Bike Blog

A words about riding, now that you've been doing it 14 years ago
So, I wrote earlier about what you should know if you wanted to get started riding to work . Now I'm going to write about a bunch of stuff that isn't necessary on the first day you start riding, but I think make the whole experience easier. Be prepared Your car is prepared for most basic trouble…

Let's see how 200km goes 14 years ago
You should note that my diploma from college states "BS Math and Computer Science" on it. I took coursework in abstract algebra, formal languages, linear algebra, numerical methods, differential equations, and other fairly unpleasant forms of math. Now, I've been wanting to do these rides called…

Randoneuring in the rain 14 years ago
First, a word to the wise. For a few dollars at most real sporting goods stores, you can get a Space Blanket. They are pretty much a thin sheet of plastic (Usually PET) coated with a thin layer of aluminum. They have a lot of caveats to their use that means that you can't go out into a snowstorm…

Commuting, broken zippers, and a 50:50 split of Lance and Jeans 14 years ago
A few days last week, I commuted to work looking 50% like I was Lance Armstrong, in a long sleeved blue cycling jersey, and 50% like a jeans-wearing valley nerd. It looked silly. Last year, I was wearing a long-sleeved synthetic t-shirt with a long-sleeved collared shirt layered atop. For some…

Road Bike Gearing Thoughts 14 years ago
I'm building up to buying a road bike. I do not intend to purchase it until 2010 at the earliest. But any big purchase requires careful thought... and research... and agonizing over it. I should note that I generally do not have many regrets down the road when I purchase things if I've agonized over…

Bike highlights for 2009 14 years ago
This year: I had wanted to: This year, I want to:

Comfort Road and Cyclocross frames 14 years ago
I've been trying some road bikes out, looking for my road bike. I want to do it right, so I've been taking it slowly. I took a few more on Saturday out for test rides. I tried them all "the right way" where I wore my usual set of bike clothes and made the salespeople put on the right sort of…

Christmas Bike 2009 14 years ago
There's four strands of lights. Two multi-colored battery powered strands, one for each pannier. One white snowflake atop the rack. And a solar-powered multi-colored strand over the main triangle. This year, I used zip-ties instead of gaffer's tape to secure things in place. Last year, somebody in…

Bikes should be as simple as possible, but no simpler 14 years ago
Einstein one said that things should be "as simple as possible, but no simpler". "Madman" Muntz, who I can't explain but only point to his wikipedia page , would walk around the labs of his company with a pair of diagonal cutters and would snip parts out of his designer's circuit until it finally…

Helmets and why I wear them but do not tell you to 14 years ago
I, personally, wear a helmet whenever I ride. The mental association is such that if I drive or walk down certain streets, I feel like there ought to be something on my head. But I also make sure that people know that helmets are not compulsory for adults in California. In the end, life is generally…