Teaching the Gromms

A good friend from High School asked me to come down to Fairfield and give a little talk on bike safety and some hands on demonstration on tire repair to her son's Cub Scout Pack. Prior to heading down there I swung by The Bicycle Center to see if I could get a little swag for the kids and Shawn did one better and gave me a bunch of tire repair kits. That was perfect for these kids.

I brought my mountain bike and I told them how I built it myself and went over it talking about all the parts and what they do.  Then I went over the kids bikes.  Pumped up some tires, tightened some cables but overall the bikes were in pretty good shape.  It was a lot of fun.

Cannondale Performance Softshell

One of my biggest challenges for me road riding is knowing how to dress for varying conditions.  Mountain biking is pretty much a no brainer because no matter what you put on you are going to sweating like pig at the end of the ride anyway.  Bike commuting is just as easy, just dress like a Fred!  However, with road riding, I don't want to look like a Fred, I don't want to under dress and freeze on the downhills, or over dress and sweat on the climbs and freeze on the downhills because I am so sweaty.

When I picked up the Synapse last month I asked Shawn (The Bicycle Center) what would he recommend as a winter cycling jacket and he sold me this Cannondale Performance Softshell Jacket that I wore for Sunday's ride and O-M-G!  This jacket is awesome!  I never got too hot, nor too cold.  I am not sure I would call this a drawback but it only has two rear pockets but it makes up with a small breast pocket, perfect for a cell phone, iPhone, or digital media player.  There are two zippered hand warming pockets that can also be used for snacks and then there are two internal pockets as well.

My first, real road ride

Today was the first morning with temperatures above 25 degrees

so I finally got the opportunity to put the Synapse on the road!

Since I won't ride this bike on dirt roads the best way out of the Housatonic River Valley is up and I might as well just keep going up, all the way to the top of Castle Hill.  What a glorious morning, not a cloud in the sky!

I had planned on a much bigger ride but as the saying goes the Road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Fast forward 36 miles and a couple of glasses of water and cup of coffee, Having been off the bike for two weeks I realize that I am really out of shape.  I have 20 days to get ready for the Foolish Classic.   

Now this is a bike!  Shifting is awesome although  I had some problems thinking that I was still using the SRAM double taps that I had on the Cannondale XS-800. I had a few miss shifts here and there but eventually I got the hang of it. It also has a trim feature on the front derailleur that I also got used to after awhile, too.  Not only did I fly in the flats but climbing was much more efficient.  

I love riding by Gurske Pond.

Today, I saw a cat walk out on the ice and lap the water where it wasn't frozen.

Bike Commuting Season Begins

I wanted to try and get two rides to work this week but had to settle for one because Friday was the first day morning temperatures were above 15 degrees.  It's been single digits for the past week so Friday it seemed like a heat wave.

I rode the Bianchi with the new Stem, bars, and tape and it felt great.  Originally, I was going to ride in fixed gear but after Thursday's seat post fiasco I went back to the freewheel.  The hardest climb with 44x17 gearing was the hill on Poor House.

I thought I was going to burn up on the ride home because the temperature when I left the office was 35 degrees.  I wore the bare minimum but I still had to wear the lobsters.

Got some slack chain when I got home.

And surprise delivery!

Beware of Knock Off Bike Parts

I picked up this FSA K-Force Carbon Fiber seatpost for a mere $38, saving around $100, on Amazon. I have gotten lucky in the past on deals that crop up so I didn't think much of it.

The surprise came when I tried to install it.  I got it, maybe 1/4 of the way into the seat tube on the Bianchi San Jose and it wouldn't go any further.  Getting it out was a little easier but not by much.

Whipping out the trusty micrometer I measure the post at 27.7 mm.  So that marker there that says 27.2 mm is complete bunk!

I went to my Amazon ordering page and immediately filed a claim.  Really can't tell if this is a knock off or it failed QC and wound up in the hands of some reseller.  Looks like I am back to my aluminum seat post for a little while longer.