Well, the handle bar padding survived this morning's commute without falling apart on me--a good thiing.

Here's the bike "in the wild":

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...304090640a.jpg

I still haven't seen your pictures. Work must block them. Water pipe insulation is good. I use to use it but haven't recently. I may resort back to it. My hands took a beating this morn' When I ride bike 1 I have no hand problems but when I get to bike 2 the cold sets in. Bike 2 sits out all night in the bike box so everything is really cold. This AM 9F. Even with my mountaineering gloves my hands felt cold. I may give you insulation pipe a try. I don't know about you guys but this winter is getting friggin' old.

I was at Walgreen's yesterday and I saw a package of microfiber cleaning cloths. This stuff is really soft. So, I thought to myself, "Hey, this may make some good insulative padding for the handlebars!" So, for $4, I bought a pack that contains 4 - 16" x 16" cloths.

The first one, I cut in half and used Gorilla Tape to mount each to the tops of my handlebars.

The second cloth I used, I cut a hole by a corner, slid it over the left shifter/brake actuators, wrapped it around the hoods grabbing a fist's length above the hoods and cutting it off there. Then, I wrapped and taped it in place. Ditto for the right shifter.

So, now I have cloth covered hoods and top tube that insulate my hands from the alloy handlebars more than just bar tape. Same for the hoods. There's some places on the hoods that just suck the warmth right out of your fingers.

This weekend looks to be the one to enjoy a long ride, but sunday doesn't work out on my sched.
So on Monday, I am planning to dry run another new one I whipped up on bikely last weekend.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/257632
I'd like to try to encorporate some of the trails in Patuxent S.P. Anybody ridden off road down there?
-GB

NR Finally saw your bike pictures. It looks like a wound patient. All it needs is some red dye coming through the white fabric.
GB: looks like a nice ride. Got some hills for sure. Rt144(Frederick rd) has better shoulders than rt99(old Frederick rd.) BUT rt99 is more scenic. Rt144 ain't bad though. Wish I could ride w/ you but moving the parents and need to take off 1.5 days for that.
Where's Harry? Arizona?

What you talkin' about, Willis?! :notamused:

<j/k>

Nah, I'm here, just lurking. I do have plans to go to AZ on the 15th, cheap flight, tent, etc.

Of course my schedule changes daily, canceled my original date of Feb 15th. If work comes in I can't just take off for the desert.

Pulled something in my back so barely able to move this a.m. It went yesterday so rested, did an indoor bike class this a.m and now it spasms again. It may be from throwing my son up and catching him or the swimming I've been doing....or all of the above plus age!

My money's here. :D

Drink plenty of beer--reduces muscle spasms so I was told.

(http://www.emofaces.com/en/emoticons...l-emoticon.gif x 6) x 4 / day

+1 welcome to the club. Rock climbing has cured all back problems though. If NR is correct I guess it could be all of the homebrew
NR Willis?? If it is a pop culture joke then I am clueless? Or is it the name of your bike:eek:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/coleman85sm.jpg <-- The Gary Coleman character on the sitcom "Different Stroke" used to say that to his brother, Willis, all of the time.

Actually, I guess it was, "Watchoo talkin' about Willis?" WAV file here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/sounds/arnold1-11c.wav

I am doing the happy dance in a big way over this weather forecast!!

Mindful of my resolution to actually ride with the BBC once in a while :o, I responded to Eli's Facebook invitation (gotta support the youngster's efforts to get more youngsters involved -- though, being an oldster, I don't know how much help *I* am :D) for the club's "social" 10-12 ride from Marley Station Mall to Sandy Point State Park on Saturday. I've ridden there by myself several times, but never did a lunch stop at Red, Hot, and Blue. I'll start from my place, so it should end up being about 50 miles.

Yeah, I need to do some riding with the BBC and the SPP, but when DC RAND calls for back-to-back centuries in places that I don't mind driving to,... well, I'd rather get 200 miles in for the weekend than maybe only 100.

Strange, though... haven't seen anything from Crista, yet, about this weekend regarding DC RAND rides.

I would really like to do some of those Chuck-and-Crista weekend rides, but it's still a little too early in the year for me!

I don't suffer from back trouble, just a pull of some kind. It happened once years ago after breaking up some concrete. It'll stop you in your tracks though.

Looks like a back-to-back century weekend from our DC RAND friends:

http://dccenturyrides.blogspot.com/2...day-march.html

Have fun.

I'll get out tomm evening from about 3-630, maybe head from here to havre de grace, haven't done that in a bit. I'd like to get in 50 miles or more.
Tommorow I'll head out to Perf to get some new shorts(maybe perf perf elites or PI), mine have a peekaboo hole in the front (perf century), ok in the winter (w/pants over), not ok in the spring.

Only in Maryland do we go from a low of 8 to a high of 75 in 5 days. Next 5 days were about 60 or over everyday, please please please stay there.

B. A. Utiful.

Wish I could cash in the ride you owe me and go with, but alas- life calls.
Enjoy the hell out of it NR.

Glad to see the forum quiet today- means y'all are riding.
Gimme some ride reports quick before I keel over here at work.

Off topic thought: ever thought about riding from B'more to NYC?

I have. -GB (giving way to unhealthy fantasies while still at work on a beautiful day)

In a day? (I think about these things too.)

Yes on NY
 

You crack me up. I was going to ride up to NYC last July for a conference but took my bike on Amtrak instead because of time constraints. I have the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast Route maps which have that route, but of course you would want to map your own, I mean of course.
You could really craft a nice route going up through Bucks County, over to Jersey at New Hope and Lambertville, up through Princeton and then into my old stomping grounds. Used to live in Metuchen NJ.
Gets a little interesting as you head north of there, but you're a fan of urban riding. The Ac maps take you into Newark where you take the Path train in. I would say ride all the way to Jersey City, great skyline view (used to live there too, pre 9/11)Take the Path from there, still $1.00 I think and they allow bikes no problem. Alternately you could ride up to the GW bridge which I believe has a bike lane and stunning views. Of course once in NY you would want to circumnavigate the island, ride through Times Square, and of course do loops in Central Park, which I did last July, great fun, and hilly.

Here's an idea-Ride up for the Five Borough Bike Tour in early May, did this tour a couple times, once with my son. It's a huge ride and can be frustrating when you bottleneck through the boroughs, but a thrill to see Ny taken over by thousands of cyclists. You get to ride through CP, over the Verazano Bridge and then take the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan. More info than you need-but I would be into it.
http://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/fbbt/index.html

I did ten easy miles today to test out my back, over on Bellemore,etc. Hardest part was swinging my leg over the bike. Helps you concentrate on using the legs and not the BACK! Serious flipping pain!

Tomorrow I will be doing a coffee run ride with a small group that I began riding with back in the fall, very easy pace. We meander down through Hampden, Druid Hill, down to the fort then over to Fells Pt for coffee. A good easy workout as I will be in low resistance. GB-We roll down through Hampden at around 8-8:30 (time adjusted after moving forward) so call if you want to do a slow ride, though sometimes they get frisky. I may extend the ride and go north a bit on the return if I have time and my back doesn't freeze up.
I think you have my cell#.

One thing I was thinking about was using the trail from Trenton to New Brunswick and then take the train from New Brunswick to Manhattan.

Ride Report Saturday

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=27183

Got started about 3pm from my house, First thing I noticed is how much more comfy the new PI attack shorts were, very nice, much better than the Performace Century shorts. Wife saw the $70 price tag, she started on me. She did calm down once I told her I bought them w/a gift card. Even w/o the gift card they would have been worth every penny.

I headed on out to Rt 40, hit a new top speed going down the hill on Rt40 from Days Cove Rd, I was sitting at the top of the hill @ a red, it turned green and all the cars were gone, no cars behind me, I took the lane (which is wrong because 40 is a 55mph rd, but I don't want to do 40+ on a shoulder w/glass and bumps), I pedaled got the RPM to over 120 and looked at the speedo, 42.8mph, yipee. Once I got to the bottom I got back onto the shoulder. I did make fairly good time getting out there, I avg 19 for the first 15 miles, Avg 18.1 once I got out that was with a crosswind of about 10mph or so, my leg strength up hills felt really good,speeds looked good and higher than normal. I headed back so so so hoping to get out of my "all rides over 30 miles avg speed 17mph" rut. I thought my chances were good, I downed a gel and headed back, noticed the wind felt stronger now, Then I hit the days cove hill going up, stayed in high gear for a bit then once the increase hit, down I went 13-12-11-10mph, uh oh. I stayed around 10 but did do some accelerations to 13 for a few seconds. I crested and decided to try a different way home, I headed up Ebenezer to Vincent to the Rt 40 trail, NO people on the trail at all???? I did not even see 1 other rider on the road yesterday. I did make it home safe and sound no problems w/drivers, one group of kids in long white t-shirts riding bmx bike across the back river bridge said "give me your bike" as I passed doing about 20. What is it with kids now, must they be so dumb and even bother saying something like that? Oh well.

I could tell on the Days cove hill that I haven't done much climbing the last 2 months. All this running to the harbor and back kinda spoiled me.

2 hours 10 minutes
17.1mph
100 cad
42.8 top speed
39 miles

I do have an another ride today planned, couple miles on the BA trail w/the wife and kids around 5pm.

Be safe.

Hopefully I'll see some of you guys out Glenelg tuesday night, I'm hoping to get with the fast group and hang on for dear life for 35 miles.

Just to let you all know I'm getting ready for my first ride after surgery ... to DC for the National Bike Summit. I know I'm crazy but after walking around for all this time I really think its going to be the easiest way for me to go. Wish me luck in trying to get funding for on-road bike facilities in Maryland.

Way to go Barry-give 'em hell.

A good article in the Times that expresses the idea of improving cyclist relations with peds an motorists. ie: running lights etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/ny...y&ref=nyregion