Getting Comfortable

Given the fact that I will be living on my bicycle for the next few months, I wanted to make sure that I gave it a few "homey" touches during the off-season.  With that in mind, and some holiday cash, I settled on a few things to make riding a bit nicer.

My first investment was a new saddle that I hope will make those longer rides a bit more comfortable.  After studying a number of options, I finally selected a Cobb Plus 2 saddle.  It's an updated version of their Plus saddle (obviously) and its major differences have to do with some of the styling as well as longer  rails, which allow for greater adjustment in terms of moving the it forward or backward.  I've played with the position a bit, and I believe I may have it dialed in, with only a few minor adjustments still to go.  The saddle feels a bit firmer than I anticipated, but I also know that there is a bit of a breaking in period.  I'll keep fiddling with it, but so far so good.  I did opt for the "green" saddle which doesn't really fit the overall color scheme of my bike, but I kind of like the mismatch that way.  I also figure that a bright green saddle might be easier to spot in the sea of bike saddles that is a transition area.  We'll see.

For a long time, I've been looking at hydration systems to install for Ironman this summer.  Originally I'd planned to put something on the back of my bike given the aero benefits that this offers.  As I was shopping around on the internet however, I found a "starter kit" from XLAB that included an aerobar mounted Torpedo system, along with a small pocket for storing gels, CO2 cartridges, etc. (an nanoflator was also included).  I ultimately decided to go with the aerobar mounted system for a number of reasons, but one of the most important is that it will encourage hydration and nutrition during the longer bike stage of the Ironman.  I have a tendency to neglect these things, and I know that will be more important during the 112 miles on the bike.

The last "addition" to my ride is something that I won't have with me on August 2nd, but is also a great tool for indoor riding.  It's the upgrade to our DirecTV system.  After many years with a different set up in each room, we finally upgraded, and got the "genie" system that let's us record/ watch in any room.  It is definitely nice to have options during those long rides in the basement!

Now I can catch up on Homeland!

After several weeks with some fairly intense interval rides (at least for me), I have a nice recovery week coming up.  After that I'll be adding a fourth day of cycling to my training.  A lot of miles this winter spent going nowhere, but should pay off this summer!  Thanks for reading!