115 Single-Speed Miles Since Tuesday

It's Thursday night and my legs are sore as hell. I am loving my single speed road bike.

Tuesday morning Chase and I rode to Annadel and back via P-Hill and Bennett Valley. It's around 32 miles there and back. It was a great way to start the day before work. Later, after work and class, Chase, Dustin, and I did the same loop again. This time Chase and Dustin were on geared bikes and I was on the single speed. It was a fun challenge keeping up with them.

Today I was weighing back and forth whether I should take the single speed out on a longer road ride. I decided to go with the single speed again, because I am pretty stoked on that bike. Woody and I did the Chileno Valley loop down West of Petaluma. I've only done that loop twice before on a geared road bike, and it's a pretty good ride with some small climbs and a lot of rolling hills. Surprisingly, I felt great on the single speed. It was a totally different type of ride having to stand up at basically every significant incline. Near the end my legs were definitely hurting, and I had to walk the bike halfway up the steepest and longest hill on Spring Hill. I was expecting the distance to be in the low 40s, but it ended up being 50 miles! I think I'll rest tomorrow morning and have some energy for my mom and sisters.

Thursday road ride and fixed ride on newly rebuilt bike

Today was beautiful. Chase and I went out for a relatively fast ride in the morning. We did the Tomales loop out to the coast, which is a good 35 miles of rolling hills and a few decent climbs. We did it in 2 hours exactly, which means we averaged 17.5 mph, which is faster than I usually ride on a ride like that, unless I am really pushing it. Chase is a really good rider and can climb like it is nothing. I guess that big gear that he pushes on his fixed gear has helped.

Some exciting news (for me): I finally got the new fork for my fixed gear and quickly put everything together for an evening fixed ride with Chase, Dustin, and some of the other fixed riders from town. We road up P Hill, which is a perfect road for fixed or single speed riding. The sunset was beautiful, and it stayed warm enough for cycling shorts and a (wool) jersey. We road back on Stony Point in the dark.

The bike felt great, and it is the first time that I've ridden with drops and hoods on that bike. I think when I save up some money, I'm going to get a White Industries freewheel to put on the other side of the hub. Sometimes I want to go for a single speed ride with the ability to coast. I'll also need to run a rear brake, so hopefully I can find the barrel adjuster for my rear campy brake that matches the front one. Eventually, I'm also going to build up a nice and light wheelset for that bike.

Pictures from last Thursday's ride, compliments of Woody Wu