Riding with the kids.

The beautiful weather was certainly not the reason for my commuting by bicycle three times this week. Tuesdays ride home was wet, Thursday was nice but the morning ride was cool and damp. This morning was pretty nice I must say, but not a week that makes one think that bicycling to work is the most appealing alternative to driving.
At any rate, I rode to work on Tuesday, Thursday (by myself) and again today. It's nice to come home at the end of the day and walk into the house with my bike gear on. I like to think that I'm creating a positive influence for the kids to see me riding the bike to work.
My 10 year old had been bugging me to ride with him so on Saturday I am taking him to the Cape Cod canal for a 14 mile ride. I'm looking forward to it and I think we will have a great time. He loves to ride and I know that he would ride more if I made the effort to ride with him so that's my goal. I'm not one for New Years resolutions - but riding more with my kids would be a good one! In this months bicycling magazine there is a great article by Joe Kurmaskie (sp?) who wrote Momentum is your friend which is a fantastic book I read a couple years ago. In this months Bicycling article, Joe talks about riding 3000 miles with his wife and 3 kids. A great read that I found to be just the motivation I needed to get out with my kids on the bikes.
Not that I'm going to pack up the kids and head up to Canada but I can certainly get them over to the Cape Cod Canal for 15 miles or so.

Quick little addition to this post - make sure you check out this 84 year old woman that does the MS ride on her singlespeed. Don't miss the fact that she wears a dress and heels!
See ya

This week in commuting!

Again this morning I crept around in the dark of my bedroom trying to properly dress for a cool/damp commute without waking up my sleeping wife. The right cycling clothing can truly make or break my time in the saddle, and when it's cool and wet (or even raining) the clothing is even more important. My ride home on Tuesday was certainly wet, but I was warm and comfortable none the less.
I am still riding my road bike while my singlespeed sits unassembled and un-painted in my cellar. The singlespeed will be my dedicated commuting bike throughout the winter but until it's done I migrated my headlight, tail light and seat bag on to my LOOK.
As I rode this morning the roads were still a bit damp and covered in leaves and pine needles. My thoughts bounced between pure appreciation that I can ride my bicycle to work on a fall morning, and sheer terror that my skinny 700x 23c tires would betray me on the wet leaves. I have been on the lookout for some good all-weather 700c tires that I can use on my singlespeed - let me know if you have any recommendations!
There is certainly something about riding in less than ideal conditions that appeals to the true cyclist in me. Heading out into cold wet darkness on a bicycle is one of those rites of passage for a cyclist. It also adds many dimensions to an otherwise generic ride - such as having to be more alert of traffic and weather conditions, dressing properly, and the overall feeling of taking pleasure in something that most folks would think entirely miserable. Of course, they probably haven't tried it!
Ride safe!
Patrick

A little online shopping

While I greatly respect and enjoy the relationship that I enjoy with my local shop (Tri Town Cycling in Wareham, MA), there are times when I come across a deal on the web that is just too good to pass up. Usually something that I may not need, but will certainly use and would not otherwise buy.
With that in mind, there are certain sites on the web that are based solely on blowout pricing. While you will not get the advice, expertise, and comraderie that you enjoy at your local LBS, you can wind up with some pretty sweet stuff without killing your budget.
One of my favorites is www.bonktown.com. Bonktown is part of larger operation that runs similar sites for skiing, skateboarding, mountain biking, etc.
I have installed the bonktown deal tracker on my machine that pops up every now and then with the most recent deals. This page also shows some deals from those other partner sites which is pretty cool.
Again, certainly you wont enjoy the benefits of your local shop, but if you see something cool and want to save a few bucks, go for it!

Peace!

Patrick

And now for something completely different!

In addition to all the sexy race bikes, mountain bikes, and latest trends in commuter bikes, I love to see folks who write their own rules when it comes to their bicycle. I came across this blog posting recently and thought it worth sharing. As I post this my singlespeed sits recently stripped and naked in my basement. The possibility of that bicycle being covered in fur or being attached to a manikin just went up.
Check it out here

While you're at it, check this out. I have always been a car lover and this is just amazing!

Enjoy!

Patrick

Google Trike

Now this is pretty cool! Google now has a "street view" camera on a bicycle that will be used to film street views on Google Maps for bicycle trails, bike paths, etc.
Check out the article and make sure to cast your vote for your local trail!

Rites of Passage

Here is a link to a fantastic article on bicycling.com which looks at 109 of the things that make us cyclists. I got a kick out of #81 in particular!

81. Explicating your training in exquisite detail on a blog, then realizing nobody cares.

If you can think of anything creative they may have missed, post it here - we'd love to read them.

Ride on

Patrick