Get Ready to Have a Flat

There's lots of winter left up here in the northern half of the world, but do you notice the sun is a bit brighter? February is a month to begin getting on the road more often even if weather conditions are still not appealing.  This means riding in frosty temperatures and on pavement crunchy with that gritty stuff spread by the road crews. The last thing you want is a puncture that causes you to stop, get cold and freeze your hands doing the grimy job of changing the tube.  The solution? Don't flat! This quick checklist before you leave the house can make a puncture less likely -- and quicker to fix if it does happen. 

Check your tires.  Very few punctures happen the instant you ride over something (pinch flats excepted). Usually, a small and sharp shard sticks in the tread, then works though to the tube during many wheel revolutions.  Prevent flats by checking the tread in bright sunlight or with a flashlight before the next ride. If you spot something, carefully pop it out (not into your eye) with the corner of a small screwdriver or something similar. Dig into the rubber a little to make sure you don't leave the sharp tip. While doing this, look for thin areas in the tread. Never continue to ride a well-worn tire, especially in winter. It'll be even more susceptible to punctures because of all the junk on the road. 

Check your seat bag.  It should be well stocked with 2 tubes, 2 or 3 tire levers and a patch kit. Don't forget a small piece of Tyvek, duct tape or other strong, thin material that's suitable for lining ("booting") the inside of a cut in the tread or sidewall.  Put each tube in a zip-shut plastic freezer bag. They'll be easier to pack than in a box, and less likely to have holes worn by rubbing against tools. Sprinkle talcum powder into the bags as another way to reduce friction. It'll make the tubes easier to install too. Anything that speeds the process is a good thing in winter.  By the way, do you have the right size tubes? We've seen riders flat on their 700C tires and pull a 26-inch mountain bike tube out of their seat bag. Or, riders on wheels with deep V-shape rims will have useless tubes with standard-length valve stems. Check before your next ride.
 

Rolling Resistance:  The belief is that wider tires increase rolling resistance. It simply isn't true. Testing shows that fatter rubber rules when it comes to lowering drag. One recent example was published by Bicycle Quarterly magazine in "The Performance of Tires" (Vol. 5, No. 1, Autumn 2006).

Let me suggest an approach to greater riding enjoyment and less side-of-the-road voodoo:

  • If you weigh 170 lbs. (78 kg) or less, use 23-mm-wide tires. (I can't recommend 20 mm, but if you're really light and want to use them, knock yourself out.)
     
  • 170-180 lbs. (82 kg), use 24 (Conti makes 'em) or 25 mm.
     
  • 180-210 lbs. (96 kg), use 25 or go to 28 mm if you ride on crappy roads.
     
  • Over 210 lbs., use 28-mm tires. Your big power will cancel the bit of extra weight.

If you follow these size guidelines, you can safely inflate only to 85-90 psi front and 95-100 psi rear and enjoy a quicker and more comfortable ride

 

McHenry County Bicycle Advocates

 
McHenry County Bicycle Advocates was formed in the fall of 2008 by Eberhard Veit 
(Crystal Lake) and Joe Lewis (Cary) in order to advocate on behalf of all McHenry County 
bicycle riders. Ourgoal is to help motivate the county, and the cities and townships 
within the county, to provide adequate accommodations both on the roads and in the form 
of bicycle paths.  Our top priority to date has been the Rakow Road re-design project 
where the Phase One design replaces a two lane road that has ridable shoulders with a 
four-to-six lane road that has curbs and gutters. The new road would have no room for 
bicycles at all. We have been working with the McHenry County Division of Transportation and 
Crystal Lake in an effort to get bicycle path next to the re-designed roadway. Joining 
us in our effort has been Ed Barsotti and Jessica Thompson of the 
League of Illinois Bicyclists as well as Bev Moore from the Illinois 
Trails Conservancy.

Another high priority item has been the Vulcan Lakes Redevelopment Plan for which Crystal Lake has approved a 
contract to perform the final design and initial bidding. We are hoping that a bike/
pedestrian trail from the intersection of Pingree Road and Three Oaks 
Road to the Prairie Trail at Main Street will be developed as part of 
the recreation area and that this trail will be open for public bicycle 
and pedestrian use.

McHenry County Bicycle Advocates will be having open public meetings on the third Monday of each month, the 
first of  which will be held on January 19th at 7:30 PM in Meeting Room 1 of the 
Algonquin Township Office located at  3702 US Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

For more information on McHenry County Bicycle Advocates visit our web site at 

www.mcbicycleadvocates.org. 
Note that you can download our Rakow Road petition (which has been 
well supported by the bike club) from the web site.

 

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SMART SHIFTING

Bicycling  November, 2008

Cyclists are weak. NO, we’re not singling anyone out - even the mighty Lance had a maximum power output that was roughly the equivalent, in horsepower, to a Go-Ped scooter.

Gears let us maximize our low power motors on the bike, specifically, being able to choose a gear that keeps us in our cadence comfort zone, the point at which we can pedal seemingly indefinitely without flailing around or succumbing to a muscle scorching slow grind.

If you really want to rock the gears, you need to know when to shift outside your comfort zone into a slightly higher (harder) or lower (easier) gear, even momentarily, to suit what you hope to accomplish on the bike.  While the old adage “shift early, shift often” still applies, you should add “shift smart” to the mix.

The Situation:  A long gradual road climb

The Shift:  This is usually the easiest shifting situation after flat terrain.  At the base of the climb, you should be in your comfort zone gear, which varies from rider to rider.  For most of us it’s in the 90 revolutions per minute range.  When your cadence starts to slip, ease the pressure off the pedals slightly and shift into an easier gear.  Remember, shifting in the front means a big resistance change; rear shifts are for fine-tuning your cadence.  If you need to stand, shift up a cog or two in the rear; the slightly harder gear will allow a smooth transition.  Shift between these sitting and standing gears as you make your way up the hill.

 

02/15/09 pg