Vol 2025 l No 2 l February

 

On Groundhog Day we are officially halfway through Winter. Regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not (and he did), we will certainly be seeing more daylight and warming temperatures. I enjoy the changing seasons, but halfway through Winter the thought of no more road salt or frozen water bottles starts to have a certain appeal.

At its January meeting the Executive Committee voted to modify the size of the Committee and reassign certain activities and functions to member volunteers. These changes are provided for in our Bylaws. Specifically, the Social Director, IT Director, and Signature Event Director positions were eliminated. The member volunteer positions created were Annual Celebration Chairperson, Annual Picnic Chairperson, multiple Happy Hour Hosts, Social Media moderators, IT Administrator, IT Backup Administrator, and Century Committee Chairperson. By changing three EC directors to seven member volunteers each position will involve a more manageable amount of time and energy.

The EC is now actively seeking to fill the new positions with members that enjoy keeping the good times rolling at SCU. We have had some success already. Marc Katz and Robin Einhorn are co-chairing this year's Annual Celebration. Chuck Herbert has agreed to act as our IT Administrator. (You may recognize his name as BCP's President.) Other members have organized several Happy Hours -- thank you Kathleen Neiman, Linda Mueller, Thom McAdams and Robin Einhorn. Savannah Lee is this year's Century Committee Chairperson, but she would like to find someone else to fill that role as she is already our Treasurer.

Please consider stepping forward. You may volunteer on your own or with a partner. No experience, no problem! You won't need to start from scratch because experienced current and past EC members and I are ready to give you guidance -- just add your energy and enthusiasm! Plus your fresh perspective and new ideas will help make our club continue to be a great place to enjoy cycling with friends.

Hope to see you at the Annual Celebration next Saturday, February 8, or on a ride soon!

Steve "I don't see no stinkin' shadow" Muth
SCU President

 

Huddle in 2025 with your cycling friends!!! Come enjoy camaraderie with your fellow cyclists and recognize those in the club that make it all possible. WHEN: Saturday, February 8, 6pm-9pm HOW MUCH: $27.50 WHERE: Magerks Pub & Grill, 582 S. Bethlehem Pike, Ft. Washington, PA https://www.magerkspub.com/fort-washington Now is the time to REGISTER! Come out for a night fun as we celebrate the rides and ride leaders of 2024. Members can bring one non-member guest. For just $27.50 you get: Appetizers Dinner Dessert To thank and recognize our amazing ride leaders Time to connect with the best group of people, bar none To register, complete the form after logging in to the SCU site with your credentials. When you click through, make sure your name is in the upper right-hand corner then you can hit "register now" and pay. Due to space restrictions, only the 1st 100 people to pay will be able to attend.

REGISTER NOW!

2025 SCU Best of Bucks Metric

Saturday, May 10, 2025

 

Follow the link below to the information page.

We look forward to seeing you there!

2025 Best of Bucks Metric

 

Most people are generally aware of the differences between road bikes and mountain bikes.  Mountain bikes are made for riding off-road.   They are built for rider control and bike durability when bouncing around on rough terrain. (Rider durability is also important, at least for some people.) Road bikes are designed for speed and efficiency when riding primarily on paved surfaces.  Mountain bikes have different handlebars, frames, suspension, tires, and wheels than road bikes. Helmets and clothing for mountain biking are even different than for riding on the road.

The most obvious difference may be that road bikes usually have drop handlebars, and mountain bikes often have straight handlebars.  Drop handlebars allow riders to bend more by placing their hands on the dropped part of the bars, thereby lessening wind resistance.  Drop bars also allow for several different hand positions, which can help reduce fatigue on longer bike rides.  Wide straight handlebars provide more precise control of the front wheel when negotiating obstacles and rough terrain, which is more important for mountain biking than the benefits of drop bars.

Mountain bikes have wider tires for rough terrain and mud, while road bikes have narrower tires for less rolling resistance on pavement and hard-packed trails. Mountain bikes have suspension to absorb shocks, providing more comfort (or at least less discomfort) and helps the rider to better control the bike.

Yet not all road bikes are created equal. A racing bike built for speed is different from a touring bike built for multi-day cycling trips.  Elitewheels, a manufacturer of carbon fiber bike wheels, lists seven different types of road bikes:

• Aero Bikes are bikes built for one thing – speed. Every part of the bike is specially designed to reduce weight and increase aerodynamic efficiency. Frames, wheels, handlebars and even helmets are engineered to reduce drag and lower air resistance. They are the top-of-the-line racing bikes that also tend to be among the most expensive in the world. They are usually ridden by three different types of cyclists: the world's fastest professional cyclists, people with a fanatic interest in racing who sometimes think they are the world's fastest cyclists, and average everyday bike club members who just have to have the most expensive bike around.
  
  
• Endurance Road Bikes are for long Saturday or Sunday rides or events such as centuries and metric centuries. They are efficient, durable, and comfortable on a variety of terrains.They tend to be a little more expensive than the average road bike, with frames often made from lightweight steel tubing, aluminum, carbon fiber, or titanium. They usually have wider tires than racing bikes.
  
  
• Climbing Bikes are designed just for optimal hill climbing. They have a compact gearing setup with smaller chainrings and wider cassettes to facilitate climbing.They often have shorter crank arms for a higher riding cadence. The frames are lightweight and more compact, with a steeper head tube angle so that more of the rider's weight is on the back wheel, providing better traction on steep hills.
  
  
• Gravel Bikes, used for riding on dirt and gravel roads and trails, have some features of mountain bikes, but usually don’t have suspension, so they look more like a road bike.They have wider tires, and a frame shaped more like a mountain bike to accommodate wider tires and with handlebars a bit higher to provide more control and a more upright riding posture. Some gravel riders prefer straight handlebars, but most opt for drop bars.Their frames can be made of lightweight material, like carbon fiber, but if so, they tend to be built a bit more robustly for durability rather than for speed.

   

• Time Trial Bikes are racing bikes taken to the extreme.Their most noticeable feature is aero bars – extended tubes sticking out in front of the handlebars to allow the rider to stay in a flatter more wind resistant posture. The gearshifts are on the aerobars to allow shifting with minimal hand movement. The frame and wheels are very stiff to reduce energy loss from flexing, but at the cost of comfort. They tend to have very thin tires and often have a solid back wheel. They have gear ratios for high-speed riding at a high cadence, with a larger chainring on the front.Their aggressive design is suitable for riding on well-paved surfaces that are flat and smooth. They are not for stop-and-go riding, as they are difficult to get started due to the higher gear ratios. This is why time trials often start on a short downhill ramp. Time trial bikes are often used for triathlons, especially if the cycling part of the course is flat and well-paved.
  
  
• Touring Bikes are built for adventurous long-distance cycling. They are dependable and sturdy. They have connection points for racks to allow cyclists on multi-day self-supported trips to carry all their gear.Surley's Long Haul Trucker is a classic touring bike. Their frames are usually made of strong steel tubing, although more lightweight, more durable, and more expensive titanium touring bikes are becoming common. Touring bikes usually have wider tires like a gravel bike or endurance bike. Their handlebars are often higher up so that riders can take in the scenery while touring (and for comfort).
  
  
• Women-Specific Road Bikes – Women's bodies are different than men's, yet most bike designers failed to take this into account when designing bikes – until recently that is. For most of the Twentieth Century, the only accommodation for women riding a bike (other than selling pink bikes for girls) was to remove the top tube and have a reinforced or double lower tube so that women wearing skirts could more easily ride a bike. Times have changed. In 2008, Bonnie Tu, the chair of Giant Global Group (Giant Bicycles), started the Liv/Giant brand, with Liv bikes and equipment (including seats) designed for women. In 2014 Liv became its own brand and Liv stores appeared.
  
  Besides the obvious, there are subtle but significant differences between male and female neck, back, and shoulder anatomy.Bikes with a more compact frame, a shorter top tube, and a taller head tube are better suited for women. The handlebars, crank arms, and some other components are slightly different and are better suited to female biomechanics making them more comfortable and healthier for women to ride.

This discussion of road bikes just scratches the surface.  There are also many specialized bikes including track bikes, cyclocross bikes, recumbents, tandems, folding bikes, antique bikes, cargo bikes, family bikes, and beach cruisers, just to name a few. Some folks up in Minnesota even have special snow bikes, don't ya know.  (I wonder if Robin Einhorn or Mark Katz have skied past any of them in Coloardo?)

Recumbent bikes have been around for more than 100 years, but started to gain more attention in the 1980's. An article by SCU President for Life (well half of his life, anyway) about why he rides a recumbent follows this article.

 

 

Steve Muth is one of our local recumbent experts.  He took time away from his duties as SCU President for Life (at least it must seem that way to him.) to write about some of the characteristics of recumbents and why he rides one. 

First, let’s talk about what recumbents are all about…

Perhaps the greatest variety in bicycle design comes in the form of recumbents, where the rider sits in a reclined position that is both faster and more comfortable. In fact, recumbents were banned by the UCI in 1934 for being too fast. A second-tier rider on a recumbent was beating top riders on the upright bikes of big name bike builders -- we certainly can’t be having that!

Since that ban, only traditional upright bikes are seen in high-profile races, and recumbents have remained less popular. However, bike builders who have freed themselves from compliance with UCI rules (or the need to have that look) can apply more creativity to their designs resulting in a wide diversity in recumbent configurations which may have two or three wheels.

Two-wheeled recumbents are either ‘long wheel base’ with the cranks between the wheels, or ‘short wheel base’ with the cranks ahead of the front wheel. Most have rear wheel drive, but some designs send the power to the front wheel. Two-wheelers tend to be faster than three-wheelers.

Three-wheeled recumbent trikes can be either ‘tadpoles’ with two front wheels, ‘deltas’ with two rear wheels, or ‘velomobiles’ with an aerodynamic shell that encloses the rider. The tadpoles and deltas are a lot of fun for relaxed riding and are easily adapted for those with disabilities. Velomobiles are extremely fast on the flats, but tend to be very slow climbers because of their weight.

All my recumbents are short wheel base recumbents, and comfort is the primary reason I have been riding them for over 20 years. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine any bike more comfortable than a good touring recumbent. There is no strain on the rider’s back, shoulders, or neck. The rider’s weight is distributed over a much larger seat and the rider’s head is in a natural position to enjoy the scenery.

However, I enjoy the speed benefits of my recumbent as much as its comfort. The aerodynamic advantage comes from the lower cross-sectional area of the reclined seating position. A typical recumbent rider presents far less ‘area to the wind’ than a typical upright rider, even in their best aero-tuck. Because of this, virtually all the speed records for a human-powered vehicle are held by recumbents. The current absolute land speed record over a one mile straight course is 89.59 mph in a fully enclosed recumbent. While this was a purpose-built machine, stock recumbents have set a number of records in the Race Across America endurance race.

There is a safety side benefit as well. The stopping ability of traditional upright bicycles on dry pavement is limited by the higher center of gravity and resulting potential for ‘going over the handlebars’ if the brakes are applied to maximum. The lower center of gravity of recumbents allows them to use their brakes to their maximum, resulting in a stopping distance that is approximately 20 percent shorter.

Are there downsides to recumbents? Well, yes, everything has pros and cons. Some recumbents can have large turning radii, making them awkward in dense traffic. Models with lower seats can have visibility issues with seeing and being seen in dense traffic. Then again, I tend to avoid dense traffic, even in my cars, except for short transits through towns. On rolling terrain they tend to be more ‘rollercoastery’ than traditional upright bikes, zooming down and crawling up. Sometimes on hilly club rides I find myself mostly either ‘off the front’ downhill or ‘off the back’ uphill. My regular riding buddies are used to this and we leave each other room to pass, so I am not sure if this is really a big negative. 

So, there it is: I ride a recumbent mostly for the comfort, a little bit for the speed, and don’t find the downsides to be particularly problematic. Hope to see you on a ride soon! I am happy to wait for you at the bottom of hills, if you wait for me at the tops. And we can have a fun paceline or good chat on the flats.

 

We are currently in the process of designing new SCU club jerseys for roll-out in 2025!  If you have thoughts on design of the jerseys, please feel free to share them with Savannah Lee or Sharon Hansen.  You may e-mail feedback to treasurer@suburbancyclists.org.  Thank you!

 

Thank you Thom McAdams for the reminder!

As membership director, I want to welcome back all of our SCU members who have renewed their memberships and I am encouraging our non-members to join our ranks!  We are excited to have over 1,800 cyclists in our Meetup Group but we would be even more excited to have more of the group become dues-paying SCU members.  Our membership fee is one of the best bargains around!!  So what are the benefits you will receive with your SCU membership you may ask?  

Here are just a few:

And most importantly...supporting our cycling community especially our experienced and dedicated ride leaders who work hard at providing our club members with the best and safest routes throughout the region that accommodates various rider abilities.

The SCU membership fees help to sustain our club so please consider becoming a member today!  To join our club, click https://suburbancyclists.org/.  Please feel free to reach out to me at membership@suburbancyclists.org or any of our Executive Committee if you have any questions or comments.
 
Hope to see you on the road!
 
Pat Butcher
Membership Director