2011 Goals

Without goals I feel like I am riding in a dense fog without a clear view of the road ahead.   My personal goals for 2011 consist of riding in the Dalmac, and raising money for charity using my bicycle.   Last year it felt good to ride in the Tour De Cure and help raise over $500 to help fight diabetes.  

This year, my XL Jersey's feel tight, and I am going to have to put the miles in to make my Dalmac enjoyable.  I hope to ride 1,000 miles before August 30th.   I will be keeping track of my miles so everyone can see my progress on this blog. 

The journey will be interesting.. 

Muse steps out

Today, I took the Muse out for a ride.  I wanted to see how the 28c tires would affect the ride.  The ride is much improved, it feels like a different bike.  A plusher, less pissed off kind of feel.    I am now getting a good feel for the seven after two seasons.   I felt the Cat Eye was giving me suspect numbers, When I got back from the ride I adjusted the tire size in the V2c cycle computer 2136 vs 2096. 

Urban riding is interesting,  It requires a lot of communication with others.  I have to let cars know what my intentions are.  I have to let runners know when I am passing on the left.   I have to anticipate  pedestrians, buses, other bikes and dogs on leashes.   The world it seems has tuned out.   ipad, ipod, iphone, text, call, and the intranet while walking and driving  makes my communication with others more difficult. 

Muse Updates

The Seven received some updates this week.  The 2009 Dalmac proved that 23c tires were not the best choice for Michigan back roads.  I purchased a pair of 28c all condition armadillo elite tires.  I also replaced my Gore Ride-On shift cables with conventional Dura-Ace cables.  My friends at Spoke's recommended Lizard Skins DSP 2.5 bar tape.  The bar tape has a grippy, spongy feel. I went with blue.

What 2 Ride on your Dalmac

Today, I was thinking about bikes of Dalmac past.  It would seem presumptuous of me to tell you what to ride on Dalmac.  I have seen and sold a variety of the bikes on Dalmac over the years.  It's been 10 years since my first Dalmac, I feel I have earned the right share my advice with you.  Before I do, I wanted to talk about the bikes I have ridden on Dalmac.  

My first 2 years I rode a rigid steel 1994 Barracuda mountain bike. Dalmackers would say "wow! your on a Mountain Bike, must be hard to go 90 miles on that"    I felt I had a secret that no one had ever discovered.  It was hard, but I was comfortable.   I loved this bike, and it went up The Wall without drama.  It could also go fast downhill.  Unfortunately for me the friends I rode with the first two episodes both rode road bikes.  I would make it to lunch spent, my legs hurt and I would ride the afternoon by myself.   My friends would get into camp about 1pm unload my bags for me (Rick) and I would roll in about 2pm exhausted and wonder where everybody was. 

My third and forth editions were spent on a 2005 Specialized Sirrus Pro hybrid .  This hybrid was fast with Mavic 700c Speed City's, an Ultegra compact drive drain and Hydraulic Disc brakes.   I rode with my Dad on his superlight Trek 8000 Easton EA60 ProGram aluminum Mountain Bike.  That was the year we rode the East Route.    I rode with Aaron on his vintage Giant steel bike the next year.  I remember 2007 as the year I was quoted as saying.  "This is my first day of training for the Dalmac" as we left the MSU Pavilion.

#5 was spent on the Seven, Aaron had a Lemond.  Greg was on the Cannondale Tandem with Andy, everyone else just wanted to go our pace, Tony amazed me with his endurance on his Mountain Bike.

My advice, ride the same wheel size that your friend has. You will hear a lot less bitching.

First ride of 2011

The weather was very nice today around Washington, I had to take the opportunity and hit the W&OD trail.   In D.C. a bike trail is typically paved, unlike when we talk about bike trails in Michigan they are typically off-road.  So, I only went 5 miles down the trail but it felt so good.   I shook down the Sirrus(a 2x veteran of the Dalmac), I have not ridden the Specialized in a long time, still dirty from the muddy Allegheny Passage.