We had a nice family ride, a short but fun 10 miles. We asked our new neighbor Alice to go along and she did, riding Jeanne’s EZ-1. She seemed to enjoy it and I think she’ll go again. She has a bike, just not a recumbent. I think she may be a convert. Yesterday, she rode in the driveway a bit to acclimate. However, I didn’t think she was ready for the ride from home, not with the Friday early-morning traffic, so, I put the EZ-1 in Alice’s truck and followed her on my Stratus XP. I pulled into the parking lot as she was parking, hitting 24 mph along the way. Jeanne, Kurt, and Kevin left a minute or two before but were not there and we didn’t pass them so they must have taken a slightly different route. Well, in any event, here’s everyone ready to start at the USM trail head, sans me.

Here’s my description of the painting as I described it on BROL.

“We went to Home Depot, she picked out the paint and we got home just before dark; well, the sun was below the shop roof. I rushed it because we were ridding in the morning and she wanted to wear it. I washed the helmet, rubbed the surface with a coarse cloth, masked with tape, and set up a work area outside. Then … crap. I rushed too much. I usually spray a tiny bit, work on something else as it dries in the sun, stray some more. But, it was getting dark. I created some paint runs. I wiped it off. What a mess. I sprayed again going a little slower. It did not look so good. I was sick over it. Jeanne hugged me and said it looked good. It did not. She is so sweet. However, after it dried I removed the tape and buffed it. It did not look so bad, especially if you did not look close. In the morning with sun on it it looked really good. So, when you see us don’t look too close.”

Jeanne’s ride was short. I think she was tired from the weekend trip to the Neshobe County Fair, so, we turned at Jackson Road for a 10 mile ride, resting there for awhile. One thing I like about the Long Leaf Trace is meeting people. We met this family group at the turnaround, mom, dog, two daughters. Mom had a real nice English accent. Jeanne told her about spending a summer of study in England. The oldest daughter needed to use the rest room but just had to go in all by herself. When she came out she performed for us a bit, dancing about, ignoring her mom’s encouragement to get back aboard. As they finally rode on we headed home. I put Jeanne’s bike in the bike barn and then headed out for some additional riding, another 32 miles. If it had not happened just that way the timing would not have been right for me to meet James and Manda at Clyde Depot.

James remembered me from USM. I remembered him as being one of the best students we’d ever had. I mentioned that and Manda said he was always a 100% kind of guy. Actually, he was a 100%+ kind of guy, doing much more that meeting requirements. They were doing a shorter ride than normal for them as because of a dental appointment. I enjoyed the visit, especially seeing them as a couple.

This weekend’s rides were well coordinated, for one of us anyway. So much so that I imagined the following conversation:

Stranger: What bikes do you have?
Jeanne: Well, I have one to match my orange outfit and one to match my blue.

Saturday was an orange day and Sunday a blue. Most rides will have an orange theme but Sunday she wanted to ride her old bike in order to compare it to the new. She says she will always love the EZ-1 but will probably only occasionally ride it. She likes the new Tour Easy more and observes that less effort is required for the same results. Part of this is due to the Tour Easy’s lesser weight, 30 pounds vs the EZ-1’s 39 pounds. After experiencing the difference that weight can make, especially in acceleration, she wants to try the P-38 again. It only weighs 26 pounds. I guess the EZ-1 will mostly rest in the bike barn awaiting a guest rider. It is a great learning bike.

About bike shoes: They are not the same as regular shoes, they have a stiffer sole. The stiff sole spreads the pressure across the bottom of the foot which is especially important with the use of very-small-surface pedals such as those designed to use cleats. Also, some people say that a soft sole absorbs too much energy when compressed on each stroke. In any event, the stiff sole seems to contribute to a condition called "hot foot". However, there are some things you can do to relieve this unpleasantry, e.g.

1. Wear shoes that allow your feet to expand as they swell, e.g. sandals
2. Adjust tightness of straps
3. Use soft inserts; to heck with inefficiency
4. Pull up on the up stroke to temporarily relieve pressure
5. Massage your feet at rest stops as Jeanne is doing in the photo above.

I’m usually not bothered by it anymore (except on really long rides); seems to improve with riding experience. I wear sandals, as does Jeanne, and practice methods 2 and 4 above when I feel a hot spot developing.

Mine is called a Tadpole Trike and has two wheels in front of the third. Mine also has under-seat steering whereas his has above-seat steering. He sits high and more upright; I sit low and more laid back. His is easier to get into and out of; mine is faster because of reduced aero-drag. His has slightly bigger wheels (20 inch dia.); wish mine did as some tadpoles do.

Here they are, side by side (please click on the thumbnail). The pile of leaves in the background is were I park the bikes to lubricate the chain. The leaves absorb the overflow.

On a previous ride I overheard a road-bike rider proclaim that my wheels (16 inch dia.) were about the size of the ones on the trailer he pulls behind his bike. I guess size does matter.

Our Saturday ride was brightened by meeting Mark and Dawn, a charming and positive couple. They were out for a run which  is obviously agreeing with them.