Met three of my riding buddies for a very nice 50 mile ride. The wind picked up quite a bit during the second lap but it was all good. :)

Way too windy to ride Saturday - at least 3 trees down in our neighborhood and we counted 6 bradford pears down just on one edge of the perimeter of a nearby addition.
Today, though, was merely windy. Ten miles with headwinds - no problem for a bike powered by two - but then ten miles on the return with lots of tailwinds. And sun. Nice.

Dropped my old (as in ancient) desktop computer at a friends palace, he's building me a better one, so I took the bike in the car and explored new paths where the downtown Reno people ride for 10 miles. Then I went to part of my usual ride for 9 more. 19 miles on the Allez. By the second ride I could have been in shorts and bike shirt. Getting warmer.

2016: 892 Miles ♂ 2013-16: 10,489 Miles
Allez 339/2770 · Roubaix 364/2896 · Sirrus 112/2147 · Trike 77/1660



A human brain weighs about three pounds. (I know a few people that might have 2 1/2 ozs.)

168.8 mile Cross Florida is complete!!!! 18.8mph moving average thanks to groups I hooked up with. Next year a little preparation for the ride should help make it more enjoyable along with some local riding buddies joining in. Sag stops were well supplied and dinner was AWESOME!!!!

128 miles for the week, yep, I ride less in a week than some of the mile eaters ride in a day, sad on my part, so sad.:notamused:

At least the winds weren't harsh today, the whole week had been windy. Nice to ride where it didn't bring you to a complete stop when it was a head wind. Now if it will warm up to spring temps....

Bill

Yes, those winds on Saturday were something else. I heard after my ride, that the highest measured wind gust in the St. Louis area was 49 mph! I chose a mostly sheltered MUP route for my upwind leg of my ride because of that, but seeing all the debris on the MUP, I started wondering if I shouldn't be on the lookout for branches/entire-trees falling on me without notice!

Fortunately for me, during the open-field segments of my upwind ride, the winds were mostly gust/lull cycles, so I could make progress easily, after hunkering down into gusts in the lowest gear, so I'm glad I didn't leave the bike at home, for what was an unexpectedly nice ride.

A sunglasses day in Seattle
 

.....better take advantage. Winter weather advisory in the mountains for the next couple of days.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513533

Rode 33 miles on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, with a break halfway for a street fair. On the one hand, my right wrist and butt are complaining about the lowered handlebar position. On the other hand, Cyclemeter says I'm peaking around 18 mph on some mile splits where I used to ride 12 mph. On the third hand, I'm not ready to attribute that to the lowered handlebars. Might be less wind, might be better conditioning, might be the beers at the street fair.

That's funny - you went with a lower bar position, and I changed out my Lauterwasser for a Porteur in order to raise the grips. After the beating my body took racing motorcycles, I can't ride in the hunched-over speed monkey position anymore. Here's the new setup:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...psyiuveqza.png

Took it out for a longer ride yesterday, and it is much more comfortable. And since I don't measure speed or distance, it's simply a positive change that allows me to spend more time on the bike. :)

Colorado River Road.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513662

A nice 37 miles with two of my riding buddies. Nice weather and hardly any wind, for a change.

a couple of domanes out for a date
 

Played tourist today and toured all the sights.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513681

1st Kiwanis Coffee Riders group ride of the season. So I rode a few miles with them then took off on my own at a much faster pace (even on the Sirrus) :commute: 18.6 1:42 cool but warming miles.

2016: 910 Miles ♂ 2013-16: 10,508 Miles
Allez 339/2770 · Roubaix 364/2896 · Sirrus 131/2166 · Trike 77/1660



In 1907, an ad campaign for Kellogg's Corn Flakes offered a free box of cereal to any woman who would wink at her grocer. And now look at what they'll do for a Klondike bar!

My two riding buddies, snow and sleet, kept me from riding to work today.

You need to find some new riding buddies. Hopefully not thunder and lightning.

Your bike is a work of art. The Porteur fits right in. Thanks for the picture.
I didn't ride today. Immobilized with lower back pain. :cry: Don't think it relates to bar position, though.

Road across a couple of town, caught the ferry in Seattle, and staying a few days on Bainbridge Island.

I'm not sure I'll keep the lowered bar setup. It was really uncomfortable Sunday, even stopping every 5-10 miles to stretch. I'm going to raise the quill stem a bit (it's a long stem, with at least 3" of elevation to play with) and try another long ride this week. If it's still uncomfortable I'll flop the bar back to the original position. I'm not sure the slight decrease in wind resistance and increase in pedaling efficiency uphill is worth the discomfort. Too many injuries years ago, and I'll probably have to make concessions and accept being slightly slower in order to ride farther. I enjoy the longer rides for the experience, not for the speed or competition against any personal best.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513712http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513713http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513714http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513715http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513716

Rode downtown and back on my MTB, which was just a mile all-told, but 22 degrees! Yow! With just a long sleeve shirt and a fleece, it was brisk. Maybe check the thermometer next time?

That's kind of what I'm planning on doing for my MTB, which is my workhorse. I see that you are using a 40mm? riser bar, inverted. Good idea. I'm looking for a natural hand position at below-armpit level.
I'd like to see it when you rise the stem.

I'm not sure about the bar type, but that sounds right. It's the stock Globe Carmel bar, flopped and reversed. In this position it's shaped almost identically to the K&N bar I put on my Honda VT500 years ago, which was comfortable... back then! But that was pre-neck injury. I like the grip angle, but it's a bit too low at the moment. I'll try again later this week and rephotograph it.

If you look at the quill stem (photos 4 and 5) there's a black magic marker line indicating the lowest position. It can go at least another inch higher.

Thanks for the beautiful photos. What a cool place to live... wait - that can't be Seattle. It's not raining!

[QUOTE=canklecat;18663935]I'm not sure I'll keep the lowered bar setup. It was really uncomfortable Sunday, even stopping every 5-10 miles to stretch. I'm going to raise the quill stem a bit (it's a long stem, with at least 3" of elevation to play with) and try another long ride this week. If it's still uncomfortable I'll flop the bar back to the original position. I'm not sure the slight decrease in wind resistance and increase in pedaling efficiency uphill is worth the discomfort. Too many injuries years ago, and I'll probably have to make concessions and accept being slightly slower in order to ride farther. I enjoy the longer rides for the experience, not for the speed or competition against any personal best./QUOTE]

You have discovered the same truth I have, in my fifties with all those old injuries coming back to haunt me. Comfort is King. If you can pull that off with style, you are doing it Right.

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get better soon, riding season is here!

Thanks. This is a recurring problem for me. It is like a pinched nerve or something, that causes rather major pain if I go from standing to lying down, or vice versa. I do plan on riding to work tomorrow. Probably should get evaluated before I retire, though.

Best wishes.