12 Miler

On Saturday I decided to take a quick ride. I left my house mid-afternoon after putting the boys down for a nap. Everyone in the house was snoozing so it was a perfect opportunity for me to get outside. I rolled down street to a local loop. It's very flat and I relatively easy ride but since this would be the first time I had ridden for more than 3 miles in a while I decided it was perfect. There are a couple hills I could climb if I went a little further... so I went further.

The climbs felt pretty good for being the off-season and this early in the year. There is a lot of work to be done.  I rode a total of 12 miles in a little under an hour on my Blur LT.

Hopefully there will be some time for a few rides this week. I'll remember my camera next time.

Quick Jaunt

I took the boys for a quick jaunt on my bike tonight. They rode in the trailer and I tooled around on my Santa Cruz Blur LT. I left at just before 4 p.m. and returned approximately 6 miles and 40 minutes later. We rode around on some different neighborhood roads that I haven't been on before. It was pretty fun seeing something different.

The boys lasted for most of it before finally succumbing to their tired eyes. Both fell asleep and were quite difficult to wake up when we arrived home. I should have taken some pictures of them in the trailer with their bobbing heads but the camera was left at home.

On a different note, I started reading Be Brave, Be Strong from Jill Homer. It is a great read with very vivid descriptions. She has an ability to make the reader feel they are right there with her riding the Divide. The book actually makes me want to ride it. Through all of the pain and suffering there are many parts in the story where Jill has vivid recollections of how beautiful and serene the trip really is.

It's a great read and you should definitely give it a try.

Bike Lights

Light courtesy of Light & Motion

I have this bike light. It's a Light & Motion Stella 300. I've loved this light since the moment I got it a couple years ago. Actually, now that I think of it, the light might actually be a Stella 200. Pretty much the same thing just less lumens.

What I found out I don't like about the light is the little rubber mount thing tends to age and eventually break. I was lucky as mine broke while I was at home in the garage. Based on my newly found experience, it would be highly recommended you take alternate sources of light-to-bike attachment. Bring some zip-ties, an extra strap, duct tape or anything that will secure this nice little light to your bar/helmet.

Now, I want to remind you that I love this light. It is bright enough for the casual rider to ride at night both on the road/path or on the single track. I do think the light should come with a spare attachment rubber thing or an alternate way to mount the light in case of a breakage.

On that note, I picked up an extra rubber thing yesterday at my favorite bike shop, Acme Bicycles and I plan on using my light this evening on a short mountain bike ride somewhere. Maybe Hansen Larson Memorial Park or possibly a short stretch on Storm Mountain.

Happy New Year. Be safe out there.

2011 Goals

Here was a list of cycling goals I set out to do in 2011. I didn't accomplish one of them. Not one single one.

1. I would like to ride South Dakota from the ND border to the Neb. border. (I'm not sure of the best location to accomplish this so I'm taking routes if you have them).
2. I would like to accomplish at least 1 century ride. Can be for charity or just for the plain fun of it.
3. I'd like to ride the entire Mickelson trail in a day.
4. I would like to ride the entire Centennial trail. Preferably over a span of a few days. There are sections I'm going to have to ride around but for the most part, it's rideable.
5. I'm thinking about RAGBRI.
6. Dakota 5-0... this is a no-brainer for me.
7. I'd like to try and ride to Miller from Rapid City. It's only 244 miles. It would take me a 2 days but I think it'd be fun.
8. This is kinda weird... but I want to ride at least 5 minutes every single day of the rest of this year. I have a trainer so even on the really cold days I can still ride. Yes, every single day... Doesn't seem that hard, but it could be... I'm starting today.
9. Get more involved with trail building and the SD Bicycle Coalition. More advocacy and education for me.
10. I really want to try an overnight bicycle camping trip. I know one fellow who does them quite often. I think it'd be a hoot and not too difficult to accomplish.
11. I want to try and get more people involved in the national bike to work month, week, day at my office.

I didn't even ride the Dakota 50. I do have a legitimate excuse for that one though, I had surgery.

The rest though. Zero excuses. Bike riding this year just didn't happen the way I wanted. Some days my thoughts are that since I set out all of these goals I really didn't have any plan to accomplish them. I would still like to continue to have these on my want to do someday list. No plans, no goals, no items I want to accomplish this year, just someday.

For Sale:
2009 Kona Ute. It's a great bike and I love it but the amount of time I spend on it compared to the amount of space it takes up in the garage isn't worth it. I'm thinking $550 or so plus shipping. There are pictures somewhere here in this blog.

Excess Packaging

I realize this article isn't exactly about bicycles or anything cycling related. The one thing that I believe does tie the two ideas together is that this story discusses the use of excess packaging. To me bicycles provide a more minimal approach to travel and fun. Think about all the items you can cram in a car then think about what you can fit on a bicycle. Obviously less fits on the bicycle creating the idea that the person traveling by bike has to greatly reduce what he's carrying.

So, here is the article. I agree whole-heartedly about companies and their excess packaging rituals. Frankly I'm getting tired of opening a large box with multiple small things inside including a bunch of packing material.

http://www.livingprinciples.org/the-wicked-world-of-packaging/


Enjoy.

Lunch Ride

Well, the truth comes out. Cars are expensive. We had a tire blow out on our car this last weekend. I hauled my bike today and drove to the tire store where they shall mount, balance, align and replace the tires. The reason for all 4 instead of the one that was destroyed is that I am too cheap to buy 4 snow tires and 4 not snow tires. Well, that has now bitten me in the ass. Instead of buying just one, I get to buy all 4 so they match.

Anyway, now my $600 bill for new car tires could have been spent on magical bicycle parts.

Now the other subject, the heat. I had to ride about 4 miles on the bike path from the tire store to my office. I stopped once to stop sweating then I got to work and I was sweating profusely and now I get to sit in it for the rest of the day.

Garmin Edge 500

I made an authorized purchase today. I went and bought a Garmin Edge 500 for my bicycle adventures.

I'm liking the opportunities it offers for mapping as well as tracking elevation and speed data. The old Polar speedometer I had isn't working very well. It has a wireless sensor and it always cuts out and really frustrates me.

I'm hoping to post my rides and the Garmin Connect info here each time I ride. It'd be great to add photos or videos as well but I often forget to bring my camera.

The Fat Tire Festival is out here this weekend. I'll be taking part in some of the fun stuff. I don't think I'll participate as a racer but maybe a rider and a spectator. It should be fun. I would strongly encourage you to come and partake if you have the ability.

Enjoy your day.