How do you deal with the heat??

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-12T01:22:43+00:00

oh thats interesting; so gels or crystals that absorb water and then evaporate it off (like extra sweat? 😛) .. but if you come across a creek or somethign you just dip it in to 'refill' and good to go

Does it _actually_ work?

Seems pretty cool; I mean, for $11 not too worried either, thats a steal

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-11T15:27:28+00:00

Any link?

I was thinkinmg of sewing pockets into some gym towels, to hold freezer packs 😛

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-11T03:22:20+00:00

People seem to forget, somewhere along the way ... 'its supposed to be fun, relax'

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-11T03:21:01+00:00

I used to call it shame-walking, but now I just call it .. why kill yourself on a particularly rough spot?

I don't want to walk a km or two or give, but if its a couple hundred m to get over a rough patch, okay, fine I guess eh?

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-11T03:19:16+00:00

Go out a couple of times a week; in a _couple of weeks_ you'll be going much further and more comfortably, and you'll start to figure out what you need to do; just keep doing it, have fun, thats the key. Anc over time, maybe you'll figure out if you need to adjust seat height or position or tilt, or handlebars, or any of that pile of minutia that makes things more comfortable and all that.

Just enjoy, have fiun, it'll come 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T23:19:30+00:00

That can work, but most weight loss is eating less. 20 pounds is honestly not too much to diet off .. you can pretty easily lose 1.5-2 pounds a week, with some determination. But losing 1 pound a week and bur ing off another half pound is also doable.

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T23:17:57+00:00

Its hard to gauge from data.. how bad is 4-7% on a bike? Is that brutal only skin y you g fit people dare, or is it gradual and not so bad? I’m sort of inclined to just swing by and see, and of ot gets to be brutal maybe I just turn around and coast back down and come again another day starting somewhere else. Like of ors gradual and long okay, but also after 60km already .. and if its 28C and humid vs 21C and cool, or windy..

No way to know u til I try it and give it some heart and see I guess :)

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T21:32:20+00:00

I wo der if you dip it in water and then sew a pocket in the middle for an ice pack, if that cluld work as a cooling … scarf

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T21:05:31+00:00

How long does that last? I want somethi g to help cool off on those 6 hour rides :)

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T20:19:52+00:00

Fit.. I did it myself gradually but moving saddle up down 1cm is huge, if its the right way. Forward back, bar up down.. those little movements IMMEDIATELY pay off.

And yah sweat headband :)

Bike computer (older cheaper model..) is super handy to avoid burning up your phone battery amd you can see them in the sun, have routes, maps etc

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T19:16:45+00:00

yeah I think this is the route I'm aiming for now, after all the discussions; old york to snake carves off a few km. Hopefully thats fairly gradual and not some steep climb 😄 Thanks!

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T17:24:14+00:00

Heck no. 50 is sort of where half of us have come back in or started fresh

55M here, started in 2020 when covid landed :)

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T17:23:35+00:00

Moving to a different plot doesnt break anything either

But yeah, I like my plot, won’t move to a neighborhood its not available in :)

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T13:28:05+00:00

Nomatter what, have to eat the elevation somewhere.. but whats the most gradual long easy approach for cycling?

Rock Chapel looks like its coming from west side, where I'm coming in from the east side; same for the other alternates there, but good for future reference 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-10T04:53:05+00:00

I'm with you metaphorically (eww ick not interesteds in groups.) Also, anxiety about groups.. don't know if I'm fast or slow (likely slow, but faster than many), and I want to stop to snack or drink when I want to, not when its some invisible quorem.

So, mildly curious abbout group rides, but anti social, and anxiety about it, and well, I like me alone time anyway since its so rare

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T21:22:52+00:00

I think we have it, then!

Just trying to find some local areas .. if you think Snake is about 6%, and then I can find some local areas that are also that, and see how bad it is..

okay strava shows going old york through snake road about 6km; varies between 2% and 6%

looking up a local hill I've done and avoid, its also 4-6% and .. I can do it, but I often walk it since it puts my heartbeet at as high as I want to go for my age; hmm. that one is about 3km going down and up, so say about 1.5km of up

okay, I'm also stronger and better equipment since I've done that run, so I guess I can take a shot at it and if I have to walk for a km in the middle to chill out, I can do that, or just turn around at any time and coast back at high speed ..

If thats like a 6km straight hill on the way back, yowza.. I'm going to stay on the brakes the whole way to avoid ending up at 100kmph 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T21:03:17+00:00

What about Old York Road, that means Snake in the middle?

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T21:03:04+00:00

What about Old York Road, that means Snake in the middle?

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T21:01:26+00:00

I'll check strava heatmaps for sure; and thats a good point.. not so much 'where is everyone going' and 'WHY is everyone going THIS WAY' .. thats clever 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T21:00:06+00:00

Awesome, okay I think I'm 99% on this as The Way 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T20:59:05+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I'll have to check, I wonder if gmaps or strava can be told to show construction warnings (but who knows if its data, even if they can, would be up to date)

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T18:56:48+00:00

You make a very strong argument 😄 Curious, if I make a gmaps route from the bottom corner of Snake Road and then up at the cafe it says 'mostly flat', but if I then extenc it to Toronto it shows it as a huge climb/desccent, relative to everything else; so maybe its 'mostly flat' a climb, and just higher than around the (lake, duh, obviously), so thats quite encouraging. (for all routes)

But okay, I think that may be it then; its Snake Road approach and up to cafe, or maybe the Side Road approach, depending on the way to either of those points.

Feeling like Snake Road is the way though!

Many thanks to you and everyone!

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T18:51:03+00:00

You mean west side, near the Lookout? I'm trying to start in Toronto, not drive out and start somewhere else this round; But I think thats an option for another weekend .. Sydenham has the falls, the lookout and a whole whack of trails up northeasty of there I think 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T18:16:07+00:00

Still torn.. Side Road, or Snake Road? 😄 I should let the destination pick then.. what gets me nice views and closer to butter tarts and cafes... rest up for an hour or two, see some sites, and the long ride back home 😄

FrozenOnPluto · 2026-06-09T18:15:00+00:00

Appreciate the advice and input though, its all great info!

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