  That turned out to be a big mistake.  A short time later, as I turned my bike left, the front tire rolled and/or slid to the right and I went straight down to the pavement.  I later discovered a thorn in my tire which had caused it to go very soft.  It wasn't flat yet but very soft.  It was soft enough to reduce the tire's ability to grip the road when cornering.  It was a learning experience I wouldn't recommend.  

I don't claim to be an expert on flat tires.  I can only share what I have experienced.  Your experience may be different.  I have learned that rear flats will usually make it harder to pedal.  Front flats are more dangerous because they will cause a loss of steering and handling ability, possibly resulting in an accident.

I am sharing my recent experience with the hope that other riders can learn from my mistake and avoid having an accident.

Don't have any mechanical failures this week!

I broke a spoke last night just as I got home from the OWLS ride. I should be grateful that it didn't happen earlier. This morning first thing I took the (rear) wheel to a local bike shop to get it repaired. I first was told that it would take a week to get to it, that this is the very busiest time of the year, with IU classes starting in a few days. As if to emphasize the point several people were already wandering in looking for things and needing help. Eventually it turned out that there was a cancellation and that they might be able to get it done by end of the day on Thursday. I appreciated that small bit of luck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath.

P.S. Clicking on the title of this post takes you to the BBC homepage where you can check out what's new. And don't forget to look at more that just the homepage. You or your friends might be in a photo!

Daylight gets shorter; OWLS ride longer

This month Tom Reynolds has been organizing the OWLS rides. He's taken a hint from Jim Schroeder and planned long and short routes, e.g., tonight's Limestone Tours of lengths 34 and 25 miles respectively. Check out the links in the Ride Calendar to the maps he's been creating.

Tonight we had our usual 20 or so riders, with half or more doing the long option. Daylight is sufficiently short that the long option requires holding stops to an absolute minimum. Hope they don't have any flat tires or other delays! Tonight we were also overtaken around the split between the long and short options by the training group coming from Bryan Park.

We also had a special treat as club web master and photographer Klaus Rothe showed up to take pictures before we started.

Gathering at Sherwood Oaks Church Parking Lot

Then he went out on the route by car in order to set up a few more shots.

Click on the title to tonight's blog to go see another photo on the club web site. (And by the way, do yourself a favor and check out the club web pages every few days to see what new things Klaus has posted. You'll enjoy it!)

BBC on WFHB

By Jodi Pope-Pfingston

I was contacted recently by WFHB's Michael Glab with a request to do a series of interviews about cycling, the BBC, and the SlowSpokes ride. The series will be a part of the station's new concept for a sports program which will highlight some of the many sports that are important to the unique flavor of our community, but which get little mainstream media attention. According to Mike, cycling was an obvious choice for the new program, and the BBC was the best place to start. After taking a look at the ride calendar and the website, he decided that the SlowSpokes ride would make a great first interview, so he contacted me. The interview was recorded Sunday morning, and will be available soon on the air as well as on the WFHB website.

I was very happy to get a chance to spread the word about the BBC and what a great contribution it makes to our community. It will be interesting to see the future direction WFHB takes in its coverage of cycling and the BBC.

Summer BBQ at the Lion's Den

by Keith Vogelsang

Nearly 60 hungry members and friends of the Bloomington Bicycle Club gathered at the Lion's Den shelter of Upper Cascades Park this past Sunday for a cookout. I arrived early to get fires started in the two large grills. But getting hardwood charcoal to heat up took longer than anticipated, and fortunately, Glenn Berger stepped in to assist with his pyrotechnical expertise. After a while, with kids and adults fanning the coals in earnest, we had enough heat to cook the first of many batches of teriyaki chicken kabobs, burgers, and bratwurst. We had three kinds of brats on hand: pork, chicken, and "buffalo" (which was most likely American bison meat, not truly a buffalo). There appear to be few limits on what can be stuffed inside a casing, and even fewer on what I will eat. We also saw great enthusiasm for marinated portobella mushrooms,  garden burgers, and veggie kabobs.

Also on a the menu: a delicious variety of pitch-in items, including lots of fresh fruit, potato salad, bean salad, chips, cookies, and from Jim Schroeder, Amish country pie. The 20 or so miles I rode earlier in the day weren't nearly enough to offset this feast, but I suppose every little bit helps.

I took a moment after eating to explain some of the changes the BBC can expect with RAIN and what our long-term plans are for the funds raised through RAIN. I had sign-up sheets on hand, and several club members stepped up to serve on some of the different RAIN subcommittees, and we hope more members join us in the months ahead. My thanks to Kim, Klaus, Ron, Glenn, Tammy and everyone who joined us for a relaxing evening off the bike.

(Mood-capturing photo by Klaus Rothe.)

Shelley Says Goodbye

Shelley Bradfield celebrated her last day in Bloomington with a 35 mile OWLS ride on Thursday through Harrodsburg and points south and west.

Shelley at a regrouping stop at the Smithville Post Office

Shelley has been a mainstay of the OWLS the last couple of years.  Now she leaves us, fresh Ph.D. in hand, for a new job in Colorado. We wish her all the best!

Apple's Idea of a Smart Bike

It was revealed a few days ago that Apple has applied for a patent for a "smart bike system" based on the iPod Touch or the iPhone. Read about their idea of a smart bike at
http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/08/apple-introduces-us-to-the-smart-bike.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tidbits_main+%28TidBITS%3A+Mac+News+for+the+Rest+of+Us%29

Evolution

                                     o           __o        
             °\___o      /0~         -\<,        
___oo~_______ /\ /\______/ \_________O/ O_________

Thoughts on the Classic Cyclist

By Jim Schroeder


After RAIN 2010, I've questioned myself as to just what kind of cyclist am I.  Well, I just got done reading a great article in Hammer Nutrition's Endurance News magazine.  It's titled "The Classic Cyclist, Part One", and is written by Chris Kostman.  Chris has ridden in races like RAAM, Iditabike, and 24 Hours of Canaan, and has organized endurance races including Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508.

I wasn't a "classic cyclist" during RAIN 2010 and paid the price.  I was all the time before July 17 and will be in the future.

Here are some great excerpts:

"Road cyclists entering the sport over the past fifteen or so years have tended to come in by way of mountain biking, triathlon, running, or fitness, rather than pure road cycling.  As a result, most of these "cyclists" lack the knowledge which makes up the foundation of the classic cyclists' repertoire and which builds upon the backbone of the sport."

"The best way to start a ride, or conduct any aerobic activity, is to warm up properly...A classic cyclist will take the first ten to twenty miles of a ride, or even a race, to warm up properly, usually staying off the big chainring and two smallest cogs. As a result, he or she will actually ride better and more quickly than the current jackrabbit style of cyclist who catapult onto every training ride or event."

"Most cyclists nowadays not only don't know how to ride in a paceline, but that they don't even understand why they should...Work together, and when it's not your turn up front, covet that rear wheel of your buddy!  In the moment, you may think 'it's too hard to keep up at this speed,' but the classic cyclist knows that riding solo instead of with another means more work and less speed."

"This effort to keep the group together is specifically continued at checkpoints during events; those who arrive together, shall leave together."

"The classic cyclist accepts suffering as in intricate part of the experience.  He or she certainly doesn't whine in person..."

"The classic cyclist shares a bond with all fellow cyclists.  As such, other cyclists are always acknowledged along the road, usually with a tip of the head to riders in the opposing direction, or a cheery hello when passing or being passed.  Classic cyclists never ride hi-lessly, wavelessly, and nodlessly by... All on bicycles are appreciated and respected."

A RAIN DNFer's Lament

By Jim Schroeder


I DNF'd this year's Ride Across INdiana.  I did everything that I've always coached others not to.  As Mike Finger told me, "Jim, you pulled a Mike!".  That, I did.  Basically, from my past rides in all of 2010, my head was just too big for my britches.

I started RAIN way too fast not warming up the first 20 miles like I always did.

I blew up those hills east of Terre Haute blasting by all those flatlanders, forgetting that physiologically I'm still a flatlander and always will be. I was forming trains, meaning that everyone jumped on behind me while I was doing all the work.  That really boosted my ego, but it depleted my energy stores.

I jumped way ahead of the Centurion pack after the first food stop, as I had my own sag driver and quickly exchanged bottles, while the other guys rested a little more as all six of them had Miss Melanie as their sag driver.  Being 20 minutes ahead at one point again stroked my ego, but at what a cost too my legs!

Between Putnamville and Plainfield, I was pushing to catch the bogies ahead of me and I would even catch some pacelines, too.  I should have continued to ride comfortably in a paceline and sharing the work.  Catching the bogies should be reserved for the last 40 miles when there usually aren't that many pacelines to ride with.

I was sweating like a sieve but I was hydrating enough and downing plenty of electrolyte capsules.  However, I wasn't taking in enough cliff blocks and hammer gels.  Why?  I guess it would slow me down getting it out of my rear pockets?

I didn't communicate well enough with my sag driver and we couldn't hook up after Plainfield until Camby.  I also should have actually stopped at the lunch area for at least 5-10 minutes to "compose".  I was still treating this as a race, and felt good that I passed the boys just a mile after they passed me.

So, while I was on my way to a sub-8hr, the quads started cramping.  I tried everything to cure that but to no avail.  Then each one would seize up, and then both quads simultaneously.  There went my attempt for a PR.

I could have finished but there would be no pushing the gears and the last 50 miles would have to be no more than 15mph, and so I quit.

I've done countless numbers of RAIN in so many different ways and I never want to repeat 2010!