Got Some Arm Sleeves

I went to Don Quijote today and stood around the beauty section while Michelle and her friend looked around. I started looking around too after a while and saw these arm sleeves hanging on the corner of an aisle.

They were $9.99 and everything was in Korean, but I could read moisture, durable, UV, and there was a picture of a bike. Unless it was trying to tell me that it retains moisture, is not durable, lets UV pass through, and to use it while riding if you want to die! Probably not though.

 

They came in a few other colors, but this was the most neutral to what I usually wear. I'll use them tomorrow!

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).

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 :/

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.