Ocean Air Cycles

Dirt? February 01 2011, 0 Comments

A little dirt in the morning can really spice things up. Keep your eyes open for the little detours,

Even a few hundred yards now and then can put a bigger smile on after a ride around the neighborhood.

Up and Down - Hills for Training January 31 2011, 0 Comments

And I use the word training loosely. I ride because it brings me pleasure to be outside and get around under my own power. The better physical shape I am in the more able I am to tackle hills and cover distance in the limited time I have to ride. Some mornings I take it easy, some mornings it is fast out in the flat farm roads, and some days I take to the hills. There are two ways: lots of time and I am able to mix distance and the hills. When time is compressed I hit the hills right behind town, and run some loops as time permits. There are three steep roads up the hill and you can mix up the ups and downs, heading up:

Now for my first shots at video raw from the camera without edit, the fun part is heading down. Turn around and right back up.

Then down the first climb. I have said it before, my inner racer never developed. These hill intervals are all about having the legs to make the days with 6000 - 10000 feet of climbing, the only way I know of there is to ride every day. This is not about being the fastest, just being able to do what you hope and dream on the bike.

Ventura River Ramble January 26 2011, 0 Comments

It was unseasonably warm again today with temps in the 55-60 degree range, not that I am complaining. The wind also calmed down a bit and rolling out of the garage I decided to head up the Ventura River Trail and shoot some pics. The light was fantastic this morning.

I made it out to Santa Anna Road in time to catch the sun rise hitting the mountains,

But played around too much with the cameras and gear to cover the distance I had hoped for. I had picked up some new batteries for my wireless camera trigger the other day, and the improvement in range and performance is incredible. More lonely-boy self portraits to follow soon. Heading home:

In time to play a bit with the family before getting back to work.

Sleepy Main Street January 25 2011, 0 Comments

This morning there was only a bit time for a quick toodle around down town and to close the loop along the beach for a quick surf check. After yesterday's comment about living in a smaller town I thought about expanding a bit. Work brought me to the Ventura area four years ago. When it was time to find an apartment, a garage for the tools and gear, and close to town and the beach were the key criteria in the search. We ended up in a town house two blocks from My wife's work, a few blocks from down town and the beach. We are able to walk down town for dinner and shopping, there are at least four local bike shops within two miles of the house, the ocean is blocks away. Most of our produce comes from the weekend farmer's markets either up the street on Saturday or I use the Sunday market ten miles away as an excuse to put in some extra saddle time. Things like Costco or the nicer food markets are a bit further, but still very accessible by bike when you need to stock up on supplies. In the last few years my work was as close as a three mile pedal to the job site, and at worst 65 miles in the car down to Los Angeles.

The only downside, well I am having a hard time coming up with a downside. I did not even ge to expand on the mountains to the north expanding into the Los Padres National Forest, or the fact that if we did want to venture into LA it is only an hour or so away. This is not meant to be a sales pitch for Ventura. Think about what you do to live and work and how to structure your life so that you can do the things you want. For me that is getting out of the car, onto the bike, into the water and having maximum time to spend with my wife and daughter. Every time I take work that puts me behind the windshield for hours on end I regret it, I am trying real hard this time to not lat that happen again. It is possible to have things come together so that you can do it your way, though you have to do it and not wait for it to just show up.

If you find you current situation less ideal than you would hope, particularly from a transformational cycling situation, just get out and make the best of what you have. Things are probably better than you think. In my four years here in town I have discovered and been able to share more than many people who have lived here for decades. The key is getting started, get outside, commit to using your legs to get around town. When that gets boring, commit to not going the same way twice to get to the same places for a whole week or more. Most of all recapture your time and have fun.

Through the Looking Glass January 24 2011, 0 Comments

Finally found the confluence of factors to get back into the water for a short window in time this morning. It felt good, cold, but good. The current wind conditions have the water temps in the 50s with air in the upper 40s, brrrr. Still it was wonderful taking some pictures from the other side of the sidewalk.

The GoPro® Helmet HERO™ Wide Camera performed pretty well for my first day in the water. I ran into some of the same snags many users do with water spots. I had tried rain-x as recommended, but my bottle was ancient as we do not use it often out here in SoCal. The wife's cruiser performed perfectly as well, although my hands were frozen by the time I made it home. Much to her dismay it has morphed into the family surf cruiser, with the baby we now surf in shifts. The bike is paying the price for its time locked up in front of the ocean.

Living in a small to medium-sized town near your work and playgrounds definitely makes the car light lifestyle so much more accessible. The temperate climate is just the frosting on the cake.

Moonset and Dolphins January 19 2011, 0 Comments

I was out in time to catch the moon set this morning over Santa Barbara, tonight is the full moon

Full moon tides combined with swell for sea water puddles along the coast.

About 3 miles into the ride I crossed paths with a pod of dolphin surfing down the coast in the other direction, ended up chasing them a mile back to grab some pictures.

Lets see if the rest of the day is as good as this morning. Have fun, Play outside.

Rincon Morning Light January 17 2011, 0 Comments

The baby had us/me up super early this morning and I could not go back to sleep. Left a little earlier and was able to get a little more distance in, 28 miles. The swell is up but the full moon and morning high tides are keeping me on the bike and out of the water. Good lights are part of the combo that make riding in the dark a pleasure, my DiNotte 140 has been going strong fo ra few years now. One of the other components are fatter cushy tires that are a little more forgiving of the imperfections in the road, Rivendell Jack Browns are my tires of choice. View towards home from Rincon Point, Queen of the coast. Time for a break and some pictures.

First shot is with the GoPro® Helmet HERO™ Wide Camera. I have mostly been shooting hand-held, as this morning's shot propped up. While the pictures are not what you would get with a DSLR, the quality is still shockingly good. I have not even begun to explore the video capability yet due to my own software limitations, that though will not be a hurdle much longer. The beauty of this camera is in the size, simplicity , weather resistance and durability. I moved from a Canon DSLR to my Panasonic GF1 to scale down the size. This takes it two steps further and the camera is always in my bag.

Winter Blues January 16 2011, 0 Comments

Another sweet Sunday ride to market in the Bag(s)

Third trip this week with the Roadeo loaded, Every ride I love this bike more and more. I am so glad not to be living an a place that freezes and stays frozen for months.

Roadeo Grocery Ride - Fjord Flannel Review January 12 2011, 0 Comments

Another incredible day, and I had an hour and a half window for Opie(grandpa) to baby sit. I decided to combine errands with the workout. I have a 15 mile loop that lets me hit two grocery stores. Total load and therefore spending are limited by taking the Roadeo. Temps were in the low to mid 50s and wind was crazy, one of the days where you have a headwind more than 3/4 of the ride.

The layering system for errands is pretty different from what I wear for my morning or non-errand rides. Most of the time I am layered up in some combination of merino wool and polyester to fend off the morning chill. When I know that there is going to be more stop and go, time in stores etc. I wear what most would consider normal street clothes. Flannel being one of my favorite of layers for the cooler months. Today I busted out my new Patagonia Fjord Flannel Shirt in Fusion Orange that the wife picked out for me as a Christmas gift. This is their heavier flannel, and just happens to be a great color combo for playing in traffic. I ride most of the year in long sleeves for sun protection. In the winter, flannel provides a great top layer with just a little wind resistance and the ability to quickly adjust buttons or roll up sleeves as needed. Today there were more than a few adjustments as I had everything from a 15mph tail wind to shady cross winds and then a tail wind home. This shirt ROCKS, it is the first heavyweight flannel I have added to the rotation in years. I have three older ones in the closet, one 8 years old, like silk and covered in patches. I can only hope that this shirt goes the distance as well

Two stops and about 35 lbs of groceries later I was on my way home. As discovered this past weekend, judicious placement of the load has had little detrimental effect on the performance of the Roadeo. This time I was pushing the limit up front with 10lbs, a gallon of tangerine juice, up front in the acorn bag. Another 15 -20lbs in the rear and the frame bag stuffed with rice pasta, yogurt and salsa.

One thing that really helps with the loading, comfort and stability is getting the Rivendell Jack Brown 33.3mm wide tires back on the bike. The added cush soaks up absolutely everything between the crappy roads and the rim.

I have been pushing the limits of how I ride this bike loaded. Rivendell states that they will not put you on a roadeo if you are over 250lbs. I would likely agree that around that weight load the bike becomes compliant to a point where you really need to be paying attention to what you are doing. At the moment I weigh in at about 220lbs. I am working to get that down another 10 lbs and use this as a nimble allroad touring bike for the summer.

Have fun, and get outside! Update: The shirt is gone for the saeson, What is left in flannel is going fast at the winter sale, time to buy your AC cotton, review coming soon

See a Penny, Pick it Up.... January 11 2011, 0 Comments

I really have no idea how my eyes pick up such small anomalies when I am cruising along. Thanks to my mom I will always pick up money when I find it, all found money is good luck, heads up or not. After years of riding the biggest jackpot has been a $5 bill blowing down the street in the dusk. Aside from money there have been wrenches, hammers, bungee chords, a soma steel core tire lever the other day and all the wild food I post about on occasion. Bicycle luggage catalyzes this phenomenon since you have the improved ability to actually carry found loot home. What treasures have you been able to score on your rides?

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