Seminole Heights River Loop ride - Sept. 15

Friend of Spoke 'N' Word and fellow blogger Alan Snel is hosting a 5.2 mile cruise through Seminole Heights on Saturday, September 15 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Designed for families, kids or anyone who loves riding, the ride will take 12th Street north past Sligh Avenue to Park Circle down at the Hillsborough River. After a turn around on Park Circle at the dead end at the golf course, it will head back to 10th Street. Enjoy the tree-cover and old-time Florida feel of the canopy. It will stop at Mile 3 at Patterson Park on the Hillsborough River for a few minutes. Then head back to east Powhatan Avenue, but not without including a loop around Lake Roberta.

The ride will start at Alan's house. If you'd like to participate, please email Alan. I've added this great event to the Spoke N Word calendar, so click the button below to add it to your Google calendar.

Photo by Alan Snel

Prepare to suffer - 13 hours of Santos

By JESSICA MUNDIE, Times Correspondent

Florida's fall mountain bike racing season kicks off this weekend with the 13 Hours of Santos Sunday, September 1. You read that right, it's a 13 hour race, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Santos Trails in Belleview. Riders loop around the 9-mile course, teams and solo riders mixed together, all vying for part of the $4,000 prize purse for most completed laps during the 13 hours.

"Each lap gets harder and harder if you are racing fast," said Jennifer "Generator" Turner Team Chainwheel Drive/Specialized who won last year's solo woman first-place award. "Setting up your fluids and nutrition ahead of time is the smartest plan. Race experience is what you rely on to make those decisions, and they can make or break the race for riders out there all day."

Practice riding and camping are available for riders and their supporters and pit crews. There may still be entries available for solo riders and team riders, which may consist of up to four team members.

For details, call Terry and Dave Berger at (352) 873-9279, or check out goneriding.com.

What is it like riding for 13 hours straight? Check out these testimonials I found, here and here.

 

Eurobike is German for "carbon fiber"

As the largest of the European bike trade shows, and probably second only to Interbike, Eurobike is often the first spot for the public to get a glimpse of the news cycling goodies for the following product year. Held in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this year, the show features 853 exhibitors from 39 countries. Some early sightings:

New carbon fiber Dura-Ace cranks
These are said to weigh in at 709 grams, a competitor to SRAM's new Red cranks and their 750 grams. They are not 100% carbon, but feature a aluminum hollow core that allows them light without sacrificing stiffness. There will be no compact option and pricing is yet to be announced.

Speedplay Zero Nanogram pedals
Weighing in at an impossibly light 62 grams (vs. 82 grams for the Zero Ti model), Speedplay as found ways to include even more carbon. These said to be the first pedals to use carbon ball bearings. Of course, you may have to lose a few pounds yourself to ride them. They have a 185-pound weight limit.

Selle Optima Saddle
Because tri-geeks have already resigned themselves to looking ridiculous, Selle has developed the Optima saddle with an incorporated carbon bottle cage.

Check out this video on the new SRAM Red group

Keep checking back in for the latest from Eurobike.

Photos via Bicycling magazine.

Bike porn

There must be hundreds of bike photos stored on my hard drive. I have my iMac set to scroll through them as a screen saver. There are all kinds of bikes in all kinds of styles. Some are abstract. Some are bizarre. Some just make me wish I were riding right now.

Most of these come from Flickr. The search function is cool, but for the hardcore bike porn addict like myself, the RSS feeds from the photo pools are where it's at.

There are tons of these pools. Bike Nation. Steel Bike Gallery. Stolen Bikes. Fixed Gear / Singlespeed. Even Bicycles Underwater. One of the coolest is Panda Portraits, people who snap photos while riding. My new favorite is the recently added Concept Bicycles, which is where the hand-drawn road bike sketch below came from.

Simply add the URL to your favorite RSS reader and every time someone submits a photo to that gallery it will shoot its way off to your computer for your... enjoyment. Be warned, some of these pools receive dozens of submissions a day.

Beat the heat - Riding through a Florida summer

No need to check out the weather report each day. If you've lived through a Florida summer before you know what that heat is like. The air feels thick. The sun is blinding. While summer days are hardly the best time to ride here, there's no reason to leave your bike lonesome in the garage until fall. Here's some tips I've learned to keep cool.

1. Get used to it. No, I'm not trying to sound like a tough guy. It takes your body days, weeks or months to get accustomed to pushing the limits in the heat. Build up to a full intensity workout slowly.

2. Know when to stop. Know the symptoms of heat illness and listen to your body. Accept the fact that you will not be as fast during the hottest days.

3. Ride early in the day or late in the evening. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it's true. Dawn is actually the coolest part of the day, even cooler than midnight.

4. Drink more fluids. Chances are you're not drinking enough. Finishing a 24 oz. water bottle for each hour is a good rule-of-thumb. Start drinking hours before your workout and when you finish your ride, finish your water bottles. The key is to remain well hydrated throughout the day, not just when you're riding. Try experimenting with sports drinks before you being using them on longer rides. Not all will taste good when warm or agree with your stomach during workouts. Many people find diluting them with water works best.

5. Stay wet. Take an extra water bottle full of water and liberally douse yourself whenever you need it. Don't forget the legs too. Sweat cools the body by evaporating off the skin. No harm in letting the water help it along.

6. Wear the proper clothing. Cotton t-shirts are the worst thing you can wear. Cycling gear just plain works. Jerseys and shorts are made from materials that don't retain moisture. If you're not into looking like an alien riding down the road, go to a department store and get some workout shirts made of quick-drying material. Light colored clothing is always more comfortable. Don't forget the helmet. Black might be the most common, but white or silver will keep your noggin cooler.

7. Sunscreen. Forget that old tale of how sunscreen keeps you from sweating. Even if it did I'd rather worry about that than be covered with horrible sunburn and risking melanoma. It's waterproof SPF50 all the way.

8. Relax before you get in the shower. One thing I've learned is that it takes your body a good 20 minutes to cool off once you're inside. If you jump right in the shower right away, you'll keep sweating when you get out. Take a few minutes and stretch, have a snack or finish your water bottles.

Anyone got tips of their own?

No plans for Labor Day?

Head out to Greenville, S.C., home of the 2007 USA Cycling Pro Championships. Last year's road race featured an epic battle between heavyweight hitters and Tour de France regulars George Hincapie of Discovery Channel and Levi Leipheimer, who is racing as George's teammate this season, shedding all other contenders on the climb up Paris Mountain [pdf] en route to George's win. Both have committed to returning this year, Levi having just finished third in this summer's Tour de France.

The time trial is 11 a.m. Saturday, the road race 1 p.m. Sunday. Visit the official Web site for all kinds of news as well as live video and GPS updates.

Two more great events

First up is Commuter Choices Week, October 1-5, an annual event sponsored by Bay Area Commuter Services. It is designed as a fun way to remind the public of the various options of commuting to and from work other than driving alone. These options include carpooling, vanpooling, transit, biking, walking, teleworking and alternative work programs. Even if you only use alternative transportation for your commute one day a week, you'll be doing the environment and yourself a favor. If you've ever wanted to try riding your bike to work, this is the week to do it.

Next up is the 2nd annual Bicycle Bash By The Bay, November 4 at Vinoy Park in St. Pete. SWFBUD is putting together a full day of activities to celebrate cycling in Tampa Bay. Take part in a swap meet, mountain and bike camping demos, a bicycle donation station, bike stunts, free bicycle gear and bike rides to and from the event. Non-profit cycling advocacy groups are encouraged to attend and take advantage of free exhibition space. This year food, drink and retail vendors are also invited to attend. Of course, Spoke 'N' Word will be there too, signing autographs (but probably only on my credit card receipts as I do some shopping). John Sinibaldi Jr., son of cycling legend John Sinibaldi and accomplished cyclist in his own right, will be the emcee. If you are a food and drink vendors as well as vendors who sell any goods, services or items used by cyclists and you'd like to put together a display or booth, contact Alan Snel. I'll post more info as the date nears.

UPDATE: Alan asked I pass along the flier and poster for the Bicycle Bash. Print and share.

Don't forget to click the link below to add the calendar!

Required reading

There seems to be so many bike blogs these days that it amazes me that the Internet's tubes have not been clogged. Or perhaps it just seems that way because I try to read them all. I try to bring you the best of what's out there, but there are some great local cycling blogs that are with a spin.

Alan Snel - Bike Stories
Alan is a fixture in the Tampa Bay cycling community. He is currently the marketing director of the South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers (SWFBUD). He also represents bicycle seat maker Steve Toll of Tampa, who has come out with a new bicycle saddle that takes the pressure off.

Spokes 'N' Folks
I'll give credit where credit is due. Though our blogs have similar names, JHop in Miami had his first. Spokes 'N' Folks has tons of great commentary and news analysis from around Florida. As he spends more time with the Green Mobility Network he's also looking for interested parties to contribute content to his site, so if you're interested in covering cycling in Florida, drop him a line.

Florida Bicycle Association
The FBA is a not-for-profit, member driven organization created to inspire and support people and communities to enjoy greater freedom and well being through bicycling. They unite all types of cyclists to create a statewide bicycling community bound together in common pursuit of a more bicycle-friendly Florida. Learn more at their home page.

Tampa BayCycle
Created by Julie Bond, Tampa BayCycle is a great resource for commuters and recreational cyclists. They promote cycling as an intelligent transportation alternative. Julie is the Executive Director of the New North Transportation Alliance (more on Julie and NNTA in a future post). Check out their home page for more.

Spoke 'N' Word endorses...

Another installment in a series of cycling products that just plain work.

Photo: Adam Newman

There are a lot of tire levers out there. Most come in pairs or sets of three. They all work pretty much the same. Except for one. Next time you're at your local shop, take a peek. Chances are you'll see this little yellow gem chillin' in the pen slot of your mechanic's Park Tools apron. It's a Quik Stik, and one is all you need. This one here is mine. Yeah, it's seen better days, but it's held tough through plenty of abuse. Those skinny, clip-together levers might fit a little easier under high-performance road tires, but I can only imagine how many I would have broken by now. If it's possible for a tire lever to have street cred, this one does.

Quik Stik by AC Int'l  |  $5 or so  | Available at most bike shops

Know of a cool cycling product that you couldn't live without? Send a photo, tell us why and we'll feature it here.

Cycling is a transportation solution

The Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization has been gathering input from the community regarding the next generation of transportation solutions. The purpose of the MPO Transit Study is to assess transit service needs in Hillsborough County relative to mobility, economic vitality and overall quality of life. The MPO is having an open house in the MOSI lobby on Saturday, August 25, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. This is a great opportunity for cyclists to let our voice be heard. Commuter rain, light rain, better bus service, it's all a possibility, but as Tampa Bay expands over the next generation, cycling infrastructure should be considered as well.

Oh, and participants get discount tickets to their next MOSI visit.

Upcoming cycling events in Tampa Bay

On Saturday, August 25 the new Treasure Island Causeway Bridge will official celebrate its grand opening. The ceremony begins at 9 a.m. with the bridge being closed to traffic. At 10:45 there will be a ribbon cutting, a dedication and a ceremonial bicycle crossing. This may be the shortest organized ride I've ever heard about, but there will be commemorative T-shirts for sale!

I also wanted to let you know about a cool new feature. I put together a Google Calendar for Spoke 'N' Word that Google account users can subscribe to. It contains many upcoming cycling events in Tampa Bay and Central Florida. Just click on the button below to subscribe. As always, if there are events you would like to see featured here or on the calendar, just let me know. If you haven't been using Google's Gmail email, RSS reader (to read this blog!) and Calendar functions, I highly recommend you check them out. After all, it's free!

Ride to work? Get an emergency ride home

Bay Area Commuter Services, one of FLDOT's commuter service programs, offers an emergency ride home program so you'll never get stranded at work if you carpool, vanpool, ride the bus or cycle to work at least twice a week. Register with BACS and you'll be eligible for free (or low-cost) taxi service in case of a personal or family emergency, unscheduled overtime, sickness or if your carpool partner has an emergency.
Just call BACS at 1-800-998-RIDE (7433). You'll receive an emergency ride ID card and a voucher. The voucher lists names and numbers of participating taxi companies. Just complete your section of the voucher, have it signed by your supervisor and give it to the driver. You can use the program up to eight times a year! You can also find an online registration form here.

The fine print: Customers will have the first $100 of their taxi fare paid. Anything in excess of $100 will be billed to the employee. You must re-register for the ERH Program every year.

UPDATE: I've learned that USF students at the main camps and in St. Pete now qualify for the ride home service. You still have to sign up ahead of time.

She has a lot of potential

An 8-year-old girl, who recently moved with her family to Deland from Columbus, Ohio, decided she was afraid of the approaching Hurricane Dean and decided to pedal back to Ohio. She made it about a mile up the road before Volusia County Sheriff's deputies found her safe. She was only 900 miles short of her destination.

Story via the Orlando Sentinel

Got any pics of yourself as a kid, riding off into the sunset? Or maybe just to the end of the block? Send 'em in and I'll post them here.

Trail to Trail race

Dig mountain biking but want to try a road race? Are you a roadie who thinks he can show up those fat tire fans? Or maybe you and a buddy think you're the best at each. Check out the Trail to Trail race this Saturday (Aug. 19) at Loyce E. Harper Park (formerly known as Carter Road) in Lakeland. This unique event hosted by Red Trail Racing features at 45 minute mountain bike ride, a 35 mile road ride and then back to the woods for another lap of the singletrack. Registration is from 7-9 a.m. There is a riders meeting at 9:15, a kids race at 9:30 and then the mass start at 10!

Classes include: Solo men, solo women, all mountain bike, clydesdale, fun men's team, serious men's team, all-women's and co-ed. Registration is $35 solo, $75 team and free for kids.

Want to see what trail is like? Check out this vid:

Snake Ridge at Loyce Harp Park in Lakeland

UF's Greene wins Top Dog Tri

[Today's post is brought to you by St. Petersburg Times correspondent Jessica Mundie - Adam]

Dabbling in Triathlons, UF's Greene wins Top Gun

University Of Florida senior Matthew Greene won the Top Gun Triathlon swim 0.25 mile, bike 10 miles, and run 3.1 miles at Fort DeSoto Park with a time of 54 minutes, 56 seconds on August 4.

Greene (Tri Gators Team), 22, dashed out of the water in 8 minutes, 7 seconds, and his 24-minute bike split kept him at the front of the jam-packed field. Greene led the field of more than 700 competitors.

"I know that the spectators liked my fast cyclocross dismount at the end of the bike segment," Greene said. "But I never raced cyclocross or mountain bikes. I'm a nuclear scientist, and I plan to go in the Navy next year. I'm just playing at triathlons for now."

Women's elite division winner at the event was Melissa Miller, 25, of Wesley Chapel, with a time of 1:01:45. Masters winner Kathy Frailing (Team Outspokin), 40, of Largo, won her division in 1:00:15.

Division winners include: John Gerard Farese, 12, St. Petersburg; Lucas Caron, 16, Palm Harbor; Andrew Canning, 20, St. Petersburg; Art Halttunen, 57, St. Petersburg; George Chase, 60, St. Pete Beach; Mark Parish, 70, Clearwater; Hal Cook, 80, Tarpon Springs; and Clydesdale winner Rick Downs, North Redington Beach.

Winning women in the county included: Bethany Saunders, 14, Treasure Island; Erin Kowal, 34, North Redington Beach; Jill Voorhis, 47, St. Petersburg; Kathy Dodd, 55, Clearwater; Katie Knight-Perry, 72, St. Petersburg; Athena winner Laura Fauver, 28, St. Petersburg; and Athena 40+ winner Lori Worden, 43, of Palm Harbor.

Next up is the Suncoast Triathlon, Sat. October 27. Registration is now open.

Fall mountain biking

The season for offroad racing is approaching, as flyers and posters are circulating around area bicycle shops to announce The 13 Hours Of Santos (pdf) on Labor Day weekend at Santos Trails in Belleview, Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Practice riding and camping are allowed, and early registration is recommended. For details and other information on mountain bike racing, call Gone Riding's Terry and Dave Berger at (352) 873-9279 or visit www.goneriding.com.

Fixed gear fever

Pinellas County Planning Department has a cycling advocate, dedicated bicycle commuter and antique bicycle collector in staffer Chip Haynes. The enthusiastic Haynes has written a dozen cycling books and guides, including the familiar green spiral-bound Pinellas Trail Guide.

Haynes is a fixture among the fixed-gear, single-speed bike crowd, and his collection includes numerous fixed-gear bikes, a rickshaw and a few antique cruisers. Even his Vespa includes a sidecar.

"My wife JoAnn and I just met Michael Davis, who owns a shop in St. Petersburg called 66 Fixed," Clearwater's Haynes said. "This group is also known as The Geezers Too Grumpy To Shift, but not exactly. ... I've been riding a fixie for years, so it was a blast to see all those great fixed-gear machines in one place."

For more information on collecting antique bicycles, contact Haynes at ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us To learn more about fixed-gear bicycles, call Davis at (727) 823-1563, or check out www.66fixed.com.

Ford Ironman Florida

The following area triathletes will participate in the event November 3 in Panama City Beach: Frailing, Parish, Bill Ballew, Dunedin; Joe Bonness, Naples; Matthew Bydalek, Lutz; Daniel Diaco, Tampa; Pete Dubbeld, St. Petersburg; David Geldbart, Pinellas Park; Anders Heidemann, Largo; Pam Kallio, Tampa; Lynne Krueger, St. Petersburg; Bob Moorehead, St. Petersburg; Charles Raska, Port Richey; and Chuck Stovall, Tampa.

Times correspondent Jessica Mundie can be reached at sptimescycling@yahoo.com.

Send your pics

If you attended any of these events and have photos or stories you'd like to share, please send them in and I'll post them here.

The Bike of Doom

Still think it's crazy to invest in a nice bike from the Local Bike Shop? Canadian blogger Steve George paid $99 for the Bike of Doom, a SuperCycle 1800 18 Speed Men's Mountain Bike (A Huffy Blackwater in the U.S.) to see how it would hold up under the daily rigors of commuting. The results so far? Since March, George has racked up $140 in repairs with several more needed soon. On the other hand, he says, he's learning a lot about bicycle repair.

Need something a little nicer but need to burn off that Big Box store gift card? Check out the $477 carbon fiber Huffy Technica C5 mountain bike. Simply terrifying.

Not everyone is convinced...

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) created quite a stir last week with his "antiquated" views on the energy crisis. It's safe to say the Blogosphere was fairly critical of his speech on the House floor last week. McHenry believes that the answer to our nation's fuel and oil crisis is not to use less energy, but to create more for us to use. All I can say is that Mr. McHenry, I don't like the price at the pump, and I do ride a bike.

 

"A major component of the Democrats' energy legislation and the Democrats' answer to our energy crisis is, hold on, wait one minute, wait one minute, it is promoting the use of the bicycle.

Oh, I cannot make this stuff up. Yes, the American people have heard this. Their answer to our fuel crisis, the crisis at the pumps, is: Ride a bike.

Democrats believe that using taxpayer funds in this bill to the tune of $1 million a year should be devoted to the principle of: "Save energy, ride a bike."

Some might argue that depending on bicycles to solve our energy crisis is naive, perhaps ridiculous. Some might even say Congress should use this energy legislation to create new energy, bring new nuclear power plants on line, use clean coal technology, energy exploration, but no, no.

They want to tell the American people, stop driving, ride a bike. This is absolutely amazing.

Apparently, the Democrats believe that the miracle on two wheels that we know as a bicycle will end our dependence on foreign oil. I cannot make this stuff up. It is absolutely amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the Democrats, promoting 19th century solutions to 21st century problems. If you don't like it, ride a bike. If you don't like the price at the pumps, ride a bike.

Stay tuned for the next big idea for the Democrats: Improving energy efficiency by the horse and buggy."

P.S. The bill passed. It will be merged with the Senate version that passed in June. Some highlights:

Taxes: House calls for $16-billion in new taxes on oil companies over 10 years by removing several of the industry's tax breaks. Senate bill has no tax provisions.

Renewable energy: House calls for incentives to build biomass factories and for research into cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. Senate has similar provisions. House requires electric utilities to produce 15 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources. Senate has no such requirement.

Automobile fuel economy: House bill has nothing on automobile fuel economy. Senate bill increases auto mileage requirement to 35 mpg by 2020 for cars, SUVs and small trucks, about a 40 percent increase.

Ethanol: House bill has no mandate on ethanol use as a replacement for gasoline. Senate requires a sevenfold increase to 36-billion gallons a year by 2022.

How they voted

• The House voted 241-172 to approve a bill aimed at boosting energy efficiency.
• Voting yes was Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.
• Voting no were Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota; Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor; Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville; Adam Putnam, R-Bartow; and C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Shores.
• The House also voted 221-189 to approve $16-billion in taxes on oil companies.
• Voting yes was Castor.
• Voting no were Buchanan, Bilirakis, Brown-Waite, Putnam and Young.

Bike tans!

My tan looks exactly like the scuba diver's. And that's with the SPF50! Anyone brave enough to share (safe for work) pics of their tan lines here? Send 'em in!

The New York Times loves cycling

New York Times

The New York Times' has published two multimedia slideshows online in the past week. First they were talking bike locks in their Style section. Brad Quartuccio, editor of Urban Velo, a blog/'zine that focuses on city cycling, tested locks in his day-to-day travels, tested five models. They range in price from $30 to $85, but remember, it's better to pony up a few bucks now than to have to replace a stolen bike.

Second is this wonderful piece about practical solutions for making cycling a functional part of family life. The Werstein family from Portland, Ore., tested the cool gear, including trailers, a dutch wheelbarrow/bicycle mutant cargobike and the IBert Safe-T-Seat seen above.

Know your rights!

This is a public service announcement
With guitar

... Sorry, got carried away there. Just do what The Clash says.

When it comes to bike/car, bike/pedestrian or even bike/police confrontations it is often difficult to convince people that you have a right to the road. The most valuable tool you have is being educated regarding the rights of cyclists. Sure, you know that bikes belong in the road, but what about narrow roads? Or crossing bridges? Or passing?

The Florida Department of Transportation Bicycle Laws are available online. Credit goes to Miami-based blogger Spokes 'n' Folks (no relation) and his readers for sharing this link and another that provides similar information for those other 49 states. So next time some yokel in a pickup starts shouting, just say "Hey! Tell it to Florida statute 316.003(2)!!"

Or not.

But while browsing through the FLDOT site I also found this useful handbook for safe, smart cycling.

Most books about bicycling begin with the selection of a bicycle and accessories. This one is going to be different. We're going to start with bicyclists' attitudes about riding on the road.

Of course, it then immediately begins discussing equipment choices, but we'll let that slide.

Know your rights
These are your rights...

The bicycle-powered what?

I'm not even sure what to say about this: The bicycle powered cinema.

The Magnificent Revolutionary Cycling Cinema is the only UK touring bicycle-powered cinema, uniting art, education and sustainability by:

•     Screening D.I.Y films, independents and small productions  
•     Demonstrating how to generate power locally and independently of fossil fuels  
•     Engaging people in idea of sustainability  
•     Cycling the cinema from place to place  

Throw in top hats, 50’s usherettes and a touch of the circus weird… and you’ve arrived at The Magnificent Revolutionary Cycling Cinema!

Spoke 'N' Word endorses...

Today brings you the first in a series of what I'm calling "endorsements." These are products I've come to love after using (and frequently abusing) them on a daily basis. Now before you start to think maybe some big bike manufacturers are sending me awesome products to try, all I can say is "I Wish". These have been paid for with my own $$$. So without further adu...

Someone messaged me on BikeForums.net today asking about my outspoken support for the Shimano MT20 bike shoes. When I decided to put clipless pedals on my commuting / around-town bike, I knew wouldn't want to wear funny-looking bike shoes that make me walk like a duck. These Shimano shoes were the perfect match for my Crank Bros. pedals. At first I was skeptical because the laces could get caught in the chain, but I've never had a problem. They are also extremely well made and of course, look like normal shoes. The cleats attached easily and are only noticeable if someone can see the soles of your feet. I wear them to work, to the store, out with friends and pretty much everywhere I ride my bike around town.

After wearing them for about six months they have also shown almost no signs of wear. I would say the are perfect for commuters or people who use their bike as a means of transportation and want a significant boost in performance and efficiency from their ride, without looking like a racer geek. They are also affordable, selling for $40-55 online or at your favorite bike shop. As with most cycling products, sizes are metric, so know what you need before you buy!