Is Bigger Better?????

Sometimes bigger is better, but the question at hand is...

Is a 20" rear wheel better than an 18"?

I have even seen and heard of some people in Europe kicking

on a full sized rear wheel.

So what are the benefits? What are the draw backs?

Draw backs= slower start, slower getting up to speed,

more effort pushing up a hill.

Benefits= rolls faster once you are up to speed, maintains higher

speed with less effort.

Faster overall.

This is what I understand.

Now I get to put it to the test.

Chris surprised me last weekend with a new 20" rear wheel.

I am going to start training on it and see what differences I notice.

I will let you know if I think

"Bigger is better."

Here are some notes I found about this very subject, but refering to different sized tires.

"The most common wheel is the 700. They have a larger circumference and less rolling resistance. This means they will decelerate slower than a smaller wheel would, which is beneficial in races like triathlons where you mostly maintain a constant speed. If you were to stop pedaling, a larger wheel would roll faster and longer than a smaller wheel, which translates into saved energy when you are trying to maintain a high speed. The smaller 650 wheels accelerate and climb better due to their lower mass and size, but have a harder time maintaining high speeds. You basically have to work harder to hold a certain speed with 650’s than you do with 700’s."

Another thing to consider is with the new 20" rim I am also riding on a more narrow tire with a higher pressure rating. Many factors.

I will do some feild work.

First Kicking Group a Success

Saturday was great!

It was overcast, but temperatures in the 40's made for perfect kicking weather.

We had 7 Kickers join us this time, an awesome group and good company.

We kicked the Legacy Parkway from 500 South to Farmington and back.

Our total distance was 16.5 Miles.

This was an incredible first kick for Andrew. Way to go!

We swapped stories, traded kicking techniques, talked components,

and just had an all around good time.

I am really looking forward to our next meet up on April 9th.

We are going to work laps around Sugar House park on that day.

It would be great to see more people join us.

'til next time.

Music for the Cannibal

I posed a simple question and got a very complicated answer.

I asked Footbike racer "The Cannibal"

What is your favorite song to kick to?

Here is what I got from him.

I guess there is just too much kick'n to narrow it down to just one song.

Thanks Cannibal!

So Sarah from Kick-It Marketing (the Footbike Rep for Utah and Idaho) asks me a question the other day that I have struggled to answer and have pondered and wrestled with for over a week now. Her question to me was “What is your very favorite song that you like to listen to while you are Footbiking?” Easy question to answer right? Wrong!! Especially for a music lover like myself.
Before I tackle her question with an answer I must preface my response and share with all that I am a 80s music junkie. My i-Pod is chuck full of some of the finest tunes that were created during those magical music years. Typically this is what I am tuning on during the day but Footbiking brings out a different need in me.
So what do I crank to as I kick a comfortable 12-14 mph down the Legacy Parkway? It kind of depends on the mood and the kick. As with music, no kick is the same. I have different licks for different types of kicks. No one song can fit the bill to answer Sarah’s question. Typically I lean toward the harder steady bass beating music that carries a rhythmic pond. Marilyn Manson’s version of the classic “Personal Jesus” or “Tainted Love” would be great examples of what I’m talking about. Some other select songs from the same artist also has that same bass pond that I need from time to time. I’m not a Rap guy however I do have a few old school artists like Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Tone-Loc (Funky Cold Medina or Wild Thing), and Run-D.M.C (tricky) that fills the need. On longer kicks when I fight though the ups and downs of the course and energy reserves I tend to grab a tasty Cliff bar (FBUSA sponsor plug) and mix in a few lighter more electronic “poppy” tunes from artists like Owl City, Angles & Airwaves, David Tavare (Oh la la la), Eiffel 65, David Guetta (World is Mine), The Prodigy, Ace of Base, and don’t forget Beck (Looser). Don’t laugh the stuff rocks! And finally for those times when the kick is needing all I got to eat up the asphalt and pull those mph’s up a few clicks, I’ll crank up the volume and try to blow the drivers out of my ScullCandys (another FBUSA sponsor plug) with the heavy sounds of Chemical Brothers (The Boxer), Cirrus (I Got So Many Eyes Watching Me Now, Catch you On the “B” Side), some of Maynard’s creations with Puscifer, and my latest wicked beating fetish, Matthew Dear (You Put A Smell On Me, I Can’t Feel). You got to try them.
I hope this helps to answers your question Sarah. Some day I most likely will be deaf or at least short of hearing due to the volume level that I kick too but when I’m old I’ll look back with a smile on my face, take a deep breath with strong healthy lungs, stand tall with a strong heart beat on legs as solid as Oak trees and think, yea that kicked!
Be healthy, love music, enjoy life, and Just Kick It!
The Cannibal

Footbiking in the USA- Facebook Group

Do you know about this facebook group?

It is called

Footbiking in the USA.

I love it! It is a great place to meet others who scooter too.

This group is for everyone who scoots regardless of brand and even though when the groups started it was for the USA, it has members from all over the world.

There are good discussions about upgrades, types of kicking shoes, reasons to scoot, favorite trails, upcoming events, past events and all sorts of other fun things about the sport.

Jump on and see what it's all about.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=10150154398450393