^^^^nice video chidonchea, I may try that out. Rubberbands are definitely a cyclists friend.
Great tips in here, all. Thanks.
And, keep 'em coming!
I've come to the conclusion that I should likely buy a water bladder as I always ride with a backpack, and have a few reasons why I won't put bottle holders on my frame. I'm fairly certain I can find a way to use a bladder with my existing backpack.
In the dense NYC areas, maintaining average speeds over 14mph for any length of time is difficult, and dangerous, mainly for traffic reasons. I would like to try to ride the escorted century out to Montauk, which averages 17mph.
When I can ride the Brooklyn Queens Greenway paths I get some long stretches, and on a recent 40 mile ride GPS results show my Best (4500 yd): 15.62 mph, which included a couple of moderate climbs. Considering the century out to Montauk is supposed to be very flat, I feel that I may be able to keep up with the group.
In New York City it's difficult to ride, and not HAVE to stop often. There are but a handful of places within 10 miles where I can do "unobstructed" (nothing is ever truly unobstructed here) mileage (Central Park, Brooklyn Queens Greenway, Kissena Park Velodrome). So I honestly don't feel I ever have an accurate gauge of what my abilities are.
To date, I still have not rode further than 50 miles in a single day. I'm really not terribly worried though, I'm slowly wrapping my mind around the effort, preparing myself mentally as much as physically. I was highly sedentary for most of a decade before taking up a cycling as an adult, and I was 317lbs at my heaviest. 1 year and 6 months later, I plateaued at 260lbs due to laughable diet, but I am very proud of my progress/strength, and will never stop riding.
Last edited by BridgeNotTunnel; 04-28-12 at 10:03 AM.