A Trainer Day

I'm sure most of us are familiar with the phrase, "If it's not broke, don't fix it". However there is this thing called preventative maintanance, or Winter Cleaning!

I own a Blackburn Trak Stand Ultra.
http://www.trakstandultra.com/

I've owned it since 07, and I have to say this is the best I've owned or ridden. The majority of reviews on this train were nagative, that might explain why it's not made anymore. Maybe I'm just lucky, or I just know how to service and maintain it.


By simply turning this knob . . .


. . . You can set he trainer up for road bikes, or mountain bikes. Also you set it so the tire just misses the floor by 1/4" -3/8"and avoid having to set your front wheel up on something.

Ahhhh . . . The Mechanisim.

The resistance unit works like this. What you see are 3 plates. A roller, a flywheel, and a stationary plate that does not spin with a gasket material on the inside.

When the roller spins, it forces these ball bearings out against the flywheel . . .

. . . then forces the flywheel to rub against the gasket material of the stationary plate. The faster the roller spins, the more resistance you create.

This resistance unit provides more than enough resistance. The stand resistance requires you to output 330 watts to ride at 25mph, you can increase the resistance by moving the 3 ball bearings to the outer ball bearing ramps requiring you to output 351 watts to maintain 25mph, or use all 6 requiring 745 watts to ride 25mph . . . Yep that ought to do it.

and it allows "Spindown". Spindown means when you quit pedaling, it takes some time for the rear wheel to stop spinning. It gives you a little bit of that road feel. I mean when you stop pedaling on the road, your bike doesn't come to a stop.

These are all the parts to it. It's so simple.

If you know me, you know I like to keep it local. If I can't keep it local, I like to keep it independent, or non-corporate. . . . More Mainstreet, and less Wall Street.

So here is the 3/50 project.
http://www.the350project.net/home.html

Basically pick 3 local business, and spend $50 in each on locally produced Items, once a month.

A couple locally owned business I like to visit that feature a lot of locally made products are

Nature's Pantry
http://www.pantry.biz/

The Store
http://thestoremeatmarket.com/

Today I discovered a locally made salsa from Jan's Organic. Pretty tasty.
http://jansorganicworld.com/main.html

TSOL . . . True Sounds Of Liberty


"I'm tired of looking (It's not in my vision)
I'm tired of seeing (Don't wanna see this)
I'm tired of hearing (Don't tell me your sht)
I'm tired of being (So why am I here?)
I'm tired of life (And all of its jokes)
Imaginary lines (To fool the fools)
Imaginary rules (To live your life by)
And all the worlds' fools

Life is so easy when you're told what to do
Where to work and how to be you,
But the jokes wears off and you're still laughing
Caught in your own trap and you're all happy

Too stupid to know it (Just try use your head)
Too stupid to care (You've all been fooled)
Just one voice screaming (Is there really a point)
Just one in a million (A little speck of flesh)
Who's gonna hear it (Scream till you die)
Who's gonna know it (Your conscience your mind)
Who even cares (No one but yourself)
It's hopeless (You're hopeless)

Because of the process, Because of the system,
Because you're still laughing, Because you don't listen,
Because of the process, Because of the system,
Because you're still laughing, Because you don't listen"