Happy May Day Comrades!

One year of bike commuting is official today. Actually, one year of essentially only using the car on weekends. I'm feeling pretty good about this. Not that there aren't other that have been at it a lot longer than I have.

Actually, this is pretty much the beginning of year three of trying to straighten out my life. I was a workaholic depressive mess a couple of years ago. I decided that something needed to be done about it. My wife was convinced that I'd maybe make it another 5-years max. This blows me away now as I'm only 48 years old now. Way too early to check out, but it does happen. I was stressed out and messed up but I woke up. I spent the first year working on the basics. Keep reasonable hours at work. Eat decent and make up for what was lacking with some vitamins. Take some time to relax. Try to live a little.

It takes time to straighten yourself out. It takes a little longer with each passing decade. Glad I woke up.

About a year ago, I decided to challenge myself a bit more and get in decent condition. I picked up bicycling and have never looked back. I go fast. I go slow. I ride for exercise. I ride for pleasure. I ride for utility. It never even occurs to me to get around any other way during the week. The times I do need to use the car, due to lack of time or just plain practicality, I'm usually a little disappointed. I've definitely built a pretty decent level of fitness and I feel way better than two years ago.

So. That's about it for now. Enough blah, blah. Hope you enjoy your ride. And a Happy May Day!

Not much, you?

The weather improves and the blogging drops off. All is as it should be.

I'm over my obsession with getting another flat tire. It seems like Spring arrives and glass sprouts out of the street. I've ridden through my share of glass with the new "Gator Skins" without incident. I'm not stupid enough to wander beyond reasonable walking distance without my repair kit and pump...anymore...for at least a while..I'm pretty sure.

I've been putting some miles on the Gitane. I've noticed that compared to the Surly, with it's new brakes, that the Gitane brakes feel spongy. In some ways it feels like the cables are stretching more than they should. On the other hand, I wonder if new brake shoes would be the ticket. Likely it's a combination of the two. Any opinions out there?

Enough of the blah blah. The riding is great. Hope you enjoy yours.

The Acid Test

So. I'm obsessed with flat tires. I hear the hiss constantly. After starting off the warm season with a couple of flats, I'm always expecting the next one. I rode through some majors glass both to and from work today. Hence "The Acid Test". Not an intentional test, but a byproduct of some spaced out riding. Eventually, I'll give it up and just ride again.

The weekned ride on some of our local paths has convinced me that I find riding alongside cars safer than riding alongside inline skaters. Seriously, the mix of pedestrians, skaters and the widely mixed speeds of the biking crowd has convinced me that the bike path is no place to be if you want to haul ass.

Enjoy your ride.

Great weekend

Took a ride to Pine Point County Park with Lynn on Sunday. She had a chance to check out her freshly single-speeded Trek. I went through the bike top to bottom this winter and it rides nice. It's an older Trek Mountainbike. She seems to like it. Considering it's rare that I've ever heard her shift, it seemed like a logical move. Short ride, but a beautiful day. She's a slow rider, and has no desire to do much distance, but we had a good time. I cooled the pace and just enjoyed.

Did the Easter thing today. Feasted and sat in the sun and shot the breeze. I had just enough time to get in a quick 15 mile drive after getting home this eve. I left without my tire repair kit or pump, but I did have my cell. I found out the battery was out of juice so no lifeline there. Perfect test for the new GatorSkins. No flats and they rode decent. The Gitane is a mid-70's ten speed. Decent bike weight wise and super plush ride. The tires seems to be a little more stable than what I'd had before. Believe me, you'll hear about it if I get a flat on these tires. Nothing could be worse than the glass magnets I'd been using.

Got to say that the Brooks B17 saddle on this bike is the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. I was a little uncomfortable with this saddle when it was new. The main issue I had at first with it was that is was too slippery. A half-years worth of riding took the slip out of the hide and now I have nothing negative to report. I hear that not everyone cares for the Brooks saddles. All I can say is that I pay no attention to the saddle when I'm out on a long ride. Double thumbs up from me.

Enjoy the ride.

Fresh start

So it feels like a fresh start to me. Not like we couldn't get any more unpleasant weather, but Spring seems to be here. The past two days have been glorius here. Start out riding to work at 66 degrees F , low humidity, damn near perfect.

It's easy to understand the slow down in blogging among the biking crowd. The tough days of winter are gone. What could I possibly add. It's been great.

Finally finished up a big project at work so the intense pressure is off for a bit. I feel a little dazed as I've been going full speed ahead. I've took the afternoon off yesterday and came home at 3.30pm today. Generally unheard of for me. I've been over a year without a vacation and barely a day off. Sure some time at Xmas. Some of the family visiting and xmas activity is anything but a vacation. Anyway, I'm a bit cooked, but feel like I'm doing a better job of taking care of myself. The biking definitely brought me through winter in much better shape.

Ordered some new tires for the Gitane after last weekend's flat tire problems. Went with some Continental Gator-skins. Kind of weird in that I just spent more on tires than I paid for the bike, $50. Had a brief ride this eve. They seem to roll noticeably better than the discount skins I had before. They do seem tough on inspection. We all know riding through the glass shards of daily life will be the true test. Doug, of MNBikeCommuter,see my links, seems to have had good luck with better tires. We'll see.

You enjoy the ride.

New Strategy

So. New strategy. Need to start blogging before the old man is sleepy. Good grief. What am I, 80 years old?

So where was I? Seems like, oh yeah, shit, I have a flat tire. Lynn comes to pick my sorry-no-backup-plan hide home. I'm a bit frustrated as the day was really made for a ride and I'm screwing around with a flat tire.

I go home to switch bikes, another example of the advantages of owning multiple bikes, and ride off to the trailhead again. I came across no fewer than 3-riders dealing with flat tires. It felt better to be in a position to ask "hey, you got everything you need?". Talking to one of these ridiers we came to the conclusion that a fool and his beer bottle are soon parted. I've got no problem with beer. In fact, I like beer. The broken bottles I have issues with.

Quick aside. I was riding my Gitane earlier when I got the flat. It's a super comfy frame just right for a long ride. The trouble is that I've had more flat tires on that bike than I can believe. In fact, in the past year it's the only bike that's had a flat. Coincidence? I think not. I believe I've got some bottom of the barrel NOS Kenda tires. Likely reinforced with tissue paper. I've has other Kendas with no problems, but these are taking a trip to the trash. Time to replace them with something a bit more robust. Advice/opinions gladly accepted.

Long story short. It's twice as far out of the woods as the trip in. I found myself far from home and on a much longer ride than anticipated. Cool. No problem. I feel great. Trouble is about half way back, I run out of gas. No fuel in the tank. Stopped at the first burger joint I spied and ordered a shake and monster burger. The only chocolate shake available had banana in it. Will this be ok with me? FINE. What they didn't know is that at this point I would have taken a chocolate shake flavored with dog doo. I'll tell you, that was the BEST burger I've ever had. Funny how a out of gas shaky as hell hunger makes anything taste good.

So I continue on my way home. I feel better but not great. I think I let it go a little too long. Now I'm fighting a fair headwind, I swear I was fighting a headwind on the way out. I'm getting a little demoralized but there's no way I'm calling Lynn to rescue me twice in a day. I found the mantra "Mommy,please help me" was effective in keeping me going. Finally came to a rise that offered my first view of downtown Saint Paul. Damn, I've still got a pretty fair ride in front of me. I made it eventually but not without my share of suffering. I saw a billboard earlier in the day that proclaimed "pain is weakness leaving the body". Maybe. I was starting to believe that pain is strength leaving the body. Actually, I think both are true.

Lesson learned. I know that I need to take some food, and refuel on a regular basis, on any ride that goes much beyond 2-hours. Funny what you can forget over the winter. Monday. I wasn't sore but definitely depleted. No problem with the hill on the way to work, but not much reserve. I'm about back to normal today as I took it pretty easy, at least physically, on Monday. Trying to eat some decent food and build the system back up.

End of story. Ride on, friends.

Total Wuss or Athlete in Training?

Great weeknd for biking. After a typical Minnesota endless grey skies winter it arives. All of a sudden I'm out riding with a windbreaker and thinking that may be more than is really needed.

Saturday did my typical 1.5 hour reasonably fast ride. Routes that I know well. I know every little hill. Ride a route enough times and you start to get pretty efficient at your approach to the ride. Great ride, great weather and time left over to put a little energy into the kitchen remodel, you know, the one I've been working on all winter with no end in sight. It is the price you pay for trying to do it on the cheap. Worth it and we've made enough progress that I'm not hearing much complaining from my better half. Believe me, she is the better of the two.

Sunday. Chores done with the day pretty much free. Took a nice drive over around the Stillwater area, had some breakfast, farted around and relaxed. Home before noon with plenty o' time for a good ride. The wind still had a bit of a bite and there was no way this was going to be a husband-wife ride. That's cool. We don't expect to be interested in sharing all our interests. Ok. I'll come across like a sexist pig, but here goes. My wife enjoys going to the fragrence/soap/whatever else they have in those places. Me, I go into an immediate mental fog anytime we get close. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a nice bar of sage scented soap as much as any other manly man. It's just that that's where it stops for me. Buy the soap, I'm done. Lemme see, what was I talking about. Ok. yeah, so we don't feel obligated to share all our interests. And, I'm sure Lynn, let me rephrase that, I'm postive that Lynn goes into that same aforementioned mental fog when entering my favorite LBS. So where was I going with this. So I take off on my ride, a beautiful Sunday if there ever was one. Through downtown StP to the State Bike Trail, the name escapes me, the one thqat heads over to north of Stillwater. I hit the trailhead at 7th and Arcade and go just a little too far before I hear the hiss of a flattening rear tire. Shit.

No prepared. No patches. No tools. No luck

The one thing I did remember was my cell phone. Walked for about 1/2 hour to the trail head. Head on down the road to the closest convenience mart. The cashier looked at me like I was stoned when I asked if they carried tube repair. I wish. Buy a large Pepsi. Pull out the cell, the one thing I did remember, and call the better half. She drives down to me me and disabled bike. She comes right away, supporting my claim that she is indeed the better half.

You know what? I'm tired and going to bed. I'll continue later.

Ride on, broomstick cowpokes.