zoom2 Member

Ha, does your last name end in son, sen, or quist, too? Mine did before I married a Dutch guy. Dutch women all seem to be tall pears! :laugh:

OK, some statistics for you people. The AVERAGE woman's hip-bones are 11" apart. Then you get someone like me whose hip bones measure 9" apart and I have ALWAYS had large thighs. I'm not talking fat thighs, I'm talking someone who is naturally good at things like sprinting and cycling and downhill skiing, catch my drift?…

My new toy, "Gossamer" has arrived!

OMG, that looks rough! The course I rode today was not really technically challenging, but there were long stretches that were super lumpy--I feel like I've been jack-hammered. I should have let at least 5psi out of my tires pre-race. I also find that I wish I had either a smaller small ring, up front, or a bigger big ring…

:drinker: You and Lindsey had better save me some beer!

We have a Co-Motion Torpedo w/Periscope rear seat-post. It was primarily purchased so that DS (11...he was 9 when we bought it) could ride with us. We've given it good use. On the road we roll with 700x28 tires, but it can also take a narrower CX tire. DH has done several gravel road races with friends on this bike. Note I…

This. I live in MI, too. I really wanted to ride last Winter, especially since it was so mild. We did one ride when it was 18º and I really loved it, but discovered how completely non-functional my CX bike's cantilever brakes are once the rims ice over. My studded tires gave great traction, but that lack of braking ability…

I <3 CX!!! A couple of years ago I said I would never do it...and then last year I got talked into it. Now it's my favorite bike-related activity. I've done 3 races this season...at the last race I won the women's Kisscross C race by >23 seconds! In Feb. I turn 40, but I don't think I will race master's next year, since…

I have one of these coming any day now and the suspense is KILLING me!!!

If your saddle is too low you may feel pain in the front of your knees--too high and it can hit behind your knees. Barring poor saddle height I suspect you're pushing too hard a gear and "mashing" the pedals. Shift to an easier gear and spin faster...cadence <70 is generally a bad idea for long. 70-100 is good stuff and…

Saddle height could be one issue, but if you're pushing too hard a gear you're also at risk of damaging your knees. Spinning faster is generally better than "mashing" in a slower, harder gear. I've ridden across the state of MI and never once had sore knees from riding my bike, but I also rarely drop below 70rpm. If you're…

N+1. First I had an aluminum road bike. Then I upgraded to a carbon road bike with better components...and then a cyclocross bike (that's in my avatar)...and then an entry-level mountain bike that is too small for me...and now a MUCH better and properly fit mountain bike is on order and I already have my sights set on a…

I'm sort of a freak...my road bike is 3 miles shy of 6000 and I am still on my original chain without significant stretch. Still on my original rear tire, too, though the front had a small slice in it recently that required replacement. I had 3500 miles on my first road bike before selling it, also with all original…

Interesting...I am in the West MI area--I'd be interested in getting involved with something like this.

I'd agree with this. If you are only having issues while running and weather seems to compound things, then it's likely you just have EIA. If you've having issues at other times (for me an attack is generally in the form of a nagging cough, sometimes it wakes me, and general shortness of breath) I'd definitely get in to…

I do this with my Sennheiser/Adidas headphones for iPhone, too. I don't have to mess with my phone at all once I start a run.

I haven't had that problem with Nikes, but Saucony...oh, yeah. I've had a couple pairs of NBs that did that, too.

I think a lot of it could be compared to learning to drive a car with an automatic, first...get comfortable operating the car on roads and with other traffic, then learning to drive stick. The first time I attempted to learn manual transmission was on a beast of a Jeep Cherokee without power steering or power brakes. I…

True...at least for me. Some people LOVE riding tandems, as captain or stoker. I don't. I might like riding captain, but I'm the shorty. Part of it is fit. My DH is nearly a foot taller than I am, so when I'm on the back of our tandem my nose is right at his waist level. I have NO view. The rear cockpit is really short,…

8. Pray that you won the genetics lottery. I lost it. My mom and sister and I and the women on my dad's side all have really saggy skin and LOTS of stretch marks. Stretch marks are symptomatic of skin lacking in elasticity. Like deflated latex balloons the skin cannot regain its pre-stretched shape in the same way that…

I have a Bandi belt (available in the Cincy area--got mine at the Flying Pig Expo. Soon they will sell them online, too). Once it's in the belt I don't mess with it. I have Sennheiser headphones with controls for my iPhone/iPod on the cable. I can't stand armbands.

Ahhh...15 speeds, much better! I think I would shoot to be in the 2 smaller rings on the front for a while. If you really wanted to invest in a good tool, I cannot recommend a cadence sensor enough--it helps you to stay in a pedal rotation range that is kinder to your knees. Common wisdom is generally that anything slower…

I used to get that...slowing down and not pushing the milage too hard too fast helped. I used to deal with the calf issues and shin splints in HS track, because I'd go from minimal running all year to suddenly ramping up for track season. When I started back to running in my early 30s I used C25k and really didn't struggle…

Sounds like you need to be in an easier gear. By "crotch muscles" are you talking inner thighs? I get gracilis muscle pain if I'm on a saddle that is too pear-shaped (gradual transition from the saddle nose to the wider rear) vs. one that is more t-shaped (abrupt transition from nose to rear). I'm thinking if you're…

Keeping kids from dangerous equipment that is not designed for them is no different than making our kids wear helmets while using wheeled toys (and adults should be wearing them, too...broken brains can't be fixed) and fencing pools. It's not discouraging our kids from being active, it's protecting them from grave injury…

Only partly true. Squishy saddles are bad, since your sit bones sink into the smooshy stuff and that smoosh gets displaced and pushed up into your privates. A firmer saddle is better. But if by "tender bits" you mean external reproductive area...yeah, that doesn't toughen up like sit bones. Mucous membranes can't be…

On hybrid and cruiser bikes it seems to be about 50/50 around here. Road bikes it's more like 65/35 in favor of the guys, on the whole (at events like criterium races the fields are DRASTICALLY male-dominated, especially where there is no women-specific field). Mountain biking...LOTS more guys than women. I think 20/80 is…

If you're doing more than one sport I'd say the title fits! :bigsmile: And I definitely echo what others have said about cadence...I think the best tool I had when I first started riding was a cadence sensor. I already had a Garmin Forerunner 305 for running, so I picked up the wireless cadence/distance/speed sensor when I…

I saw a thing where CyclOps figured out an attachment that could run a blender off of one of their trainers---they were serving margaritas while riding!

Cyclocross -- best combo of running and cycling EVER!!! :devil: :drinker: Seriously, though, maybe look at an entry-level duathlon program for ideas of how to incorporate both disciplines. They help give balance and make the best use of your muscles and recovery. Gale Bernhardt has a book of training plans for multisport…