Legs of steel ... barely

Finally! It got so warm this past week, I was able to ride with bare legs for the first time this season. Oh, what a relief.

Do these look like "chicken legs" to you?

With legs like mine, I know I'm not going to be in a photo spread for GQ magazine. In fact, on several occasions, I've heard my lower limbs referred to as "chicken legs." But that's fine. My pair of pedal pushers — while lacking any kind of a tan and very little hair — enjoyed feeling the fresh, spring breeze.

Ouch!

In my last blog posting, I made reference to this year's return of some "live" cycling events. One of those mentioned was the Maine Lighthouse Ride in September.

Because there's a good chance I'll be doing my Maine-to-Michigan "Reunion Tour" during the same period, I won't be able to do the Lighthouse event for a fourth time. But I probably wouldn't have done it anyway, and here's why.

While I understand it is a worthy fundraiser for the Eastern Trail Alliance, I believe the $125 entrance fee for the pleasure of cycling 100 miles is a bit steep. I think the first time I did the Maine Lighthouse Ride, in 2011, it was around $55, and I thought that was too much.

The problem, in my opinion, is that many of these organized events get more and more expensive every year, pricing people out of participating. Why not charge less and get more riders? Maybe that sort of logic isn't even doable this year, with the hangover from the pandemic.

I just know I'll never go again at that price.

Weird words

With the arrival of spring and nicer weather, we are bulging with bikes at Mathieu's Cycle, as people are bringing in their two-wheeled machines for tune-ups. Cleaning them gives me the opportunity to check out what terminology bike manufacturers have strategically placed on frames, etc.; possibly as a way to convince a potential buyer that this bike is for you.

I have pointed out some of the more bizarre ones in the past, and these are what I've come across so far this season:

— Triple triangle design

— Silk path

— Flat foot technology

— Atomic aluminum

— SST for speed save technology

— Heckler

— Specific alloy manipulation

— Micro-suspension zone

— Integrated reflectivity

I don't know if any of the above phrases would actually help sell a bicycle. For me, being a man of few words, that's also how I like my bikes to look.

In closing

Just a friendly reminder. During my last couple of rides, my bike had been really "talking" to me, i.e., my chain was rather noisy, begging for a little attention. So it was finally degreased and re-lubed. If you only do one thing maintenance-wise, please keep your chain clean. It pays big dividends ... now and down the road. Stay safe!