cyclechicny.net Blog

I Can’t Believe It!!

2009-08-20T16:38:08Z

So I am getting more and more with the program and have been utilising Twitter to get information about all kinds of things. One Tweeter I follow is Velo News, to be found on Twitter at twitter.com/velonews. They tweeted that the Felt cyclocross bike has been recalled!! My favorite brand of cyclocross bike!! Read the article here.

I have to say I’m dumbfounded. I always thought this was a dope bike. But thank god for the web, and with a little persistence and a lot of obsession, you can find out all kinds of information about your gear, your ride, your safety equipment and everything else you need to know as a consumer and an educated rider.

Be safe kids…

Life On Mars

2009-07-27T06:46:34Z

Well lookie here what I found. A bike locked to a pole out here in Vegas. Which means someone rode it today. Now mind you, it’s over one hundred degrees in this shot. I was surprised and, well, thrilled to have seen this. Even though it is a track bike, but whatever. Just glad that my brethren are around!! However, this answers my own question from my last post. People DO actually ride out here in the desert!! I have to look more into how to ride in this kind of climate…

And look what else I found that I just had to share. I found this after I wrote the last post, and by accident too!! This is the homepage of the Regional Transportation of Southern Nevada. There is a century ride happening Saturday, 10 October, with three different rides: a 118 mile century, a 62 mile metric century (interesting!!) and a 35 mile ride. I have the information for you right here. Check it out!!

I have one more treat for you. Another moment of zen…

I Couldn’t Resist!!!

2009-07-25T19:18:42Z

Although I am an easy-going bike girl, like all people, I have my devilish side. Just a couple of days ago, I received a comment from a reader named Saxo who commented about bicycle helmets on this post I wrote earlier. He happens to be a proponent of not wearing bicycle helmets. If you click on the link, you’ll see my response. Albeit not as spicy as much of my commentary only because I have some research to do regarding his comments. Although (now here comes the devil) I could say that any crackpot could do “research” to support any kind of far out theory he or she may have. Now that said, here is what I saw that inspired me to write this post. I tried to post the picture here, but I guess they got smart and made it so you can’t copy the image. Hmm. Well check out the link anyway. It’s from one of my favorite sites, called someecards. Love it!!

Still out in Las Vegas, here is your moment of Zen:

Big hug.

Greetings From Vegas

2009-07-17T04:48:57Z

Well kids, CycleChic is in Vegas for the week. In my personal opinion, the strip doesn’t seem any different to me than Times Square. I almost feel bad for being a New Yorker sometimes because it seems that New York kind of spoils all other places for me in so many ways. But I digress. That is a posting for one of my other blogs.

However, can I tell you hot freakin’ HOT it is out here?!?! When we touched down on the plane, it was ten in the evening, we get our bags, step out for a cab and BANG…one hundred degrees at night!! Can you believe it? Then today, during the day I think I heard it was one hundred and six, give or take. Don’t even get me started about the heat differential between the shade and sun. Now I know you’re wondering why I’m talking about this. Because I saw a bike lane on the road while we were driving around today. Now which begs the question: who on god’s green earth can ride a bike in a place that’s two degrees hotter than hell?!?! Honestly, I really think they put the bike lane down for show, perhaps following the trend of other major cities in the country by being progressive about bicycle advocacy. I mean seriously, people don’t even really walk outside on the streets. I know no one is riding. Or are they? Is it even safe to ride in this weather? In the desert? I don’t think it’s possible. What do you think?

Now here’s the schooling we all need on dehydration. Please read, it’s important. You don’t have to be riding in the desert to suffer from dehydration, so be careful out there!!

Even More Random Notes

2009-07-11T02:54:18Z

Needless to say, it has not been the ideal summer that I like to think of: hot summer sun beating down on my skin, tanning my body with weird tan lines that other cyclists could understand, stopping every few miles to drink water, checking out the cute guy on the bike next to me at the light. Nope, not this year. It has been quite cool, even during the day, and despite my best efforts, I haven’t really gotten a good tan. Perhaps it’s because by mid afternoon, I’m already covered in a light sweatshirt to stave off the cool breeze. Now I know some would say that that is optimal riding weather, and that may be. However, we can get that weather all fall and winter. I do not want to be cheated out of my summer!!

So I was riding behind this one woman on her bike who, thankfully was wearing a helmet, but I noticed that she was riding in a very strange way. First of all, she was wearing a short skirt. That said, she was riding with her knees held close together, for what I believe to keep people from seeing up her skirt. Now ladies, first off, let me say that if you are going to wear a skirt on the bike, please be prepared. Nowadays you can get short cycling shorts or my personal favorite, boy shorts. Believe me, I have worn some skirts that were scandalous to wear on a bike, but if you wear the proper shorts underneath, then you’ll be totally OK. Now, the problem with riding like she did is that the knees need to be square to the shoulders as you pedal, lest you risk the onset of tendinitis. Believe me, I have head tendinitis three times, twice in both Achilles tendons. That sucked. I can only imagine how it would be of the knee or hip. So please, do not ride holding your knees together, it is improper form. Knees square to the shoulders, pedal from the thighs, arches slightly high (like wearing high heels), and heel pointed down slightly in the downstroke. For a little more info on this, try this link.

OK. If one more pedestrian thinks that they can make it across the street before I pass them thundering down the road–they crossing against the light mind you!!–I’m going to brush them so hard, that I rip a button of their shirts. Maybe that’ll teach someone that they should freaking WAIT three seconds to let me pass.

I still have to scream at people walking in the bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge. Freaking annoying.

But on a good note, a very good note, I have a treat for you guys. Coming soon, I have an interview of a rider that just recently returned from a cross country ride across Spain!! I’ll have some of his pictures and everything. I’m pretty excited about this article and I hope you tune back in for the story.

Cheers for now. Ride hard.

New York City Century 2009

2009-06-19T18:49:48Z

Well kids, the mother of all city rides is slowly approaching–on Sunday 13 September 2009 that is. The New York City Century Bike Tour, the longest distance being 100 miles, which is all within the city. Kind of like the Tour de Bronx, Tour de Brooklyn, Tour de Queens and the Five Boro all rolled up into one ride. Now of course, this ride is made for all levels of riders to participate, except I must note that this ride differs from the others in that the streets are not closed off to traffic. Meaning that you ride with cars whizzing by you in the New York City Streets. I don’t say that to freak you out, but that is just the reality of riding here in the big city. I do it all the time as do many other riders so it shouldn’t be any different for a lot of us. However, for those that are a little uneasy about riding in traffic, let me note that you will be riding in a pack of riders. You will not be alone and that should provide some kind of bravery for you to get out there and enjoy the ride!! This is not just a one hundred mile ride either. There are a few routes within the ride and they are broken up as follows:

15 Miles: This route is for beginners, children and those that want to slowly ease into these kinds of rides. This route runs from park to park (which I’m guessing is Central Park to Prospect Park) along the 9th Avenue bike lane, led by the NYPD. (See kids, not so bad, eh?)

35 Miles: This is the East River Loop in which you ride through Manhattan and come back through western Brooklyn, including riding around Prospect Park, and also through Queens.

55 Miles: This is the Waterfront route (sounds kind of sexy to me). This is kind of a “beachy” type which winds along the Brooklyn Greenway aside the Verrazano (those of you who have done the Five Boro know this pathway) going down to Coney Island and links up toward the end with the 35 mile route. I have to say that I ride the Greenway all the time to go to Coney Island and it really is worth the ride. The pathway is nice, clean, flat and very breezy!!

75 Miles: The Velodrome. Oh yeah!! You get to ride 75 miles and get to hit up the Kissena Park Velodrome in Queens. As my faithful readers know, I would suggest that the fixed gear newbies get their tuckuses on this ride so they can actually say they put their expensive little bikes in an actual velodrome. Then they might have some leg to stand on when they try to turn their noses up to us freewheelers. But I digress. Just try this one out.

100 Miles: The New York City Century, which is recommended for experienced riders only. These lucky guys and gals get to ride all the way out to beautiful Far Rockaway and Fort Tilden after Marine Park. (I like Marine Park!!) Then north through Astoria Park Queens up to the Bronx. Not for the squeamish I tell you…

Now of course, I’d love to try my hand at one of the upper level rides, but man, this beginning of summer typhoon we are having right now is killing my riding hours!! My poor bike is feeling totally neglected these past few weeks. Poor baby. However, keep riding, stay in shape, be god to your bikes, and find out the whole lowdown about the century right here.

See you on the road…..(once the flood waters subside…)

How To Wash Your Bike In 10 Minutes

2009-06-11T06:16:43Z

Here is a great guide I found on this site called Performance Bicycle. Read on…

How To Wash Your Bike

In just 10 minutes you can have a clean bike. This quick wash is perfect after rainy road rides or muddy mountain bike rides. It won’t pass a white glove inspection, but it will be clean, lubed and ready for the next ride.

Ready? 10 minutes. Start the clock now. Break out a bucket of warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Time for a good bath. Washing your bike doesn’t need to take a lot of time or make a huge mess. You will need the following:

* Bucket with warm soapy water (dish soap works well as most have a grease cutting agent which is effective but not so strong as to degrease bearings or totally strip off everything).
* Bucket with clean water
* Large brush with soft bristles
* A few dry, clean rags
* Chain lube of your preference. If you use a dry lube for the chain, you will need something for the cables like Tri-FlowÂ®

Dip your brush and load it up with soapy water. Start with the handlebars. Slop on the soapy water, wash quickly across the bar, then move downward and rearward. No worries if the dirt is still there, just let the soapy water do its work while you keep going. Hit the stem, top of headset, top tube and seat post.

Load up the brush again and go back to the head and down tubes. Brush the lower headset, fork crown, front brake and down the fork blades (don’t forget the opposite side) to the front axle.

Load up the brush again. Back to the lower headset. Brush down the down tube and hit the area around the bottom bracket shell. Don’t do the cranks and chain rings yet.

Load up the brush again. Start at the base of the seat post and brush down, get the area around the chainstay bridge, then go back up to the base of the seat post. Now down the seatstays (don’t forget the opposite side). Be sure to get the rear brake, down to the rear axle and the non-drive side chainstay.

Load up the brush again. Slop soapy water on the rear derailleur, then the front derailleur.

Load up the brush again. Now hit the drive side chainstay, chain rings, cranks and cogset. Toss the brush in the clean water bucket.

Using the clean water, follow the same pattern with your brush. Once again making sure to get everything, and rinsing your brush frequently.

Now grab your rags and wipe the bike dry in the same order as the soaping. Change the rag around frequently to ensure you’re wiping with a clean rag rather than a dirty one.
Lube up your chain thoroughly, floating all the pivots with lube. Break out the Tri-FlowÂ® or cable lube of your choice and lube the derailleur pivot points and brake pivot points on caliper, cantilever, and V-brakes (be careful not to get any on the brake pads).

A drop of oil or 2 on exposed runs of cables can work wonders as well. If you have Teflon lined cable housing, there is no need to lube under the cable housing. If not, drip some Tri-FlowÂ® down there too. Go back and move all these parts back and forth a few times to work in the lube, then wipe off any excess with a rag. DONE.

Coming Down the West Side

2009-05-11T08:51:52Z

I feel so bad. I got an email from a reader that asked what is happening with me!! I feel so loved!! So anyway, the deal is that I took a long hiatus from riding this winter and now I have gotten back up on the bike. However, now my ride has significantly changed. I used to live in Brooklyn in Park Slope which was near the bridge and I could do all my riding around downtown and Brooklyn and even parts of Queens. However, now I have moved up to Harlem, which means to get to downtown and Brooklyn, I have to go down the West Side Pathway. I have to say that I do indeed prefer going down the highway for miles rather than fight the tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge to get into downtown any day of the week. However, still we two wheelers have to share the road with the walkers–why they stroll side by side by side without a care in the world knowing that they are on an active road is beyond me. The top of the pathway is on some other level!! Up near Riverside, in the one hundred teens, the road becomes the octagonal paving stones, complete with sand all over it!! What a nightmare. And with kids and dogs running all over the place, you practically have to walk the bike until you get to the open road. Plus, there are stairs, turns and at one point, you have to cross over the highway!! And they make you cross at a point where the stop lights are up the block. I really hate to say it, but I can see a lot of people getting hurt at that spot.

Then there’s the breaks in the road that have stoplights so that foot traffic bikes know to stop to let cars pass by. That’s also a croc, because it is still dangerous, cars completely ignore crossing paths, thus forcing bikers and walkers out into moving traffic, and like I stated before, every time I see a Ghost Bike (one of which is on the West Side Pathway), I know it is dangerous. I mean, if we riders can’t feel safe on a designated pathway, what are we to do?

I have also noticed that they have carved out more biking roadway down in Little Italy, namely the one on Grand Street, going east from West Broadway. They have an interesting concept for this one. They have the cars park on the outside of the lane, thus keeping the moving traffic away from riders as they roll down Grand Street. Sounds good, right? However, if you need to make a left turn, forget it!! The parked cars block your view of the oncoming traffic, nor can the driver see you (especially when they pull all the way into the crossing lane) and that is potential for disaster.

They also have those lame alongside the sidewalk lane in Little Italy, but that might as well not even be there. The streets are so old and small, that it just becomes dangerous. The drivers totally ignore the lane when loading and unloading on the street, nor do speeding motorists allow comfortable room for cyclists, thus almost clippng the rider as the driver drags down the street. Every driver in Manhattan thinks they’re Speed Racer…

On another crazy note, somehow, someway I can’t pull my pictures off of my camera right now, so I can’t present pictures of my rides at the moment. I have some beautiful shots of the West Side Pathway and I encourage all riders to ride the entire length of the pathway. It is still looking pretty new, it has never been crowded when I ride on it, there are people on it at all times of the day and night and it’s right on the water and to look at bodies of water are calming. In any case, I will get my laptop fixed and post some awesome original pictures!!

Ride on kids…

Guess What Time It Is?!?!

2009-01-23T17:45:06Z

I got an email today stating that they are now taking early registration for (*squeals like little girl*) the Five Boro Bike Tour, happening this year on 3 May 2009!! If you go to active.com, you can sign up for receiving emails from Bike New York and all other kinds of outdoor activities going on. If you’d like to participate, the webpage says to act now, as last year’s ride filled up a month in advance!! I think I will do it this year. Yes, I do work on Saturday night the night before, but I think this time I will condition myself to be able to work the night before (because in this economy I can’t afford to trade away my Saturday night). I guess I will hold off on the Red Bulls until the morning, when I line up for the ride. Drink lots of water, sleep a ton that whole week, not overdo anything.

Oh boy, oh boy, all this talk about riding is getting me amped to ride again!! Granted I STILL haven’t hit the slopes this season (but I will, I will!!) and already I’m thinking about strapping on my cleats, putting on my cargos, pointing the bike in whatever direction and riding. Oh, my skin is tingling right now, I swear. I would even ride right now, but I already made that mistake last year of trying to ride in the snow. It was all cool until I took a turn and slipped, and came down with all my weight on top of my right knee. Ever feel a shock wave go through a bone? I wouldn’t recommend it.

Spring is juuussst around the corner… (in my crazy mind…)

A Photo of Cycle Chic!!

2008-12-17T19:18:44Z