Red bike, first bike

I think I've only had one red bike.

My first two-wheeler, which started out as a four-wheeler, was red. It was a Schwinn. I was just about to turn four years old. I remember discovering it under the Christmas tree and being very excited. Soon after that Christmas, my father moved out, separating from my mother. Ouch. But he came every weekend, and we took the bike out to Riverside Park across the street, and he gave me riding lessons. I insisted that we put the training wheels back on after every lesson, because I didn't think it was right for it to be a two-wheeler until I had mastered riding. I remember the lessons very clearly and fondly. We had a good time.

When my father was a kid, he wanted a Schwinn very badly. In his mind, there was nothing better than a Schwinn, and he was pretty much correct. I have no doubt that's why my first bike was a Schwinn.

The bike had 16" wheels and chrome fenders and a coaster brake. The tires were solid, i.e. not pneumatic. It seems odd that Schwinn would make a bike with non-pneumatic tires, but they did.

When I was six, my mother and sister and I moved to W 96 St, and my mother had the super reassemble my bike. He put the front fender on backwards so that it hung way out over the front of the wheel, but I didn't realize this until the playground kids pointed it out. I didn't really care.

I learned to make skid marks with the coaster brake. Fun.
Oh wait. I just remembered that before this bike, I had a tricycle, and it was also red. I also remember calling it my "bike," because I didn't want to call it a tricycle, even though it was a tricycle. That sounded too little-kid to me.

Track Racing, part 1

I had a fantastic time on Sunday at the clinic. The folks at Pink Rhino Racing were so nice and helpful and fun. I learned a heck of a lot, and I enjoyed every minute of it, even sitting there, listening to the lectures. I remember being warned over the years about how bumpy the track is, and when we walked around it, I had only socks on my feet. Even then I didn't really see a problem, as it's much smoother than a typical city street is.

When I got on the track on my bike, though, then I understood. When you're bent way over on a track bike that's built to feel every facet of every inch of the surface and you're going as fast as you can, it is fair to say it's a very bumpy track. But I don't mind. It doesn't give me more of a disadvantage than it gives anyone else, and I'm fine at "planing" over the surface.

I've ridden a lot over my life, in many kinds of riding. I've raced a very tiny handful of time trials, but mostly I've ridden for fun and transportation. I'm a lot faster than the average person who gets on a bicycle, but I'm also a lot slower than people who normally race bikes. I am very slow. We had a couple of mock races, and I came in dead last both times. I wasn't even close to the guy in front of me. But I'll tell you something, which I already told you: I had a great time.

I've made a goal for myself, to enter several races over this season. I intend to come in last at every race. And I intend to learn and to have fun. These are achievable goals. If I do better than coming in last, all the better. I already know it's a fun thing to do, and it's something new for me. I met some nice and fun people, so what could be bad?

Brean stressed safety often during the instruction. It makes a lot of sense, and I intend to follow all of his advice, though it's interesting that I didn't have any fears for my safety coming into it, though Brean seemed to be trying to allay fears we might have. I don't know why some are afraid and I'm not, so it's interesting that there is that difference.

Bike Ahead in Brooklyn sponsors Pink Rhino Racing, and they sponsored this event. I was really impressed with how much cash they tossed in to this small event. That's a heck of a long term investment. I will try to patronize them, even though I don't live close by. At this point, I'd love to meet some of the folks who work there so I can thank them. The merchandise they provided as prizes was truly good stuff, not just stupid symbolic prizes, and I think it's really nice of them.

I rode back to Manhattan with a fellow named Scott. We rode pretty hard, though he'd probably laugh at that adjective. Time for me to work on my speed.

Track racing, part zero

Yesterday started my "career" as a bicycle track racer. I put my war paint on, massaged my own shoulders, and went over my bike, feeling for where the bike "hurt" as if it is a limb of my body. I made some adjustments and brought it to the local bike shop for more adjustments. My new mechanic is Martin at New York's Waterfront Bicycle Shop on West St, right near Christopher St.

I rode pretty hard in Central Park, and, as immensely crowded as it was, I was able to do what they call training as well as some very pleasant people watching. My top speed, according to my GPS device, was 27.7, which is pretty good considering I was fixed to a 73 inch gear.

Today, I attend the first clinic of the season at Kissena Velodrome, where kind volunteers will show us how it's done. No races today. I'm getting my stuff ready. I picked little bits of glass out of my tires to make sure they didn't work their ways further in. I'll ride to the 7 train, take it to the end, then ride to the track in Flushing.

My ride yesterday looked mostly like this. There are two or three points on the map where GPS appears drunk, but it's informative enough.

I barely slept last night. I'm excited.

Here I go.

Cycling and traffic problems in Brussels

Excellent video. Brussels seems to have a lot in common with New York City. We have gridlock that expands to huge areas. Motor vehicle drivers don't know that you shouldn't enter an intersection unless there is room for you at the other side. Or they know but they don't care. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner of Department of Transportation Janette Sadik-Khan understood the problems and worked at improving things. They've done a good job. There is a lot more bike infrastructure now. There are more people on bikes. The bike share started in May of this year. All of the problems with the bike share are problems of success. It is being used more than anyone expected. People who don't love bikes or cycling are using it because it makes sense for them. This is the best kind of trend we could hope for. Now I hope we start working on lawfulness and courtesy. They are improving, but we need to improve more. It is now safer to cycle here than it was. Motor vehicle drivers are more courteous to cyclists, though not perfect. Now we need pedestrians and cyclists to move in a more orderly and predictable manner. Cyclists are improving, but too many cyclists still ride against the direction of traffic. They think it's OK. Some think it's the proper way. Others know it's not right but do it anyway. I hope things continue. Our new mayor starts in January.

Chain maintenance

Keep your chain clean and lubricated, especially if your bike has derailleurs.

There are two reasons to lube a chain: to make pedaling easier and to preserve the life of the chain. There are various approaches, and there is no perfect way to do it. I use a simple technique. Lean the bike upright (or have someone hold it up, or suspend it on a bike work stand). Make sure that the pedals have enough room to spin the cranks. Sit or stand in front of the right (drive-side) of the bike. Turn the cranks backwards with your right hand and squirt oil in a continuous stream on the chain with your left hand as the chain passes by your left hand. Do this for several turns of the crank. Then hold a rag in your left hand and wrap it around the chain. Grasp the chain in the rag firmly enough that you'll be wiping the chain but loosely enough to let the chain slide through the grasp. Again, do several turns with the crank. Turn the rag to a clean spot and wipe again. Repeat this until the dirt spot created on the rag becomes a bit cleaner. This can take five turns of the rag or so. If the chain is still dirty, start again with a new application of oil. This way, the oil is washing the dirt and grime. Wipe again, about five times. This whole process usually takes me less than a minute, sometimes two.

There are various types of oil, each with its advantages. The thinner it is, the more frequently you have to use it. Some oils attract more dirt than others. Sometimes I use oil that bike shops sell, because it's handy, but generally, I prefer automatic transmission fluid, available at an auto parts store. It's inexpensive and does a very good job. Lately, I've been using chainsaw oil, because it is thicker (more viscous) and therefore requires less frequent application. I use a squeeze bottle with a very thin nozzle so I can apply small amounts at a time.

I could spend more time on it to get more dirt out, and doing so would preserve the life of the chain. Some would argue that I'm pushing dirt into the tiny invisible places where it counts the most. They could be right. But I replace my chains frequently. Some would call it prematurely. I don't enjoy cleaning chains, so my approach, while arguably wasteful, is gentle on my bike. A worn chain will wear the sprockets, which are much more expensive than the chain. If my chain shows the slightest sign of elongation, I replace it.

And since I replace chains frequently, I don't need to buy expensive chains. I've been happy with KMC chains, which are the least expensive of the good chains. I've occasionally bought SRAM or Shimano chains on sale, but only because the price is good. If KMC chains are not as durable as other brands, I substitute quality with vigilant replacement. Since I am preserving my sprockets this way, and since I keep it clean enough to reduce friction, this plan works for me.

If you prefer to buy expensive chains and go through the trouble to soak them in solvent to remove every bit of grit, that's fine, too. My days of soaking and scrubbing are done.

Saddle comfort

Some who are new to cycling or who are returning to cycling report various kinds of discomfort, especially on their saddles. Often, they believe the saddle is wrong, when the real problem to solve is fit and position on the bike.

When you experience genital numbness, it is an urgent problem. Seek an expert in bike fit, which is the art of determining if your position on your bike. Many bike shops have such an expert. If you can't find one there, find an experienced cyclist who can help. This is a serious matter, and you should not stop seeking expert advice until you solve it. Do not continue to ride without seeking help.

Some expect that padded shorts will solve their problem. Padded shorts are misguided. Customers saw the old chamois and thought the intention was padding. The sewn in crotch was for absorption and wicking, not padding. When the makers switched to synthetic, it was necessary to use more material, which made it thicker. Now bike shorts feel like diapers. If you like that, it's fine, but it can cause as any problems as it solves. It really should be possible to ride your bike without all that padding, even if you use the padding from time to time. If you rely on your shorts to be comfortable, your bike does not fit you properly!

Another problem for men is achy testicles. For a while, I was getting achy testicles a day after my ride. It took me a while to correlate the pain with the riding, since I wasn't feeling pain on the bike. It turned out that my saddle was too padded. It put pressure on my perineum, but the padding hid that fact. Like some other riders, I discovered that a harder saddle can actually help and that soft saddles often cause problems. Soft saddles avoid the problems. Hard saddles make you confront the problems of fit and position. I don't mean it should be as hard as a rock, and it's hard to say how hard is acceptable and how soft is bad. Generally, as you gain experience in the saddle, you want your saddle harder. A friend of mine suffered from numbness, and a sports doctor recommended a harder saddle for him, and that turned out to be the solution for him.

If the discomfort is in the tiny muscles around your two sit bones, that's a good thing. That soreness goes away after about three rides if you do them within a week. That's the only kind of soreness worth toughing out. I get this occasionally, especially after a long break from riding or after I increase my riding frequency.

Bike fit is another topic. It involves adjustments to your position. There are many parameters:

• fore-aft position of foot on pedal
• angle of foot on pedal
• fore-aft position of saddle on bike
• angle (tilt) of saddle on bike
• height of saddle
• shape of saddle (each person's anatomy requires a different shape)
• fore-aft position of handlebar
• height of handlebar
• width of handlebar
• hand position on handlebar

Sometimes subtle changes in these parameters make big difference in comfort, fatigue, and efficiency. Also, each parameter is related to others, so sometimes adjusting one will require an adjustment in another. A subtle fact is that you may think you need to adjust one thing but sometimes you will be misled and adjust the wrong thing. This is why you sometimes need the expertise of someone (or some people) with expertise. Seek help in person, but start by finding some articles on the web or in print. There is a lot of literature on the subject.