Bike Blog

Had Joy along for a long ride... 14 years ago
I talked Joy into going on a Wirehead Long Ride. What's a Wirehead Long Ride? Well, generally it involves going off-road for at least part of it. It's gotta involve a good hard climb, and a good fast descent. It's taken at a decent enough pace that you realize that you covered some real distance…

I am not buying anything Topeak ever again 14 years ago
Dear Topeak, I was under the impression that your products were well designed. I found myself buying several of them because of various design points, plus how easy it is to find your products in the store. Often times, the only two options were Topeak and the cheap store brand. I had one of your…

More Water Bottle Thoughts (or: I'm right that Sigg bottles have BPA in them) 14 years ago
I wrote about my water bottles some months ago . And I'd written a draft blog article that I never posted about water bottles. And then I read the news that Sigg water bottles, which everybody's been buying big-time because they don't contain BPA, contain BPA. So, look at the comment I wrote on…

Bike Party: Beach Blanket Bike Along 14 years ago
Direct Action vs. Shouting in somebody's face There's a difference between Direct Action (politically motivated activity undertaken to achieve political goals outside of normal social and political channels) and shouting in somebody's face. The things that Gandhi and Martin Luther King did can be…

Belt and suspenders or Don't Worry, I was a Boy Scout 14 years ago
In biking, it's better to be the belt and suspenders sort of rider. Especially going long distances. (All of my British friends: quit snickering!) For example, if you get a flat, it's usually easier and faster to just put a spare tube in, instead of trying to find the hole, patch the hole, wait for…

It's about wasted weight, not being a weight weenie 14 years ago
I like the Velo Orange folks. I'm not a fanatical fan of french bikes, but I applaud their interest in offering alternatives to modern carbon fiber disposable racing machines. So I browse their blog sometimes. Recently, Chris posted about weight, and how he suggests that cyclists worry too much…

Seat position really does matter 14 years ago
For a few weeks this past month, I was worried that my biking skills were on the decline. Maybe I was loosing weight too fast. Or maybe something was wrong with my bike. Or something like that. Also, one of my hand muscles... coincidentally the one used for shifting, was hurting REAL BAD. I'd stay…

Officially Not Watching The Tour De France 14 years ago
I'd just like to remind everybody that I'm officially not watching the Tour de France. Yeah, I know I bike thousands of miles a year and don't drive much at all and am going to end up with a road bike one of these years. But I just don't care. See, I am not an athlete. I'm just a guy who loves to…

Bike Party: Light Rider 14 years ago
I'd heard about Bike Party before and wanted to go but didn't get around to it. Finally, Jess went and had a blast. So I finally added the Bike Party website to my RSS reader and made sure to show up. It's a total happy mish-mash of different cyclists. I took the VTA there with an older guy with a…

Second bikeavaersary 14 years ago
Two years ago, today, I walked into a bike store and rode out on a new bike, with the idea that it was fairly stupid to be driving 10 miles to work when I could bike 5 miles and take the train the rest of the way. I figured that I'd save money and get some exercise. Because I knew the summer…