2019 SMR 09

Under-trained and feeling a little sluggish today, but it was pretty good weather and the poppies were out and that equals a good ride.

JOKE:
"I took the shell off of my racing snail thinking he might win more races without it."
"Did it work?"
"No, it made him more sluggish."

Hardly saw anyone on the way up - but there were lots of people going up when I was coming back down.

This "running bike" guy is getting to be a regular.  I don't see him on the Strava FlyBy though.

Probably Peak Poppy Period Presently

At Junction I THOUGHT I was correcting an error of having the Diablo Bike Cam set to "indoor lighting"... but in fact I was making the error of putting it INTO "indoor lighting".  This resulted in some creepy photos as seen below:

This guy noticed my non-bike shoes.  Then stopped at The Elbow to take a phone call. 
Then didn't make it to Summit I think.  Sounded like work.

Ford E-Bike Share and Bay Bridge Trail

Since my SMR was brief and I volunteered to drive SIX teenagers to Alameda today, I decided to treat myself to a real adventure.  Here is my Product Review for the Ford Go Bike E-Bike Bike Share program.

1.  Download the APP and enter your data and buy a ride.  There are options for single rides or multiple ride memberships.  You can also use your Clipper Card it says... I didn't try that.  The PLUS (E-Bike) doesn't cost any more to rent than the regular bike share bikes.
https://www.fordgobike.com/plus

2.  The idea behind bike share is not obvious, but you're supposed to lock it back up at a docking station within 30 minutes of checking it out - and if you don't the price goes up some... but not ridiculous.  So $2 for the first 30 minutes, and then $3 for each 15 minutes beyond that.  I was out for a little under 2 hours and my bill was $19.67 - the math sounds wrong but not too bad so I didn't contest.  And they sent me an e-mail reminding me that I was beyond my 30 minutes.  Then when I checked the bike in I get this screen on my phone:

3.  The app has a map that shows where all the docking stations are and where bikes are available.  But I suggest checking them out well ahead of time and planning your excursion because again... it's not always clear.  I took a few detours and wrong turns trying to find my way from the Emeryville Target where the docking station was, to the Bay Bridge, and even more wrong turns on the way back.  I could've gotten everything done 30 minutes faster, but I was having fun, so no biggie.

4.  Now I have never ridden an e-Bike before.  These Ford E-Bike Plus bikes are heavy and klunky like the other bike share bikes, but when you put the pressure on the pedals you get a nice power boost.  This was a lot of fun on the Bay Bridge because climbing up to Treasure Island I had a really stiff headwind, and I was passing all the regular riders and thinking I wouldn't be enjoying this ride as much on my fixed gear.

5.  Riding the Bay Bridge trail is of course fun with great views, but noisy and windy and usually kind of hard. 

So... if you've got $20 and an afternoon to kill... this might be a good plan.

2019 SMR 08

JB cancelled because rain, so I got kind of a late start.  And I had to be driver for a van full of teenagers in anime costumes going to a convention in Alameda at 11am, so I only made it to The Washout and then turned around.

It actually wasn't raining, but it was wet and not windy and not too cold so it was some good riding.

Mystery lady who we see almost every Saturday - she never smiles or says "hi".

These guys came around me while I was preparing to start at The Gate, didn't make it far before they stopped to shed a layer of clothing.

Zoom in to see the parade of turkeys coming down the trail.

2019 SMR 07

Wow, first Summit since January... that was a lot of foul weather we just got through... I like rain, but enough is enough.

Somewhere up above The Bump, I buggered up a front shift... no biggie but I don't do that.  Then I was getting a funny rub noise. Then a little ways later I put it in the big ring for a while, and then it wouldn't shift back down. I had to get off and put the chain manually on the little ring.  Then when we got to Junction I took a closer look - maybe my derailleur is bent?  I whacked the outer plate of the cage a couple times with a big wrench from the "bike repair" locker.  That seemed to do it, although not very satisfying.

Very quiet today, started off pretty cold and got pretty warm.  We only saw a few riders on the way up, but lots when we were going back down. 

And yup, my 7 year old tires are unravelling at the bead and the rubber is all cracky... I have some options though; probably won't have to buy something new for my backup wheels, so that's good.

JB says he's down to his high school weight of 136 lbs... twerp.

This guy had shorts with the cool logo of a heart inside a star... never seen that before.

This crack gets my vote for most urgent repair needed.  You either have to take this turn real wide, or go into the left lane.

2019 WNR 03

Good weather and saving daylight brought out lots of riders tonight.

I didn't change my punctured sew-up from Monday so I put on the old clincher wheels with Hugi hubs and Continental GP4-Season tires... which were looking a little tired (HA!), but not worn out.  (I just checked the blog post - bought those tires in March of 2012!!!)  I can probably justify some new rubber - the wet season is almost over though, so I'll keep my eyes open for a good bargain on something before next winter.

Diablo Shoutouts to regular riders Shawn and Justin from BC, and Dan and Steve from the 'hood.

l'Eroica Countdown:  24 days.

Extra Credit Junction

Blue sky!

Tried this ride with my Adidas Samba instead of the running shoes - worked OK, they're slick on the bottom so not as much friction in the pedals as I'd like, but they look more like an old timey cycling shoe.

I've been thinking I'd need to change my tubulars before l'Eroica California but I didn't want to toss the old ones out until they were completely shot - well today I had a puncture on the rear, so the timing worked out fine.  Maybe I'll keep the front one the same.  The Stans Sealant in the rear held enough pressure for me to ride about 10 minutes, repressurize, and ride another 10 minutes.  So it's probably worth putting it in my new tires too - so I can do a swap with my spare at a convenient location of my choosing, when necessary.  I think I'll put my bullet proof clinchers on for the next few weeks though just to not tempt fate.

I thought it would be cool to have a "grizzled veteran" selfie -
but like a newb I pointed the camera into the sun for a terrible shot. 

Nice place to pump up a soft tire.

2019 SMR 06

Yesterday afternoon, the weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon Saturday.

Last night it said rain at 8 o'clock.  This morning it said "rain in 45 minutes".

I psyched myself up for a wet ride, and I wasn't disappointed.

JB was a little late but I didn't know if he was coming at all, so I put the rock on the post and started up solo.  He didn't notice my rock until he decided to put his own rock up.  We both forgot to take the rock off on the way down.

Hardly anyone else up there today - I saw four other riders I think, and a couple cars.

While I was at Junction, JB rolled in and it was the first I knew he was coming - both of us decided quitting was a wise choice.

Another element of the l'Eroica-ready gear is that my running shoes get really soggy when wet.  I was comfortable except for my feet.

Otherwise I felt great - even considering I had a SPINAL TAP on Wednesday.  Just the normal aches and pains; minimal and unrelated.