Cool Weather Gear Primer

My brother Murphini helped mark another year of my life recently with an addition to the cycling wardrobe: a Pearl Izumi long sleeve Woolie. Dang...That's hot! Thanks, Murphini! In fact, I'd have to admit that my kin is a group of hoopy froods that I'm extremely fortunate to sass.

Anyway, this woolie segues into questions that a cycling newbie has on cool weather riding gear. Please advise or I shall rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon.

Head
Do I wear some sort of hat under the helmet?

Hands
What types of gloves will I need for different temperatures ranges:

Torso
I understand the concept of layering with thermal undershirt/wool/silk base layers, a long sleeve jerseys and a shell. But what is the case for wearing a short sleeve wool jersey? Would you wear arm warmers in the morning and then opt for no sleeves as the day went on? Also, until I get some more experience, I won't know how much layering to wear.

Legs
Tights? Knickers? Thermal underwear? Maybe I'll get knickers just to tell the young whipper-snappers when I'm 80 that I once owned a pair back in aught-seven.

Feet
Neoprene Booties? Munson's duct tape?

Seriously, though, I'm lost when it comes to this stuff. Mostly, I believe that it will be used for commuting. I suppose there could be some group rides on the warmer days. So basically, what brands do you recommend and where to go to get it? Thanks in advance.

Vogon Poetry, a Refresher

Rather than bore you with the dross of my P2sl, how about grabbing a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and enjoy a little Vogon poetry with me.

Oh freddled gruntbuggly,
Thy micturations are to me
As plurdled gabbleblotchits
On a lurgid bee.
Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes
And hooptiously drangle me
With crinkly bindlewurdles,
Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
See if I don't!

Part VIII: 1999 GT ZR 4000

Picking up from yesterday's brief interruption...riding a motorcycle was a enjoyable, but it doesn't compare to the exhilaration of a draft line or the sense of satisfaction of covering a long distance on your own power.

While I had taken up running a couple years earlier, my kid brother Brendan had been nudging me to follow his lead in getting into triathlons. So as a primer, he permanently loaned me his 1999 GT ZR 4000 road bike. Thanks, Brendan!

Somebody once said, "This is my grandfather's axe. My father replaced the blade and I replaced the handle. It's my grandfather's axe." Is that philosophy or geometry? I think it tends toward philosophical circles, but I would bet somebody could use side-angle-side to prove that theorem is correct. Anyway, I'm not exactly sure about it, but that same principle was about to be set in motion on the GT.

At the time of acquisition, the GT was a commuter with green knobbies and a partial paint strip.

I finished stripping it with the help of Jasco Premium paint and epoxy remover. That's good stuff. Just make sure to wear gloves and apply in a well ventilated area.

Next, it was powder coated for $40 at R&R Powder Coating on 19th and Leavenworth. The shop owner Ray is like your favorite uncle who chain smokes cigarettes and drinks coal-black coffee while talking shop. He did an excellent job: the powder coat is bullet proof, looks great and you couldn't beat the price.

Then it was time to assess the components. I knew that the chain, chain rings & cassette were well-worn, but I wasn't ready to invest much more money in it because I was unsure if I'd enjoy cycling. So I opted to replace the cassette and put some new Bontrager yellow Race X Lites tires on it. The big bucks would have to come later.


I didn't ride much at first: commuting to work, during UP lunch rides and in the 2006 Corporate Cycling challenge. But this past summer, I finally caught the cycling bug during long group rides. It was never easy. Pain may better describe it. Maybe even preposterous. Somehow, this equates to good times. Cyclists are nuts.

All of the wear and tear over the years finally caught up with the bike. The day after it's final triathlon race, it went to crap. Bryan's idea of pissing into the seat post tube to restore what Brendan and I rode out of it was creative. Crude, but certainly creative.

Instead, I have decided to rebuild it properly, which could cost more on upgrades than the bike was worth brand new. That being said, I'm looking for parts: 105s or better. It needs shifters, dérailleurs, cassette, hubs, an axe blade...

Post-Edit:
Ol' Yeller has been restored.

2007 Rodeo Run Omaha Mile

The inaugural Rodeo Run was a quick. In fact, Ryan Kleimenhagen from Madison WI was the best of the elites, running a sub four minute mile. That was sick. It was also the first time that feat has been done in a Nebraska road race. Congratulations, Ryan!

As a prelude to the River City Round Up Parade, the Rodeo Run Omaha Mile has the potential to be a great race. It has solid race organization, cash prizes for top finishers and a downhill course that will surely draw runners seeking a fast mile.

Speaking of which, this ol' boy still has some kick. Thanks for the genes, Mom & Dad!

Oh I forgot to mention that I won the citizens race.

Kudos to Team Nebraska Brooks for hosting this event. Official Results.

Part VII: 1981 Suzuki GS250t

OK, this is cheating, but I did venture into motorcycles, or motorsackles as Mom likes to call them, by picking up this starter bike for $700 in 2003.

By that time, the GT Karakoram was collecting cobwebs in the basement and I hadn't yet discovered the joy of running. In fact, things weren't so great in general as I had just gone through a divorce. My way of coping with it was to buy a motorcycle. It probably wasn't the most mature way to handle it, but I suppose it's better than some.

The idea was to learn how to ride and then upgrade into some sort of bigger bike. I had my eyes on the Suzuki Bandit. Then later, I'd trade up again for a Honda sport touring bike.

For a small bike, this fella sure was a blast. It had surprisingly good power range and the five speed gearbox was fun to work. It was also in great shape when I bought it, having only 2,500 miles and no dings, scrapes or rust. Those chrome pipes gave it a nice cruiser look and were remarkably loud. It also got about 55 miles per gallon, so I had that going for me, which was nice. Despite its age, it started up faithfully each morning and required normal maintenance.

By 2006, the divorce crisis was behind me and I had been remarried. Along the way of working things out, I had gotten back into physical shape first by running. Then, I began cycling; even later, swimming. Triathlons and running races became regular events in my life. Indeed, my life had changed quite a bit in a few years.

As a result of all of these changes, the GS250t became the bike collecting the cobwebs. It was time to move on. I sold the bike this spring for $750 and used the cash toward the purchase of the Cervelo P2sl time trial bike. The GS250t was fun for a season, but I don't regret what I traded up for.

Next blog installment: a second life for the GT zr 4000 road bike.