Dawg, well timed. This AMs commute was seasons coldest. We haven't even hit January:eek: NOAA says the early part of winter will be the worse. Hopefully they are right. Enjoy Texas.

Welcome Boson. I have dropped off quite a few old bikes down there. I keep telling myself to go help y'all build up a few. I promise to get down there soon. Charlie

Thanks! I'm at work (Towson) at the moment taking care of some last minute travel details, but I'll be leaving for the airport soon.

It looks like I may do some riding in Corpus after all. My brother has lined up a road bike for me--rental.

I spent last night packing my bag and stripping my TCR down. I'm bringing my iBike, pedals, saddle, shoes, and my normal warm weather riding kit. :thumb: Also, I'm bringing one of those Topeak Survival saddle bags (contains tools, patch kit, tire levers) stuffed with a couple extra tubes. A tube of ShoeGoo is coming with me on the trip, too. I'll use it to help anchor my iBike wireless mount, sensors, and pedal magnet for cadence.

It's going to be cool. I plan to send my rides to BiM as well. I'll try to get a lot of pictures of the trip.

L8tr, dudes!

I am in TX. Can not wait 2 get back on a bike. :not amused: Posting w/a cell phone sux.

It's been all of 12 hours since you road:) You'll have to teach me how to use a cell phone someday:innocent: I hear they are good for group rides.

You're probably getting the shakes. You better find a bike soon.

Folks w/ cold hands: I saw this post on backpacking light forum. It comes from a vendor that has a bunch of Outdoor Research gear/clothing etc. She apparently got them from a OR rep. They are new dealer samples. She seems to have good feedback on the site. Here's the forum site with a list of stuff for sale.
http://tinyurl.com/6owe3w
Here's her personal "for sale site" for gloves.
http://tinyurl.com/5p6cn8

If in the market I would give these a serious look. The Vario mitts(with finger) are no longer made and have always had a good reputation. The Zenith gloves also look good but pricey. The Alibi gloves look to have great dexterity and for Ice climbing...if only I had the $$$$ .

Hey Charlie, I'm in the same boat- keep meaning to help out those guys at Velocipede, but never do. Tell me next time you're thinking about heading there. We could make it a team effort. I have a nice 80's Jap. frame I was planning on donating, but it would be more fun to build it up an give it to them as a working commuter.

BTW I rode the On Again/Off Again century yesterday. Great route. Very cold temps. And, the ride successfully completes my 2008 century challenge. :beer:

Trip report and pics to follow.

Seriously let's try to invade Velocipede as a group.

Can u believe? 35f windchill 29f in TX. GRRRR!

Thx for making us not feel jealous. ;)

On Again/Off Again Trip report:

I woke up late. Like any responsible randonneur, I had stayed up late the night before drinking bourbon and watching horror movies. So, I’m out the door 2 hours late, at nearly 8AM and on the light rail to Hunt Valley. The first thing I do off the train is realize how freakin cold it really is. The second thing I do is get lost in that stupid business park area. I’ve got one bottle filled with water, the other I fill with hot coffee and I’m off.

The first leg is road riding up through Monkton to the trail at Blue Mount. It actually feels exciting to get onto the trail after 15 miles. However, the trail is kinda rutted and frozen and I grow a bit tired of the bumps. At which point, I’m back onto the road again. This experience repeats itself throughout the whole ride. As soon as I’m tired of one surface, I’m on to another. It works!

After a couple hours in the those temps, my water is freezing. The coffee is ice cold and beginning to ice. Hmm... not good- I’ve got to be drinking. There’s only one thing to do- and I shove the bottle down my pants. (if you’ve never done this before, it most definitely rivals strong coffee for a wake up). Luckily, this plan works out ok and for the rest of the ride, I’ve got a bottle in my pants. (or are you just happy to see me)

All of the small historic towns are great to go through and I realize that having to come back to the trail leads me through some of the nicest sections of B’more county. You don’t see enough of the old downtowns from the trails and you often see only farmland when you are away from the old train lines. Once in PA I’m enjoying downtown New Freedom (my first food/coffee stop), then Glen Rock (beautiful town), I got my self a little bit lost around New Salem, and then up to York. I wanted to see a bit more of York as I’d never been there, but it was already afternoon and I had a long ride back. Got lunch, more coffee, took a ****, then off to the trail- the PA Heritage Trail, that is.

South on the Susquehanna Trail road was hectic with cars and tractor trailers so I might re-route this section. However, other than this and one confusing cue, the route was a good one. I cleared the PA line, but my sunlight was fading and I realized I wouldn’t be finishing this in daylight. By the time I hit Middletown rd. I was in darkness. I stopped one more time for some last replenishments and a call to Teresa. Clicked on the Fenix and the Kogswell’s dynamo lights and took off for the last leg. Speaking of legs, those last few road miles along Bernoudy, Big Falls and esp. Hicks rd. were kicking my butt by now. But hey, now I’m back to the trail. Well, I tested the “not after dark" rule and didn’t get arrested. The temps had dropped from the mid 20’s to the low 20’s and I can’t imagine any ranger would’ve give a ****. Back into Hunt Valley before 6PM and hopped on the light rail to Hampden.

I have to say: if you’re into exploratory rides, this is a really fun one. I’m going to tweak it a bit, but I’d love to ride this again with you guys in the spring. And as far as heat and comfort goes: my face was cold because I didn’t bring my balaclava, my hands got painfully cold after breaks- then slowly warmed up to completely comfortable after 30 mins, and my feet were mildly cold all day- never in bad pain, but never comfortable. And then there’s that bottle in my pants. ;-) -GB

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/...4c26f7.jpg?v=0
Crunchy snow

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/...ff2507.jpg?v=0
The Howard Tunnel

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/...dfd360.jpg?v=0
Fading light

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/...d3f89b.jpg?v=0
The last eight miles

More pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2797683...7610892400771/

GB-Great trip report. I briefly thought of calling you to join the ride but had to stick close for work.
I've ridden the NCR the 80 mile rounder into York a few times, tedious, but your route solves that problem.
The pics are great.

The NCR must have been pretty cool after dark. That pic reminds me of how in August I was riding from the NY/Canada border to Plattsburgh, about 25 miles in pitch dark. I could only see about eight feet in front of me. It was fun and spooky at the same time. Big wide NY State shoulders.

You certainly have the spirit of a Randonneur . Paris Brest Paris 2011

Velocipede-I too have been meaning to get down there, have a bag of old 105 stuff to drop off.

Bob. Thanks 4 the report!

Bob, Barry and Harry and everyone else that wants to:We can organize a bikeforums velo-coop night. I believe the Brewers Art is just down the street.....coincidence, I think not. Was meant to be.
Bob: I can't believe you rode(for fun) on Monday. It was friggin cold. Really cold. Miserable might be a good description of that day. Very nice pictures and ride description. I believe you and NR have some masochistic tendencies. His trip report from his last ride sounded equally hellish. No wonder he ran away to Texas.

Edit: bottle in your pants....

That's normal weather for your rides. We had a balmy 52F today. I rode home in a poly top with a light jacket, no balaclava and light gloves. Hope your weather improves, we are getting rain tomorrow. Enjoy NR

I hate to ask but curiosity's got the best of me. How do you sit on the saddle with a bottle in your pants? Oh, reminds me, came across this little challenge while spending too much time surfing and not riding. Iditarod bike race in Alaska, in February!!! Now that's masochistic.

http://www.alaskaultrasport.com/race_stats.html

I walk from my house to my garage, about 80 feet and say damn I'm not riding in this!

A century a month, that's a damned fine achievement. I should try for that in 09. Maybe it should be a 200k every month?

I like the Velocipede-Brewer's Art idea. Set a date.

Got off my trainer and got out yesterday for hill repeats 1200 feet in 12 miles, up and down. Also did a spin class in the a.m over at Meadowbrook. Without the commute to compel me to ride I need to find other ways to get some training in and stay close to my studio.

mckinney is cold and windy/: corpus is 85f! Lol

Okay, I've already broken one of my goals of 09, to spend more time in the saddle than online. But it's still 08 so here goes.

I couldn't resist posting this blog from Alaska as a motivator for you intrepid commuters. I will re-read this every time I think it's too cold to ride. Imagine repeated tube failures at -40 and then having to change those tubes in -40

http://dwb.adn.com/outdoors/story/46...-4599504c.html

Well Harry, if you want details: the bottle goes down the back and nestles rather nicely between the cheeks. BTW you might remind yourself of this if we're ever out riding together and you're running low on water :eek:

Anyway, I also love to follow the Iditabike race. Aside from the bitter cold, riding it in winter is probably better because the riding surfaces are too sloppy in warmer weather. Iditabike is cool, but it's really a bit impractical IMO for bikes as the riders frequently carry their bikes on foot for long stretches through snow too deep to ride on.

My favorite ride to follow is the Great Divide Race. 3000+ miles from Canada to Mex. The organizing is fairly loose because the riders are so far apart and so far away from civilization that they can't easily be tracked. The riders call in at checkpoints. All of it is totally self-supported. The organizer puts most of the call-ins up on their website. Love it. Encounters with cougars, poisonous snakes, weird mountain man survivalists, 1/4 mile road wash-outs, blizzards, baking heat, sand storms. These people are un-freakin-believable. An incredibly tough woman from England, Jenn Hopkins completed this year's ride on a single speed!!! Half way through the ride she lost all of her energy and could barely move. She had a digestive bacteria that was nearly killing her. She managed to get herself to a hospital and 24hrs later she's back on the ride and finishes in good time. I can't even begin to understand what level of mental stamina that takes. At the end of the ride, she's gushing about how beautiful all the scenery in the American west is. She's my hero.

-GB

I'll work on this. I'll ask Velo what days are best for a flock(or is that a gaggle) of cyclist to descend on them. Sometimes they can be really busy. Do you guys prefer to wait until after the holidays? The are open some weekday evenings and Sundays. Might be open at other times.

So where are you, cold and windy or 85!!!
We are baking right now, 62F pre-dawn temps for AM commute. I was overheated w/ only poly top and my lightest jacket. The way this weather is going I will be in peedos by weeks end:eek: Ain't feeling like Christmas. over 40degrees warmer today than Monday.

Sounds like rusty water. :D

I really want to ride the great divide trail(not in a race). It's one of the first things I will do when I retire. That lady sounds tough. I don't know what makes people able to push themselves to that extreme. I do appreciate it watching them. They should compare the chemistry of people who do the extreme races to couch potatoes. Find out what is different, bottle it and sell in over the counter.
Why didn't you do your ride today. Well if you had the TR would not have been so much fun to read.

And if we ever have the opportunity to camp-do not drink out of the blue Nalgene bottle sitting just outside my tent.

I should have known you were savvy to all that extreme cycling business, now just a matter of time before we see you on the divide. I did an Adventure Cycling Montana trip with my brother, summer 07. This is where I met my friend Bennett who Isaias knows and who I'm sure we'll be joining one of our rides soon.

While getting our bikes together outside Glacier Cyclery I met a couple who had come down off the divide trail, I believe it starts just north of Whitefish. They looked trashed and were not too enthusiastic about riding back onto the trail. Montana was experiencing a pretty intense heat wave at the time. As I recall they were pulling a Yaak trailer. I've been dreaming of doing that trail ever since it opened, one of many dreams.

Depends on the cell phone...

iphone FTW