I've got to do it my way

I planned to do a lot of riding this year. I did do more than recent years, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. A little over 800 miles, actually. The odd part is how I look at the bikes these days.

I enjoy cycling. I always have, to varying degrees. There is a certain quiet freedom that comes from riding. Riding alone can be a great elixir. It is a feeling similar to the casual walk in the wilderness, though traffic does add a bit of modern, chaos to the mix. It is a time to reflect, to clear the head or maybe tune out completely. This is a rare time I think of nothing else that goes on in life. No work, no headlines, nothing but me and the road ahead.
I also enjoy riding with friends. It is a healthy activity to share with people as a common interest. Whether it is a shared interest in just the open road itself (a social event) or a competitive rivalry it helps strengthen relationships.

For me, there is a mechanical aspect to it as well. I tend to personalize my bikes to serve my distinct purposes. One major quirk involved here is the fact that I am very poor at traveling light. When I go to work I carry more tools than anyone outside of maintenance. When I travel to visit family I carry an excess of crap that I may or may not need. On the bike that leads to racks and bags.
On the mountain bike I put a rack on the back and a trunk type bag. I can carry a substantial amount of cargo in there. I then put a rack on the old 10-speed. Sometime after I got the recumbent I bought a rack for it as well. This all happened over a span of several years with a recent acceleration.

This year I decided I could use the mountain bike as a grocery getter so I bought a pair of grocery panniers. Tried them once with disappointing results. They fit the Blackburn rack I had on the bike but the rack lacked the extended rail on the rear to keep the bag from sagging and rubbing the tire. I upgraded to a Sunlite rack that appears as though it will solve the problem. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
I enjoy riding fairly long rides at times which may require more hauling capacity. In particular, some of the later rides of the year demand more clothing that may need to be shed later in the day. With the racks and bags I have on the three bikes listed above that is of little concern. On my old Cannondale the story is a little different.

The Cannondale lacks the eyelets found on the others for mounting accessories. I thought I would have to come up with some unique system to carry anything on that one. It is not something I would do often but I barely had enough room for my wallet and cell phone, much less a spare tube, tools, etc... that may be wise to carry on a long ride. I don't like carrying much in my jersey pockets. I just find it annoying.
I was just about to start working on schemes to remedy this situation when I stumbled across the Axiom Streamliner DLX rack. This is a rack designed for road bikes with a narrow profile, which is supposed to help keep the load closer to the center of gravity and crate less of an effect on aerodynamics. I have doubts about this latter point and really am not concerned about the former. For me the benefit of this rack is the mounting system. It attaches to the quick-release skewer and the brake-mounting bolt. From what I have read, this rack is not as stable with heavy loads as other racks but I don't envision that as an issue for me. I'll ride the others when I want to carry much weight.

This October I rode in the most rigorous tours I usually participate. The Great Pumpkin Metric and the Hilly Hundred. They were on consecutive weekends with a total of 172 miles. This year the GPM was as challenging as I have ever known it to be. It was cool, a high of around 60° and really windy. The following weekend I found the Saturday route on the Hilly easier than in years past, contrary to most of my friends. Maybe I was in better shape this time around or perhaps the GPM was a good warm-up for it.
The second day of the Hilly was new to me. I had never tried it before because in previous years I was too tired after Saturday's course to attempt it. I decided to take the heavier bike, the 10-speed, on Sunday, because I felt that the lighter Cannondale lacked the proper gearing for me to succeed on the climbs the second day. I was right. The 10-speed is about 6 pounds heavier but I have modified it with a huge 38 tooth 1st cog on the back. Originally it had a 28t and the Cannondale a 26t. I might have made it up most of the hills on the other bike but I am confident Mt. Tabor would have beaten me. It was tough with the big 38t.

As with everything I do, I am always looking for ways to improve my rides, or at least make the bikes more...me. Some day I will surely by a new bike, my road bikes are 18 and 27 years old, and that new bike will likely be changed in some way. Right now, however, I am happy with the ones I have. They need a little bit of tlc right now but have been very good to me.

ME