John’s Ramblings

I often read the Cascade Bike Club message boards to keep up with the local bike chatter, and there was a posting there earlier this week that really appealed to my inner “bike geek”.

Someone rented an engineer’s wheel and has marked off an exact mile on the Green River Trail in Kent, as a reference for checking how accurate your bike computer is. The marks are on the east side of the trail, so it’s easier if you are northbound. The markings are simple, just a line and a number “0″ or “1″ underneath.

The zero mark is about 30 yards south of where the trail passes under Kent-Des Moines Road, at the end of the second section of cyclone fence near the Signature Pointe Apartments.

The 1 mile mark comes after you pass under the Meeker Street Bridge, near the chipping-practice green at the Riverbend Golf Course.

I rode this section on Wednesday and found that my bike computer is 4/100′s of a mile short over one mile. This is pretty close I’d say, but it means that my bike computer will be 8 miles short at the end of STP. I’m still trying to decide if I need to recalibrate, or if I can live with the inaccuracy. I’m also giving serious consideration to changing to the heavier Bontrager Race Lite Hard Case tires before STP as insurance against punctures. So, maybe I’ll get the new tires, then ride this section a couple more times to double-check my computer.

I rode this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a total of 61 mid-week miles, just shy of 2,100 YTD.

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