First ride on first bike...

determined said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do something reasonable for my
first time out. We took the bike trail from Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy... I
coulda swore it was uphill both ways... And carrying 2 bikes down 4 flights of stairs was fun....
But lunch at the Charburger is always worth it, especially with those giant cookies they make!
The entire thing is paved, and there are some great views of the river, the dam and some
waterfalls. the noise of I-84 is deafening at times, but a nice little ride anyways, about 7-8
miles round trip.

dude, you are supposed to ride the stairs!! <wink>

Quoted message said:

One thing I realized is that clothing is pretty important. I don't have any biking specific
clothing. I wore workout pants a tank and a hooded sweatshirt. It was cold outside, so I was
sweating and freezing at the same time. What would be a good clothing base for riding?

Bike shorts really are a must,,, if nothing else the pad keeps your butt (or whatever) from getting
saddle sore. Over your shorts you could wear some sort of light wicking tights. The key is a
"wicking" synthetic... these fabrics move moisture away from your body so that the moisture
evaporates, and also will insulate you when the fabric is damp-ish. Cotton does none of these things
- it hold moisture against your skin promoting heat loss, chilling and eventually hypothermia.

Upper body...for cooler weather I wear a long sleeve jersey( any cheapo wicking/synthetic/polyester
long sleeve shirt will do) with a short sleeve jersey. I'll add a lightweight water resistant shell
if it's really windy, or rainy, or just to break the chill.

Be careful not to overdress... you will always be much warmer after the first mile than you will be
standing in the parking lot.

For cheap stuff, check www.performance.com; www.sierratradingpost.com or www.campmor.com for various
bargain/closeout wicking tops and or bike shorts & tights.

Penny S

determined said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do something reasonable for my first
time out. We took the bike trail from Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy... I coulda
swore it was uphill both ways...

The section between HR and Mosier is uphill both ways as well. 😉

I've been meaning to take the Mr. on the section you rode today--we can see some of the waterfalls
from I-84 and it's always intrigued me. Though I didn't realize there were stairs. I was aware of a
set between Eagle Creek and Bonneville; where are the others?

gabrielle

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Bike shorts really are a must,,, if nothing else the pad keeps your butt (or whatever) from
getting saddle sore. Over your shorts you could wear some sort of light wicking tights. The key is
a "wicking" synthetic... these fabrics move moisture away from your body so that the moisture
evaporates, and also will insulate you when the fabric is damp-ish. Cotton does none of these
things - it hold moisture against your skin promoting heat loss, chilling and eventually
hypothermia.

In cooler weather, you can get hypothermia, but in the hot weather, you can get heatstroke as you
can't evaporate the sweat off.

~Travis
--
travis57 at megalink dot net

travis5765.homelinux.net, Primary Administrator TF Custom Electronics, Owner/Founder/Developer
(current project: Automotive exhaust flame-thrower)

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

determined said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do something reasonable for my
first time out. We took the bike trail from Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy... I
coulda swore it was uphill both ways...

The section between HR and Mosier is uphill both ways as well. 😉

I've been meaning to take the Mr. on the section you rode today--we can see some of the waterfalls
from I-84 and it's always intrigued me. Though I didn't realize there were stairs. I was aware of
a set between Eagle Creek and Bonneville; where are the others?

Oh, that's them... There's about 4 levels of concrete stairs, with a side groove for the bike
tires.... I had to carry mine down and his. And I swear his bike is twice as heavy as mine, and only
half the size!

Betsy (determined)

Technician said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Bike shorts really are a must,,, if nothing else the pad keeps your butt (or whatever) from
getting saddle sore. Over your shorts you could wear some sort of light wicking tights. The key
is a "wicking" synthetic... these fabrics move moisture away from your body so that the moisture
evaporates, and also will insulate you when the fabric is damp-ish. Cotton does none of these
things - it hold moisture against your skin promoting heat loss, chilling and eventually
hypothermia.

In cooler weather, you can get hypothermia, but in the hot weather, you can get heatstroke as you
can't evaporate the sweat off.

~Travis

<shakes head....>

penny

"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<lP%sa.724505$F1.93543@sccrnsc04>...

Quoted message said:

Betsy

Too bad Penny called you a dude.

JD no insomnia, just dawn patrol

"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:saZsa.751773$S_4.772997@rwcrnsc53...

Quoted message said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do something reasonable for my
first time out. We took the bike trail from Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy... I
coulda swore it was uphill both ways... And carrying 2 bikes down 4 flights of stairs was fun....
But lunch at the Charburger is always worth it, especially with those giant cookies they make!
The entire thing is paved, and there are some great views of the river, the dam and some
waterfalls. the noise of I-84 is deafening at times, but a nice little ride anyways, about 7-8
miles round trip.

One thing I realized is that clothing is pretty important. I don't have

any

Quoted message said:

biking specific clothing. I wore workout pants a tank and a hooded sweatshirt. It was cold
outside, so I was sweating and freezing at the

same

Quoted message said:

time. What would be a good clothing base for riding?

As someone else said get bike shorts, they seem pricey at first, most start around $50, but they're
worth it for the comfort and good ones will last a long time if you take care of them. For tops
you'll want something synthetic, anything from a poly wicking tee from any outdoor store will do or
you can get a bike specific jersey, this will run anywhere between $15-70 depending on what and
where you get it. Avoid cotton if you're doing anything longer than around the neighborhood.

Chris

Wal-mart had some polyester T-shirts for $7.00. They work as well as the $20+ shirts you see in LBS.

--
- Zilla (Remove XSPAM)

"ctg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:saZsa.751773$S_4.772997@rwcrnsc53...

Quoted message said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do

something

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

reasonable for my first time out. We took the bike trail from

Bonneville

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy... I coulda swore it was uphill

both

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ways... And carrying 2 bikes down 4 flights of stairs was fun.... But lunch at the Charburger is
always worth it, especially with those giant cookies they make! The entire thing is paved, and
there are some great views of the river, the dam and some waterfalls. the noise of I-84 is
deafening at times, but a nice little ride anyways, about 7-8 miles

round

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

trip.

One thing I realized is that clothing is pretty important. I don't have

any

Quoted message said:

biking specific clothing. I wore workout pants a tank and a hooded sweatshirt. It was cold
outside, so I was sweating and freezing at the

same

Quoted message said:

time. What would be a good clothing base for riding?

As someone else said get bike shorts, they seem pricey at first, most

start

Quoted message said:

around $50, but they're worth it for the comfort and good ones will last a long time if you take
care of them. For tops you'll want something synthetic, anything from a poly wicking tee from any
outdoor store will do or you can get a bike specific jersey, this will run anywhere between

$15-70

Quoted message said:

depending on what and where you get it. Avoid cotton if you're doing anything longer than around
the neighborhood.

Chris

JD said:

"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<lP%sa.724505$F1.93543@sccrnsc04>...

Quoted message said:

Betsy

Too bad Penny called you a dude.

JD no insomnia, just dawn patrol

Ooops., that would be "dudette" then... <g>

penny

determined said:

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Though I didn't realize there were stairs. I was aware of a set between Eagle Creek and
Bonneville; where are the others?

Oh, that's them... There's about 4 levels of concrete stairs, with a side groove for the bike
tires.... I had to carry mine down and his. And I swear his bike is twice as heavy as mine, and
only half the size!

Yeah, those stairs are a doozy.

If you get out farther east and want to do the Twin Tunnels section (HR to Mosier) let me know and
I'll meet you there. 🙂

gabrielle

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

determined said:

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Though I didn't realize there were stairs. I was aware of a set between Eagle Creek and
Bonneville; where are the others?

Oh, that's them... There's about 4 levels of concrete stairs, with a side groove for the bike
tires.... I had to carry mine down and his. And I swear his bike is twice as heavy as mine, and
only half the size!

Yeah, those stairs are a doozy.

If you get out farther east and want to do the Twin Tunnels section (HR to Mosier) let me know and
I'll meet you there. 🙂

Oh, that'd be cool! Next Saturday maybe?

"determined" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:saZsa.751773$S_4.772997@rwcrnsc53...

Quoted message said:

I wound up taking my 6 yr old nephew with me, so I decided to do something reasonable for my first
time out. We took the bike trail from Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks on the old hwy...

Sounds like a beautiful ride. Thanks for reminding me that I need to take some kids out on rides.
Nothing more rewarding than teaching kids the joys of cycling.

Quoted message said:

One thing I realized is that clothing is pretty important. I don't have

any

Quoted message said:

biking specific clothing. I wore workout pants a tank and a hooded sweatshirt. It was cold
outside, so I was sweating and freezing at the

same

Quoted message said:

time. What would be a good clothing base for riding?

Here's what you need:

Walmart sells some nice moisture-wicking t-shirts for like $10. Nashbar.com and PerformanceBike.com
sell nice Dupont CoolMax jerseys for under $30 (I have 4 of them). There are lots of other sources.
I like Coolmax fabric; but there are many other types with similar properties.

Cycling shorts are an important item. They provide much-needed padding, muscle support, and moisture
wicking. Almost any padded Lycra/nylon cycling-specific shorts are going to work. Nashbar.com and
PerformanceBike.com both offer several shorts for under $30/pr (on sale). I recommend an 8oz fabric,
8-panel construction, hopefully with a premium-quality pad (also called a "chamois", because cycling
shorts used to be wool, with a chamois leather insert). The Nashbar "Millenium" and "Canyon" shorts
looks like a good choice for the money, to me. (Nashbar accepts returns with no hassles, which keeps
me coming back year after year.)

Once you get your polyester moisture wicking base layer, you can wear just about anything over it.
For cool weather (above 50 F) I recommend a light, windproof vest (sleeveless jacket) and a pair of
Lycra or polypro arm warmers (about $20). I find that combo to be very effective and maximally
versatile. Pearl Isumi makes an excellent windproof vest with open mesh fabric on the back for
maximum moisture control. This combo will keep you warm and dry when you're really crankin'. Don't
worry if you feel a tad bit cool at first - you'll start generating heat and feel much warmer once
you're underway. You should probably also have a thin rain jacket folded up in your seatbag or
pocket (jerseys and most jackets/vests have pockets).

I also have a nice set of wind-resistant Helly Hansen unpadded tights. They were like $50. I wear
them over my padded shorts when the temperature drops below 55 degrees or so, and they're
comfortable all the way down to about 25
F. Below 25 F, I wear another thin layer of tights, or a pair of loose polyester running pants.
Works great.

Hope this helps. You'll enjoy cycling much more with cycling-specific clothing. It's money
well spent.

Cheers,

Barry Sanders

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Technician said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Bike shorts really are a must,,, if nothing else the pad keeps your butt (or whatever) from
getting saddle sore. Over your shorts you could wear some sort of light wicking tights. The key
is a "wicking" synthetic... these fabrics move moisture away from your body so that the
moisture evaporates, and also will insulate you when the fabric is damp-ish. Cotton does none
of these things - it hold moisture against your skin promoting heat loss, chilling and
eventually hypothermia.

In cooler weather, you can get hypothermia, but in the hot weather, you can get heatstroke as
you can't evaporate the sweat off.

~Travis

<shakes head....>

penny

That's it, this is the last non-RR i will ever post. Obviously nothing i say is of any value, or is
incorrect.

~Travis
--
travis57 at megalink dot net

Personal Website: megalink.net~farmersOpen ↗ travis5765.homelinux.net, Primary Administrator
TF Custom Electronics, Owner/Founder/Developer (current project: Automotive exhaust flame-thrower)

Technician said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Technician said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
> Bike shorts really are a must,,, if nothing else the pad keeps your butt (or whatever) from
> getting saddle sore. Over your shorts you could wear some sort of light wicking tights. The key
> is a "wicking" synthetic... these fabrics move moisture away from your body so that the
> moisture evaporates, and also will insulate you when the fabric is damp-ish. Cotton does none
> of these things - it hold moisture against your skin promoting heat loss, chilling and
> eventually hypothermia.
>

In cooler weather, you can get hypothermia, but in the hot weather, you can get heatstroke as
you can't evaporate the sweat off.

~Travis

<shakes head....>

penny

That's it, this is the last non-RR i will ever post. Obviously nothing i say is of any value, or
is incorrect.

~Travis

well it's incorrect. misinformation. wrong... it was suggested before, stick to things you know
something about or check a health/first aid referenece before you connect the keyboard with your
brain. I checked the outdoor emergency care manual, page 434 to confirm or deny heatstroke
information.

PS

"Zilla" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Wal-mart had some polyester T-shirts for $7.00. They work as well as the $20+ shirts you
see in LBS.

Yeah, my brother got some good wicking tees at [censored]'s (a sporting goods chain) for around $10,
cheaper than my $20 Zoic tees, but I've had them for 2-3 years now and they are still going strong,
no ripping, pilling or anything else. Just a little stretch around the collar. I'm happy with how
long they've lasted so far.

Chris

"Penny S." <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Technician said:

That's it, this is the last non-RR i will ever post. Obviously nothing i say is of any value, or
is incorrect.

~Travis

well it's incorrect. misinformation. wrong...

Penny, Trav is a world renowned expert on wilderness survival,

nonproliferation, genetics, biophysics, English literature, fencing (he sports a Heidelberg scar),
special forces tactics, fifth-century Chinese poetry, nuclear nonproliferation, Tuscan cuisine,
abstract expressionism, and topology. Learn from the master.

CC

determined said:

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yeah, those stairs are a doozy.

If you get out farther east and want to do the Twin Tunnels section (HR to Mosier) let me know
and I'll meet you there. 🙂

Oh, that'd be cool! Next Saturday maybe?

Our big Saturday Market is starting up this Sat but I can go in the afternoon. If you decide you
want to do it, drop me an email at gab AT gorge DOT net.

gabrielle

gabrielle <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

determined said:

"gabrielle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yeah, those stairs are a doozy.

If you get out farther east and want to do the Twin Tunnels section (HR to Mosier) let me know
and I'll meet you there. 🙂

Oh, that'd be cool! Next Saturday maybe?

Our big Saturday Market is starting up this Sat but I can go in the afternoon. If you decide you
want to do it, drop me an email at gab AT gorge DOT net.

Do you have a stall there? If so, we may have already met, LOL!

Spider

[email hidden] (Corvus Corvax) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Penny, Trav is a world renowned expert on wilderness survival,

Quoted message said:

nonproliferation, genetics, biophysics, English literature, fencing (he sports a Heidelberg scar),
special forces tactics, fifth-century Chinese poetry, nuclear nonproliferation, Tuscan cuisine,
abstract expressionism, and topology. Learn from the master.

He's a double-expert in nuclear nonproliferation? Wow! That must have taken *years* to learn!

😉

Spider