I didn’t think changing the rear cassette on my Lynskey R300 would affect the ride character so much but it did. Yesterday after making a grocery run to Walmart I got my tools out and changed the cassette from the 11×34 that came with the Lynskey to an 11×25 that I ordered. The exchange went smoothly and took about 10 minutes leaving my hands greasy. That is why I prefer paraffin wax on my chains. My next project will make that switch too; both on the Lynskey R300 and Canyon Endurace bikes.

The Lynskey’s character moved from pedaling like a mountain bike to a road bike. The goal was for the Lynskey and Canyon to feel the same in similar gear combinations. With the 11×25 I no longer need to shift to the big chainring and back shift 2 gears on the rear to move at the same speed/cadence as the Canyon. Mission accomplished. I ordered a 36T chainring too but after today’s ride I don’t think I will need it. The new cassette drive train before the bike ride.

To go along with the new gears I activated a new pair of Pearl Izumi Elite Gel Gloves Red. My old gloves started looking an feeling tired. I think the gel got tired too. There’s something about new biking stuff that ups the adrenaline during a bike ride!

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With the new things ready for a bike ride I rolled down the driveway pushing the Bolt’s start ride button at 11:40 AM. The chosen route: “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman”. By the time I finished the ride at 2:15 PM I covered 33.15 miles.

The wind during the bike ride started at 13 mph from the SE and ended up at 20 mph from the SE. Getting to the turn from headwind to tailwind at FM 2100 and Old Atascocita Road required a lot of effort. I worked hard to keep my speed around 15 mph up to that point. After the switch to a tailwind and the ride back to Kingwood my average speed went up to 13.4 mph from the 13.0 mph I managed to build in the headwind. The charts from my PowerPod show the headwind until around mile 21 with the blue above the white line in the chart below. (click the image to enlarge it)

Today’s video includes other bikers, people walking and jogging, and what I saw as the bike ride moved along the route.

Weather during the bike ride: start 76 (72% humidity, 66.4 dew point), overcast, wind SE 13 mph. Finish 75 (74% humidity, 66.1 dew point), overcast, wind SE 20 mph. Part of the reason for starting when I did was waiting for the temperature to get above 70. My kit: shorts, long sleeve thermal jersey, and a light wind jacket. With the temperature but cloudy sky the jacket kept me comfortable; glad I wore it. Friday’s forecast: high of 79. Scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. I plan on biking as I ride towards my 600 mile goal for April.