It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are.
Ernest Hemingway
I found this on YouTube. I now realize that everything I have been saying about bike commuting has been a waste of time. This sums it up right here. This is the real reason. Done - once you get over the notion that it's a balls-eye-view anyway. Oh, and listen to the music if you can, it's nice.
I have a special place in my heart for BMX bikes, even though I haven't ridden one since I was a kid. Lots of adults do, as proved by our recent X-games, but for some reason I'm stuck on big bikes now. I imagine a lot of us still remember BMXs fondly though. My first bike was a Huffy "banana bike" - bless my mom and dad - but I wanted a BMX so bad I could taste it. They came though before long and got me an awesome chrome one with pads, hand brakes, knobbies, the whole package. I loved that bike. Blue tires to match the seat, grips and pads. I don't know why they were so color coordinated, but it was bliss.
In this episode of "Only in Boulder", we discover that this fall students and fans will be able to ride to CU football games and have their bikes valeted and watched by student volunteers. This comes on the heels of Folsom Field (the CU football stadium) announcing they would be the first zero waste stadium in the Big 12 conference.
I thought folks might like seeing a bit of the Idaho high desert from a bicycle perspective. Here ya go.
Read on for more pics and boring detail.
Second in a very short series of Idaho high desert rides. This one starts in Bellevue, Idaho and heads Southeast to Carey.
Yet another ride in Idaho. This one a quick 30 miles up Trail Creek Summit Road.
Rapha is easily my favorite outfitter of expensive European bicycle gear. They have a great design team and the quality is top notch. Rapha is also a group of dedicated epic riders and recently they've been spending more time on this side of the Atlantic—with a lot of it right here in the Pacific Northwest. You can follow their exploits over at The Rapha Continental on the Rapha website.
Sunday, like a good pilgrim, I attended the early service at the church of Tiger Mountain. Once again, it was dumping rain. As usual, my faith was tested at the trailhead. Car parked. Warm inside. Windows instantly foggy. Quiet except for the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Wet bikes. Should we go for it? Maybe we should bag it. The parking lot is empty, no one is as dumb as us. I've been tempted like this before....
Another in a long and boring series of bike rides in South Central Idaho.
This article is Part I of a series, to read part II, see Mountain Bike Racing is Awesome.
Last night I entered my first XC mountain bike race. Late in the season, as usual. Haven't been training, as usual - although lots of recreational riding. Lots. I studied up, asked plenty of questions. Thought I was ready - and I was ready - as ready as anyone will ever be for their first race. That's what I learned. It's about experience. About what's in your head more than what's in your legs...
A nice (mostly) downhill run through the woods
Sometimes there is nothing better than brand new bar tape to make me fall in love with commuting again.
$12.02 does a world of good to put a new shine on this old girl. She rides faster than ever before, getting me to the bus stop on time. Just when I was growing tired of the tedious commute and my dirty bike, I realized that with a new outfit, all was young, fresh and new again. Off I go, conquering the streets of Boulder and Denver during my AM and PM commute.
BMX makes its Olympic debut August 20. 15 foot jumps!
Last night I had one of the scariest moments of my two years in racing.
This article is Part II in a series, to read part I see Mountain Bike Racing Sucks
I'm kind of pissed that I keep figuring this out at the end of the season, but like I've said before - this time I mean it. Racing is hard, but it is worth it. This week I entered my second ever mountain bike race and improved my standings 1000 to 1. What that means is that I finished the race this time, and had a blast, as opposed to last week, when I blew up after one lap, called it quits, and then had to live under the dark shadow of shame and regret for the next 167 hours…
I've been reading alot about Fixies lately and have some interest in them. However, when you think about the traditional uses... velodromes, flat city bike messengers, some commuting... I wonder how good they are for a HILLY city like Seattle or San Francisco. I hear Bike Smith in Ballard has developed a two speed hub for that reason, but then you have to have a shifter again and it kinda defeats the purpose anyway. Anyone else been thinking about this?
