spokesNspin

Check out this Olympic story on sex verification.

We will not allow any posers in the games. The story says the nobody has ever been caught participating in games as female when they were in fact male. But it does include some rather strange incidents regarding the “parading nude” test and the difficulty of determining the sex of the person.

That is one job I think I would pass on.  I mean sure, I appreciate a fit nude female body as much as the next guy.  But really, this job could just get plain weird.

There are other strange jobs in the Olympics. I was living in Salt Lake City at the time of the Winter Olympics. I knew of one person who volunteered to work there. His job was to watch medal winners give urine samples and make sure that the sample was indeed from the correct person.

I guess you would get to meet all the winners. But would you shake their hand or ask for an autograph? Of course he could always tell his grand children that he spent a lot of time “hanging out” with Olympic Medal winners.

It is helpful for a bicycle commuter if their employer is supportive.  I am fortunate in that regard with the building of my current employer.

We have a very good place for parking our bikes.  It is in the parking garage.  That puts the bike out of the weather.  It is also in a building where only employees with ID badges are allowed.  They have also provided lockers at the racks where one can store bicycle gear.  There are two bars on the walls where a bicycle lock can be stored so you don’t need to haul it back and forth.  Here is what it looks like.

We have a gym in our building and employees are allowed to use the showers without being a member of the gym.  This is great for bicycle commuters and people who may want to take a lunch time run.

Just recently they have added this:

That is great that air is now available to pump up bike tires.  I appreciate the support that is given for bicycle commuting in my building.  But…

Does this encourage improper planning on the part of cyclists?

Being a responsible bicycle rider involves not only riding technique but also having the proper equipment for certain emergencies.   The collection of tools you should carry depends on your ride.  When I am doing a self contained bicycle tour I carry much more than if I am just taking a little spin near my home.

As a minimum, a bicycle commuter should have the skill and tools to take care of a flat tire.  There are many who don’t carry the tools and rely on the good will of fellow cyclists to help them out.  The required tools would be a pump, patch kit, and tire levers.  An extra tube is also useful. 

There are also lots of multi-tools on the market that would make any Swiss Army knife owner green with envy.  But I like to carry the Park MT-1.

As the description on the Park Tool web site explains, “The MT-1 is a high quality multi-tool that is uncomplicated, easy to use, and effective. “  I have found this to be very true and I have a bunch of multi-tools.  It is by far my favorite and it is about the least expensive.  You can buy it for under $10.00

Carey from A Women’s Prerogative recently posted a comment here asking about knee pain when bicycling.

I would like to answer her question by giving my opinion to a broader question.  

I am often asked what type of bicycle would be the best to buy. This question is more relevant as more people turn to bicycling as a way to save money.

I believe that if a person can only have one bike and they want an all around bicycle they should buy a road touring bicycle. 

This type of bicycle has a geometry that allows the rider to be more upright than other road bikes.  Almost as upright as a position that one would find on a bike with straight handlebars.  This is more comfortable for most people.  It has drop handlebars which gives a rider more hand positions.

Another advantage is that a road touring bike will generally accept a wider range of tire types and sizes.  Put on skinny tires for the road.  If you are inclined, put on a wider tire with more traction and hit a fire road.

Put a rack on it and you have a great bike for commuting to work or running errands.

You can do it all.

Now for the down side.

Your LBS(local bike shop) probably won’t stock one.  You may need to order it.  They will also probably try to talk to you out of it.  Most people just don’t get the advantage of these bikes.  I am not the only one that believe these are great bicycles.  There are well known bicycle writers who agree with me.

The other downside is cost.  Most major bicycle companies will only make one model of this type of bike. That means that the cost will start at around $800. 

You can get a hybrid type entry level bicycle at a LBS for $450.  The more you pay the more you get but there are limits.   There is a lot of difference in a $450 bicycle and a $750 bicycle.   By the same token going from a $1500 bicycle to a $2000 bicycle is probably not worth the extra money for most people.

More important than the type of bicycle to buy is where you buy it. 

Do not buy a bicycle from a department store, Walmart, Kmart etc.  It might be cheaper but even if the bike is the same bike the person who set it up probably didn’t know what they were doing.  There won’t be anyone there who can make sure that the bicycle fits or will be able to make adjustments so it fits.  They won’t have people with expertise on how to fit the bicycle.

The LBS will take care of your bike after the sale.   You can count on them to make adjustments for a few months after the sale free of charge. 

The brand probably makes very little difference if you are buying from an LBS.  They are all pretty much the same with the same components.  There might be little differences in the frame that might make one bike more comfortable for you than another.  So test ride more than one bike.  Most shops will carry more than one brand.

Don’t dicker over price.  Shops don’t generally negotiate.  It is my understanding that there is very little markup on bicycles.  The shop makes the money on the service department and accessories.

The most important thing is that the bike fits.  A bike that doesn’t fit will be uncomfortable and you won’t ride it. That is why the LBS is where you should go.  They will take time to ensure the fit.

So now to answer Carey’s question about knee pain when she rides her bicycle. 

The first thing to check if you have knee pain is the seat height.  Your leg should almost be fully extended when your foot reaches the bottom of the pedal stroke.  The seat shouldn’t be so high that when watching you pedal from behind one does not sees a rocking motion of the hips.

The fore and aft position of the seat will also make a difference.

You can google and go online to find more details on how the bicycle seat should be adjusted.  You can also go to your LBS and ask them to help.  If they are not busy they will likely be willing to help you out.

If your fit is correct from the seat standpoint another thing to think about is your pedaling.

Normally when riding you should be able to pedal comfortably at around 85 revolutions per minute.  The speed of your pedaling is called cadence.  If you are riding constantly in too big of a gear you could easily get knee pain.  In bike lingo a big gear is one that is hard to push.  A small gear is one that is easy to push. 

The bottom line is ride in a gear where you can pedal smoothly and easily.

If these two ideas don’t help I would recommend that you go to your LBS.   There are other possibilities but there is too much for this post.

I hope you can solve this problem and get out on your bike and enjoy the ride.

I was tagged by Bikenoob the other day.  Somebody tagged me once before.  But I was new to this and never saw the tag until the moment had passed. 

But this tag is bike related so the questions may be interesting.   So here goes.

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
I would have a steele frame road touring bike.  If a person can only have one bike that is the best bike to have. You can do anything on them.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not? 
New bikes are like sex.  It’s often not quite as good as you think it will be.  I have the bike I had been drooling over about five years.  It’s nice but not quite what I had imagined.  And there are still other bikes I would like. 

Oh, and the relating bikes to sex does not apply to my collecting more than one.  The question also asked why I am not getting it.  Now I am confused.  Are we talking about bikes or sex?  Why I’m not getting it is personal so I won’t say. Hmmm I can see where the direction of thought could go down hill really fast. 

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
The ride would start in Brigham City, Utah.  The first seven miles is a 1500 foot climb to the summit of Sardine Canyon.  It’s a rewarding and beautiful road.   Over the summit you drop into Cache Valley. From there ride along the western edge of the valley into Idaho. It is a beautiful ride. You can see across the farms and the valley to your right. On your left are continued farms that lead up to the Wellsville Mountain range. When you get to Idaho you have the same view except it is now the Oxford Mountain range. It is a great ride of about seventy miles.  Now you either need to ride back or find a place to stay.

When I lived in Bountiful, Utah I would ride from my house to my mom’s house north of Preston, Idaho via that route two or three times a year.  It was a 113-120 mile ride depending on the route.  Here is a pic taken on one of those rides.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride for the rest of her / his life?

Just let me again use the quote from the movie Ben Hur that I used in the earlier post.

“One God, that I can understand; but one bike? That is not civilized. It is not generous!”

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrowminded?

I ride both. Well sort of. I haven’t been on my mountain bike in a few years. I don’t care as much for mountain biking for a few reasons. I would rather hike a trail. You have to concentrate so much on the riding that you can’t enjoy the setting.

The other thing is I don’t care for what mountain bikes do to the trails.  I know you can ride responsibly.  But mountain bike riders are like riders of ATVs. The majority of people who are really into it just don’t have the word moderation and ride responsibly in their brains.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.
I never have but would like to try one. Those who ride them swear by them. I just swear that you really look like a geek when you ride one.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?
I never have tried. People tell me I should(referring to both triathlons and strangling myself). I say no for two reasons. My swimming sucks. Sucks mostly water and very little air. And training for three sports would take all the fun out.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?

Let me answer this by repeating a conversation I had once with my mother. I told her that if I ever got too old for bicycling or sex that life wouldn’t be worth living. My 80 plus year old widowed mother responded with, “You must not think my life is worth living”.

Why do I continue to relate sex and bicycles to each other?

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.
 Is it true that Tour de France riders can take a leak while riding? If it is how do they do it? If I learned how would I be arrested if I did it while riding through Old Town?  I don’t have answer to the first part.  But yes I think  could be arrested if I employed the acquired skill.  I think instead I will concentrate on learning how to do  a track stand.  Now that is really cool!
 

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?

I would ring my bell and call out “on our left”.

I don’t think I know three other bike bloggers that haven’t already been tagged.

Today for Friday Foto Fiesta I have the view from the living room window of the home where I grew up.

This window faces East.  When I was a young boy I liked to lie on carpet in front of this window as the sun would come up.  It would shine through the window and warm me up.  I would feel snug as a bug in rug.

That always made me think about how cats enjoyed a prime spot on a hay stack where they would bask in the sunshine.

The view from this window was always changing based on the season and time of day.  This picture appears to be early spring.  The fields look wet and there is still snow in the mountains.

The field outside the window was irrigated farm land.  During the season it might have alfalfa, wheat, barley or corn growing.  In my earliest years sweet peas or bush beans may have also been there. 

When corn was there, late in the season it would block much of the view.  That  made my mother cuss about how the corn ruined her view.

In the winter, livestock might be turned out in the field.  You would see 30 head of cattle or half a dozen horses grazing on crop aftermath.  On a cold day the livestock would be huddled up against the fence with frost on their hides and vapor from their breath floating in the air.

The field above the white house in the distance was dry land farming.  It would have a big field of wheat.  The blowing wind would make it look like a rolling sea.

The colors of the mountains in the distance also changed with the time of day and season.  The early morning  sun would come up over it as a giant orange ball.  In the evening, the  setting sun would shine on the slopes.  The mountains would slowly change through several twilight colors and shadows as sunset turned to nightfall.

I always thought those mountains looked colder with the first dusting of an early fall snow storm than they did completely covered in winter.

Look to the left and you can see the fence line for the road if you can’t make out the road.  Up the road a little way is an orange brick church.  You can see the white steeple.  

The back row is where many of the old people sat.   The women of  that generation all wore hats and white gloves to church.  The men on the other hand, were hatless.  It was just about the only time during the week they didn’t wear a hat.   It was a bunch of men with hair slicked back and the tanned faces, white brows and pale pates of men who worked outside on the farm the rest of the week.

They had done their best to scrub off a week’s worth of dirt.  Some of them still carried a slight smell that was an  aromatic cocktail of barnyard and chlorine milking parlor cleaner.

My brother and I often sat by grandma and she would entertain us by folding her hankie into a baby swinging in a cradle.  I carried on the skill and have done the same for my children.

That is the church of the faith of my youth.  The “Gospel” became such a big part of my life.  Now I question much of it but still can’t leave it.  It’s like a scratchy woolen blanket that irritates but provides comfort.

Look beyond the church and there is the red brick house of Grandma and Grandpa Talbot.

My brother and I probably walked thousands of miles in trips up that lane to see them.  Along the way we would throw rocks at the power lines.  When we managed to hit one we were rewarded with a very satisfying ping.

Once we found a dead frog and put it in the neighbor’s mailbox.  There was much to entertain along the way.

When mom served food we didn’t like she would make us sit in our chairs until we ate it.  She would finally give up and let us go but warn us about how hungry we would get before the next meal.

She knew that we would make a beeline up the road to Grandma where we would get some cookies and a good story.

Well that photo fiesta became rather sappy and sentimental.  I didn’t start out intending for it to be that way.  It’s just amazing how a picture can lead one to so many thoughts.

It is true that you can never go home again.