Christmas Riding Outdoors and Indoors

Saturday (Christmas Eve) was above freezing, so I took the Assenmacher out for a quick run down the Monon. There were a handful of riders out, but mostly walkers and runners. "Merry Christmas" gets a much better response than "On your left". It was great to be out (first road ride for December), and I only had to portage once for about 10 feet where standing water had frozen over the trail.

Christmas Day: opening gifts and a mid-day nap (I was up very late finish photo collages for the boys), I got to try out a Christmas gift; Chris Carmichael's Criterium Training CD. It was a great 65 minute workout, with a mix of steady cadence intervals I really enjoyed. It was very interesting to listen to the commentary, because this is where my riding has been weakest; I can't stay with groups after I jump up with them; even though they are barely pulling away from me. I am looking for more info to use with the tapes.

Deja Vu 120/125/145

( The UCI would hold on a much bigger say, and has been very resistant to any such change, so the possible change is much more speculative. JSH 12/25/2005 )

If Shimano is going to go ahead with a 150mm Standard for Road and Mountain - 145 is going to start looking pretty silly on NEW tandems, regardless of the anecdotal support. And Shimano isn't stupid; if they have research showing good reason support and market a 150 standard (and offer free neutral support), they will quickly convince the industry to follow suit; they are the dog, not the tail. And the industry will, because that is how you sell next years model.

This is not intended to belittle the current state of the art, or anecdotal/empirical support of older standards (or start a flame war). But the art advances - it is not static; in fact when the art is not advancing, it is dying. All things being said, I am glad my state of the art `85 Sovereign is "obsolete" - Linda and I will look that much better when finally do upgrade! (Old Age, Treachery and New Technology trumps youth and skill.)

One of the advantages of being an almost old fart (AOF) -with 30 years of tandeming - is having seen this all before. During the 70's, single (and tandem) hub spacing went through all sorts of permutations and wheel reliability (yes, on singles!) problems as we pushed from Regina spaced 5-speeds to SunTour and Shimano 6-7s, and mixing up Campy, Japanese and other hub standards, combined with 170+ lbs Americans riding (and touring) on bikes intended for 140lb Euro racers. We didn't have the net, so people argued at bike shops, club meetings, rides and rallies. "I don't want a ### spaced tandem, cause I can't use my road wheels" . . . . "You don't need ###, you just need a good wheel builder." Same arguments, just not sitting at a keyboard in pajamas. Along the way hubs got wider (since we weren't riding 2-speed Cyclos any more) and the materials improved. (I think I have a couple of Record axles for 120mm spacing, if you are looking to really retro, but no more Regina 5 speeds.)

So after a season or two of 150mm on high end singles . . .

Just a quick note:

More busy days behind me. Training goes well, though we still have trouble getting the rest of the house healthy. Indiana weather is just not agreeing. A few nice rides, including tandeming with my favorite stoker, aka Mom.

Made some nice additions to bicycle logging system, and will start looking for feedback prior to marketing.


All for now.

60 Days until TOSRV,

Lifetime Mileage ... 135,813

And I was doing so well. . .

Okay, right after that last weekend of January, a plague was put upon our house. SonOne went though a miserable two-week cold that was finally diagnosed has Whooping Cough! Mom and SonTwo suffered through colds, complicated by Mom's mild asthma. As for me, just a persistent sinus headache and cold, complicated by the lack of sleep while assisting everyone else in the household.

Finally, normalcy is returning, while I enjoy the 3-day weekend. Taxes to finish, 1 dry (but cool) riding day, and time to work on taxes. So I will try to catch up some postings, including another article off to RTR, the CIBA swap meet, an evening with Sheldon Brown, (again courtesy of CIBA), and some more fun with mapping software.

More later.

Lifetime miles now 135,258

76 days until TOSRV.

TOSRV Rider 257 and ???

It was a good week.

I finished a Sunday with 22 miles, for my 50 mile weekend.

A well deserved rest day on Monday

4 great evening workouts, (okay, 1 was interupted by 2 calls for CIBA Ride schedules).

Work was great and my Apple stock was up almost $5. (It nice be a stock owner and former Mac Genius).

SonOne and I are signed up for TOSRV, or at least PayPal says so. SonOne came though, but mine is still hanging in web limbo. Hopefully I will get my number in a day or two. Otherwise the whole process, from registation to information packet was handled seamlessly, without SASE.

I thought we might we get roadable weekend, but more snow is coming tonight. So another trainer weekend. I will be adding the AirStrykes before the next session.

We have sound system for the tandem now, a TDK I'mASpeaker, a powered mono flat speaker built into a flat CD case. It will get a spot on top of the rack trunk, with a 10Gb 3G iPod. First test will be in few weeks, obviously. It may be moved to a mid ship position on the stoker bars, but we will test in the rear first. The solid state iPod shuffle may be better choice, than the hard drive based 3G; it would be nice to have backup battery option for the shuffle, which charges off USB 2. But shoes and new riding glasses are higher priorities right now.

Aside from riding, I have an RTR article to finish this weekend.

Lifetime mileage 135,380.

Pinewood Derby Daze & RAAM on NBC

Missed two days riding while wrapping up SonTwo’s Pinewood derby car, and then MC’d for the Pinewood Derby night for our cub scout pack (I am cubmaster). It was quite a night, using the Pack’s brand new SuperTrack, with 6 lanes, electronic timing, PC heat generation and timed scoring, not my Pinewood Derby, and only one engineer parent's car going awry.

Had follow-up email from Fred wintering in Florida. Turns out he was trying tandem captaining for the first time, with a former bike shop owner and co-ed tandem RAAM finisher. She (tandem owner and stoker) used to have an employee who I had met and rode with in while living in Washington state. There truly are just 6 degrees, if that.

SonOne is a definite sign on for TOSRV (105 days and counting). His price is a TOSRV T-Shirt and a replacement for his 2001 RAGBRAI hat. (He and I rode the 2001 Thursday only, and did 70 miles.) Mom thinks his price is a little low. I said negotiations were closed. I think we will do okay. No new updates on the family trainer races, we may try handicapping; trying to figure out how to get SonTwo involved.

28 miles in 90 minutes on the trainer today, watching most of the 2004 RAAM on NBC, which was nicely done. Only thing missing were the map advances. Very interesting to watch, especially after last weeks RAAM `85 revival via video tape. Sleep deprivation, over-hydration, de-hydration, kidney failure, and crew abandonment, too name just a few of trials. Maybe if I could do on a relay team.

Lifetime miles 135,259; 22 miles tomorrow to finish 50-mile weekend.

TOSRV- 107 Days and counting

The TOSRV apps were available today, probably posted over last weekend. This will the 44th, and I last rode in 1990 (29th). My first was in 1979, so that is a 26 year spread. (Okay, 5,371 days since my last trip down the Scioto.) I will sign us up up over the weekend.

I have singled TOSRV once (in 1979), and tandemed it 4 times, each with a different stoker. (Matt, Rick, Jack, and Dean), about has differnt a group that I could imagine. Jack is the only 1 have kept in touch with over the years. SonOne will be stoker #5, and this will be his 2nd and 3rd century (or 3-4, assuming we get training century in).

On my basic training plan there will be 1620 more training miles - or roughly 2,000 miles by May 1.

The home wind trainer competition continues. SonOne is now a personal best of 16.5 Avg (30 minutes), with Mom at 15.1. He took a rest day today, only 16.1 avg. Mom is pushing harder to catch up. I just smile.

Lifetime miles 135,271.

Harder than it looks

Monday, I will catch up tomorrow..
Tuesday, well it's only been a couple of days..
Thursday, you didn't make it yesterday ..
Friday, day off for my birthday party (48th, thank you!)
Saturday, day off for day off
Sunday, Pinewood Derby and all that other stuff
Monday, I will catch up tomorrow..

Okay. So in the last 7 days, 79 miles, all indoors. Total for the month is now 242, and life time is 135,248 miles.
(Managed in database I have maintained over the last 10 years, with over 4089 ride entries, along with annual summary, day and bike records.)

Home wind trainer competition is getting more interesting, with oldest son now a averaging 1.5mph faster than Mom; but still 2 mph behind me. He is getting very interested, and Mom and #1 are pushing each other. Next month our church sponsors "A walk to Jerusaleum' fitness challenge. We are going to sign up has a family, and my goal is 600 miles, 15 miles per day, and maybe we can get the family over a 1,000 miles.

I heard from my good friend Fred Evans, the cancer survivor, now wintering in Florida. He did had 53 mile ride over the weekend, and is very pleased with himself. I have to get him into blogging, he is natural.

Still waiting for TOSRV applications.

Weekend Riding (Half and Half)

Saturday was a wind-trainer day, an hour and change on the Racermate for 20 miles. The Star Trek-Voyager marathon running on the local FOX affiliate made that (seem) very easy. It was below freezing outside, with lots of snow and hidden ice on the back roads, so riding out doors was not an option. The family now competes via a white board, with average speed at 30 minutes being posted on the family room wall. I am #1, followed by #1 son and wife. Nobody want to match me for distance.

Today (Sunday) saw temps about 40, with the roads clearing on a sunny afternoon. The Assenmacher came out for brisk 23 miles to Zionsville and back. The only hazard were the piles of melting ice, snow and branches falling where trees leaned over the roads. Since there was a Colt NFL playoff game today (Colts over Denver), the afternoon roads were very quiet.

Very good end of the week, a great start to the new year with 2 40+ weekends in a row.

Lifetime miles now at 135,137.

Welcome to Think Tandem

Welcome to my first blog for thinktandem. (Okay, let's clean this up a little

It has been 30 years after my first tandem siting DALMAC (http://www.biketcba.org/DALMAC/), and the year I purchased my first (Gitane Interclub). I have been writing and commenting on tandems for bike clubs since the late `70s. I sold them for 7 years in West Lafayette, IN, working my way through Purdue. I have had articles published in newsletters in Michigan, Indiana, Washington, and most recently, Recumbent and Tandem Rider.

So this is the next step. It should be fun!