My Equipment

My Bike - In 2005 I purchased a Cannondale R700. It is an aluminum bike with a carbon fiber fork and seatpost. I decided to go with a double chainring front cog and a 9 gear rear cassette. I am beginning to wonder if I should have gone with the optional triple gear front cog for the much needed lower gears when we get to the Rockies. Colorado malls have steeper and longer speed bumps than the steepest hills here in southwest Michigan. We will see since I have no plans of changing it.
I carry a small bag under my seat which contains an extra tube for my tires, since changing the entire tube is much more time effective than patching a tube. It is much better in the long run too because I keep my front tire at 100psi and my rear tire at 110psi and I am not sure that a patch would handle such pressure.

Just a plug for those looking for a new bike, Cannondale will not disappoint anyone no matter what kind of bike you are looking for, whether a mountain bike or a road/racing bike or anything in between.

My Cyclometer - Last year, I received the greatest cyclometer ever made. The Garmin Trek 305 (with the optional heart rate monitor and cadence sensor). This cyclometer will measure anything imaginable for a person just trying hard to get in shape or a seriour cyclist training for a triathlon or any other endurance on event on a bicycle. It measures the essentials while on the bike like time elapsed, distance traveled, heart rate, cadence (more on this in a moment), and speed. You can then take it inside and plug it into your computer and download information like calories consumed, average heart rate, average speed, max speed, max heart rate, total ascent, total decent, average speed, max cadence and average cadence. Because this unit is a GPS also it will also show your route on a map with elevation. I love this and is one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received.

One very useful but often annoying feature is the speed alarm. Whenever my speed goes under 10mph it beeps and says "Speed Up". It is helpful when I get lazy but frustrating when my legs are about to fall off going up a steep hill and it begins to beep.
The Heart Rate Monitor (worn around your chest)

Cadence (like an automobiles rpms) is important because I have found that my most efficient and powerful pedaling is when I spin between 90 and 100 times per minute. I was told to just keep in mind to spin faster but this sensor makes it easier.

My Protection - I wear a helmet each time I ride, not that I have that much to protect, but I want to live to ride another day.

I also wear Oakley M Frame with a Sweep lens. I carry three lenses: black polarized for very sunny days; amber polarized for partly sunny and cloudy days; and yellow for those dreaded but inevitable rainy days.


My Fuel - I am finding out how important this final piece of equiment really is - my CamelBak!! I carry 1.5 litres of water with me. It is convenient, quick, and easy to get water while pedaling.