Zefal Isotherm water bottle keeps water coldest?

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 15:58:49 GMT, the black rose
wrote:

I'd like to improve my speed -- I can ride for a couple of hours, but
I can't ride very fast, which means nobody wants to ride with me.
That's a lot of why I gave it up 13 years ago -- it's lonely and boring
to ride alone. This time, though, I've got 3 teenaged sons (13, 16, 18)
who don't mind riding with Mom too much (I've got a 23 yr old son, but
he doesn't live at home). But I still want to improve my speed so they
don't get *too* bored riding with Mom.

I saw a sweet sight this morning. A mom in running gear who was
obvious a former pro-runner or triathlete, running with her son,
urging him along a little. The kid was doing OK, looked about 15.

Both in great shape.

So do you have to ask around who will ride this morning, or do you
always get a volunteer or two?

-B

the black rose wrote:
Cuz I haven't gotten a good feel for this group yet. NG's dominated
by men can be civilized, or they can be pretty brutal, and I *have*
seen some go-for-the-throat behavior here. I don't really appreciate it
when I make an innocent comment and get ripped to shreds by the wolves.
Reasonably mature men don't act that way in RL, in general (at least,
not toward me); the relative anonymity of the internet definitely
brings out the worst in some folks (male or female).

True dat. It is my observation that if you stay out of r.b.racing and
r.b.soc that you should be fine. It seems that the worst of the morons have
limited themselves to those two groups. (no comment on alt.mountain-bike,
however, as I no longer read that group.)

R.B.Soc is pretty much overrun with the pro/anti Mike Vandeman groups, so I
don't venture there much if at all. R.B.Racing is overrun with the pro/anti
Lance Armstong groups, so I don't go there much anymore either.

The rest of the rec.bicycles groups, including r.b.marketplace, are pretty
safe places to have a good conversation it seems. r.b.marketplace, in my
opinion, is one of the few marketplace groups on usenet that actually works
and hasn't been overrun by spammers and ripoff artists. (Yet.) Especially
so, r.b.tech has been wonderful, and I've gleaned much good information from
there.

OTOH, my experience of newsgroups dominated by women is that, while
flaming is much less prevalent, nearly all discussions that go on long
enough end up discussing chocolate. Not really needing that right
now....

Then stay here and we'll talk about cycling. Truth be told, it hadn't
occurred to me that you were a female until you mentioned it. Not that
knowing that would've changed my response to your posts anyway...

Regards,
H.

"the black rose" wrote: (clip) I will NOT get
off my bike if I can keep going, even if I'm going 3 mph up a steep hill.
There was this one coal truck driver who really took issue with that.
:-P )(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I know it is popular in this NG to argue for bicyclists' "rights." So I
won't be surprised if I get flamed for saying this, but I think it is
appropriate for bicyclists to be courteous to motorists, who also have a
right to use the roads. If I am blocking someones way because I can't go
any faster, I will look for a way to let them pass--I would like them to do
the same for me. In the long run, this mode of behavior brings out less
hostlity, contributes to safety, and makes everyone happier, including me.
If I lose a few seconds and get a wave and a smile in return it was worth
it.

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 15:58:49 GMT, the black rose
wrote:
Cuz I haven't gotten a good feel for this group yet. NG's dominated by
men can be civilized, or they can be pretty brutal, and I *have* seen
some go-for-the-throat behavior here. I don't really appreciate it when
I make an innocent comment and get ripped to shreds by the wolves.

Yup, it can get tough in here, but just let it pass you by. Be
careful of the questions you ask/discussions you join and you may
avoid any issues at all. Certain topics are hot buttons.

OTOH, my experience of newsgroups dominated by women is that, while
flaming is much less prevalent, nearly all discussions that go on long
enough end up discussing chocolate. Not really needing that right now....

Since you've mentioned food, can we talk about pizza, then? I'm
having some difficulty grilling frozen pizza...no matter what I do,
the crust ends up burnt badly before the cheese melts. Once,
accidentally, I had a really great experience grilling pizza, and
lately I've been trying to duplicate it. However, the great
experience was thawed pizza whose crust had soaked up some water,
done on a small tabletop grill, and I haven't given that effort yet.

plastic-y water that I can drink enough of to keep my body hydrated, or
cold water that will make me barf if I drink enough of it to keep my
body hydrated -- it's a no-brainer.

Hydration is definitely more important that flavor. It's nice to get
both. Try a light sports drink, or a no-calorie flavor, to cover up
the plastic. Or, try various techniques for permanently removing
plastic-taste from bottles (google groups for it; there's a plethora
of good info).

in south central New York state (the area known locally as the Southern
....
some pretty unpleasant memories of coal trucks on steep hills. (I'm

Got logging trucks?

about 25 miles before I really can't go any farther. Did 25 miles a few
days ago and ended up taking an unscheduled 3 hour nap that afternoon.
I'd like to improve my speed -- I can ride for a couple of hours, but
I can't ride very fast, which means nobody wants to ride with me.

Sounds like, apart from general lack of
practice/conditioning/fitness, you may be having trouble pacing
yourself. Slow down. Coast downhill, go easy uphill, and ride at a
relaxed pace on level ground.

That's a lot of why I gave it up 13 years ago -- it's lonely and boring
to ride alone. This time, though, I've got 3 teenaged sons (13, 16, 18)

It's a bit daunting to look for somebody to ride with when you know
you're slow. Try local clubs; they may not be entirely filled with
racer-wannabes. Here in RI, the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen club is
loaded with slower, more relaxed riders as well as speeders. Many
are your age or older, and many are female, so if you can find a
similar group, you will find people with whom it is easy to be
comfortable.

One thing I've enjoyed is just riding until I see somebody (anybody,
usually a stranger) going at a reasonable pace, then ride with that
person. Talk to that person while riding. Talking normally requires
you to ride at a reasonable pace. Once you get the feel for a good
pace, you will find long distances easier.

So, that's me.

Welcome. We're glad to have you here. That's one new good user to
counter at least two or three recent new trolls...
--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 15:58:49 GMT, the black rose
wrote:
Cuz I haven't gotten a good feel for this group yet. NG's dominated by
men can be civilized, or they can be pretty brutal, and I *have* seen
some go-for-the-throat behavior here. I don't really appreciate it when
I make an innocent comment and get ripped to shreds by the wolves.

Yup, it can get tough in here, but just let it pass you by. Be
careful of the questions you ask/discussions you join and you may
avoid any issues at all. Certain topics are hot buttons.

OTOH, my experience of newsgroups dominated by women is that, while
flaming is much less prevalent, nearly all discussions that go on long
enough end up discussing chocolate. Not really needing that right now....

I wouldn't say we dominate, but I think we're always up for a good
discussion of chocolate... For a quick chocolate fix, Trader Joe has
some mint chocolate flat kiss-shaped things that come in 8-ounce
packages for $1.69. Not bad.

Since you've mentioned food, can we talk about pizza, then? I'm
having some difficulty grilling frozen pizza...no matter what I do,
the crust ends up burnt badly before the cheese melts. Once,
accidentally, I had a really great experience grilling pizza, and
lately I've been trying to duplicate it. However, the great
experience was thawed pizza whose crust had soaked up some water,
done on a small tabletop grill, and I haven't given that effort yet.

How about grilling it over Pammed foil cheese-side down for a few
minutes before you flip it over? Never tried it, but it sounds
reasonable. I just stick them in the microwave.

about 25 miles before I really can't go any farther. Did 25 miles a few
days ago and ended up taking an unscheduled 3 hour nap that afternoon.
I'd like to improve my speed -- I can ride for a couple of hours, but
I can't ride very fast, which means nobody wants to ride with me.

Sounds like, apart from general lack of
practice/conditioning/fitness, you may be having trouble pacing
yourself. Slow down. Coast downhill, go easy uphill, and ride at a
relaxed pace on level ground.

After 10 years you'd think I'd had enough practice, right? It gets no
easier AND I go no faster AND I get just as tired.

--
Cheers,
Bev
=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=
"Sure, everyone's in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when
you put it into the body of a great white shark, suddenly
you're a madman." --Futurama

Badger_South wrote:
So do you have to ask around who will ride this morning, or do you
always get a volunteer or two?

At least one, anyway. My 16-year-old son is eager to go riding every
morning that I do. My 13-year-old sometimes wants to come; I'm glad
it's not every time because he's stressful to ride with (he still weaves
and swerves a lot, without really realizing it). 18-year-old -- well,
he's something of a computer potato, so his participation is spotty, but
does occasionally happen. 23-year-old doesn't live at home, so he's not
there to come along, and I'm *really* glad he isn't, because he's *way*
too competitive and *no* fun at all to ride with. But no, I don't
really have to ask around who will ride with me; what usually happens is
someone or other will squawk if I start heading out the door without
giving enough notice.

--
the black rose
GO LANCE GO!!!
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

Leo Lichtman wrote:
I know it is popular in this NG to argue for bicyclists' "rights." So I
won't be surprised if I get flamed for saying this, but I think it is
appropriate for bicyclists to be courteous to motorists, who also have a
right to use the roads.

I don't disagree with this at all. However, that coal truck driver was
being more stubborn than I was. He had plenty of room to pass, and I'm
not just imagining things -- there was NO oncoming traffic and plenty of
room. He just didn't want to. I think he enjoyed seeing me jump the
first time he laid on the horn and kept trying to get another startle
out of me. I didn't oblige, although if he could have seen my heart
monitor readout I suppose he would have been amused.

--
the black rose
GO LANCE GO!!!
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

Rick Onanian wrote:
Since you've mentioned food, can we talk about pizza, then? I'm
having some difficulty grilling frozen pizza...no matter what I do,
the crust ends up burnt badly before the cheese melts.

Hrm, I have to admit to having no experience with frozen pizza. If you
had some success with a thawed pizza, I'd give that a try again.

Hydration is definitely more important that flavor. It's nice to get
both. Try a light sports drink, or a no-calorie flavor, to cover up
the plastic.

Yeah, I haven't actually tried any sports drinks. I know I hate
gatorade, but I haven't tried any of the new ones ( = any sports drink
that's come out since I was in high school in the 1970's....)

some pretty unpleasant memories of coal trucks on steep hills. (I'm


Got logging trucks?

Not that I've seen so far. Construction trucks are too common at the
moment; there's repaving going on over one of the major bike routes.

Sounds like, apart from general lack of
practice/conditioning/fitness, you may be having trouble pacing
yourself. Slow down. Coast downhill, go easy uphill, and ride at a
relaxed pace on level ground.

Yeah, but then how do I improve my speed? *puzzled look*

It's a bit daunting to look for somebody to ride with when you know
you're slow. Try local clubs; they may not be entirely filled with
racer-wannabes.

I have to admit I haven't been brave enough to try them yet. I do have
at least one son to ride with though, and we get along pretty well.

Welcome. We're glad to have you here. That's one new good user to
counter at least two or three recent new trolls...

Mm yeah, I hesitate to say I noticed. But I'm not a troll, I promise
that. Although I'll plead for a little patience if I accidentally touch
on a hot-button topic; I don't mean to, and I'm attempting to keep a low
profile until I have a good grip on what the hot-buttons are, and if I
ask a question, it's because I honestly want to hear a serious answer.

--
the black rose
GO LANCE GO!!!
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

In article ,
Rick Onanian writes:

Since you've mentioned food, can we talk about pizza, then? I'm
having some difficulty grilling frozen pizza...no matter what I do,
the crust ends up burnt badly before the cheese melts. Once,
accidentally, I had a really great experience grilling pizza, and
lately I've been trying to duplicate it. However, the great
experience was thawed pizza whose crust had soaked up some water,
done on a small tabletop grill, and I haven't given that effort yet.

I don't know about grilling pizza but since you mentioned it, I may
have just today cracked the 'getting take-out pizza home still warm'
problem. I dug out a couple of old, thick sweatshirts and layered
one over the other. Got my pie, stuffed it in the sweatshirts, and
bungee'd the kit 'n kaboodle to the top of the milk crate.

It worked! But this is a warm, sunny day here. The winter would
no doubt provide a more rigourous test.

As for grilling pizza, I wonder if some sort of lid for your grill
would do the trick? I'm thinking in terms of the way some people
fake over-easy fried eggs, by covering them. Part of the trick is
reputed to be adding a couple of tbsp of water to the pan before
covering. I just flip 'em. If the yolk breaks, it just wasn't meant
to be. Over-hard is good, too. Just not as good as over-easy.

I used to have a covered, 'kettle' style barbecue -- that thing
was ideal for doing racks of lamb. And faux smoking. I did that
by getting the coals down to a low glow, setting an old tuna can
full of water in the midst of the coals, adding a few drops of
Liquid Smoke to the water, putting the smokables on the grill,
and closing the lid for as long as it took.


cheers,
Tom
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In article ,
the black rose writes:

Yeah, but then how do I improve my speed? *puzzled look*

For me, the trick was to use the big chainring (much) more often.
I mostly ride on rolling terrain, and it's tempting to become
too comfortable with leaving it on the middle ring and just
shifting the rear cogs.


cheers,
Tom

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