Chainwheel Chatter Newsletter Posts (effective Sep 2021)

Two Benefits of being a BIKES Club member you may not know about. 

Want to take a extended multi day bike ride but don't have racks or panniers?  Check out the clubs bike luggage trailer. Contact leadaride@bikesclub.org to reserve.

Name Your Bike
Rick Proctor

If you are reading this, you probably like your bike and want to protect it from loss. Returning to
where you parked your bike and not being able to locate it can quickly escalate into a significant
emotional event. Seeing a bike that looks like yours in the hands of someone else can also
trigger a primal urge to confront the person. Before going into an emotional outburst, are you
sure it’s your bike? Mass production of bikes has provided lots of bikes that look alike leading to
mistaken identity. Bikes sold today typically have a unique serial number on the bottom of the
bike under the bottom bracket. This is a rather inconvenient means to quickly identify your bike
if there is any confusion or disagreement as to whose bike it is while you are out and about
having an otherwise great day.
For many years I’ve admired the professional look of the pro rider’s bikes with their names
neatly applied on each bike frame, while I resorted to the po’boy mode of using a Sharpie pen to
scrawl my name on the bottom of the bike and under the top tube. These are places “where the
sun don’t shine” and are typically not seen. I’ve found Sharpie pen ink to be permanent enough
to last over a decade and it does not wash off unless the area is scrubbed. Sharpie pen ink can
be easily removed with an alcohol wipe.
I recently found a company in Lancashire, UK, that provides name decals for the pros and
anyone else who wants them for use where someone may want to identify their property in a
professional looking manner. NameDecals.com (https://namedecals.com/) provides decals in
one standard size of 11mm tall X 63mm wide. There are choices for the text font and colors.
You can also choose a flag or logo from a lengthy menu. The website explains the difference
between decals and stickers. The price is less than $2 each with tax and air mail shipping, and
it took just under 2 weeks for them to arrive in my US Mailbox.
I had considered adding our BIKES Club logo to their menu, but since our BIKES logo is not
known to be a registered trademark, and this menu is available to the whole world, I decided to
skip adding the BIKES logo. There is a pirate flag option, among many others, to tempt your
creative spirit.
Installation of the name decals is quick and simple without water or special tools and takes less
than a minute each. A common location for names is on each side of the top tube by the seat
tube A decal can be removed by heating it with a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.
The presence of a bike’s owner’s name on a bike indicates a level of commitment to the bike
beyond casual. I like the look of having my name neatly printed on my bike in plain sight for
easy identification. A clever nickname or phrase could be used instead to make your bike
unique, but your name removes doubt. Have a great ride!

May Rider Miles	2022
04/25 -05/24
Last Name	First Name	Miles
Linari	Steve	931
Proctor	Rick	911
Kawamoto	Debbie	716
Heydron	Paul	708
Tweedy	Christine	673
Walchli	Cheryl	560
Elmore	Brian	537
Paul	Bill	441
Grant	Debby	433
Stewart	Jim	428
Young	Ken	399
Iverson	Dayle	398
Scott	Dan	378
Baldwin	Paul	368
Rivetti	Lou	360
Dorf	Adrienne	322
Biesiedzinski	Viv	290
Norouzi	Fred	275
Strickland	Leslie	256
Triaggiani	John	254
Stanhope	Lee	245
Nyberg	Bob	226
Biesiedzinski	Bob	211
Proctor	Cindy	182
Pahlman	Bob	170
Brack	Bill	168
Willis	Jack	153
Kim	Ji	151
Berliner	Karen	141
Bardin	Earl	140
Ellison	Drew	137
Wolhart	Jack	134
Haunreiter	Raquel	129
Andersen	Ron	120
Funkhouser	Cheryl	120
Whitehouse	John	119
Thiem	Linda	114
Kinnamon	Kristin	106
Fenlin	Mike	105
Pico	Mitch	105
Denino	John	103
Dermody	Richard	102
Castor	Jeanne	86
Vermeulen	Paul	86
Scott	Elaine	76
Roosma	Jim	72
Labovitch	Dan	71
Stewart	Vicky	69
Logan	Paul	68
Lazzrini	Howard	67
Steadman	Marcia	65
Cowley	Christine	62
Izutsu	Judy	61
Elmore	Laura	58
Garrett	Bob	57
Philbin	Francis	52
Pfeffer	Ann	51
Adkins	Malissa	50
Baum	Lawrence	50
Biehl	Lisa	46
Williams	Brian	46
Haunreiter	Kurt	45
Self	Joe	45
Dahlstrom	Mike	43
Bates	Stephen	35
Hartley	Douglas	35
Smith	Peter	34
Smith	William	34
Bachmann	Bob	33
Broussard	James	30
Crist	Bruce	30
Schwab	Bruce	30
Stonehocker	James	30
Knodell	Kristi	25
Russell	Teri	25
Smith	Hal	25
Anthony	Amelia	24
Bermet	Barry	23
Bonner	Jay	23
Zander	Marietta	23
Sokol	Faith	22
Graham	Nancy	21
Carlin	John	20
Bliss	John	1

Forget Something?

Rick Proctor

 

I’ve experienced situations of not having something with me on a bike ride – and I’ll bet you have too.  Part of being human is to occasionally forget something, although this thought alone doesn’t ease the self-disgust when I discover my water bottle, jacket, sunglasses, or whatever is missing because I forgot to bring it.  I knew this problem would only get worse with time unless I had a system of reminders to keep myself on track.  Through years of trial and error I’ve developed a simple process to use when preparing for a bike ride that helps me be successful in keeping my bicyclist act together, and it just might work for you too.

Start with the obvious – the bike.  Tires, chain, and batteries on bikes need frequent servicing.  This could be done the evening before the ride to save time in the morning.

Check the weather forecast, then review the riding paraphernalia appropriate for the expected weather.  Be sure to either wear it or set on a dedicated-and-impossible-to-overlook location the evening before the ride.  Do it by body parts from head to toe considering everything that will be needed for the head, arms, hands, upper body, lower body, and feet.

Ensure adequate provisions are considered for money, water, food, sunscreen, etc.  Put this stuff on the bike or in the dedicated-and-impossible-to-overlook location. 

In the morning, be sure to fill the water bottles with fresh water (or other beverage) then immediately put them on the bike or in the car.  I’ve gone off and left filled water bottles by the kitchen sink.  Don’t forget to take the stuff from the dedicated-and-impossible-to-overlook location.  I’ve learned the hard way to never set anything on a car roof, bumper, or fender to avoid driving away and losing something that way.

A paper or electronic checklist could be used to track all this stuff, with the risk of appearing nerdish.  I’ve found the simple process works well enough as long as I’m consistent with it.  I prefer to take the time to do it right because I know rushing to get ready leads to shortcuts – the usual source of forgetting something.

Finding ways to do stuff successfully carries over to other activities.  People tend to respect  those who are successful and welcome them into social networks.  Bicycling is more than a hobby activity with benefits that extend well beyond the ride.

April	2022
Rider Miles
03/25 -04/24
		YTD
Last Name	First Name	Miles
Proctor	Rick	701
Linari	Steve	615
Heydron	Paul	570
Tweedy	Christine	553
Elmore	Brian	429
Stewart	Jim	387
Paul	Bill	368
Young	Ken	354
Rivetti	Lou	338
Walchli	Cheryl	300
Baldwin	Paul	294
Kawamoto	Debbie	277
Triaggiani	John	254
Norouzi	Fred	246
Scott	Dan	227
Nyberg	Bob	226
Dorf	Adrienne	201
Proctor	Cindy	182
Biesiedzinski	Bob	181
Biesiedzinski	Viv	181
Stanhope	Lee	177
Pahlman	Bob	170
Strickland	Leslie	157
Brack	Bill	144
Bardin	Earl	140
Wolhart	Jack	134
Whitehouse	John	119
Thiem	Linda	114
Fenlin	Mike	105
Andersen	Ron	104
Dermody	Richard	102
Castor	Jeanne	86
Vermeulen	Paul	86
Pico	Mitch	76
Funkhouser	Cheryl	75
Grant	Debby	75
Willis	Jack	73
Berliner	Karen	71
Labovitch	Dan	71
Stewart	Vicky	69
Logan	Paul	68
Baum	Lawrence	50
Ellison	Drew	50
Biehl	Lisa	46
Kinnamon	Kristin	46
Williams	Brian	46
Haunreiter	Kurt	45
Haunreiter	Raquel	45
Dahlstrom	Mike	43
Garrett	Bob	41
Steadman	Marcia	41
Hartley	Douglas	35
Elmore	Laura	34
Smith	Peter	34
Bachmann	Bob	33
Broussard	James	30
Philbin	Francis	30
Schwab	Bruce	30
Scott	Elaine	30
Stonehocker	James	30
Smith	Hal	25
Bermet	Barry	23
Denino	John	23
Zander	Marietta	23
Graham	Nancy	21
Izutsu	Judy	21
Self	Joe	21
Carlin	jOHN	20
Bliss	John	1

BIKEPACKING

What is it and why should you care?

By Drew Ellison

Let’s start with a very abbreviated history of the bicycle.

In the beginning was The Road Bike, the most beautiful of all bicycles in design and style. Well, in fact there were other bicycles before the road bike (aka 10 speed) such as middleweights and path cycles and three speeds and such. But these earlier bikes were overshadowed by The Road Bike in gleam and speed to such an extent that those others ought not to have existed at all.

Then a couple of guys in California took some old 26” cruiser bikes and rode them on some mountain trails and, by doing so, invented the mountain bike. There was now a new type of bike in town which attracted much attention.

Since the beginning, The Road Bike was used for many purposes: transportation, exercise, competition, errands, and long distance touring. The mountain bike excelled at exercise and recreation and competition, but didn’t do so well with touring.

Then someone said “What if we take the most beautiful of all bicycles - The Road Bike - and modify the design of it so it could go on soft surface trails, like one of those mountain bike things?” Thus The Gravel Bike was created.

Sometime later, someone else said “What if we take The Gravel Bike, created from the most beautiful of all bicycles The Road Bike, and put bags on it and go touring with it on soft surface trails and in the mountains?” Backpacking was born.

You can think of bikepacking as going backpacking with your bicycle - hitting trails on a multi-day trip while carrying all your gear on your bike. You need to be self-sufficient with a bike designed to carry loads in the front, middle, and back of the bike. What’s also important is that your gear should be as close to the plane of the bike as possible. You don’t want wide panniers  or bags sticking out very far when you’re riding down narrow trails. It turns out that today’s gravel bikes, with lots of attaching points for bags and with geometries which provide a stable ride on challenging trails, make wonderful bikepacking bikes.

Why should you care about bikepacking? It’s another wonderful way in which way we can get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the world, all the while enjoying riding a bike. And it doesn’t get much better than that.

Here’s a nice primer on bikepacking.

https://bikepacking.com/bikepacking-101/

 Now get out and enjoy the ride.

Big Event Ride

Rick Proctor

 

The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and the birds were chirping as I parked my car at the Stanwood Middle School and unloaded my bike.  The temperature was 47°F and the weather forecast was good – all indicators pointed toward a great day for bike riding.  I got in line to check-in and get a rider number.  A sense of excitement was apparent as I chatted with other riders in line.  I teamed up with a friend, we pinned on our numbers, and we rolled out about 9 AM to ride the 65 mile Metric Century route of the 2022 McClinchy Mile – Camano Climb on Sunday, April 24^th.

We had a tail wind pedaling west out of Stanwood that helped us quickly get onto the island and off the busy SR 532.  As soon as we turned onto Good Rd, the drop in traffic and noise was appreciated.  Camano Island has many miles of quiet and scenic country roads with good pavement which had recently been swept.  Camano Island also has lots of scenic residential communities nestled along the coastline and our route would take us on a loop tour of most of them.  Views of the bays, other islands, and snow covered mountains are spectacular all the way around the island.  As we pedaled north, then west, then turned to the south we were sheltered by forests from most of the winds from the SE.

Cama Beach State Park was our first rest stop at mile 17.  There were plenty of snack options available and real rest rooms.  The day was warming enough to remove and stow my jacket sleeves and change to fingerless gloves.  Camano Island has lots of hill climbs on our route – this part of the ride is called the “Camano Climb” for a reason.  There are also some nice descents, and a good one is eastbound Mountain View Rd that is straight with good pavement.  I coasted faster than I could pedal.  An uphill section ended the coasting party and brought back the pedaling requirement near the Elger Bay Grocery & Deli. 

We turned right onto S Camano Dr for the southern end of the island route.  Riding south on the west side of Camano Island there are views of Whidbey Island across the waters of Saratoga Passage, with occasional views of the snowcapped Olympic Mountains in the distance.  Rounding the southern tip of the island, Hat Island is out there to the SSE with Everett’s skyline beyond.  The SE winds became a tail wind as we turned northward – nice!  At mile 31 the 2^nd rest stop at Hutchinson Park had snacks, water, a porta-potty, and a muddy parking lot.  At about mile 34 we missed a turn onto Nelson Avenue due to traffic distractions and bypassed a mile of the coastal community on the narrow, shady lane of Highland Drive.

The Beach Drive coastal community around mile 37 offered nice views east to the Cascade Mountains across the bay of Port Susan.  There is also a full size dinosaur skeleton across a small lake to our left.  At mile 44 we turned onto eastbound SR 532 for 1¼ miles then some more country roads before the final couple of miles on SR 532 back into Stanwood.

We took a short break at Stanwood Middle School then continued onto the 15 mile Stanwood Farms Loop.  The eastbound Pioneer Highway took us through an aromatic dairy farm and a one lane landslide detour traffic control.  Turning onto Norman Road at mile 56 we rode the flat valley near the Stillaguamish River then lots of farms and fields.  Miller Rd was our link back toward Stanwood.  The old bridge from Miller Rd up to Pioneer Highway is closed for motor vehicles, but a gap in the barricade allows bikes and pedestrians to pass.  Part of the old road between the highway and old bridge has slide away and the remaining section that is passable today has cracks.  We had a tail wind riding back into Stanwood to complete our 65 mile ride.

We proceeded straight to SAAL Brewing in Stanwood to park our bikes in the bike corral, found a table, then patiently waited quite a while for our tacos and fries.

Overall, this was a great day for bike riding and seeing lots of friends.  The McClinchy Mile has been the big event ride for our BIKES Club for 40 years and it has undergone plenty of changes.  We live in one of the most scenic areas on our planet and big event bike rides like this are great experiences.  Other local bike clubs and organizations offer similar big event rides:

• May 7, 2022:  Skagit Spring Classic
• July 23, 2022:  Tour de Whatcom
• August 20, 2022:  Tour de Whidbey

 

March	2022
Rider Miles
02/25 -03/24
Last Name	First Name	YTD Miles
Proctor	Rick	496
Heydron	Paul	467
Tweedy	Christine	360
Linari	Steve	345
Elmore	Brian	335
Paul	Bill	316
Young	Ken	315
Baldwin	Paul	287
Rivetti	Lou	270
Stewart	Jim	261
Kawamoto	Debbie	200
Walchli	Cheryl	188
Triaggiani	John	185
Norouzi	Fred	183
Proctor	Cindy	182
Nyberg	Bob	169
Biesiedzinski	Bob	166
Biesiedzinski	Viv	166
Bardin	Earl	140
Dorf	Adrienne	129
Pahlman	Bob	120
Whitehouse	John	119
Strickland	Leslie	106
Fenlin	Mike	105
Dermody	Richard	102
Wolhart	Jack	95
Stanhope	Lee	91
Scott	Dan	81
Thiem	Linda	78
Grant	Debby	75
Berliner	Karen	71
Labovitch	Dan	71
Logan	Paul	68
Andersen	Ron	63
Castor	Jeanne	61
Baum	Lawrence	50
Ellison	Drew	50
Pico	Mitch	50
Vermeulen	Paul	50
Brack	Bill	47
Biehl	Lisa	46
Haunreiter	Kurt	45
Haunreiter	Raquel	45
Dahlstrom	Mike	43
Stewart	Vicky	39
Hartley	Douglas	35
Elmore	Laura	34
Smith	Peter	34
Bachmann	Bob	33
Broussard	James	30
Philbin	Francis	30
Schwab	Bruce	30
Stonehocker	James	30
Kinnamon	Kristin	26
Smith	Hal	25
Williams	Brian	25
Bermet	Barry	23
Denino	John	23
Willis	Jack	23
Zander	Marietta	23
Garrett	Bob	20
Funkhouser	Cheryl	15
Bliss	John	1

Walkin’ Funny

Rick Proctor

 

Cyclists often have a walking gait that is different than non-cyclists when moving about off the bike.  Those motion differences can be entertaining to watch, and for those with an understanding of why, the funny walking can tell us something about the person.

Bike shoes commonly contribute to a different stride due to the stiff soles and cleats.  There are plenty of fashionable footgear configurations to choose from that are designed to optimize pedaling performance while walking must be a distant secondary consideration.  Bike shoes are responsible for strides with hobble, stumble, or waddle qualities. 

Chafing in the saddle contact area of the human anatomy is a problem most cyclists have experienced.  Chafing can contribute to a unique floundering stride while the victim attempts to minimize the discomfort.  It’s rare for a chafe victim to share the true reason for such a unique stride.  If asked why, an evasive answer is to be expected.  Most of us don’t want to know the details anyway, but the wry expression of an observing cyclist may indicate knowing from experience.  A caring observer may want to offer suggestions for anti-chafe products.  A cautious approach is suggested for such a sensitive topic.

Injuries can provide the cyclist with sufficient reason for a unique stride.  During a bike tour a few years ago, I was moving my bike around in a hotel room while barefoot.  I wanted to shift the chain to smaller gears to keep the chain away from furniture in the room.  I lifted the back end of the bike with one hand, and with the other hand I cranked a pedal around then reached for a shifter.  This was not my day for graceful moves.  I bumped a lamp in the room and in my excitement to catch the lamp I briefly lost track of where the rear wheel was, and the spinning tire contacted a bare toenail.  #@&%!  My previously odd stride was even more odd with a faltering limp for the rest of the tour and weeks afterwards while my toe healed. 

A confident, experienced bicyclist will add a touch of swagger to their stride, even when there are other influences involved.  The swagger is a sign of being healthy in body, mind, and spirit – all enhanced through cycling.  It is on the bike where the cyclist becomes a vision of style and skill in flight.  You may not know you have it, but non-cyclists may sense it and look upon you with awe as you walk your bike to a road, mount up and ride to the horizon and beyond.

SOME FUN CYCLING GOALS

By Drew Ellison

At our last BIKES Club meeting, we had a program about setting some cycling goals for the year. "But wait!", you say. “I don’t want to set any goals, I just want to have fun and enjoy riding my bike.” Wonderful! So maybe you want to set some goals around things that make riding your bike fun.

Here are some fun goals and some just-plain-fun things you could try.

• Stop at at least one new-to-you coffee shop every month.
• Try to spot at least 1 bird per mile of your ride. In a 20 mile ride, look for 20 birds.
• Ride one mile without going faster than 7 MPH. Easy? Then try 5 MPH. Then 3 MPH.
• Unclip one foot and see how far you can ride. Then try the other foot. It’s harder than it sounds.
• Take a sandwich and stop for lunch at a different lake every week during the summer months. And don’t repeat the sandwiches.
• Create some Strava art. If you don’t know what that is, just google Cycling Strava Art.

You get the idea. Be creative and set some fun cycling goals.

Rivendell Bicycle Works just published a piece on a fun metric - the Pedal:Hang ratio. Maybe you will want to start tracking this and see how you “improve your metric” throughout the year.

 A bike ride metric that's fun to think about

Whether you set goals or not, smile and wave at passing cyclists. That alone might just bring some fun others.

Keep on pedalin’,

Drew