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04-16-08, 10:21 PM
on my fixie! :)
I am at 335 lbs down from over 380. Most of the weight loss is due to swimming not cycling but last summer I started riding my bike again. It has been a while but I am not a newbie, I used to race, have done some long distance solo touring and even mountain biking.
I've been riding my Bridgestone RB-1 and in November, my wife bought me the fixie I have always wanted. She got me a Redline 925 with drop bars. I switched out the Redline saddle for Selle Italia Flight (in red to match the bar tape and Look Carbon pedals) and the tires for Avocet FasGrip 32's.
The weather has been terrible here in the midwest but I took my bike with me on a business trip to the Chicago area this week. Tonight I rode about a 9-mile loop in the Busse Preserve. The sun was shining and but the wind was steady at 25-30 mph.
I only rode the fixie a few times last fall before the snow so this was my longest fixed ride. (Also my longest ride this season.) I started out riding into the wind in the first two miles, I thought I was going to die. As I turned away from the wind things picked up and I began to enjoy the ride. The ride was relatively flat but the 42x16 seemed a bit high. In the end I got into a rhythm, the hum of the tire and the cranks spinning reminded me of younger days on the bike.
I got back to my car at sundown. My thighs and calves felt like I'd been riding but they didn't hurt. I felt great!
Had I brought my road bike, I would have fought the headwind in my 38x24 not the 42x16. I would have glided through many of the sections and not had half as good a workout. I still love my road bike but now I love my fixie too.
I am at 335 lbs down from over 380. Most of the weight loss is due to swimming not cycling but last summer I started riding my bike again. It has been a while but I am not a newbie, I used to race, have done some long distance solo touring and even mountain biking.
I've been riding my Bridgestone RB-1 and in November, my wife bought me the fixie I have always wanted. She got me a Redline 925 with drop bars. I switched out the Redline saddle for Selle Italia Flight (in red to match the bar tape and Look Carbon pedals) and the tires for Avocet FasGrip 32's.
The weather has been terrible here in the midwest but I took my bike with me on a business trip to the Chicago area this week. Tonight I rode about a 9-mile loop in the Busse Preserve. The sun was shining and but the wind was steady at 25-30 mph.
I only rode the fixie a few times last fall before the snow so this was my longest fixed ride. (Also my longest ride this season.) I started out riding into the wind in the first two miles, I thought I was going to die. As I turned away from the wind things picked up and I began to enjoy the ride. The ride was relatively flat but the 42x16 seemed a bit high. In the end I got into a rhythm, the hum of the tire and the cranks spinning reminded me of younger days on the bike.
I got back to my car at sundown. My thighs and calves felt like I'd been riding but they didn't hurt. I felt great!
Had I brought my road bike, I would have fought the headwind in my 38x24 not the 42x16. I would have glided through many of the sections and not had half as good a workout. I still love my road bike but now I love my fixie too.