💾 Archived View for sdf.org › sparcipx › phlog › 2023 › 1 › 01-07-2023.gmi captured on 2023-01-29 at 04:40:41. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I'd posted earlier on Mastodon that "My bike season is still a couple of
months away, but I really should start preparing," prompting friend
@cosullivan to ask "How do you prepare for bike season? Do you have a
phlog post detailing preparation?".
A fine question!
I'm not a year-round cyclist. My cycling season usually runs from the
first ice-free day of spring to the last ice-free day of autumn... at
least, that's how it was before 2020. I can count on one hand the amount
of rides I went on between 2020 and now, which is sad because I'd been an
avid cyclist since the mid-aughts. So, part of the preparation I
mentioned involves making sure my out-of-shape 50 year-old body is
physically prepared for riding after three long, sedentary years. Hopping
into the saddle without so much as a stretch will probably ruin me. Thus,
I'm starting an exercise regimen the moment I find my copy of The
Pain-free Cyclist (Matt Rabin & Robert Hicks), which I found invaluable in
the past. If I can't find it in the next day or so, I'll probably end up
buying a copy from BezosCo if McNally-Robinson doesn't have it.
After the physical aspect, there's mental preparation: psyching myself up
for the ride. If I'm going on a recreational ride on a weekend or day
off, I prefer doing what I call "Dawn Patrol": heading out just after
sunrise and riding for a few hours before the roads or trails start
getting busy. Some days, though, it's tough convincing myself to get out
of a comfy bed on my days off, especially after a harrowing work week.
On workdays, it's just as much effort to convince myself to ride to work,
having to get up an hour or so earlier than normal to ride through
cyclist-hating industrial park traffic to a job that stresses me out.
But in both cases, once I'm actually *on* my bike and riding, it's like
therapy. Part of the preparation is remembering how much I enjoy cycling
when I'm actually out riding.
After physical and mental, there's mechanical preparation: the routine
maintenance of cleaning, greasing, lubing, patching, and adjusting.
Gotta make sure the bikes in my stable are ready to ride! This year I'll
be overhauling my commuter bike completely and (hopefully) adding a front
rack w/decaleur, and rebuilding the freewheel on my Auto-Mini folding
bike. I also need to replace the bearings in my road bike, but it might
end up being overhauled completely as well before riding season.
Then, of course, I need to make sure I'm stocked up on consumables like
patches and making sure the rubber cement in my patch kits hasn't dried
out, making sure I have enough CO2 cartridges for my inflator, that my
water bottles aren't moldy, and that my first aid kit is stocked.
That's about the extent of my bike season preparations. Does anyone else
go to this much trouble... or perhaps more trouble?