Fixing a Flat on Father’s Day

I went to my sister’s house to celebrate Father’s Day. When I asked her about the boxed bicycle tube on the kitchen counter, she said my nephew had a flat tire on his bike and was working on fixing it. But he didn’t really know how.

Justin is 16. His answers to my questions are always one-word long and come with an attitude that tells me he wishes he were somewhere other than talking to his aunt. So when I offered to show him how to fix his flat after dinner, I was shocked when he readily went to get his bike before we had even finished dessert.

I showed him how to undo the quick release, look for the cause of the hole in his tire, replace the tube without pinching it, pump it up to the proper pressure, and put the back wheel on under the chain and derailleur. When the whole process was done in 7 minutes and our four hands were filthy, I think he was slightly impressed.

Then I noticed his rear brake was rubbing, so I grabbed a screwdriver and re-centered it. I saw his chain was dry and starting to rust, so I dripped some lube on it and showed him how to rub off the excess. I felt his seat slip down, so I explained the quick release wasn’t closed properly and showed him how to adjust it.

I’ve probably helped hundreds of women fix flat tires on their bikes, but I’ve never felt such satisfaction as I did when I helped my nephew. For about 12 minutes, we actually connected. I’ll never be a mother, but on Father’s Day, it felt wonderful to be an aunt.

Underground Railroad bike tour a Success!

Congratulations to all the women on our Underground Railroad bike tour. They rolled into Niagara Falls on Friday and crossed the border into Canada to successfully complete their 1900-mile journey.

It will be a couple years until we repeat the Underground Railroad tour, so keep an eye on our schedule if you want to do it with us next time. Many of these women have already signed up to do our Northwest Loop in 2009. There's no better compliment - thank you!

For 2010, we're considering doing one-half of the Northern Tier and the other half in 2011. Let me know if that appeals to you.

Beginner Bicyclists

Who comes on our beginner bike tours?



Meet Angela Gonzales. A big indoor spinner, she'd never biked outside on roads. Never bicycled in traffic, never shifted gears or had to brake. Until she came on our 4-day beginner Maryland Eastern Shore bike tour last week.

She biked a personal best when she completed 20 miles on the first day. She tripled that and biked 60 miles the following day. When her hybrid rental bike broke down, all we had in her size was a road bike. She loved it, and then there was no stopping her.

You can meet Angela Gonzales yourself on our Northwest Loop next year. She's already signed up.

From a 4-day beginner tour to a 4-week advanced cross-country tour. Our tours help women realize they can do way more than they ever thought possible.

Finding Comfort on your Bike

I'm often asked how to make bicycling more comfortable. When nothing hurts, you feel as if you can ride forever.

After a bicycle helmet, padded bike shorts are the most important piece of clothing to have while you’re riding. They’ll allow you to bike longer because your butt won’t get as sore. If you’re shy about the tight lycra look, then get the “shorts-within-a-short” or the new sport-skirts that hide the padded shorts underneath. And remember – always wear them without underwear.

Bicycling gloves should be next on your shopping list. Good cycling gloves have padded palms to help prevent excess handlebar pressure from injuring the nerves in your hands. Gloves will also help prevent injury if you fall, as hands are often the first to hit the ground in an accident.

Once you have the necessary clothing, you need a properly fitted bike to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while you’re riding. There are many ways to tweak the fit of the bike to match your body better.

If you don’t know how to make the adjustment yourself, bring your bicycle to a bike shop. Most adjustments can be made in a second or two. Think about buying the necessary tool and learning how to do it yourself, as most adjustments are pretty simple. Then you’ll be able to dial in the fit of your bike just right.

Always make one small adjustment at a time. Then try riding your bike to see if it helps. Remember that just half an inch can make a big difference. Here are some suggestions for getting rid of those aches and pains.

•If your knees hurt: try moving your seat higher, lower, forward or back.

•If your neck hurts: raise your handlebars to put yourself in a more upright position. You can also consider changing your bike’s stem to a shorter one that brings the handlebars closer to you.

•If your shoulders hurt: and you use straight handlebars, consider getting narrower bars or cutting the ends off the ones you have. Your arms may be too far apart.

•If your hands hurt or fall asleep: turn the angle of your handlebars toward you so your hands are in a more natural and relaxed position.

•If your butt hurts: try changing the angle of your seat. Point the nose down or up a tiny bit to take pressure off the wrong areas. You can also try changing your seat. Seats are very personal, so it may just be a matter of finding the right one for you.

If you wear the right clothing and make the right adjustments to your bike, you should be pain-free while bicycling. Your body will thank you. And so will your bike, as you’ll spend more time on it!

Underground Railroad cross-country tour takes off!

The group - 29 strong - left Mobile Alabama heading to Canada today, following the 2000-mile Underground Railroad. We designed the bike tour based on the new route designed by Adventure Cycling. To follow their journey, check out some of the blogs from the tour here:
Anne Cowan
Marni Harang
Sondra Hartt
Kathy Leonard
Judi Mittelberg
Sue Rapp
Lois Schneider

Southern Tier Cross-Country Tour ends in St. Augustine!

All 30 women finished in St. Augustine, Florida - I'm so happy for them! Here's Carol, one of our SAG drivers taking the requisite dip in the Atlantic. Congratulations to all of them. You can read about some of their journeys on their blogs below.

Cheryl Berman

Phyllis Biegun

Penny Bradley

Mary Kay Engel

Jane Irwin

Genie Lindberg and Barb Selstad

Ellen Martyn

Barbara Minnick

Debbie Smythe

Jan Sward

Clark Taylor

Arda Tole

Cross-Country Southern Tier Bike Tour isn't all about Bicycling

It looks as if the women on our cross-country Southern Tier bike tour do more than just bicycle. Here are some of them in a spontaneous synchronized swimming class....