The Bicycle City

Very cool...



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Wee Bike

This is my son's new bike for this summer. My dad got it for his birthday in January, but we were just able to get him out on it. It's so much fun to see the little guy pedal.

For now it's a bit big. But his older sister is opting for it over the Disney princess bike, which is kind of funny. It is a sweet ride, though.

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Shorts and a T-Shirt

Welcome back, Spring!

Today was my first ride of the year in shorts and a t-shirt. It feels so nice to just hop on the bike with barely anything on your back. I love winter riding, but I could not be more excited about warm weather coming.

Seasons in Kentucky are great because you always have something to look forward to. In August I'll be doing cartwheels over the thought of riding in the snow. But for now, I'll soak up this sun.

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Broke Spoke Video

Another great bike shop in town. I've been there a couple times and I recommend it to anyone. It's cool that these guys have followed through with their concept.

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Schwalbe Tubes

I finally made the choice to bump up the quality of inner tubes I run on my bikes. Schwalbe makes high quality tubes that actually do make a real difference in the riding experience.

Do they feel different? Not that I can tell. But they don't leak air like cheaper tubes. I've always bought middle of the road tubes from the bike shop. But as much as I ride, and with the variations of bikes I ride, it seemed like there was always a need to pump up my tires before each ride.

Schwalbe tubes eliminate that need. So far I've put them on one bike in my stable and I've yet to refresh the tire pressure one month in. That's a huge help when you want to grab your bike and go. I'd recommend these tubes to anyone who rides more than a couple times in a week.

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Bike Green Lexington

There's a new bike shop opening up about a mile from where I work. Bike Green Lexington has a presence on Facebook for now and, from the looks of it, could be a great shop. It looks like they're biggest bike offerings come from Kona, which is good by me.

For the most part, though, I'd be looking for knowledgable and helpful staff. Actually, I'd settle for less knowledge and more helpfulness. I hate the bike shop snobs that end up discouraging people from learning and wanting to ride.

I really love my shop I use right now. It would take a lot to peel me away from my loyalty to them. But they're on the other side of town (40 minute drive from my house). This could really be a game changer since it's so close. I'll look forward to their opening and getting in to meet them.

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Great Bike Artwork

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Fun Video

This video has made it's way around the internets for the last couple weeks. It's awesome.

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Overload

Hello, out there. You may have noticed less blogging for the last couple weeks. I'm still here. I've just had a bit of overload with the half-marathon training, work stuff and home stuff. Nothing exciting or dramatic. I've just lost the rhythm that I used to have. I assure you, I'm still outside as much as ever. I just haven't taken the time to record. More to come soon.

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New HD FreedRadical

Xtracycle has some tests going for the new HD FreeRadical. The biggest benefit in my mind? It will run a 29er wheel with ease. That means you could turn a Cross Check into an Xtracycle. See my interest?

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IGH Install

Well, I purchased the SRAM i-Motion 9 last week and it's been waiting for the install. Friday night, Angie went to a movie with some ladies, so I took advantage of the time alone to get started. I have to say, I thought this was going to be easy. It wasn't.

From all that I could find, there's not an easy way to install a new shifter cable into the shifter. I even found several mentions in forums that say that it's never intended to be changed. What?! I guess they have faith in the product. But for a long-tail bike, changing it isn't an option. I needed a longer cable.

Once I figured out how to access the cable, it was simple enough. But by that point, I had disassembled the entire thing. I had to put it all back together using some schematics I had found on the internet. When all was said and done, everything worked. It was just a major headache.

Angie is gone again tonight. So I'll mount tires, center brakes and figure out the chain tension thing. For now I think I'll run my old derailleur and see how it feels. I'd really like to run a double up front, but I'm not sure if that's even possible. Anyone have experience running a double with an IGH? Perhaps I'm just fearful of losing gear range on a cargo bike. But for some reason, my mind won't let it go.

Let's hope I'm riding in on this bike tomorrow.

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Pictures

This morning I met a friend of mine so she could take pictures of me riding my commute. I'm really not a fan of having my picture taken. It feels weird to me, for some reason. She's writing an article about bike commuting for a magazine so it's for a good cause. It's worth it to see a cool article about how great bikes are for transportation.

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Night Errands

Here's another great part of the world of bicycle transportation: When the baby is sick and you're out of meds and you have to run out late at night and you choose to do it on a bicycle and it's awesome.

Those annoying little errands suddenly become fun adventures.

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Maiden Voyage

You may recall that I purchased Doug's old Cross Check frame a few months ago and started to build a commuter bike with it. Well, winter riding was a bit more high maintenance than I had given it credit for and most of my wrenching time went to keeping all my other bikes together and running. There wasn't time to give attention to a hobby bike.

Last night I finished the first phase of the build and took it for a ride today. It's currently got a 1x8 drivetrain only because I didn't have a front derailleur that worked. But after riding it this morning, I like the idea of the simplicity.

I've almost decided to move the Jones H-Bars over to the Xtracycle and swap the Nitto North Roads over to this set-up. This bike will see a lot of use commuting and will also be ridden by my lovely wife. I think the Nittos will be a better application for them. Plus, I'm really toying with the idea of making the Xtracycle my "primary" bike. The H-Bars would give it a few more hand positions for longer rides.

Today's ride felt great and I'm excited to have another Cross Check in the garage as a commuter. It'll be a fun bike.

Get out there.