Sweet Ride

I did get to ride with my sister in law and her man.  I took the Schwinn.  She wasn't too happy about it.  In the past couple of years, she has returned to the world of the bicycle.  It was great to see.  She was worried about being able to bike, but the adage holds true. You never forget.  Her man bought her a Trek hybrid, and it's a nice bike.  Her only complaint is that she doesn't coast as far as his.  I really don't know why.  He has a rigid, steel mtb.  The tires are fatter.  They must have more rolling resistance.  I'm assume the tires are inflated to similar pressures.  Her wheels have a larger diameter than his, so I would guess that there would be less resistance from the bearings.  The wheels would turn slower and the bearings would turn slower.  I would think the resistance from the bearings would be negligible.  I'm just trying to find a reason for less coasting.  Maybe the larger diameter wheels actually have more rolling resistance because there is a larger contact area with the road.  I also think aerodynamics are comparable.  He is probably less aerodynamic due to his height.  Who knows?  For the first time, I just thought that maybe the bearing cones are too tight.  That might be it.  I suppose the design and quality of the freewheel plays a large part in how efficiently the bike coasts.

 

Friday was my first ride with the guys in quite awhile.  All four of us rode at Crystal Ridge after work.  I was thrilled with the ride!  I'm usually number 3 or 4 and sloppy from fatigue and causing myself Frank-ccidents, but I fueled myself before the ride, and I rode strong.  I thought my legs were going to ball up into a knot, but they survived!  Fast Guy added a little altitude to the ride, but I made it!  We did three laps, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!  I had excellent speed on the straightaways.  I did ok on the climbs.  I'd like to climb better, but I know that will be a long process so I am satisfied with my current progress.  My singletrack skills performance was good based on my standards.  Fast Guy complemented me.  He said that I was pretty quiet (no Frank-ccidents).  Tight singletrack gives me fits.  I'm 6'8" and 220 pounds, and taking hairpin turns drives me crazy.  I'm learning where to put my weight to get around the corners faster.  I lean my chest over the inside handlebar and the bike turns a lot quicker.  I also had more energy, and I was able to stand up more often.  I like to stand up, but I usually don't have the energy to recover from it.  I know it's less efficient to stand, but when I lose momentum in the singletrack, I like to stand up to generate some power.  It was a phenomenal ride.  I can't wait to get out to do it some more!