Finally some rain. First of all I went to Bikes Direct last year and bought a titanium bike thinking it would be great for commuting in the winter, no rust. Second I bought fenders that were a bitch to install but got them on and also bought some nice wide ride tires heavy and thick so I didn't have to worry about flats in the rain. Guess what we hit a drought! Oh but now I am happy that it started raining and I can go cruise the streets of San Francisco with my new rain bike plowing through every puddle and slogging up each hill.

My City loop!

Wind and cold riding along the coast I did a thirty mile ride all without leaving San Francisco. My route takes me up John Daly Blvd in Daly City to the Great Highway along the coast, through Golden Gate park up Arguelo St to the Persidio where I stop at the Sports Basement to refill my water bottle then head back climbing out the Persidio along Lincoln which gives me a great view of the Marin Headlands I climb up to the Legion of Honor then head out to the beach and back down the Great Highway and home. This is my city loop which is around 30 miles not a lot of stopping and plenty of moderate climbs. Sunday 1/15/11 it was really windy so on my Cervelo I get blown around a lot. MLK day it was cold and sunny no wind, there were lots of cyclists out and always some passing me. Oh well I go as fast as my 60 year old legs can carry me.

My Review of Light Bright Messenger

Originally submitted at Timbuk2

A seriously water resistant messenger that thrives after dark.

Light Bright Messenger

Great all around bike bag

By Phil from San Francisco on 1/16/2012

 

5out of 5

Pros: Attractive, Good Strap Length, Lightweight , Roomy , High Quality, Comfortable , Durable 

Best Uses: Commuting, Cycling

Was this a gift?: No

Great bag,I wanted something that would hold my work wardrobe (Shirt, tie, slacks, boxers, socks, tee shirt) and misc items: cell phone, tire levers, spare tube. This bag is great holds everything and keeps it dry for the early morning wet commutes. I leave my shoes at work, they are heavy dress shoes no use lugging them back and forth from work. This bag holds a lot more than I put in it. Also caught it on sale which made for a great deal. Overall very happy. Get yourself one!

(legalese)

My Review of GORE BIKE WEAR Phantom Bike Jacket - Men's

Originally submitted at REI

The Phantom bike jacket is a smart choice for spring riding. Its detachable sleeves let it double as a long-sleeve jacket and a short-sleeve jersey!

GORE BIKE WEAR Phantom Bike Jacket - Men's

Great for those chilly morning commutes

By Phil in SF from San Francisco, CA USA on 12/22/2011

 

5out of 5

Chest Size: Feels true to size

Pros: Warm, Windproof, Durable, Bright / Visible

Best Uses: Road Biking, Cold Weather, Commuting

Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist

Was this a gift?: No

Wanted a jacket for commuting that wasn't too bulky, was windproof, kept me warm and was good quality. I found this jacket. I commute daily in San Francisco leaving early in the morning when it is dark and chilly and retuning in the evening. This jacket's great it's wind proof, keeps the damp off and fits great. Sleeves are long enough I bought an XL and wear a 34-35 inch shirt the sleeves in this jacket are long enough for me. Under the jacket I wear an Under Armour long sleeve ColdGear shirt. This keeps me warm and not over heated. Morning commute averages about 45 degrees and with wind chill I stay warm with this combo. If you commute or ride when it's cold get this jacket. I just bought another one so I'll have one to wear when the other is in the wash.

(legalese)

Winter Commute Dec 2011

Winter is here. San Francisco winter is different than in other parts of the country and works something like this really cold in the morning with lots of wind chill, fog wind, warming in the afternoon for a pleasant ride home.

So basically you freeze in the morning and have a pleasant ride home. For the past several years I have been trying to get my clothing right so I can one not freeze and two not burn up on the ride home.

What I wear: Gore Wind-stopper jacket ( I have two) one I bought at REI which is safety green, the other which I bought at Sports Basement for $40.00 less is white. These jackets are mid-weight, stop the rain and fog and have zip off sleeves. I wear and log sleeve base layer from Under Armor, also I found that Pearl Izumi tights keep my legs warm and wool socks warm my feet. I use toe covers even in the rain. Having tried the full shoe cover they are hassle getting on and off. Also I have a beany that I wear under my helmet that comes down over my ears to keep them warm.

When it rains I have wear every thing with an addition of rain jacket.

Also my winter kit includes a few upgrades on my bike for winter, fenders and lights. I also added helmet lights this year and they work great. Soon it will be dark when I leave for work and when I come home so lights are crucial.

I carry every thing in an REI bicycling back pack that has a rain cover but I just ordered a Timbuk2 messenger bag with waterproof  lining and safety yellow and orange reflective panels. Should really stand out!

Ride Report & Weight Loss

In January one of my office mates comes in and says how would like to loss 15 lbs? I had blown up to 256 lbs over the holidays. The catch was you had to do it on your own, weigh in would be April 1st, for every pound you didn't lose you had to pay $100 to be split by the other participants (about 8 guys) I was in. As of today I am 236 lbs down 17 lbs and in much better shape. I started riding to work 3 days a week 25 miles round trip and long rides on the weekend, eating less carbs and drinking less wine. There has been a lot of rain in Nor Cal so riding has been on and off, but the weather is improving with some days summer like. Clearly it is a wet year in Northern Cal.

I also read Selene Yeager's book "Ride Your Way Lean", great book, fun to read and really improved my riding. I'd like to lose even more weight and get down to about 200 lbs. I think  I can do it by year end.s
s
My commuter bike, a Bianch Vigorelli, has new tires Kenda Konstrictor  that I bought on sale from Jensen's for $19.00 on close out. I  should have bought a dozen. The tires are real sticky in the rain and on dry roads, very supple and look like they are going to wear well. I have about 500 miles on them and they still look new. They also use "Iron Cloak" flat protection. I don't what that is or how it works, but I haven't had any flats. So I am happy with them a bonus is they ride great. Most folks use Conti Gator skins around here for flat protection, but the Kendas ride much nicer.

New Bike

I just bought a new Trek Madone 4.7. It is the 2010 model with Sram Rival components. Great bike bright blue with white accents.

I was all set to buy a Gary Fisher Cronus Pro from Lombardi Sports in San Francisco. I the bike on a test ride and I was impressed with everything but the brakes. After going home and thinking about it I returned to the store the next day to make my purchase only to find out they had just sold it. One of the sales guys pulled down a Trek and said give this a try. He mentioned the Gary Fisher was more of crit bike and the Trek was made more for long rides. I wanted something to do the Marin Century on (note: I did it last year on an aluminum Bianchi and was sore for two days afterwards). I took it for test ride and and man it was smooth, handled great and climbed really well. All I can say is it was the bike for me. It took me about a block to get used to the Sram Rival shifters. Really as easy to shift as the Shimano and no breaking which sometimes happens on the Shimano shifters when  you are shifting. The hoods were a little more comfortable on  the Sram as well.

Overall I like the color, the ride, shifting, feels like I am riding on rails the bike tracks so well and it goes fast. That's a big fun factor for me. I'll give a detailed review after I  have a few thousand miles on it. Right now I am just digging  it.