Mechanic’s Corner Part 2

What is in your on-bike tool kit? If you do not know, now’s the time to take inventory. At a minimum, you should carry a spare tube (make sure it will fit your bike), tire levers (to get out the flat tube), a patch kit (in case you get 2 flats), a pump, spoke wrench, screwdrivers, wrenches, and Allens to fit every fastener on your bike. A chain tool (in case you break or bend your chain) can also come in handy in case you break or bend your chain. Some tool kits come pretty complete, including the seat bag. Multi-tools are the “Swiss army knife” of tools and can replace many individual tools. Practice and make sure you know how to use all the tools you carry.

Remember, that while the PALM route is SAGed, the SAG drivers may not have the tool you need for your bike. Therefore, if you cannot fix your bike, you may have to be SAGed in and miss the rest of that day’s ride. Don’t count on seeing one of the bike shops on the road. You should be able to fix your bike at least well enough to get you in for the day. At that point, one of the bike shops will be able help you out.

Applications: common errors

Right now we have 28 applications that have errors. Until the errors are corrected riders cannot be registered. This delays my sending out confirmation letters and raisies anxieties.

First thing's first: applications are assigned numbers as they come in, whether they have errors or not. So even if your application has an error, you are on the ride if you beat the famous 700 rider limit. But it delays you getting your confirmation letter.

The most common error is adding up the dollar amounts incorrectly: either overpaying (5) or underpaying (12). (If you overpay, we can't cash your check. ) On the application we mention: check your totals twice. That's why.

Missing signatures is the next most common error with 9. You have to sign the waiver before you can join the ride. There are special signatures necessary when you are riding with people under 18 who are not your children. I spelled these out in an earlier blog.

Two people forgot to pick a t-shirt size, to round out the 28.

Please be sure to enter your emergency contact. It's another required field. We keep a list of all the emergency contacts and phone numbers at the day's site. We also print your name and emergency contact information on the other side of the flag that has your PALM number on it and is attached to your bike. There is a chance that if you get hurt you won't be able to tell us your name. So emergency contact is an important field. One more thing: you can have up to two emergency contacts and each of them can have two phone numbers. (I know there isn't room for them on the application, but you can put them there.)

Mechanic’s Corner Part 1

Now that your PALM application is in and you are getting ready to start your training for the tour you have to ask yourself: What shape is my bike in?

If you don’t know, then your bike may need work. How old is it or how long has it been since the last overhaul? For a road bike, if it has been more that 5 years (only 1 or 2 years if the bike has been in the rain a lot) or 2000 miles, you may need an overhaul. A mountain bike may need overhauling as often as every 500 miles if ridden off road. You may need a new chain, cables or brake pads. Every moving part on the bike should be cleaned and lubricated. Check every nut and bolt to be sure it’s tight.

Every year on PALM I see bikes with problems that could have been avoided if an overhaul or full check of the bike had been done by a qualified mechanic.

If you are not comfortable with servicing your own bike, enroll in a class to learn how or take it to your local bicycle shop to have it tuned up and checked out.

Now is the best time to take your bike into the shop, as it is their lean time of the year. This early in the season you might get your bike back in only a day. Additionally, the shop mechanics will have more time to spend on you bike to be sure the job is done right. Don't wait for the first warm sunny Saturday in May and expect a fast turnaround. Spring is any bike shop's busiest time and the mechanics are pressed for time to complete the work on all the bikes they get in. Don't wait!

Registration numbers continue to grow.

As of today, somewhere between 550 and 600 people have sent in registrations for PALM. Vickie and Mark have been extremely busy trying to stay caught up with all the paperwork. So it is looking as though PALM will set a new record for filling early! Therefore if you are hoping to join our ride this summer and don't want to be disappointed, please send in your registration as soon as possible! See you in June!

You can start training for PALM: Option 2

There is another way to start training for PALM. I'm currently in Matlacha, Florida in a cybercafe overlooking the water. We saw manatees, a burrowing owl, and the Edison winter home. Tomorrow we are going to rent bikes (and helmets)!! and bike on Sanibel Island. Now this isn't the same as biking on studded tires and talking to ice fisherman, but I will be getting on a bike and putting in some miles. Morally I'm corrupt, but I'm wearing shorts and it's 81 degrees. This may push processing applications back a few days. (I get back on Wednesday.) I feel bad, but I'm wearing shorts and it's 81 degrees.

So far we have received applications from 400 riders and I've sent out 255 confirmation letters. If you've haven't sent in your application, time is running out. If you have, tell your friends to send in theirs.

State of Michigan endorses PALM

The Governor's Council for Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports has made PALM an endorsed event and added it to its website. One of PALM's missions for its 25 years of existence has been the promotion of bicycling as part of a life of physical fitness. We encourage the participation of all ages in our event, not just the 20 year olds. In fact the 20-29 and 30-39 age ranges have traditionally been our smallest. We've kept the daily distances to a level that can be reached by almost everyone in a reasonable amount of time. We teach safety and encourage more use of bicycles in everyday life. That's why it is very gratifying to get this recognition.

Perhaps now that this pesky election is over with we can get the First Gentleman and a son or daughter on the ride. It's not the marathon, but you can share PALM with your whole family.

Kevin's new bike

Everyone who's ridden an organized ride in Michigan, especially a long ride, knows Kevin Degen. Kevin has ridden PALM 22 or 23 times. One year he missed it because he was doing an awareness ride across the country that ended in Washington DC. During that ride he rode thru snow (he hates cold) and thru 100 degree heat in the desert (he loves the heat). Kevin rides a trike using one arm and one leg. (Don't shake hands with him when he uses his good hand. He could crush coconuts with it.) He's been riding the same trike for years. I've lifted it into his car. It's heavy. Sturdy, but heavy. Reliable, but heavy. And old. Two years ago the St. Hupert's youth group rode PALM and met Kevin. They decided that he needed a new bike. So they held fund raisers and raised over $10,000.

Everyone knows Kevin. A group of Toyota engineers met Kevin on the MS 150. They volunteered to design the bike. Several bike shops researched components for it. A framemaker from Grand Rapids welded the custom frame together. Last Sunday at St. Hubert's community center in Harrison Township, we all got a first look at it and met the people who put it together.

The Toyota engineers outlined their design objectives. The bike has two wheels in the front. The engineers said that was so that Kevin could get on and off the the bike easier (because the top tube is lower) and so that the bike would be more stable. (They are still not happy with the stability.) 90% of the bike is off the shelf components. This was because the engineers figured that Kevin would be biking everywhere so part availability was critical. The engineers captured the layout of his old bike digitally and duplicated it on the new bike. This means that Kevin will have exactly the same riding position on the new bike as on his old one. Overall the engineers from Toyota have invested over 400 hours in this project.

The Toyota engineers realized that they didn't have all the expertise they needed so they reached outside. They had the bike shops pick the components and steer them to where to get the tubing. When they needed the frame welded, they didn't do it themselves: they went to somebody who builds frames for a living.

It was very interesting to hear the engineers. If you asked them a question (like, Why aren't the front wheels at an angle?) they gave you a good reason (It would stress the wheels differently. You could build the wheels differently to handle the different stress, but this would mean that the wheel was no longer an off the shelf item.) You could tell that an awful lot of thought went into each part of the bike. They did a lot of detail work: for instance, they picked a shifting mechanism that would be easy to use with one hand so that Kevin could shift on hills which he couldn't really do before. He would just power up them.

The bike needs some more work. In fact the Toyota engineers may decide to go with a two wheels in the back design if they can't overcome the stability problems. Even in that case, all the components will be transferable. They are committed to finishing the bike in time for the current bike season. I can hardly wait to see it on the road.

You Can Start Your PALM Training NOW!

Who says you can't bike in winter? Just because it's cold is no reason not to ride. People don't look at skiers like they are from Mars. You just have to dress for the weather. Layers and breathability are the key.

Yesterday I was out riding on the local frozen creeks and Lake St Clair (yes, I do have studded tires) saying hi to the ice fishermen. Today I did the annual MMBA "Blizzard Blast" mountain bike ride at Pontiac Lake Rec. Area. We had over 40 people on the ride. It was only 15 degrees, but after 2 miles, I was plenty warm. In fact I may have dressed too warm as I was pretty sweaty after the 12 mile ride.

I wouldn't recommend riding on the road right after it has snowed. It can be wet, sloppy, and the salt won't do your bike any good. However, when it's clear and cold, that's the time to ride. Any snow on the side of the road stays frozen so there is no slop. The sun helps keep you warm. If you are riding off road, the snow will probably be pack down by four-wheelers, snowmobiles and other cyclists and traction is remarkably good.

If you would like more information on winter biking, post a comment or send me an email

Twixt the superbowl and spring training

This is the dead time of winter for me. Even though I'm not much of a pro football fan, the Super Bowl is like a holiday. Now it's over. Sportswise all you can find are endless interchangable college and pro basketball games. Hockey you can't find. Don't talk to me about the Pro Bowl. If there were spring training, you would get daily reminders that summer is coming. All you have is the tundra of winter spreading out before you.

Fortunately for me, I work on the PALM registration. I get batches of applications from people that express their hope for summer. Last week I registered an 82 year old woman.

Where I live there is a Gardens Resource Network that is promoting community and family gardens. Yesterday I went to the first meeting for our community garden. It was refreshing to hear people talk seriously about insects and tomato problems and their solutions. And I got a calendar of garden events and workshops for the spring and summer, as if there was going to be a spring and summer. I recommend this for anyone who has my winter problem.

Of course, the best cure ( and the official end of winter) is Ernie Harwell's voice reciting the Song Of Solomon verses about the end of winter and the song of the turtle at the opening of spring training. Until then, please keep sending me those PALM applications. I need all the help I can get.

Setting limits

First the registration counts so far: 96 confirmations sent out with about 200 additional people in the PALM registration pipeline.

Worried about biking 50 miles a day for several days in a row? My advice is don't set limits. Don't say you can't do something. Instead find out what you can do. I run in the mornings. On Tuesday I found out that I can run when it is 0 degrees and a wind chill of -13. But I think this year's limit will be wind chills of -15.

The trouble is that I work with a guy from Russia. He says that he doesn't like winter when it is 32. He likes it when it's 5. He says that we don't have a culture of cold. He can't understand people who go outside in the winter, don't button their coats or wear hats, and then complain about the cold. He once got on Google Maps and showed me around the neighborhood where he grew up using their satellite maps. I looked at my house using the satellite maps. All I could see was how lousy my lawn looked even from outer space. This is what I have to work on: the glass is half full, not half empty.

First confirmations mailed - wind

I've entered the first set of applications I received and mailed out their confirmation letters. That's the good news. The bad news is that it will still be in single digits when they arrive. What I sent out is about 1/3 of the applications that we have in the pipeline. There should be about a 2 week lag between mailing your application to PALM and receiving your confirmation. It's safe to say that if you haven't received a PALM application in the mail by now, you are not going to receive one. If you email us, we will mail an application to you. Or you can download one from our website.

Wind

During the winter when I can't bike, I run. I run outside in the morning before work, around 6:30 AM. On cool mornings, you notice the wind, even it is only 5-10 mph. On mornings like this morning, you notice every molecule of air as it drags itself over your skin. Wind is different for biking. Biking on hot days, you pray to be going against the wind. But wind is treacherous. Several times every year I go out on a ride where I feel really good, when I am going 3 mph faster than I usually go, and I feel that I'm really in good shape. Then I turn around to come back. Only then do I find out that I really had a 15 mph tailwind that I hadn't noticed until now when it was too late. Now I'm going 3 mph slower than I usually go, if that, panting and shifting to lower gears. You would think I would learn, but no. Humility is hard to learn, easy to forget, and must be taught over and over.