Chumbawamba: On Bikes and Bike Things

“I get knocked down,
But I get up again,
You ain’t ever gonna keep me down…”

So… Strong Like Bull…  Where do I start?

I think I’ll start with the bike.  It was, after all, a trip that was supposed to be all about the bike.

First, John Hirsch lived up to his Twitter promise.  A new bike name.  To replace the name he gave to my bike last year – before having met me.

Meet Chumbawamba.

So christened after we passed Iznajar, shortly after I collapsed near the top of an 8% grade hill, gasping for my inhaler.  I sat, regrouped, and got back on the bike.

“I get knocked down, but I get up again…”

So appropriate.  Plus, this has been one of my “theme songs” ever since I moved to the UK in 1997…  Of course at that time, it may have had more to do with the cocktail mix I was consuming…

I learned so much during my 9 days of training in Spain with Strong Like Bull.  On this post, I will share with you some of my thoughts about the bike – not my performance on it, but rather the things that go with it.  The stuff that makes cycling one of the most expensive sports around (except for yachting I guess!)…

A good bike fit…

…sorts out so many issues!  Where to even start, except with a gigantic thank you to CycleFit near Covent Garden in London.  About 10 days before I went to Spain, Julian spent close to three and a half hours with me, working on my fit and my shoe / pedal solution.  My aim when I walked in to CycleFit was to help my foot pain.  I battle peroneal tendonitis (the outside of the foot / ankle area) due to my CMT.  I knew that to move to pain free riding I needed a different shoe solution.

Since I moved to clipless pedals I have been wearing Specialized mountain bike shoes.  I opted for these as they were the only shoes I found that would fit over my high arches.  Plus I could use them with SPD pedals, meaning an easy “either way” clipping in solution – handy for someone who has lost a bit of sensation in my feet.  But the solution just wasn’t good for my feet.  I would finish an hour ride, or 45 minutes in spin class, and need instant ice on my tendons.  So sore.  I knew I needed a different solution.

I moved to a Shimano shoe / Look Keo pedal combo, with wedges and moulded footbeds.  The outcome?  Absolutely fantastic.  I cycled about 180km total last week (about 10 – 12 hours saddle time I think) with zero ankle discomfort.  The shoes were fit to mimic my custom running shoe orthotics, and the float (or ability to move my foot while clipped in) minimised to add to the stability and alignment of my legs.  Can I say it again?  These shoes feel fantastic.  I was so nervous about trying out this new shoe setup while in Spain, but my lack of footpain totally justified the risk.

Now, the downside.  The Look Keo pedals have a single sided clip in.  And for someone with reduced sensation on the feet (due to CMT, my nerve disease), this is tough to get used to.  I couldn’t quite master clipping in, which is ok on flat roads.  But you NEED to clip in efficiently and easily without raising your heart rate while starting up hills.  If not?  Well… “I get knocked down, I get up again…”  You get the point.  I am going to need to practice clipping in and out a lot more, to get familiar and comfortable with this part of cycling.  And since I have not had this particular problem (or solution) before, I suspect this may take some time…

The bike fit also eliminated another problem – the sore medial quad I was feeling on my left knee.  Another complete bonus.  Julian had said that he thought my previous fit (although done with Retul) had me too far forward and too low on my bike.  I don’t know why the two fits were so different, but the new fit is way more comfortable for my knees.

And finally, the saddle.  I had been having tremendous pain on the saddle.  Julian told me that rather than rushing into a new saddle trial, to give my current saddle time.  To try out the fit, and to see if the problem lessened.  I agreed, but brought along a borrowed ISM saddle to Spain, to swap things out and to give it a shot.  But while in Spain, Dylan McNichols (Cat1 cyclist who was both training and assisting with the camp) also talked me out of swapping things around.  “Give the new fit a chance…”  The fit seemed to eliminate most pressure, and although I did not ride for more than 3 hours at a stretch, I also did not walk away with the pressure pain I had been experiencing.  I think I can probably use my current cycle without issues for the Houston to Austin MS150 I am doing, too.  Which is great news.

Thanks again CycleFit for all of your help with getting things tuned up and changed around in time for a good trial run in Spain.

A girl loves her shopping…

…even cycle clothes shopping!

Thanks to the great advice I received from my friend Jon, I made sure to jump on the Wiggle site and purchase arm and knee warmers before my travels to Spain.  I am so glad that I did.

I was delighted with the Assos Roubaix arm and knee warmers.  Jon said they would be “like Uggs for your joints” and they were – cozy, warm, comfortable.  And so easy to strip off and stuff into a back pocket when things got warm.  I know there are probably less expensive options out there, but I am completely happy buying such a quality product that will last me a good long time.  And I was warm, even on the cooler ride days in Spain (where it was about 5C when we would start our rides) and on descents in the cooler weather.

Also on Jon’s recommendation I tried out the DeSoto 400 mile cycle shorts.  I wanted shorts that would fit really well, to avoid chafing.  These shorts worked a charm.  Super comfy, and I think they will be the ones I wear for the MS150 Houston to Austin ride that I will be doing in April.  What I also loved about these shorts is that they do not have the leg grips.  I have to say that although I think my Pearl Izumi shorts are comfy, the leg grips cause me to break out in welts after longer rides (I must have a reaction to the plastic they use).  So this is another huge plus for DeSoto.

One article of clothing that I wish I had for the ride was a bike vest.  I walked away from Strong Like Bull with vest envy.  The Gore jacket with arms that zip off was amazing looking (Anna had one).  And the Rapha gilet was a thing of beauty (Howard’s caused me to have my first ever bout of gilet-envy).

A girl like her bags…

…normally handbags, but in this case, the perfect Bike Box.

Last year we held off on a big bike box purchase – borrowing one, and then buying a lower cost option.  But we hated the boxes.  Tough to pack, lots of jiggling to fit everything.  Just no fun.

A few friends, and Coach T, had suggested to get a Scicon box.  So I did.  Rather than the new Mulberry handbag I was coveting…

The verdict?

This box was so easy to pack.  Super easy to shut (a key requirement for me after the jiggling of last year).  And bike breakdown time of about 20 minutes or so from start to close (the second time I packed).  A complete winner.

Sorry Mulberry…

Next purchases?

Well, besides a vest, I would also like to get a new helmet.  Received wisdom is that helmets should be replaced every 3 years or so.  I have had mine for about 4 now. 

Who knows if the helmet replacement rule is anything other than sales tactics or truth, but that will be my next purchase.  I saw a lot of nice helmets on Strong Like Bull.  Nice Giros (which is what I currently have).  Nice Rudy Project helmets.  I am not sure what I will get – whatever fits best and most comfortably I suppose.  But that is my next purchase.

Safety first.

Then a bike jacket.  Or gilet.

And a Mulberry. 

A girl has to dream, right?