Paul Douglas and Crabtree Bike Trail Conditions, 2011

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Well, we had a pretty nice day for riding here in Chicagoland today and I just got back from riding the entire Paul Douglas Bike Trail and the connecting Crabtree Bike Trail.

I was about to write how there were no problems at all on either of the trails until I got to the very end (last 1/4 mile) of the Crabtree Trail (the northern end). There is one little section that is under construction and the sign says for 2 weeks. It’s really no big deal and it is passable too if you want to get out to the parking area off of Palatine Road.

Anway, as for the Paul Douglas Bike Trail, the entire trail is open and there are no problems. Even the one section that has flooded occasionally (on the west end of Paul Douglas) was clear and dry.

There were some puddles and wet places and my legs got a light spray of water as I rode by (I didn’t slow down much from average of about 13 mph so if you slowed down more you would stay completely dry).

I was glad to see that there was no flooding on the west side of Paul Douglas like there was in the past (see the Paul Douglas Trail flooding page) even though it is still pretty wet out there. Of course we are supposed to get some big storms tomorrow so we’ll see if it stays clear and dry. I am pretty optimistic.

My favorite part of this trail remains the loop around Paul Douglas (skipping the part along Algonquin Road) but the little strip that goes into the Crabtree preserve (about 1 mile) is very nice too. The Paul Douglas loop is about 7 miles (counting the part along Algonquin Road).

Well, it was great to get out there today and the Paul Douglas Trail is still a great place to ride. If anyone has any updates, please let me know or post a reply if you like.

Later, Rob.

Just My Rides – Spring 2011!

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Alright, it’s that time of year again, Finally! I noticed in one of my last posts that I mentioned that  “Bike Riding Season is here” back in March. Well, I guess I was a little over anxious on that one. We had a pretty cold March here in Chicagoland and I didn’t really get out after that last post.

Well, today is in the mid 50s and I made it out for a nice little 11 miler. It was a really nice day for a ride and there is just something the First Ride(s) of the Year. It was relaxing and just felt great. There was a little bit of a wind and I did not push myself very hard at all. I need to get into riding shape a little. Well, I ended up averaging 12.7mph on my ride anyway so I guess I still have some left over strength from all the faster riding that I did towards the end of last season.

I like the thinking time that you get on rides and it seems like it is even more exaggerated on those first rides of the year. I was thinking a little bit of the riding benefits that I wrote about in my Bike Riding Niverana article but also a lot about the workout and weight loss benefits of riding.

I believe that just about any kind of bike riding (even at a very relaxed pace) will have the benefits of getting a good aerobic workout, stress relief, and is just plain fun but what I have discovered recently is that riding fast is by far the best way to lose weight by bike riding (if that happens to be one of your goals).

You don’t need to start out riding like Lance Armstrong or anything, but if you just start pushing yourself a little bit each ride and ride fairly often, before you know it, you’ll be feeling great, losing weight and averaging some pretty good speeds.

If you are new to biking you will definitely need a Bike Computer (aka bike speedometer, bike odometer, etc.) to track your progress. These things are really a lot of fun and you can get them for really cheap if you choose or you can go all out and get some pretty amazing features (you can actually get into Bike GPS units if you are really into bike electronics and tracking everything!)

As for myself, I have really been wanting a bike GPS unit for quite some time but I currently just use a wireless bike computer and although there are models that allow downloads to your PC, I track my ride data manually in a spreadsheet. After each ride, I just enter my ride data (miles, average speed, odometer reading, other interesting stuff) from my bike computer (A Vetta) into my spreadsheet (a MS Excel 🙂 ).

OK, well I’ve gotten a little away from the original ride update but this is a lot of the stuff that I was thinking about on my ride.

As for some of the more specific info, my first 2 rides this year have been totally local. My neighborhood and a ride in Inverness. I also had to ride to Walgreens for a bike computer battery before my first ride.

I brought some gloves with me today although I did not think that I would need them.  Well, I could have done without them, but since it was still a little chilly it was nicer to have them on and I’m glad that I brought them with me. And also still like the Topeak Bike Bag that I bought last year to keep this kind of stuff in.

OK, well, that’s it for the first ride update, I guess. I’ll probably add replies to this post for additional rides this spring (rather than a new post with all the rambling about my rides) and I also welcome replies and ride stories from all of you out there too if you like.

Later, Rob.

2010,2011 Bike Model Updates and Online Sales

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Yep, the 2011 bike riding season is here! I only have a few miles in so far this year, but we’ve had some decent riding days in the the Chicagoland area already and daylight savings time is starting next week!

I also just discovered  that most of the retailers, that sell bikes online (for home or store delivery), still have some 2010 bikes available (and in some cases, at very good prices) and are also starting to get a good selection of 2011 bikes listed.

So I’ve gone through all of the bike review pages and links on this site and have updated them to the 2010 and 2011 bike models that are currently available online. Now this can be a little bit of a moving target since bikes models come and go and online supplies vary too, but you can still usually find more of a selection online (for the manufacturers that allow online sales).

So if you start with the Online Bike Sales page on this site, you will have all of the models that are for sale online and have been reviewed on this site. This now includes primarily 2010 and 2011 models (although in some cases you can get a real deal on some 2009 bikes if the model and size that you want is still available).

Note that this site focuses on bikes that are available for purchase online so you will not find reviews here for brands like Trek, Giant, Haro, Specialized, etc. that are not for sale online. You will need to visit one of your local bike shops to buy one of these brands.

And finally, my next project is to update the Best Buy Bikes page on this site to include the 2011 models. I’m sorry but I have not been able to update this page with the 2011 models yet but I am in the process of reviewing the bikes, the online sales and also the bike sale statistics from this site from 2010. I should have this completed real soon.

Enjoy the 2011 riding season!

The Jane Addams Bike Trail and Flashback to October.

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Well, it’s been a while and we are already pretty much into the 2011 bike riding season already but I just completed the bike trail pages for the Jane Addams Bike Trail from the trip and photos that I took back in October.

I wrote a short blog entry back in October when we did this ride but never got a change to finish the official bike trail pages and photo pages on this website for this trail. Well, I finally got the photos and pages up and you can see them now at: The Jane Addams Bike Trail.

Jane Addams Bike Trail

Jane Addams Bike Trail Pages - About-Bicycles.com

I enjoyed this trail quite a bit but I didn’t have as many photos to choose from as I would liked to have had but I managed to find a few pretty good ones that I think capture the feel of the trail on that cool October ride.

We also continued our trip on the connecting Badger State Trail but I did not write that up or post those photos yet because I actually wanted to do separate trail pages for that bike trail. I would also like to ride the rest of the Badger State Trail so I have a good feel for it and complete set of photos.

I have seen that  there is a pretty cool looking tunnel on the trail and that it goes all the way into Madison. I guess I have some trail riding work cut out for me! Well, someone has to do it. 🙂

Actually, with the rock walls of the Jane Addams Trail and the Tunnel on the Badger State Trail, they kind of remind me a little of the Elroy-Sparta Trail up in Wisconsin.

I know that there are gaps, but I keep hoping that one day most of these major trails will be connected and that I could ride from my house, in the Chicago suburbs, to the Mississippi river around Lacrosse, Wis.!

Well, i don’t think that’s possible yet (on trails anyway), but maybe someday.

February Bike Repairs and It’s Not Always What You Think It It

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I just had to mention a few things about my recent bike repairs. First of all, bike season is just around the corner (for those of us in the Midwest) and this is an excellent time to get your bike in shape.

I’ve had a few things that have needed repairs since the end of the 2010 riding season but held off until now. I didn’t want my bike in the shop while there was still good riding weather, then there was the Christmas rush but now is a great time for repairs.

I went to my local bike shop (Mikes Bike Shop in Palatine IL) and there was 2 people working there, me and one other customer. It was totally one on one and we had plenty of time to go over the repairs that I needed, some other things that I was interested and in a very comfortable setting. So much nicer than peak season when the LBSs are  crowded and everyone is in a hurry.

So my first point here is if you need any repairs or tune up stuff done, this is an excellent time to do it.

Now getting to one of my actual repairs. I had a really bad handlebar shake that started towards the end of the riding season and proceeded to get even worse as time went on. If I let go of the handle bars for a moment it would shake so bad I could hardly control the bike and had to grab the handlebars again for control.

I checked the front wheel and it looked just fine. I also checked the stem and made sure things were tightened up. When I talked to the bike mechanic at Mikes he did a quick adjustment to the stem and checked it out. It still had the shake so I left it for them to look at.

OK, here’s the part that I was just not expecting. The shake in the front was due to problems with the back wheel! They trued the back wheel and it fixed the problem completely. It made complete sense after I thought about it and after I shook the back of the bike and saw how that effected the handlebars.

I’m sure most bike mechanics are aware of things like this and probably many of you out there reading this too but this one just surprised me a little – being my second point – It’s not always what you think it is. 🙂

Later, Rob.

Exercise Bike Price Checks, Schwinn, Proform online and offline

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I just updated the prices for all of the exercise bikes available online at this site and also did some offline research yesterday.

I visited one of the Sports Authority stores by us (Chicago suburbs) and spent quite a bit of time reviewing the exercise bikes that they had on display and also talked to a pretty knowledgeable sales guy (you don’t always get good people to talk to at SA).

First, here is a summary and comparison of the latest prices, of some popular models, that were available at the Sports Authority store and that are available online.

Uprights:

  • Schwinn 120 – SA Price: $300 – Online Price (Amazon) $278.54 ***
  • Proform 290SPX (spinner style (I still really like this bike)) – SA Price: $300 – Online Price (Wal-Mart and Proform) $300

Recumbents:

  • Schwinn 220 – SA Price $350 – Online Price (Amazon) $349.99

See the About-Bicycles Exercise Bikes pages for quick and easy links to these models.

The local Sports Authority also carried their own Bodyfit brand bikes and Healthrider bikes. I was not impressed with the SA Bodyfit brand but the Healthrider bikes were very nice. Healthrider is an Icon Fitness brand.

The sales guy that I mentioned above had also visited the Icon fitness plant in Utah and was very impressed with their products (They sell a lot of other fitness equipment in addition to exercise bikes).

So to sum up this latest review and the comparisons, I see that the Schwinn models (120 upright and 220 bent) are still very popular and still a good choice if you are looking for a good solid magnetic resistance bike with a nice electronic monitor to track your stats and workout. The Schwinn 120 has a better price online but the Schwinn 220 price is the same (online and brick and mortar (I just had to use that term again! 🙂 ) .

The Proform 290SPX  remains an excellent low priced spinner bike and the online prices are about the same as offline at this time.

Most online sites offer free shipping (to your home or to a store (if they have one)) so you can compare the online and offline prices pretty easily.

And finally, just as a refresher, here’s a brief summary of some of the benefits and trade-offs of the various styles of exercise bikes.

  • Upright Spinner Style Bikes (like the Proform SPX) – Most like a regular road bike, very durable, easy to set caliper brake style resistance, very little if any electronics. The sales guy said that most serious cyclists usually prefer this style of bike (I would tend to agree with that).
  • Upright Magnetic Resistence Bikes– Still very similar to a regular outdoor road bike, but usually have more comfortable seats, need to be plugged in to set resistance and for monitoring stats, many models come with heart-rate monitors (usually built into the handlebars), most have electronic displays for speed, distance, workout time, etc.
  • Recumbent Exercise Bikes(magnetic resistance) – The biggest advantage here is comfort, need to be plugged in to set resistance and for monitoring stats, if you ride an outdoor recumbent bike then this style will compliment your outdoor riding workout also,  most models come with heart rate monitors (usually built into the handlebars), most have electronic displays for speed, distance, workout time, etc.

Other Exercise Bikes and Bike Trainers (stands for your outdoor bike) – Well there are still quite a few other styles of exercise bikes out there (fan style, dual resistance bikes, trainers, etc) but I’m just going to limit the review here to the major types of exercise bikes described above.

As additional note on spinner bikes (or indoor cycles), as I mentioned above, most of these bikes have little or no electronics which is good in some ways but personally, I prefer tracking my workout stats so I do prefer having an electronic console. This is one of the reasons that we list the Livestrong LS9.9IC Indoor Cycle on our Best Buy Exercise Bikes page. All of the current Livestrong bikes have electronic consoles, are very durable and well built and I love that these purchases will ensure ensure a contribution to the LIVESTRONG® Foundation for the fight against cancer.

See the About-Bicycles Exercise Bikes pages for more information on most exercise bike types, lots of reviews and quick and easy links to many popular models.

Later, Rob.

2011 Bike Trail Calendar and Free Calendar Generator

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I am a little late on this, since we are already into the 9th day of the new year, but I needed a new wall calendar at home and I usually generate my own each year.

For 2011 I have generated a Bike Trails and Events Calendar, in PDF and Excel formats that I am offering on this site for free. I just finished the web page with the Excel and PDF Bike Calendar Links.

See  Bike Trail and Events Calendar for a PDF or Excel copy of the calendar. Both versions of the calendar include 1 page per month. The calendar includes the standard US holidays for each month and a Bike Trail photo on top (or you can choose the pre-made generic calendar with no bike trail photo).

Since I am so late on this, I have only included 1 Chicago bike trail event (so far) which is the Bike The Drive event. I will probably add events to this calendar through out the year so if you know of events that would fit this format, please send the event and date to me.

In addition to the pre-made calendars (with bike trail photos (Illinois and Wisconsin)) and the generic calendar (no photos), I am also offering the Calendar Generator program which is an Excel VBA program that allows you to generate a calendar (with or without photos) for any year that you select, with standard US holidays and customized events that you can enter yourself.

The PDF version is probably the easiest version. The Excel (no macro) version is a little more complicated but allows more customization (you can replace the photos with your own) and the Excel VBA Calendar Generator version is the most complex but allows the most flexibility.

I don’t want to make it sound like any of these are that complex or difficult to use but there are quite a few people out there with many levels of PC expertise. I’ve tried to keep options available from very simple to more complex and powerful.

Well, if you are in need of a 2011 calendar, I hope that some of you find the calendars and programs offered here to be helpful.

Now we can at least have some bike trail photos on the calendar to remind us of riding season all year long even when we can’t be out there on the trails! Have fun!

Once again the link for the calendar programs is: Bike Trail and Events Calendar

Best Gifts for Bike Riders (Cyclists)

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OK, since it’s officially the Christmas shopping season now, I just have to write something on gifts for cyclists. If your searching for an excellent gift for someone  that is a fairly serious bike rider (or serious cyclist), here’s a few suggestions.

For a fairly low cost gift, I would consider Bike Electronics like a Bike Computer (i.e. a bike speedometer, odometer (and more!)). Most serious riders already have one of these but some do not. Bike Computers are pretty easy to install and there are huge selections online to choose from.

Although, many cyclists may already have a bike computer, many have not sprung for a Bike GPS Unit! These are going to be more expensive than a cycle computer but they are really the ultimate in bike electronics.

Another great gift that most cyclists use are Bike Bags.  There is also a great selection of bike bags online and just about any style and price range that you are interested in.

For the cyclist that is really into getting a great workout or training I would consider either a Bike Trainer, which is a bike stand that you use for your regular outdoor bike or an Indoor Cycle (exercise bike).

And for something that is just a fun gift for a bike rider, check out the Monkey Bike Light and Down Low Glow bike Lights! These things are a blast and are not the kind of thing that a lot of bikers go out an buy for themselves so it would be a very unique gift. Not only are these lights a lot of fun but they are really a good safety item too.

Well, there you have it. There are really a ton of other gifts for cyclists but I’ve tried to at least get some good ideas out there for gifts in various price ranges. I know I would sure like to have some of the items here (that I don’t already have).

New Recumbent Exercise Bike from Livestrong (LS7.0B)

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I was just reviewing the exercise bike pages on the site and found that there is a new Recumbent Exercise Bike on the Livestrong site.

I have been recommending the Livestrong (LS9.9IC) Indoor Cycle on this site for serious workouts for quite a while now and have found that it is very popular with serious riders. I have reviewed the Livestrong Indoor Cycle myself and have reviewed the online reviews also. I’ve have been impressed with the quality and I love the fact that a portion of the proceeds go towards the fight against cancer.

New Livestrong LS7.0B recumbent

 I have not yet had a chance to do my usual extensive reviews of the new Recumbent Exercise Bike from Livestrong, but if it is anything like the indoor cycles (which I’m sure it is) This is going to become a very popular exercise bike.

Another advantage of the new LS7.0B is that it is quite a bit cheaper than the original Livestrong exercise cycle. This recumbent is currently selling for $699.99.

You can check out both of these exercise bikes at out Livestrong Exercise Bike review page  (see the link in the center of the page to go right to these bikes on the Livestrong site.

Way of the Wilds, Bike Trail Article

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Back in July, I was asked if I would contribute an article on the Fox River Trail (FRT) to a new startup magazine called “Way of the Wilds“.  Well, with the FRT being one of my favorite trails in the area and haven ridden the FRT and connecting McHenry County Prairie Trails many times, that was an easy decision.

Way of the Wilds Magazine

Way of the Wilds, Autumn 2010

The Autum issue of the magazine has been published and our article (Kerry Leigh, one of the magazine publishers, co-wrote the article with me) is on page 9 of the first issue.

I have found the magazine to be very interesting and informative with a nature and preservation theme and excellent photos. So naturally, bike trail articles are a very good fit. For me, one of the best ways to get outdoors and enjoy nature is to take a long bike ride, preferably one of the many bike trails in our area that weave through our parks, forest preserves and open fields and prairies.

I don’t know if there is a central force driving the bike trail development and improvement efforts but I have found that there have been quite a few new bike trails and extensions to existing trails over the last few years. This is an excellent gift for us cyclists (and nature lovers)!

The FRT bike article in Way of the Wilds focused on the stretch between Geneva and Algonquin which is one of the nicer parts of the trail but even after you’ve explored this part of the trail and are ready for something new there is still a lot more to the FRT and the entire connecting McHenry County Prairie Trail and the original rails-to-trails path the Illinois Prairie Path.

A side benefit of contributing the FRT article to this magazine was that I was invited to Bill Kurtis’s house (the CBS news person) for a kick off meeting for the magazine. I met Bill Kurtis and toured some of his land (in Mettawa, Il) on this little electric trolley/golf cart thing. Bill is actually very much into nature and preservation and is working hard to restore a large part of his land to it’s natural state.

Now, if he would just open up a bike trail through it (and connect it to the Des Plaines River Trail which is very close by) that would really be a nice enhancement! 🙂