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bamboo bike
June 2008 
Here Comes the Rain Again
Posted on Nov 2nd, 2006
by 
OrganicAthlete
OrganicAthlete
The training plan called for two hours easy today. I looked out the window this morning and rolled back over. Then Mommy Kitty came and laid on top of me as I contemplated my fate.
I've been fretting about the rainy season since June. For the past couple of years, rain meant that I didn't exercise that day. This gave a nice consistency to my training for several months each year. But around June I decided that I wanted to get back to elite-level fitness in '07 and that meant training race or shine through the winter. So the handful showers we had the past month we cause for consternation.
It's not that I mind getting wet. I have three mental hurdles to overcome:
1) fear that my bike will grow roots and sprout branches. Or that it will grow in frame size.
2) the legacy of Jeff Lee
3) Tucsonitis
1) I'm only kidding, but wouldn't that be funny if my bamboo bike did grow. I wake up one morning and I have a 63cm frame when the tubes grew.
2) Jeff Lee was a teammate of mine at UGA. Legend had it that Jeff would completely disassemble his bike to clean it after he rode in the rain. I've always known that I would never be that good about keeping my bike clean and somehow felt less as a cyclist because of it.
3) The funny thing about this timidity towards the rain is that I wasn't always this way. In college, I was known as the guy who would ride in any weather. Then I lived to Tucson, AZ for almost 3 years. In Tucson, there's absolutely no reason to ever ride in the rain, and I got used to that.
But today I overcame. I wasn't going to let a little rain stop me from enjoying a 2 hour bike ride and a half hour run.
I've been fretting about the rainy season since June. For the past couple of years, rain meant that I didn't exercise that day. This gave a nice consistency to my training for several months each year. But around June I decided that I wanted to get back to elite-level fitness in '07 and that meant training race or shine through the winter. So the handful showers we had the past month we cause for consternation.
It's not that I mind getting wet. I have three mental hurdles to overcome:
1) fear that my bike will grow roots and sprout branches. Or that it will grow in frame size.
2) the legacy of Jeff Lee
3) Tucsonitis
1) I'm only kidding, but wouldn't that be funny if my bamboo bike did grow. I wake up one morning and I have a 63cm frame when the tubes grew.
2) Jeff Lee was a teammate of mine at UGA. Legend had it that Jeff would completely disassemble his bike to clean it after he rode in the rain. I've always known that I would never be that good about keeping my bike clean and somehow felt less as a cyclist because of it.
3) The funny thing about this timidity towards the rain is that I wasn't always this way. In college, I was known as the guy who would ride in any weather. Then I lived to Tucson, AZ for almost 3 years. In Tucson, there's absolutely no reason to ever ride in the rain, and I got used to that.
But today I overcame. I wasn't going to let a little rain stop me from enjoying a 2 hour bike ride and a half hour run.
Access: Public
Since that bamboo is not treated with a finish…it might absorb some water if you don't keep it oiled. Especially if it goes down the seat tube and sits in the BB area for about a week. I remember using a (environmentally scarey for sure) product called 'frame saver' on a steel frame to protect the inside from rust. Might be worth seeing what Calfee says about the 'inside' of the tubes.
BTW, I rode in San Luis Obispo the last two days. Clear skies, no wind to speak of, 75 degrees. Had to get that in b……..
And I want to add….keep it up man! Good work!
We get our fair share of rain around here (was absolutely dumped on last Saturday for our 2.5hr ride!), i've never heard of anyone doing that much after a rainy ride!
I guess most people have rain/winter bikes tho..heh..a necessity around here!