Meet Clyde

Clyde will be my bicycle for the zombie apocalypse.

The friend who pointed it out to me said we could even get me a basket to put on the front. She also suggested at least one flame thrower. The husband would definitely approve.

Almost there...

The C8 has finally shared her name: Beatrix. I was trying to hard with the other names, but when I glanced over at her last night, "Beatrix" was the first thought to pop into my head. Scott thinks that's a perfectly wonderful name as well. (He wasn't too keen with any of the other options I'd floated.

I keep adjusting the saddle and handlebars because I'm still not completely comfortable with their positions. The Selle Royal Contour saddle may simply be too narrow for the upright posture. I find that I keep pushing myself to the very back of the saddle which makes my arms straighten out uncomfortably. So now I'm leaning towards a Velo Orange Model 8 which is nice and wide and sprung. According to a quick perusal of the intarwebs, it appears that the Pashley Princess and Linus Dutchi 3 I test rode both had saddles about the same size and with springs.

I'm also thinking about changing out the handlebar for something that sweeps back a bit further... but I'll wait on that until I get a new NEW saddle and see if that improves the ride quality of my city bike.

Any opinions in blog land?

Tweaking

I've missed my bikes so much that I simply had to grab the C8 and take her out for a spin. I noticed during the last commute, though, that the brakes felt squishy and her stopping power was less than optimal. The front brake is now good and tight but the back break still needs some work. I haven't figured out how to tighten it enough without clamping the pads down so much that the wheel can't spin. There's a happy medium in there somewhere. It may be that the back tire stops spinning but doesn't have enough traction to catch hold of the pavement. Ah well, I can stop well enough with both brakes and they're soft enough that I don't think I'll be able to throw myself over the handlebars.

Knock wood.

I also noticed that with my new saddle position, it felt like my arms were at a full extension to keep hold of the grips. I raised the handlebars a few centimeters and that made all the difference in the world. My elbows can bend gently and I'm finally in a comfortable position for a ride.

This evening's quick spin about the neighborhood made me feel a tiny bit better about not riding to work for the past few weeks. The air temperature was in the lower 80s with a matching humidity. Guh. And that was post thunderstorm and with the sun down. Were I wearing a hat, it'd be off to you brave souls who stay in the saddle during this awful heat wave. As for me, I'll get back to bike commuting in September.

Still here

Nothing particularly bikey is happening at the moment. I may go riding with a friend in the park near the Junction of the W&OD and the Custis trails on Saturday. According to Google maps there are a number of intersecting trails in that area and it's someplace that I haven't ridden through dozens of times. Plus, there are trees. That will be good if the day is hot and sunny. (If. Heh.)

My bike club is riding from the Herndon depot to the Vienna depot and back tonight. I wanted to participate, but not badly enough to risk heat exhaustion. I may brag to my friends that my thin southern blood helps me deal with the oppressive heat and humidity. However my southern brain knows that the best way to deal with the aforementioned heat and humidity is by laying low and not moving much.

Just because I talk slow don't mean I'm stupid.

(Yes, I know that's grammatically incorrect.)

Egad, I cannot wait for autumn. I am definitely a cool/cold weather rider.

In other news, I'm in the market for a new bike rack. I traded in the gas-guzzling Highlander for a gas-sipping Turbo Beetle. Well, it'd be gas-sipping if I weren't driving like a Formula 1 racer. It'll be a sipper on the next tank of gas. Anyway, there's no tow hitch, nor will there be, on the new car but I still want to haul bicycles. The Saris Bones 2-Bike is en route and will, hopefully, do the trick. There's a pretty significant spoiler on my trunk but I think the arch will fit over it. If not, the carrier will definitely fit on Scott's car and that'll be our bike-hauling vehicle.

That French bicycle race

I've been watching the Tour de France this year.

Not only have I been watching it, I've been enjoying it.

Not only have I been enjoying it, I've been explaining to Scott what the different jerseys and cycling terms mean.

Good gravy. I think I've been replaced with Folgers PowerGel crystals.