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i was out riding on monday evening and thought my back wheel was feeling weird. i remember hearing something on the ride downtown but i ignored it. anyhow, i coast to a stop and get off my bike to check it out. yep, another broken spoke … needless to say i was a bit miffed. 3 years old and this thing was already starting to show it’s age. i jump back on my bike and finish my ride.


when i got home i put my bike up on the wall and started feeling the rear wheel for loose spokes and maybe some other broken ones. my hands flow over a few spokes and then i touched one and it literally peels off with a piece of the flange from the hub. yea, the hub of my rear wheel broke on contact. i was flabbergasted. this isn’t a cheap hub either, it’s a hugi 240 which shouldn’t fail like this.


after researching it and talking to my guy at my lbs i took the wheel in today to have the hub sent in. it’s actually technically 3 months past the warranty date (3 years) but i’ve heard good things about dt swiss and their product support. if it isn’t then i have to build a new rear wheel, needless to say i won’t be getting my pedals just yet if this happens. just in case the hub isn’t covered under warranty i’ve started researching new hubs. it looks like chris king is the way to go if i need to go this route. but let’s hope it’s covered as their products aren’t cheap.


after looking at the specs of my current rear wheel i understand why it failed as soon as it did. first it only had 15/18 gauge spokes which is way to light weight for someone my size. secondly after so many spokes had broken over time i should have had it relaced. instead i had a wheel with strong spokes mixed with old stressed spokes that were different gauges. when i get my new wheel i plan on building it with stronger gauge spokes (14/15g - lower is stronger in spokes) to support my riding style and girth, i need that extra lateral strength.


i’ll let you know tomorrow if i’m going to be pedal-less the rest of the year.

well i’m still looking for pedals. i went to my local bike shop (lbs) today and tried on some shoes and decided on the sidi dominator 4 mega. they felt like i was wearing slippers, really comfortable. i then started looking at pedals and thought i knew what i wanted. instead i was a bit more confused, but i know what i want to test now. i’m going to test out the speedplay frogs, shimano pd-m646, and the crank bros. egg beaters. i used to ride the shimano pedals but when i bought them i used them as a generic platform because i was planning on buying some shoes. anyhow, needless to say these pedals weren’t meant to be generic platform pedals and they broke after a few months. if i remember right they have some plastic in their construction, which was where they broke down. if that is the case i’ll be removing these from consideration pretty quickly.


like i said last week, the important factors for me a the amount of float, support of the platform, and durability of the construction. amy thinks that i may be researching this too much, in some ways i agree, but i just hate to spend good money on something that is going to break in a few months. we’ll see how they perform later in the week, after i test a few. i’ll keep you updated.

my workouts are going well, i lost another 3 pounds this week. my workouts have been going great and my eating is pretty much perfect as well. a few days weren’t perfect but darn close. this week i’m planning on getting some additional evening bike riding in for a few extra calories. i’m also looking for a perfect workout week. last week amy and i skipped one workout but i can honestly tell you it worked wonders. i’ve felt a lot more rested since then and as such has some great workouts.

brawnski and i went for a bike ride on saturday. we rode almost the entire bike path on the lake front in downtown chicago. we parked about 2 miles south of the mccormick center. we started by riding south about 5 miles and then back north to the car. we then went north about 10 miles and then returned back to the car. in all we rode about 29.66 miles, the whole lakefront is 18 miles (36 round trip). there was only a bit more south and a bit more north that we didn’t ride.


the wind was pretty crazy and easily the hardest wind i’ve ever ridden in. if i had to guess i’d say that it added another 10 miles to the ride, we were pretty wasted at the end. i haven’t sweated that much in a ride ever. my helmet strap was white on the bottom from all of the salt i lost. next time i go on a ride over an hour (this one was 2 h 15 m) i want to bring some gatoraid to replenish some of my electrolytes. i think i was bonking faster because of low electrolytes.

i was motivated to write down what motivates me to work out and bicycle after reading a thread with just the same topic at bike forums. so what motivates me (in no particular order):

• it’s about getting from 450 to 200 pounds (currently @ 360)
• it’s about being able to play with my kids someday without getting out of breath
• it’s about stress and frustration relief
• it’s about me time
• it’s about being there for amy till we’re old and gray
• it’s about beating mother nature and genetics
• it’s about showing people how dedication and perseverance can tackle any problem
• it’s about being happy, healthy, and feeling great
• it’s about pushing my body that extra mile, because i can
• it’s about being called fat my whole life
• it’s about getting stares because i’m large
• it’s about fitting into clothes comfortably
• it’s about getting back to nature
• it’s about inspiring others and leading by example
• it’s about me

what motivates you?

my word of the day … the persistent conviction that one is or is likely to be effected by a bug or problem with technology, often involving symptoms when problems are neither present nor likely, and persisting despite reassurance and technological evidence to the contrary.

i’m in the market for some new bicycle pedals. i’m looking for some clipless pedals that can take a beating and still remain intact. i’ve started by reading reviews and asking a few questions. over at the forums i’m known as a clydesdale, actually a super clydesdale by one persons rating. no they’re not being mean, it’s just a friendly way of categorizing an above average weight rider. since most cyclist are under 200 pounds anyone above that is deemed a clydesdale. i kind of like the term but then again i’m a bit weird.


anyhow, back on topic, i’ve been looking at the pedals from speedplay and shimano. specifically the speedplay zero, speedplay x2, and shimano spd r600. obviously i’m looking for a solid build that isn’t going to break. i don’t mind paying a bit in exchange for something that will last longer. i also don’t mind a little maintenance if needed. i want pedals that i can get in and out of quickly as i’m not an avid faller. finally i want pedals that have a decent amount of float. float is the technical term for a feature on some clipless pedals that gives your feet a higher level of rotation for a more natural and comfortable pedaling motion. being heavy i worry about my knees hurting with fixed position pedals. i have a lot more to research but i’m looking to make a purchase some time soon so i can start getting accustomed to them.