New toys!

My online donations have topped my goal, I'm now at 106 percent! Wooo! Now I just want to see how high it will go. With the goal met, (and some complaints about too much money talk and not enough bike stuff) it's time to get down to business. I busted out the camelbak and gave it a good cleaning tonight. In case your wondering, a camelbak is brand of backpack that holds a water pouch in it. I really like using mine when I'm out for a longer ride. I find I forget to grab my water bottle and stay hydrated sometimes. The camelbak is so easy for me though, just grab the water tube next to my shoulder and drink! Cleaning it out is a pain sometimes, but you can't let it slip because you don't want mold to start growing in there. I'm told a good practice is to clean it out as soon as you're done with your ride and then stick it in the freezer, cuz ain't nothing going to grow in there. My problem is the first batch of water from the pouch after its stay in the freezer always ends up tasting kind of like Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas. And though they are delicious, they do not taste that refreshing. I'm sure I'll get it figured out one day.

On top of the cleaning I also got a new gadget. I bought a heart monitor to wear while I ride. Because as I always say, you're not hardcore unless you live hardcore. This means soon I'll be that guy who is jogging and then gets caught at a red light and keeps running in place to keep his heart rate in the "target zone." Only I'll be doing the equivalent on my bike. I'm not really sure what that looks like, but I bet I find out real soon and that it annoys drivers. I've never trained with a heart monitor before, but it really appeals to me. I love totally geeking out on my bike and fitness stuff, and this is the logical next step in fitness dorkdum.

I was really frazzled on my ride in today. I was running late and forgot my keys. Unfortunately I leave one of my bike locks locked to the rack at work so I don't have to cart it back and forth all the time. (That's bike tip No. 2 of the post) This usually is a good practice, but not when you don't have the key to unlock it and get it off the rack. I wrapped a chain around my bike to make it look like it was locked and then went to pop off my front wheel, after all, what's the point in quick release wheels if you never use them? Only problem was, my brakes were adjusted to be so tight, even when I flipped the quick release switch the brakes were still to close together to let the tire fit through. What a pain! I remember the mechanic bragging to me about how tight he'd adjust my brakes when I had ol' Silver into the shop for a tune up, but dang, I need some breathing room! Steve and Tom took a look with me. Tom chained my bike to his so the wheel operation became moot anyway. But I imagine I'll want that sucker off for reals real one day. Then the whole ride home from work I was convinced that my brakes were rubbing my rim. It was totally distracting.