AG: Aunt Granny's Advice, or How to become an elderly cyclist:

One of the farmers' markets has closed for the winter and the other
has gone to one day a month, but I still think of Saturday as the day
to take a ride.

It may be the last roads-clean day for a while, and I was thinking of
finally making the Spring Creek Market tour; I figured I could handle
a thirty-mile ride if I stopped in Pierceton for a cup of soup,
stopped again at the gas station in Larwill to buy a quarter of a
pizza and a newspaper, walked around in Spring Creek for a while,
stopped at the gazebo in Larwill to eat the other slice of pizza, and
had another cup of soup in Pierceton.

Then I did the math. Curfew is five P.M. I rarely wake up before
nine. [This morning, I rolled out at 11:40.]

At five miles per hour, it would take me six hours to ride thirty
miles. Five rest stops could hardly add up to less than an hour. It
takes me a full hour to dress and eat breakfast when I'm *not* wearing
at least three layers of everything.

I began a ride at three in the morning once, but I can't stir up that
kind of enthusiasm for this one. Besides, I hurt myself, didn't
finish, and had to stop and rest after every mile for a month. Might
have realized that I was coming down with one of those ailments that
don't exist because only women get them if I hadn't explained every
symptom as the result of getting up at three.

The predicted high is well below freezing -- I could go to Leesburg
and buy stuffed chicken breasts. I know I can do that with only one
rest stop. But I don't feel like doing stuff on Friday so that I can
roll out on time on Saturday. We need milk and eggs, I'll settle for
the 1.6 miles to the Kroger store. But by bedtime, I'd decided to do
the Sprawlmart tour of about five miles.

I usually pulled off the road and stopped when I needed to blow my
nose. This wasn't because of last Saturday's incident, but because I
couldn't find my handkerchief with mittens on. (On coming into the
garage, I used my last piece of nose paper.)

Time to review "How to keep your bottle from freezing". I've been out
of practice ever since we moved from a very high-priority state road
to a low-priority residential street. When it's very cold, it's
seldom safe to go out.

If you can refill, you keep the second bottle from freezing by leaving
it home. Otherwise, refill beverage should start hot and be wrapped
well in a pannier. Boiling-hot beverage in an exposed bottle is a bad
idea; the valve freezes before the beverage cools enough to drink.

Blowing into the bottle instead of sucking on it isn't as easy as I
remember it. Biting the ice off the outside of the valve, then
forcing it closed and pulling it open made it work again, and I didn't
have any more trouble with it. The weather wasn't *very* cold; the
ice in my spare bottle was still small, loose shards when I poured
most of its contents into the other bottle at Aldi. Didn't think to
look at it when I got home.

I used the breadbag trick with newspaper sleeves. I was taken aback
when I couldn't get the bags over my sandals, then remembered that
with sandals, you put the bags on first, then the sandals. Which
meant that I could walk around freely without needing new bags. (I'd
put rather a lot of newspaper sleeves into my panniers for renewal
along the way.) Since the bags wouldn't fit over my sweat pants, but
rumpled up around the ankles just above where the sandals held them in
place, I didn't really need my ankle warmers to hold them. I was glad
I wore them anyway.

There's an inch or so more plastic coming out the toes of my sandals
than there was when I left.

At that point, I took sandals and newspaper sleeves off and found that
my socks are wet, and now my feet are cold. Though I felt a bit cool
about the knees early in the ride, one thin pair of wool socks, one
thick pair of wool socks, and a pair of newspaper sleeves kept my feet
plenty warm at all times, even though I probably had wet socks all
that time, because I didn't get out of the house for quite a while
after I put on my ankle warmers.

Now I'm going to take the rest of this stuff off and take a nap. (Had
the hand covers, head covers, and my wool-jacketing jersey off before
I got all the groceries put away, but pretty much stalled there. No
wonder my feet are sweaty.)

[asterism]

When I packed my groceries, the canned goods went into the insulated
pannier and the frozen food into the open one!

No notes in my memo book except that color printing is $0.59/sheet.
And a few arrival/departure times.

There's an untranscribed note on last week's page that I saw a heron
while crossing the bridge on Arthur street.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

I've covered this topic before, but it's worth repeating.

You should never charge up a hill in cold weather. You'll get sweaty
and freeze when coasting down the other side.

Work hard only until you can feel your fingers and toes, then shift
into your bottom gear and ride as slowly as you can.

Even if the hill doesn't shelter you from the wind, you are in a place
where you can work up a little heat without stirring up a chilling
breeze. MAKE IT LAST.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

Saturday Night check list:

Fruitcakes baked, gift-wrapped, frozen, and packed to carry: six each
of black pepper, chinese five-spice, clove and cinnamon, and
gingerbread: Check.

Figgy pudding baked and delivered to the choir: Check.

Eggs devilled and in carry-in container: Check.

Yeast cornbread baked, cooled, cut, and packed for travel: Check.

Aunt Granny column written and posted: Fugeddaboudit.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

It's easier to lower your legs than to lower your torso.

So sit on the bed to put on your tights. If you have trouble reaching
down to pull them up, roll onto your back and reach up to pull them
down.

Eventually, one needs this trick to put on socks.

------------------------------------

Happy New Year!
Getting older beats the alternative.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

Joy Beeson wrote:

It's easier to lower your legs than to lower your torso.

So sit on the bed to put on your tights. If you have trouble reaching
down to pull them up, roll onto your back and reach up to pull them
down.

Eventually, one needs this trick to put on socks.

------------------------------------

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you too.

Getting older beats the alternative.

At least it does so far...





--
duane

All summer I've been scolding myself for not getting down on the drops
often enough. There has been many a hill that I wouldn't have needed
to walk if I hadn't tried to take it sitting up.

Last Saturday (3 Dec. 2016), the dime dropped. I realized that when I
get down on the drops, the fixed eyeshade on my fancy new helmet
becomes an efficient blindfold; in order to see anything at all, I
have to twist my neck to an un-natural angle.

Quite clearly, what I have here isn't a bicycle helmet at all; it's a
BSO helmet.

Fortunately, it was about time to change back into my old helmet
anyway -- the new one is easily adjustable, but only in circumference;
the width is fixed, and that means that I can't wear it with a heavy
scarf, let alone a balaclava.

So the "helmet" is also designed only for butterfly riders who never
need to wear anything under the plastic hat.

I hate my old helmet, but it supports my Chuck Harris mirror, it fits
over winter clothing, and it provides some protection from the sun
without blocking my vision. I think I'll wear it all summer -- either
that or take a pair of tin snips to the new one.

---------------------------------------------------------

Since discussions of helmets tend to degenerate into
"'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not, . . ."
and "you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no
you're an idiot . . .", I'd appreciate it if you'd play by Flame
Extinguisher rules:

1] No opinion may be stated more than once. When you post your
opinion for the first time you must write it carefully, let it cool
off while you read another thread, and examine it to be sure it is
clear and complete before you post it, because you won't have another
chance.

2] No insults. No matter how stupid a post is, you may not say that
the writer is an idiot.

3] Ignore them unless they are right. (If a statement is totally
without merit, just leave it gently swinging in the wind.)

4] Never post for the sole purpose of saying that another post ought
not to have been posted. (Exception: You may say "oops, I didn't
mean to send that.".)

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Sun, 08 Jan 2017 00:14:04 -0400, Joy Beeson
wrote:


All summer I've been scolding myself for not getting down on the drops
often enough. There has been many a hill that I wouldn't have needed
to walk if I hadn't tried to take it sitting up.

Last Saturday (3 Dec. 2016), the dime dropped. I realized that when I
get down on the drops, the fixed eyeshade on my fancy new helmet
becomes an efficient blindfold; in order to see anything at all, I
have to twist my neck to an un-natural angle.

Quite clearly, what I have here isn't a bicycle helmet at all; it's a
BSO helmet.

Fortunately, it was about time to change back into my old helmet
anyway -- the new one is easily adjustable, but only in circumference;
the width is fixed, and that means that I can't wear it with a heavy
scarf, let alone a balaclava.

So the "helmet" is also designed only for butterfly riders who never
need to wear anything under the plastic hat.

I hate my old helmet, but it supports my Chuck Harris mirror, it fits
over winter clothing, and it provides some protection from the sun
without blocking my vision. I think I'll wear it all summer -- either
that or take a pair of tin snips to the new one.

---------------------------------------------------------

Since discussions of helmets tend to degenerate into
"'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not, . . ."
and "you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no
you're an idiot . . .", I'd appreciate it if you'd play by Flame
Extinguisher rules:

1] No opinion may be stated more than once. When you post your
opinion for the first time you must write it carefully, let it cool
off while you read another thread, and examine it to be sure it is
clear and complete before you post it, because you won't have another
chance.

2] No insults. No matter how stupid a post is, you may not say that
the writer is an idiot.

3] Ignore them unless they are right. (If a statement is totally
without merit, just leave it gently swinging in the wind.)

4] Never post for the sole purpose of saying that another post ought
not to have been posted. (Exception: You may say "oops, I didn't
mean to send that.".)

Gee, you are taking all the fun out of life :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

Joy Beeson wrote in
:


All summer I've been scolding myself for not getting down on the drops
often enough. There has been many a hill that I wouldn't have needed
to walk if I hadn't tried to take it sitting up.

Last Saturday (3 Dec. 2016), the dime dropped. I realized that when I
get down on the drops, the fixed eyeshade on my fancy new helmet
becomes an efficient blindfold; in order to see anything at all, I
have to twist my neck to an un-natural angle.

Quite clearly, what I have here isn't a bicycle helmet at all; it's a
BSO helmet.

Fortunately, it was about time to change back into my old helmet
anyway -- the new one is easily adjustable, but only in circumference;
the width is fixed, and that means that I can't wear it with a heavy
scarf, let alone a balaclava.

So the "helmet" is also designed only for butterfly riders who never
need to wear anything under the plastic hat.

I hate my old helmet, but it supports my Chuck Harris mirror, it fits
over winter clothing, and it provides some protection from the sun
without blocking my vision. I think I'll wear it all summer -- either
that or take a pair of tin snips to the new one.

I have two helmets, a white and silver 2010 Bell with a detachable visor
and a highlight yellow 2015 Gyro without. I ride the drops a lot of the
time and find I do not have to crane my neck inordinately to see. I miss a
visor on Gyro in the early mornings and late afternoons, but I chose it
largely because it was just about the brightest coloured bonnet I could
find, and I appreciate that. The Bell does not stand out enough for my
tastes.

Either helmet can accommodate a wooly liner or lycra balaclava, although I
found myself wearing only a classic cotton cyclist's cap this autumn, and
that largely for its visor to make up for the one that is not on the Gyro.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

On 1/7/2017 11:14 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

All summer I've been scolding myself for not getting down on the drops
often enough. There has been many a hill that I wouldn't have needed
to walk if I hadn't tried to take it sitting up.

Last Saturday (3 Dec. 2016), the dime dropped. I realized that when I
get down on the drops, the fixed eyeshade on my fancy new helmet
becomes an efficient blindfold; in order to see anything at all, I
have to twist my neck to an un-natural angle.

Quite clearly, what I have here isn't a bicycle helmet at all; it's a
BSO helmet.

Fortunately, it was about time to change back into my old helmet
anyway -- the new one is easily adjustable, but only in circumference;
the width is fixed, and that means that I can't wear it with a heavy
scarf, let alone a balaclava.

So the "helmet" is also designed only for butterfly riders who never
need to wear anything under the plastic hat.

I hate my old helmet, but it supports my Chuck Harris mirror, it fits
over winter clothing, and it provides some protection from the sun
without blocking my vision. I think I'll wear it all summer -- either
that or take a pair of tin snips to the new one.

---------------------------------------------------------

Since discussions of helmets tend to degenerate into
"'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not, . . ."
and "you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no
you're an idiot . . .", I'd appreciate it if you'd play by Flame
Extinguisher rules:

1] No opinion may be stated more than once. When you post your
opinion for the first time you must write it carefully, let it cool
off while you read another thread, and examine it to be sure it is
clear and complete before you post it, because you won't have another
chance.

2] No insults. No matter how stupid a post is, you may not say that
the writer is an idiot.

3] Ignore them unless they are right. (If a statement is totally
without merit, just leave it gently swinging in the wind.)

4] Never post for the sole purpose of saying that another post ought
not to have been posted. (Exception: You may say "oops, I didn't
mean to send that.".)

I greatly prefer a classic cycling cap. Or a new-ish Walz version, in
wool. The brim position is very adjustable, especially handy in these
days when the sun is low in the sky (if it happens to ever be visible).

And my mirror clips onto my normal glasses. That works with any hat, or
with none at all.

The three speed has a handlebar mirror, which is not as versatile. But
that bike is specifically designed to use immediately, with zero i.e.
ZERO preparation. Not even pinning pants cuffs.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 9:14:09 PM UTC-8, Joy Beeson wrote:
All summer I've been scolding myself for not getting down on the drops
often enough. There has been many a hill that I wouldn't have needed
to walk if I hadn't tried to take it sitting up.

Last Saturday (3 Dec. 2016), the dime dropped. I realized that when I
get down on the drops, the fixed eyeshade on my fancy new helmet
becomes an efficient blindfold; in order to see anything at all, I
have to twist my neck to an un-natural angle.

Quite clearly, what I have here isn't a bicycle helmet at all; it's a
BSO helmet.

Fortunately, it was about time to change back into my old helmet
anyway -- the new one is easily adjustable, but only in circumference;
the width is fixed, and that means that I can't wear it with a heavy
scarf, let alone a balaclava.

So the "helmet" is also designed only for butterfly riders who never
need to wear anything under the plastic hat.

I hate my old helmet, but it supports my Chuck Harris mirror, it fits
over winter clothing, and it provides some protection from the sun
without blocking my vision. I think I'll wear it all summer -- either
that or take a pair of tin snips to the new one.

---------------------------------------------------------

Since discussions of helmets tend to degenerate into
"'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not,'tis,'tis not, . . ."
and "you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no you're an idiot, no
you're an idiot . . .", I'd appreciate it if you'd play by Flame
Extinguisher rules:

1] No opinion may be stated more than once. When you post your
opinion for the first time you must write it carefully, let it cool
off while you read another thread, and examine it to be sure it is
clear and complete before you post it, because you won't have another
chance.

2] No insults. No matter how stupid a post is, you may not say that
the writer is an idiot.

3] Ignore them unless they are right. (If a statement is totally
without merit, just leave it gently swinging in the wind.)

4] Never post for the sole purpose of saying that another post ought
not to have been posted. (Exception: You may say "oops, I didn't
mean to send that.".)

Joy, I think I've made it more than clear that helmets will not save your life from a head blow that would otherwise kill you.

But that is not a reason not to wear them since they will protect your head in the 99% of accidents which would leave you with a scratched head and bleeding ears and scalp.

So on the grounds of pure self interest I always wear a helmet. Even though having written a paper that show statistically that they do not help in serious accidents.

With all due respect - Tom Kunich