[RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread rcnute
Whatever--you'll be randoing like a fiend.

I'm thinking of going exclusively to flat pedals but I haven't done
any rides longer than STP (2-day) with them.  Maybe the trick is to
wear fifteen year old Birkenstocks with worn soles.

Ryan

On Oct 3, 10:16 am, Mike mjawn...@gmail.com wrote:
 ...a 200k brevet on platform pedals. Actually it wasn't so bad but I
 did get a bit of a hot spot at one point that was worse than anything
 I've ever had with SPDs. Since finishing my SR series back in June
 I've spent the summer doing 95% of my riding in platform pedals and
 MUSA shorts or knickers. Things fell in place to do the Bikenfest 200k
 and rather than switching pedals and dressing up in bibs I figured I'd
 just wear the getup I've been wearing all summer.

 This was also the first brevet I've done in a long time with no HB bag
 or fenders on the bike. For tires I used Panaracer T-Serves (700x35).
 I ended up caring my supplies in my Sackville SaddlesBag (medium)
 which was a bit of overkill. I hadn't done this ride before so while
 the weather was predicted to be nice I still packed a LS wool shirt,
 jacket, lights and other odds and ends I felt I'd need in case I
 finished after sunset.

 Ten miles into the ride you begin a long and steady climb out of the
 Gorge and up into the rolling hills of eastern Washington. The climb
 was great, never too steep and offering stunning views of Mt Hood and
 Mt Adams at times. I actually was riding well and didn't even really
 notice the climb as I was enjoying the talking with other
 randonneurs.

 We had and incredible descent to the Klickitat River which was
 somewhat marred by a group of 8 or 9 motorcyclist flying down the
 descent and somewhat crowding me and some other randonneurs. One of
 the motorcyclist ended up overshooting a corner and going into some
 rocks and the canyon wall but appeared to be up and okay by the time
 we passed.

 The climb out of the Klickitat River was great but my feet were kind
 of hurting. I had developed a hot spot on each foot. I was using a
 pair of Patagonia Bagleys with MKS Sneaker Pedals. Fortunately it was
 easy to move my feet around on the pedals and get some relief. We
 stopped in Glennwood, ate and then continued climbing before heading
 into Trout Lake where there was a short out and back followed by about
 25 miles of steady descending back to the Gorge and the final control.
 After the stop in Glenwood my feet felt fine and I had no further
 problems with the hotspot.

 We finished in 10:05hrs which was a fine. For some reason I had
 thought this ride would be a lot harder. We were quite leisurely
 through the controls. I definitely brought way too much stuff but
 that's fine. Better to be prepared and it wasn't like I was shooting
 for a sub 8hr finish like earlier this year.

 I had actually been contemplating laying off randonneuring for next
 year but found myself saying See you at the Birkie next year at the
 final control. I'll most likely be out there again next year but I'll
 definitely be in bibs and wearing bike shoes. I gotta say though, I
 really didn't miss my HB bag that much and loved the way my Hilsen
 handled without it. I think for next year I may just try and use a
 trunk bag on a rack. We'll see.

 Here are some photos. They're not so great as I took them with my
 phone and often seemed to be shooting into the sun.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/41335...@n00/sets/72157624961799637/

 --mike

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[RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread Jeremy Till
Mike, out of curiosity, what size are your feet?  I ask because I have
fairly large feet (size 15 US/50 euro) and I recently tried some
platform pedal riding.  I found that for anything over 10 minutes,
really, my feet got fairly uncomfortable pretty quickly, even in
footwear with fairly heavy soles (like my chaco sandals).  My theory
is that the large difference in size between my foot and the pedal
surface means that the pressure has more of an effect, because
relative to the size/structure of my foot, it is focused on smaller
area.

I haven't tried larger platforms like the grip kings, but the truth is
I really have no problem with using clipless pedals (time ATACs in my
case).  My sidis are by far the most comfortable shoes I own and their
stiff soles mean that my feet never experience hot spots or cramps on
long rides.  I know i can't move my foot around that much but I found
that even when riding on platform pedals my foot stayed pretty much in
the same place as it would with clipless--after riding them for so
long, it feels weird to have my foot anywhere else while pedaling.


On Oct 3, 10:16 am, Mike mjawn...@gmail.com wrote:
 ...a 200k brevet on platform pedals. Actually it wasn't so bad but I
 did get a bit of a hot spot at one point that was worse than anything
 I've ever had with SPDs. Since finishing my SR series back in June
 I've spent the summer doing 95% of my riding in platform pedals and
 MUSA shorts or knickers. Things fell in place to do the Bikenfest 200k
 and rather than switching pedals and dressing up in bibs I figured I'd
 just wear the getup I've been wearing all summer.

 This was also the first brevet I've done in a long time with no HB bag
 or fenders on the bike. For tires I used Panaracer T-Serves (700x35).
 I ended up caring my supplies in my Sackville SaddlesBag (medium)
 which was a bit of overkill. I hadn't done this ride before so while
 the weather was predicted to be nice I still packed a LS wool shirt,
 jacket, lights and other odds and ends I felt I'd need in case I
 finished after sunset.

 Ten miles into the ride you begin a long and steady climb out of the
 Gorge and up into the rolling hills of eastern Washington. The climb
 was great, never too steep and offering stunning views of Mt Hood and
 Mt Adams at times. I actually was riding well and didn't even really
 notice the climb as I was enjoying the talking with other
 randonneurs.

 We had and incredible descent to the Klickitat River which was
 somewhat marred by a group of 8 or 9 motorcyclist flying down the
 descent and somewhat crowding me and some other randonneurs. One of
 the motorcyclist ended up overshooting a corner and going into some
 rocks and the canyon wall but appeared to be up and okay by the time
 we passed.

 The climb out of the Klickitat River was great but my feet were kind
 of hurting. I had developed a hot spot on each foot. I was using a
 pair of Patagonia Bagleys with MKS Sneaker Pedals. Fortunately it was
 easy to move my feet around on the pedals and get some relief. We
 stopped in Glennwood, ate and then continued climbing before heading
 into Trout Lake where there was a short out and back followed by about
 25 miles of steady descending back to the Gorge and the final control.
 After the stop in Glenwood my feet felt fine and I had no further
 problems with the hotspot.

 We finished in 10:05hrs which was a fine. For some reason I had
 thought this ride would be a lot harder. We were quite leisurely
 through the controls. I definitely brought way too much stuff but
 that's fine. Better to be prepared and it wasn't like I was shooting
 for a sub 8hr finish like earlier this year.

 I had actually been contemplating laying off randonneuring for next
 year but found myself saying See you at the Birkie next year at the
 final control. I'll most likely be out there again next year but I'll
 definitely be in bibs and wearing bike shoes. I gotta say though, I
 really didn't miss my HB bag that much and loved the way my Hilsen
 handled without it. I think for next year I may just try and use a
 trunk bag on a rack. We'll see.

 Here are some photos. They're not so great as I took them with my
 phone and often seemed to be shooting into the sun.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/41335...@n00/sets/72157624961799637/

 --mike

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Re: [RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread Stuart Fletcher
On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 11:03, rcnute rcn...@hotmail.com wrote:
 I'm thinking of going exclusively to flat pedals but I haven't done
 any rides longer than STP (2-day) with them.  Maybe the trick is to
 wear fifteen year old Birkenstocks with worn soles.

You have to carefully break in your shoes to your platform pedals, a
process which can take years... ;-)   ( -- winking == joke)

Mike: looks/sounds like a beautiful ride, hotspots notwithstanding.  I
want to ride down that way sometime.  Probably won't happen until next
year at this point, but it's something to look forward to.

Thanks for the photos and write up.

Stuart Fletcher
Seattle, WA

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Re: [RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread erik jensen
jeremy,

i have size 15 feet, and think the chaco grip king combination is a match
made in heaven. i would recommend trying a significantly larger platform
like a GK, as i can't abide traditional rat trap pedals myself.

On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 11:13 AM, Jeremy Till jeremy.t...@gmail.com wrote:

 Mike, out of curiosity, what size are your feet?  I ask because I have
 fairly large feet (size 15 US/50 euro) and I recently tried some
 platform pedal riding.  I found that for anything over 10 minutes,
 really, my feet got fairly uncomfortable pretty quickly, even in
 footwear with fairly heavy soles (like my chaco sandals).  My theory
 is that the large difference in size between my foot and the pedal
 surface means that the pressure has more of an effect, because
 relative to the size/structure of my foot, it is focused on smaller
 area.

 I haven't tried larger platforms like the grip kings, but the truth is
 I really have no problem with using clipless pedals (time ATACs in my
 case).  My sidis are by far the most comfortable shoes I own and their
 stiff soles mean that my feet never experience hot spots or cramps on
 long rides.  I know i can't move my foot around that much but I found
 that even when riding on platform pedals my foot stayed pretty much in
 the same place as it would with clipless--after riding them for so
 long, it feels weird to have my foot anywhere else while pedaling.


 On Oct 3, 10:16 am, Mike mjawn...@gmail.com wrote:
  ...a 200k brevet on platform pedals. Actually it wasn't so bad but I
  did get a bit of a hot spot at one point that was worse than anything
  I've ever had with SPDs. Since finishing my SR series back in June
  I've spent the summer doing 95% of my riding in platform pedals and
  MUSA shorts or knickers. Things fell in place to do the Bikenfest 200k
  and rather than switching pedals and dressing up in bibs I figured I'd
  just wear the getup I've been wearing all summer.
 
  This was also the first brevet I've done in a long time with no HB bag
  or fenders on the bike. For tires I used Panaracer T-Serves (700x35).
  I ended up caring my supplies in my Sackville SaddlesBag (medium)
  which was a bit of overkill. I hadn't done this ride before so while
  the weather was predicted to be nice I still packed a LS wool shirt,
  jacket, lights and other odds and ends I felt I'd need in case I
  finished after sunset.
 
  Ten miles into the ride you begin a long and steady climb out of the
  Gorge and up into the rolling hills of eastern Washington. The climb
  was great, never too steep and offering stunning views of Mt Hood and
  Mt Adams at times. I actually was riding well and didn't even really
  notice the climb as I was enjoying the talking with other
  randonneurs.
 
  We had and incredible descent to the Klickitat River which was
  somewhat marred by a group of 8 or 9 motorcyclist flying down the
  descent and somewhat crowding me and some other randonneurs. One of
  the motorcyclist ended up overshooting a corner and going into some
  rocks and the canyon wall but appeared to be up and okay by the time
  we passed.
 
  The climb out of the Klickitat River was great but my feet were kind
  of hurting. I had developed a hot spot on each foot. I was using a
  pair of Patagonia Bagleys with MKS Sneaker Pedals. Fortunately it was
  easy to move my feet around on the pedals and get some relief. We
  stopped in Glennwood, ate and then continued climbing before heading
  into Trout Lake where there was a short out and back followed by about
  25 miles of steady descending back to the Gorge and the final control.
  After the stop in Glenwood my feet felt fine and I had no further
  problems with the hotspot.
 
  We finished in 10:05hrs which was a fine. For some reason I had
  thought this ride would be a lot harder. We were quite leisurely
  through the controls. I definitely brought way too much stuff but
  that's fine. Better to be prepared and it wasn't like I was shooting
  for a sub 8hr finish like earlier this year.
 
  I had actually been contemplating laying off randonneuring for next
  year but found myself saying See you at the Birkie next year at the
  final control. I'll most likely be out there again next year but I'll
  definitely be in bibs and wearing bike shoes. I gotta say though, I
  really didn't miss my HB bag that much and loved the way my Hilsen
  handled without it. I think for next year I may just try and use a
  trunk bag on a rack. We'll see.
 
  Here are some photos. They're not so great as I took them with my
  phone and often seemed to be shooting into the sun.
 
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/41335...@n00/sets/72157624961799637/
 
  --mike

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[RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread Mike
I wear size 11 shoes. I've been trying out different shoe (Vans,
Patagonia Bagley, Teva sandle) and different pedals (MKS sneaker, MKS
touring, GK). All work just fine for rides up to 60 miles or so. I
think part of the problem on this ride was that for the first 45 miles
I was riding at a good clip. And there was the long climb and some
rollers which I tend to ride in the big ring and standing. My feet
started to hurt right where the little traction nubs are on the pedal.
But when I finally took a 15 minute or so break at one of the controls
they felt much better and didn't bother me again.

I have no problem using SPDs I just really like using regular shoes.

I definitely won't be using 700x35 tires again for a brevet unless it
includes lengthy sections of gravel. Jack Brown Greens served me well
this year, I'll either continue to use them or maybe go back to
Paselas (32s) and just watch the sidewalls closely.

--mike

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[RBW] Re: Another supposedly fun thing I'll never do again...

2010-10-03 Thread charlie
I have used the MKS touring pedal with my Tevas and found I sometimes
got sore spots after 30 miles or so. I switched to Crank Brothers
50/50's and some off brand magnesium sealed bearing BMX pedals with an
equally larger platform and I don't get sore feet anymore. I also ride
with my New balance outdoor walking/hiking shoes, Redwing boots and my
rubber duck boots here in rainy Washington state. A larger surface
area always results in less psi on the feet. I can see though that
hard climbing or mashing the big ring could cause a hot spot.
Sometimes we have to just get off the bike and rest a little.
Bicycling isn't a natural activity after all..but it is fun.

On Oct 3, 7:00 pm, Mike mjawn...@gmail.com wrote:
 I wear size 11 shoes. I've been trying out different shoe (Vans,
 Patagonia Bagley, Teva sandle) and different pedals (MKS sneaker, MKS
 touring, GK). All work just fine for rides up to 60 miles or so. I
 think part of the problem on this ride was that for the first 45 miles
 I was riding at a good clip. And there was the long climb and some
 rollers which I tend to ride in the big ring and standing. My feet
 started to hurt right where the little traction nubs are on the pedal.
 But when I finally took a 15 minute or so break at one of the controls
 they felt much better and didn't bother me again.

 I have no problem using SPDs I just really like using regular shoes.

 I definitely won't be using 700x35 tires again for a brevet unless it
 includes lengthy sections of gravel. Jack Brown Greens served me well
 this year, I'll either continue to use them or maybe go back to
 Paselas (32s) and just watch the sidewalls closely.

 --mike

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