Tag: helmet

Getting Ready For Ride

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

Just a couple more hours before Sergio, my neighbor, comes a knocking on my door to go bike riding to Beach Park.  I’m positive that I can make it all that way but once I get there I have to stop and rest before going back home.  I’m actually looking forward to actually making it all that way.  I really don’t know why I always punk out when I do go on my bike ride.  I mean, it’s actually a very good idea to go all the way there, this way I can stop and lay down on the grass for a bit to give me the energy I need to go back home.

I bought a new pair of sunglasses at Walgreens this morning for $10.  They are the wrap around kind, the sports sunglasses.  I’ve had 2 other pair but both have broken and I’ve ended up having no choice but to throw them away.  It’s my own fault for breaking them though so this new pair I plan to keep with my helmet and only wear when bike riding.  This way I’m not  having to hold them while I’m at the store and accidentally break them lol.  That’s what happened to the last pair.  Oops.

I’ve been doing laundry last night and today so I have clean clothes to wear.  Normally when I go on my bike ride it’s in the morning and I don’t ride with anybody so I just put on sweat pants and my hoodie sweater along with thermal underwear because when I go by myself it’s usually when the sun is coming up.  But since it’s a little warmer in the daytime I had to wash and dry my shorts and since I can’t wear my hoodie then I need a nice clean shirt that isn’t too tight, isn’t too loose.

Going to have lunch now before I go.

Edit:  I waited until 3:15 because he said he would come to my door but never did so at 3:15 I went to his house and he said he just woke up and had to get in the shower because a friend called and is on his way so the bike was a no go hehe.

Picture Of My Bike

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

By the way, here is a picture of my bike as is.  Not including any lights that is.  It has the frame bag with the tire repair kit, mini pump and hex tools.  The cup isn’t there but it’s black so you wouldn’t see it but if you look hard enough you can see the cage that the cup goes in.  Yes, the bag is big but the cup does still fit in it.  And as you can see my helmet.  To see full size click the image below.

PAIN

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

Ok.  First off Darrin woke me up at 6am because the pain was too great in his stomach and he needed to go to the E.R.  He told me he was having a heart attack.  He wasn’t thank goodness.  The doctor gave him some meds for his stomach pain and we were on our way.  Ok that was Chips pain.

Now for my pain.  When we came home from the hospital Darrin got ready for church and then left.  I on the other hand geared up for what I thought was going to be a long bike ride but turned into a 20 minute bike ride, if that.  I put my sunglasses onto my glasses then strapped on the helmet then put the ear buds in so I could listen to Gavin Degraw’s latest self titled CD in my Dell DJ so the ride would be at least tolerable.

I go down H street from 3rd and I’m nearing the Catholic church which is like 10th street or something, I remember seeing 11th street as I was passing the church but just before I started to get near it I could feel my upper front legs just tightening up from the stress I was putting on them from the ride.  I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t in the right gear or something but my legs were in pain.

I had to push myself to get to California Ave though so I could say I tried.  As soon as I got to California Avenue I sighed a big sigh of relief.  Then I had to turn right and Eye street wasn’t too far then I could turn right and go back to 3rd st.  Now keep in mind, I didn’t go very far.

I finally got home, took of that hot helmet and I swear to science that my legs were in so much pain I was walking like an old man in a retirement home using a walker.  Flower was so happy to see me that she was jumping up on my back legs trying to show her love and trying to get me to pick her up but I could barely walk much less bend over to pick up a toy chihuahua.

I’m glad it’s over BUT… I gotta try again tomorrow.  If I can get to California avenue and not be in so much pain then I can keep going, maybe to Truxton lol.  The song I was on was just track 5 so you know that I wasn’t gone long lol.  Maybe tomorrow I will get to track 6.

This is a cropped image from Google Maps of today’s short route hehe.  It was 1.5 miles by the way.

OMG! Look At My Fortune Cookie!

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

Ok, we went to China Town Buffet for lunch and as we were leaving in the car I opened my fortune cookie and this is what is said:

Is that crazy or what?  In my previous blog I was so upset about my battery being 1mm too big, my bike case being too big and the pump gauge not working.  Then I get this.

I found a solution to the Dell DJ.  I strapped it to the back with a rubber band and have it plugged it, it’s charging now.  I can keep the bottom piece off as long as I keep it from getting dirty so Darrin bought me a neoprene case at Target today.  He also bought me a helmet.   I really have no excuses for riding my bike now to get exercise.  The helmet looks horrible though lol.  It’s not that particular helmet, it’s helmets in general because my face is so round and it basically shows off just how round my face is.  But, I have faith that in time my round face will turn a bit more oval and I won’t look as ridiculous.  I will have to get me a new pair of sports sunglasses so hopefully that will even my face out lol.

Dell DJ Battery On Hold

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, MusicLeave a comment

Well, since I bought the pump and frame bag for my bike I now have to wait on the battery for my Dell DJ.  In order to ride my bike I need stuff for it.  If my tire blows I can’t pump it up without the tools in a bag on my bike frame so the Dell DJ is a moot point because the whole reason I wanted to get a new battery was so I could enjoy music while riding the bike, if I can’t ride the bike then no reason for music.

There are a few other things I need as well like a new headlight and backlight preferably the kind that attach to the back wheel that turns on while you are riding the bike.  What can I say, I hate buying batteries.

I also need a bike shirt that absorbs the sweat and makes me cooler while I ride.  Cotton is so bad for riding a bike because it sticks to your skin.  It doesn’t absorb the sweat and then dry while you are riding.  Ok, don’t worry, I won’t subject anybody to bike shorts.  Believe me, it ain’t gonna happen.

I do need a helmet too though.  I know it’s the law for teenagers but it’s only common sense for an adult to wear one.  I tried buying one at this thrift store one time and Darrin laughed at me and it was a very nice one so if he laughs at me then it makes me not want to wear it which is a very dangerous way of thinking because if I got into an accident I’d DIE!

Hopefully when I get all that I need to ride then I will be able to get a battery for my Dell DJ.  I just can’t ride without music.  It’s so boring without it.  I do have a solar charger that plugs into the Dell DJ so that’s not a problem, the solar charger works as a battery.  But still, I’d rather have a proper battery.

Bike Repairs

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

I rode my bike to the store the other day and I noticed that my back tire has been going flat and it wont stay inflated and so today I decided to go through my boxes in the closet to find the inner tubes that I got when I got the bike originally. When I bought the bike I bought those tire tubes that have the green goo inside of them which is supposed to fix your puncture if you run over a tack or a nail but I didn’t know that it doesn’t protect the sides, just the outer part. So, I took the back tire off and pumped the tube up by itself and held it under water which is what you do to find the leak. Found it, fixed it. All new again hehe.

Then I realized that the seat was really too high up so I lowered it and boy does that make a hell of a difference. So, I feel accomplished today hehe. I rode it over to our neighbors and back and I noticed it wasn’t stopping fast enough so I got off the bike and looked and my front and back brakes are shot lol. Which means I better not even think about getting on it until I go to Snyder’s Cyclery to buy some brakes and while I’m there I want to see their lights and a helmet. Not too many people wear helmets so I’d probably look dorky but I’d rather look dorky than dead.

When I was 16 my parents bought me a bike and they bought me this light set that had front and back lights that ran on a generator (the back wheel and my peddling was the generator) so I’d like to see if they have something similar to that, those are a bit more difficult to steal because it’s a lot of work to get it on so it must be a bitch to get off. I do recall how horrible the lighting was for the headlight. Every time you start to slow down the light started to fade away lol. I’d like to see if they’ve made improvements on that system.