Rain, rain . . .

A summer thundershower just past through and it reminded me that I should post another entry, this time on rain gear. Now, when I talk "rain gear", I typically mean rain jacket and, possibly, rain pants, but I'm going to expand my definition a bit to include other rain related equipment as well as some opinions on the subject.


What to wear

This isn't as easy as it may seem because when you're riding, you are also generating heat (and lots of it) and sweat (and lots of it). The most obvious choice would be to go with a Gore-Tex© jacket. However, you are riding in the summer during a thundershower, the Gore-Tex© may not allow the perspiration to evaporate fast enough to keep you cool and dry (which is the whole point of wearing Gore-Tex© in the first place). Secondly, most thundershowers happen suddenly and pass quickly, so by the time you've stopped to put on your Gore-Tex© jacket, the thundershower may already have passed (or will shortly), leaving you just as wet. Under circumstances like that, with the heat and rain, I would just not bother with the jacket and let the rain cool me off right then and allow my clothes to dry naturally after the rain stopped, keeping me cool in the process.

Now, if it's a storm or prolonged shower (typically those associated with a warm front ), wearing rain gear makes sense because it may be hours (even days) before the rain passes. But is Gore-Tex© really necessary? Probably not. Face it; if it's raining, you're going to get wet. Period. Just get over the notion of staying completely dry and accept the fact you will get wet no matter how hard you try. If the weather is warm (70°F or higher), a rain jacket is probably not necessary. For cooler weather, rain gear will keep you moderately dry, but, more importantly, warmer. Yes, it is possible to get hypothermia in the summer (if the conditions are right) as well as hyperthermia, so be aware of the symptoms. A lightweight, water-resistant jacket, pants, and gloves will help keep you warm when cold rain comes, as will a pair of booties (I personally like the neoprene kind myself).

When selecting a jacket, think ventilation over waterproof. A good rain jacket will provide vents (often in the form of zippered, ventilated "pits" and a ventilated back with a flap to hold off the rain. Rain pants should be able to be put on while wearing shoes, so look for zippered legs. And, as always, make sure there is some reflective material; if not, buy an inexpensive reflective safety vest to wear over your jacket. Rain often means limited visibility and when it comes to bicycling, being seen is being safe.

One last item of interest that you may find helpful is a cycling cap. Cycling caps are inexpensive and yet very handy items. They can keep sweat from rolling into your eyes; the visor can keep the sun out, as well as the rain; and they fit nicely under a helmet.

What about the bike

As I said, I am expanding my definition of "rain gear" to include the bike as well as the rider. The very best thing to have on your bike for the rain is a set of fenders (also called mud guards). I have a set of SKS fenders which have the advantage of an aluminum core versus all plastic fenders, which makes them stronger. I also added a pair of Brooks mud flaps, to give a more polished finish and additional coverage.

Now, if you own a leather saddle, like I do, you will want to protect that as well. First, treating the saddle with Proofide, or other leather treatment, will not only prolong the life of your saddle, but offer water resistance as well. Unless you bring your bike inside or keep it in a bike locker, you will want to cover the saddle. You can purchase a saddle cover, but you also wrap a plastic shopping bag or even a shower cap over the saddle to keep the rain off.

And if you find yourself caught in a severe thunderstorm, my advice is to stop by the closest bar and have a couple drinks to wait out the storm.

Getting a Little Shifty

Ugh, another break that was entirely too long. However, I have not forgotten about this blog, just busy with other things (jobs, life, etc.). I am riding again, although I did take last week off because I over did it the week before and ended up with a very painful cramp in my right calf. (Sounds like another blog entry to me.) Anyways, today I want to shift gears and talk about shifting gears (literally).

Now, unless you have either a single speed bike or an internally geared bike, you have the standard front and rear derailleur configuration. Most people tend to stick with only a handful of gears, often times at the lower end because their bike isn't properly adjusted to their body, but that's another topic. Many people (Americans, especially) like to buy bicycles with lots of gears thinking that "more is better". Well, not necessarily so. Consider this, the typical mountain/hybrid bicycle has a triple chainring up front and an eight or nine speed cassette in the rear, giving a total of 24 or 27 gear combinations. However, not all of those combinations are usable and many are either duplicates or close enough that it makes little or no perceived difference.

Let's take my bike for example. I ride an older Specialized with a triple chainring with a 30/40/50 combination and a seven speed freewheel with a setup of 12/14/16/18/21/24/28. So that should give me 21 speeds, right? Wrong! Out of the 21 speeds, there are three combinations that are duplicates (I'll illustrate that in a minute), four combinations that are unusable due to the resulting chain angle (one of which is also a duplicate mentioned above), and one where the difference is minor.

To better illustrate this, I am using the late Sheldon Brown's on-line gear inch calculator. Since I ride with a 700C x 38 wheel, I factor that into the calculator, along with my 175mm crankarms and get the following gear inch table:

30 33.3 % 40 25.0 % 50 12 68.3 91.1 113.8 16.7 % 14 58.5 78.1 97.6 14.3 % 16 51.2 68.3 85.4 12.5 % 18 45.5 60.7 75.9 16.7 % 21 39.0 52.0 65.0 14.3 % 24 34.2 45.5 56.9 16.7 % 28 29.3 39.0 48.8

The following gear combinations are duplicates: 30x21 and 40x28; 30x18 and 40x24; 30x12 and 40x16. The following combinations are unusable because the resulting chain angle would cause rubbing on the front derailleur and excess lateral flex on the chain: 30x14, 30x12, 50x28, and 50x24. (Note that 30x12 is both a duplicate and an unusable gear.) The gear combinations 30x16 and 40x21 are less than one gear inch apart, so the difference is imperceptible.

A gear inch, for those who don't know, is defined as the number of inches traveled for each revolution of the pedals, and dates back to the old penny-farthings. Most people don't concern themselves with gear inches any more, but it can be useful for devising a shift pattern.

Again, taking my bike as an example, I use twist shifters rather than trigger shifters, but both have numbers that correspond to the respective gear from low to high, so this should translate to other bikes. I printed out the table above, crossed out the unusable gear combinations and highlighted the duplicates. Next, I numbered the chainrings and cogs from low to high to match the numbers on my shifters. Then I opened up a spreadsheet program and created the following shift table:

1-1	1-2	1-3	1-4	1-5
		2-1	2-2	2-3	2-4		2-5		2-6		2-7
						3-3		3-4		3-5		3-6	3-7

Note: The number to the left of the hyphen denotes the left shifter number (or chainring) and the number to the right of the hyphen denotes the right shifter number (or cog).

As you can see, I have three combinations that are (more or less) duplicates, therefore they are listed as being equal on the shift table. I left this as such in case I find myself in the lowest chainring for extended periods of time (like hills or strong headwinds). Otherwise, I start with the combination of 2-1 and start my shift pattern from there. I can now take this shift table, print it out, and tape it to my handlebars as an easy reference (and less memorization).

To use the table, I merely start out with a gear combination (normally 2-1) and shift from left-to-right to upshift, and right-to-left, to downshift. So, a normal upshift pattern would be 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 3-3, 2-5, 3-4, etc. Whenever extra torque is needed (such as strong headwinds, climbing hills, etc.), I'll start with 1-1 through 1-5, then shift to 2-4, 3-3, and so forth. This allows me to shift to each successive gear (according to gear inch) without making a massive jump that could sap my strength and energy in the long run and help maintain my cadence.

Sorry for the hiatus

Okay, okay, I know; it's been a couple months since my last entry. The reasons are many and lame. With the new year came a new schedule (which seemed to change almost daily), not to mention at staying in a warm, cozy bed seemed to be a better option than peddling 10 miles in the cold, dark morning air. Then there was March, which seemed to become more of a lion as the month went along. We had several major thunderstorms roll through and, quite frankly, I'd just as soon not die by drowning in a torrential downpour. Oh, and windy?!?! If someone went out kite surfing, I would half expect them to end up in Oz before the day was over. The prospect of riding 10 miles into a 20+ MPH headwind when your average speed in only 15 MPH makes my legs hurt just thinking about it.

The fact is, I needed a break, if only to keep from turning stale. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. A common complaint among bicyclists is reaching a plateau. That is, you ride and ride, but you don't see any real changes. In fact, it can often be that you regress. That is when you should take a break and try something different for a while. This is one of the reason many bicyclist often take up running and/or swimming. The technical term is cross-training, but I simply call it breaking out of a rut.

The problem comes in knowing how long is too long of a break. The old adage "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" applies. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to stop commuting for a month or two (or more, if needed), but soon what was a regular routine before the break becomes a chore when you pick it back up. One way to ease back into the old routine is to slowly build it back up. Take a ride around the neighborhood once or twice a week. Nothing requiring great effort, or even your normal riding clothes. Just explore some of the side streets that you passed along the way before. Get some fresh air. Ride down to the beach or the local park. Better yet, head on over to the local bike shop and test ride a few bikes, even if you're not in the market to buy one yet. If you're currently riding a commuting bike, try a road bike or a mountain bike. Heck, take the top-of-the-line road bike out for a quick spin and see how it feels.

As for me, I am planning on commuting again starting this month. During Spring Break last month, I rode to work on Thursday to conduct a workshop for a couple new employees. I swapped weekends with another librarian this weekend and rode to work today. Both rides felt great, and reminded me of why I love to ride. Tomorrow should bring some scattered thunderstorms, but I may still ride.