I wonder if I could file off my cleats on my old soccer shoes and use a retrofitz cleat?
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Jay Petervary’s Tour Divide Record
Even without the record Jay speaks to the trips we take and why we take them. This may well be the next ride.
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The World Hour Record
Getting ready for taking on the World Hour Record when I am a 100 led me to this.
In the video above, how science and technology have influenced the making and breaking of the prestigious World Hour Record first established in 1893. Then, below, Forces breaks down the physics of cycling; Physiology explains, well, the physiology that boosts performance; and Technology digs deeper into the high-tech hardware that cyclists push along.
Forces
Physiology
Technology
via Dan Colman
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100-Year-Old Man Sets 100-Kilometer Cycling Record
Now this is a goal I think I will shoot for.
Robert Marchand, 100, riding into the record books in Lyon on Friday. (Getty Images)
LYON, Sept 28, 2012 (AFP) — A French centenarian on Friday set a record for the fastest 100-year-old to cycle 100 kilometers (62 miles) and said he had outdone himself.
Robert Marchand, an amateur cyclist who claims to have clocked tens of thousands of kilometers in the saddle, finished the distance in 4 hours, 17 minutes and 27 seconds.
“I did a little better than I hoped,” he said. “However, the going was tough in the last few kilometers.”
Marchand, who has lived in Canada and Venezuela and whose professional life has included stints as a market gardener, shoe salesman, and wine dealer, said he only took to cycling when he bought his first bike in 1978.
His bid for the centenarian record was certified by the French national cycling federation.
In February, Marchand rode 24.25 kilometers (15.1 miles) in one hour, setting a one-hour speed record in the new over-100s category created by the International Cycling Union (UCI), cycling’s governing body.
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Biking Restores Brain Connectivity in Parkinson’s
From TheAtlantic
It just makes me think this morning about why I cycle, not merely to prevent or cure issues, but just to notice the connectedness of it all.
Pay attention out there.
Patients pushed hardest showed the most improvement.
James D. Schwartz / Flickr
PROBLEM: It’s commonly known that Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic, progressive, disease of central nervous system that affects motor ability — its recognizable early stages are characterized by shakiness and difficulty walking. No cure exists, which is why back in 2003, the best Dr. Jay Alberts of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute rode a tandem bicycle across Iowa with a Parkinson’s patient (to raise awareness). Unexpectedly, the patient showed improvements in her condition after the trip. In what now much be common lore at the Institute, Alberts attempted to explain the inexplicable by noticing that his own pace was faster than that of his partner, who was forced, by the cruel mechanics of tandem cycling, to pedal faster in order to keep up.
METHODOLOGY: Alberts and his colleagues used functional connectivity MRI to study the brains of 26 patients with Parkinson’s Disease before and after they engaged in an 8-week exercise program and then, as a follow-up, one month later. Three times a week, the patients worked out on stationary bicycles. The experimental group used a modified bike that, using an algorithm in the place of a super in-shape doctor, would measure their rate of exertion and use it as a basis to push them harder than they would otherwise choose.
RESULTS: What the researchers referred to as "forced rate activity," others might feel is more accurately labeled "torture." But when they calculated the brain activation of the patients forced to pedal past their comfort level, they found lasting increases in connectivity between two areas of the brain responsible for motor ability: the primary motor cortex and the posterior region of the thalamus.
CONCLUSION: Forced-rate bicycle exercise appears to be an effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
IMPLICATION: The treatment delivered dramatic results, and has the distinction of being inexpensive and accessible. Alberts contends that even those without access to their own algorithm for forced-rate activity may be able to see improvement by using an at-home stationary bike. The next step is to evaluate the possible effects of other forms of exercise, like swimming.
The full study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
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Folding Bike Hack: Electric Bike
I was reading about the Brompton Bike Hack by NYCeWheels and have copied info from their web page below.
The question is could I do a similar hack on my Dahon. I have an idea why the idea of having an eBike is catching on with me, I absolutely love riding and being a cyclist. This sort of bike would get me to absolutely give up the car on the nights I feel I have to race out to get a package to the post office and really don’t want to suit up both ways, or something like that. The example is merely to say, I would get a small percentage more trips in if I had an eBike. The same is true if I had a cargo bike.
We’re adding our custom designed system to a standard Brompton M3L folding bike, which means you’ll have three gears to switch between in addition to the motor. If you want to add some boost, just press down on the thumb throttle to accelerate with the electric motor.
The NYCeWheels Electric Brompton M3L folding bike features:
- One of the lightest electric bikes (45 lbs total)
- Retains the compact folded size of a Brompton folding bike
- Different battery mount options available
- Powered by a thumb throttle – no pedaling necessary
Our electric Brompton folding bike is only 18 lbs heavier than a standard Brompton bike, making it one of the lightest electric bikes in existence. Because the hub motor fits inside the front wheel, the electric Brompton still has the smallest folding dimensions out of any folding bicycle.
The best way to mount the battery on the electric Brompton bike is to use a front carrying bag like the Brompton S-Bag or the Brompton C-Bag. Since the bags are detachable, the batteries can be charged independent of the bike. There are other battery mounting options available as well.
Our electric Brompton folding bike is the easiest, most portable method of urban transportation. There’s nothing that folds smaller or stands up to the quality of this English-made urban folder. An electric motor just makes it that much more fun.
If you already own a Brompton, you can have us install a electric conversion kit on it for a electric Brompton bike of your own.
Note: This kit is designed, built, and warrantied by NYCeWheels exclusively. Brompton folding bike warrantied through Brompton Bicycle.
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Newton’s 3 Laws, with a bicycle
