Max Speed 26.7 MPH!

 Improved my max speed today.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 1.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 95 ft
Moving Time: 0:10:39
Max Speed: 26.7 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.4 mi/hr
Calories: 67

I was suppose to just ride around the block a few times tonight to keep things safe, but I immediately got bored after only one round and headed straight up the next hill I saw. I definitely switched to low gear for that one WOW. I'm getting a better hang of when to switch and which lever to push, but I still get confused with the front derailleur levers and always switch low when I want to switch high or vice versa. Cars were zooming by relatively fast when I got to the T at the end of the road. I waited until I couldn't see any more and then turned left down the hill. I started switching gears and got to the max of the rear derailleur pretty quickly, so I went for the gear change with the front. Right when the lever clicked, the pedals started going super fast! I panicked and started pressing levers like crazy until the gears started to grab again. WHEW! Wasn't too scary, but I probably could have gone faster! The road was so unfamiliar and poorly lit though that it was probably a blessing in disguise that I didn't. Anyway, max Speed 26.7 MPH! lol

Rode a Little Farther With the Lights Today

Really got to test out my lights today. Rode 2.9 miles through the neighborhood after the sun went down. The front light of the Bell Radian Light Set didn't do too bad. It looked a little washed out in the city lights, but did pretty well in less lit areas. I set it to it's stobe mode and it was noticeably more visible under the bright lights. I might buy a second set. I didn't get rear ended, so I guess the rear light worked ok.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 2.9 mi
Elevation Gain: 41 ft
Moving Time: 0:16:15
Max Speed: 21.0 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.9 mi/hr
Calories: 74

When I rode through Beretania Street on Saturday, I noticed how bad the road actually was. The one mile I rode through today wasn't any better. If they're not going to put any dedicated bike lanes on these streets, they should at least make them smoother. I had a hard time hugging the curb in fear of hitting a pot hole. On my route, I also went over two bridges going over the H1. The first one was on Mc Cully Street which had a bike lane, and the second one was on Keeaumoku Street which didn't. Sidewalks were pretty narrow too and would have been inconvenient if there were pedestrians. I'm sure the pedestrians would be saying the same thing though lol.

Testing a Route to Work

I tried testing out a route to and from work, but instead just tested the way there. On the return trip home, I decided to take Ala Moana Boulevard which followed the coast instead of cutting through downtown.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 9.1 mi
Elevation Gain: 91 ft
Moving Time: 0:56:23
Max Speed: 24.9 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 9.6 mi/hr
Calories: 227

The ride to work took under 20 minutes and I would guess was about 2.8 miles. I rode through Beretania Street and had my first encounter with a Strava Segment. Strava Segments are routes that are created by Strava users. The segments are automatically challenged when ridden through. As of now, I am 111th/114 place through the segment titled, Beretania Dip. lol

The ride back was beautiful but windy! I never knew how powerful the wind could be while riding a bike upright. With my arms out on the grips of the flat low rise handlebar, I acted like a sail and seriously felt like I was losing at least 5 mph (probably more, I don't have a computer and I'm bad at judging speed). I decided to take a break from Ala Moana Boulevard, to avoid the wind and ride around Kakaako Park. I always see scuba divers here and there are stairs where you can walk into the water.  I think it's a rocky drop off (I don't really know what that means, but I've heard it before and felt it appropriate lol).

I rode the length of the sidewalk running along the coast and then went back on Ala Moana Blvd to head home. Of course I stopped by 7-11 to pick up some C2o Coconut Water before finishing.

First Ride, Tune-Up, Lock, Reflectors, and Brakes

Had a great first ride out today. Went to the LBS repair shop and back home totaling 5.6 miles.

Strava Stats

To the Repair Shop
Distance: 2.3 mi
Elevation Gain: 0 ft
Moving Time: 0:15:18
Max Speed: 18.0 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 9.0 mi/hr
Calories: 42

Back Home
Distance: 3.3 mi
Elevation Gain: 38 ft
Moving Time: 0:21:18
Max Speed: 22.8 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 9.3 mi/hr
Calories: 81

I took my bike to the McCully Bike & Sporting Goods Repair Shop for a tune-up and the guy there was very accommodating. He took a quick look over my bike and snuck me in a waiting time slot since everything looked fine. He told me to come back in an hour or so, so I went to Longs, got some C2o Coconut Water, then headed a few blocks toward the LBS.

I have been looking at bike locks online and previously thought that all locks were the same, until I watched some videos on how to properly lock your bike. I got really interested in Kryptonite locks because they have a key replacement program if you happen to lose all of your keys. I got the Kryptonite Kryptolok Series U-Lock with Transit FlexFrame Bracket and 4-Foot Flex Cable and the key numbers are etched into the plastic part of the key end. Amazon currently had them for under $40, but I needed it ASAP, so I just went ahead and supported my LBS.

Just fyi though, most if not all of the KRYPTONITE LOCKS SOLD AT WALMART DO NOT HAVE THE REQUIRED KEY NUMBER TO RECEIVE KEY REPLACEMENTS! (i peeked inside the boxes and checked)

Anyway, I asked the LBS if they sold reflectors and they just gave me a pair for free. They ended up being too small though :/

 

 

I also got a small cable to lock down the seat, but I am still debating if I should use it or not.

 

 

I headed back to the repair shop after an hour and my bike was ready. The guy said that he adjusted my brakes and gears and that most everything checked out, but the rear brakes were down to the metal. He replaced them and said to always replace the brakes because they are only $5 toward your safety and are very easy to replace myself. He charged me $20 and even installed the new lock I just bought on the bike. Seemed like a great place, so I will probably bring all of my bike problems to them lol. Does anyone know what brand of brakes these are?

 

 

The rest of the ride was a little nerve wrecking, trying to get used to driving on the road, but eventually I retreated back to the sidewalk. I took a different route to get back home taking in the beautiful local scenery (less busy streets).

Registering a Bike in Hawaii

I looked online for some information on registering my bike and basically, there isn't so much. Everyone is just repeating:

"All bicycles with 20 inches or larger wheels are required to be registered in the City and County of Honolulu" bla bla bla, but what did I need to do? Well first of all, DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT website. They list that the Kaneohe Satellite City Hall as being open on Saturday (which they are not) and that they do bicycle registrations (which they do not). Anyway, here's what you need to do if you purchased a bike from Craigslist and the bike has not been previously registered.

1. Note your Make, Year, Color, SERIAL NUMBER, Body Type, Number of Speeds, and Wheel Size.

1. You will need to go to a Satellite City Hall. Call whichever one you want to go to and their recording will say if they do bicycle registrations or not.

2. Once there, go to the table of forms and take the application for bicycles and mopeds. This is only one of the three forms that you will need. If the other two are not on the table, they'll be behind the counter and you will need to ask for them (I forgot what the forms were but just ask any person behind the counter for the forms needed to register a bike lol sorry!).

3. One of the forms will ask for previous owner information. The only things you will need to fill out are Craigslist for previous owner, and the date acquired.

4. Fill out the rest of the forms, get in line, turn in your forms, and pay $15! When you get your receipt, MAKE SURE THE SERIAL NUMBER IS CORRECT! They got mine wrong the first time. They will then tell you that your sticker will be sent in the mail and to call a number if you don't get it within 10 days. The number is (808) 733-2540 and it calls the Special Services Branch Taxicab / Bike / Moped.

Good luck guys and let me know if I got any of that wrong :)

My bike is ready for tomorrow!

Bike Lights: Bell Radian Light Set

I rode the bike around the block after work today and quickly realized that I needed some lights. I actually also needed some reflectors since the bike didn't even have any! So off to the LBS I went.

The employee at McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods (which is not even at McCully btw) recommended the Blackburn Click Combo Light. They were a pair of nice looking front and rear lights that were easy to install and remove. The lenses clicked in to turn on and off and could either be steady or have a strobe effect (actually pretty standard for most bike lights). The set was around $20 at the store and was currently the same price on Amazon.

The price was perfect, but I didn't want to have to take the lights on and off the bike just so they wouldn't get stolen off the rack. I looked at a few other lights and had a problem with all of them, so I decided to just go home.

When I got home, Michelle asked if we could go to Walmart (of course I said yes! I love roaming Walmart for some reason). I went straight to the bike section and looked around. They carried mostly Bell and Schwinn gear which all had a cheaper look and feel to them compared to the stuff at the bike shop. One light set caught my eyes though.

It was the Bell Radian Light Set which was priced under $17! I liked them because the packaging said they were waterproof and shockproof. Complaints on Amazon for bike lights were usually water seeping into the casing or the light just falling off or apart, so these were perfect! They also attached using hex key screws which I liked.

Also picked up some bandanas, so the sweat doesn't drip down my face while biking.

Forgot about the reflectors though :/

Biking Every Day

I really want to ride my bike every day. I hear of people riding their bikes 25 miles each day and as much as I want to be like them, it will probably be impossible until I retire. It's great having a regular 8-5pm job since I always have my weekends to myself, but each weekday is pretty much just work and sleep! Uhhh the life... Anyway, just joined Strava. Hoping to get more than the occasional ride.

Got a Helmet: Bell XLV

Got a Bell XLV Bike Helmet today. Actually went to the LBS (LBS means local bike store or shop in the online biking community) yesterday, but thought it was a little expensive. Checked online and it was around $30 on Amazon. Great price, but couldn't wait, so I came back to the LBS earlier and paid the $39.98+tax. The store's name is McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods if anyone is interested.

I measured my head the day before and the largest circumference was a whopping 59cm! I have a big head lol. The size range stated on the inside of the helmet is 58-65cm. I could fit a regular size, but I wanted to wear a bandana under my helmet and this XL one fit pretty well with one. The Bell XLV Bike Helmet comes in black, white, or silver and is an extra large size version of the Bell Venture Bike Helmet.