I rode the Venge to work yesterday. The pull of free excessively expensive speed lured me in like a bass to a Rapala. The Trek is fine, of course, but the Venge is just so much… better. I started adjusting my clothing for the ride in, too. It’s been cold out, so I opted for a sweatshirt the first time that had me sweating like a thief in confession. I had to dress a lot lighter to keep from sweating so much on the way in. That worked out very well yesterday. I also brought my work clothes in my backpack, rather than trying to wear the shirt under the jacket. I’m really enjoying the commute in ..read more

The forecast was beautiful; 50° (10°C)at the start with a slight, but building wind from the west that would be inconsequential until it was to pick up as a tailwind. At a quarter till, I didn’t think we’d have much of a group. At five till, we had friends from all over rolling in. We had eleven by the time the last of us rolled up. It was Sunday Funday! Jess and I were on the tandem and everyone else had single bikes. Big group or not, on the tandem, we expect to take all of the headwind up front. That’s just how we roll. Not yesterday, though. Mike took the first two miles. Then Big Joe came ..read more

I’ve had a few conversations of late with new cyclists about accessories – what’s needed, what would fall under a “want” and the most important, what isn’t needed or useless. For starters, we can get the obvious, and absolutely necessary out of the way; a flat kit (I have one that slides in my back pocket for short rides [15-100 miles] and a saddle bag for tours). Water bottles and bottle cages are next. Now, on some corners of the internet, you’ll see or hear that carbon fiber cages aren’t necessary and that they’re brittle. They aren’t necessary if you’re on a budget and carbon fiber, by its ..read more

That’s right, folks! I actually rode my 5200 to the office yesterday. It was a little tougher than I expected, but it was definitely neat. What I really enjoyed was that I had an amazing morning and was vastly more efficient at work. I was vastly more alive all day – it had something to do with the exercise on the way in to work. Anyway, it was nice to have that much energy right out of the gate. There was one small issue I’ll have to figure out, though. More on that in a minute. After my day was done, I had a dentist’s appointment for a new crown that I had to tend to, so I took the long way ..read more

It was a cold start to the morning, just above freezing, but it was all glorious after that! The sun was out in full, fantastic force and my wife and I were on the tandem… and we actually had a decent little group for this one. Mike, Diane, Adam and Dale showed up. We’d talked about cutting the 28-mile planned route short before we left, because my wife and I are both building up to cycling shape, but ended up sticking with the group for the full ride. And that was exactly what we needed. It was hard in places, but my wife had a wonderful knack for kicking in some extra juice just when I was f ..read more

Venge Day, for me, is a celebration of the arrival of Spring and the new cycling season. It’s the first day nice enough, after a few exceedingly rainy days that’ll wash off the roads of salt and debris enough that I can take out my best road bike, my 2013 Specialized Venge. Yesterday was my Tenth Anniversary of Venge Day. I had a haircut scheduled for yesterday morning, and my wife had to take our daughter to her college intake day so we couldn’t ride with Mike. After my haircut, which was absolutely necessary (I was FUZZY), I had to fix our shower. A trip to the Home Depot was in order, then ..read more

I bought a pair of the base Black Bibs and a pair of the upgraded bibs with the leg grippers and said I’d come back once I had some data, also known as saddle time, in them. Before my report, this very important distinction on the importance of functionality whilst riding a tandem. The measure of a pair of bibs on a single bike is vastly different from that on a tandem. On a single, one can happily pop out of the saddle whenever one fancies. This allows for a more comfortable ride, even in bad bibs/shorts. On a tandem, there’s no room for second-rate bibs. You’re in the saddle for most of the ..read more

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, I didn’t even get to write about my first solo ride outside this year, which was quite funny. All tailwind for the first half, all headwind for the second. It wasn’t, but was, funny. We’re in the final stretch on five projects at work and the closeout is probably the toughest part of the job. There isn’t an easy part, really, but the closeout takes the most coordination and paperwork. All the while, I’m getting a full education on energy and solar power generation. I’d say I can find time to write, but I’m so enmeshed in doing the job in front of me ..read more

We in Michigan, specifically lower to mid-Michigan, were treated to a lovely (not really) four inches of snow Friday… We’ve gotten more snow in March than we did in February (it feels like all winter, really… it’s been a lousy March). The roads are clear but it’s brutally cold. Cold enough I didn’t want any part of riding outside, so I readied the trainers for my wife and I yesterday morning. This gets interesting for today, though… I’m golfing indoors with my bowling buddy, Dale and his brother-in-law. It’ll be my first time on a screen, but with this lousy weather, I’d rather get out and swi ..read more

The folks at GCN are at it again! How wide is too wide, how soft is too soft… and what’s fast. As tires go. Look, I’m not going to pretend I know any better when it comes to what you should ride. I know what I’ll ride and I’m very finicky – and not in a way that would go for “wider is better”, though there’s no doubt there’s some interesting truth to the notion. I ride 24s on the Trek 5200 because fitting 25s is sketchy (it’s a 1999 – they didn’t make bikes to fit 32s back in that era – only 23s, or with a wider rim 24s or certain 25s). I ride a 26 on the Specialized Venge because 28s are a li ..read more