Going Clipless

I've made a change to Bryn's set-up. This week I switched my pedals to new clipless pedals. They're made up of a metal cleat screwed to the bottom of my shoes (there was actually more gum on the bottom of the other shoe...where have I been?) and a receptacle on the pedals. I used to have toe clips or cages on my pedals that I'd slide my foot into and out of. The clipless pedals work a bit differently. Like a ski binding you press your toes in first and then lean back until you hear a 'click'. To release your feet you swing your heel out. Clipless pedals are apparently more efficient than cages. They're certainly much more efficient than nothing because you can pull up on the pedals as well as push down on them. Efficiency can only be a good thing when riding an average of 100 km a day.Apparently there is a bit of a learning curve with clipless pedals. I confess that I've been afraid of them for years. If you don't release your feet (or at least one foot) quickly enough, over you go! I practiced clipping in and out in my living room with my non-clipped foot resting on a dictionary (a very large dictionary). Today I decided that while standing on a dictionary was good fun, it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I puttered around my neighbourhood stopping at all the stop signs and didn't fall over once (although I hear that the falling tends to happen when you stop concentrating on your feet). I am finding that its harder to clip into the pedal than it is to get out of it.

Buoyed by my success I ventured out onto Danforth in search of a birthday present for my nephew's fourth birthday (awww he's so cute). Unfortunately the drizzle I thought was subsiding turned into a major downpour. Back at home, I spent a good long while cleaning and lubricating Bryn.

Halfway - Thank You!

I'm halfway to my fundraising goal of $2000. Hearty thanks and appreciation to everyone who has sponsored me thus far. Tonight I came home and found an envelope in the mailbox for Bryn and me with a donation inside (it was very exciting!)

Tonight I was at one of the Bike Rally's excellent seminars. I learnt about basic bike maintenance at Velotique. Saul was an excellent teacher and I had quite a few "oh" and "ah" moments. I now know how to properly use my tire levers and am convinced not to try changing a tire with a Popsicle stick again. To put in a wee plug for Velotique, even before encountering them in the bike rally context, I've always found them to be very helpful and friendly. Their shop is a place where I have to exercise a great deal of self control. Ahhh the gadgets!

Bike short trauma

On the scale of clothing trauma bike shorts rate nowhere near bathing suits but I can't say that bike short shopping was all that fun.

A couple of fun quotes from Frances E. Willard on clothing (recall she was learning to ride around 1895)

"If women ride they must, when riding, dress more rationally than they have been wont to do...A woman with bands hanging on her hips, and a dress snug about the waist and chokingly tight at the throat, with heavily trimmed skirts dragging down the back and numerous folds heating the lower part of the spine, and with tight shoe, ought to be in agony."

"It is needless to say that a bicycling costume was a prerequisite. This consisted of a skirt and blouse of tweed, with belt, rolling collar, and loose cravat, the skirt three inches from the ground; a round straw heat, and walking shoes with gaiters."

I wonder what she'd think of my new nylon, spandex and polyester number? I also got a fun pair of socks. The girl is flexing her muscles and saying "grrr".