Cycling Thread 2

[Northendzone]

personally i always find the first 20k the toughest. But once you are in a cadence, the k's just add up.

the canal path is decent, although it can be a pain to deal with the gates that prevent you from going full bore across a road.

i like 1A to do a long ride. of course changing weather on a long ride is always a variable

[Hack&Lube]

Is the Canal path this one? https://www.alltrails.com/explore/tr...bar-static-map

Any other good cycling map resources aside from https://www.alltrails.com/ ? For some reason searching Calgary and >25km doesn't show the Canal path or other routes. I guess it was classified under Rocky View.

I recently got Strava but the free version only has short segments available in the routes section.

[stone hands]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

When I did the RTCC, I had my top tube bag full of gummy bears and I would just snack on them as I went.

I want to do a 100K but I couldn't convince any friends to start road biking this year, plus they couldn't even buy bikes at all and my only concern is if get into a break down or puncture while I'm in a remote area as I've tried replacing my tube before at home and just couldn't do it and had to go to a shop.

Maybe it's time to go tubeless for solo riding safety?

I'd highly suggest taking an afternoon to watch a variety of different youtube videos to try different methods of replacing tubes. It's a pain in the ass but it's an indespensible skill because one day you will get a flat, and walking your bike home sucks.

Tire levers really help to get the final 5% of the bead inside the rim, I recently got some new gator skins and while it does seem impossible at first, you'll get it on there

[habernac]

Ridewithgps.com has some routes, too.

Take a bike mechanic course in the fall to learn basic repair stuff like tire tubes, etc. You'll get more comfortable with practice.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Is the Canal path this one? https://www.alltrails.com/explore/tr...bar-static-map

Any other good cycling map resources aside from https://www.alltrails.com/ ? For some reason searching Calgary and >25km doesn't show the Canal path or other routes. I guess it was classified under Rocky View.

I recently got Strava but the free version only has short segments available in the routes section.

Yes, that's the one. If you start up by Confluence Park you should be able to make it a ~100km round trip, plus you get the nice sections of path all the way down Nose Creek.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Is the Canal path this one? https://www.alltrails.com/explore/tr...bar-static-map

Any other good cycling map resources aside from https://www.alltrails.com/ ? For some reason searching Calgary and >25km doesn't show the Canal path or other routes. I guess it was classified under Rocky View.

I recently got Strava but the free version only has short segments available in the routes section.

I'm not sure where in the city you live, but I'm down in McKenzie Towne. This is the route I do when I want 100km with a Res and Chestermere loop.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1164743905

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by habernac

Ridewithgps.com has some routes, too.

Take a bike mechanic course in the fall to learn basic repair stuff like tire tubes, etc. You'll get more comfortable with practice.

Good idea, I didn't think about this. Any recommendations? I see there is one offered by Bow Cycle. https://www.bowcycle.com/articles/se...chool-pg84.htm

There's one on the 25th/26th at U of C where it's 2 days and you work on your own bike.
https://www.ucalgary.ca/ActiveLiving...n/Program/1504

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

When I did the RTCC, I had my top tube bag full of gummy bears and I would just snack on them as I went.

I want to do a 100K but I couldn't convince any friends to start road biking this year, plus they couldn't even buy bikes at all and my only concern is if get into a break down or puncture while I'm in a remote area as I've tried replacing my tube before at home and just couldn't do it and had to go to a shop.

Maybe it's time to go tubeless for solo riding safety?

Just ride man. Don’t overthink the tubes vs tubeless. Most folks I know are still on tubes and we do long rides both solo and as groups. Just have a small repair kit, know what’s to do with it, and be prepared. These days with a cell it’s usually easy enough to call for an emergency evac on those super rare occasions.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

There's one on the 25th/26th at U of C where it's 2 days and you work on your own bike.
https://www.ucalgary.ca/ActiveLiving...n/Program/1504

I took this one and it was a game changer in terms of my confidence doing my own bike work. Being hands on with your own bike is the key. You pull it apart and put it back together again. They even get you pulling out the bearings for a regrease.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by KTrain

I took this one and it was a game changer in terms of my confidence doing my own bike work. Being hands on with your own bike is the key. You pull it apart and put it back together again. They even get you pulling out the bearings for a regrease.

Mmmm lost bearings...


I always like doing this on my deck, which inevitably leads to a few escape balls between the slats.

[ken0042]

Speaking of the Canal Path- I just got off the phone with the city. I had put in a 311 request to see if the worst sections could be fixed; especially the Glenmore to Barlow section where there are paths cut into the grass where people go off the main pathway.

Apparently because the canal is under provincial jurisdiction, the city has been trying to get the province to fund the pathway. However the province seems to think it's the city.

I think I'll stop and take some pictures the next time I go and contact my MLA; who is also the transportation minister.

[Kybosh]

For increasing cycling distance, I found it just sort of happened organically for me. I started out with a goal of commuting to work by bike while also prehabbing and rehabbing my major knee surgery. At that time my commute was around 11km each way. Then I slowly started adding distance to the commute if I had the time or desire. Things like "taking the long way home around the reservoir" and making that 11km to 30km. Eventually I started just doing rides for the sake of rides which were unrelated to my commute. I think I did my first century ride a couple of years ago but I usually now average about one per month. I agree that it's not overly difficult to do 100km as long as you're prepared with water/food and pace yourself. I find the bigger thing with the longer rides is that I honestly just get bored. I like to do lots of different physical activities and cycling is just one of them, so I don't want to spend all my time on the bike.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Good idea, I didn't think about this. Any recommendations? I see there is one offered by Bow Cycle. https://www.bowcycle.com/articles/se...chool-pg84.htm

There's one on the 25th/26th at U of C where it's 2 days and you work on your own bike.
https://www.ucalgary.ca/ActiveLiving...n/Program/1504

Originally Posted by KTrain

I took this one and it was a game changer in terms of my confidence doing my own bike work. Being hands on with your own bike is the key. You pull it apart and put it back together again. They even get you pulling out the bearings for a regrease.

Agreed with Ktrain here. I love bikes, but was never a confident mechanic. I can do most basic stuff. I got out of my comfort zone this summer and did some more complicated things. Park tools Youtube is absolute gold for showing step by step stuff.

[Ryan Coke]

Yes! Calvin from park tools, hah!

Lots of great videos for how to stuff.

And for dealing with flats, what worked for me was getting lots of them, which ensured I got lots of practice, and discovered all the possible ways I could screw it up. So now I’m pretty good, and I’ve also now gone tubeless (after more flats in an event this year).

BTW, I’d suggest not using tire levers to put the tire on. That’s a good way to perforate the tube you just replaced.

[KTrain]

Bike thieves are the worst and deserve what they get.

NSFW I guess...

NSFW!

[JohnnyO]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Is the Canal path this one? https://www.alltrails.com/explore/tr...bar-static-map

Any other good cycling map resources aside from https://www.alltrails.com/ ? For some reason searching Calgary and >25km doesn't show the Canal path or other routes. I guess it was classified under Rocky View.

I recently got Strava but the free version only has short segments available in the routes section.

I use this a lot to figure out distances and you can overlay cycling routes too I think.

https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

[Northendzone]

too bad they could not hook that bike up to some live electricity.

annoys me to no end when i see "cycling enthusiats" on facebook selling multiple bikes (and phones, tools, sunglasses) for below market value or the bike has clearly been parted out

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Is the Canal path this one? https://www.alltrails.com/explore/tr...bar-static-map

Any other good cycling map resources aside from https://www.alltrails.com/ ? For some reason searching Calgary and >25km doesn't show the Canal path or other routes. I guess it was classified under Rocky View.

I recently got Strava but the free version only has short segments available in the routes section.

try using trailforks as it is more cycling oriented and it has the canal pathway.

[pope04]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

annoys me to no end when i see "cycling enthusiats" on facebook selling multiple bikes (and phones, tools, sunglasses) for below market value or the bike has clearly been parted out

Yeah, had my favorite commuter bike stolen last summer from right out front of work I still do a scan of kijiji and Facebook Marketplace looking for it or its components.

[pope04]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

BTW, I’d suggest not using tire levers to put the tire on. That’s a good way to perforate the tube you just replaced.

x2. I've got a couple rims that are so hard to mount tires on. I got frustrated and used the levers, only to puncture the tubes again. I picked up a tire bead jack and seems to work pretty well.