By Sheri Rosenbaum The Root River State Trail in southeast Minnesota has been on my radar for several years, and finally, this past weekend, I checked it off my list. Just an easy 4.5-hour drive from Chicago, a friend and I headed up there on Thursday and returned on Monday. We could easily have spent longer, but this working stiff has limited vacation time. … [Read more...] about Root River State Trail in Southeast Minnesota
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10 Ways of Finishing Bicycle Cables
Jim’s Tech Talk By Jim Langley Last week we covered the importance of finishing the ends of bicycle cables to prevent fraying, possible injury (the cables can stab you), as well as to give them a tidy professional appearance. We also highlighted two ingenious new tools for finishing cables, Park Tool’s $29.95 EP-1 End Cap Crimping … [Read more...] about 10 Ways of Finishing Bicycle Cables
Is it Safe to Road Bike at Night?
QUESTION: Is it safe to road bike at night? — Anonymous RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: With the right lights and reflective clothing, it can be about as safe as daylight riding and perhaps a bit more so, because after dark, your lights really stand out and call attention to your presence on the road. The exception is if you are in a high-traffic area where your light is just one … [Read more...] about Is it Safe to Road Bike at Night?
How to Avoid Skin Cancer
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Almost all skin cancers are caused by repeated damage to the DNA in skin cells from excessive exposure to sunlight. Every cell in your body is programmed to live for a limited time and then die. This is called apoptosis. For example, red blood cells live for only around 120 days and then die. A new skin cell starts on the inner bottom layer of your skin … [Read more...] about How to Avoid Skin Cancer
What Climbing Cadence is Best for Knees?
QUESTION: I've heard that it's better for knees if you spin a lower gear on climbs rather than mash a big gear. Why is it harder on the knees to pedal at a slower rpm? What about pedaling slowly when out of the saddle? -- Jim M. RBR REPLIES: Good questions! The important element here isn't the total time taken to climb the hill, but rather the total load on the knees during … [Read more...] about What Climbing Cadence is Best for Knees?