Riding To A Video - A Review

Fresh off the trainer having viewed my new video "California's Pacific Coast Highway" by Bike O Vision Cycling Journey's series here are my impressions and thoughts.

I liked it.  I rode the trainer for 20 minutes and it's the first time I didn't reach inside my bike basket for the timer to see how much time was left until I only had 5 minutes left.  That's a record.  Really the only reason I looked was to determine if there was enough time remaining to bother getting off and turning on the fan because I forgot to before I got on the trainer and I was working up a little sweat.  Even while watching something on TV I usually go to the timer several times in a session to see how much time is left.

The video - the first section was flatter scenery than what I experienced when I drove a portion of the coast. After I finished my session I flipped through the chapters and saw that indeed much of the rest of it was viewing the high cliffs I remembered along the Pacific coast.  The part I recall most about my drive was the section between Carmel and Big Sur and also north from San Francisco to Napa  The quality of the video was good, the music was ho-hum and if it really mattered or I felt like I needed more motivation I would mute the sound and kick out my own tunes.  However I don't have an iPod or other such device and I'm not sure I'd want to blast out tunes that would be motivating through the stereo which isn't close enough to plug in headphones.

The experience - that pleasantly surprised me the most.  I wasn't expecting a lot, after all it is an indoor trainer and it is a DVD on TV.  Neither of which gets me excited.  I found that the speed of the video was  faster than what I ride, however it was realistic enough.  Just into the video a bit there was a section where sand had blown across the road and I'm not sure if it was me, the DVD player, the video or what, but I felt it slip a bit.  It sounds silly, it was almost imperceptible but I felt it none the less, or I have a vivid imagination.  That imagination is so vivid that when I saw sections of the road in subsequent minutes that were sand covered most sections of the road, I got apprehensive and gripped the hand grips tighter.  Again, not sure if it's just me but it felt like the video slowed a bit on inclines and gained speed on descents   I know I pedaled like made during the flat straight stretches. The video is 90 minutes and with my normal sessions being either 20 or 30 minutes it's going to take a few rides to explore it all and I really look forward to it.

All in all, I'd recommend this to others.  It is relatively inexpensive at Amazon or other places on the web and it makes a torturous exercise a bit more pleasant.  I also ordered another one from them on Pureto Rico, however that was on back-order and just shipped a day ago.  I'll post a review of that one when I get to try it out.

Click here for a link to view it at Amazon (full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with the creators of this video or Amazon)

Have you had any experience with training DVD's and what did and didn't you like about them?

Guest Post by Rachel Ruhlen "My Early Days of Bicycling"

Today I am bringing a guest poster to this blog.  I know Rachel from a biking forum that I frequent for all things bicycle related from a woman's perspective known as Team Estrogen.  A link to that site is on the right hand navigation bar of this site under Bicycling Links of Interest.  I found my way to an article that she wrote for the Kirksville Daily Express via that forum and wanted to share this with my readers.  The article is about the joys of biking for a beginner and the use of a bicycle as a means of transportation.

Background information about Rachel is that she uses her bicycle for transportation to her job at A.T. Still University as a Research Assistant Professor   She does biomedical research and her current research program is the prevention of osteoarthritis.  In her spare time, in addition to enjoying cycling she writes a blog for the Kirksville Daily Express' online publication and occasionally in their print edition also.

Here is a transcript of the article from the Kirksville Daily Express and a link to this article;

  My early days of bicycling

by Rachel Ruhlen

In 2005, the first year I almost exclusively bicycled for transportation, I found myself riding home in the dark more than once. That didn't bother me, except for one street that was narrow, bordered on both sides by steep drop-offs of 100 feet or more with intermittent guard rails, and completely unlit.

In those early days, I biked on the sidewalk because I thought that’s where you were supposed to ride a bike. It snowed the week of Thanksgiving and I navigated the slushy roads and sidewalks until I got to that very dark stretch. I was scared that I might slip on the slush and fall off the precipice into the creek far below, so I took to the street.

That weekend a drunk driver lost control, drove over the sidewalk, crashed through the flimsy rail, flew over the precipice, and collided with a tree. Between the broken rail and the memorial flowers stapled to the tree I was even more scared to bike that segment in the dark. So I got my first set of bike lights.

I thought the lights were entirely inadequate because they failed to light up the street sufficiently for me to see. That’s when I learned that the most important purpose of bike lights is not for me to see the street, but to make me visible to other vehicles.

It’s hard to believe now that I was once so stupid as to ride in the dark without lights, and that I thought lights were only necessary if I couldn't see my path. It’s good to tell this story, and remind everyone that when it comes to bicycles, nearly everyone is inexperienced. We make mistakes. Bicyclists ride on sidewalks and without lights because they don’t know better. Motorists make mistakes like right hooks and left hooks and insufficient passing distance because they don’t know better. We become experienced, and we learn how to bike with traffic and how to drive around bicycles.

With experience, I learned about bike lights and sidewalks and assertive lane position, and then I took Traffic Skills 101 which confirmed what I’d learned and taught me much more. As more people bicycle, motorists and bicyclists will gain experience. I was lucky, and learned my lessons without injury. I hope my articles will help many bicyclists and motorists learn these same lessons without injury.

"My bicycle is our second car. I love to bicycle in all weather, for all distances, and on all routes. Bicycling has brought so much joy to my life, and I want to share it with anyone who is interested. I will use my soapbox to tell you about the joys, the freedom, the benefits, and, yes, the challenges of bicycling and walking for transportation." Rachel Ruhlen

                          

                                      __________________________________________

I'm inviting readers to share their first experiences and being new to bicycling.  What was it like for you?

    

For me I learned right off that yes you never forget how to ride a bike but after years of absence it doesn't mean that you pick right back up from where you left off.  Years of being away affected my balance and handling skills.  It came back quickly but not before a few tumbles and close encounters.  What came back immediately was the joy and freedom that riding a bike gives you.  That and an ear to ear grin.  The way I help to keep it fresh is by always looking for new trails and places to explore.

Whether you have just recently learned to ride a bike or if you made your way back to bicycling after and absence, what was it like for you? What things did you learn right off? What do you do to capture that feeling of exhilaration that we all get from our fist encounters with bicycling?

January 12 and it's 58 F

 Another spring like day drove me out to Island Lake State Park, along with dozens of bike riders and outdoor enthusiasts.  I rode today from Dodge Park Unit #1 to the trail head via the roads in the park and hopped on the trail at the trail head parking lot, the photo to the right in the pines is in a section that I have dubbed "The Cathederal" and it ends at the Riverbend site where I joined back up for my return ride.  The site is aptly named for a big bend in the river, pictured above.

All in all it was a great day to be outdoors and I passed and was passed by scores of happy cyclists.  After the ride I loaded up my bike and took a cruise through Kensington across the freeway and there were scores of more bikers and walkers.

It's a rare treat this time of year and from the looks of the thermometer forecast I'll be back to the trainer next week.  I ordered a video to view while riding the trainer and will post a critique when it arrives, it should be some time next week.  I spent an hour in the saddle and covered a bit over 8 and a half miles.  In total I was outdoors for far longer than that, however with stops for photography and just plain horsing around it was closer to two hours.  Whereas yesterday I felt fatigued quickly, today I found that I was good to go.  From just a day of outdoor riding yesterday I could already feel more stamina today and hills were not as hard to conquer.

Just a couple of weeks ago the park entrance looked like this after we had our first big snowfall of the year!

My next post on this blog won't be from me but I have a Guest Poster who wrote a blog post on the subject of "What it was like to be new to riding."  Stay tuned!

First Outdoor Ride of the New Year - 2013

Unseasonable warm weather had me put aside the trainer today to take advantage of an opportunity for an outdoor ride.  Sporting my new helmet, which was a Christmas gift, I took to the roads at Kensington Metropark.  I caught a late day lighting up of some oaks with their remnants of leaves near the end of my ride.

Even though I've been using the trainer, it's amazing how out of shape a person gets without riding on the roads.  Nothing like a little wind and hills to slow a person down.  It took me over a half hour of riding time to make it just over 4 and a quarter miles.  Of course I did pick the most horrendous hilly section with THAT HILL in it.  I felt like a sloth!  I normally don't ride the roads at Kensington, preferring the bike path, but the path was snow/ice covered in spots.

Having toured through the park after our first big snowfall I saw that the path was cleared, it looked as though it had been plowed so I assumed that the whole path would be open and free of snow or ice.  That is not the case.  I would expect that after today's temps in the 50's and our overnight lows in the 40's and tomorrow's mid 60's temps that the path may just be completely cleared.  I guess I'll find out because with weather like that in January in Michigan you can be sure to find me outdoors riding tomorrow.  I bet the park will be packed.  We've got a real January thaw going.

Preparations For Next Year's Riding Season

Or otherwise known as passing time dreaming of the new season to come. I've been busy at MapMyRide searching out and mapping routes to help accomplish next year's riding goals. One of the things I intend to do is to ride in urban areas. While it may sound frightening to consider riding in downtown Detroit, from what I have read and hear from others, riding the new River Walk and Belle Isle is safe along with the ride north out of downtown on the Dequindre cut to the Eastern Market. You can find my maps here and here at the Map My Ride website. In this instance I'll look schedule these rides with one or more friends, twofold; for safety's sake and I imagine it's going to be a fun outing best enjoyed with others. I expect that photo opportunities, if not the actual ride itself, will be rewarding.
   

These photos are taken from the Detroit River Front Conservancy's website where I found a storehouse of information about using the water front for
a bicycle outing and tour. The photo in the upper left corner is of the Milliken State Park and Harbor with the Ren Cen in the backgrop. The photos above this paragraph are of the Dequindre Cut leading to Eastern Markent and the small photo on the right is of the River Walk. The Dequindre Cut was a below grade rail bed leading to the Eastern Market, presumably for goods that came via river freighter, abandoned long ago the railway has been paved, the graffiti remains as "urban artwork." The Eastern Market is a vast area of food retail and wholesalers that is much more than a farmer's market, it's a retail food hub of epic proportions with a long history of being "the" marketplace for all things edible.

I was born and raised in the city till about 4th grade when my parents moved and still have a fondness for it. Detroit has a poor image, worldwide and nationally, however there are several corporations who invest heavily in the city. General Motors is one of several who, being one of the Big Three automakers in the Motor City capital of the world, has donated heavily to efforts to help revitalize the city and are major stakeholders in working toward a comeback.

  

Will it ever happen?

Can this ever be a great city again?

It's possible but first the corruption and isolationist mindset must be routed out of City Council. The current Mayor Bing, who was a former Detroit Pistons Basketball star, has the vision coupled with an athlete's winning attributes, however he is hampered by the Council who perhaps share that vision but are clueless over how to achieve it. The River Front redevelopment is a large undertaking by volunteers and persons dedicated to revival in the city, there has been cooperation from the State with the Harbor and Milliken State Park which is named for a former Governor of our state. So far the redevelopment has focused on the property eastward of Cobo Hall, their next project is westward which currently remains blighted and a poor waste of a valuable water resource. For years the river was never regarded as the star that it is, warehousing and industrial uses littered the banks and the natural features went ignored and out of sight of the people. Waterways serve a useful purpose for commerce and trade but sections, especially in down towns should be reserved for the enjoyment of the natural feature by it's people. If the city is ever to make a comeback these kinds of efforts will help to lead it to a rebirth. The video below sure can give hope to that dream.

Time To Break Out The Trainer

After

 Before

With the amount of snow on the ground and the falling temps it's time to break out the trainer for the bike and take to indoor riding.  Agrrrrrh.  I loath indoor trainer riding, however it helps to combat the Christmas cookie and other holiday fare indulgences that have been going on for over a month.  Also my "seat" stays conditioned to a saddle and I can avoid the early season ouchies from having been off the saddle for months.  Another plus is that it helps to make me stronger for the coming year, contributes to overall fitness and helps out with my arthritis and keeps me flexible.  Now if only there was some way to imitate the birdies singing, the wind in my face and the fresh spring, summer and fall scents I'd be in heaven.  For now I'll have to be content with summer dreaming.  Step one was to get the regular tire off and install the trainer tire.  Since I don't change flats that often I always take pictures to help me ensure that everything goes back the same way it was before I took the tire off.  Tomorrow I hook it on the trainer and I'm ready to tackle spinning my way to health.

Here is a shout out and big thank you to Shaun Bhajan owner of Hometown Bicycles in Brighton Michigan who kindly opened the store for me and swapped tires out on my wheel.  The store is closed between Christmas and New Year's and he was busy painting the shop but went out of his way to open up and do this repair for me, at no charge to boot!  Shaun goes the extra mile day after day for his customers, that's why he has such a successful shop.

Trainer tires are extra skinny and hard for me to get on and off of the wheel rim.  Thank you Shaun!

Kensington to Milford

We were blessed with yet another day for outdoor riding.  Temps were in the mid to upper 40's F, winds were calm and sunshine was abundant.  I traveled from the northern reaches of Kensington Metropark to downtown Milford.  The route is colorful and varied starting out in a parkland wooded setting it meanders through open fields, woodlands, swales and navigates around a series of ponds and bodies of water with the Huron River winding through downtown Milford.  There was a dam to cross over Hubbel Pond and I came across a pair of deer who gave me no mind whatsoever. I'm sure they found me more of a curosity than a threat and made no attempts to dart away.





This is the same dam that I rode over but the photo was from a ride there last year

 










 Downtown Milford was crowded with shoppers and somehow bicycling among Christmas decorations seemed a bit out of place.  Next time I plan to spend the day checking out the shops and get a bite to eat at one of the quaint pubs.  The ride was just over 10 miles and with all the sightseeing and nosing about I was on the trail for an hour and 17 min.

A Look Ahead To Next Year's Riding Goals

Well, I've given up saying this is the last outdoor ride, because every time the temps turn seasonal for a few days we end up getting another bout of mild weather.  The last warm temps came with a lot of rain so riding was out earlier this week when the temps climbed up to the 60's.  But I count myself lucky to be out riding even today in the mid 30's.

Of course this time of year we look at recapping the current year and then of course that leads to thinking about the new year coming.  With that in mind I made up a list of things so far that I want to do next year and it incorporates adventure, variety, new ventures and challenges me mentally as well as physically.

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR BIKE RIDING

This compilation is going to look at bike riding as a part of life and not only stats and goals, mileage, time, speed etc.  It’s meant to look at bicycling as a way of life as well as a means of working towards fitness, that doesn’t mean I won’t incorporate normal biking goals though. 

·         Ride 5 new trails or paths

·         Do at least 2 urban rides in a city

·         Take my bike on at least one vacation

·         Rent a bike on one vacation in a style different than what I normally ride

·         Take on one bicycle advocacy initiative

·         Go on a bike ride with a kid under 10 yrs old who is not a relative

·         Test ride some different bikes than what I normally ride

·         Ride a tandem

·         Do at least one charity ride

·         Do at least 2 group rides

·         Train to ride a trip of 40 miles

·         Ride 1,000 miles next year

·         Increase my riding average speed to 10 mph

·         Ride a real mountain bike trail

A Pause Before Winter Sets In

Last week we had the Thanksgivng holiday break and mild weather for what might be the last bike rides of the season with light summer garb on.  On Wednesday I was able to get out in short sleeves and a pair of knicker length bottoms.  Even though I set out by 2:30 the sun dips low on the horizon early and thankful for packing a light windbreaker I ended my ride with a jacket on.  It was the longest ride post surgery exploring the upper reaches of the Border to Border trail I rode from Brandemere Park to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital with a new found biking friend.  It was nice to show the route to someone new and have some new company to ride with.  Ride total was just under 14 miles. 

Thanksgiving day saw more of the same mild temps and I got out fairly early for a ride around Kent Lake at Kensington for a 9 mile ride before high tailing it home to get my portion of the family Thanksgiving meal prepared and whisk it off to the family dinner.  Again this time it was shorts and short sleeves again.  That'll be a thing of the past as the temps are to dip down to more seasonally chilly weather.

Indeed the weekend and first part of this new week temps are downright cold.  By Tuesday, yesterday, the wind was non-existant and the sun was shining so brightly I set off for a bike ride in 32 F degree temps.  It's the first time I've ridden in weather that cold.  Last year I ventured out in some mid 40 F degree days.  Actually it was not so bad, I was dressed appropriately with a windbreaker, hat and half gloves which were ok for a short 4 mile ride.  If I do this again though I'll be using full fingered gloves and my neoprene headband to cover my ears.  Ears and thumbs and fingertips were stinging a mite bit when I got home.

Shifting gears into a more seasonal frame of mind I spent yesterday evening with my Godson Andrew baking Ninja-bread men.  Tasty results!

Five Weeks and Back on My Bike

Yesterday I had a post op visit to the Doc and he cleared me for riding.  The report was good and healing is moving along swiftly so it's all systems go!

Short ride today with a friend down to the boat launch but boy oh boy did it feel great to be back on the bike!  I was a tad bit apprehensive for a minute but it became all very familiar in less than a hundred yards. 

The ride was a bit under 4 miles but they were the sweetest miles all year.  Looks like our Michigan weather will cooperate through the weekend so I hope to get in a pair of rides this weekend.

Yahoo!