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Brevet equipment notes
May. 7th, 2014 10:35 amAs ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
scrottie noted at one point on the ride, randonneurs/randonneusses are always working on the next equipment improvement.
My thoughts from the brevet:
.I'll be putting in a phone call to R&E Cycles to discuss the situation with Froinlavin's rear wheel (potentially a complex discussion) pretty soon. The wheel should still be covered under the two-year warranty, but I also just want to have a chat with them about my riding style and experiences. When a new wheel is built, typically it needs to be re-trued after a couple hundred miles. I'm pretty sure this point wasn't emphasized by the shop, so I want to ask them about that. Now, associated with that - I never did re-true it. I've just slightly tightened 1-2 spokes that appeared to have loosened excessively. I've also put it through some pretty tough paces - particularly, bike touring to and from Austin and a compost-hauling trip. So, we'll see what they say. I'd be fine with making some upgrades if that improves my odds of being able to ride without issues.
.Another upgrade on the horizon: pedals and cleats. I've been riding Shimano SPD's, but the current ones are showing their age. I've heard good things about Speedplay pedals, so I think I'll give those a try next. My knees were a bit creaky at the end of the ride, which is troublesome. That is probably due to a couple of factors, of course, including those 10 miles ridden with the broken spoke and wheel rubbing against the fender. Additional float in the pedals seems like a good idea, though, and I think GG is spot-on with his advice to spend some time doing something along the lines of rollerblading. If a person only rides a bicycle (and rows), only parts of the quads do work and get stronger, leading to imbalances and injury.
.I also need to do more about my bike gloves. I bought a set of Pearl Izumi ones from REI online, which meant I didn't get to try them on and see if the padding aligned well. They have wound up being okay, but after 381 miles on Texas sealcoat I have developed handlebar palsy in my right hand again. It's going away already, but I'd like to be able to cover that sort of distance without issue.
.I wound up developing salt sores on the bridge of my nose, this ride. That was due to a combination of sweat and extra weight on my sunglasses from the rearview mirror. While the glasses mirror has been serving me well, I now think it's time to switch over to a helmet-mounted one.
.Laniseptic. Good stuff. My butt is so very, very happy. Thank you, sheep, for sharing your lanolin with my skin.
.I was concerned about my helmet for this ride. It's on the heavy side, and not especially well-ventilated. However, I really only had minor neck soreness, and it didn't feel like the helmet contributed too strongly to overheating. I think it might have even been beneficial to have it as protection from direct sun exposure. I also still love love love the snap-detachable helmet liner. Here's the padding on my previous helmet, for comparison:
Notice how it is all wrinkly and destroyed, and how it's a fiddly pain to try and remove it from the helmet because there are twenty little fragments (exaggeration) all held in place with velcro. I looked through a number of other helmet options while in REI in Seattle, and none of them came close to the Bern in terms of helmet padding quality. I guess most manufacturers are still too obsessed with keeping weight down or something. Maybe some day Bern will also develop a custom summer cooler-liner for their helmets. Otherwise I suppose I could make my own, if I can track down the correct snaps.
.Speaking of keeping cool, two other things were great on this ride in that respect. The first was the trick of filling a tube sock with ice and putting it on my neck. That provided a ton of relief. Plus, it gave me an excuse to wear an old favorite sock that is no longer good for putting on my feet anymore. The second was the point when S and I stopped at the low-water crossing to put our feet in the water. Sweet, sweet relief. Regulating foot temperature can do a lot towards regulating whole-body temperature. I tend to overheat easily, but I was sufficiently proactive on this ride that I avoided serious problems.
.Here are all the spare bike lights I carried with me, minus one PlanetBike SuperFlash (the best budget taillight out there, as far as I'm concerned - if you want an amazing but expensive light, get a DiNotte):
At one point, when I opened the trunk bag, I noticed that the Cygolite, on the far left, had turned itself on. Again. It does that all the time. I used to leave it installed on the Jolly Roger while the Jolly Roger sat outside for the entire workday, but there have been a few too many occasions where I've come out to the bike at the end of the day and found that the light had turned itself on. That's probably an issue of faulty circuitry, but still. Between that, and the fact that the button is apparently too easy to switch on when the light's in a bag, it's something of a last-ditch deadweight. The white light in the center has been a good helmet light for reading the cue sheet in the dark, but I'm annoyed that it's also easy to switch on accidentally when it's tucked away in a bag. I carry its corresponding taillight mostly because it contains the same watch battery, to serve as a spare. The sliding switch on the headlamp is better in that respect, and so is the placement of the flashlight switch, recessed on the butt (second from the left). The toggle switch on the taillight (lower right) is probably the worst, though. I don't even bother to keep batteries in it when it isn't in use.
Fortunately, I didn't need any of the pictured lights. The generator hub and lights were fantastic, once again. Also highly, highly recommended.
.Lastly, on food. The burritos were excellent, once again. I'm still curious to hear more about other peoples' tricks (like JL, who says he carries a roasted tofu sandwich or veggie dogs wrapped in tortillas). I would note again that the rice, black bean, and kale burritos tasted AMAZING towards the end of the ride, and this indicates to me that it's important to continue eating fruits and veggies while doing these long-distance hauls. It's a relief to eat a burrito after eating junk food at a convenience store stop. I think there are a lot of similarities between what one would want to eat while bike touring and what one should eat while randonneuring - which is to say, a continued emphasis on real foods with plenty of carbohydrates, but also a decent quantity of fiber. I have this mental image of my friend DM in Austin, popping raw brussels sprouts in her mouth, as an indicator of how powerful the vegetable hunger can get when one is out on the road for an extended period.
scrottie noted at one point on the ride, randonneurs/randonneusses are always working on the next equipment improvement.My thoughts from the brevet:
.I'll be putting in a phone call to R&E Cycles to discuss the situation with Froinlavin's rear wheel (potentially a complex discussion) pretty soon. The wheel should still be covered under the two-year warranty, but I also just want to have a chat with them about my riding style and experiences. When a new wheel is built, typically it needs to be re-trued after a couple hundred miles. I'm pretty sure this point wasn't emphasized by the shop, so I want to ask them about that. Now, associated with that - I never did re-true it. I've just slightly tightened 1-2 spokes that appeared to have loosened excessively. I've also put it through some pretty tough paces - particularly, bike touring to and from Austin and a compost-hauling trip. So, we'll see what they say. I'd be fine with making some upgrades if that improves my odds of being able to ride without issues.
.Another upgrade on the horizon: pedals and cleats. I've been riding Shimano SPD's, but the current ones are showing their age. I've heard good things about Speedplay pedals, so I think I'll give those a try next. My knees were a bit creaky at the end of the ride, which is troublesome. That is probably due to a couple of factors, of course, including those 10 miles ridden with the broken spoke and wheel rubbing against the fender. Additional float in the pedals seems like a good idea, though, and I think GG is spot-on with his advice to spend some time doing something along the lines of rollerblading. If a person only rides a bicycle (and rows), only parts of the quads do work and get stronger, leading to imbalances and injury.
.I also need to do more about my bike gloves. I bought a set of Pearl Izumi ones from REI online, which meant I didn't get to try them on and see if the padding aligned well. They have wound up being okay, but after 381 miles on Texas sealcoat I have developed handlebar palsy in my right hand again. It's going away already, but I'd like to be able to cover that sort of distance without issue.
.I wound up developing salt sores on the bridge of my nose, this ride. That was due to a combination of sweat and extra weight on my sunglasses from the rearview mirror. While the glasses mirror has been serving me well, I now think it's time to switch over to a helmet-mounted one.
.Laniseptic. Good stuff. My butt is so very, very happy. Thank you, sheep, for sharing your lanolin with my skin.
.I was concerned about my helmet for this ride. It's on the heavy side, and not especially well-ventilated. However, I really only had minor neck soreness, and it didn't feel like the helmet contributed too strongly to overheating. I think it might have even been beneficial to have it as protection from direct sun exposure. I also still love love love the snap-detachable helmet liner. Here's the padding on my previous helmet, for comparison:
Notice how it is all wrinkly and destroyed, and how it's a fiddly pain to try and remove it from the helmet because there are twenty little fragments (exaggeration) all held in place with velcro. I looked through a number of other helmet options while in REI in Seattle, and none of them came close to the Bern in terms of helmet padding quality. I guess most manufacturers are still too obsessed with keeping weight down or something. Maybe some day Bern will also develop a custom summer cooler-liner for their helmets. Otherwise I suppose I could make my own, if I can track down the correct snaps.
.Speaking of keeping cool, two other things were great on this ride in that respect. The first was the trick of filling a tube sock with ice and putting it on my neck. That provided a ton of relief. Plus, it gave me an excuse to wear an old favorite sock that is no longer good for putting on my feet anymore. The second was the point when S and I stopped at the low-water crossing to put our feet in the water. Sweet, sweet relief. Regulating foot temperature can do a lot towards regulating whole-body temperature. I tend to overheat easily, but I was sufficiently proactive on this ride that I avoided serious problems.
.Here are all the spare bike lights I carried with me, minus one PlanetBike SuperFlash (the best budget taillight out there, as far as I'm concerned - if you want an amazing but expensive light, get a DiNotte):
At one point, when I opened the trunk bag, I noticed that the Cygolite, on the far left, had turned itself on. Again. It does that all the time. I used to leave it installed on the Jolly Roger while the Jolly Roger sat outside for the entire workday, but there have been a few too many occasions where I've come out to the bike at the end of the day and found that the light had turned itself on. That's probably an issue of faulty circuitry, but still. Between that, and the fact that the button is apparently too easy to switch on when the light's in a bag, it's something of a last-ditch deadweight. The white light in the center has been a good helmet light for reading the cue sheet in the dark, but I'm annoyed that it's also easy to switch on accidentally when it's tucked away in a bag. I carry its corresponding taillight mostly because it contains the same watch battery, to serve as a spare. The sliding switch on the headlamp is better in that respect, and so is the placement of the flashlight switch, recessed on the butt (second from the left). The toggle switch on the taillight (lower right) is probably the worst, though. I don't even bother to keep batteries in it when it isn't in use.
Fortunately, I didn't need any of the pictured lights. The generator hub and lights were fantastic, once again. Also highly, highly recommended.
.Lastly, on food. The burritos were excellent, once again. I'm still curious to hear more about other peoples' tricks (like JL, who says he carries a roasted tofu sandwich or veggie dogs wrapped in tortillas). I would note again that the rice, black bean, and kale burritos tasted AMAZING towards the end of the ride, and this indicates to me that it's important to continue eating fruits and veggies while doing these long-distance hauls. It's a relief to eat a burrito after eating junk food at a convenience store stop. I think there are a lot of similarities between what one would want to eat while bike touring and what one should eat while randonneuring - which is to say, a continued emphasis on real foods with plenty of carbohydrates, but also a decent quantity of fiber. I have this mental image of my friend DM in Austin, popping raw brussels sprouts in her mouth, as an indicator of how powerful the vegetable hunger can get when one is out on the road for an extended period.
