Commute to work

[Mark B]

I rode my conversion to work today for the first time since I got my Silvio. The ride went pretty good, but I learned a few things.

First of all, let me say I cannot believe how out of the box comfortable the Silvio is. For having a seat with absolutely zero adjustment to it, John sure nailed it. Also, I think I got lucky with the Origin 8 handlebars because the reach and ergonomics are absolutely perfect. Having said all that, back to the daily commute.

I was up at the crack of dark this morning, coffee in hand, readying myself and the bike for the 20 mile journey to work. These days, you never know how to dress, so I usually go outside for a little stroll to calculate the attire needed. Today was just bibs and jersey weather, so all was good. My first indication things were going to be fun was getting the bike down. I'm used to the Silvio and it's lack of heft. With my conversion, I thought surely it must be hung up on something as I tried to leverage it off it's hook. Nope, that's just all bike! By the time I got it on the floor, I felt I had my morning workout! I headed out of the driveway and down the street and noticed immediately that the nose of the seat is just too low. I had raised the nose previously, but it became immediately obvious it's still way too low. This is going to take some head scratching. For now, I will probably cut a wooden wedge as others have done, but as a permanent solution, I will probably try to figure something else out.

My other source of complaint is the handlebar. This is an easy fix; I know which bar I want! I'm just going to have to play around with the ergonomics and how to best use my Paul thumbies in coordination with the road bike brake levers. Also, I will need to get some cable take up pulleys so the levers will work with v-brakes.

The ride in was enjoyable and much easier than the last time I rode to work. About two-thirds of the ride is up a steady grind and I was able to maintain a much better pace, I felt, than last time. There are only two short hills of any significance and I powered over both of those without totally losing my breath, as I did last time. I got here in timely fashion and was able to shower and dress before time to "assume the position".
Commuting to work is lots of fun and will aid me in my quest for better conditioning. It saves on gasoline and makes me feel better. I'll definitely be ready to do my part for the U.S.'s "bike to work week" coming up in May.

Mark

 

[JonB]

I commute too. However despite my GPS i usually get lost on the way home and end up taking a detour of 20-30 kilometers

 

[Rick Harker]

Its an awkward thing to commute especially if there has to be a change in attire at the end. It would make you wonder the value but in Mark's determination to greater his fitness levels then I'm sure his commitment will be rewarded.
If, on the other hand, he had a GPS like Jon's, then he would get more training in....
For me, I ride wherever and whenever I can. Its just enjoyable for me and although there are times I like to push the envelope, mostly my rides are adventurous but never a there, stop, go back rides.

Rick.

 

[Mark B]

Rick,

Ordinarily, I detest out and back rides. Commuting to work is one of the few exceptions I make, but certainly understand why Jon "gets lost" on the way home. I've done the same when I was in better shape. There is a hilly route that takes me 10-15 miles out of my way. Maybe by fall I can be taking the long way home. The other issue I face is heat. I get off work in the middle of the afternoon, so usually am glad to get home and out of the heat.

Commuting does take a little more preparation and you do have to get up a little earlier. I've had it worse than I do right now. At least I have shower facilities at my disposal and that's a first just since December. I used to have to wipe myself down with unscented baby wipes and while that would keep you from reeking, you didn't feel clean. Proper shower facilities are wonderful.

Mark

 

[Rick Harker]

Hi Mark,
I'm not sure if I should have put there and back rides and commuting in the same post.
I had in mind a ride I did with a fitness junkie friend who used a ride like the exercise was an outdoor gym. We rode about 45 k's along a road that I didn't consider bike safe. We then took a little break and he wanted to go back the way we came. I wanted to do a round trip. It ended up we had different perceptions of cycling.
Commuting on the other hand is a different matter. The goals are different and the benefits are many. Changing facilities at work are a bonus.
I was wondering though if Jon gets deliberately lost or if magnetic forces of a different kind are making him wander...
One other thing Mark. I've never been happy with the bars on my Sofrider and looking at the pics of yours (silvio) they seem to give an open space where your knees would go. Do you think they would be appropriate with your conversion and be able to use regular brake levers?

Regards,

Rick.

 

[Mark B]

Rick Harker wrote: One other thing Mark. I've never been happy with the bars on my Sofrider and looking at the pics of yours (silvio) they seem to give an open space where your knees would go. Do you think they would be appropriate with your conversion and be able to use regular brake levers?

I hope so because I'm ordering a set. I'm pretty sure they will work great. I'll let you know for sure.

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

JonB wrote: I commute too. However despite my GPS i usually get lost on the way home and end up taking a detour of 20-30 kilometers

That's what happens when you rely on the,
"Government
Positioning
System"!
:lol:

-Steve

 

[JonB]

i take detours to get in shape. And because i love to ride my cruzbike. And i love to see the nature.

 

[Rick Harker]

Hi Jon,
Happy to read your GPS is not crook.
I can understand your sentiments with riding. I'm known to be going to the local store for milk and end up getting it several suburbs away which might bypass several parks, the beach front and the main river track through the hills. Well... Had to check on the local wildlife or check to see if there's any whales in the bay or some good photographic subjects to analyze.
I think most of us here would like any excuse for any enjoyable ride.

Regards,

Rick.

 

[JonB]

Rick Harker wrote: Hi Jon,
Happy to read your GPS is not crook.

Actually it is crook. I can not get it to allow my mac to fetch the ride data. And Garmin says i should send it back to them. And when i bike at the habour, or along the cost, where i can see the water just some 5 meters below me, then it says my height is 45 meters. So i will sent it in soon.

Rick Harker wrote: I can understand your sentiments with riding. I'm known to be going to the local store for milk and end up getting it several suburbs away which might bypass several parks, the beach front and the main river track through the hills. Well... Had to check on the local wildlife or check to see if there's any whales in the bay or some good photographic subjects to analyze.

I hope your wife doesnt find out about those "photoraphic subjects" that you are analyzing at the beach ;-D

Rick Harker wrote: I think most of us here would like any excuse for any enjoyable ride.

Yeah, riding is so much more fun now.

 

[Rick Harker]

Rick Harker wrote: I hope your wife doesnt find out about those "photoraphic subjects" that you are analyzing at the beach ;-D

Funny you picked up on that. One part of my ride goes past a notoriously known part of Saint Kilda. A very well known suburb of Melbourne. I think most adults in Australia know of its seedy past and in the warmer weather the beach is littered with... Well, not furry native animals. I really do need to avoid that part of the track as so many accidents happen. I'd post some "scenery" photos but they may get banned (conservationists) :x . (and wife) :shock:
Hope you get the Garmin fixed as I was interested in those.

Regards,

Rick.

 

[JonB]

Rick Harker wrote: Hope you get the Garmin fixed as I was interested in those.

Despite those errors i am happy about it, though it's bicycle route planning mode isnt the best, but that might be the card material over Denmark that is suboptimal?

 

[Mark B]

One thing I have always appreciated about commuting to work by bicycle is breakfast. Not my breakfast, mind you, but the scents of breakfast wafting through the air as I pedal my way through neighborhoods. It's really fun to pedal along and identify what the neighbors are having that morning. Mmm, sausage... Ooh!, that's chorizo! Ahhh, pancakes! I swear I burn off a few calories just salivating and licking my chops!

Today's commute was pretty good. I raised the nose of my seat almost double what it was and it's still not enough. The Silvio has me spoiled and I'm afraid that by the time I get the seat set where I want it, touching down is going to get dicey. I keep looking at maybe doing some cut and paste work with the beam, cutting it loose and dropping it six inches, or so, then reworking the suspension around that. I'm really afraid by the time I do all that, I could have just bought a Sofrider and been done with it. I really, really wish the Sofrider was available as a frameset. I know for a fact that I've been spoiled by my Silvio. I could have been perfectly happy with my conversion.... Until I rode the Silvio. Now, I'm spoiled and I'm going to try and candy coat a turd and will still end up with.... a candy coated turd. My conversion has a wonderful drivetrain, it rolls well and works just perfectly. But, I started out with a cheap mountain bike frame; thick wall aluminum with a steel swingarm. The shock is a brick. The front fork is a nice unit and I have no complaints about that. But, my conversion is what it is and I'll continue to doctor it up and ride it back and forth to work. I'm getting my workout and I know I'll be stronger for it when I get back on the Silvio. I just have to get my butt more comfy on the conversion.

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Mark B wrote: I just have to get my butt more comfy on the conversion.

Mark

Yeah: focus on that.
Seriously!

Here's how I make my own personal, custom-fitted kayak seat.
I know, you're riding your conversion, not a boat, but you have to
be comfortable...and, anyway....

Go buy a cheap foam camping mat.
They're usually tan, charcoal or even (like mine was) a hideous blue color.
A yoga mat is the same thing: that kind of foam.
Now, buy a pint of the dangerous (good) kind of rubber cement.

Build up your seat pad in layers.
Cut out the shapes of the foam layers with your (not your wife's!) scissors.
You know how contact cement works, right?
If not, read the directions and practice on scraps first.

When your seat is roughly done, all the layers glued-up,
then sand it to shape with coarse sandpaper, rasp, serrated knife: whatever.

In your case, you'll end up with a foam wedge, higher on the leading edge
than at the rear.

When you're happy with the shape, feel and functionality of your custom
foam seat, then buy some actual, accept-no-substitutes high-density
foam.
The expensive stuff.
Duplicate your prototype seat-pad in the expensive foam and, tadaa!


-Steve

 

[Mark B]

yakmurph wrote: When you're happy with the shape, feel and functionality of your custom
foam seat, then buy some actual, accept-no-substitutes high-density
foam.
The expensive stuff.
Duplicate your prototype seat-pad in the expensive foam and, tadaa!


-Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the idea. I may do something like that when the foam on my Silvio breaks down. The problem isn't in the pad, it's the placement of the pan. I know for a fact, because my Silvio is the exact same pan, it's just put where it needs to be. If I were to do what you suggest (and I'm sure it would help!), I would end up with an overly cushy seat in the front and the result would be a lot of chafing, I think, from pedaling. That's what usually happens with the overpadded saddles when you try to do miles on them, anyway.

I bought a rubber sewer pipe coupler that is 1/4" thick rubber and I've been cutting slices out of it and contact-cementing them together to raise the nose. I'm going to try adding another thickness, or two and see if that gets me where I need to be. I like your idea for making a custom cushion and believe me, I will use that, so thanks! I need to get the base right before I worry about the cushion.

Mark

 

[Mark B]

I made the second trip to work this week. Nothing spectacular to talk about, I certainly didn't set any land speed records, but I made it and feel pretty good. It's the first time I did it twice in a week in quite awhile. The thing that was funny was one of my coworkers wanted to try my bike. He jumped on it and rode away like he had ridden a FWD forever! I was surprised and told him he did a great job.

The return trip was about like usual. Lots of cars, lots of noise, lots of everything. The afternoon through Rialto and San Bernardino is the worst. The neat thing is; I saw a tadpole trike going and coming. I did not expect that, especially considering where I was, right in the heart of the hood in San Bernarghetto.

It's pretty nice, though, to have over 100 miles in before the weekend.

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Mark B wrote: I made the second trip to work this week. Nothing spectacular to talk about, I certainly didn't set any land speed records, but I made it and feel pretty good. It's the first time I did it twice in a week in quite awhile. The thing that was funny was one of my coworkers wanted to try my bike. He jumped on it and rode away like he had ridden a FWD forever! I was surprised and told him he did a great job.

The return trip was about like usual. Lots of cars, lots of noise, lots of everything. The afternoon through Rialto and San Bernardino is the worst. The neat thing is; I saw a tadpole trike going and coming. I did not expect that, especially considering where I was, right in the heart of the hood in San Bernarghetto.

It's pretty nice, though, to have over 100 miles in before the weekend.

Mark

So, Mark, congratulations.

What's the weather like nowadays, in the Los Angeles basin?
When we lived in San Clemente back in the '60s, the Brown Cloud made breathing difficult when it occasionally drifted South.
Later, when I'd ride test bikes to L.A. from San Luis Obispo and back, the smog reminded me of the Bad Ol' Days.
(Smog makes for beautiful ocean sunsets...as I recall.)
Is the atmosphere any better than it was?

-Steve

 

[Mark B]

yakmurph wrote: So, Mark, congratulations.

Thanks, Steve.

yakmurph wrote: What's the weather like nowadays, in the Los Angeles basin?
When we lived in San Clemente back in the '60s, the Brown Cloud made breathing difficult when it occasionally drifted South.
Later, when I'd ride test bikes to L.A. from San Luis Obispo and back, the smog reminded me of the Bad Ol' Days.
(Smog makes for beautiful ocean sunsets...as I recall.)
Is the atmosphere any better than it was?

-Steve

We're not in the LA basin, per se. We're in the Inland Empire. Not that it really matters, I guess. I have a riding friend that has ridden out here since the 60''s and he swears that despite the number of cars on the road and such, the air is actually better for riding than it was back when. Take that for what it's worth. I've only been out here since '86, so I'm not really qualified to answer on my own account. But, my rule of thumb is it sucks out here from July through September. The rest of the time, it's pretty tolerable. Right now, I can leave the house at 5:00 am and ride to work in just shorts and jersey. Maybe have to throw on arm/leg warmers. There are things that are pretty lousy about SoCal, but I like being able to ride year around without being as hardy as Peder. :lol: :lol:

Mark

 

[Peder Torgersen]

Hi Mark

It is a good thing you still remember me. I like reading your riding reports. Bike riding is very pleasant this time of year. The weather has been great the past days clear blue sky day temperatures around 18°C the morning is colder around 5°C. This is a small town so we have no air pollution and no traffic problems. Today I had a trailer on the Sofrider I am going with a package to the post office on my lunch break. This is the right time of year for people to start riding a bike they do not have to put on extra clothing. I have only had a few long trips recently but hope to have more soon.

Peder

 

[Peder Torgersen]

I have to make a correction about traffic there is only one stop light in town and that is by the post office and there was some traffic at lunch time. I was able to ride past many cars waiting in traffic. With a trailer on a Sofrider I get noticed and I get a lot of comments. Some have tried riding it and many have just sat on it and said it is very comfortable. Nobody has yet tried it with the trailer on. I have a flag on the back of the trailer so cars can se me. It is very practical and easy to put on the Sofrider if I have to take something extra with me and I have also used it for grocery shopping. My wife called she knew I had the trailer with me and wanted me to do some shopping before I go home. I also get some exercise this way.

Peder

 

[Mark B]

Peder Torgersen wrote: Hi Mark

It is a good thing you still remember me.

How can I forget? Every time I think about whining about it being "cold", I am reminded of the pictures you have put up of you riding through a snow drift. You know, you really take the fun out of complaining about the weather! :lol: :lol:

Mark