36 miles, 2 hrs, 1 Coker

Unicycles and Equipment
21

( …will let this thread die, I will let this thread die, I will let this thread die…)

My origenal figure had been miscalculated not just becuase of the conversion, but also because of the distance I figured I was short from work, which was incorrect as well. Your math is correct, as far as multiplication is concerned. I think I will get the computer before the air seat (my sadle is no longer soar, but my ego is still brused :frowning: ).

(…read die, I will let this thread die, I will let this thread…)

Christopher LeFay

22

On the subject of 2-hour Coker rides, here is what I think a person in
pretty good shape with a decent amount of Coker experience could expect.
Note: my Coker has a Roach air seat and 5" cranks. It also has a handy
gas-powered motor (I wish). I have attached a Cats Eye cycle
computer. Further note: I was the official winner of the Toronto
NUC’s 3.5-mile marathon ride, tho to be honest, an unhelmeted and
therefore unofficial rider, Chris Cline, 16, beat me by 6 seconds;
we both averaged about 15mph over a curvy course. Final note: I have
never topped 20mph and have only hit that speed once or twice.

My daily commute takes me from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. The route
is not without its minor interruptions and slowdowns, exacerbated by the
events of 9/11, which forced cyclists to take two detours from the bike
path; there is also a 2/3mi transverse from the bike path to the Brooklyn
bridge, and those streets force riders to go somewhat slower. Then there’s
the bridge (which has a dedicated and excellent bike path, thanks to
Transportation Alternatives). Once in Brooklyn, my average speed slows
down once more, but in neither the detours nor the Brooklyn streets is the
average speed much less than 10mph.

The Brooklyn Bridge bike path, incidentally, is almost exactly 1.5mi, and
I was really psyched to have crossed the whole path in 6:10 yestereen,
averaging 15mph. The downhill is obviously where a rider makes up speed,
but the uphill is a bit tiring. There can be some wind, too, but it was
negligible that time. My brother and I have both noted that it’s easier to
cross the bridge INTO Manhattan than the other way.

For the record, the 8+ mile trip into Manhattan from my school to my
office takes about 41mins, so I am averaging just over 5mins per mile
(just under 12mph). This ride has a few slow blocks thru traffic that hurt
my time. The ride back to my home is just under 10mi, and I arrived
yesterday in 51mins, averaging nearly 11.5mph.

I guess I kill my average speed once I hit the streets, but on the nearly
5-mile stretch of bike path, I am now averaging about 14mph. Yesterday I
managed to hit about 18mph for a tenth of a mile. Since I daren’t look at
the odo in order to check this out for sure, I rely on my watch’s
chronometer; I time myself for 58 or 116 revs. [There are measured miles
on the path, and I have several times counted out the revs for a mile and
gotten the count of 580.]

Here (again, for some of you) is a brief conversion chart: Seconds per 58
revs APPROX SPEED 60 12mph 48 15mph 45 16mph 40 18mph

Anyway, I hope this was helpful or at least entertaining.

And incidentally, I have ridden nearly 2,000mi without changing the tire.
I keep meaning to, tho!

And I have never had a bad spill, tho I have had a few unplanned dismounts
(UPDs) at 15mph. I have always fallen forward and then lifted the uni to
avoid being hit by it (as happened to friend Joe).

David Stone Co-founder, Unatics of NY 1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
2:30 @ Central Park Bandshell

23

rhysling wrote:
>
> ( …will let this thread die, I will let this thread die, I will let
> this thread die…)

That’s okay Chris… I’m SURE that something else will pop up that we can
tease and hound you about! :wink: Christopher Grove

“Be Bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” -Basil King (Anyone who
can give me more info on THIS Basil King please email
me.)

My short story at: http://www.rosedog.com/manuscript.asp?m=9389256&manusc-
ript=6862016&t=The+Determination+of+Jeffery&fn=Christopher&ln=Grove&srdt=-
9%2F27%2F01+5%3A32%3A05+AM&fs=2&ff=Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+Verdana&ps=4000&-
s=735143750&folder=Search+Results

24

David Stone wrote:
>
> On the subject of 2-hour Coker rides,…

Okay… I want to know what you commuters use for deodorant after those
kinds of distances and speeds! :wink: You must have a shower at work!

David, on the subject of other protection, what kind of pads or armour do
you use for commuting? When bicycle commuting I only use a helmet of
course but I couldn’t see that when travelling 15mph on a Coker. Do you
feel more at risk than on a bike?

Christopher Grove

“Be Bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” -Basil King (Anyone who
can give me more info on THIS Basil King please email
me.)

My short story at: http://www.rosedog.com/manuscript.asp?m=9389256&manusc-
ript=6862016&t=The+Determination+of+Jeffery&fn=Christopher&ln=Grove&srdt=-
9%2F27%2F01+5%3A32%3A05+AM&fs=2&ff=Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+Verdana&ps=4000&-
s=735143750&folder=Search+Results

25

c_r_grove@yahoo.com writes:
>David Stone wrote:
>>
>> On the subject of 2-hour Coker rides,…
>
>Okay… I want to know what you commuters use for deodorant after those
>kinds of distances and speeds! You must have a shower at work!
Actually, there are days when I took four showers: Morning, upon arrival
at work, upon arrival at office, and then home. Nowadays I commute to
work by train (2mi) since I teach where my daughter is in Kindergarten,
and I can’t otherwise get her to work (were she still in a stroller, I’d
take a shorter uni and ride her there, as I do with my son). I take a
shower when I get to my office, since it’s in the apartment where I grew
up in Manhattan. On cold days, I can even skip this. But I can’t skip the
shower after I have returned to Brooklyn (after 10mi of riding) because I
have found that my polyester bike shirts make me smell stronger than a
cat box. I guess it has to do with the material and how it keeps in the
heat – it also traps odors, and when I get home I am positively noxious.
Deodorant figures into every stop on my day, too.
>
>
>David, on the subject of other protection, what kind of pads or armour do
>you use for commuting? When bicycle commuting I only use a helmet of
>course but I couldn’t see that when travelling 15mph on a Coker. Do you
>feel more at risk than on a bike?
I don’t ride a bike and only have for a few years since I was 13. [Other
than a 4-year period where I usually biked to work instead of uni’ing, I
have not ridden a two-wheeler since I bought my uni, and I’m 35.] When I
biked, I only used a helmet, and that felt like enough.

On the Coker, I only wear a helmet, tho I experimented with wrist guards
for a few days. When I have UPDs, they are always of the same, safe
variety where I land in front of the Coker and then run along as I lift
it up to avoid having it smack into me. As a result, I have never
‘fallen’ off it. Even when my lace once got caught, I was really lucky
that it also broke right away. The next day, I bought the laceless shoes
I mentioned earlier.

I probably should wear other protection (knees, wrists), but I am hoping
my luck holds up. Maybe when the weather gets yuckier, I’ll get the wrist
guards on.

David Stone Co-founder, Unatics of NY 1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
2:30 @ Central Park Bandshell

26

Nicholas,

The cadence on a unicycle is less relevant on a unicycle than it is on a
bike. Bikes (within reason) have the same size cranks so for them it is
easy to use cadence as a measure. With unicycles this is not true which
why you should look at foot speed, if you have a look at the spread sheet
I put up last week you will see that the last column is for foot speed. I
have added in a bike (with gears! and long cranks) and you can see that
the foot speed is similar but the cadence is a lot slower. I am not sure
what the speed the top unicyclist racers get up to in a 100m sprint (John
do you know this?) but I would have thought that their Cadence gets up
above 250. On a Coker I happy above a cadence of 150.

Roger

The UK’s Unicycle Source http://www.unicycle.uk.com

----- Original Message ----- From: “Nicholas Price”
<pricen01@tartarus.uwa.edu.au> To: “unicycle news”
<rsu@unicycling.org> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 3:18 AM
Subject: Re: 18mi., 92mins, 1 Coker

> I’m interested in this because I have just put a cadence kit on my bike.
> Further annotations to David’s table give:
>
> > sec/ 58 revs Cadence APPROX SPEED 60 58 12mph (19.3 kph) 48 72.5 15mph
> > (24.2 kph) 45 77 16mph (25.8 kph) 40 87 18mph (29 kph)
>
> A typical touring cyclist on a a bike would average a cadence of 85-100
> revs a minute (although this is significantly geared up). I believe
> racing cyclists average up to 120 revs a minute. Personally, when I’m
> commuting I’ll sit on 95-105 revs a minute.
>
> So my question is, how does cadence on a bike and a unicycle relate?
> I’ve always found that I can spin at amazingly high speeds on a unicycle
> compared to a bike. When your legs reach this kind of rotational speed,
> you’re no longer thinking about pushing down with one foot (and pulling
> up with the other if you have clips) but simply getting your feet to
> move around in a nice circle. The same is true on a unicycle (evinced by
> DM’s cool unicycle-force measurer).
>
> I would predict that people should be able to get cadences of up to 100
> on a Coker (having only ridden one once, this is really only based on
> bike riding experience). The main issues will be crash protection. Also,
> on a bike you don’t have to worry about losing contact between the feet
> and pedal because they are normally attached. This may be another
> limitation to Coker top end speed.
>
> nic
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________-
__
> rec.sport.unicycling mailing list -
www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/rsu

27

Nicholas,

The cadence on a unicycle is less relevant on a unicycle than it is on a
bike. Bikes (within reason) have the same size cranks so for them it is
easy to use cadence as a measure. With unicycles this is not true which
why you should look at foot speed, if you have a look at the spread sheet
I put up last week you will see that the last column is for foot speed. I
have added in a bike (with gears! and long cranks) and you can see that
the foot speed is similar but the cadence is a lot slower. I am not sure
what the speed the top unicyclist racers get up to in a 100m sprint (John
do you know this?) but I would have thought that their Cadence gets up
above 250. On a Coker I happy above a cadence of 150.

Roger

The UK’s Unicycle Source http://www.unicycle.uk.com

----- Original Message ----- From: “Nicholas Price”
<pricen01@tartarus.uwa.edu.au> To: “unicycle news”
<rsu@unicycling.org> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 3:18 AM
Subject: Re: 18mi., 92mins, 1 Coker

> I’m interested in this because I have just put a cadence kit on my bike.
> Further annotations to David’s table give:
>
> > sec/ 58 revs Cadence APPROX SPEED 60 58 12mph (19.3 kph) 48 72.5 15mph
> > (24.2 kph) 45 77 16mph (25.8 kph) 40 87 18mph (29 kph)
>
> A typical touring cyclist on a a bike would average a cadence of 85-100
> revs a minute (although this is significantly geared up). I believe
> racing cyclists average up to 120 revs a minute. Personally, when I’m
> commuting I’ll sit on 95-105 revs a minute.
>
> So my question is, how does cadence on a bike and a unicycle relate?
> I’ve always found that I can spin at amazingly high speeds on a unicycle
> compared to a bike. When your legs reach this kind of rotational speed,
> you’re no longer thinking about pushing down with one foot (and pulling
> up with the other if you have clips) but simply getting your feet to
> move around in a nice circle. The same is true on a unicycle (evinced by
> DM’s cool unicycle-force measurer).
>
> I would predict that people should be able to get cadences of up to 100
> on a Coker (having only ridden one once, this is really only based on
> bike riding experience). The main issues will be crash protection. Also,
> on a bike you don’t have to worry about losing contact between the feet
> and pedal because they are normally attached. This may be another
> limitation to Coker top end speed.
>
> nic
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________-
__
> rec.sport.unicycling mailing list -
www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/rsu

28

Nicholas,

The cadence on a unicycle is less relevant on a unicycle than it is on a
bike. Bikes (within reason) have the same size cranks so for them it is
easy to use cadence as a measure. With unicycles this is not true which
why you should look at foot speed, if you have a look at the spread sheet
I put up last week you will see that the last column is for foot speed. I
have added in a bike (with gears! and long cranks) and you can see that
the foot speed is similar but the cadence is a lot slower. I am not sure
what the speed the top unicyclist racers get up to in a 100m sprint (John
do you know this?) but I would have thought that their Cadence gets up
above 250. On a Coker I happy above a cadence of 150.

Roger

The UK’s Unicycle Source http://www.unicycle.uk.com

----- Original Message ----- From: “Nicholas Price”
<pricen01@tartarus.uwa.edu.au> To: “unicycle news”
<rsu@unicycling.org> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 3:18 AM
Subject: Re: 18mi., 92mins, 1 Coker

> I’m interested in this because I have just put a cadence kit on my bike.
> Further annotations to David’s table give:
>
> > sec/ 58 revs Cadence APPROX SPEED 60 58 12mph (19.3 kph) 48 72.5 15mph
> > (24.2 kph) 45 77 16mph (25.8 kph) 40 87 18mph (29 kph)
>
> A typical touring cyclist on a a bike would average a cadence of 85-100
> revs a minute (although this is significantly geared up). I believe
> racing cyclists average up to 120 revs a minute. Personally, when I’m
> commuting I’ll sit on 95-105 revs a minute.
>
> So my question is, how does cadence on a bike and a unicycle relate?
> I’ve always found that I can spin at amazingly high speeds on a unicycle
> compared to a bike. When your legs reach this kind of rotational speed,
> you’re no longer thinking about pushing down with one foot (and pulling
> up with the other if you have clips) but simply getting your feet to
> move around in a nice circle. The same is true on a unicycle (evinced by
> DM’s cool unicycle-force measurer).
>
> I would predict that people should be able to get cadences of up to 100
> on a Coker (having only ridden one once, this is really only based on
> bike riding experience). The main issues will be crash protection. Also,
> on a bike you don’t have to worry about losing contact between the feet
> and pedal because they are normally attached. This may be another
> limitation to Coker top end speed.
>
> nic
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________-
__
> rec.sport.unicycling mailing list -
www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/rsu

29

pricen01@tartarus.uwa.edu.au writes: <snip>
>So my question is, how does cadence on a bike and a unicycle relate? I’ve
>always found that I can spin at amazingly high speeds on a unicycle
>compared to a bike.
There doesn’t appear to be much of a connexion due in the main to the fact
that bikes have them gear things. Now, I wonder how unis compare with
gearless bikes.

>When your legs reach this kind of rotational speed, you’re no longer
>thinking about pushing down with one foot (and pulling up with the
>other if you have clips) but simply getting your feet to move around in
>a nice circle.
Yeah, and without having them slip off, as you mention.
>
>
>I would predict that people should be able to get cadences of up to 100
>on a Coker (having only ridden one once, this is really only based on
>bike riding experience).
Don’t go by me, bc when I rode the Unithon III last year to raise money
for Long Beach Island, I found that no one could even maintain 12mph,
which is a cadence of about 116. Fellow riders were happy with 9-10mph
(cadences of about 87 - 100). I cannot tell you how SLOW that felt. Since
it was a longish ride (18mi), I decided midway to ride back and forth on
the route so that I would finish when the others did; I logged 28mi .
> The main issues will be crash protection.
Yeah, there is no way I’d want to ride at 20mph for too long bc I don’t
think you should ride at a speed where you can’t run out of a UPD
(unplanned dismount). I had a UPD on the Unithon ride at 15mph and ran out
of it just fine, but had I been going even faster, who knows?
>Also, on a bike you don’t have to worry about losing contact between the
>feet and pedal because they are normally attached. This may be another
>limitation to Coker top end speed.
Right, and there is no way anyone should ever use clips on a uni – face
plant city. I even go so far as to wear laceless shoes whenever I ride bc
I have had too many instances of getting laces caught in the cranks. At
15mph on a Coker, that could be near-fatal.

Ride on!

David Stone Co-founder, Unatics of NY 1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
2:30 @ Central Park Bandshell

30

> Yesterday I managed to hit about 18mph for a tenth of a mile. Since I
> daren’t look at the odo in order to check this out for sure,

Those of you into the numbers should look into computers with max. and
average speed indicators. This was the only way I was able to gauge my
speeds when I was into 24" racing. My old Cateye Solar recorded 17.5 mph,
which was the fastest I ever got on a 24". The tenths of mph are handy for
us unicyclists.

As for big wheels, I was once clocked by a car speedometer at 23 mph on
the Jones Beach Bike Path on Long Island. This was a burst of course, not
something I would hold for any length of time. You NY area riders should
check out this path. Go to Cedar Creek Park (I think that’s the name).
It’s on Merrick Road just east of the Wantagh Parkway. Don’t confuse it
with Wantagh Park, which is on the other side of the parkway. From Cedar
Creek Park the bike path leads you about 4.75 miles down to the Jones
Beach Theater. Since the summer season’s over, you can continue all the
way down to the boardwalk, for something a little over 5 miles (each way)
plus whatever you do down at the beach.

> And incidentally, I have ridden nearly 2,000mi without changing the
> tire. I keep meaning to, tho!

That’s impressive! But if you don’t get around to it someday, we know how
that story will end…

Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com

“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.” - Kevin
“Gilby” Gilbertson

31

> So my question is, how does cadence on a bike and a unicycle relate?

It doesn’t. Since the bike has gears, riders can search for the optimum
cadence for best power output. We’re stuck pedaling as fast as we can.
Pedal slower, go slower. Generally unicycles have shorter cranks, so it
makes our higher cadences more manageable.

And those lazy bikers lower their cadence to zero on the downhills!

I calculated it once a long time ago, but I don’t remember the numbers. In
a 100 meter sprint, a racing unicyclist does somewhere around 200-220 rpm.
That’s why you want those grippy shoes and pedals!

Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com

“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.” - Kevin
“Gilby” Gilbertson

32

David, thanx for the revs per mile figure (580). It shure beats asking passing moterists how fast your going (I asked a pacer today, and his reply was 10mph, no mater how fast I pedaled. Nothing as fun as yanking a unicyclists chain)! It is also a great indicator of fatigue level- I can check my revs per minute before and after a long grade or steep hill. For me, hills make a huge impact. Now when I get to the top of one, I start counting revs and force myself back up.

On relatively level ground, fatigue from foot speed seems to take secound place to fatigue from controlling oscillation. This is amplified after climing a hill, as my legs turn to rubber and it takes more effort to stay oscillation free. Also, I seem to hit a resonace frequencey at some foot speeds (say, around 120/min) at which I bob up and down- like my downstroke is perfectly timed to tire spring back from compression. Speed up or slow down a bit and it goes away. Anyone else have this happen? Will shorter cranks reduce both oscillation and bob?

By-the-way: bubble wraping your sensitive parts in no way improves the Viscount seat- NO MATER HOW MANY LAYERS OF BUBBLE WRAP ARE USED. It is also hard to conceal behind Spandex (however, you do get appreciative glances from the house wives at the supper market).

Christopher LeFay

33

forum.member@unicyclist.com writes:
>David, thanx for the revs per mile figure (580). It shure beats asking
>passing moterists how fast your going (I asked a pacer today, and his
>reply was 10mph, no mater how fast I pedaled. Nothing as fun as yanking a
>unicyclists chain)! It is also a great indicator of fatigue level- I can
>check my revs per minute before and after a long grade or steep hill. For
>me, hills make a huge impact. Now when I get to the top of one, I start
>counting revs and force myself back up.
Yes, I find that whenever I am curious of my current speed, I perform a
116rev (somex 58rev) test, do the math, and gauge my speed. The problem is
that, when I am tired, no matter how slow I feel, I invariably speed up
for fear of catching myself being lazy. And then my speed increases
considerably. The bottom line is I rarely catch myself dipping below 12mph
on a nice flat path, and when I time myself, I am usually at 15mph
nowadays. Incidentally, that’s a 145 cadence. For those of you who want to
convert that to metric, it’s no more than 3.5million kph or a bit less.
>
>
>On relatively level ground, fatigue from foot speed seems to take secound
>place to fatigue from controlling oscillation. This is amplified after
>climing a hill, as my legs turn to rubber and it takes more effort to
>stay oscillation free. Also, I seem to hit a resonace frequencey at some
>foot speeds (say, around 120/min) at which I bob up and down- like my
>downstroke is perfectly timed to tire spring back from compression. Speed
>up or slow down a bit and it goes away. Anyone else have this happen?
>Will shorter cranks reduce both oscillation and bob?
I have heard about that bob – could be a funxion of your tire pressure.
Mine’s about 45-55psi, and you will go considerably slower if your
pressure is too far from that. Way below and you are sluggish, like riding
thru molassess. Too high above that and you are catching a cab bc your
tire exploded. Boy would that be loud.
>
>By-the-way: bubble wraping your sensitive parts in no way improves the
>Viscount seat- NO MATER HOW MANY LAYERS OF BUBBLE WRAP ARE USED. It is
>also hard to conceal behind Spandex (however, you do get appreciative
>glances from the house wives at the supper market).
Viscount seats are meant to be admired by the eyes, not the rump (I
think the name is short for VISibility COUNTs more than comfort). Get
an air seat!

Another good advice: Get a Miyata seat so you have a grip (better yet, get
the ‘handle’ made in the EUT attachment that had the brake). I forgot to
mention earlier how valuable this little piece of hardware is in keeping
you on the uni over a bumpy road or unexpected change in the pavement. The
longer one (EUT version) is great for speed, too, but I don’t feel like
explaining how it works. When I rode 80mi in one day, I used my brother’s
Coker and it made a HUGE difference on hills and for general speed.
>

David Stone 1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
2:30 @ Central Park Bandshell

34

This is an interesting thread to say the least.

Increased cadence is directly related to increased heart rate. The same holds true even if your inches of travel per revolution is reduced. Having been a cyclist most my life I know a lot about this subject. Watch Lance Armstrong on the class 1 mountain stages at the tour. His average cadence is 90-95. He has mastered this efficiency variable. Inceedibly until this year everyone thought that you needed slower cadences for increased power on the hills. They all trained at a cadenc under 90, therefor fell way behind. Due to Lance 's performance at the tour, I would guess you will see increased cadences throughout the mountain stages for most riders from now on. Its no secret that best effeincy is 90-95 wheather on flats or hills

This is precisely why I have been an advocate of a larger wheeled uni. With a larger wheel, a resonably fit rider should be able to sustain speeds of 18 to 20 MPH for long periiods of time without thier heart rate going through the roof. Cadences above 95 for long periods of time no mater the size of the wheel, is very ineffecient.

Dan

35

Hey now, I’m a fixed gear rider, so I only have one speed and I can’t
coast down hills. My road bike is a Bianchi track bike with 42x16 earing(
70 inch gear I think). I ride a single speed mountain bike too, but it has
a freewheel and two brakes. cheers…Joe from Iowa…OFS baby!!!

-----Original Message----- From: John Foss <john_foss@asinet.com

>
>It doesn’t. Since the bike has gears, riders can search for the optimum
>cadence for best power output. We’re stuck pedaling as fast as we can.
Pedal
>slower, go slower. Generally unicycles have shorter cranks, so it makes
>our higher cadences more manageable.
>
>And those lazy bikers lower their cadence to zero on the downhills!
>

>Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone

36

rhysling wrote:

<snip>
>
> By-the-way: bubble wraping your sensitive parts in no way improves the
> Viscount seat- NO MATER HOW MANY LAYERS OF BUBBLE WRAP ARE USED. It is
> also hard to conceal behind Spandex (however, you do get appreciative
> glances from the house wives at the supper market).
>
> Christopher

LOL!

Which may in itself be a good reason.

I can see Chris nailing… only once each mind you, every deperate
neglected housewife in Jackson!

Christopher

“Be Bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” -Basil King (Anyone who
can give me more info on THIS Basil King please email
me.)

My short story at: http://www.rosedog.com/manuscript.asp?m=9389256&manusc-
ript=6862016&t=The+Determination+of+Jeffery&fn=Christopher&ln=Grove&srdt=-
9%2F27%2F01+5%3A32%3A05+AM&fs=2&ff=Arial%2C+Helvetica%2C+Verdana&ps=4000&-
s=735143750&folder=Search+Results

37

“Christopher Grove” <c_r_grove@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3BE9619B.48389155@yahoo.com…
> Okay… I want to know what you commuters use for deodorant after those
> kinds of distances and speeds! You must have a shower at work!

I ride it at a speed that doesn’t tire me out too much and use “deodorant
wipes” which are like a cross between deoderant and wet wipes or something
and I’m sure are terribly girly, but work rather well.

Joe

38

“David Stone” <dstone@packer.edu> wrote in message
news:mailman.1005101517.12290.rsu@unicycling.org…
> On the subject of 2-hour Coker rides, here is what I think a person in
> pretty good shape with a decent amount of Coker experience could expect.
> Note: my Coker has a Roach air seat and 5" cranks. It also has a handy
> gas-powered motor (I wish). I have attached a Cats Eye cycle
> computer. Further note: I was the official winner of the Toronto
> NUC’s 3.5-mile marathon ride, tho to be honest, an unhelmeted and
> therefore unofficial rider, Chris Cline, 16, beat me by 6 seconds;
> we both averaged about 15mph over a curvy course. Final note: I
> have never topped 20mph and have only hit that speed once or
> twice.

I did a big Coker ride last week, I started off at 8 in the morning from
Winchester and arrived at Chicester at 4 in the afternoon. During that
eight hours of pretty much solid riding I covered a total of 45 miles. I’m
quite chuffed at my 5.6 mph average. It was a bit too cold to want to stop
out for a proper lunch, so I ate a whole box of muesli bars (and it was a
weekday so no pub lunches in villages) and just kept on riding.

It was offroad and had >2500 metres of up and down over that time though
and there was quite a lot of that nasty slippy wet chalk that appears on
the South Downs in Winter. I had my most spectacular non-accident yet,
half way down a wet chalk descent, there’s a big ditch coming across and I
fall off, land on my feet and slide for a good couple of feet before I can
start running out.

There was also a lovely long descent over grassy field full of sheep which
was a bit bizarre. That was great fun, not scary because it was a pretty
soft landing if you fell off, so I rode flat out down it as fast as I
could keep my legs spinning.

There’s also a shortcut which I didn’t take over a really steep hill,
I’m planning to go back and play on that one as its quite near somewhere
with some mountain bike trails and stuff anyway.

I was a bit annoyed because I had to divert from my planned 50 mile ride
because the last train at the destination was at 3pm and I did’t want to
have to hurry quite that much.

Hopefully by next year I’ll be fast enough to not come last in some of the
mountain bike Enduro race / rides. The worst people doing the Newnham 90
(90 km - 56 miles offroad ride) did it in 7 hours 45 minutes, which is 7
mph average, so I guess I’ve still got a bit of a way to go, but
definately heading towards it…

Joe

39

Joe,

I enjoyed the movies you posted earlyer. If you mount a bumper/handel you might be able to safely sling a camera on the beast- I would love to see those desents!

Bye-the-way: how is your big wheel holding up to the punishment? How much do you weigh?

Coker on,

Christopher LeFay

40

> I enjoyed the movies you posted earlyer. If you mount a bumper/handel
> you might be able to safely sling a camera on the beast- I would love to
> see those desents!

I found it a lot easier to carry the camera than to put it on the uni
anywhere, on the uni it is way too wobbly. I’ve taken a few cokering
through crowds movies, where you see the fear on peoples faces and mouths
wide open and other funny stuff. Don’t know where I put them else they’d
be on the web by now.

My dad’s a photographer, I might ask him if he can find a tripod mount to
fit on my helmet in some way so I could film from that for hard descents.

> Bye-the-way: how is your big wheel holding up to the punishment? How
> much do you weigh?

The wheel is fine. It got upgraded to a suzue hub because I buggered the
cranks and the old hub last year, but that was from road riding and
stupidity not from offroad. I think its slightly out of true, but not
enough to bother doing anything about it.

I weigh a bit under 140 pounds I think (9 stone 10lbs or so), I don’t
usually ride much more than about 4 inch dropoffs, generally try
quite hard to pick a smoothish line. It rolls over roots, small
rocks, ruts fine.

I’ve been riding my coker pretty hard for about a year now and it’s so far
stood up to everything I’ve thrown at it (usually at least 50 miles a week
since this July) and it seems to be working fine. The only maintenance
I’ve done is to fit my computer magnet back on and to wash off the mud
after offroad rides. I haven’t changed the tyre yet, I think I’ll need to
put on the spare soon, but it hasn’t had a puncture at all. If it starts
getting punctures I’ll probably change it because I really don’t want it
to get thin enough so I get a proper blowout.

Talking of which, does anyone know of a reason why I shouldn’t spray my
coker frame purple with one of those cans of car paint? I’d quite like it
to be purple but I don’t want to bother with the hassle of getting a bike
shop to paint it.

Joe