two wheeled in york region, ontario, canada
May 22nd, 2010 by Andrew
Cotton handlebar tap under a few coats of shellac is wonderfully durable. This tape has been on my bike since I purchased it in 2005. Pretty good for 5 years of use, I think. It might be time to replace it.
Apr 27th, 2010 by Andrew
After work last week, some folks from the office plied me with beer convinced me to join a team for a charity run. I figured, “Hey, 5K should be no sweat. I ride my bike like 6 times that distance almost every day.” So I dutifully got myself fitted for a pair of running shoes. I ended up with a pair from the ‘blue’ section, which I think means that my feet and gait are just a little bit screwed up. I thought I would end up with some from the ‘red’ section for sure (I’m always tripping over stuff.” I learned about words like ‘over pronate’ and a new way to tie my shoes so my heel doesn’t lift. Cool, eh?
The next day, I set myself a modest course around my neighbourhood and left early to avoid the scrutiny of my in-shape neigbhours. I found out very quickly that this running thing is hard! I mean, you can’t even gear down to spin up hills and you can’t even coast on the downhills. What do I look like, a fixie rider? I don’t even own a pair of skinny jeans for crying out loud! During the run I kept thinking “This would be way more fun on my bike!”
Seriously though, this ‘measly’ 5k is going to take some work to get ready for so I don’t totally embarrass myself. My new goal is to finish the ‘race’ without having to walk.
I could totally smoke that course on my bike.
I saw this styling bicycle for sale on Craigslist. This is where classic ‘retro’ components, frames and carefully selected new parts can get you. A handsome city bike, for sure.
Well looky that… I saw this on the Two Serious Bikes blog a few weeks ago. See how much stuff you can load on a low-trail bike.
Apr 19th, 2010 by Andrew
I’ve added a link to a new blog connected to an “old” site that I visit once in a while: Cyclofiend. Of particular interest (well to me, anyway!) is the current classics gallery. If you like lugged steel, aluminium fenders, leather saddles and canvas bike bags have a look at the more than 700 bikes. Yes, it’s a fetish.
Apr 18th, 2010 by Andrew
Back in March, I treated myself to a new pair of cycling shoes, purchased from a new LBS, Evolution Cycles. I replaced my ancient, stupidly named, Nike Poobahs with a pair of high-tech Louis Garneau Carbon T-Flex shoes. I like recessed cleats, as I get on and off the bike quite a bit for commuting, and I need to walk around a fair bit doing errands and the like.
So, I’ve used these shoes for a number of weeks and I really like them. They are easier to put on and remove than the old lace up boots, and the soles are super stiff for pedaling. Somehow they are not uncomfortable to walk around in all day, as evidenced on the day I forgot my dress shoes at home and wore the T-flex shoes around the office all day – yikes.
My only complaint so far after using them for several weeks is the new car shoe smell they exude. They smell quite strongly of plastic, even after being worn outside and in the rain several times. The odor is strong enough that I store them out in the garage bay at work as I felt they were compromising the air quality in my office. Of course this might be better than the old shoe smell of my battered Nikes.
I hope the new shoes last as long as the old. I got 10+ years of service from the Nike pair!
monkeymartian
two wheeled in york region, ontario, canada
There are 282 Posts and 315 Comments so far.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Aug | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||