08.20.09
Posted in article, info at 4:36 pm by Administrator
So I am getting more and more with the program and have been utilising Twitter to get information about all kinds of things. One Tweeter I follow is Velo News, to be found on Twitter at twitter.com/velonews. They tweeted that the Felt cyclocross bike has been recalled!! My favorite brand of cyclocross bike!! Read the article here.
I have to say I’m dumbfounded. I always thought this was a dope bike. But thank god for the web, and with a little persistence and a lot of obsession, you can find out all kinds of information about your gear, your ride, your safety equipment and everything else you need to know as a consumer and an educated rider.
Be safe kids…
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07.17.09
Posted in blogging, info at 4:48 am by Administrator
Well kids, CycleChic is in Vegas for the week. In my personal opinion, the strip doesn’t seem any different to me than Times Square. I almost feel bad for being a New Yorker sometimes because it seems that New York kind of spoils all other places for me in so many ways. But I digress. That is a posting for one of my other blogs.
However, can I tell you hot freakin’ HOT it is out here?!?! When we touched down on the plane, it was ten in the evening, we get our bags, step out for a cab and BANG…one hundred degrees at night!! Can you believe it? Then today, during the day I think I heard it was one hundred and six, give or take. Don’t even get me started about the heat differential between the shade and sun. Now I know you’re wondering why I’m talking about this. Because I saw a bike lane on the road while we were driving around today. Now which begs the question: who on god’s green earth can ride a bike in a place that’s two degrees hotter than hell?!?! Honestly, I really think they put the bike lane down for show, perhaps following the trend of other major cities in the country by being progressive about bicycle advocacy. I mean seriously, people don’t even really walk outside on the streets. I know no one is riding. Or are they? Is it even safe to ride in this weather? In the desert? I don’t think it’s possible. What do you think?
Now here’s the schooling we all need on dehydration. Please read, it’s important. You don’t have to be riding in the desert to suffer from dehydration, so be careful out there!!
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07.11.09
Posted in blogging, info, safety at 2:54 am by Administrator
Needless to say, it has not been the ideal summer that I like to think of: hot summer sun beating down on my skin, tanning my body with weird tan lines that other cyclists could understand, stopping every few miles to drink water, checking out the cute guy on the bike next to me at the light. Nope, not this year. It has been quite cool, even during the day, and despite my best efforts, I haven’t really gotten a good tan. Perhaps it’s because by mid afternoon, I’m already covered in a light sweatshirt to stave off the cool breeze. Now I know some would say that that is optimal riding weather, and that may be. However, we can get that weather all fall and winter. I do not want to be cheated out of my summer!!
So I was riding behind this one woman on her bike who, thankfully was wearing a helmet, but I noticed that she was riding in a very strange way. First of all, she was wearing a short skirt. That said, she was riding with her knees held close together, for what I believe to keep people from seeing up her skirt. Now ladies, first off, let me say that if you are going to wear a skirt on the bike, please be prepared. Nowadays you can get short cycling shorts or my personal favorite, boy shorts. Believe me, I have worn some skirts that were scandalous to wear on a bike, but if you wear the proper shorts underneath, then you’ll be totally OK. Now, the problem with riding like she did is that the knees need to be square to the shoulders as you pedal, lest you risk the onset of tendinitis. Believe me, I have head tendinitis three times, twice in both Achilles tendons. That sucked. I can only imagine how it would be of the knee or hip. So please, do not ride holding your knees together, it is improper form. Knees square to the shoulders, pedal from the thighs, arches slightly high (like wearing high heels), and heel pointed down slightly in the downstroke. For a little more info on this, try this link.
OK. If one more pedestrian thinks that they can make it across the street before I pass them thundering down the road–they crossing against the light mind you!!–I’m going to brush them so hard, that I rip a button of their shirts. Maybe that’ll teach someone that they should freaking WAIT three seconds to let me pass.
I still have to scream at people walking in the bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge. Freaking annoying.
But on a good note, a very good note, I have a treat for you guys. Coming soon, I have an interview of a rider that just recently returned from a cross country ride across Spain!! I’ll have some of his pictures and everything. I’m pretty excited about this article and I hope you tune back in for the story.
Cheers for now. Ride hard.
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06.19.09
Posted in info, rides at 6:48 pm by Administrator
Well kids, the mother of all city rides is slowly approaching–on Sunday 13 September 2009 that is. The New York City Century Bike Tour, the longest distance being 100 miles, which is all within the city. Kind of like the Tour de Bronx, Tour de Brooklyn, Tour de Queens and the Five Boro all rolled up into one ride. Now of course, this ride is made for all levels of riders to participate, except I must note that this ride differs from the others in that the streets are not closed off to traffic. Meaning that you ride with cars whizzing by you in the New York City Streets. I don’t say that to freak you out, but that is just the reality of riding here in the big city. I do it all the time as do many other riders so it shouldn’t be any different for a lot of us. However, for those that are a little uneasy about riding in traffic, let me note that you will be riding in a pack of riders. You will not be alone and that should provide some kind of bravery for you to get out there and enjoy the ride!! This is not just a one hundred mile ride either. There are a few routes within the ride and they are broken up as follows:
15 Miles: This route is for beginners, children and those that want to slowly ease into these kinds of rides. This route runs from park to park (which I’m guessing is Central Park to Prospect Park) along the 9th Avenue bike lane, led by the NYPD. (See kids, not so bad, eh?)
35 Miles: This is the East River Loop in which you ride through Manhattan and come back through western Brooklyn, including riding around Prospect Park, and also through Queens.
55 Miles: This is the Waterfront route (sounds kind of sexy to me). This is kind of a “beachy” type which winds along the Brooklyn Greenway aside the Verrazano (those of you who have done the Five Boro know this pathway) going down to Coney Island and links up toward the end with the 35 mile route. I have to say that I ride the Greenway all the time to go to Coney Island and it really is worth the ride. The pathway is nice, clean, flat and very breezy!!
75 Miles: The Velodrome. Oh yeah!! You get to ride 75 miles and get to hit up the Kissena Park Velodrome in Queens. As my faithful readers know, I would suggest that the fixed gear newbies get their tuckuses on this ride so they can actually say they put their expensive little bikes in an actual velodrome. Then they might have some leg to stand on when they try to turn their noses up to us freewheelers. But I digress. Just try this one out.
100 Miles: The New York City Century, which is recommended for experienced riders only. These lucky guys and gals get to ride all the way out to beautiful Far Rockaway and Fort Tilden after Marine Park. (I like Marine Park!!) Then north through Astoria Park Queens up to the Bronx. Not for the squeamish I tell you…
Now of course, I’d love to try my hand at one of the upper level rides, but man, this beginning of summer typhoon we are having right now is killing my riding hours!! My poor bike is feeling totally neglected these past few weeks. Poor baby. However, keep riding, stay in shape, be god to your bikes, and find out the whole lowdown about the century right here.
See you on the road…..(once the flood waters subside…)
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06.11.09
Posted in article, info at 6:15 am by Administrator
Here is a great guide I found on this site called Performance Bicycle. Read on…
How To Wash Your Bike
In just 10 minutes you can have a clean bike. This quick wash is perfect after rainy road rides or muddy mountain bike rides. It won’t pass a white glove inspection, but it will be clean, lubed and ready for the next ride.
Ready? 10 minutes. Start the clock now. Break out a bucket of warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Time for a good bath. Washing your bike doesn’t need to take a lot of time or make a huge mess. You will need the following:
* Bucket with warm soapy water (dish soap works well as most have a grease cutting agent which is effective but not so strong as to degrease bearings or totally strip off everything).
* Bucket with clean water
* Large brush with soft bristles
* A few dry, clean rags
* Chain lube of your preference. If you use a dry lube for the chain, you will need something for the cables like Tri-Flow®
Dip your brush and load it up with soapy water. Start with the handlebars. Slop on the soapy water, wash quickly across the bar, then move downward and rearward. No worries if the dirt is still there, just let the soapy water do its work while you keep going. Hit the stem, top of headset, top tube and seat post.
Load up the brush again and go back to the head and down tubes. Brush the lower headset, fork crown, front brake and down the fork blades (don’t forget the opposite side) to the front axle.
Load up the brush again. Back to the lower headset. Brush down the down tube and hit the area around the bottom bracket shell. Don’t do the cranks and chain rings yet.
Load up the brush again. Start at the base of the seat post and brush down, get the area around the chainstay bridge, then go back up to the base of the seat post. Now down the seatstays (don’t forget the opposite side). Be sure to get the rear brake, down to the rear axle and the non-drive side chainstay.
Load up the brush again. Slop soapy water on the rear derailleur, then the front derailleur.
Load up the brush again. Now hit the drive side chainstay, chain rings, cranks and cogset. Toss the brush in the clean water bucket.
Using the clean water, follow the same pattern with your brush. Once again making sure to get everything, and rinsing your brush frequently.
Now grab your rags and wipe the bike dry in the same order as the soaping. Change the rag around frequently to ensure you’re wiping with a clean rag rather than a dirty one.
Lube up your chain thoroughly, floating all the pivots with lube. Break out the Tri-Flow® or cable lube of your choice and lube the derailleur pivot points and brake pivot points on caliper, cantilever, and V-brakes (be careful not to get any on the brake pads).
A drop of oil or 2 on exposed runs of cables can work wonders as well. If you have Teflon lined cable housing, there is no need to lube under the cable housing. If not, drip some Tri-Flow® down there too. Go back and move all these parts back and forth a few times to work in the lube, then wipe off any excess with a rag. DONE.
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01.22.09
Posted in blogging, info, rides at 5:48 pm by Administrator
I got an email today stating that they are now taking early registration for (*squeals like little girl*) the Five Boro Bike Tour, happening this year on 3 May 2009!! If you go to active.com, you can sign up for receiving emails from Bike New York and all other kinds of outdoor activities going on. If you’d like to participate, the webpage says to act now, as last year’s ride filled up a month in advance!! I think I will do it this year. Yes, I do work on Saturday night the night before, but I think this time I will condition myself to be able to work the night before (because in this economy I can’t afford to trade away my Saturday night). I guess I will hold off on the Red Bulls until the morning, when I line up for the ride. Drink lots of water, sleep a ton that whole week, not overdo anything.
Oh boy, oh boy, all this talk about riding is getting me amped to ride again!! Granted I STILL haven’t hit the slopes this season (but I will, I will!!) and already I’m thinking about strapping on my cleats, putting on my cargos, pointing the bike in whatever direction and riding. Oh, my skin is tingling right now, I swear. I would even ride right now, but I already made that mistake last year of trying to ride in the snow. It was all cool until I took a turn and slipped, and came down with all my weight on top of my right knee. Ever feel a shock wave go through a bone? I wouldn’t recommend it.
Spring is juuussst around the corner… (in my crazy mind…)
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12.01.08
Posted in blogging, gear, info at 11:52 pm by Administrator
So there you have the latest light I got for the handlebars. If you don’t know, the law states that white lights are positioned on the handlebars, red on the rear. This light is from a company called Knog, which seems to have a lot of good stuff. The name for this light is the Toad. As far as I knew until now, I thought they only made lights and other small peripherals for the urban cyclist. However, upon inspection of the website, they have so much more. And they really seem like a good company. But, unfortunately, I have to post about my dislike for this light.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t totally hate it, but the design is dually cool and hindering. The outside of the whole unit is made of silicone, so when affixed to the handlebar, it doesn’t move around much. And the loop itself is also silicone and what yu do is unhook it from the body at the back where you see the loop overlap on the body in the back. Pretty neat idea, as you can pull it off and on easily when stopping and chaining your ride in the city. However, the flap that sits on top of the body seems a little too thick, so when in this weather, it is getting colder and you are wearing your fingered riding gloves, it is a bitch to try to press the little button to turn the light off and on. Granted you can pull the flap off to also press the button, but who wants to do that to turn the light on then ride? And again, with fingered gloves, it’s a bit of a pain in the butt. However, there are five LED lights and three settings for the lights and they are uber-bright!! I love rolling down the street and seeing the little light make the street signs glow in front of me, even as far as the corner from a few feet coming up the block!!
But again, if you also notice by the picture, the lights run vertically. So when attached to the handlebars, the bottom most lights get blocked by my brake lever!! Which then leads me to only one conclusion…. This light is made for fixed geared bikes. AAAARRRGGHHHH!!
These lights shown above are the same as the light I got for the rear. Also Knog. This one is called the Frog. The only color they had at the store was white, and the LED is red of course. Had I known that these lights come in all these gorgeous colors, I would have sought some out to match the color of my bike frame. Don’t let the little size fool you, the light is pretty powerful. Now I’m not going to say that cars can see you from up the block, but within a reasonable distance, you are visible, especially if you set the light to the flashing mode. This little guy only has the two modes, flashing and steady.
The store in my neighbourhood in which I get a lot of my gear is called Jack Rabbit Sports. I believe I have mentioned them before in another post, but this store is well worth mentioning again. However, they still haven’t updated the webpage for their cycling training programs. C’mon guys, get it together!! Sheesh!!
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10.10.08
Posted in blogging, info, safety at 12:13 am by Administrator
Well, well well, I know I have not been blogging as much as I should have lately, but mitigating circumstances have made it so that posting regularly has become somewhat harder. I’d rather not get into it, but let’s just say that not only have I changed jobs so that I am not in front of the computer as much anymore, but I have been chillin’ in spots that don’t even have an internet connection. Can you believe it? There are still spots here in the city that I can’t pick up a wireless signal!! Needless to say, Murphy’s diabolical cousin is fucking with me. But, however much he fucks with me, how good do I look in this picture?!?! (Yes, Cycle Chic is very modest too.)
And fucking with me his is!! I just got some new ink last week–a super awesome dragon reaching into flames on my right forearm. Well I got it on Monday night. Tuesday night, I’m riding out in Williamsburg down McGuiness and this huge flatbed truck rolls in front of me on the road and takes up most of the space of the lane so that I can’t pass it stopped at the light. I spot a driveway on the sidewalk (to the right of course) and I think that I’ll roll up on the sidewalk and pull up in front of the truck. So I roll pretty fast up to the driveway and–it is also wet outside after the rain mind you–and I couldn’t see in the nighttime darkness that the bottom of the driveway didn’t slope level with the street. In fact, there was a three inch lip!! So I roll up, catch my wheel on the lip and slide both tires along the lip and then fall over and skidded both my elbow and knee!! The elbow I JUST got the ink on the night before!! So I immediately stand up, look at my elbow (which was gross) and my knee (which was even more gross) and did what every little kid that falls does. I look up, drop my head back, open my mouth and start bawling. I cried all the way over the Pulaski Bridge and to the nearest gas station and had my friend pick me up.
Now the friend that picked me up happens to be the very same friend I mentioned in the last post who drank, rode, fell and hurt himself. Well here is a picture of his helmet after the fall:
Now if you follow this blog, you know that I have repeatedly said that wearing helmets is important. Now look at the crack in that helmet. If he wasn’t wearing one, that crack could have been in his head. What more can I say people? WEAR YOUR HELMETS, or else they’ll be cleaning brains up off the street more often here in the Big Apple. Now I can’t wait for the space age suits of the future that stick to the body like a second skin and protect against skin scrapes when you go sliding along pavement at about fifteen to twenty miles per hour…
Anyway, going back to tattoos, I still am considering getting this kind of tatt on one of my legs:
You see, lately, after having the stitches from the accident, scrapes from falls and cutting my lower legs on various parts of my own bike, I have come to realise that my once perfect legs are no more. Really, I had perfect legs before I got this deep into cycling and now I have ruined them with the scars. Well…that and getting older. My skin just doesn’t look the same anymore. Hell, I used to get cuts on my legs before but I was young–the skin would heal right in front of my eyes. Now I brush up against my cat and BAM!! Looks like I went head to head with shark skin. I was told however that this stuff Mederma is great for taking care of scars. I have to get my hands on some as soon as these last two heal up fully and run the whole gamut on my skin. But I digress.
Also, the Tour de Bronx is coming up not this Sunday but the following. I’m registered and will be riding!! I’m looking forward to it and of course I will have my camera at the ready and will be taking pictures to post here. Also I will be looking for all kinds of biking information for posting so I will do my best to have a great read after the ride….
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09.23.08
Posted in blogging, info, safety at 2:28 pm by Administrator
I guess I’m obsessed now about finding the right cyclocross for training. I keep on the lookout for all kinds of bikes, familiar and new and while waiting for some maintenance on my bike this week, I sat in the store reading a magazine and came across this line of bike. I had never heard of them, but the picture impressed me so much I had to of course share it. If you’d like to check out the stats or view any of their other styles, check out the site, Redline Bicycles. You know, there are so many choices out there that I feel confident I will find a dope ride!!
On another note, I had a friend this week try to ride back to his house at night drunk. He fell. I still can’t get a straight story out of him, but he says that he remembers swiping mirrors of parked cars then falling. No matter what the story, he has a huge road rash on his right shoulder, swollen and scraped elbow, also right side, and of course his right wrist, which he says e couldn’t move. HE couldn’t move his elbow at all. When came morning, he had a big red mark on his forehead, which he swears that would have been worse had he not been wearing a helmet. Now how many stories to I have to ell in order to get riders all to see that these things happen? You don’t even have to be hit by an actual car to fall and hit your head and get hurt. And in fact, he has to go get a new helmet because he says it’s cracked on the inside.
And riding drunk? Just don’t do it. I learned my lesson last summer about trying to ride dunk. It took a deep tissue bruise on my right side, just above the pelvis (thank Jesus it wasn’t the pelvis), and a twelve hour stint in the ER to teach me. There is just no excuse for riding drunk now. Most bikes have quick release tires which you can pull off and fit into a cab–especially if you are like me and go NOWHERE without your baby–or at the very least, chain it good to scaffolding (my favorite) and come back in the morning to get it. Trust me, it’s worth it to get your ride hungover in one piece than risk riding at night and getting banged up…or worse, dead.
You know, I miss the old segment of The Daily Show at the nd in which Craig Kilbourne would say< "...and here's your moment of zen..."
...and here's your moment of zen...
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09.08.08
Posted in blogging, gear, info at 7:54 pm by Administrator
Not that I am biased or anything:
This is the bike that I am looking to get next, as I see my poor Jake slowly getting older. Geez, he’s only two years old, but the wear and tear or riding every day can take a toll on even the best made bikes. I’d really like to get the Felt cyclocross I posted here, but this one is more withing my reach, as the pro shop that is near me has one and is looking to sell. And I am looking to buy. ou can check out the specs and other Specialized bikes and gear here. Pretty cool site. Pretty cool gear.
However, living in the big city, I had to meditate as to what I’d do with two very nice cross bikes. I have come up with this solution: Jake is for commuting, the new bike would be for training. I couldn’t possibly mess up the paint job on a new bike like I have on Jake lacing a giant metal chain through it all the time. I’d have to ride the new one just out somewhere where I can pedal for a few hours, then turn around and get back home, without having to do any kind of stopping in a densely populate area.
And speaking of training, I think I mentioned before that I was thinking of hiring a coach, but that dream is coming closer to fruition. There is a shop in the city called Jack Rabbit that has set up a training program for people who would like to train and have the help they need. Upon first glance at this site, it doesn’t look like they have the programs for cycling, but I can almost guarantee that if they do not have a program set up, they can certainly point one in the right direction to a great trainer. I am going down that road within the next two or three weeks….
I am ready to hit the next level.
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08.15.08
Posted in blogging, info at 6:58 pm by Administrator
Yes, so despite being a cyclist for years, there are still things that I am learning. Either from talking to other cyclists or trial and error. I have to say, the trial and error part hurts…
First off, I have been noticing lately that I don’t always pedal right. Especially when starting in a low gear from a complete stop, and also riding uphill. I sometimes pedal from the knees, and that is not right. My left knee is already messed up from snowboarding, and so it is weakened. When I pedal wrong and pedal from the knee, I can feel the tissue just weakening even further, possibly tearing something in there. When I am pedaling with correct form, I don’t feel a thing. Obviously you pedal from the thighs and hips, but I am trying to learn what it is that the pros do with their pedal to get those calves!! I have the cleats, which supposedly put my foot in the correct position, but I am not quite sure if I am pedaling with force on my toes or relax the foot more and distribute the force of the push throughout more of the foot. In my curiosity, I came across this page which is quite useful: Cycling Performance Tips, Form and Technique. Check it out, read it carefully. Good information.
Above, that is a picture of me after having ridden in the heat all day long, hitting three boroughs on one bruised knee, one knee totally scraped(friction burn) and my whole body is sore. No really, when I say my whole body is sore, I mean that it even tired me out to smile for the shot. So what have I got to help the pain? A lotion called Alcis. This stuff is killer. It is a topical lotion in which you rub into sore muscles and I swear in a few moments, you feel good as new!! I use it when riding, specially when my legs feel like they are about to give out at any moment because they are so sore and tired….
Food is good. Eating healthy selections, rounding out your diet with all food groups and eating at least three times a day is good for riding. I have found that the harder I ride, the longer trips I take, the more I push, the more I eat. And I can pretty much eat whatever I want, because I burn it all off on the ride. Naturally I really don’t eat junk food, so the food I do eat is pure fuel. But the most enjoyable part is to eat what you want!! Meats, cheeses, breads, grains (and by grains I mean beer), veggies, fruits, spicy, spicy food…..mmmm….spicy food…. I seem to have maintained a good weight this summer as I have found that right balance between diet and exercise that keeps me healthy, just like in all those crazy commercials that try to sell you a pill for weight loss, but someone for god knows what reason will not tell people to get themselves on a bike!!
Lastly, I have learned that wearing cleats gets you all kinds of respect from everyone. When they see you, they think you are some kind of super athlete!! I admit, I don’t mind the attention…..
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Posted in blogging, info at 6:08 pm by Administrator
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I admit it. After swearing off the Brooklyn Bridge in a previous post, ranting about the ever annoying tourists clogging up the bike path and vowing to only take the Manhattan Bridge, I pussed out. I have started taking the Brooklyn Bridge again. Don’t give me that look. It’s just that the Manhattan Bridge is so desolate and really scary at night. I know, I’m girling out right now, but I can’t help it. The Manhattan Bridge is creepy, and I can’t ride it all the time. Now I guess I have to learn how to do that kick that cyclists do to get pedestrians out of the way… Eh. I’m not that mean. I’ll stick to yelling at them…
Also, I have now started hanging out with a friend in Queens and have widened my riding circle. Long Island City and Astoria have now felt the burning of my tires on their streets. I have ridden in Queens before of course, but not regularly. I totally dig Long Island City for the long stretches of nearly deserted roads (especially down by the waterfront) in which you can ride without the constant starting and stopping, especially with the cleats. The streets aren’t that bad and you can really get in a good amount of mileage. Astoria is nice, clean and quiet, with more residential streets, but they seem even less crowded than Brooklyn. You can tear down the roads at whatever pace you choose, provided that you know how to get around Queens. No, really, Queens streets are totally confusing. I understand how the addresses work, but not how the grid works…when there is an actual grid. Most of the time the streets run like London streets–they start and stop and continue at their own will!!
Anyway, getting out to Long Island City from Brooklyn is a pretty cool ride. There is the 59th Street Bridge which goes straight into LIC, but I prefer to go through Williamsburg, heading straight down Bedford Avenue to its end where it crosses Manhattan Avenue, making a right and going down until hitting the Pulaski Bridge. The Pulaski Bridge is a little bridge that takes you over the water that cuts Brooklyn and Queens on the northern edge of the island. It’s a nice climb then descent, and when ou get to the Queens side, you are smack on the edge of Queens Plaza. You know by the Citibank building right there. I can see that building from my place here in Brooklyn. To look at it from my place is a real sight–I can see how long I ride to get out there!!
The 59th Street Bridge is a kind of cool ride. There are people on it–even this bridge has more people on it than the Manhattan Bridge…creepy…–and the incline is very weird. Going from Queens to Manhattan, the grade is long and gradual, then drops quickly almost all the way over to the Manhattan side. Thus, in turn, when going from Manhattan to Queens, you have this sharp hill going up, then the rest of the ride is the easy, long downhill. There is this weird part of the bike path in which you could literally go into the traffic, which also kind of creeps me out, but I suppose it’s for emergency access. I just wish they would somehow cordon it off so that may be kids can’t just turn their bikes or scooters into traffic. Anyway, once you get from Queens to Manhattan you are, of all places, 59th Street!! East Side, and when you get to the end of the bike path, it makes a totally sharp turn, in which if you don’t know it’s there and are tearing down the hill, you could get hurt. So be careful over there.
I plan on doing some more distance riding, as I have learned this year that I prefer the endurance rather than the sprint…although I can sprint pretty damn good. I am working my way, albeit slowly, to be able to a century, then I think I’m seriously considering entering cyclocross races. Yes!! I realise what I have to do is to start out doing more and more endurance, all the while working on my sprinting (easy in the streets of New York), and then uphills (AAAARRRGGGHHH), finally working on my offroading. I look forward to getting any new gear I might need for that…..
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07.17.08
Posted in blogging, info at 11:44 pm by Administrator
So as I just stated in my previous post, I lost the Lake cleats I had for my pedals. I left them in a cab of all places–a CAB!!! Drunk!! Now I am all about riding, but I am also advocating that if you can’t put the booze down, then certainly get your drunk ass in a cab. Just don’t be as stupid as me and leave a dope pair of cleats in the backseat…
Anyway, I went to my local bike store and got some new cleats. Boy what an experience that was. I don’t remember if I had mentioned that I am not really a big fan of my local bike store, R&A Cycles, but I didn’t have time to go all the way down to my favorite bike store in Bay Ridge and then get all the way back up here and beyond to Manhattan to get to work. So to R&A I went.
First off, what really gets me is the fact that they do not acknowledge you when you walk in. And then when they do, they ask you what you need and every time someone stated they wanted to buy a new bike, the salesman asked how much they were willing to spend. I guess that’s a valid question, but somehow they way they asked and how they asked kind of got under my skin. It was like if you didn’t say high enough, you were at the bottom of the waiting list.
So the salesman I got was this guy that had been working there for years and he was one of the reasons I don’t like this store. So when he came to help me I was like, “Damn!!” So then he proceeds to talk and talk and talk away, mostly about himself and how good he used to ride and I had on my “I’m not interested” face and so he brought over some other guy that needed help and had him wait near us so he could keep running his mouth to someone. So he fitted me for the shoes, put the cleats on (for an extra charge) and then what really got me was when he asked me, “Are you willing to spend more money?” And I was like, “For what?” And then he says, “For some pedals for the shoes.” I nearly lost it. This whole time during the sale I was telling him I lost my shoes and needed new ones and described what kind of pedals I had, and rather than actually listen to what I had said instead of talking about himself the whole time and what famous cyclists he knew, he failed to connect to me, his customer. I sternly told him that I already had pedals and brouhgt him to my bike to show him. He was like “Oh…”
Now even worse than this, he then tells me that the shoes may not fit the pedals. I hit the roof. I explained to him that I happened to be in the store the day before, showed the guys what kind of pedals I have and they said getting the shoes would be no problem. (Funny enough there was a guy in there the day before that also spoke at about eighty miles an hour and I also felt he didn’t listen to what I was saying. So I dealt with the cute salesman who was really nice too.) He bends down to look at the pedals and I have a yellow circle with some kind of squiggly black symbol in the middle of it. The shoes he sold me were Shimano. He said that I’d need the Shimano pedals because each company has their own fit for the cleats. He said he didn’t have his glasses on and had me read what was printed very small on the part of the pedal that screws into the crank. It said Shimano. I was relieved. But then I realised that the symbol I just described on my pedal was the same symbol on the packaging the cleats came in. I was astounded that he didn’t recognize the logo–yellow circle with black squiggly line in the middle. That’s when I realised this guy was so full of shit it was coming out of his ears.
Anyway, I learned a little something from this ordeal. That I have something called SPD pedals. They are also called platform pedals. They are mainly used for mountain biking and also from what I hear, fast downhill riding. Sweeet. They look like this:
And you can actually notice the Shimano logo I was talking about. That dummy in the store couldn’t even recognize the logo.
Anyway, if you also notice, the size of the pedal is larger than the average clipless pedals that usually look like this:
I wanted the platform pedals in the event that I for some reason have to ride without my cleats, or perhaps in a really good mood and lend my bike to someone for a ride–albeit a very short one. That’d be like asking a woman to take her newborn baby away from her. However, I am willing to at some point try out the smaller racing pedal to check out the action.
The shoes are pretty sweet too. They have a much stiffer sole than the previous Lakes I had for a better, more correct foot position when pedaling, but also a hard rubber that is soft enough to walk around in when need be on the hard city streets. I still haven’t gotten the courage (or the money) to get the carbonite soles that are totally inflexible and are too slippery for regular walking. But apparently they are the best for pedaling. I guess sometime in the future I shall see….
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Posted in blogging, gear, info, repair at 11:05 pm by Administrator
I have often had conversations with many riders who have told me heartbreaking stories of tire flats. I have just even had one myself recently. And I always mention Mr. Tuffy to others and they usually have never heard of it. Well if you don’t know, now you know.
Mr. Tuffy is a nylon or plastic strip that is sized for each tire size that slips in between the inner tube and the outer tire rubber itself. What you have to do to get it in is to deflate the tire, pull the inner tube out, fit the Mr. Tuffy strip inside, then put the innertube back in, inflate and ride!! It’s that easy!!
I used Mr. Tuffy on my road bike after a slew of flats and money down the drain toward patch kits and new tubes. I’d had enough. After using Mr. Tuffy, I have never had a flat again on those tires. I didn’t think I’d need it on the cyclocross (didn’t get my first flat for two years), but all good records must come to an end. I am going to get some Mr. Tuffy soon enough and make sure that I almost never have to buy another tube again.
You can find Mr. Tuffy at any bike store or go online to any bike site and you will find it.
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05.30.08
Posted in blogging, info at 8:36 pm by Administrator
So tooling around on the web I found this site called MeetUp in which meet up groups are created by interest and then they have meetings. The site is a hub to gain members and the meetings are organized and info is emailed to your email address. So naturally I typed in “cycling” in the search box. I came across a page of cycling groups and I just signed up for two of them!! The first one is called NYC Cycling Chicks. It seems there are one hundred and twenty seven members, and I guess I make it one hundred twenty eight–though I’m not sure yet because I had to fill out some questions from the organizers asking me about my riding and experience and level of difficulty. I hope they add me, that would be weird to turn someone away don’t you think? The second group I signed up with is called Beacon Bicycling. This is a new group and I think I”m member number thirteen. Lucky!! No, really, thirteen is a good number for me.
So I finally signed up with Facebook recently, hoping to get this blog out there, and I came across this pretty cool online bike store. It’s called
I Bike Do You 2 has some pretty cool stuff, including BMX gear and unicycles!! I also just happen to like the way the site looks. I urge you to check it out, see if there is something that is of use to you!! I think I want to get the Race Face Hoodlum Hoodie…..
Also, I got the little picture of the logo for the shop by using this thing called Clipmarks. You can use it to add stuff you clip from other sites to your website, blog or save them and put them into pages like I have here. Pretty neat little tool!! Now this site is going to have a lot more visuals. Yay!!
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05.26.08
Posted in info at 10:33 pm by Administrator
So I got some info about a cycling club called “Dykes on Bike-Cycles” from some nice girls at the Tour de Brooklyn. They are looking for riders for their 2008 Pride rides. There are three of them. One is for the Queens Pride on 1 June. Second is the Brooklyn Pride on 14 June. Third is the biggest Pride parade (and my favorite parade of the city so far) in Manhattan on 29 June. It is five bucks to ride. To RSVP go to dykesonbikecycles@gmail.com.
Check out their blog here. It’s a pretty neat page.
Check it out.
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05.20.08
Posted in blogging, gear, info at 4:57 pm by Administrator
So I went out for a bit to a friends house party on Saturday, much to the chagrin of my sickened body, but I am the ever vigilant socialite and must abide to an invitation by a friend. So off I went, riding pretty smoothly actually because I had been bedridden for a while, and I get to the gorgeous duplex apartment and, wheeling my bike in hoping to keep it off of the street, wow!! Here is a parade of old school bikes, belonging to the folks that live in the apartment. So like a dork, I whip out my camera and investigate.
The first bike that caught my attention is this one:
A John Deere?!?! Like the tractor dudes? I mean, is that for real? And I am genuinely asking because I really don’t know. I didn’t know that John Deere made bicycles. I can tell you that this bike was old because when I lifted the frame it felt like I was bench pressing a weight in the gym. Yikes. I can’t even imagine trying to get up a hill riding this bike, but I sure as hell would surpass the speed of sound if you put me on a downhill on it!! Here is the far-out shot:
Pretty cool for tooling around the neighborhood, grabbing scant groceries and some cat food no? I am a sucker for the front basket on a bike. It always makes me want to get out, pedal to the nearest Italian shop and buy some vine ripened tomatoes, fresh baked Italian bread and a brick of fresh spun mozzarella, and some flowers. Yeah, I girl out like that sometimes.
Next in line was this one:
Peugeot. Classic. Funny how being a more contemporary biker, I don’t come across bikes like these anymore and it is more reminiscent of my childhood than being a kitschy throwback for the uber-cool. I think it’s awesome that people ride classic bikes like they ride classic cars. It’s all about being in the know. Anyway, looking at the handlebars, I kind of squirm, as I have never liked the brake cords hanging out like this:
I am more of a streamline kind of gal.
But in speaking about these classic bikes, I have a a treat of sorts. I came across this site in my ongoing research to find all bike knowledge that I can. It is called Bicycle Classics and they have products to keep up your classic ride!! They seem to have a pretty good collection of parts and they seem to be as geeked out about bikes as I am!! Major plus in my book. Check it out. The site itself is very basic, they do not have any pictures of the parts, but it seems to me to visit this site, you really have to know your stuff, and perhaps this site is geared to bike geeks as well. It’s well worth checking out if you are serious about wanting to upkeep a classic bike.
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05.17.08
Posted in blogging, city info, info at 6:08 pm by Administrator
(Photo taken from Bicycle Film Festival website, Bikes Rock 2007)
So today, staying in bed because I’m sick (booo) I had to at least do some more valuable surfing to come up with more and more info to post. I’m a dork like that. So in my vigilant quest to be in the know about everything I can, I cam across a wonderful and wacky site called Bicycle Film Festival 2008. Apparently it is the eighth annual event. There is all kinds of things going on with this organization and it seems there can be something here for anyone into the culture. Especially we artists!!
What kind of looks really cool to me coming up is an event called Bikes Rock. It’s happening Wednesday, 28 May at 9 and going on until late. It’s at Studio B, 259 Banker Street between Calyer and Franklin here in Brooklyn!! It seems to be a mixed media event, crossing film and music, sounds being created from bicycle parts. Very interesting. And what self-respecting film festival wouldn’t have a dance party afterward??
See you there dude.
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05.12.08
Posted in blogging, info, safety at 6:24 pm by Administrator
I can’t say that I can even begin to imagine whay anyone in this city, ANYONE, would set out to ride a bike without a helmet on. Even despite the warnings I’m sure they hear, even peripherally, yet also the rants that I myself have posted regarding the drivers here in NYC as well as other posts I have read by other bloggers in and outside of the city also ranting about careless drivers.
I have had this conversation before with folks that do not wear helmets. I get distressed when they want to argue against wearing helmets. It is quite disturbing the things people say, and even sometimes the blase arguements that they throw together at the last second when confronted about not wearing them. And I see all kinds of riders not wearing helmets, from pro riders to the average rider, to people riding on cruisers in the middle of traffic, just nonchalantly peddaling as if there were not semi-trucks whizzing by them so close, their hair picks up in the breeze.
What I have always said about driving I will now apply to cyclists: You cannot for one moment think that anyone else on the road is going to move around YOU. How can they when they are not paying attention to the road like they should? The best defense for navigating the road is to be hyper-aware of what’s going on around you and to treat everyone else on the road like they are out to get you. Think about it. If you are walking down a dark street at night to get home, you don’t just walk like it’s a bright spring day. You clutch your bag a little tighter, you perk your ears up for sounds of footsteps behind you, you may even, like me, keep an eye on the shadows around you to keep abreast of any sudden movements behind you. That is how you should treat riding your bike any time of the day. You have to treat it as if you are being followed down a dark street at night and you are prepared to protect yourself.
Now first and foremost, I believe that a lot of riders here in the city don’t wear helmets just for the simple fact that they have not seen an actual accident involving someone who has fallen without a helmet and has hit their head.
I have.
Consider this: the accident to which I am referring involved a woman who was on rollerblades. This was about a hundred years ago when I used to race and was training everyday in Prospect Park. On one lap around, there was a woman lying in the road, and I kid you not, her brain was partially hanging out of her head. Or perhaps it was just some scalp or something. However, it was a serious accident, she was bleeding profusely and was most certainly in shock. She was still conscious and talking, but you knew she was in shock because she was saying how she was fine and could get back up and go. Then she started rambling about something other than laying there in the road and it was quite scary to see that she was obviously not fully functioning. There was already a small crowd around her (those of us that could stand to see this horrific sight) and waited until the ambulance came for her.
Now I brought that up not only to demonstrate that head injuries are real from road related falls, but the fact the she was on rollerblades is even more sobering for us cyclists. Why, you ask? Because we are moving at higher speeds than a person on rollerblades and if this poor woman could bust her head open on rollerblades, imagine the effect of moving at 30 or more miles an hour!! Yeah, I get that queasiness in my knees too.
I also happen to know of people who got into biking after watching a lot of Europen races. Now those races can get anyone jazzed about riding, if even not for racing, but just to get on a bike. And I am all for that. However, it is very misleading, I think, for Americans to watch these races as the riders–what seems a lot of Italians–do not wear helmets, but those cloth hats with the floppy rim and tons of logos on them. I have had people tell me if the Europeans can wear those cool hats, then they too will want to wear those and look the part of the suave Italian racer. Oh boy.
People who propose that argument fail to realise that for one, the hats are worn to keep longer hair out of the eyes of the racers. Yes, being that they had something else on their body for advertisers to cover with logos was what happened, it did not spring from an idea for another cool accessory to wear with thier logo covered jerseys. The hats came from a need to help a rider with loger hair be able to see. Yet also what seems to elude folks watching these races is the fact that the riders are riding on closed courses!! If the rider so chooses not to wear a helmet, that is his choice, but he is riding in a controlled environment (for the most part) and they are not riding in the streets of Manhattan or Brooklyn, contending with traffic and spaced out vehicle operators. They are NOT on city streets: I cannot stress that enough!!
Track riders seem to be the worst offenders. They believe that their own control keeps them safe. Again, I don’t care how controlled you are, there are drivers on the road driving with shitty brakes, and will hit you. Or perhaps a driver may hit an oil slick left on the road from a car or truck leaking oil onto the street. Again, this is something beyond your control. And in fact, what will you do if YOU hit that oil slick left in the road? What happens if god forbid (and it has happened to me) an important part falls off the bike, your chain splits, you go flat during your “patented” corner turn?
You have to think ahead. You have to think in a way that you will protect yourself at all times on the road. And as such, we want to road to be safer for all that use it, and make potential riders want to be out there too, enjoying the same high we get from riding!!
And trust me, I feel like SUCH a dork when in dusk I have to slip those nerdy lights onto my bike–both front and back. But you know what, I have gotten a much different response from drivers when using the lights. They actually acknowledge me, which is important. Same thing with helmets. That helmet on your head shows that you are serious about protecting yourself on the road.
Don’t ever give anyone else the chance to decide your own fate.
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05.09.08
Posted in blogging, info at 4:14 am by Administrator
So tonight I went to the third annual Brooklyn Blogfest 2008 at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue. It was really pretty cool. I went with a friend from work who sent me an email about it this morning, I checked out the webpost and decided I had to come to promote my blog here. I got to go up on stage at the end and talk intoa microphone and tell about my bolg. I got a realy good response!! I’m thrilled I went and got to meet other Brooklyn bloggers and we met and connected and there are some really awesome bRooklyn blogs and Brooklyn bloggers out here.
However, one of the bloggers, a woman named Heather, got up and spoke about her blog called New York Shitty and she referenced a joke on one of her posts. However the post was about bedbugs in the subway system!! Here is a little clip I swiped from the post:
“It was at this point that one of the more terrifying points of this entire meeting (in my opinion) was brought up: bedbugs make good “hitchhikers”, e.g.; they can attach themselves to a person’s clothing and spread. Five different subway stations have turned up positive for bedbugs. Three of them (the ones Mr. Brownbear could recall) are:
1. Fordham Road, Bronx
2. Union Square, Manhattan
3. Hoyt-Schermerhorn, Brooklyn
At the latter most they were found on a subway bench, which makes sense given it is has been established these little critters like wood.”
Ewww!! God I always knew that riding the subway was bad from the fumes, the dirt, the passing of flus and colds and what really made me stop riding was people farting all the time. But now this?!?! I am SOOOO glad that I stopped straphanging!!
Check out the rest of Heather’s post here.
Thank you Heather for letting me know this!!
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