Uninam - Vietnam Unicycle Tour http://uninam.net Uninam - Vietnam Unicycle Tour - Jason Heimann :: Rider Blog en A shot in the dark http://uninam.net/index.php?blog=jason-heimann&display=33 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:28:10 -0700 Hien and I cashed in our REI gift cards and loaded up on cycling gear for cold and wet conditions. Training in the winter, we never know what kind of weather to expect.I threw on my new full-length cy[...]
I threw on my new full-length cycling tights, a new jersey and shell jacket, and hit the Stevens Creek Trail for a solo twilight ride.  My goal was to ride at least 25 km, and to scope out some new trail, as the SCT hits the SF Bay Trail, and this trail extends for many, many km around the SF Bay Area, mostly along the waterfront.

I rode nonstop through the "usual" sections of the trail Hien and I have covered many times before.  It used to seem so long, but now it flies by before I even know it.  In about 40 mins, I covered the 12 or so km that brings me to Shoreline Lake.  From here I headed out into new territory...

Quickly I was rolling along some grassy hills at the water's edge, with dozens of rabbits hopping alongside the trail.  The sunset painted the water shades of pink and orange.  The pavement ran out and I was pleased to find the dirt and gravel trail was well packed and smooth.

Arriving at a four-way split in the trail, I asked a jogger if a particular fork would take me back towards home.  He looked at me for a few beats without reply, then said "Yes, it's 5 km to the trailhead, but it's dark out there!"  I chuckled at his suggestion that 5 km was a long distance and rode on.

Resting for a snack at a man-made duck pond I checked my watch and found I had been riding an hour.  Time to head back!  The sun had disappeared behind the hills and I didn't want to do much riding in the dark when I'm in unfamiliar territory.

I hit the cranks as hard as I could on the ride back to the SCT trailhead, even though I couldn't see much of the trail.  Being stubborn, I didn't want to turn on my headlamp until I really, really had to.  The ambient lighting of the nearby parks and golf courses provided just enough light to keep me from falling in the water.

Soon enough I was back in familiar territory.  The ride home was quite dark, and once under the tree cover of the SCT I had no choice but to turn on my headlamp.  Even though it had become quite chilly, my new tights kept me warm; I remarked that it felt as if I had wrapped a blanket around my legs for the whole ride.  I'm loving my new gear!
]]> Post-Turkey Travels http://uninam.net/index.php?blog=jason-heimann&display=29 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:12:42 -0700 After three consecutive days of binging on various animal parts (lamb, turkey, cow, etc.) Hien and I had to get out and burn some calories. We first tried playing 36 holes of disc golf, but that didn'[...]
We linked up a local bike path (Los Gatos Creek Trail) with a slightly hilly loop around the Lexington reservoir.  Feeling bold, I kept my 125mm cranks on the Coker and hoped for the best... I hadn't tried to tackle a hill with those cranks before.

The weather was awesome and the trails were nearly empty.  Hien and I made short work of the bike path and hit the reservoir in less than an hour.  The hills didn't prove to be as much of a challenge as I thought and I knocked each one off without a single dismount!  It should be mentioned, though, that there was a lot of wobbling, huffing and puffing involved on a couple hills.  Definitely room for improvement, here.

After the reservoir, Hien and I stopped for a brown-bag lunch on the sidewalk of downtown Los Gatos, then took the bike path back to our car.  Even though we were both a little saddle sore, we both wanted to ride even more!  I could be wrong, but a breakfast of leftover yams, potatoes, stuffing and cranberries made for great riding fuel... I should make this a regular diet!
]]> Riding with slackers http://uninam.net/index.php?blog=jason-heimann&display=27 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:42:18 -0700 Hien and I got food poisoning after our last ride, so I haven't even thought much about unicycling for the past week... Nielfred organized a "ride for slackers" on the first weekend in November. Hien[...] Hien and I got food poisoning after our last ride, so I haven't even thought much about unicycling for the past week...

Nielfred organized a "ride for slackers" on the first weekend in November.  Hien and I were his two compatriots for this journey; we took a 28km cruise through the hills above Palo Alto.  It was a beautiful day for riding and the scenery was nice... lots of woodsy neighborhoods with fancy houses and such.  Aside from a eye-opening climb at the beginning, the ride was moderately hilly over paved roads.  No problem.

I enjoyed a little more comfort on this ride thanks to my new Fusion Freeride saddle.  I added a rail adapter (thanks Corbin!) to the seat and have yet to find its ideal position, but I found even the slightest adjustments can make worlds of difference.  At our first stop, after one hour, I was at my limit of discomfort... the setup is still far from ideal.  Hopefully the addition of a handle will help.

I also recently bought 125mm cranks, but decided to go with 152s for this ride... I'm finding the 125s require lots of relearning: how to mount, how to accelerate, how to stay balanced.  The next time I do this ride, I'll definitely use the 125s - they make the Coker feel a lot faster and comfortable.

Last weekend was a short muni ride through Corbin's neighborhood.  The ride was lots of fun but the climb back to Corbin's house was incredibly tough - even on a 24er with 165mm cranks!  My legs burnt for days... guess I need to do some hill training!

]]> Step one http://uninam.net/index.php?blog=jason-heimann&display=25 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:29:40 -0600 Hien and I have been riding off and on for a few months now, enjoying the local trails. Our neighborhood is flatter than a pancake, so we've yet to face any hills... but the constant onshore winds mak[...] Hien and I have been riding off and on for a few months now, enjoying the local trails.  Our neighborhood is flatter than a pancake, so we've yet to face any hills... but the constant onshore winds make every mile a challenge to stay upright!

I can't say how far we've ridden so far, since neither of us have any sort of odometer on our wheels... but that won't be a problem for much longer!  I recently purchased a Cateye Enduro 8 and am improvising a mount (and extra magnet) for my Coker so we can track our mileage.  I'll be getting a second one for Hien very soon.

Cateye Enduro 8

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