Month: March 2010

Meltdown

lpaulriddle

A bit brisk out this morning, but we’re finally getting some dry weather and sun to help melt some more of the snow.  By next week, I may even be able to drag out the road bike.

Took my first complete loop through the park today since (checks ride log) January 28, not counting a Feb 2 ride where I rode out River Rd and turned around.  River Rd is completely clear out to the Orange Grove Swinging Bridge, and has obviously been plowed at some point, which is unusual.  Most winters, they just close the road off and let nature take its course.  The Grist Mill Trail is 90% rideable between the swinging bridge and the trail head, with a downed tree in one spot, and a couple of snowy sections which would probably be OK on a mountain bike, but were a bit too much for 700×23 road tires.  Lots of twigs and debris everywhere, but nothing too bad.  I’d say it took me an extra 5 minutes or so to get through it.  Tomorrow I’ll likely check out the section between the swinging bridge and Ilchester Rd.  Not much new with the River Rd park entrance..  much better than last week, but still not fantastic.  This stretch should improve further over the next few days.

The ride through Relay to UMBC was a grind.  All uphill into a strong headwind.  It was a good workout, but it’ll feel much better on the way home with the wind at my back.

Never trust the weather forecast

lpaulriddle

So..  yesterday’s morning forecast: mostly cloudy all day, then rain after 7pm.  I leave work at 5, so no need to pack rain gear for later, right?  Wrong.  It started raining at 3:30, and I got to ride home in a steady drizzle with no rain gear.  No, it wasn’t all that bad.  But, I was slightly annoyed that I didn’t follow my own long standing advice: when in doubt, pack the rain gear.

I did wear the rain gear this morning.  The storm system is moving off the coast, but it’s still plenty damp out.  I checked out the park access road, and it’s improved to the point where I shouldn’t need to detour onto US 1 any more.  It’s still not bikeable, but it’s now possible to walk the bike through without having to pick it up and drag it along.  There are even a few spots of pavement peeking through.  I also checked out the Grist Mill Trail head, and the first part of the trail looked clear.  If I’m feeling adventurous tomorrow or Friday, I may try to see how much of it is passable.

I ordered a new helmet the other day.  My old one is 7 years old and starting to show its age.  I got a good deal on a 2009 Bell Sweep, which ordinarily sells for $130.  It’s marketed as sort of a do-anything helmet, and it’s one of the only “road biking” helmets I could find that comes with a visor.  The visor is important to me because I use a visor-mounted rear view mirror.  Fit is also an issue with me, as I have a large head, and I was happy to find that the helmet fits me fine (it’s a large, of course).  I haven’t ridden with it yet, but it’ll be interesting to find out if a $130 helmet is any better than my old one, which I believe cost around $50.  Stay tuned.

That hit the spot

lpaulriddle

I celebrated the end of February with my first long morning ride in forever (well, since February 4, which might as well be forever).  I took New Cut Rd into Ellicott City, then rode along River Rd to the park entrance on Ilchester.  The trail still looked too snow-covered for road tires, so I doubled back, rode up Thistle Rd, then through Catonsville via Oella Ave, Old Frederick Rd, and Edmondson Ave, for a total distance of just over 16 miles.

It was great to get a longer ride in.  February was brutal.  I’m holding out hope that within the next two weeks or so, I’ll be able to ride through Patapsco State Park again.  It always seems to take forever for the snow to melt in the park, because it doesn’t get much sun, and the ground temperatures are lower near the water.  I could probably get through the park with a mountain or cross bike and maybe some studded tires.  I’ll see what I can do about that later this year.  In the meantime, I’ll be seeing a lot of Catonsville.

I am still riding with “Power Grips” toe straps.  I wasn’t sure about them at first, but after several rides, I’ve decided I really like them.  The “extra long” size easily fits my hiking boots.  They’re orders of magnitude easier to get strapped into than toe clips; I’d say they’re no worse in that department than my Looks.  Being that they’re straps, I don’t get quite the “clipped in” feel that I get with the Looks, and there’s some to-be-expected “give” when I pull up on the pedals.  But, they keep my feet on the pedals, and I feel comfortable with them at high cadences (read: going downhill on a fixie).  I have the straps set to the smallest setting, and in this position, the ends of the straps tend to scrape the ground when I turn.  This is not a huge deal, but if necessary, I can fix it by trimming the straps down a bit.  This problem would likely be less noticeable on a bike with a freewheel.  All in all, I’m happy with the Power Grips.