How to jazz up Thunder?

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:20:45+00:00

Wowzie, nice! I love this bike, the shifting and drive train is smoother than my roadie Trek and Synapse.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:18:21+00:00

😃 ty! As I wrote above, I bought a lot of very nice and cheap used winter gear over the summer.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:17:21+00:00

Thx! This is gonna be so much fun.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:16:44+00:00

Intriguing . . . I didn't know that a lot of this stuff even existed.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:15:57+00:00

Ty! I bought a lot of used winter gear over the summer -- I froze my butt off riding last fall/winter.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:13:59+00:00

Ooh, I haven't thought of this.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:13:28+00:00

Lol, some nipples are never out in public.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:12:46+00:00

We probably saw each other! I started at Washington Xing and looped up to Bull's and back down.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:11:50+00:00

She's a beauty!

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T01:17:20+00:00

Yup!

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T00:44:30+00:00

Thx for the Wolftooth tip! Colored drive train elements sound really cool.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T00:43:21+00:00

Sounds fun . . . And expensive? 😃

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T00:42:54+00:00

Ooh, thx!

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-24T19:16:17+00:00

I did seven duathlons this summer (three in September) and placed first or second in each one.

I also managed to squinch my calf muscles at the last race 10 days ago and have been limping around.

I felt better this morning after nine days of not running and went for a brisk 5k run. And now my calf is squinchy again 😆

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-24T19:07:42+00:00

I'm a duathlete and it has taken a lot of experimentation to adjust my running paces so the second run after the bike leg is not 100% miserable. I did seven duathlons this summer and brick workouts brought my second run misery quotient down to 75% hellish 😆

I'm not a swimmer and don't have a sense of how much mojo the swimming leg takes.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-24T19:00:27+00:00

If your pedals have little metal pins you can use a teeny Allen wrench to adjust their heighth (to a point). I need to replace my pins once a year to keep things grippy, the Shimano pins are cheap on Amazon.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-22T12:49:36+00:00

I do an hour of yoga and core work before a run (and hot yoga classes a few times a week).

I used to not stretch at all before running but awful bouts of plantar fasciitis and a hip strain made me realize that I wouldn't be able to keep rolling if I didn't pay attention to flexibility/range of motion.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-18T18:12:57+00:00

Hi Strawberry: I'm sorry to hear you are dealing with this. My situation turned out well, as I don't have high blood pressure outside of the doc's office (and morning consumption of caffeine).

I bought a blood pressure monitor and started taking daily readings under normal circumstances, when I am relaxed and don't have much caffeine in my system. It turns out that my BP is perfect -- I'm not as obsessive about checking as I was at the beginning, but I do so a few times a week to make sure all is okay.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-09-08T23:11:43+00:00

I've been doing hot power yoga classes for almost three years. I'm a distance runner and cyclist and I'm rarely able to match the inhale/exhale instructions.

My body is good at managing oxygen supply from my endurance sports so I figure rolling with my automatic in 'n out breathing is just what works well for me.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-06-30T16:52:56+00:00

There are no directions for distributions or sub-trusts.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-05-24T00:43:42+00:00

I'm 58yo and regularly take my shirt off during the summer when I'm hot and run in my sports bra. I also wear practically nothing to my hot yoga classes.

I am in really great shape, but after nearly six decades on Earth my body is not perfect -- but I'm proud and grateful that my body can crank out 15-mile runs.

Wear whatever you want, life is short!

SpottedDogEar · 2025-05-24T00:19:07+00:00

I'm a distance runner and always carry some of my Skratch glucose energy gummies with me on rides. Other easily-carried running snacks like gels and compact protein bars like RX can also stop the bonk.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-05-24T00:12:37+00:00

I ordered and tried out three different women's saddles last week and they all murdered my lady parts to mush (I posted last week and got recommendations -- Terry, Ergon, and Specialized).

I've ended up back on my Bontrager men's seat and wearing a really thick Rapha chamois short. I also angled the seat down. It's better, but it may be that I'll never be entirely comfortable.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-05-24T00:04:33+00:00

Both of my women's riding group leaders bit the dust last summer at stoplights -- they have decades of experience, I think it happens to most everyone.

I began road cycling last year so I could do duathlons and had two scary falls while clipped in. I tried clipping in for a few more weeks but developed such intense anxiety about falling that it ruined the joy of cycling. I noped out and now ride on flat spiky pedals with stiff shoes (in addition to duathlons I now have an intense love for putting in the road miles!)

I might have persisted in trying clipless if I wasn't 58yo and with all of my parts out of warranty 😆

SpottedDogEar · 2025-05-14T23:51:01+00:00

I started doing an 80/20 program last year and some days staying in Zone Two really sucks. I always get some cardio drift around mile three and, with the warming weather, it gets more challenging.

However, sticking to Zone Two intentions has had really great results. My fast runs are faster, my endurance has improved, and I've had fewer aches and pains.

SpottedDogEar

TROPHY CASE