July « 2012 « Jim's Random Notes

Modding the bike

By Jim, on July 30th, 2012%

Friday I went in for a bike fit. That is, I had somebody who knows what he’s doing adjust my riding position for optimum performance and comfort. I had done this a couple of years ago, but things change. My body has changed, and the guys at the bike shop probably didn’t put everything back . . . → Read More: Modding the bike

Katy Flatland Metric Century

By Jim, on July 23rd, 2012%

I decided to do an organized ride to get an idea of where I am in my training. It’s also a good chance to practice group riding and dealing with rest stops. The Katy Flatland ride seemed like a good event because it’s well organized, has a reasonably large number of participants (about 2,500). Also, . . . → Read More: Katy Flatland Metric Century

Lost functionality

By Jim, on July 19th, 2012%

Have you ever noticed that quite often “new and improved” means lost functionality? Consider, for example, the difference between watching a movie on DVD and watching Hulu or Netflix. Overall, I like the Netflix experience. But sometimes I miss something and want to back up a few seconds. With the DVD remote, I could press . . . → Read More: Lost functionality

Weight loss

By Jim, on July 12th, 2012%

Before this year, I’d never made a conscious effort to lose weight. Sure, I’d be a few pounds heavy after taking a winter off from riding, but those pounds would melt away after a week or two of steady training. But I took four years off before I did my training in 2010, and I . . . → Read More: Weight loss

Waco Wild West Century

By Jim, on July 9th, 2012%

I mentioned a few days ago that I’m planning to ride the Waco Wild West Century in September. Part of my preparation is to learn as much as I can about the course. The event’s site has a course map but doesn’t include elevation data. It took me a bit of searching, but I finally . . . → Read More: Waco Wild West Century

Tax cut madness

By Jim, on July 9th, 2012%

President Obama today asked Congress to extend the Bush era tax cuts for those who make less than $250,000 per year, but let the cuts expire for those making $250K or more. This is no surprise, but his arguments just don’t bear scrutiny.

A couple of quotes from his speech:

I disagree on . . . → Read More: Tax cut madness

Bicycle Training

By Jim, on July 6th, 2012%

For years, I’ve been training the same old way: starting with shorter rides and slowly building up to longer rides. I’d get a little faster along the way, but I’d always reach a plateau that I couldn’t rise beyond. I’ve long wanted to do a six hour century ride but even when I do everything . . . → Read More: Bicycle Training

Jim's Random Notes