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TruboBitch, Charlton Heston and Clipless Pedals (9 posts)
|  TruboBitch, Charlton Heston and Clipless Pedals | Rev Bubba
Apr 28, 2003 7:57 AM | | TurboBitch, Charlton Heston and Clipless Pedals or Turbo Goes Clipless
4/28/03
It was raining Saturday so riding was not in the picture.
"Well" I said to Sandy (aka TurboBitch) " how about we go out and I buy you a mother's day gift a little early?"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, its time for a new pair of shoes."
"Oh?"
"Yup, end of last season you said you wanted to try clipless pedals, so now is as good a time as any to a start." Since my size 11's are a tad big for Turbo's size 7 feet a trip to our LBS was in order. Anyway, to make a long story short (something I never tend to do) she tried on three or four different pairs at one shop and found a model that fit well but decided to check another store to see if there were any better selections. I had to pick up another set of cleats for my Time's anyway and store number one did not have any in stock.
Off we drove. Turbo tried on four or five more pairs and decided the Diadoro Women's Caymans in shop number one were for her. The Specialized body geometry shoes in store number two felt really weird to her while the Caymans fit like an old sneaker. (An aside here, I tried on a pair of Sidi Dominators myself and now see why people speak so highly of them. Wow, how light can you get? Too bad they were a size or two too small, cost too much and I was not in the market for new shoes quite yet.)
We returned to shop number one, bought the Diadoro's and headed for home.
Part of my plan was to put the well-worn and shaved Time cleats from my Hot Chili's on Turbo's shoes to help with the release. No way does a newbie to cleats need a difficult release.
Cleats mounted, a pair of Time Attacks replacing her meat grinders, warm weather and sun and we were off to a rail trail for her initial ride on Sunday. Rail trials are a good place to learn to use clipless. They are flat so there are no technical things like rocks and turns to distract you and softer than pavement when you do fall (and you will fall!).
I unload the bikes and as I am putting my shoes on and doing the things I had to do to get ready, Turbo was on her bike, clipped in and gone. No waiting for me, no turning back. Just off. Well, that is one of the reasons we call her Turbo. Waiting around is not one of her vices. I eventually head out and by then, she is returning, still on the bike.
"I like them" she said enthusiastically. That is a good start. A very good start. We ride off together. I have to point out that this is not only Turbo's first time on clipless pedals, this is her first time on the bike this season except for one short road ride a few weeks ago. We stick to the rail trail so she can used to clipping in and out. She is climbing the learning curve rapidly. I mentioned to her that there was a race at nearby Kittatinny State Park that morning as we neared the area. Turbo knows I enjoyed my race there last year, even though I broke a chain and DNF'ed. Her job was to be ready to take me to the emergency room if necessary but she ended up just photographing my defeat. This brings up a surprising topic. Turbo said she might be interested in racing when I said that if she entered the geriatric women's beginner class, she could get a medal just for finishing since there are not too many women in that category.
We continued and trails that headed into the trees off the main path were tempting her. I remarked on how happy I was with the prescription sunglasses I had and she said, one too many times, that when she gets to be as old as me, she might need them too.
It didn't take long for us to chuck the easy stuff and ride up a trail that went under some power lines. "These thing make climbing way easier" she said. I raced up ahead and looked back to see her crash on a particularly steep and rocky section of trail. Well, it was going to happen eventually but it didn't discourage her so we continued.
Soon we got back to Kittatinny and rode to Aeroflex airfield at the head of Andover Long Pond. This is an especially beautiful spot with many interesting old aircraft. You feel like you have been transported back to the fifties when you are here. It was one of those amazing days with temperatures around 70 degrees and a dry, cloudless sky. We lay in the grass under a huge pine tree sharing a power bar and watched an old two engine Cessna make lazy turns in the air while a WWII vintage Piper Cub (I think) in Army green taxied to a parking spot next to a bright yellow biplane. The trail crosses the end of the runway at the head of Long Pond where there is a flashing red light and stop sign that warn you to look for aircraft taking off and landing. They have the right of way.
We decided to ride some more. Turbo asked me to take her on the racecourse. We'd ridden it many times before but she never did it clipless. Off we went and I stumbled and fumbled my way trying to remember exactly where the course went. I can't say we rode all of it nor even most of it but enough of it for her to get a feel for it.
Kittatinny is anything but technical but there are places where you climb and some rocky areas. Turbo soldiered on, crashing occasionally as she learned to unclip, but did well. At least one fall resulted from the chain skipping over her cog set while she stood to climb. After about 45 minutes we came to the rail trail again and headed back to the car.
That night she showed me the bruises and cuts on her knees but was definitely sold on the benefits of clipless pedals. The truth is, her meat grinders probably caused more damage when her shins bounced off of them. I told her how impressed I was with the way she took to them and that most people do not learn to ride clipless on single track.
Turbo's first words to me this morning as I got ready to leave for work were, "I ache all over!" This did not stop her from jumping out of bed when I told her there were three deer on our front lawn. She is in the middle of a personal war with the local deer population. My younger son got her a paintball gun for her birthday and she keeps it by the door so she can shoot the offending forest rats. Like a flash, she was out the door in her pajamas and came back triumphant letting me know she had hit at least one. I think she would be good with a grenade launcher because she has figured out how to lob the paint balls at the proper arc to get the maximum effect. If one of the deer does not get the hint, she is not afraid to run up to it and take a shot at point blank range.
Charlton Heston would be proud. |
| Have you told her what a clipless wuss I am? | Bikebreath
Apr 28, 2003 9:50 AM | | I wonder if I'll ever be willing to be pissed off and try clipless again. I even fell in the street on road rides. Man those things sucked.
I understand by you story she didn't have toe clips, huh? It's not so much me learning to swing my heel out, it is more of me UNlearning to pull my foot backwards.
Bb, [ lost 3 or more weeks of good riding with those damn things! ] |
| I didn't know you did not use clipless... | Rev Bubba
Apr 28, 2003 9:55 AM | | The things I learn here. I even feel more comfortable when riding downhill with clipless as opposed to flats.
In answer to your question, no, she never used toe clips. Those were the absolute worse things ever invented, in my humble opinion. |
| Yeah, and it categorizes me as "not a serious rider". | Bikebreath
Apr 28, 2003 10:49 AM | | Hog pies! Ptttttttt!
I don't know it they are the worst things invented. They are all I know. I don't like 'em all that much, but they keep my feet secure when bombing down hills and much like clipless I can pull up and "make circles" when I'm climbing.
With clipless I bunny-hop right out of the pedals. That hurts when you come down with only one foot in the pedals. Then I can't make my brain swing my heel out in the fun rocky sections and fall in the rocks.
Bb, [ maybe a long road tour with clipless would get me over the hump on the learning curve. ] |
| Only a serious rider would ride an Eastern Woods Research | Rev Bubba
Apr 28, 2003 11:14 AM | | Or whatever the proper name is. No one at all but a very serious and good rider would be on that so I tip my hat to you. It is an EWR, right? We all the know the not so serious riders are on full suspension.
:) |
| Thank You! *bowing left* *bowing right*. | Bikebreath
Apr 28, 2003 11:23 AM | | I could be a cracker jack poser. Well, not with all the scars on my shins.
You are correct, Eastern Woods Research, ie; EWR. No funner bike was ever made!
Bb, [ my fully is gathering dust. ] |
| Bb, Any pics of the EWR?... | D.F.L.
Apr 28, 2003 3:44 PM | | I remember seeing members of the EWR team at Pedro's Mid-Atlantic series race (my first ever, in Vans and toe clips aboard my C'dale Beast of the East)and I fell in love.
BTW: I was withing spitting distance of The Rev and Turbobitch on Sunday. Just didn't know. |
| Where were you? (nm) | Rev Bubba
Apr 29, 2003 4:04 AM | | nm |
| That should be TurboBitch (nm) | Rev Bubba
Apr 28, 2003 11:17 AM | | nm |
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