236.2
That’s what the scale said today. It’s a little lower than expected considering my eating habits.
I’m currently at Boom Bozz with Robin. I need to control my consumption.
Month: March 2012
Every Day!
This might have been the first week this year that I rode to work and back a full five days. Most of those were on the single-speed. I think I’m getting better.
Some of the improvement is mental. Deciding to just deal with the pain has made things easier. I’m still stretching and taking Aleve, but that’s pretty much it.
The nicer weather is a bonus. Most of the country is having an early spring. I’ve been leaving my bedroom window open for over a week now. That was a bad idea during the day yesterday. We had a storm, with tornado, blow through while I was at work. There was no damage in my part of town, but the wind blew the rain in my open window getting my bed wet and splattering my laptop with droplets. The laptop just needed a wipe-down. It still works fine.
After work I spent time with Robin and watched basketball.
I plan to participate in the 30 days of biking for the month of April. That basically means I’m on the bike at least a little every day of the month. I usually have days that I don’t go anywhere, or only walk, so I’ll have to take a little extra time for a spin around the neighborhood.
Bikes For Sale
No, I’m not giving up riding. I’ve been thinking about selling bikes that I can no longer use as I intended to. I did my taxes and need to come up with some money by April 17th.
Update: I’ve sold the front rack and handlebar bag. I have someone picking up the LHT, Dahon, and wheelset. I’ve decided to keep the SON wheel and lights
Update 2: The LHT and Dahon are sold, as is the wheelset and some extra tires. I’m done selling bike stuff.
The three bikes that I’ll probably sell two of are:
- Surly Big Dummy (cargo bike)
- Surly Long Haul Trucker (touring bike)
- Dahon Speed D7 (folding bike)
My recumbent will handle long rides and with a few upgrades, even loaded touring. It’s the one bike that I can almost always ride.
The single-speed is a great around-town bike. I’m keeping it, even if I have to switch out the handlebars later. I may sell the lighting system including dyno-hub off of it though.
The Dahon (SOLD) is handy, but I seldom ride it. It’s a one-size-fits-all folding bike. It has fenders and a small rear rack. It could use a good cleaning and has a few scratches and scuffs. $250 or make an offer.
The Big Dummy (NO LONGER FOR SALE) is a few years old, but I haven’t had it long. I don’t know for sure what size it is, but it’s probably a tad large for me, but I manage to ride it anyway. It includes FreeLoader bags, kickback kickstand, wideloaders, and a Brooks sprung leather saddle. $1200 or best offer. I have a few repairs to make to it before it’s road-worthy again (rim strips and tires). If you’d like to save a few dollars and do that work yourself we could work something out. Note: this is the earlier model Big Dummy that has the “swoopy” top-tube and Mr Whirly Cranks. It sold for around $2500 when new. The newer ones use lower-end components and sell for around $2000.
I bought the Long-Haul Trucker (SOLD) new. It’s a 58cm in the “Truckacinno” color. It’s outfitted with a rear rack, computer, Brooks B17 saddle, and Schwalbe tires. The brakes have been upgraded to the excellent Tektro CR720 cantis. I’ll sell it with the original wheels and no bar-tape for $850 or best offer. The original wheels are a bit worn, but I have the new set available separately (see below).
I have some other parts and accessories available:
700C Wheelset – SOLD
Rear: Shimano XT hub 36H with Velocity Dyad rim – 9speed 11-34 cassette.
Front: Shimano Alfine Dynohub 32H with Velocity Dyad rim
These wheels were hand-built by local wheelbuilder Tom Armstrong for my LHT. I got them in late December, so they have less than 20 miles on them. I’ve been unable to ride that bike. I paid over $570 for them. I’ll sacrifice them for $350 firm.
700C Front Wheel – NO LONGER FOR SALE
This is a SON28 dynohub 36H laced to a Velocity A23 rim. This is the “classic” version (it’s not old, they just recently redesigned them). It’s squarer than the current mode. It’s non-disc, and shiny polished finish. I’ll sell the complete hand-built wheel for $250 firm, which is less than I paid for the hub. The hub is in perfect condition. The rim has had a few hundred miles of use, but will easily last a few thousand more. The hub will last forever.
Dyno Lights – NO LONGER FOR SALE
I have the B&M IQ CYO R headlight in black. It works with either dyno wheel above. I also have the B&M Toplight Flat S Plus tail light. It gets wired into the headlight to keep you visible. $80 for both if purchased with a bike or dyno-wheel.
Handlebar bag – SOLD
I’ll sell my Acorn handlebar bag (medium size?) for $60. There is normally a waiting list to buy these for $100.
Front Rack – SOLD
I have a Surly Front Rack that will fit the LHT easily or the Big Dummy with careful use of a dremel. First $40 takes it. Has most hardware (everything needed for mounting on either of those bikes).
Pictures? Well, I have the My Bikes page. The bikes may not look exactly the same anymore due to upgrades and parts switching. Contact me and you can check out a bike in person.
Terms? Cash only at time of sale. I won’t sell the lights unless they go with a bike or dyno wheel. Bikes don’t come with pedals (except the Dahon) I’ll have some for you to test ride though. I need to sell this stuff soon, like in the next three weeks. If I can’t sell it in that time frame, I’ll keep it. I can’t take payments. All this stuff is used. Some of it more than others. The wheelset is barely used. The bikes show that they have been ridden, they’re far from pristine. I may decline to sell a low-priced item if I haven’t sold anything else yet. I may decline to sell anything.
So, contact me at dave@davidcrowell.com, and we’ll talk.
Bent Gravel
I’m going to keep this short. Five of us set out for a gravel adventure on Sunday. I was a bit worried about a 40-mile gravel ride on the ‘bent, but the bike did reasonably well.
Our navigation and fitness left a bit to be desired. After riding off-course for a while, we took the direct way back to the cars, and only got about 37 miles in for the day.
It was beautiful weather. It was good fun. I need to do it again.
More Riding and Some Weights
The week started off poorly. I overate and took the bus to work and back on Monday and Tuesday.
Kristy, my ex-wife, recently joined a gym, and wanted a workout partner early Wednesday morning. She understandably didn’t want to drive the ten miles to pick me up, ten miles back, then do it all over again to take me home. 40 miles uses gas and time.
She suggested I ride out to the gym to meet her on the folding bike, then she could give me a ride to work. I scrambled to get the bike back from my daughter, who hasn’t been riding it recently. After tuning it and taking care of the neglect it had suffered, I packed it for the next morning. I used my large Arkel touring bags on the tiny bike. Not only are they the only bags I can make fit on the tiny rack, but I needed the storage capacity for clothing and commuting stuff. The bags are so large on the bike that I have to be careful to avoid leaning too much on turns or the bags rub the ground.
The ride was uneventful, which surprised me on Taylorsville Rd on a Wednesday morning.
After seeing the gym and signing in, I changed in the locker room and met Kristy by the weight machines. I demonstrated how to use them and got a workout myself. I may have overdone it on the machine that works the abs, I still hurt.
Overall the workout felt good, but it did aggravate my neck and shoulder. I need to build strength in that area. Riding the folding bike didn’t do me any favors either.
After showering and dressing for work, Kristy dropped my bike and I off at work. The 3.5 mile ride home after work was easy, even on the tiny bike. I rode about 13 miles for the day. I may continue to join her for workouts, but I’ll ride the recumbent to the gym, then work, then home, giving me 25 miles or so. It’ll save my neck. I also need to start getting to bed earlier. It’s hard to get to the gym before work when you oversleep. I’m really good at sleeping. I get a lot of practice.
Today I rode the recumbent. It was cloudy and windy with threat of thunderstorms, but I never did get rained on. The rain came after I got home. I’ll be on the recumbent again tomorrow for the commute. It’s much easier on the neck.
I’m on planning on riding on Saturday so I can spend most of the day with Robin, but on Sunday I have tentative plans to ride with the RCCS for an Indiana gravel ride. I’ll be on the ‘bent, which should be interesting. I think 40 miles is planned.
I have ridden gravel on the ‘bent before, but never a long ride. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll be slow, partially because I’ll be on the ‘bent, and partially because I’m out of shape.
Longest Ride This Year (So Far)
It’s no secret that my bike riding is way down. My neck issues have seen to that. Now that I’ve decided what to do about it (exercise and stretching) I need to ride more.
Saturday, Timothy and Asher competed in the Sub9 Death March. They planned to stop at Charlestown Pizza for a victory beer after the race. I’m in no shape to race, but I hopped on my recumbent for a ride to Charlestown to meet up with them.
Charlestown Pizza used to be one of my regular hang-outs when I lived in Charlestown. I now live 20 miles away, so I don’t get there often. A 40-mile round-trip means I can consume a few calories.
I actually had a rough ride on the way northward. It’s a slight uphill the whole way. Drivers were rude and I wasn’t feeling well. To think I used to ride the route often to get to work was amazing. I also realized just how out of shape I’ve gotten.
The weather was stunning. It was sunny, clear, and in the mid-50s. I arrived at Charlestown Pizza to see they are having a fundraiser for tornado-affected areas. They were busy, but there was only about a 20-minute wait for a table for three.
After hearing about Timothy and Asher’s struggle on the Death March (and the DNF they got), we enjoyed food and beer.
It was dark by the time it was time to leave. I was well-lit, yet I took a different route with less traffic but more hills. I felt strong. I felt good.
While southbound, Venus and Jupiter were to my right. Mars was to my left. Orion was nearly overhead. I easily saw these things because it’s easy to look up into the sky while riding the recumbent. The bike has it’s drawbacks, but the view is not one of them.
After riding home I felt incredibly alive. Unlike my camping trip last month, I didn’t hurt from the ride. Even the Big Dummy, with it’s upright position, hurts. The ‘bent doesn’t.
Now I’m in a quandary. I’m considering selling the LHT. It’s designed for long trips. I can’t ride an upright bike for long distances. My single-speed works great around town for short trips. The Big Dummy works for hauling dog food and other supplies short distances, but the ‘bent has to be my “distance bike”.
In any case, it was great to get out again. I’m going to start getting out on my solo rides.
Cervical!
I was discussing my neck issue with a co-worker a while back when another co-worker heard the word cervical, and thought it meant cervix. Quite a difference there.
I had today off work, as I had a doctor visit in the middle of the day. After 75F and tornadoes on Friday we had a cooler weekend. This morning I woke to three inches of snow. By the time I was up and moving the roads were completely clear.
I took a meandering route through neighborhoods. I noticed that my fitness level has really diminished recently. Every small hill was a challenge.
My last physical therapy appointment was Friday. I’ve put my massage therapy and chiropractor visits on hold. These things haven’t been working for me. Today was the day for me to talk to my doctor about surgery.
I approached Seneca Park and stopped to take the pictures in this post. There wasn’t any snow falling from the sky, but the trees were dropping quite a bit as it melted. I was pelted in the face by a piece of ice.
I eventually made it to the office. Not finding a bike rack, I had to lock to a sign.
As expected, the doctor has said that non-surgical methods are not working. I’m hoping for one of the “easier” surgeries, as if any of them are easy.
That’s not to be. He is suggesting anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. That involves cutting through the front of the neck, removing the ruptured disc (C6-C7), grinding down the bone a bit, and sticking a piece of cadaver bone in to fuse the two vertebrae. There would also be metal plates and screws put in place to hold it all together.
I would be unable to drive(ha!) or work for at least two weeks. I’d be off the bike for several months. It can take a full year for full fusion to take place.
There are risks. The bones may not fuse, which would require another surgery. I could die. It may not provide as much relief as I hope. I could end up paralyzed. It’s a terribly invasive surgery.
He isn’t rushing me to make a decision. At this point, I can’t see going through with the surgery. I see two options that don’t involve surgery, both involve dealing with it.
Option One: Give up. Buy a car and sell the bikes. Suffer with the pain and continue to deteriorate. Someday I’ll die and the pain will stop. That’s a lousy option, but seems slightly better than surgery (at this point).
Option Two: Attack this thing my way. I’ve done some research on exercise, stretching, diet, and other things that may help a little. So, do those things and deal with the pain. It won’t fix a ruptured disc, but it may provide enough relief for me to keep plugging along. This keeps me healthy, and still leaves open the option for surgery later if necessary.
I did ask the doctor if the pressure on the nerve would be damage it long-term. He didn’t seem concerned. I asked him about the bikes again. I don’t want to be limited to the recumbent. He gave me the all-clear to ride what I want, with the warning that I may be quite sore from it.
I plan on riding the single-speed to work tomorrow. I’ll consider replacing the handlebars with something a bit higher.
Later in the week I’ll get the LHT out and ready to ride. I’ll look into other handlebar options for that too.
My preliminary decision is Option Two. Option One is really bad. Surgery doesn’t sound good. Option One is the direction I’ll head for now. I reserve the right to change my mind later.
Weather?
I often joke about riding when the weather is bad, and wimping out and taking a cab on the nice days. I had intended to ride to work every day this week, and I almost accomplished it. On Thursday, with beautiful weather, I felt like crap and called a cab.
Wednesday was stormy, yet I rode anyway. We ended up with tornadoes to the south, but not in Louisville.
Yesterday, Friday, I rode again. I had a physical therapy appointment before work and rode there under cloudy skies. After PT I rode to work with a few raindrops. There were all kinds of weather warnings popping up around the region, but it had actually started looking nice out.
A nasty storm system was approaching Louisville, and most businesses were letting people go home early. About 2:15 I was given the go-ahead to leave. I rode through strong winds and the temperature had climbed to 75F. That’s definitely a sign of a spring storm. I was in my back yard before I even felt a drop of rain.
I watched weather information on my computer for a while and watched as nasty reports came in from Southern Indiana. A friend of mine who lives near Borden Indiana, forwarded me a picture of a tornado.
Eventually a tornado warning was issued for Louisville, and I headed to the basement. My power never went out. No trees came down in my neighborhood. We just had some scary winds for a few minutes, then it was over.
The reports are still coming in today. More than two-dozen people killed in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Henryville High School is pretty much destroyed. Borden High School damaged. I’ve read there were over 80 tornadoes associated with this storm. Some of them were pretty large.
The areas in Southern Indiana that were hit hardest are some of the areas I used to ride a lot in. I won’t attempt to go there for another week or so to allow clean-up efforts to continue. It’s a beautiful area with great low-traffic roads. I feel for those who lost homes, family members, pets, etc. That’s got to be hard. I don’t wish that on anybody.