Category: Bike

Pimp Your Bike

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

I just saw this article on the Dvice website.

Pimp your bike with MonkeyLectric LED wheels

This is so cool.  I used to have a little fan that did the same thing, I don’t know where that fan is but they sell them at the store for like $3.  But, who cares about such a small fan when you can have this on your bicycle on both the front and the back wheels.

It has 16 led lights on each side and it straps right to the spokes on the inside of the wheel so it’s not sticking out.  You can put 1 on your wheel or you can put 4 on your wheel or 1-4 on each wheel.  It’s really cool for teenagers at night so they can woo their friends and also be very visible to cars so they don’t get hit… from the side?  Cars can’t really see this from the back.

I wonder if this is street legal though.  I can see it being bicycle trail and skate park legal but what about the street?

This product from MonkeyLectric is only $60 per board and it takes 3AA batteries which are good for 30 hours.

Testosterone Overdose

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, ExerciseLeave a comment

I don’t know what’s going on but all of a sudden it’s almost like I got an overdose of testosterone from all the bike riding I’ve been doing.  It’s like all this energy is inside me now.

That rear bike rack that I got for my birthday wasn’t the right size but I figured out how to make it the right size by rigging it to the seat and using old brakes to screw it into the frame at the bottom.  Today I went to the store and could hear it creaking where I attached it to the seat post so I drilled a hole into the seat post and put a screw in there to make it more stable.

bikescrewpost

I also finally thought of a way to get the bar on my home gym back on.  When I got it (it’s a Weider Total Body Works 5000) that little plastic thing at the bottom (you see it in the picture from that link) which holds the bungee cords, the screws snapped off of it, when?  I have no idea.  It was loose in the box.  I didn’t send it back because I bought it from Wal*mart’s website and it was shipped to me.  So I didn’t want to pay for shipping just to get that replaced so I just left it.

So I was sitting here and I got a brain storm.  What if I use the Dremel tool to cut into the screws where they snapped off at the bar so that I can use a flat head screwdriver to unscrew them and take them out and finally get that plastic bungee cord holder back into place.  So I did and it worked.  OMG!!!  Finally!  I’ve had that thing for a couple of years now and it always put a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn’t use those bungee cords to add more resistance because I didn’t want to have to keep raising and lowering the darn thing, it’s too heavy to have to do that.  It would be easier to use the bungees which is why they put them in there in the first place.

So now I can.  Boy, I feel so butch these days lol.

Wheel Fixed

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

Well I had to bring my back wheel to Snider’s today to have them tighten the freewheel (the thing that holds the chain and has different gears) but it wasn’t that it needed to be tightened, the tech guy said that they all wobble like that.  So I told him about the cracking sounds and so he looked at it and said that the problem is that the metal in the screw that holds the ball bearings in place is worn down and so they had to replace the rod and ball bearings altogether.  That was only $18.

I’m so glad it wasn’t that much money.  I would rather just have them fix the issue than have to spend $25 or $30 on all the tools needed to screw the freewheel tighter just to have it still have the same old problem lol.

That’s why I shouldn’t try to diagnose my own problems because I don’t know jack about that dren.

Chips cousins girlfriend Venda drove me there and ended up buying me a rear rack and a pair of gloves for my birthday which I so didn’t want her to do because the gloves themselves were $40 and the rack was $25.  After I got my wheel on I tried to install the rack and they didn’t supply any screws darnit.  Plus there are no holes in the frame for the top bars to go into so I have to return the rack and get a different one.

–Edit: I got the rear rack on.  I had some old brakes that I kept for some strange reason.  I just couldn’t throw them away lol.  Can you say pack rat?  Anyway, those fit on the bottom so I don’t need those screws now.  But the top still didn’t fit so I went into the tool shed and there was a roll of this metal with holes in it so I cut a piece the size I needed, wrapped it around the seat post and took some bolts and washers and nuts and screwed them to the top of the rack.  Then I took another bolt with washer and nut and screwed the piece of metal together tight so it doesn’t go anywhere.  See?  I am handy once in awhile lol.  It is secure enough now that I don’t have to worry.  End Edit–

The gloves on the other hand are really good.  I didn’t realize that I needed these gloves instead of just any regular glove because these are specifically meant for people with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome which I have.  This is what it says on the cardboard that the gloves were attached to:

Patented Technology
With technology designed by Dr. A Robert Spitzer, a neurologist, Spenco® cycling gloves feature a unique, patented groove over the carpel tunnel nerve that channels away pressure and road shock to reduce hand numbness and fatigue.

So that’s what I needed all along.  Every time I ride my hands get numb with the gloves I wear now and even without the gloves and I have to shake both my hands (not at the same time of course lol) to shake the numbness out.  So thank you Vedra and Venda for the new gloves.

Bike Repair

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

My bicycle has been having real issues with making noises, cracking, clicking noises.  It really makes me nervous when I ride, even if it’s just to the store.  And I can especially hear it when I don’t have my ear buds in.  At least when I’m listening to music I can ignore it.

I’ve been reading this website @ Mountain Bike World, they have an article all about the 6 most common problems and my problem is right in there.  Yes there is a problem with the back tire not being true and it does make these clicking sounds but the cracking or creaking sound is coming from the crank, not the wheel.

I have edited 4 paragraphs to update this post.  I have figured out what my bike problem is.  I don’t believe it is the crank at all.  I think that the crank needed some lube really bad so I sprayed a lot of WD-40 in it and held a towel to the bottom of it because it was getting all this black stuff all over the cement floor in my back patio.  I did that on both sides and it seems to be ok.

While I was holding the rag to the bottom of it on the side that has the chain and I was turning the crank I was looking at the cassette on the back wheel and noticed that it was moving up and down so I guess that just needs to be tightened and that should probably fix it.  So all I need are the tools to tighten the cassette which shouldn’t be a problem.  So on Wednesday morning when I get my check I’ll take the bus to the bike store and ask them for the tools to tighten it.  It’s good to have all the tools I need to do any/all maintenance on the bike to keep it in good working order at all times.

At least I don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to get it fixed now.

Bike Tire PSI

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  I’ve had bicycles since I was a kid and I’ve always had to fill them with air when they get low and I’ve never had an issue with following directions when it comes to how much PSI to put in them.  I’ve only been putting 20 PSI in my tires.  It clearly says on there 40 MINIMUM!  LOL I don’t know why I’ve only been putting 20 in.

I think it goes back to when I first got this bike, I bought a pump but the tire gauge that I have meant for a car wasn’t worth didley because it was saying that it was too low then I would pump too much air in the tire and pop it.  So when I first started riding again last year I bought a new pump with a gauge on it and for some strange reason was only putting in 20.  Well, I think 2 weeks ago I started putting in 30 but it still wasn’t enough.  And during my ride it goes down from 30 back to 20!  UGH!

Ok so I’ve put 40 in both and so in the morning hopefully they are still at 40 lol.  The night I started putting 30 in I woke up the next day to ride and it was completely flat.

Oh and my back tire isn’t true either, it’s wobbly.  I don’t think it’s bent though but I am going to have to buy the tools to tighten the cassette because I think it’s loose.  I’ve been hearing/feeling this clicking that is concerning me.  So I need the tools to tighten the cassette and a spokes tool to tighten those too because I think they might be the reason it’s not true.

I hate having to spend so much money on such a cheap Wal-Mart bike hehe.  If it were an expensive bike then fine, no problem, bring on the expense of tools but it’s not.  With all the money I’ve spent on tools just to maintain this stupid bike I could have bought another one.  Then again I wouldn’t be able to maintain that one either lol.

Muscles Used To Riding

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

Since I started riding the bike in the early morning before the sun comes up to escape the heat, I’ve noticed that my muscles are already used to riding the bike so I don’t have to ride every other day to rest my muscles.  I can ride everyday if I want to.  In fact, I rode for 3 days in a row.  Well, mainly that was to burn off some burgers and fries I ate lol.

But, I have no problem riding the bike anymore at all.  It’s like my muscles are back to the way they were when I was a kid, that’s how used to riding I am now.

I seem to recall last year when I started riding my bike again, when I first found out about the bike trail after summer was over from one of those city park summer guides, in the back it has a map of the bike trail.  So I got the bike out of moth balls, filled the tires, actually I had to buy a new tube for the front tire because it had a hole in it that I couldn’t repair with the new tire repair kit I had bought lol.  Anyway, I started riding and my legs were so not used to it and I would get down to H and 3rd and my legs were already tired and it was just 1 block away from my house lol.

So I would ride all the way to California and H and I was like screw this, I’m going back home and that whole trip was 1 mile lol.  Then when I got home my legs were so stiff from riding that 1 mile that I could barely even walk in the back door.  I had to sit and rest and I had to massage my thighs because they were just in so much pain from that pitiful ride lol.

I think I was riding like that for a week before I was finally able to go maybe 3 miles then went up to 4 then 5 which altogether took about a month before I was even able to get on the bike trail.

By the time I was finally riding the bike trail I could only go so far before I had to turn around and go back but eventually I was able to do 11 miles per day which was a little over an hour.

Now, I can do that 11 miles in just 55 minutes so I have to step up my ride and go further and go 16 miles just to make up my time which is about 1 hour and 16 minutes.  But that 16 miles to me now is no biggy.

Early Morning Bike Ride

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

Well, I did it.  I set the alarm clock for 4am and of course had to push the snooze and when it went off again in 10 minutes I decided ok, I need to do this, I need to wake up and get ready.  So I got up, went and got a bowl of raisin bran cereal.  I read my emails which weren’t that many since the last time I read them last night lol.

I like to eat then wait 30 minutes to go, so 4:45am came and I left the house and it was pitch black outside.  Thank goodness for bike lights.  Although I didn’t realize until I got there that the back light wasn’t working at all.  It wasn’t until the sun came out that I realized that it was because the wire snapped off.  UGH!  It’s easily repairable.

What I especially liked about riding that early is that there are absolutely no cars.  0 cars.  Well, there were a couple but none that I had to worry about.  Of course being that early I had to stop and push the walk button because certain lights just won’t turn green unless the sensors detect a car sitting there and they don’t detect bicycles.

While I was on the bike trail that early in the morning before the sun came up there were no other riders which isn’t odd for me not to see anyone because in the daytime there are barely any other riders.  So it really didn’t make much of a difference.  But when the sun did start coming up I did start to see a couple of riders.

Even coming home with the sun up at 6am there still weren’t any cars.  I finally got home at 6:22am so I was gone about an hour and half but my total time was 1 hour 5 min.  Hey, I have to take a break during my ride lol.

Now that my muscles are getting used to riding I’m gonna experiment with going out again tomorrow and then the day after that.  I want to go out every day, not just every other day.  I want to get as much exercise in as I can because the weight is coming off.  So, we will see tomorrow if I go out or not hehe.

Pedals, Mirrors and Shorts

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, Daily BlogLeave a comment

Well I just came home from Snider’s Cyclry.  I bought brand new pedals that are metal, not the cheap metal ones either that cost $7.  No these were $20 and they are a lot heavier than the cheap ones.  Weight on a bike is a huge issue but when it comes to something like that you need them to be as sturdy as possible for standing up on.  That’s why the pedals that came with the bike are breaking, from having 230lbs of weight standing on them.

I also bought a helmet mirror.  When I was trying to put it on, I was having a hell of a time finding a good spot because the mirror isn’t that adjustable that I can just put it anywhere I want to.  I wanted it to stick to the plastic on the outside but the arm on it is so tiny that it had to be on the Styrofoam part in front of my face.  I finally found the perfect spot for it and stuck it on.  I had to go stand outside on the sidewalk, or more in the street, more the gutter really to be sure it was right.  It was so I stuck it on and then looked again without my arm being in the way.  The only problem is I have to look up with my eyes to see it.  That kinda hurts my eyes lol.  So for tomorrow mornings ride (at 4:30am that is) I’m going to bring both mirrors so I can see which one is better.  Who knows, I might need both.

I went to the thrift store before I went to the bus stop to look for shorts and to see if they had any bike shirts at all which they didn’t.  I picked out 2 pairs of shorts but they were so big and I went to hold them up to myself to see if they would fit but wasn’t quite sure.  They don’t have any dressing rooms there so you have to look at sizes and hold them up to yourself lol.  So annoying.  Anyway, I just took them to the register and figured if it’s too tight, it will fit me eventually lol.  One of them was $7 but the tag says $2 and I said well forget it then.  I know they have to charge the lower price, well, I know that applies to everywhere else you go lol but apparently not there.  I said forget it because I didn’t really like them anyway.  So I got 1 pair of shorts with a Hawaiian print on it.  It was only $2.  It’s a bit tight but… it will fit me eventually lol.

Going Faster

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, CyclingLeave a comment

Today I rode the bike 12.6mph (average speed over 1 hour) which was totally unintentional.  When I first started riding the bike (or when I got my bike computer) my average speed was 10.7 then it gradually went up to 11.1 then 11.4 then 11.9.  It goes up and down every day so it’s not always the same but recently I’ve noticed my average speed as high as 12.1 and up and today 12.6.

As I said it’s totally unintentional.  I’m not paying attention to my average speed while I’m riding.  I’m not even paying any attention to the bike computer at all.  I’m just in my own little world listening to music.  But the faster I go the more calories I burn according to the bicycle computer.  That right there helps me lose this weight.

Bike Wash

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

I decided that today I would wash my bike.  When I was at the store I bought some Dawn dish soap because it’s better at cutting grease than any other soap that I’ve used.  So I put some in a big bowl and grabbed a cleaning brush, it looks like a very very big tooth brush but it’s not.

I scrubbed and scrubbed every thing that was dirty and then I put some WD-40 on it so it wouldn’t give me any problems.  Then after that I started screwing everything that I thought needs to be screwed.

I do need some new peddles though.  The right pedal is breaking so it’s going to be no good soon and I won’t be able to ride it at all until I get some new ones.  The peddles that came with it are hard plastic so you have to expect that.  I’m going to get some metal ones that look the same but aren’t plastic.  And the reflectors keep slipping out of the right one too so that could pose problems.  Good thing I don’t ride at night.

I also adjusted the generator for the lights so it’s not on the top of the tire which provides more resistance when I’m riding.  I made it so it touches the metal wheel instead.  That’s actually the way it’s supposed to be but the directions said I could put it on either way.  I just never changed it until now.