The West Side

I had poo-poo'd them for years.  Brooks saddles .  How in the world could anyone ride one of those?  Weren't those relevant back before we invented plastic? I did what most people did when they saw one.  I "knocked" on it.  "God, that's hard", I would say. I built up this bike a few years ago.  I had just begun playing with "functional" bikes.  As I was nearing completion I thought, "A B17 would look really good on this thing".  I ordered one. I mounted it on the bike, and it did look good.  Then I had to do a test ride.  I threw my leg over the bike with no small amount of trepidation.  To my shock (and relief), all the horror stories I had heard about Brooks saddles were......unfounded.  It was supportive, not hard, and comfortable. I have 3 bikes that I ride on a regular basis.  They all have Brooks saddles.  At this point, I can't imagine riding anything else.  Ninety nine percent of my commuting miles this year wer

Over the last 2, or 3 years I've gotten quite used to having some sort of carrying apparatus on the front of my bike.  I find it useful to be able to see, and access things without actually dismounting. I've found the most useful configuration to also be the least expensive.  The tried, and true Wald wire basket.  Essentially unchanged since the early 1900's, all Wald baskets are still made in their factory in Kentucky. With the supplied mounting hardware these baskets mount in no time.  You can also remove the hardware, and mount the basket to a front rack (as I've done here).  I prefer this option as it keeps the basket low, and the top of the handlebar clean. It's amazing to me that in this age of $10,000.00 bikes, you can have something so useful for less than 40 bucks. What's your preference?  Bag, basket or naked? Ride on!

So, Kev and I lit out this morning for our semi-regular Saturday social ride.  As we made our way around to Perimeter we saw another cyclist in the distance.  My first thought usually would have been to try to chase him down.  I let it go as we were having a nice leisurely ride.  Then we started gaining ground.  Uh oh. Now, catching him isn't the story......because we did.  It was what we saw.  It was an older fellow.  Cycling shorts?  Yes.  Jersey?  Yes.  Helmet?  Of course.  Magna?  YES.  Magna.  That staple of the mega marts.  It was a girls bike.  It was way too small.  I said my "good morning" as we rode past.   It was obvious he was having just as much fun as we were. And I say good for him. Ride on!

I want to start by saying, I like the Tour.  I like most bike racing really.  From the 1 day classics to the lunacy that is the greatest 3 week reality show on television.  It is a testament to what professionals can do on a bicycle. I do tire of this idea that because we may want to make our bicycles a little more useful with a rack, fenders, bags or even (god forbid) a basket we are somehow "fringe". Do you know what is fringe?  Bike racing. Of all of the people in all of the world, bike racers are the minority.  Don't forget it. Just a little perspective during the first week of the greatest show on Earth. Have a great 4th.  Ride on!

Being a bike shop, Bicycling magazine sends of copy of their mag to the store each month.  I usually flip through the pages, grumble and then pass it on.  They have their moments, but as a whole I don't think they do a great service to "average" bike riders. The feature on race bikes in the current issue is a great example.  "This year's most victorious machines" was the headline.  The bikes ranged in price from $6700 to $16 (that's SIXTEEN) thousand dollars.  What is the victory exactly? I can appreciate a McLaren Mercedes but it's not something I'm ever going to own.  If I did, I don't think I would drive it daily.  It's just not practical. It would just be nice to see the industry spend a little more time focusing on bikes that work for people in the real world.  Maybe I just don't get it.  Maybe I'm just getting old.  Hmmph. Have a great holiday weekend. Ride on!

I decided to try out the "new" bike lanes on Lafayette Rd. on Saturday.  Specifically I wanted to ride up to 71st St. and see the progress on the Eagle Creek Greenway. The first thing I noticed was the fresh strips of green paint.  This marks the areas of the bike lane where cars can cross.  This will, hopefully, make the lanes easier for motorists to understand.  They really stand out. When I reached 71st St., I made a right turn on to the greenway.  What a nice addition to the Eagle Creek area.  At this point, it doesn't go that far.  When it's finished I'm told we will be able to ride from the park all the way to the Monon using a combination of greenway, and bike lanes.  It will be great to finally be able to cross town on a bicycle using dedicated bike ways. Oh, the places we will go! Ride on.

When Facebook when to their timeline layout, I had to come up with a "cover"  picture for our store page .  I picked one that I liked, and (in my mind) represented my store. I chose the photo without really thinking too much about.  Since I'm interested in what other stores do, I started looking at what they were doing with their pages.  What I noticed was pictures of bikes, pictures of store fronts but very few pictures of......people. Without even thinking about it, I was showing the world what I think makes my store special.  It's the people; dedicated, enthusiastic, experienced people. We are lucky enough to have really great customers that shop my store because of the personal  relationship they have with us.   I appreciate each and every one of them. Ride on!

So, I'm finally getting around to writing about my experience at the National Bike Summit.  A bit late, but it's given me some time to reflect on the experience.  After all, it's on thing to visit the Capitol, and it's quite another to be inside the Capitol lobbying our Representatives (staff actually, but you get the point).  It's kind of overwhelming.  The National Bike Summit is organized by the League of American Bicyclists , the oldest cycling advocacy group in the country.  Over 800 people attended the event, and all but one state (Alaska) was represented.  Over a dozen of us from Indiana took time out of our schedules to stand up for cycling.  I traveled with 3 other members of INDYCOG , and  Nancy from Bicycle Indiana did a great job organizing, and scheduling meetings with our Reps.   The point of the Summit is to ask Congress to maintain funding for bike, and pedestrian infrastructure.  These funds are seemingly always in jeopardy

Untitled , a photo by A1 Cyclery on Flickr. 2011 will, for me, be the year I rediscovered the joy of riding a bicycle.  So, looking forward, I would encourage you to not make a resolution.   I've said it many times.  Losing weight, and getting in shape are great reasons to ride a bike.  They are terrible motivations.   My hope is that you will just ride.  Ride for the fun of it.  Do that ride that, perhaps, you normally blast through. Stop and take a few pictures, you'll be surprised at what you've missed. Ride a bike with fat tires.  Bask in the geekiness (and absolute practicality) of having a basket on your bike.  Ride to your favorite neighborhood eatery.  Ride to the store.  Use some of our great new bike paths.  Join a great group like IndyCog . Rediscover your bike. I have a sense of optimism going into 2012.  I hope you do too. Happy New Year! Ride on!