The Return to Smackdown

 Road kind. Not the dirty one i've been hiding in lately. And of course, I did something colossally dumb. I might have hinted at it.

I rode the 40# singlespeed commuter on Road smack. With 30-35 psi in the 40c 1000gram tires. 1000 grams each. YUP. 

What are singlespeeds like? Well think back when I was talking about comparing them to sobriety. Taking the edge off the top and bottom, attenuating the peaks?

Well Singlespeeds often, as long as the grade isn't too steep (IE the two small pitches on Hillside) are faster going up hill, but top out going downhill or flat out based on gearing. So faster and slower. 

I think Leland was all itchy to blow the doors off the ride. And after a late joiner who was riding wide up broadway past the bakery and forced a passing car to almost hit a bikeworks guy riding the other direction head on well we were off. I rolled into 152 in second wheel behind the pair of Graham and Leland, we singled up after crossing Arcade and Leland lit it the fuck up just before turning right on Woodward.

Cadence already at around 100rpm it only went up from there - after a brief bit at 120rpm and the highest HR i've seen in a while I gapped slightly off G man's wheel. Shreddie came around and then the next, and the next, and slowly as I was pulsing and working my ass off it was just me...  with David B on my wheel, and the two of us rode at our max until we hit the turn on Prospect. Everyone else long gone. David took the next pull into the wind, and then I took a turn and saw Graham waiting up for us. It was a tough ride. Singlespeed is what i know right? 

Pine turned out to be okay - difficult but not too bad, Graham's pace was okay, not blistering but i was able to keep a managable cadence up this slow run in and stand to finish. But then the turn down hill? Well, pretty quickly those two rolled away, the ease of which the advantage of having adjustable gearing allows one to take advantage of going downhill. Me going down hill? well I only could pedal faster, and that was what I did but going from high torque to high cadence makes the legs a bit tired. Caught back on, sat in and well, sat in. They dropped the pace slightly on the downhill there after the turn off Pine and I was able to sit in, and hang on, turn onto Rocky Hill, and well, can't shift so stood up and powered over, ouch. Downhill, pedal fast, coast, tuck...  the bike may be heave and slow but there's no drag on the hubs, this thing rolls well, i'm sure my 225# plus the 40# bike kind of doesn't hurt going down, but going up? Well we hit the rise on Rocky Hill and fuck it - found a cadence that hurt but felt right and pushed it, died a little just before the end and then recovered enough to push through to the top, died, caught up just as we got to hillside, managed to stay in contact just through the first rise but man I was worried about this chain, would it snap? This was a fuck ton of torque, 15-20rpm cadence and me pulling on the bars, this was not just my weight pushing down, full body application of force. 

Worried I was going to get off and walk, thought maybe at one point up the first pitch that I might have to, and that maybe it was going to be faster, but I didn't. Closed some of the distance down before the next pitch up at the end. Managed both to not break a chain or paperboy up or get off and walk (still might have been faster) and caught up and we rolled back. Driving hard up Walker to finish off shredding the legs. and lungs. both. high cadence, low cadence, highest HR...  it was good.

It was actually pretty awesome. Not fast. Dropped hard, but not alone and my stupidity and whatnot garnered a "wow i'm impressed" remark from Coach Graham (not my coach) my reply is it is easy to impress people by being stupid and stubborn sometimes...  DB said "i dissagree, when i do that everyone just makes fun of me" anyway, it was dumb, my Wahoo battery was at 5% when I got home, my legs were good and hosed and I can't wait for next week. Might just have to break out the Klein and get dropped in style and with gears. Just to prove that it isn't the bike.

Riding bikes is fun and I know I need more of this. Oh I was going to order a crank today wasn't I. Guess I better not wait too long in case they also go completely out of stock. Also, I forgot that i sold a pair of my 540s to Becca. Tried to give them to her but she insisted on paying for them, so if I want to keep modernish pedals on the Crocket i'll need to add them to the list. Maybe there is a container ship off of long beach with pedals and they'll be available before the bike is ready to ride.

Stopped for a photo at the light house. 

till next time - data on the ride is both over at RWGPS and Strava...  

heddwch
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