Folder in the House!

New steed deserves a new post. Particularly since this is not a recumbent. I have gone to the dark old upright side for this ride - something I would not have believed I would do a handful of years ago.

Less than $150 (good old Craigslist) netted me a used Downtube 9FS. After adding a few upgrades and swapping out a few parts from the 'ol bin, this is one sweet upright ride. And as a bonus it folds down to something I can toss in the back of a small trunk.

So far so good - getting used to riding a small wedgie seat has taken a while, and there is no way this ride will be replacing the comfort of a recumbent for any type of distance ride. But this is a nice bike to pop in and out of town, weave around the 'hood, and... well for the price it is hard to resist.

Front and rear suspension = smooth ride (for an upright folder) and disc brakes = STOP NOW!

The drivetrain of this bike needed a full upgrade - and luckily the parts bin had enough stuff in it to make (nearly) the entire swap - SRAM X9 read DR, X9 trigger shifter, BB7 disc brakes, and a new bar/tape, etc. Upped the chainring to an FSA 50T with a Driveline chain bashguard (bling!) and this baby pedals smooth.

Nothing beats some chainring and pedal bling. When they make the ride smoother thats a bonus! :)

One change that I found necessary was removing the flimsy folding pedals. They were just too slippery. I thought of adding some good old eggbeaters, but decided on nice sticky platforms to retain the "hop on and GO" utility. The package is still compact enough when folded even with these pedals so all is good.

SRAM X9 is crisp and Duranos keep the rubber side down.

Going with Duranos was also an out of character choice here, as I really prefer the cush of wider tires like Big Apples. Short time will tell if the Duranos work, and I plan on a handful of same-route rides with these and then with a swap to Big Apples. Given it has the front and rear suspension, maybe that will be enough.

Origin 8 Pro Uno saddle looks cool and rides nice.

Now, being a recumbent rider I am the last person who should be commenting on the ride qualities of an upright bike, but this thing if pretty comfortable for short to medium distances. I am not quite used to the wedgie seat but the Origin 8 I slapped on seems to do the trick while looking pretty cool.

All folded and ready to go!

So my first foray back into an upright goes well so far. Not as svelte and teeny as a folding Brompton, but for the price of something like that I could have had 7 of these bikes. Not bad at all.

Fat, Fat, Fat!!!!!!

No... that is not what I have become since January when I last posted. Rather, it has been a main part of my diet and I have emerged now in the spring - stronger than ever both on the bike and off and feeling better than ever!

This is it folks - the results, as anecdotal as they are in my case, can not be refuted. For months now I have been getting just about half of my daily calories from fat. All metrics are improved: CrossFit performance UP, cycling performance UP, libido UP, sleep BETTER, metal acuity UP, weight DOWN.

Heck, even my last DENTAL cleaning appointment was the best and shortest I have ever had. The dentist commented "You must really have upped your brushing!" Negative. I have not changed my brush/floss habits. I have only changed my type of caloric intake - going Paleo nearly 85%-90% of the time and otherwise avoiding refined sugars, breads, "heathy whole grains" of any sorts and partaking in the fats, nuts, seeds, and veggies. Bam.

I have to offer up a real kudos to Tom Naughton over at FatHead for the real inspiration, as well as a bunch of books shedding the light on the USDA/ConAgra/FDA/Government/HeartHealthy baloney out there.

Before you tune out completely on this "Eat Fat" thing my last measure tells the real tale - Blood-work. Best I have ever had. Cholesterol RATIO (the important part) is the best I have ever had. Triglycerides (the real enemy) are my lowest EVER.

So, the mantra is indeed true - eat fat, get fit!

Diet and The Ride

Here is a two word sentence/saying that as a cyclist I never want to hear again: Carb Loading. As in, "hey with that big ride coming up you should be carb loading." Nor do I want to hear its similarly used, "make sure you load up on carbs before that ride." Ugh.

After my personal experiment on the 2011 Cycle Oregon and nearly six months I can and will say it: carbs (especially loading on them) is a joke and having gone (mostly) paleo, I feel better than ever, weigh less than ever, am stronger than ever, and just do not drink the "whole grains are good" kool aid any longer.

In fact, my last major episode of "carb loading" (in helping with a science experiment) made me feel so shitty the next day it was absolutely telling: Is THAT how I want to feel? NO!

If you need the proof, do it for a month or two, watch the documentary Fat Head, read the book Wheat Belly, and get informed. Pretty amazing stuff out there to be learned that will likely have the folks at CONagra crapping their grain-y pants.

30 days remain...

Sigh... why oh why does the time need to go by SO rapidly?? Maybe it is an aging thing, but whatever it is I don't like it. Either way, we are again just over 30 days away from the Cycle Oregon 2012 route announcement party. I am still trying to determine if I will be eligible to go - there may be... complications for me to pull it off this year schedule wise. I guess the announcement will be the real thing to determine how hard I push for it. I am hopeful...

http://www.cycleoregon.com/

Time to dust it off...

Well, after a long break of holiday madness, it is time for a new year. New resolutions. New goals. Time to dust off the rides and start getting ready to hit the road again...

Given that two months have passed since I last sat on a bike of any kind, I am feeling a bit out of touch. Through CrossFit though, my fitness has remained higher than ever so I do not fear to sit in the recumbent pilot seat... its just the same old "I need to find the time" excuse. Over the next few weeks I have some work to do on the rides, a the last season and epic Cycle Oregon week ride were not too kind to the trike. Loose spokes abound, chain just about at the wear limit, seat pad worn badly... the rehab for the trike itself needs to be done.

Is this a year to sell off the QNT and try for a new upgraded trike? Perhaps. Parting would be hard but there are some enticing trikes out there now for 2012. Sigh... we will have to see how that pans out. I know that I dare not test ride a new trike and risk getting bitten by "the bug" of the new.

For 2012 though some goals needed to be set. I decided to sit down and outline a simple riding goal that will keep me on the road more consistently.

1. At least one decent ride per week. This does not have to be century status or a specific mileage. Just get out and RIDE.

... and...

Well thats it, for now. K.I.S.S. is my thinking on this. Riding should be fun, just more consistent. Since I am not training for anything specific (other than to have fun more) then this should do it!

Ride on!

The ULTIMATE Folding Trike!

OK, Via the infamous bentrideronline site, I have fallen in love with what appears to be the next evolution of the folding trike.

Evolve Trikes has built what appears to be the niftiest folding trike in the universe. One of the major concerns and comments I get with out current trike stable is, "how do you carry those around?" Evolve Trikes seems to be solving that problem.

Check out the video below of this trike folding in record time and being placed into the back of a SMART CAR! Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie one!!! Sadly this trike is not in production yet, but I am really hoping it makes the leap soon - this one is a must have for a family of trike riders.

Cleanup Complete - The Wait Begins Again

Finally got done with the complete trike cleanup from Cycle Oregon. Just in time for riding in the Portland fall rain - HA!

New countdown timer up - 128 days until the announcement of the 2012 route! With rumors afloat of "the most climbing ever" it will be interesting to see:

1. If that hold to be true, and
2. How that affects the sellout time

Well, I don't plan on sitting on the laurels. Ill be there when they announce - and try to sneak a registration form from the table to start filling out as the route is announced.