Toadster's Blog

Tonight I was out driving around, doing some errands and I drove up a hill and thought... Hmm, I think I could ride up this thing!  So i get home, donned my cycling gear, turned on my trusty Planet Bike light kit ... So - it was a short ride, but I did climb the hill!  Here's the mapping...  FINALLY found a Cat5 climb (which is the lowest that registers) - but it's awesome!

So - the rain stopped a bit today, and I wanted to rent a movie - no, I haven't done the whole 'online rental' option which is super easy (and lazy) - c'mon admit it! I realized, "Hey, it's not raining - and it's just a short trip on the bike to rent the movie from Red Box"  So off I went, and a whopping 26 minutes later - I was back home with 127 Hours (yah, I haven't seen it yet!) When I returned, I stopped my RunKeeper App and realized that if I had downloaded the movie - I would have missed out on a really simple 325 calorie burn - it was such an easy ride in the freshly rained on roads which made it a bit slick around corners, but it's nice because all the pollen and crud in the air was washed away... So next time you want to rent a movie, hop on the bike - and GO somewhere!

I wanted to be sure that I'm safe on the roads - being visible is one thing, and being 'seen' at early morning or at dusk is really important.  While there are a bazillion light kits to be found out there, I decided on a simple kit that should last a while...  I got the Planet Bike Blaze 1-Watt Superflash Light Set (yes that's a mouthful!) You think, gee - One Watt?  What is that going to do?  That doesn't seem like much. Well, see for yourself - they're pretty stunning!    Both front and rear lights have different modes.  The headlight has 3 settings: LOW, HIGH, and FLASH.  Flash is important when you want to be noticed.  Especially in low-light scenarios where drivers can't see well and you want to draw your attention that you're on the road.  The rear light has 2 LED's (1/2 watt) and they can stay on solid, or flash in patterns - and the rear is visible for up to a mile! So - if you're planning on doing any riding on the roads, d...

Well, my wonderful kids got me a giftcard to REI and they had their annual sale in May so I took advantage of the lower prices and grabbed two items I've had my eye on...  for one, a good bike pump is really needed to keep tires inflated to the right pressure or you risk pinch flats (or some call it a snake bite).  So I got the Topeak Joe Blow Sprint floor pump.  It's a bit more than what I wanted to pay, but since I had the gift card - I splurged and am I glad!   As you can see in the picture, the gauge is near the top of the stem - so older folks (like myself) don't have to strain to see the gauge pressure (haha!)  But this is THE best bike pump I've owned!  It's much safer than the air compressor that we were using too!  I was really surprised that my front tire was at 42psi, and the rear was around 55 (recommended is 65 max).  So the front was low - but I had to go by 'feel' previously... My kids like it too, easy to use, the tube clips i...

During my weight-loss journey I promised myself to get a bike after 6 months of personal training to further improve my health and mix things up a bit.  I set the goal in May to bike 200 miles, of which I thought I was totally crazy - thinking "I've never biked more than 10 miles at once... at least not intentionally."  Even as a teenager, I thought riding my bike to the local store and back was a feat - and that was only about 1 mile from my house... my how times have changed! I'm happy to say that I've put about 230 miles on my new bike in May - so I hit 115% of my goal! So what's next?  Good question! :D I hope to continue my path, and add some toys along the way (of course!)  I'm hoping to get some clip-style pedals and some cycling shoes.  I'm also still shopping around for the right pannier and/or bike trunk for smallish things to bring along on longer rides. I have a new light kit coming this week to be sure that I'm safe during tw...

One of the niceties that I purchased for myself to encourage better workouts is a wireless (Bluetooth) headset - the Motorola S-10 .  These headphones fit snugly over your head, looping over your ears and the bulk of the unit hangs behind your head.   Pros: it fits my noggin :) (always important) good battery life dual-earphones - usually good, but need to be cautious at times for listening I can answer the phone via the headset changing volume on the earset changing songs via the earset voice-dialing capable NO cord! (yay!) Cons: pricey (~$80) dual-earset not really 'legal' in a car not noise cancelling - more like a wind tunnel - but good if you're not moving Overall, these have really helped my fitness by giving me something to listen to, and know that calls are coming in while I'm out on the trails.  No cord really helps with not getting tangled up and/or whipping my iPhone because the cord got tangled. Would I recommend them?  If noise cancel...

11 miles today already from commuting, gonna put in another 5-10 with a friend who is just getting back on the road again :)

So many decisions, designs, functions in cycling gear... seriously! I'd like to get a pannier, which is used by commuters who travel with 'stuff'. There are pannier options designed to hold laptop computers, files and folders, changes of clothes or shoes and lunches. Sure, it's nice to have a nice light bike - but it's awfully nice as well to be able to have room to put some 'stuff' when cycling... Here's the Topeak Explorer Bike "pannier" rack ...   This just mounts to the rear spindle and seatpost - and is plenty sturdy, just under 2 pounds, and can hold a pretty heavy load... What is your favorite Pannier? Do some have better quality than others?

Recently I purchased a new Giant Escape 2 hybrid bicycle to keep my momentum on weight-loss and overall health improvement. Since then, I've talked with lots of friends and found sites that promote healthy cycling. May is Bike Month is one that got me thinking about setting new goals in cycling. Since I'm new, I set a goal of 200 miles... am I nuts? In the month of May 2011, I've already logged 139 miles! So I'm well over halfway there! I've been tracking my miles with http://runkeeper.com app on my iPhone - it maps out your routes, estimates calories burned, and tracks each trip! Give it a shot - and tell me about your cycling challenges this month!