Short Ride Tonight

Amanda and I took a short bike ride tonight, my first since I put the bike down last Tuesday. Last Wednesday and Thursday the weather was crummy, and then we went camping from Friday through Sunday. I didn't have time for any after work rides this Monday or Tuesday.

I really wanted to get a ride in because I've already noticed improved stamina and didn't want to have to start all over. So, after dinner we parked at the SEPTA Spring Mill train station in the same spot where I normally park during the week, and did about four miles on the Schuykill River Trail, down to the Miquon station and back.

The SRT in this section is paved in asphalt and flat, so it was an easy ride. You could really fly on a road bike. The weather was beautiful so there were a lot of joggers and cyclists out. I think sometime in the near future we'll bike down to Manayunk for lunch.

I'm looking forward to exploring more of the SRT.

Ouch

Well, tonight I had my first fall since taking up cycling again.

Amanda and I were returning from REI and I took a sharp turn that I should have dismounted for. I clipped my left handlebar on a railing and down I went. Let me tell you, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes when you're 48 and out of shape sucks.

I wasn't going fast and stopped my fall with my hands. Thankfully I was wearing my cycling gloves, which helped absorb the impact and prevented my palms from getting shredded. I then rolled over and flopped on my right side. I'm expecting that I'll be sore for a day or two from my right hip up to my shoulder. Ibuprofen is going to be my good friend.

I was wearing my helmet but thankfully it wasn't needed because I managed to avoid hitting my head.

The bike is OK. The handlebar end that got clipped suffered some minor damage but it's purely cosmetic.

On reflection, it's funny. In all the miles I ever rode on a bike I never had a high speed crash. Like tonight's fall, they've all been the result of a misjudgment at low speed.

Wear your gloves and helmet.

Updated Bike

A few items I ordered from Amazon arrived today and I installed them on my Trek 820:

• Outerdo Bike Rack Bag
• BV front and rear LED lights
• BV kickstand
• RAM mount for my Garmin 62stc GPS
• BV saddle bag for my daughter's bike

The Outerdo bike rack bag is held to the rack with four Velcro straps. It seems secure but if that changes after being loaded I'l wrap a bungie cord around it.

The bag should be able to hold a spare tube, snacks, at least one extra water bottle, and a windshirt or light jacket. I moved my tire levers, bike tool, and patch kit to it so that I can reserve the front bag for my keys, wallet, and iPhone. The bag seems pretty well made for a sub $20 item. It's a little floppy but so what. The main compartment has some minimal padding but I wouldn't trust it to protect or insulate much. The outer compartments (one large on the left side and two on the right) lack any padding.

There's a shallow water bottle pocket on the back of the bag with a drawstring. I'm probably going to put some kind of a better retention strap/bungie on there to prevent a bottle from coming out. On the back of the bottle pocket there is a small strap for clipping an LED light to. To be on the safe side I put some superglue on the stitching to prevent it from unraveling.

The bag has a handle on top and came with a carry strap, so it can be used as a shoulder bag.

The BV lights are pretty cheaply made but bright enough so that you're visible to motorists. The front light takes four AAAs while the back light takes two. I mounted a set on my daughter's bike and let her take a ride around dusk, and I was able to see the blinking red LED of her back light from about 300 yards away. Both have non-blinking and a couple blinking modes, which should extend battery life. I think that if you need a headlight to actually see where you're going, you'll want to look elsewhere.

I resisted putting a kickstand on my bike for a long time because I didn't want the weight. I never had one on the Nishiki road bike that I got in 1986 and put a lot of miles on. However, I've now decided that the minor weight penalty was less important than the convenience. The BV kickstand went on easily, isn't too heavy, and it's nice not having to prop the bike up against something. It clamps to the left chainstay with three 5mm Allen screws:

The RAM GPS mount is held to the handlebar with two cable ties. It should hold up to riding on roads and developed bike trails. I'm not so sure that it would stand up to rough singletrack rides, especially in a spill. We'll see.

The BV saddle bag that I got for my daughter's bike is perfect for her. It feels sturdy and is just big enough for her to have a place to stash her key, some money, and her iPhone 6.

Finally, I also got padded cycling underwear shorts. Note that in the Amazon image they are shown inside-out. When worn correctly you don't get mandrill-butt. These will let me cycle in regular shorts while providing some additional padding for my nethers. At $15 on Amazon Prime, I'll be satisfied if I get a season from them.

Getting Back Into Cycling

At the urging of my daughters I am getting back into cycling. I cycled a lot in high school and college but have done little in the years since. My ride is a Trek 820 mountain bike that I bought back in 1996 or '97 1999. Compared with modern bikes it's rather unsophisticated. E.g., it doesn't have a front suspension, but it'll be good enough for me to get back into riding.

A few years ago I replaced the cracked saddle with a more comfortable gel seat, and replaced the tires. I may have had the local REI do a tune-up but I don't recall for sure. Even though the bike is about 20 years old it's in good shape (sadly due to lack of use).

Yesterday I bought Amanda a new bike since she'd outgrown her old one, and we also got a 4-bike rack to fit the Class III hitch on my Xterra, making it easier to take the bikes to a trail. We went back to REI today where I bought her gloves, and I got a new water bottle, a pair of Pearl Izumi cycling shoes, and a Planet Bike Eco Rack. I have cycling gloves somewhere around here but if I can't find them I'll need to get a new pair (after which no doubt I'll find my old gloves).

The rack mounted easily and should be a secure platform for a trunk in which to carry snacks and extra water. The solid rack should also act as a fender to help keep spray off my back if I ride through a puddle.

I have a set of front and rear lights on order. The reflector in the above picture has a mount that won't allow me to attach it to the rack (I tried) but I may get another reflector for the rack itself.

This afternoon we took a ride down in the Valley Green section of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. I used to ride along Forbidden Drive quite a bit and it was nice going back there. According to my phone's GPS we did about 4.62 miles. It felt good.

Circuit Trails is an effort to link many trails in the Philadelphia area together, which will create a 750 mile network of trails going from Philly out to Reading. That should provide some good riding.

New Grips for the 50th Anniversary Blackhawk

The rosewood grips that I ordered from shopruger.com arrived today. I like them a lot. Aside from being smooth they are more hand filling than the original black plastic checkered grip panels.

I'm looking forward to shooting it.

Ruger 50th Anniversary Blackhawk .357

I picked up this Ruger 50th Anniversary Blackhawk in .357 Magnum w/4.62" barrel back in 2006 from Surplus City. It was "used," still in the original red plastic box, but missing the papers. It's claimed that Ruger paid more attention to fit and finish on the 50th Anniversary Blackhawks and I believe it. The action on this one is very smooth.

I haven't shot it much, largely because the OEM grips act like cheesegraters on my hands if firing .38 +Ps or .357 Magnums. (It's not evident in these pics but the OEM plastic grips are checkered.) Last week I ordered a set of smooth rosewood replacements from Ruger that I'm hoping should make it more comfortable to shoot. Anyhoo, I just got around to taking some pics and will get some more after the new grips arrive.