Category: Bike

Back On The Road To Being Healthy

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, ExerciseLeave a comment

I made a commitment to start riding my bicycle again regularly as soon as I got my new wheel for my bike last month and I didn’t start riding as regular as I had liked because I was too out of shape from not riding for a few years.  I went out with a friend a total of 3 times in the last month and it just isn’t enough so I have made that commitment again but as a solo act.

When I was riding with the friend I was riding with, I didn’t feel like I was getting anything out of the experience.  First of all, she was riding so slow, which I can’t blame her because she is more out of shape than I am, but it was too slow for me.  I wasn’t even breaking a sweat.  I came home with a dry t-shirt every time.  If I don’t come home with a soaked shirt then I know I didn’t try.

Summer is coming and this week is supposed to be in the mid 90’s which means bike riding is not going to be very pleasant during the day.  If I wake up at 5:30am and leave at 6am then I can get out on the bike trail and hopefully be back by 8 or 8:30am before the city starts to heat up too much.

Last night I set the alarm on my cell phone for 5:30am and I got up just as I wanted to and got ready to go and yes, I did go.  My bicycle computer isn’t registering so I can’t say how many miles I rode or how long or calories burned or anything.  All I can say is I rode my ass off and my thighs are in pain to prove it.

When I came home and took off my camelbak then took off my t-shirt I knew I did a good job because the back of my shirt was completely soaked.  I feel like I was beyond productive and I’m very satisfied with the solo ride.  I don’t think I will be riding with anyone anymore unless they can keep up with me and go my route instead of wanting to take shortcuts.

My new schedule will be 5 days a week from 6am to 8-8:30am.  I can’t make any promises on how much weight I may or may not lose but I can promise that I will do my best.

Cycling Again

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

Last month I bought a new back wheel for my bicycle so that I could start getting exercise again.  The same exact day, Chips deceased cousins girlfriend bought a vintage 10-speed road bike because I told her I was getting my new wheel and that if she had a bike we could go bike riding together.  We rode exactly 2 times together last month.  I didn’t ride on my own though.

This month we rode once, yesterday and I told her that if this is going to work we are going to have to do this more often, like every day at least.  Since we are both out of shape then perhaps every other day until our leg muscles are more used to it.

I spent a long time figuring out the perfect route for bike riding and unfortunately she doesn’t like my route because it’s the same thing every time and she likes to take short cuts, which defeats the purpose of the ride.  My route has no heavy traffic to cross, all neighborhoods and when we are on the busy roads they have bike lanes.  I pride myself on my organization skills whether anyone likes it or not, typically nobody likes it but me.

My cell phone hasn’t worked in years and I really need to keep a cell phone with me at all times when I’m out on the bike trail so I bought a refurbished Samsung T401G from Net10 which is the same exact phone Darrin has, only I paid $25 for mine since it was refurbished and it comes with a $25 phone card.  Basically I got the phone for free hehe.  But it’s a very nice phone compared to what I would have gotten had I gotten the cheaper phone if I had gone to Sears to buy it today.

Even though we are going to ride every other day, I am going to ride every day if I can (as soon as my new phone arrives) because I have more weight to lose than she does and I am determined to lose it.

I will be suggesting an alternate route for her which is her car.  We were crossing such heavy traffic yesterday and it really freaked me out so if she wants to do this she can drive her bike there and I can meet her on the trail.  I think that is a good plan.  I get more exercise and she gets the amount of exercise she is satisfied with, it’s a win win for everyone involved.

My New Bike Wheel

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike1 Comment

Some time last year the back wheel on my bicycle bit the dust.  I don’t know what happened but the axle unscrewed to one side which made the nuts and ball bearings fall out.  I really screwed up that wheel and haven’t been able to afford a new one.

I’ve made it my ultimate priority this month to buy a new wheel because I am just getting too heavy not being able to exercise.  Since I have a bad back I need a low impact cardio exercise and it’s the perfect exercise machine.

Chips cousins life partner just so happened to buy a vintage 10 speed road bicycle today so now we can get out on the bike trail together.  She hasn’t been on a bicycle in 30 years so she is pretty out of shape.  It’s been a year for me and I know I’m out of shape but not as much as her so we’re going to take it real slow for her sake.

I’m really happy and very excited that I can start riding the bike to the store again because walking to the store and carrying groceries was wreaking havoc on my back and my hands/wrists because of my carpal tunnel syndrome and degenerative disc disease.  I hate the aging process lol.

I didn’t get a picture but I’m sure you know what a bicycle wheel looks like lol.

A New Hope For My Bike

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, Diet, ExerciseLeave a comment

I was at the grocery store yesterday and I ran into a guy who I gave my old bike seat to when I bought my ergo bike seat.  We were talking about bikes and he asked if I was riding and I told him about the saga of my back wheel drama and he told me that he has an old mountain bike that he was using for parts with a back wheel that I can have (HAVE!).

The bike store was going to charge me $40 for the wheel and $10 to install it and most likely there will be taxes and chances are it’s going to be $55 or so which I can’t afford.  I haven’t had a bike in 6 months or so to even ride to the store, I’ve been walking everywhere so this will be great.

He told me he has to dig it out because it’s in the garage and I’m sure it’s deep in there so I’m not expecting it any time soon but it does give me some hope that some day I might return to the bike trail.

I know it’s a “don’t keep your hopes up” type of thing and I’m not but at the same time it gives me a glimmer of hope at least.  I won’t be holding my breath or counting down the days and I don’t expect much since he’s giving it to me for free, I really don’t even know if it will fit either so there’s that.  He said it was for a mountain bike and mine is a mountain bike so I told him it has to be a 26 inch wheel and he said he would check or bring it on by the house to compare.

Also there is a good chance that the gears might not be the same gears.  If it doesn’t have the same, what’s it called?  A cassette?  If it’s not the same then perhaps I might have trouble, or I can bring it to the bike store and say here, let me pay you that $10 to remove this from this and put it on that.

I really hope that it does happen because I really need to get my fat arse back out there and make it smaller.  And actually my bike has a weight limit of 250lbs which I am over so I’ll probably have to veg out for a week to lose 10lbs at least so I can start riding it.  God forbid I break the bike with my fat arse lol.

Wish me luck!

PVC Teardrop Bicycle Trailer

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Tech, TravelLeave a comment

Awhile ago I posted a link from Dvice.com where this guy built a trailer for his bicycle to go to Burning man:

Tiny bicycle-towed house is self-sufficient

Ok so when I looked at the article in the Dvice website it had a link for Ecofriend so I clicked that then scrolled to the next link for TinyHouseDesign.  I scrolled down that article about the same trailer until I found that this person created a PVC teardrop bicycle trailer design.

pvctrailerIsn’t that just the most awesome thing you ever seen?  And someone is building it right now.  Roy the PVC guy is building it in his garage.  He just has all the PVC put together but scroll down to the comments section on that page to see my comments.  I offered a couple suggestions that I think will make it more interesting.

I’ve been thinking about this WAY too much.  If I didn’t read the Dvice.com website I would’ve never found this.  I don’t know if that’s good or bad because now I’m obsessed.  I don’t know if it’s a good obsession though lol.

I can see some practical applications with this.  If you are traveling the country like Crazy James from Big Brother 9 then this can come in handy because you can just pull over wherever you are and go to bed.  You don’t have to set up a tent or get a motel room, just pull over, climb in and go to sleep.

The guy who went to Burning man, his trailer had solar panels so during the day it collects electricity I’m guessing into a battery and that powers the fan and it could charge your cell phone, mp3 player, keep your laptop powered up etc.  He also had a built in urinal but you have to stand outside to use it.  You pee into a funnel that goes into a 1 gallon water bottle.  I can see a problem with that, indecency maybe?  I mean especially if a cop was driving by and you were peeing into a trailer on the outside lol.  All you would need is one of those urinal things that they give you in the hospital, you just sit inside the trailer, close the door, open your shorts and pee lol.  But he doesn’t have anything for #2 but I’m sure you could find a way.

Actually if you go to campmor.com they sell camp gear and they have a toilet that you can sit on but it’s afoldable chair with a hole in it with a tent and you can poop into a plastic bag then tie the bag up when you are finished and throw it in the trash.  You could also dig a hole, crap in the hole then bury it lol.  Also they sell these shower enclosures so you can take a private shower with a 5 gallon water bottle that you fill with the lake water then let it sit in the sun all day so you can take a warm shower.

Well I don’t have a real reason for having one of these trailers but it really does look neat.  I think that it would be great for a homeless person to have one of these, that is if they can’t get their hands on an EDAR.  I can see building one of these just in case you know?  Just in case I fall under hard times and all of a sudden I’m out on the street with nowhere to go.  I’d at least have a little trailer to live in.  I could take it over to the bike trail where there are all those trees at Manor St.  I see a homeless guy sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag.  I hope it never comes to that but you never know what might happen.

Tiny Bicycle-Towed House is Self Sufficient

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike1 Comment

Tiny bicycle-towed house is self-sufficient – from Dvice.com

This is awesome!  I couldn’t think of anything better for a person who is homeless.  Besides it being so claustrophobic I think I could live in this if I absolutely had to.

Of course this isn’t an ideal living space but as long as you are happy with it then that’s fine.

This guy made it “just in case Swine Flu resulted in an apocalypse that required him to be entirely self-sufficient” lol.  It was only meant for him to have shelter during Burning Man but I can see using it some other times.  For example you could go camping with this and you can move around and never have to worry about setting camp up again.

My concern is, where do you store all of your food?  I mean, food is going to make this thing too heavy to pull.  It’s still cool and I wish I had one lol.

Hart Park Trip Postponed

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, ExerciseLeave a comment

I was planning on riding my bicycle all the way from China Grade Loop to Hart Park and video tape the trip as part 3 of my BikeCam series.  However, due to my shoulder injury I will have to postpone that trip.  I am very disappointed but I have to do what’s best for my body.

I haven’t been on the bicycle in weeks and it really is upsetting to me because I’m gaining weight, most of the weight I worked so hard to get rid of.  I went through weeks of plateau and frustration just to undo all of that.

I will eventually get back on the bike and I will get right back to my route and some day get all the way to Hart Park.  I just know it.

The Contortionist Bicycle

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, TechLeave a comment

I have seen folding bikes before but this thing is amazing.  It folds up to the height of the wheels and is very compact.  You can take it to work with you and not even worry about locking it up, you can just hide it under your desk or if you don’t have a desk, lock it up in the break room.  You could probably even lock it up outside in the parking lot to one of the handicapped signs.  3 companies are already looking to crank out thousands of copies of this bicycle and charge maybe less than $700 each.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9_XEgGQBkQ

Can’t Wait to Exercise

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

On Monday August 3rd it will be 2 weeks that I haven’t been on the bicycle and I will still have to wait to ride it until my shoulder is totally 100% healed.  I’ve been trying my best to make good food choices but when I can’t exercise at all because of the excruciating pain in my back and shoulder it takes all of my motivation away.

I’ve been finished with the steroid meds since yesterday morning and so some of the pain caused from the side effects from that medicine are gone but the pain that I was taking them for is still there.  I still have 3 more weeks worth of the muscle relaxer medicine to go.  I sure hope I won’t be out of commission for 3 more weeks, that would suck.  It’s basically voiding the last couple of months of hard work.  I’ve already started gaining some weight back.

When I get my check I’m buying a new handlebar which is about $10-$15 (hopefully) and the grips for about $5 I guess then I can start riding again.  Of course it is possible that my brake cables aren’t going to be long enough so I’ll have to buy new cables lol.  If it ain’t one thing it’s another.  And I’m going to buy a new gel seat cover for this new ergo seat so that should top me off lol.

I’ve been out of money for the last couple of weeks now so I haven’t had some of the foods that I love so when I get my check on Monday I’m gonna go nuts because then I can finally buy some coffee grounds and some creamer.  Oh I miss coffee.  I hate being broke so much lol.  Luckily I still have some slim fast though so that I haven’t been worrying about and Darrin buys milk when we’re out so that’s not a problem either.

Monday Monday Monday hurry up and come faster!  The last 2 weeks are going toooooo slow.

Solution To My Back Problems

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

I’ve been thinking that maybe the solution to my bike seat problem might be easier.  When I was 17 I had a beach cruiser bicycle.  The seat was fat in the back and the horn was very small.  It’s handlebars were long enough that I could sit up while riding so I never had any back issues.

My bike is a mountain bike.  I only bought a “mountain bike” because of the price.  I bought it at Wal•mart for $60.  I really wanted a beach cruiser but they were too expensive at the time and same with the 10 speed road bikes.  The mountain bike was my only cheap alternative.

I’ve already changed out most of the bike and it’s mainly just the frame that is the same so why not just take the handlebar off and put a new one on lol.  When I get my next check I plan on buying one of these:

beachcruiserbar

It’s long enough that I won’t have to bend even a little bit to reach and I can sit up fully while riding.  As long as my seat is in the right position I won’t feel like I’m falling forward as long as I have some longer handlebars.

This handlebar is $10 plus $5 shipping from NYCBikes.com which is not bad at all.  However, I’m not sure if I want to wait for it to ship to me.  I mean, we have a bike store in town (they don’t have a website :() so I’m going to check with them first.  Hopefully they will have a black one so I don’t have to spray paint it lol.

I will probably have to wait another week or so before I can ride my bike again so by the time I get this I will be healed up again hopefully and I can resume my 4:30am bike rides.  I can also add more crap to my seat lol.

Oh the only issue I can see with this is that the brakes won’t be long enough to reach to the end of the handlebars but that’s ok, I’m sure that when I need them I will be able to reach for them.  Or maybe they will be long enough to get close to the end of the handlebars.

But you know what?  Maybe I’m going at this all wrong.  Beach Cruiser bikes are probably not that expensive at Wal-Mart.  The last time we were there they were $60 so maybe I should just get a new bike.  Beach Cruiser bikes don’t have hand brakes.  All you do is peddle backwards and you stop lol.  They don’t even have gears which might make it a bit easier.  I’ll think about it.