20101219

ILRA Ice Crash!




Took the old steed to the trails today and ended up hitting ice and crashing out! VIDEO

-WCFTW

20101215

Trainer Night at C to the F

Tonight was eventful and hopefully every wednesday shall be as well.

Here are my stats while riding my Gunnar Fastlane Two speed roller setup.

Gear: 34-52/18
Date: 2010/12/15
Distance: 30.00 mi
Duration: 1:42:10
Average: 17.6 mph
Heartrate: 143 average



I suppose we shall write a bit before capping the pen and closing the book. Tuesday evening I spent swapping out wheels with the Schwinn and removing my brakes. There is quite a bunch to do still to my Gunnar, as she is approaching the Two thousand mile Mark.
Technically she passed two-thousand miles tonight, and as for my goal of 200 miles per month, I need 111 in the next two days, dunno If I could do a century in one sitting on the rollers.

Anyway, I love my bicycle and am moving toward building yet another set of wheels for heavy off-road use, this way I can have a true all purpose bicycle, all at the swap of a wheel set. I'll have my stock for all purpose road use, a racing set, and a big 29'er set for winter. But this means I will need to change chain wheels to make a single speed temporary, for used for racing.

Anywho, this kinda explains my current ad-hoc setup for rollers. I must say, this isn't so bad as I had thought earlier, also after rolling a quick thirty, I am convinced that this is the way to go.

I love my Bike.

-WCFTW

Later on today I become an official RACING GREYHOUND and I am very excited!

20101212

Ice Bike - Riding in Snow!

ICE BIKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not much to write here, just watch the video instead and oogle over the photos of the trip. :)






So after getting an EXTREME workout, we can look at the heart rate monitors averages for the trip, the first one is on the way out, and the second is obviously the way back. Max HR peaked at 181.
The way outThe way back
Tear-down and regrease everything time.
VIDEO
December 12, 2010 —
Hi there! We take the bicycle out in the snow for a maximum heart-rate test and work on upper body balance and co-ordination. Oh, the weather was in the low twenties!


-WCFTW

RACING GREYHOUNDS 2011

I am a RACING GREYHOUND now. :D

More later...

-WCFTW

20101205

Operation Deep Freeze Alpha

The weather was cold and windy this evening and my cousin and I had made it a bicycle event like none other. It all started earlier in the day when I had this insatiable urge to ride my bike. I had ridden earlier on Friday, a night ride in 29-32 deg weather and had not the slightest bit of discomfort, maybe my face was a tad bit frosty but other than that it was all good riding, just the crisp clear air and the wonderful blood flowing throughout my body. I love cycling.

So after I had ran my errand for the day, I called my cousin and basically told him that I was coming over and going to fix his old hand me down Fuji with another donor bike I had picked up for him earlier in the year as a "Starter" road bike.It was a great day. After some quick swapping of a rear wheel and a quick fill up of the 20 year old dry-rotted tyres, she was good to go.This bicycle is a 1972 Fuji Finest with some ad-hoc bits and bobs like dissimilar wheels and brake levers. What is important is that this frame is LUGGED and that means QUALITY. Look at those ornate lugs, looks like a Waterford eh! I am suprised we didn't get a pinch flat this night to be honest. First stop was my home to do a quick bike tune up and tea break. After the quick tune we were ready to brave the weather, it was ten o'clock at this time. We made a casual 11 MPH stroll a mile to the diner for a quick coffee break and discussion about the remainder of the night, that is if we were going to continue riding or just park it. Riding was great for him, he was just so blown away by the speed and ease of mobility that the cold didn't even phase him. After all it was getting rather late and cold with the wind chill out there. We thought it over briefly then made it so, we were going to ride, and I was happy to see another convert, well, not so much a convert as to a cyclist turned into Roadie. Randy was really digging this bicycle, as it was his first true road bike, he was hooked. We were to continue riding. We went another eight miles to the video store to rent the most bad ass movie ever made ever, more on that bit later. By the time we made it to the video store, my digits and toes were officially cold, they needed a warming up proper, however, the video store was closing in five minutes, as we arrived 5 shy of zero hundred, so we grabbed and like a blacksmith, made a bolt for the door. What a ride home, all head wind at fifteen knots, not so fun and very cold, very cold indeed. I had come to my conclusion that my winter riding gear is perfect down to 29-30 degrees, there after the wind and temperature extremes are too much and start to wreak havoc on the extremities, which really isn't too bad after all. All things considered, I was wearing my normal summer riding shoes with two layers of socks and my Craft lobster claw gloves. I believe it was time for boots, not a problem as in these conditions, the last thing you want is speed anyway.

What a treat it was to see another bicycle come to life and be thoroughly enjoyed no less, truly a joy to see.


-WCFTW

Wannabe Cyclist 0CraL On Rollers VLog

VIDEO
December 05, 2010 —
Wannabecyclist 0CraL here with a roller update on life and everything web related. It has been a very busy year to say the least. I have made the following connected websites proper:


http://www.wannabecyclist.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/WannabeCyclist
http://www.0cral.com
http://www.youtube.com/0CRAL

-WCFTW

20101122

A Brief Personal Cycling Timeline

For a comparative study you can do at home, I will publish my personal start and result in simple timeline form here so you can get an idea of what to expect if you utilise the same type of regime.
It should be noted that you MUST see a doctor before you begin any fitness activity, only they can give you the go or no-go that the Internet could possibly give you with any degree of certainty.

20100201- Awoke from terrible hangover feeling like death, right then I had decided to change my life. That night I purchased a stepper and gym shoes. It should be doubly noted that these videos were created with the soul purpose of not having viewers, they are just a video time-stamp of my life in 2010.

20100204- A Health Update Vlog

20100206- A Health Update Vlog

20100212- A Health Update Vlog

20100303- The Home Gym on a Budget

20100322- A Health Update Vlog

20100328- My 42LB Bike / Rode 20 miles today Health Update Vlog

20100410- Riding Bicycle Health Update

20100418- No Alcohol and Bicycle Fitness Vlog

20100524- Lost 30 Lbs and feeling great!

20100531- Memorial Weekend Cycling 100 mile tour

20100624- Six Months and Lost 35 Lbs Health Update Vlog!

There is a brief video diary of my life and changes captured in real time. If you were so inclined to watch the entire play list, I guess it should be created and embedded here.

-WCFTW

NOTE: From here on out I will be referred as "WCFTW" "Wannabe Cyclist Forever Two Wheels" in these blogs. The moniker "0cral" or "Wannabe" are once in a while aliases, pay no attention to them.

20101029

Greenscreen on Bicycle ROLLERS!

VIDEO
October 29, 2010 —
I wanted to go big, so I did. :) I tried to do too many things at once and really taxed my motor skills by doing so. This is more of a physiological experiment in attention with the human body while multi-tasking. Also, it is the first video of it's kind on the internet, you saw it here first.

-WCFTW

20101010

Wannabe Cyclist at Tour De Livingston?

Tour De Livingston was a beautiful Autumn ride through some of Michigans finest display of colour. October 10, 2010 —
Howell's Rotary Club hosted this event at Mt. Brighton, it is the third annual? It was VERY well planned, the route was an incredible workout at speed, we did a 38 mile ride here: LINK Saved a turtle in this vid!!! Our route: CYCLEMETER MAP The food was excellent and the staff were very kind and helpful. Totally stomped those hills!!

-WCFTW

20100929

Plymouth - Dearborn 29'er

I was bored so I went for a nice training ride in the cold. :)






-WCFTW

20100925

Wannabe Cyclist at Tour De Troit?

The Wannabe Cyclist actually participated in the (video)Tour De Troit 2010 and was shown oin the Detroit Freep!
(video)-Iroquois Street Madness this was one great event, let me tell ya. watch the videos to see a little of our perspective. September 25, 2010 —
Over 3000 cyclists gather in the looming wake of the abandoned Michigan Central Station in downtown Detroit for the ninth annual Tour de Troit organised by Bil Lusa. I must say, this was the best event I have attended all year. Great job people!!

-WCFTW

20100904

Single Speed Schwinn Traveler


1981 or 1983 Schwinn Traveler, swapped out the old wheels and whalah!

-WCFTW

20100815

Green Cruise 2010

VIDEO August 15, 2010 —
Website: Sierraclub.org This video is a roll through the entire parade from tail to head. Shot with an iphone 3gs, thanks for watching and remember to RIDE YOUR BIKE!!!







-WCFTW

20100808

Hines Park Time Trial CAT 30

Brought to you by the Cycling Saddlemen, the Hines park Time Trial Official 2010 results.




My official Cycle computer stats, slight error of extra time in the very begining while staging. This was my first ever "Race" and look at the photo of me, all kinds of wrong was going on there!!! [38:32.50]


We all start somewhere.
-WCFTW

20100722

250 Watt EV Rat Bike Project


I took my old 2001 Kent Safari Thruster X2 that had over 700 miles on it and stripped it down, added continental slicks, a Clean Republic 250 watt hub motor and battery kit. Now I have an electric bicycle testbed. I plan on upgrading the batteries and speed controller eventually, I want a twist throttle and longer range. Re-born 20100722@2100 A ratted out electric bike. This bike has over 700 miles on it and finally bit the bullet, so now it is being re-worked ground up.

[VIDEOS] The First tests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaL946pIqaU Chuck Testing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXv3WOj_xCw Re-birth Test MARK I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIff5rUs24o


-WCFTW

20100710

One Helluva Ride 2010


20100710- One Helluva Ride raw footage. Started in Chelsea, Mi and rode the countryside for 39 miles passing through Grass Lake, Portage Lake and enjoied the pleasant country. :)http://www.aabts.org/ohr/
Here is a public link to the photo album.

This was my first official group ride, it was incredible and such a memory in my cycling carreer.
I still remember being all nervous the night before, I was worried about pinch flats, not keeping up with the group, driving there, how to register, do I really get to eat that food?, what if... blah blah blah. Watch the VIDEO for details, turn up the sound and stay a while.


-WCFTW