Head gear battle

As the temperature drops my thoughts turn to clothes to keep me warm and keep me riding.  Right now I've been focusing on head gear.  I run the same helmet so far(might change when it gets really cold).  A standard hole riddled Giro bike helmet.  It should also be said that I'm bald.  So these findings are a bit skewed towards the follicular challenged.

So far here's what I've been using.  A single buff on the head if the temp drops below say 40ish degrees.  Then another polar buff for my neck and bottom of my face if the temp drops below 32ish degrees.

Std Buff

polar buff

 This combo has worked pretty well in the past.  The polar buff does what' it's suppose to and keeps drafts from going down my jacket.  It also keeps my neck and chin out of the wind.  While the std buff keeps my head warm and dry.  They overlap a bit for double the ear protection.  So far I've yet to get cold with this set up.  I have had the std buff get a bit sweaty when the temps aren't that cold.

So why would I mess with such a perfect combo?  Mainly cause it's in my nature to try and find a bit of gear that might be better then then what I've been using.  Hence why I wore the
Under Armour ColdGear Infrared Hood today.

Temp out this morning was around 24degrees.  Layer wise this fit almost the same under my helmet as my buff's would.  I'd say it was a bit cooler then dual buff's.  Plus it's not as versatile as the buff system is.  It's either neck and head or neither.  With the buff's the the option of one or the other.  I'll wear it a few more times before I totally make up my mind on it.

Punishment

So I decided not to ride to work yesterday.  It was a bit colder then normal and I just wasn't feeling it.  Hopped in my car and started it up to defrost the car.  Low tire light is on.  They all look fine and I'm sure it's the cold, so I just shrug it off.  Next thing I try to open one of the rear sliding doors on my car.  Hmmm handles a bit stiff.  Throw my bag inside and close the door.  Door won't relatch now.  What the heck.  It's cold...but not that cold.  Fiddle with the latch for a bit trying to get it to work.  No luck.  Head to the garage and get the WD40.  Slather it down a bit.  Still no luck.  So I shut the door best I can and lock it from the inside.  That works...sort of.  The door won't fly open but it's also not really closed.  OK fine it'll get me to work.  It did get me to work where the door latch miraculously started working again.

Driving sucks - ride a bike!

Lesson learned.

November 5th Commute - First Snow Commute

Looking out the window this morning the snow didn't look to be sticking to the road.  Just damp.  I could deal with that.  I added my fleece vest even thou the temperature didn't require it.  I just wanted to see how much more heat it added.  The answer was - Almost too much.  I was thankful for it however.  It kept a lot of snow off my Pearl Izumi jacket and that in turn I think would have cooled me down.  My legs are where the work needs to be done.  I'm going to have to get a pair of cheap rain pants to go over my other pants for the commute in.  I thought about wearing my goggles but packed them in my bag instead.  Wasn't a big deal.  Had to try it.  At least the road wasn't frozen.  That might be this afternoon...


Temp - 32/36degrees
Wind - 6mph sustained out of the North

Me:
Head - 10 Awesome (Light buff over ears and fleece buff on collar)
Hands - 10 Awesome (Columbia gloves - perfect for the morning)
Chest - 10 Awesome (Pearl Izumi Jacket and fleece vest.  Almost too much.)
Legs - 5 Tolarable (Jeans - Got pretty cold and wet.)
Feet -8 Good (Boots and flat pedals)
Overall Physical feel - 9 (Little more resistance in the snow but not much.)

Bike ratings as follows.  One will mean total equipment failure.  Ten means it totally served it's purpose and I need to write more positive reviews on it.

Bike: Redline Monocog
Tires - 8(Fine not sliding in the snow)
Brake  - 8(Not a word)
Drivetrain - 8(Silky smooth)
Overall/Other - 9(Monocog is a great rig)

Total Score: 85

Things to change - Find a way to stay drier in the snow.

Things I noticed -  Cars throw a bigger wake of slush then trucks do.

October 22nd Commute - Heat wave

After last weeks morning temps between 25 and 35 degrees.  This mornings 45 degrees felt like a heatwave. 

Temp - 45/63 degrees
Wind - 5mph sustained/ 15mph gusts

Me:
Head - 10 Awesome (Light buff over ears)
Hands - 10 Awesome (Columbia gloves - perfect for the morning)
Chest - 10 Awesome (Pearl Izumi Jacket)
Legs - 8 Good (Jeans - Fine, they kept slipping down and I felt like my crack was showing.  Only a problem for those behind me)
Feet -10 Awesome (Boots and flat pedals)
Overall Physical feel - 9 (after three months of commuting almost nonstop it's a pretty easy ride in the single speed.)

Bike ratings as follows.  One will mean total equipment failure.  Ten means it totally served it's purpose and I need to write more positive reviews on it.

Bike: Redline Monocog
Tires - 8(Should have topped off the tires for a bit more roll)
Brake  - 8(Not a word)
Drivetrain - 8(Silky smooth)
Overall/Other - 9(Monocog is a great rig)

Total Score: 90

Things to change - Raise up the seat a smidgen.

Things I noticed -  15 degrees makes a huge difference.

Shaping up the Shed

Joab and I have been working on getting the shed cleaned up and ready for winter riding indoors.  For a few years now we've been building, assembling, cobbling together assorted things to ride over.  It's also doubled as a indoor play ground for Joab's cousins and RC rockcrawler playground.  Were fortunate enough to have a building that isn't filled with farm equipment in the winter.  Plenty of room to bounce around on the good and rocks.  Here's a little video I put together of what we've got so far.

https://vimeo.com/77450589

Joab's got some work to do

Looks like this little guy needs some new parts.  Joab better get on his Agame and raise some money.  Maybe go door to door and sell cookies or something.

Odin took his Revenge

So how did Odin's Revenge go you ask? Let me tell you....

I did crappy. I didn't train anywhere near the amount I needed. Even if I wanted to do just half the race. Nothing I did prepared me for climbing that many hills. I had prepared myself mentally for a few hills. It was a roller coster. I did however learn A LOT.

Things I learned….

If I think I've trained enough…I'm wrong
I need to learn to eat on the road
I need to learn to eat the right stuff on the road
I need to have a better game plan for long rides like this
I need to lighten my load. Both the bike AND ME
I gotta learn to climb better and repetitively. This is number one.

Things I liked….

The people were awesome. Most bike people are.
The scenery was great.
The weather couldn't have been better.
The event was very well run.

I won't go thru the things I don't like because I think I've addressed them in the "Things I've learned" section. I have a lot of work to do. I know this and I'll start later this week. I need to research a training plan that will help endurance without having to sit on the bike for 8-10 hours. I remember reading a few. Just need to track them down. Just gotta get to work on it. Train…Train…Train.

In closing - "It's better to regret something you have done,
Than to regret something you haven't done." - Butthole Surfers

A visual representation of my trip down and the race.
http://i.imgur.com/tHLccYT.jpg

I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments.  Please post up!