Monday's ride and riding frugally.

Well, I was going to write about things to do to keep racing/riding inexpensively, however after my shortened ride today, I am finding that I have to go out to The Bicycle Place to buy a new tire and chain. During the noon ride, I ran over something which slashed my sidewall of my brand new Michelin Pro Race 2 tire which I had just put on a couple of days ago. Well, that's what I get for removing a perfectly worn, all most 2 year old tire, with barely enough rubber to cover the internal thread casing . It always seems to me that when you change something that's when the problems start. Well, C'est la Vie. Today's ride started off briskly then George told me that someone was chasing us to try to join us. I realized it was my teammate Ray and waited up for him so I could pull him back to the group. Unfortunately, I think he was pretty much burned up chasing us for a while already as he was on my back wheel till we got to the mid point in the climb up Kentsdale, where he apparently dropped off. It was a very windy and cold day. I didn't notice till I was about all of the way up the hill and decided that I couldn't wait for him as everyone else was still moving at a good pace through the neighborhood and I didn't want to be left behind. Unfortunately on Persimmon Tree, I was following one of the other riders and rode over something which blew my tire and I pulled over to the side to repair it. I knew it was a bad blowout as when it blew it blew up with a loud bang and it immediately went flat. Ray came riding up to me about a minute later and watched me change my inner tube. I hate working with brand new tires. They are a bitch to seat properly as they are so tight. I finally got it repaired and we went hammering back to see if we could meet the group on MacArthur. We did and rode back with a few attacks along the way. It was a short ride and I barely got my heart rate up. Oh well, that's what I get for flatting . It seems like when you flat once you flat often. The little flat bug keeps coming after you. Chalk up another reason not to ride on wet days. Flats happen often. This last week there must have been about 4 to 5 guys who each had flats on the rides. I was lucky enough that before I started one day, I had found that I had a flat already and not during the ride like today.

A couple of tips for keeping cycling inexpensive:

1. Stock up on tires when you can get them cheaply, this also applies for Gels, powerbars, etc.
2. Change your chain often. I do it about every few months or about 1,500 miles. This way you won't have to buy a new cassette every time you ride your chain to oblivion. Cassettes are a lot more expensive than chains.
3. If you cross train or have other sports which you can use the clothing for cycling that will keep expenses down. I use many of my ski stuff like cross country/spring gloves for riding as well. Base under clothing is something you can always swap.
4. Buy used (I know this doesn't help my sponsor.... however it's a way I've found out I could keep my wishes coming true) I've picked up my bike for 1/4 of the price of new. I also picked up some carbon tubulars for dirt cheap. Many of your fellow riders/racers are simply tired of their older equipment and will be willing to part with it cheaply. There are also many weekend warriors who have the bucks and continue to want the newest toys or simply quit because it's hurts after they ride because they don't ride consistently.
5. Get with a team who is sponsored by a bike shop and provides additional discounts.
6. Learn how to perform many of the basic services of maintaining a bike. (Cleaning, changing chains, lubing, changing brake and shifting cables, and more) You'll have to invest in some tools in the beginning however you should be able to continue to use them for years to come.
7. Pre-register for your races (if you follow a schedule and are dedicated to race) and join a team so you don't pay for the unattached fees. If you are like I was this past year, then don't pre-register and register race day. Many times if you pre register way ahead of time and it's going to be a miserable day with rain, you won't get refunded if you decide not to go. I avoided a few races because of the rain and luckily I didn't pre-register.
8. Make sure you glide your fingers over your tires(clean the debris) when you feel that you may have ridden over some glass or sand/dirt/debris.
9. Buy quality tires/tubes which you've had good experience with. I tried some really thin tubes a while ago and found that I always had problems with tire pinches or punctures. The thin lighter tubes were also more expensive. I recommend the Michelin Pro Race 2 tires for clinchers and the Continental Competition tubulars (the latter, I'm still trying to figure out whether they are worth it or not). I only buy them on the internet when I see a good deal as I can't find a local shop who stocks them .
10. eBay is great when looking for specific deals.
11. You don't need all of the fancy stuff to win. Some of the strongest riders still ride with 32/36 spoke wheels and steel/cromoly frames. Yeah it would be nice to have a separate time trial bike, however that will easily set you back another $5K-$10K.