Rider of the Day 12

I hope this person got home before  it started raining.

This person was riding along with his kids in the trailer when I rode past this morning.

Words and photo by Ray Heinsman

Preparation is Key

Today I rode home in a pouring rain. Being that I am a rather smart individual, I decided to ask a coworker for a spare umbrella. I saw videos on You Tube in Asia where people used umbrellas with some success.

This may not have been the best idea. First off it was a pretty good storm with heavy wind, thunder and lightning. The umbrella blew out several times as the wind changed direction after passing each building. I got soaked.

Sure a poncho would be more successful - but i did not have my gear today. I should have looked at the weather channel before I left.
 

Rather then sulk, I decided to let you read about it and find the humor. I got soaked. My shirt and pants were stuck to my skin. My bag and all its contents were soaked. My shoes filled with water. Enjoy the pics.

Words and Photos by Ray Heinsman

Get Some

I didn't write about the second time I went because it was only marginally better then the first. The first ride of the year I felt like I was going to die almost the entire time. The second ride, only part of the time; but the third ride I aggressively attacked each obstacle and traversed the rolling landscape like an antelope (well almost).

It probably helped that I got there a little early. Because I had to pick the car up at the mechanic, I was prepared to go right at 4pm and arrived at the trail head just around 5pm. The earlier you leave, the better the traffic on the notorious DC beltway. I quickly unpacked my bike and tried my hand at photographing off road cycling enthusiasts as they headed back toward the parking lot. After finding a good spot with a roller and a log and lots of time to set up before they got there, I quickly realized this was far harder then it looked. The sun was low making light limited, my hands were shaky and I wasn't sure how people would react to a guy standing on the side of the trail taking their picture as they rode by. No one seemed to mind though and I learned a lot about photographing the high speed action of Mountain Biking.

After getting a couple of okay shots, I headed back to the parking lot to relax and converse with some of the new friends I was making since joining MORE and participating in the Thursday night ride at Schaffer. There were a lot of people here this time. We ended up breaking into three groups. I again rode with the beginner group. There was also an intermediate group and an expert group. Our group's ride leader, Bob, I had ridden with two times before; however everyone else was new. We had a great time. There was good conversation, camaraderie and support. We had an international traveller that was getting back on the bike for the first time in a while who kept riding even though he broke his pedal, a youthful lad totally new to mountain biking who did pretty darn well, and a nice young lady who just built up her pink Transition downhill rig and was dying to try it out for the first time. We all traversed the rolling countryside finding our moments of glory and pain and in the end rode longer then the previous two rides.

The best part about this 3rd ride was that I really started to feel comfortable on the bike. Two things were responsible for this improvement. First was preparation. I got a good nights sleep. I ate properly the day before getting a good amount of carbohydrates, H2O and protein while minimizing my intake of alcohol and caffeine. Doing the same the day of the ride, I also made sure to eat a bagel and put down 32 ounces of clean water between 1 and 1.5 hours before the ride started. I also warmed up and stretched before heading out. The other reason was that this was my 3rd ride of the season. It had been a couple of years since I had ridden off road and about 5 since doing so regularly. The bike was more predictable and felt lighter under my direction. I hopped over objects, even going uphill. One of the things I did to make this happen was putting more space between me and the person in front of me so I could attack these obstacles with the amount of momentum I wanted as opposed to riding at their pace. It makes all the difference in the world when you attack a hill aggressively on a bike like mine.

After we finished, there was good times to be had at the Dogfish Head Alehouse. We took over the patio outside and talked about riding, hobbies, interests, relationships; you name it. This activity has certainly become one of my favorite events of the week and I eagerly look forward to the next one as soon as it is over. This Thursday I would like to try to ride at a more advanced level. I am going to take it as I feel however, and write about it after it is over.

Ride hard everyone 

 Words and Photos By Ray Heinsman

Rider of the day #11

Rider #11 rides casually up the neighborhood streets as the sun starts to close out the day.

Performance

This is hilarious :)

The 10th Rider of the Day

This is it - the double digits - I have now photographed 10 people happily riding their bikes in the Silver Spring area. Todays rider has a sweet single speed fixie; and he rocked the track stand with authority.

words and photos by Ray Heinsman 

LUBE! ...it makes life better

Ever see someone riding their steed and hear squealing, screeching, ear piercing sounds? It's possible that their precious parts need lube. Without lube, they're all dry and dusty rubbing up on each other making grinding, squeaking and creaking sounds. When their parts are in this condition, they will have shorter, less enthusiastic, almost embarrassing rides. How do they solve this problem? Use Lube.

Lets first talk about different types of lube. There are typically two application types: drip and spray. My favorite lube is Tri-Flow. It has a tube that allows for deep penetration of those hard to reach parts. It is especially smart to use the drip for people who run disk brakes (picture 1) to keep from contaminating the rotors. I use the spray for those times when my ride is especially dirty. The powerful ejection of lubricant onto your parts blasts that nastiness away. Here is an example of the spray lubricant (picture 2). These lubes are wet lubes. There are also dry lubes that use a parafin wax and seal your precious parts from contamination. It is especially important to have your parts completely clean before applying this kind of lube.

How do I lube up? The most important thing is coverage. You want to put lube on each and every part, one part at a time. It takes a little longer then just spreading it all over the place, but it is well worth the extra effort. When you get lube all over everything, you end up with stains on your clothes and you will feel all greasy and nasty after each ride, even weeks later. Get the lube into each nook and cranny like your buttering an english muffin. The dry spot is the spot that creaks. After you are done applying lube, wipe off the excess (picture 3). This is just smart. When you ride with excess lube it will attract dirt and grime causing excessively fast wear and tear and grinding sounds will startup prematurely. Your parts are precious; treat them as such. Some people rush and lube once, but I like to repeat the process using the first round as a cleaning; wipe off the wet grime real aggressively and then re-lube the now clean surface.

What parts can I lube on? All moving parts - your chain links, dérailleur pivot shafts, and cable housings are good parts to lube up.

2 products I do not recommend for lubing: WD40 and motor oil. In the long run they do more harm then good.

Never Lube Your Balls. Grease Them. They require a higher viscosity to ride smooth. Stay tuned for a future article on this topic.

A lubed ride is a happy ride and a happy ride is the first step to ensuring that your ride will be fun for all. I hope this helps. Ride Hard

words and photos by Ray Heinsman

This article was also posted to the MORE website. To view their entertaining comments click here:
http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18379

Walking - Video Test

video by Ray Heinsman 

Rider of the Day #9

Have Yellow Shoes = Rider of the day #9

words and photos by Ray Heinsman  

Antiques & Collectibles: Vintage bikes are still in gear

Remember your first bike? That first bit of freedom you felt when you got your balance on those two wheels and started to pedal all around the neighborhood and onto new adventures?

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=31&a=450630

Paul Myhrom, owner of Honest Bike Shop in Rochester, says, "Prior to Honest Bike Shop's beginning in 1984, I worked for Herrick's bicycle store in Rochester while in high school, as well as maintaining the bicycle service at J.C. Penney back when (it) sold a lot of bikes."