The Bike Computer

The Muse will sport a Cateye V2c double wireless bicycle computer on the Dalmac. This will be my third Cateye computer. The irony is, in 1995 I vowed to never use a cycle computer again.
The first bike computer I purchased was a Cateye Micro. I put it on my 1991 Klein. Back in the day, I would time my loops at the Poto trail in Michigan. The moment of truth came after the computer "reset" during a ride, I said "never again". To this day, I have not put such a device on my mountain bike. I have a different thought process for the road. When I did my first Dalmac in 2001, I used my 1994 steel Barracuda hardtail mountain bike sans computer. I had no idea what a good cadence was or even what it took to go 100 miles. I also had no Idea what speed I could pedal for 8 hours. I just rode in my top gear until I ran out of energy. That was about 40 miles into day one. Today the computer helps me train and establish a foundation that I can build upon. The Cateye V2 is able to display 3 sets of data at once. This will allow me to keep my hands on the handlebars and my eyeballs on the road.

Muse Worthy

I have been using Arkel products for many years. When it came time to find a handlebar bag for my Seven Muse, the only choice for me was Arkel Over Designs. I purchased the smaller bag because it fits my short reach handlebars much better than the large Arkel bag. The aluminum brackets and bank vault construction, separates the Arkel from other products on the market today. If you have seen photo's of my outdoor bike, you would have seen my beloved red Arkel Tail Rider trunk bag.

Trail Time

Knocked out a quick 40 today. I averaged 15mph on the W&OD. AP, how does your secret weapon compare to that! The trail was busy at 8am and by the time I hit Leesburg I encountered a mass of Marathoners. I doubled back 10 miles short of my destination to avoid the congestion. Stopped by my fave bike shop in Ashburn, Va. Spokes is having a huge tent sale next weekend where you can get great deals on the high end bikes you won't see at the normal local bike shop.

I am close to finishing the Muse just in time for the Dalmac. I will update as I receive the goods.

Sunday Ride

I woke up to gray skys and raindrops. I walked to Starbucks for some warm oatmeal. I saw my Brother in Law walking towards the Buck as well. We had some conversation over coffee and caught up on current events. By the afternoon I could see patches of blue thru the mostly overcast sky. I rode 39 miles today. The trail had moderate traffic today. I got passed by a lot of riders on road bikes. I was wondering if I could keep up on my Seven Muse. The ride would have been boring if I didn't have a bug fly in my ear. I also saw a person ride off the trail into a bush. I think he had been drinking a bit because he was laughing about the whole "I just fell off my full suspension NEXT" for those who are not aware, a NEXT is a bike often purchased from Wall-Mart and preferred by people who are just visiting the U.S. and need transportation that is more affordable than public transportation.

I am not sure if I can get the Seven finished in time, I will have to have the bike finished and ship it back to Michigan no later than the 20th of August. I have ordered a crank. Finding a 165mm arm in compact gearing is difficult at the high-end of the market. Just glad to have that part out of the way.

It was great to get back on the bike again after a week off. I was out the door at 7:30am and rode for about 3 hours. My cycle computer was not working due to an original battery. I was not sure what my average speed was, however I did get passed by a few riders. I have a new battery now and I am ready for the next ride.

Countdown

Less than 60 days before my Tour de Michigan, I am not ready, and my Seven muse is less than finished. My personal goal was to have ridden 1000 miles of pavement, and have a new Seven I could ride before the tour. Reality bites with 550 miles of training and need of a complete groupo. I am dealing with some poison Ivy, actually, a lot. I have taken a week off the bike.
The best news of the week was a pair of undamaged Reynolds wheels arriving.

The 96th Tour is on!

UPDATE!
Americans are well represented in France this year. Kai's favorite Christian Vande Velde is in 8th 1:24 sec. behind. Lance is in second 0:08 behind the yellow jersey. Also noteworthy is Amrstrong teammate Levi :39 sec back in fourth overall. See the Tour on VS.