Bike to work day
Posted by doubleA on June 28, 2007
Yesterday was bike to work day and it provided 66 miles of “singlespeed” enjoyment for me. It was a nice cool morning and a not too hot afternoon for riding. The morning ride on the South Platte trail provided for lots of riders but it was great to see everyone out there. It just makes you wonder why more people don’t ride (especially the ones close to work) their bikes to work.
Now, about that singlespeed comment. I have had this thought of turning my old Giordana road bike into a singlespeed so I thought Bike to Work day would be a great test. I pulled the bike down from the hook in the garage on Monday night and surprisingly, the bike was in good condition. After pumping up both tires, and doing some minimal drivetrain cleaning, the bike was ready for a test. It has been a year and a half since I’ve ridden the bike, but it still felt good. On Tuesday, I took it out for a spin to find the proper gearing. It’s a tough call given my home terrain because there are not too many flat sections. It’s usually up or down so I had to find a gear that was manageable on the ups, but wouldn’t spin out too fast on the downs and flats.
What’s the gear. I have no idea!! It’s a 39×16, 39×17 or something like that. Anyway, the bike rode great, and the return trip from Downtown Denver to CPN was not too terrible bad. It’s basically uphill the final 15 miles from Chatfield, but a technique of alternating the hills between mashing and standing seemed to do the trick.
I’m definitely a bit sore today but after 88 miles of singlespeed in 2 days, I have a good reason for being sore. My next task is to stop by the LBS to work out the details on the SS conversion.
More to come on that project.
Hope others had a fun Bike To Work day and congrats to everyone who participated.
