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Today - March 2012

did 130 up and down and up and down arakawa today. Must be a slow day in the news as there was a tv crew with radar in hand interviewing geriatrics on mama charis about the speed demons of the river road.
 
I got the all clear from the doctors about my leg, so did 30 mins on the turbo trainer today, alternating between low speed spinning and a couple of high intensity bouts.

Amazing how fast ones fitness drops off when off the bike for a short time.

Still, will get back into it and get back up to speed.
 
I got the all clear from the doctors about my leg, so did 30 mins on the turbo trainer today, alternating between low speed spinning and a couple of high intensity bouts.

Amazing how fast ones fitness drops off when off the bike for a short time.

Still, will get back into it and get back up to speed.

Glad to hear you are back on the bike Owen.
 
Spent 50 mins on the exercise bike in the gym last night. Tried out my new toy - whether you actually need an hrm in the gym is a bit dubious, but anyway, I clicked, it arrived. Should at least help fill out the gaps in my Garmin connect calendar.

Cadence intervals (70/90) (12x30sec/10x1min), then slow and steady with high intensity (cad: 60; 15 min). HRM to 163 overall.
 
Glad to hear you are back on the bike Owen.

Cheers Doug mate. :)

Just finished today's training;

Stepped up yesterdays turbo training session with a 10km ride in the morning, at average speed (bit of silliness trying to beat the lights a few times, but nothing too mad), followed by 45 mins on the turbo trainer.

Only been a few days, but give it a couple of weeks and I will back to basic form, hopefully!
 
I can't, for the life of me, unscrew the pedals off the bicycle, to pack it. :eek:uch: :mad::mad::mad: :( (a billion other rage/sad emoticons).

...f*ck you, 100yen spanners, just, f*ck you.
 
I can't, for the life of me, unscrew the pedals off the bicycle, to pack it. :eek:uch: :mad::mad::mad: :( (a billion other rage/sad emoticons).

...f*ck you, 100yen spanners, just, f*ck you.


you know one of them is reverse thread, right? (the left one)

:bike:
 
...f*ck you, 100yen spanners, just, f*ck you.
Sorry to be the one to break this to you. You get what you pay for (unless you steal). A decent quality slimline 15 mm spanner, or ideally a proper pedal wench, is a good investment. Your knuckles will retain much more of their skin this way.

And the pedal on the left unscrews the opposite way to what you'd expect.
 
What he said.

Never ever skimp on tools; if you suffer the agony of the original outlay, you will be set for so many more bikes in the future, and not just your own. Helping others with your tools is one of the greatest pleasures a cyclist bestow on another, surely?
 
...and to back this up;

Can I help you mate?

What do you need doing on your bike?

Owen
 
Sorry to be the one to break this to you. You get what you pay for (unless you steal). A decent quality slimline 15 mm spanner, or ideally a proper pedal wench, is a good investment. Your knuckles will retain much more of their skin this way.

Aaaahh... I do have proper tools, it's just that.. they're back in Ishikawa. :( I was hoping that I wouldn't have to replicate my toolset here in Tokyo, but it seems unavoidable now.. On to hunt a proper spanner tomorrow!
 
Aaaahh... I do have proper tools, it's just that.. they're back in Ishikawa. :( I was hoping that I wouldn't have to replicate my toolset here in Tokyo, but it seems unavoidable now.. On to hunt a proper spanner tomorrow!

I've got lots of spanners, all kinds, I can build you a spanner if you need it :D

I'm in Shinjuku if you need something :bike:
 
...and to back this up;

Can I help you mate?

What do you need doing on your bike?

Owen

I've got lots of spanners, all kinds, I can build you a spanner if you need it :D

I'm in Shinjuku if you need something :bike:

Thanks people, I really appreciate it! :) It's just that I didn't plan ahead of time, and now I'm in a pinch (moving out early on Saturday). Going to get some throwaway spanner today to use it just once. 何とかなるわ。

...Ah, I can't believe I just passed up on an offer for a custom-made spanner from none other than expert craftsman Stu himself! :(
 
On the expressways, probably not, but for other emergency-only roads I wonder if bikes would be allowed?

***

TOKYO —
The National Police Agency and the Tokyo metropolitan government have released a plan to avert traffic chaos in the event that a major earthquake hits Tokyo and the Kanto region.

The plan calls for a network of access roads reserved for emergency vehicles in the event of a magnitude 7 earthquake striking the capital. Non-emergency vehicles will be banned from using 1,770 kilometers of road in Tokyo and the 10 prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka and Aichi, Fuji TV reported.

Only vehicles belonging to the police, fire department and the Self-Defense Forces will be allowed to use the designated six major highways and 46 other routes.

Experts believe that in the event of an earthquake occurring in or near the capital, reliable access to the most densely populated areas of the city will be essential in the first hours. Access roads for emergency workers will help them to extinguish fires, treat the injured and free people trapped by rubble much faster.

The NPA said the plan is in response to the massive congestion that followed the March 11 earthquake when millions of people in Tokyo were unable to get home. Trains stopped running, while expressways and streets quickly became jampacked.

The routes include those providing access to and from all of Tokyo's 23 wards and the Tomei Expressway to Gotemba Junction, from Mikkabi Junction to the Okazaki Interchange, the Tohoku Expressway and the Nasu Interchange. It will also include the New Tomei Expressway to Gotemba Junction, and the road from the Chuo Expressway from the Suwa Interchange, among others.
 
On the expressways, probably not, but for other emergency-only roads I wonder if bikes would be allowed?

***

TOKYO —
The National Police Agency and the Tokyo metropolitan government have released a plan to avert traffic chaos in the event that a major earthquake hits Tokyo and the Kanto region.

The plan calls for a network of access roads reserved for emergency vehicles in the event of a magnitude 7 earthquake striking the capital. Non-emergency vehicles will be banned from using 1,770 kilometers of road in Tokyo and the 10 prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka and Aichi, Fuji TV reported.

Only vehicles belonging to the police, fire department and the Self-Defense Forces will be allowed to use the designated six major highways and 46 other routes.

Experts believe that in the event of an earthquake occurring in or near the capital, reliable access to the most densely populated areas of the city will be essential in the first hours. Access roads for emergency workers will help them to extinguish fires, treat the injured and free people trapped by rubble much faster.

The NPA said the plan is in response to the massive congestion that followed the March 11 earthquake when millions of people in Tokyo were unable to get home. Trains stopped running, while expressways and streets quickly became jampacked.

The routes include those providing access to and from all of Tokyo's 23 wards and the Tomei Expressway to Gotemba Junction, from Mikkabi Junction to the Okazaki Interchange, the Tohoku Expressway and the Nasu Interchange. It will also include the New Tomei Expressway to Gotemba Junction, and the road from the Chuo Expressway from the Suwa Interchange, among others.

I know the guys here in my area that run the local volunteer fire dept, after the big quake last year, which did not much effect Tokyo, really, we all talked about various things, one topic was quite revealing. They all understood that if a big quake hit Tokyo, like what hit up North, even forgetting the tsunami (we are quite far from the sea) we would be completely on our own for at least 3-5 days, possibly 7-10 days. No outside help would come, we would have to fend for ourselves. This is quite a change in the way these guys think. It started with the big quake in Kobe, how badly the response went there, and after the March 11th quake, this idea that we would have only ourselves to depend on is not fully taken hold. I think it is a good thing, I think it would be the reality.
The road closures, well how are they going to enforce that? Will they have thousands of cops on every street corner handing out tickets, instead of helping with the relief effort? Come to think of it, that would not surprise me at all..... :rolleyes:
 
Thanks people, I really appreciate it! :) It's just that I didn't plan ahead of time, and now I'm in a pinch (moving out early on Saturday). Going to get some throwaway spanner today to use it just once. 何とかなるわ。

...Ah, I can't believe I just passed up on an offer for a custom-made spanner from none other than expert craftsman Stu himself! :(

My work may not be the prettiest, but it works!

cbw2.jpg


tool I build to install the castle nuts on the engine mounts of a Honda VTR 1000F, still got it, and it works as well as the $200 unit from Mr. Honda :D

I have a "Pedal Wrench" it came with my Mixer, fairly thin, not as thin as a cone wrench, but not that thick either, but it has a nice LONG handle. Was included with the Mixer 8, great for putting on the pedals and the nuts on the rear axle (Alfine Hub).

Don't hit anyone when you toss that spanner! :D
 
Looks like my dynamo bike light finally left Germany for Japan today :)

I am busy on the brevet day, but give me a heads-up when you plan to do the training ride ~ I might be up for it too. (Though five months off the bike with an ouchy knee might hinder my progress somewhat.)

Based on the current weather forecast for Machida and Gotemba for Sunday, Jayves and I will do my long but slow brevet training ride (Machida - Enoshima - Odawara - Gotemba - Fujiyoshida - Sagamiko/Takao - Machida) on Sunday, 3/11 starting around 06:00 in the morning from the official brevet starting point.

213 km West Tokyo brevet training run
 
Rode Tue/Wed/Thurs, a great start to March and the season.

But skipped today--a little chillier and windy. Only enough stuff out of the sky (in the last hour or so) to call the ground "wet", not much more. Could've gone out this a.m. but cruised for a longer walk with the dog instead.

Tomorrow is supposed to be fine (tho chilly, not sure about the wind).

Followed by possible flurries in the days after...
 
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