HaHa! Around here this time of year, that is almost all you see, and older. But it is still considered bad form to stand in the Starbuck's line with a sweaty tight white kit.

That moment when you open your saddlebag and realize you've packed your wife's jeans

Lacey!

I took a long bike ride on Sunday and was sore yesterday (Monday), so I thought riding into work might be a bad idea. Plus it was raining. It turns out, I did loosen up by midday, and the rain didn't get heavy. So two bad reasons kept me off the bike.

So I rode in today. It was really, really nice. I'm starting a new routine. I got myself a backpack designed for cycling, and I put all my stuff in that. I rode my Lemond racing bike which I don't want to weigh down. A light bike with luggage might as well not be a light bike, and the backpack becomes sprung weight, so tossing the bike around is still easy. It was a lot of fun to ride. No rack, no fenders, no dynamo hub, which I usually ride with.

In a kind of mixed metaphor, rather than wearing cycling clothing, I wore street clothes. I rolled up my corduroy pants to the knees. I wore a wool t shirt under my dress shirt thinking hey maybe it will wick the sweat away. Damn, it did just that. I wonder if it will work well in hot weather. I'll try it. I did wear cleated cycling shoes, as they're best for the health of my feet.

Pretty close. Similar profile of the big bad one. Much better than the Seattle view IMHO. I grew up in University Place, and lived also in the Gig Harbor area and Lakewood at one time. That view reminded me of the Rainier view you get when you hit I-5 and 512 from Lakewood.

I don't miss the traffic there, but I do like that view! And western view of the Olympics at or near sunset.

I definitely agree. Also, re the traffic, good reason to bike-commute at least when I don't need to go north, which I do about once a week.

[MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] I always found wool was great in the heat, despite many people thinking it was foolish. Now wool is getting trendy for athletic wear.

This morning was a nice commute, my legs were a bit tired after our 16 km Sunday ride. I am not in the shape I used to be in.

Just curious, but which backpack and which Lemond? I used to have an early 2000's Malliot Jaune that I still miss. *sigh* I actually have a 53cm Buenos Aries from the same vintage. I just wish it was a 55cm... Might have to try selling or trading it.

Today's ride was nicer than yesterday's. No getting wet for the ride home this time. I got a front flat yesterday. Changed the tube and realized that it was due to me trying out the pipe wrap tape (as a rim tape). (slap forehead). So I went to the LBS on 110th St and bought the blue 22mm plastic stretchy rim tape from Schwalbe. Great stuff for wider rims like the Velocity A23. And for $2.50 you just can't go wrong...

[MENTION=25132]ptempel[/MENTION], this is my BF thread on the bike. It is a 53cm whereas my ideal size is 56 or 57cm, but I make it work. I might get a taller stem for it.



The bag is the Timbuk2 Especial Raider Cycling Pack which was on sale at REI.

Ah, yes. I forgot that your Ti bike was a Lemond. Really nice one that is. Was the Lemond Ti bikes built by Helfrich?

www.cyclingnews.com news and analysis

Edit: This thread post seemd to corroberate Gary Helfrich's involvment in the Ti bikes:

https://www.bikeforums.net/14024610-post12.html

Took a shortcut this morning - a singletrack mountain bike trail that shaves a couple of km off the trip but is substantially more difficult. I've tried it before but it didn't work out too well because I was on a fixed gear with slick tires and I kept spinning out on the slippery ascents. This time I was on a cross bike (with touring tires). I still had to walk up a section of hill because I didn't gear down in time and stalled, but otherwise it was okay. With the hard tires and rigid fork, my brain felt pretty rattled by the time I got back to pavement. I'll have to time both ways to see if I actually gain anything with the shortcut.

It was sunny and 72 degrees for the ride home today with a 15-20 mph tailwind most of the way. Why can't every day be like that?

Love commuting in Manoa, one of the only places in Honolulu that isn't a terrifying ride. Anyone familiar?

No, but wish I was. Love Hawaii.

It has a lot of things going for it, but commuting on your bicycle is not really one of them. The city has been trying to increase bike lanes but are doing it all ass-backwards. a two-way bike lane on a one-way avenue, for example.

Manoa is a valley and is where the university is located so things are a little more tranquil. Recommend checking it out next time you are here.

Yeah, I figured it out after I posted. I had never been to Honolulu, other than lay overs, before, but was there with my family for Thanksgiving a couple years ago. I saw that neighborhood and valley, but we did not go up into it. I enjoyed our stay there very much, but it looked like cycling could overall be challenging. At least in town.

We stayed out west at a Marriot resort that my Mom had booked. I really enjoyed hiking out way west to the far western point of the island, and Kaena Point State Park. Looked like maybe there could be some cycling out there.

Yea, Kaena Point is awesome. Cool that you made it all the way out there. A lot of of tourists never go further west than the airport. The North Shore (basically the other side of Kaena point, but not connect by a road) is another place to cycle. A couple shops on the island do rentals too, so maybe you could check that out if you are real interesting.

Commute was super foggy today. Saw a toilet seat on the side of the road.

-Shin

That's a good one. The best I can offer would be the morning I packed my wife's socks.

What did you do? Go back for your jeans? Or tough it out in hers?

-Shin

I enjoyed the North Shore too, but we were further east. We crossed by the big pineapple plantation and connected to the North Shore there. It was November and big waves, and we got to catch part of a big surf event over there, after a really touristy feeling tour of the cultural center that Mom wanted to do. And yeah, looked like there could be some cycling there. I have been most to Maui, and Kihei, but it was really fun to explore Oahu.

I liked it over there, and also really liked it way out west.

Fortunately I had a day-old pair in the filing cabinet

Brrr 45 degrees this morning.. no way I was wearing shorts this morning! Good tailwind at least!

Too funny.

I feel like I "gain" when I find a long-cut that adds mileage.

I've been lucky that my commutes have been between downpours this week. We've had a lot since Sunday afternoon, but I've had nothing more than a drizzle for my rides. It has been humid though. I am definitely more sticky at the end that I have been all winter and spring.

My formerly mild depression has been a bit worse this spring and early summer and so I haven't been riding as much as I would like, despite the fact that I know that it helps. However, I think it is turning around, I've had some good news recently that is helping because one of the items was something I was worrying about. I've ridden twice this week, a recreational ride last night in the nice warm late afternoon sun and I commuted to work this morning in 9C/48F, overcast and very light rain weather.

Feeling much better despite not getting as much sleep last night as I would have liked: I had to pick up my wife from work at 11:40pm so we didn't get to bed until after midnight and my alarm goes off at 6am (and if it isn't the alarm that wakes me, it's the dog or the two cats, wanting to be fed or let out).

The rest of this week also has rain in the forecast, in fact, if you believe long range forecasts, every day until June 3 has rain in the forecast, yuck!

There are days when I'm thankful there is a porta-potty north of the airport. Today was one of them.