Halfway to the train station this morning I thought to pat my pockets and found, to my alarm, I hadn't brought my keys. Promptly stopped and did a thorough check; indeed, no keys. Turned around, rode home, found my keys on the kitchen counter, and headed back to the station. I had missed my train, of course, but I caught the next one, a local, so I got some extra sleep. It was a nice morning to be out riding, with a bright moon high in the sky, though a little cold.
Originally Posted by
groovestew
Pretty hazy here too, but the smoke is all up high - couldn't smell it this morning, anyway. Cool (chilly in the low spots) and calm. Only two bike commutes this week.
A few days ago, [MENTION=73614]rhm[/MENTION] mentioned doing a 200K on a fixie this weekend. That kinda got the wheels turning in my head. The local randonneuring club has a 200K this w/e, and I've always wanted to try one fixed. My last 200 was over a year ago, though. My longest ride this year so far was 60 km. If I ride, I'll be riding solo. Weather looks decent for tomorrow. I dunno, should I go for it?
Of course you should! What could possibly go wrong?
But seriously.... It depends on how hilly it is! I've done fixed gear centuries around Long Island and southern NJ, and there's absolutely no reason to be intimidated by that. I've also done a fixed century or two in north-central NJ, where there's a lot more climbing, and that was a whole lot more difficult. There were hills that I could ride up at the beginning of the ride, that I had to walk up at the end.
My bike has a flip-flop hub. I usually use a 17t fixed cog on one side, with a 16t fixed cog on the other side (which I have not used much). So this week I changed the latter to an 18t freewheel. In fact this morning was my first tryout of the 18t freewheel. I felt a little slow; so I think for tomorrow I'll flip the wheel back to 17t fixed, knowing I'll probably switch back to the freewheel later in the day.