Motorpacing

Yesterday I had a nice post-work ride on my geared bike. I rode downtown, followed the river to Crosby Farms, and back home along the lakes- almost 40 miles. I tried out my rarely used 11-21 cog, and was quickly reminded why this sits in my parts cabinet. The gearing is way too steep. At the time of purchase, I wanted a 16 tooth in the cassette- but at what cost? My lowest gear becomes 39X21 rather than 39X25 on my climbing wheels, or 39X23 on my crit wheels. Of course I've never actually used the lowest gear in a crit, but a 25 is nice on something like Ramsey hill after a long ride. The other issue is that the other two cassettes are Dura Ace, while the 11-21 is an SRAM. I didn't figure I'd need to save any weight with gearing that steep, but it isn't as quiet as the DA.

When I caught the road around Lake Calhoun, I caught the draft of some couple in a Toyota. I know it probably isn't the smartest thing in the world to draft cars, but it was nice picking up a free ride at 25-30 mph against the wind. When we stopped at the light between Calhoun and Harriet, he rolled down the window and asked me if 25mph was OK. He obviously recognized the effects of drafting. I said it was fine- and coincidentally, it was the speed limit. I followed him to my turn-off and he waved good-bye. It is rare to experience such a symbiotic relationship with motorists.

I don't normally condone drafting cars, since they can stop more quickly than a bike, but this guy apparently recognized what was going on.