National Bike Month!

I’m a little late to post this but better late than never…May is national bike month and bike-to-work week was last week and bike-to-work day was last Friday. Again, sorry for the late post.   However, there are lots of other events and rides all month! Check out the League of American Bicyclists (excerpt below) for more info.

May is National Bike Month

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 11-15 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 15. Need some ideas? Use the League’s step by step guide on how to get started promoting your event. Help us Count Cyclists In this May, and every month!

This is the official site for National Bike Month. Check the events section often to see what bike month and bike to work week events are going on in your community. If you would like to submit your event information to be posted on this site, email it to communication@bikeleague.org. Please make sure you write, “Bike Month Event” in the subject line of the email.

So get out and ride some this month and watch out for those that ARE riding if your having to drive.  I’ll be sure to post something about this again next year…a bit earlier!  Lastly, even if you’re not planning anything this month the League of American Bicyclists website is a very valuable source for all kinds of biking info (including local searches), check it out!

Fixed Gear Not Just for the Road

The road bike scene has been changing drastically over the past few years.  This is part of the reason it is more difficult to find used road bikes for cheap.  There is a whole new market for these bikes that keeps expanding and changing.  Bikes,  for a long time, have been for more than just transportation.  The video below is an example of how far it has come…

more about “Fixed 3 on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod

The reason I share this is because it helps show that there are a wide variety of uses for used road bikes other than just road based transportation.  And being a blog on used road bikes, it is only fair to cover any and all aspects. Also, knowing about the other uses of the bikes may help people to find one for themselves, which is the main topic of this blog.

I personally think that if a bike is being used and enjoyed, then it is of no concern how it is used.  Regardless, the many other uses of used road bikes stirs quite  a debate across different riding disciplines.  Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below!

Make New Friends, Find Used Road Bikes!

Another way of finding used road bikes that I never thought of, because it is so obvious, is to get out to some races, rides, or communities and meet some other bike riders.  Not only is there a good chance they will have a bike you could use/buy/get parts from but they can also assist you in your search much better than anyone else.  Much like how I try help here but on a more local and personal level.  Most people who get addicted to bicycling end up with multiple bikes, many times of the same type (road bike for example).  So it’s a win-win for everyone.  You and others make new friends and find more people to ride with, you get a bike or advice or parts or whatever they can offer, and the other person gets to sell their bike or parts or help friends do the same.  There are lots of ways to find out who and where cyclists are and they meet.

Interwebs!

The first place, obviously, is the net.  There are many forums for all types of cycling.  I’ve listed the top few below, but feel free to do your own search.  Many of them are have regional sections but just getting on and posting you’ll start to see active users in your area.  Send them a message and ask if you can meet or if they know anyone with a bike or parts.  Also, do a search for local cycling events, it’s not uncommon for county parks and other recreation facilities to put together rides/races/events.  The other search you could perform is for local ride groups such as Faster Mustache (one of Atlanta’s better cycling sites).

Pinkbike.com

BikeForums.net

CyclingForums.com

Local Bike Shops

Local bikes shops are another place to ask and look for events and races where you could meet other riders.  They commonly have calenders of events and sometimes even a e-mail newsletter list you could subscribe to to stay up to date on events.  This includes the larger box stores such as REI.

I’m sure there’s other ways as well.  If you’ve done any of these or have your own tips to share please add them in the comments.

Bicycle Commuter Tax Provision Passes

FREE MONEY!!!

As part of the $700 billion rescue package passed by Congress you may now receive up to a $20 per month ($240 a year) tax credit (beginning December 31, 2008) for every month that you commute to work by bicycle. This reimbursement can be used for the purchase of a bicycle, bike parts, repair, and storage, if you regularly use the bike to commute between your home and work. Go green! Ride your bike to work and use the tax credit for becoming more sustainable.

So, yeah, the above pretty much says it all.  Great news for those who already ride and a small incentive to those that do not.  I did a little additional searching and found this clarification…

In a nutshell this will allow employers to offer a ‘fringe’ benefit reimbursement to an employee who regularly uses a bicycle for a substantial portion of their commute, up to an average of $20 per month, of reasonable expenses related to the purchase, improvement, repair, and storage of the bicycle, without requiring the employee to include the reimbursements in their income.  This benefit will apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.

So to claim this you’ll obviously need to talk with your employer and I’m sure there will be an application of some kind required in order to receive the credit.

And for anyone who wants it, the nity grity (see Section 211).

Happy New Year!

Tour de Georgia 2008

Although this blog isn’t necessarily dedicated to racing, it wouldn’t be a road bike blog if I didn’t at least mention the 2008 Tour de Georgia. The ‘Tour’ started the beginning of this week and ends this Sunday (April 21-27, 2008).

The longest part of the race is tomorrow as the Tour de Georgia site highlights…

The longest stage of the Tour will take place on Friday, April 25, passing through 10 Georgia counties. Stage Five (view map ) is 133.4 miles in length (214.7 km) and challenges riders with three UCB KOMs (Burnt Mtn, Woody Gap, Crown Mtn). The epic day of climbing begins in Suwanee, Ga., the first time the Tour has started in Gwinnett County. A new route will wind north, with a Georgia Power Sprint in Cumming, to the finish line in Dahlonega, GA. It is the third time that Dahlonega, home to America’s first gold strike, has hosted the Tour (2004-2006). The race begins in Suwanee at 10:00 a.m. and is expected to finish between 2:50-4:10 p.m. in Dahlonega.

The whole racing concept does bring up lots of interesting topics in regards to used road bikes. I’m sure almost all the racers in the Tour de Georgia have fairly new bikes, definitely not the ones we talk about here in this blog. However, it is certainly possible and reasonable to race a used road bike, racing on any bike is better than not racing at all. Plus, there are many other, not so publicized, races that a beginner or intermediate rider could partake in. You will need to look for local groups or forums to find out schedules of events and races near you.

I actually did a little searching concerning racing road bikes and stumbled upon an interesting article/product. I’m not a huge racer myself so I’m not sure if anything this product offers is legitamate or realistic but it is intriguing none the less. Quite frankly, without cheating it almost sounds too good to be true. I’d be interested to know, in the comments, if anyone has ever heard of techniques or tips that can help you win races more easily.

For more info on the Tour de Georgia visit their website, it is covers everything very extensively, so there’s no point in me summarizing anymore of it here. Check out www.tourdegeorgia.com for any info, including live race coverage.

The Perfect Cyclist Exercise?

I’ve started hitting the gym more regularly since the turn of the year and I haven’t been on the bike much. Finally, the other day I did go for a quick 11 block ride to meet with someone. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it seemed to pedal and get moving. I’ve converted my used road bike to a single speed (which I’ll talk more about in my next post or two), so there isn’t any variation in gearing that made this possible. I quickly realized it was because I have been doing some fairly intense leg exercises while working out. So, if you don’t do any leg exercises or if you’d like to try something new I highly recommend the following, as it has provided great benefit to me.

Squats…not like you think!

This is the exercise I do…The Best Exercise Your Not Doing. They give you a few different exercises so that you can find the best to fit your current strength. I started out doing the “Single-Leg Squat” and after trying that I knew I needed more resistance. That lead me to the “Partial Squat”. I now do approximately 7 reps/leg of ‘partial squats’ with 60 lbs (two 30 lb dumbbells). I do one set per workout session, I maintain as perfect form as possible (it is difficult balancing and lifting), and use a five second cadence (five seconds down, five seconds up) . I do not lift the weights in my arms, however, I just hold them. I didn’t see that it said to raise them the first time I saw this article, but I will try it tomorrow when I hit the gym. Regardless, after only a week or two of doing these, I’ve noticed a significant difference in strength and endurance.

I’m sure any type of squat or leg exercise would help or at least be better than nothing, but this one also seems rather appealing and I will likely give it a shot.

The Pistol

Depending on the type of riding you do you may want to focus more on endurance (doing less weight, at higher repetition) or you may want to focus on strength (doing more weight, with less repetitions). I’m focusing on strength first, then once I get to where I feel I’ve got the strength I want I will switch more to endurance and tone the muscles. Also, since I live and ride mostly in the city, I experience more stop and go/short burst types of riding, as opposed to someone who may ride through the mountains or around their neighborhood.

If you know of any other good cyclist exercises, please share in the comments!

Layering: It’s not just for photoshop

The winter season is closing in and the temperatures are dropping. It’s a perfect time to tour the mountains on your used road bike to view the beauty of nature and get a little exercise in. As the temperatures of both you and the environment change it is important to be dressed appropriately to allow adequate ventilation without sacrificing warmth. I talked to a long time roadie friend of mine who gave me a few tips and tricks to layering. In case you don’t know, layering is a technique that allows you to optimize your body temperature/comfort level by varying the amount of insulation you wear. I’ll point you to some good sources on the topic and share a few of the tips and tricks I learned from my friend that aren’t covered.

Torso

The base layer needs to be some type of ventilation fabric that will help keep moisture off your skin as you perspire. Cyclists jerseys or Under Armour shirts are ideal. The next layer should be some type of insulation fabric, something fairly thick such as wool or fleece. The last layer is a ‘weatherproof’ fabric. Something like a windbreaker that will help shield the wind and not soak up water.

Hands

The first layer for the hands in simply a pair of cycling gloves or athletic gloves that allow your fingers to move freely. If more is required, my friend suggested to use wool or fleece gloves with the fingers cut off. This allows you to still move your fingers yet keeps the majority of your hand warm.

Head

Layering your head will make the biggest differences so this can vary a lot depending on temperatures. My friend suggests a balaclava or ski mask which covers your face and allows all the warm exhaled air from your body warm your face and neck. If you need more add a scarf or try a helmet cover. Typically just the balaclava and a helmet will be enough.

Legs

For where I’m at (Atlanta, GA), I only need a regular pair of pants of just about any kind (sweats, jeans, etc). My legs don’t typically get cold enough to warrant an additional layer.   If you need more just try some cycling pants or other ventilating fabric.

Feet

Usually just wearing warm socks or a few layers of socks is enough to keep the feet toasty. If not, try covering your shoes with some type of wind breaking fabric.

That about COVERS it! Now you have no excuse to not go out for a ride on your used road bike. Also, please remember that everyone is different, so you’ll need to test out various things to see what works best for you and the climate you live in.

Here are a few other sites that offer good info…

Cold Weather Cycling

Dress Right for Cool Weather Riding

Happy Thanksgiving!