Got a pair of closeout Oakley shorts from Chainlove.com last week. They were cheap at $45 USD including shipping, so I gave them a shot. They were that hideous yellow-green color, which to me was a plus. These have a separate liner and outer short held together with buttons and elastic loops. The liner is meshy with a one-piece 3D stretch anti-microbial chamois. As discovered during my first ride wearing these, the chamois is thin and not particularly comfortable. Continue reading ‘Oakley Ballistic 3.7 MTB Shorts’
Archive for the 'bike' Category
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“Would our cars still be there when we got back?” I wondered briefly as Ckucke and I bade the three Bud-chugging fellows at the trailhead farewell and headed toward the gate. They had parked their Ford Explorer and busted out the lawn chairs and started a little parking lot party. They were talkative and made eye contact, so from the criminal profiling standpoint, there was a lower chance that they meant to perpetrate a property crime on us. Regardless, as we climbed over the logs, an HPD cruiser came up the street and the gentlemen quickly packed up and took off. Some of the people up the street at the puppy buddy’s house were standing outside, one with a phone in hand. Apparently, something about the three men set off their neighborhood watch radar – maybe their loud conversation, their beer drinking, or their loud music – and they alerted the gendarmerie. Up until that moment, I’d never seen a police blue-and-white patrolling in Waimanalo! Continue reading ‘Sketchy Ride’
At lunch time I found myself watching the okole of Death receding into the distance up Tantalus till he turned a corner and was gone. My head felt like it was going to burst along the pattern of vents in my helmet, I couldn’t get a breathe in, my legs were burning and it was bloody hot. Other then that, it was all good. I was dressed in my chicken slaughter shorts and orange t-shirt, which looked pretty ugly, I have to say. At least I had black gloves on.
I had agreed to a Tantalus ride. Partially because I’m trying to get back in cardio shape, and partially because it’s a compromise. Death has been trying to get me to go trail running with him. Now…that’s not something outside the realm of ol’Oni experimenting with, nope. However, when your guide into running trails is an absolute animal, well, that changes things. Let’s just say he likes to suffer a lot more then I do and leave it at that. Continue reading ‘Death rides a black QR’
I was doing a tune-up on a “Next Power Climber” department store bike, and when I got to the loose headset, I got out my trusty 12” Craftsman adjustable wrench to cinch down on the overlocknut. I didn’t even get the satisfaction of hauling off on the handle and locking the nut down – as soon as the wrench touched the nut, it crumbled! Really! I didn’t even get to turn the adjuster pinion to clamp the wrench jaws down on the flats of the nut before it fell to pieces! At first I thought it was made from plastic and it crumbled from degradation from environmental exposure, but closer examination revealed that it was some porous-cast mystery metal.
WTF?!
Setting out from home for a little spin on the Mountain/cross, I was almost immediately beset by that which would be the bane of my existence for the remainder of the ride. I didn’t know at the time, but the three people who passed in front of me were just a hint of what was to come. Maybe I had seen them before, maybe not – one younger heavyweight on a department store dually, and a pair of older gents on upright 26-ers. Nothing objectionable – just some friends out for an afternoon ride like me. Everyone had helmets, but the cotton tees and white tennies hinted at “people who owned bicycles” and not “cyclists”. I was coming to a stop and concentrating on trackstanding at the corner of the stop line while vigilantly watching the oncoming white Jetta whose driver didn’t know how to complete a turn without coming into the oncoming traffic lane, so I didn’t wave. We all shared friendly smiles, and they rolled off downhill, and I stood in the pedals and climbed in the opposite direction. Continue reading ‘Blundering Masses’
Hot.
It’s too hot.
As usual, It’s so much better to be out riding in the heat than being at home in the heat. Chris manages to free up some time to join us for a ride. His rusty legs and butt feel the strain of the climbs and the repeated beating of the saddle, but as he says, “there are good bike rides and better bike rides.” Chris gets stuck in traffic at Makapu’u because of some HFD rescue, so shows up a little tardy. Danny and Sara get a head start and climb the road for parts unknown. When Chris shows up, we climb to the Mango tree where we expect them to be, but they aren’t there. We assume they started into the side loop without us, so proceed into the trail thinking we will run into them at some point. We complete the loop and come out onto the road and see them coming down Government Road. Apparently, a miscommunication led them to the end of the road. Continue reading ‘Summer Sucks’
I violated one of my cardinal rules last night. I knew I was violating it while I was doing it, but I figured it would be okay (just this once!). I bought a cheap bike floor pump…
Sunday found me, “The Wife” (just an FYI, sometimes when you refer to your wife as “the wife” instead of her actually name, certain fringe segments of the female gender get PISSED. So you have been warned!) and “The Kid” up at my parents house, having a cook out.
Personally, I was engaged in a personal fashion show, looking for the gaudiest cycling clothes I could find as I was finally going to start commuting to work a couple of days a week. I’m getting old and weak and it’s time to put the 8 inch hydraulic brakes on that! (nice deft cycling metaphor there, eh?) Continue reading ‘Go Play In Traffic’
I forgot a pair of Oakley Ballistic shorts on Maui at Dr. Kenny’s. I also lost a new bottle of allergy eye drops and forgot a four-pack of Maui Brewing Coconut Porter in the fridge. I know I’ll eventually get the shorts back, but in the meantime I have to pick up another pair of something. Herein lies the bug in the plan of “packing light and washing in between rides” – forgetting the stuff that’s hanging out to dry.
Back aboard the Alakai at Kahului harbour bound for Honolulu. We had four good days of hot sunny weather for mountain biking on Maui. On Thursday, we went up to “Little Whistler” in the hills near Makawao. Friday was an impromptu jump session in out host Dr. Kenny’s backyard. Saturday and today was more grueling pain and suffering up in the Makawao trail network, with some jump training to wrap things up today before we headed back to pack up and head to the dock. Supposedly, the trip back is the worst one. There is a following sea, so the behavior of the ship becomes a weird wallowing yaw. Also, because it is night, there are no visual cues like the horizon. I might have ot go out on deck and keep my eyes on the coastal lights if I get nauseous. Here’s hoping for the best!
It’s nearly 07:00, and we’re aboard the Alakai bound for Kahului Harbor now. Security, check-in, and boarding were no problem. The inside is really nice, clean and comfortable – It is new, so time will tell how good it will look after a bunch of use. I thought we were supposed to be sailing by now… We were one of the first ones aboard. Since we got a big group, we have a 6-seat lounge area with a table and electrical outlets. As you can tell, the onboard wireless internet does in fact work properly, since I’m posting this real-time.
There is a bit of shaking going on, kind-of an up and down motion, like when they load baggage aboard an aircraft. It wasn’t there earlier when vehicle loading was going on, so I’m not sure what it is. Engines?
I’m going to have my $3.00 USD pastry and raspberry iced tea now.