Jboz
- Active 1 week, 1 day ago
Jboz replied to the topic Does anyone ride a decent high end road bike? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 week, 2 days ago
I’ll weigh in. It’s extremely unlikely that your bike will be stolen. But even if you knew with 100% certainty that it would be safe, sometimes your most expensive bike isn’t the best choice for a 450 mile 7 day ride.
* Your most expensive bike might have hand-built, lightweight wheels with a low spoke count. This is not ideal for repeatedly…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Tandem trike? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 week, 2 days ago
Jose, yeah all my Ragbrais have been great, but that one was my favorite because of him. When I think about it, that ride was a pivotal moment for him. He matured so much on that ride, and when we finished, his confidence was off the charts. He has since moved way beyond me in his cycling ability, and has ridden several more Ragbrais, including…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Tandem trike? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 week, 2 days ago
Mark Bauman – sorry this is a long post, but I have firsthand knowledge of both recumbents and riding with a young son on Ragbrai. I hope that some of this might be relevant to you.
I obviously don’t know your particular situation, however it’s possible that your dilemma could be that a 10 year old is in that weird zone of being too old for a…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Who here will be riding BOTH Iowa Ride and RAGBRAI? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 2 weeks, 6 days ago
Thangamalang – that’s what I’m doing as well. I’m going to stop and start in Iowa Falls. 8 Days, 456 Miles, and a little of both rides. Here is a detailed look of my plan from a post a couple of weeks ago.
Mini Iowa Criss-cross: My 8 day RAGBRAI/Iowa's Ride combo LOOP
Let me know if this is similar to yours,…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Who here will be riding BOTH Iowa Ride and RAGBRAI? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 3 weeks, 1 day ago
I will be transitioning between IR and RAGBRAI, although I’m only doing 3 days of each ride, not the full double-cross. I’m torn betwen riding to Rock Rapids, then on to Le Mars, but that makes for a long day. I might just ride from Sheldon directly to Le Mars, skipping Rock Rapids. I would like to see the Expo and see what Dieter and team do…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Type of Bike??? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 3 weeks, 4 days ago
This will totally vary from person to person based on your body, your riding style and your budget. Long days in the saddle and a more touring oriented pace rather than a speed pace, you may want to consider a bike with a more relaxed geometry (bars slightly higher than the seat). Some options that weren’t available 20 years ago…road bikes…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Who here will be riding BOTH Iowa Ride and RAGBRAI? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 3 weeks, 6 days ago
There are dozens of small, cross-state or multi day loop rides. Each is unique and each seems to have a loyal following. Some date back almost as long as RAGBRAI. Most other state rides are fewer than 1000 riders, some fewer than 100. They wouldn’t still be in existence if they were a bad time or disorganized. To say IR will not be like R…[Read more]
Jboz started the topic Mini Iowa Criss-cross: My 8 day RAGBRAI/Iowa's Ride combo LOOP in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 month ago
It’s great that the start/finish towns are close enough to allow a full 2 week ride back & forth. Riders with the time, freedom and inclination to do both rides are lucky, and they should be thrilled. Riders WIN…and I think both rides will benefit. Great for lots of small Iowa towns, and fantastic for Iowa cycling in general, so hopefully the ani…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic RAIN! in the forum Miscellaneous 1 month ago
Another thing worth preparing for is rain in the middle of the night. Not a huge problem for the bike itself, but if you have a leather saddle and it gets soaked, it can be a bit of a problem. I’ve seen some people even remove the saddle and seat post and bring it in their tent for the night. I’ve seen other riders use those disposable plastic…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic E-Bikers, A Few Etiquette Improvements in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 1 month, 1 week ago
Iowa_Born Eastern_River, your marathon analogy is not really an appropriate one. A marathon is a competition, while RAGBRAI is a community event with lots of people just having fun.
As far as your game plan for your senior years, it seems to be firmly locked down and set in stone. You’ve got it all figured out, now you just need to wait for it…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic E-Bikers, A Few Etiquette Improvements in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 1 month, 1 week ago
Iowa_Born Eastern_River – If you think people on ebikes are whizzing along at 20 mph for a 70 mile stretch, you are mistaken. They don’t blast up steep hills either, but they do allow people to climb at a steady pace without redlining their heart-rate. I suspect you are basing your very strident opinions upon very little fact, and a whole lot of…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Final Route Predictions in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 month, 1 week ago
T. Gap – interesting line of thought. The 180 degree pivot by IR really opened up some interesting options for riders, but at the same time interjected some strategy that Dieter will need to sort through. The closer he picks start/finish towns to IR, the more registrations both rides will likely get. If he goes the other way, it would probably…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic RASDAK (Ride Across South Dakota) 2020 in the forum Gatherings & Meetings 1 month, 2 weeks ago
I’m curious about the size of this ride, and a little tempted (although I’m also considering BRAG which is the week before). Approximately how many riders? I did some research on it a few years ago and it seems pretty small (like 200 riders). I’m open to doing a smaller ride, but 200 seems pretty small. Are there services (like shuttles from…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic RAIN! in the forum Miscellaneous 1 month, 2 weeks ago
My riding sandals are so comfortable, I don’t even bring an extra pair of shoes or flip-flops. I have the Keen cycling specific sandals, which sadly Keen discontinued. The footbeds are rubber and the straps are nylon so they dry out very quickly. The cleats are recessed enough that I can get off the bike and they don’t make that awful metal to…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic RAIN! in the forum Miscellaneous 1 month, 2 weeks ago
David – lots of seat post mounted fender options. Here is one for example:
https://www.rei.com/product/143417/portland-design-works-origami-rear-fender
Also, I have a Lynskey too. GR270. Love the Ti!!!
Jboz replied to the topic RAIN! in the forum Miscellaneous 1 month, 2 weeks ago
I had a rain aversion for years. I refused to train if there was even the threat of a few drops. I got lucky with my first RAGBRAI in 2012…no rain during the ride itself (but it was scorching hot, so not really lucky I guess). Rode 2014, rained hard one morning so I sagged. In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t because the rain let up around noon…[Read more]
Jboz started the topic Happy New Year! in the forum RAGBRAI XLVIII – 2020 1 month, 3 weeks ago
As a related aside, it’s commonly known in the gym industry that the busiest new membership day is New Years Day. Another interesting statistic is that 80% of people who join a gym in January quit within 5 months. The road to hell really is paved with good intentions. Intentions and resolutions are cheap, so I personally gave up the futile act…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic E-Bikers, A Few Etiquette Improvements in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 2 months, 1 week ago
(Part 2 of 2)
So, after conducting my research with an open mind, I came to the realization that an e-bike’s real value isn’t as a “cheat” for rude, fat, out of shape newbies to drop roadies, but as an age equalizer for seasoned cyclists who want to simply keep up. Back story time, I have loved cycling for as long as I can remember. My pre-teen…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic E-Bikers, A Few Etiquette Improvements in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 2 months, 1 week ago
(Part 1 of 2)
As I’ve watched the great RAGBRAI e-bike debate unfold over the past year, I tried to remain objective and curious…asking questions and digging to form my opinion. So instead of jumping into my chosen corner on the debate and locking my position down, I started researching. I learned the following:
1) E-bikes are a hugely fast…[Read more]
Jboz replied to the topic Where to next year? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 2 months, 2 weeks ago
I am going to compare the two routes, determine which one I like best, which fits my riding style and fits into my schedule. I will also examine the two routes side by side to see if there is any way to do a hybrid RAGBRAI/IR out and back so I can park my car and ride back to it. Once I can lay the two routes out, I will weigh the pros and cons…[Read more]