Fifty Plus (50+) - Ordinary observations on an ordinary bike ride?

I did my 46 mile exercise ride this afternoon. Forecast is for 60% rain. Decision time: 28 mm or 38mm tires? I look at the sky. Sunny! 28 mm it is.
Seven miles into the ride a truck blocks the trail. A young women (mid 20's) is pounding away at the very hard soil with a pole digger. That thing is bigger than she was and she looked very much like a girl. I offered my manly help but she wanted no part of that. It hurt me just watching those slender arms pounding that digger.
Anyway I proceed. Make it near the midway point of my trip and the world gets dark. It rains cats and dogs and lightening and thunder. It was impressive. My 28 mm tires were not impressive on the softening Limestone. It felt as if the brakes came on.
There were at least 6 husky trees across the path which I had to climb over. Maintenance will be busy. I made it to the terminal looking like a mud-puppy. There was no one else biking. But hell that is living.:D

Hope you had your signature steak and bottle of good wine when you got back. Psychological recovery food.

You could have held off the rain by choosing the 38mm tires. :)

Hope you had your signature steak and bottle of good wine when you got back. Psychological recovery food.

Tilapia, big bowl of veggies, German salt potatoes, mixed salad all thanks to my lovely wife.:D
Typing this with a bottle of good Cabernet from CA right next to me.:)

You could have held off the rain by choosing the 38mm tires. :)

Good sense of humor.:)
It was amazing the damage this storm did in such a short time. The trail need major work. I hope WI Rail to Trail budget allows for it.:(

Seems to me you had an extraordinary bike ride and you make some extraordinary observations about it. I felt wet and muddy just reading it. I salute you for not backing out.:beer:

Wow, nice ride. And a proper follow up too.

Where's the part about the highwheeler? :)

TCS

Hope you had your signature steak and bottle of good wine when you got back. Psychological recovery food.

You can justify a bottle of wine after a ride?
Blow the TdF, I'm going for a ride ... and it's 10:30 at night here :eek:

Richard

Life is all about feeling that you're living it isn't it. Good one mate.

Richard

Seems to me you had an extraordinary bike ride and you make some extraordinary observations about it. I felt wet and muddy just reading it. I salute you for not backing out.:beer:

I am thinking about your weight loss program and I like to encourage you to keep going.
I am at the end of my career and the pressures from employer and industry is unreasonable.
Fortunately I can burn that stress off daily with 50 mile bike rides. That is what got me going. I am observing now that this routine has some great benefits. The 50 miles blow by. I can bike through extreme weather like the one described. My wife is worried I may get hit by one of these trees falling or by lightening.
But you know what I am worried about? Heart attack or stroke. Friends of mine, same company, same job, that is what happened. Stress can kill you. No kidding. Biking is a good thing. Loosing weight in a healthy way is a good thing. Combine the two and you got something good.:)

[QUOTE=will dehne;4943221] My wife is worried I may get hit by one of these trees falling or by lightening.
QUOTE]

My wife feels the same way. I tried to comfort her by saying she'll collect the life insurance. Fortunately, that didn't comfort her too much.

Life is all about feeling that you're living it isn't it. Good one mate.

Richard

Yeah, one of our great German thinkers said: The art of living is finding balance. (approximate translation from J.W. Von Goethe)
This is not as easy as it sounds. Some of our friends prioritise companionship (parties and drinking). Some prioritise spectator sports. Some center their life around golf. Some spend all free time in family functions to the exclusion of a healthy life style. (Picnics, weddings, b.days, etc etc)

Very few prioritise a healthy lifestyle which would include lots of exercise (over one hour/day) and proper eating and drinking. We must also find time to maintain relationships but not to the exclusion of health maintenance IMHO.:)

Hey Will, I know you remember those tornados that came through your area, I think it was 1968. I worked on that storm, ( blood money) for a week, about 20 hour days. I seen school buses up in trees. When we got there it was raining cats and dogs and we got soaked even with rain gear on. Then after that it started snowing, I think a couple of inches. We could only work on the lines that where feeding the houses that where standing, but if they were in the middle of a block or something we had to pass them up. We had to get the businesses in service first so people could buy supply's. Anyhow after a long week, only one guy got killed because some jerk started a generator without pulling his main breaker. If you don't pull the main, you back feed through the transformer and you get 12,000 volts again. We got our pay checks the next week and over half was taken out in taxes, life is good.

[QUOTE=will dehne;4943221] My wife is worried I may get hit by one of these trees falling or by lightening.
QUOTE]

My wife feels the same way. I tried to comfort her by saying she'll collect the life insurance. Fortunately, that didn't comfort her too much.

You and I are very fortunate to have a wife who cares. Very lucky.:D

Hey Will, I know you remember those tornados that came through your area, I think it was 1968. I worked on that storm, ( blood money) for a week, about 20 hour days. I seen school buses up in trees. When we got there it was raining cats and dogs and we got soaked even with rain gear on. Then after that it started snowing, I think a couple of inches. We could only work on the lines that where feeding the houses that where standing, but if they were in the middle of a block or something we had to pass them up. We had to get the businesses in service first so people could buy supply's. Anyhow after a long week, only one guy got killed because some jerk started a generator without pulling his main breaker. If you don't pull the main, you back feed through the transformer and you get 12,000 volts again. We got our pay checks the next week and over half was taken out in taxes, life is good.

I do not know what it is but this "Green County, WI" seems to collect all the extreme weather which can be found around here. Of course that is why it is Green County.
We have been in more than one Tornado type weather in that county including blinding hail.
But, thinking about Texas, you guys have the market cornered on extreme weather.

I would not mess with lightening, rain you can slog through but I read about a person a week getting hit down here. Last week a guy was out diving off shore in the Atlantic. He surfaces during the storm and bam he is gone. When the lightening starts I head for home quick.

I would not mess with lightening, rain you can slog through but I read about a person a week getting hit down here. Last week a guy was out diving off shore in the Atlantic. He surfaces during the storm and bam he is gone. When the lightening starts I head for home quick.

I am interested, really, do you know of anyone getting killed or injured by lightening while riding a bike?
I am sure that standing on the ground, bike in hand, is not a good thing just as holding a golf club is not.
Riding a bike is not a good conductor, I think but do not know for sure.

I also avoid riding in such weather because it is a mess on these Limestone trails. The trouble is that the round trip is at least 3 hours and there are few shelters if any.
OTOH, if I were to not go biking based on weather forecast, I would bike a lot less. (like 50% less)

I am interested, really, do you know of anyone getting killed or injured by lightening while riding a bike?
I am sure that standing on the ground, bike in hand, is not a good thing just as holding a golf club is not.
Riding a bike is not a good conductor, I think but do not know for sure.




Don't bet on it. Are you counting on those skinny little rubber tires to insulate you? Remember, that lightning bolt has already jumped through 30,000 ft of thin air - your wet and dirty rubber tires are going to look like a piece of copper wire to that lightning bolt.

The gloves, etc. that linemen use are a different rubber than your tires are made of, and are tested EVERY TIME the guy puts them on. They do a quick test for pinholes by blowing the gloves up like a balloon to see if they hold air, and periodically each glove is given a live-voltage test of its insulating ability. I saw a demonstration once where the instructor placed a glove on a metal fixture shaped like a hand, energized the test setup, then passed an energized wand around the glove - no spark. Then he took a pin, and poked a pinhole in one finger. Put the glove back on the "hand" and did the test again. When the wand got opposite the pinhole there was a big ol' fat spark.

I spen 36 years in the fire department, and have seen lightning (and high voltage in general) do some pretty amazing things.

Sounds like an absolutely great ride.... one you'll remember for some time.

Where's the part about the highwheeler?

TCS

Right! When I opened this post I expected to read about an adventure on an Ordinary (i.e. high-wheeler, Penny-farthing) too! My guess is that the poster doesn't know that an "Ordinary" is a high-wheeler. Or, if they do know, they didn't think any of us would get it!

Rick / OCRR

Right! When I opened this post I expected to read about an adventure on an Ordinary (i.e. high-wheeler, Penny-farthing) too! My guess is that the poster doesn't know that an "Ordinary" is a high-wheeler. Or, if they do know, they didn't think any of us would get it!

Rick / OCRR

You may as well speak Chinese. Would you please explain what you are talking about.:)

Don't bet on it. Are you counting on those skinny little rubber tires to insulate you? Remember, that lightning bolt has already jumped through 30,000 ft of thin air - your wet and dirty rubber tires are going to look like a piece of copper wire to that lightning bolt.

The gloves, etc. that linemen use are a different rubber than your tires are made of, and are tested EVERY TIME the guy puts them on. They do a quick test for pinholes by blowing the gloves up like a balloon to see if they hold air, and periodically each glove is given a live-voltage test of its insulating ability. I saw a demonstration once where the instructor placed a glove on a metal fixture shaped like a hand, energized the test setup, then passed an energized wand around the glove - no spark. Then he took a pin, and poked a pinhole in one finger. Put the glove back on the "hand" and did the test again. When the wand got opposite the pinhole there was a big ol' fat spark.

I spend 36 years in the fire department, and have seen lightning (and high voltage in general) do some pretty amazing things.

I am not claiming to be an expert but I have an engineering mind. Lightening starts from the ground up and provides a conduit to connect with current from above.
This is what I know and I am willing to revise that thinking with good information.
I am still searching for an individual biker who has been killed by lightening while riding a bike

I am not claiming to be an expert but I have an engineering mind. Lightening starts from the ground up and provides a conduit to connect with current from above.
This is what I know and I am willing to revise that thinking with good information.
I am still searching for an individual biker who has been killed by lightening while riding a bike

Did a night ride a few years ago in a storm up on the hills on a Tandem. The rain was persisting down when we started- but luckily not a great deal of wind. Just as we got to the top of the hills we heard and saw the lightning over the sea about 4 miles away and it was almost like daylight. Then the storm got above us and lightning strikes all around us. When there was a strike only about 200' from us- we decided to abandon the ride and off the hill ASAP. The only metal object around for miles was the Tandem and that close one got us worried. So worried- we had to call into a Pub for a Guinness and Pie to calm down.

Right! When I opened this post I expected to read about an adventure on an Ordinary (i.e. high-wheeler, Penny-farthing) too! My guess is that the poster doesn't know that an "Ordinary" is a high-wheeler. Or, if they do know, they didn't think any of us would get it!

Rick / OCRR

An "Ordinary" might be a penny farthing, but the Posting is about a bike ride that is ordinary- or that is how I read it.

I am thinking about your weight loss program and I like to encourage you to keep going.
I am at the end of my career and the pressures from employer and industry is unreasonable.
Fortunately I can burn that stress off daily with 50 mile bike rides. That is what got me going. I am observing now that this routine has some great benefits. The 50 miles blow by. I can bike through extreme weather like the one described. My wife is worried I may get hit by one of these trees falling or by lightening.
But you know what I am worried about? Heart attack or stroke. Friends of mine, same company, same job, that is what happened. Stress can kill you. No kidding. Biking is a good thing. Loosing weight in a healthy way is a good thing. Combine the two and you got something good.:)

Thanks for the encouragement, that is very thoughtful. One of the side benefits--actually maybe it's a direct benefit--of losing weight is how much better I feel and how much longer, farther and faster I can bike.

+1 on what stress can do to a person. My biggest stress nowadays is will I get to the start of a group ride before it leaves :).

All this lightening talk makes me glad that I don't ride one of those dangerous steel or aluminum bikes. As far as I know, carbon fiber is a lousy conductor.:lol:

You may as well speak Chinese. Would you please explain what you are talking about.:)

To continue your analogy, you're on an Asian languages forum; Chinese shouldn't surprise you.

In the late 1860s-early 1870s, "bicycles" came to be. They were designed with one large front wheel with pedals connected directly to the hub, one small rear wheel and a frame that allowed the rider to sit over the large front wheel. Thus:

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/01/53/23315301.jpg

There were some significant disadvantages in this design. In the late 1880s-early 1890s a new design of bicycle took over the market. It featured two equal sized wheels, a chain drive from the pedals to the rear wheel and a frame that placed the rider amidships. Like this:

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/icons_of_invention/img/IM.1130_el.jpg

You can see that this new design became the modern bicycle:

http://willybikes.com/images/library/site/can_6roadwarrior1000_wht_06bp.jpg

During the paradigm shift of 1885-1895, new terminology was developed to identify various designs. The new, special low frame bikes made significant advancements in rider safety, and were refered to as "safety bicycles" or "safeties". The earlier designs were refered to as ordinary bicycles, or "ordinaries".

An error in the alternative history novel "How Few Remain" (set in 1881-1882) is to call the bicycles "ordinaries". They would not become "ordinary" for a few more years - in the early 1880s they were still just "bicycles".

Best,
TCS

Here ya go.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=ltg/ltg_060621_westminster_cycle.php

Here ya go.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=ltg/ltg_060621_westminster_cycle.php

Thank you for this information. It seems as if I have been taking chances.
Unfortunately, as I said before, being careful means a lot less biking. We got plenty of T. Storm threatening weather.:( Finding shelter is not realistic were I go.
Lets hope I do not become a statistic. Well, I made it until age 65 and never was very careful.:D

To continue your analogy, you're on an Asian languages forum; Chinese shouldn't surprise you.

In the late 1860s-early 1870s, "bicycles" came to be. They were designed with one large front wheel with pedals connected directly to the hub, one small rear wheel and a frame that allowed the rider to sit over the large front wheel. Thus:



There were some significant disadvantages in this design. In the late 1880s-early 1890s a new design of bicycle took over the market. It featured two equal sized wheels, a chain drive from the pedals to the rear wheel and a frame that placed the rider amidships. Like this:



You can see that this new design became the modern bicycle:



During the paradigm shift of 1885-1895, new terminology was developed to identify various designs. The new, special low frame bikes made significant advancements in rider safety, and were refered to as "safety bicycles" or "safeties". The earlier designs were refered to as ordinary bicycles, or "ordinaries".

An error in the alternative history novel "How Few Remain" (set in 1881-1882) is to call the bicycles "ordinaries". They would not become "ordinary" for a few more years - in the early 1880s they were still just "bicycles".

Best,
TCS

Thank you for taking the time to educate this old dog.:)

To continue your analogy, you're on an Asian languages forum; Chinese shouldn't surprise you.

In the late 1860s-early 1870s, "bicycles" came to be. They were designed with one large front wheel with pedals connected directly to the hub, one small rear wheel and a frame that allowed the rider to sit over the large front wheel. Thus:

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/01/53/23315301.jpg

There were some significant disadvantages in this design. In the late 1880s-early 1890s a new design of bicycle took over the market. It featured two equal sized wheels, a chain drive from the pedals to the rear wheel and a frame that placed the rider amidships. Like this:

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/icons_of_invention/img/IM.1130_el.jpg

You can see that this new design became the modern bicycle:

http://willybikes.com/images/library/site/can_6roadwarrior1000_wht_06bp.jpg

During the paradigm shift of 1885-1895, new terminology was developed to identify various designs. The new, special low frame bikes made significant advancements in rider safety, and were refered to as "safety bicycles" or "safeties". The earlier designs were refered to as ordinary bicycles, or "ordinaries".

An error in the alternative history novel "How Few Remain" (set in 1881-1882) is to call the bicycles "ordinaries". They would not become "ordinary" for a few more years - in the early 1880s they were still just "bicycles".

Best,
TCS
Nice white bike!