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Win Susan
Posted 2009-08-06 00:19:56 by dbole
After a long, hard battle with cancer Susan died tonight. For those of you who have followed her story it has been an amazing one. At times heartbreaking too. Lance Armstrong has been following along - Susan has inspired over $500,000 in donations to the fight against cancer. Here are a few lines from fatcyclist.com (her husband).
"Susan’s part in the battle is over, but she didn’t lose. She led the charge. She showed the rest of us how to fight: with determination, focus, creativity, and outrageous endurance.
Now it’s up to the rest of us to Fight Like Susan."
Go donate if you can: fatcyclist.com
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Iditabike
Posted 2008-02-28 23:17:39 by dbole
I have been following the Iditabike this year. It is an impressive bunch of athletes. Not only do they bike, run, or ski the 350 or 1100 miles but they have to spend their nights outside in sleeping bags. I have seen a couple references this year to the warm weather (it only gets down to -10 degrees). Most of the athletes only sleep a few hours a day. They travel day and night through some very remote country - all while carrying all their own supplies needed to survive. It makes commuting home in the dark at 5 degrees seem like a stroll in the park.
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Things I liked from 2007
Posted 2007-12-26 18:03:49 by tim
Working at a bike shop allows me the unique opportunity to spend a lot of money on bike stuff. Some things work out swimmingly, while others prove more or less useless. I've decided to rank the top ten things that I experienced for the first time this past year. Beyond mere whimsy, my criteria was that the product be somewhat useful and unique. The list:
10. On One Mary Bars. These are a relatively recent acquisition, snagged from a coworker who had psychological outgrown the heavy handed bends. I briefly contemplated whether a month of use could justify its inclusion on the list, but I couldn't help myself. After a year of wrist pain and handlebar experimentation on my xtracycle, I finally found something that combined a natural hand position with the width required for navigating with heavy loads.
9. FSA Pig DH Pro headset. It does everything that a Chris King does, except better.
8. Topeak waterproof panniers. These bags are not particularly striking in appearance. They don't have an outrageous capacity or a lot of pockets. What they do have is an exceptional attachment system that offers easy removal and secure attachment. They don't fall off, they keep your things dry, and you won't waste a lot of time taking them on and off the bike--that's really all that I want out of a pannier.
7. Bell Metropolis. Immediately after discovering this helmet I found out that Bell stopped making it. This was extremely disappointing as its function stands out in a market flooded with helmets that are most easily differentiated by their price tag and a gram scale. The Metro provides options for a rain cover, helmet mounted mirror, winter earflaps and helmet mounted light. Every commuter should have one. I feel stupid for not having discovered it sooner.
6. Cateye double shot. I have a terrible history with bike lights. I break them. The most appealing feature about the Cateye double shot has been its sturdy and simple construction. Other attractive features include an incredibly bright beam, five hours run time via a twelve volt nimh battery (most bike lights are six volt), a three hour smart charger, and three mounts.
5. Surly Crosscheck. I've lusted after a do everything road bike for some time and finally purchased a crosscheck this past spring. In the first month of owning it I hauled a couch and rode a century. I've also participated in building interesting variations for some of our customers. From a fully decked out flat bar touring bike to a fixed gear winter commuter with fat tires, the crosscheck pretty much does anything.
4. Planet Bike Cascadia fenders. It may seem strange to list a fender in the #4 position, but these are just fantastic. The first thing that they did right was to lengthen the mudflap on both the front and back. It now serves a function beyond its questionable aesthetic. In addition, they added a second set of stays to the front fender. This makes for great lateral stiffness while maintaining vertical compliance. Finally, they now offer a version for larger 29er wheels. Admittedly, most 29ers won't live their lives as commuters, but there are those who value the increased inertia and air volume for winter commuting.
3. Surly Pugsley. After a year of debate on whether I could justify the expense of a Pugsley, the early snow gifted me the wisdom that I could no longer afford not to have one. Perhaps that is an overstatement, but it's certainly offered me the most fun of any inanimate object.
2. FSA shallow drop handlebar. Finally someone designed a handlebar for the recreational and/or long distance cyclist. Moreover, someone finally designed a drop handlebar that is different. Making a bend bulbous does not constitute a shift in design. Making a bar that allows an average cyclist to comfortably take advantage of multiple hand positions is a radical change in design. I often see people, even some who race, riding exclusively on the hoods. In fact, the hoods are often positioned such that the brake levers cannot be reached from the drop position. I spend about half of my time in the drops and the other half on the hoods. With other bars I was forced into compromising with a hood position that was too high or a drop position that was too low. Not anymore!
1. Xtracycle Freeradical. Twelve months after purchasing it, my Xtracycle has become integral to my car free lifestyle. It's difficult to understand how much it will change your life until you have one. It hauls things and people, but more than anything it changes the way that you think about bicycles.
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Solicitations are awesome!
Posted 2007-12-21 17:26:57 by tim
I sometimes find myself perplexed at the ineffectiveness of large, aggressively phrased signs in deterring solicitors. At least three times a day someone, usually well dressed, ambles into the shop and in their most convivial voice attempts to lure the unfortunate soul found most accessible into a benign conversation about business or bicycles. These people are easy to identify as they are blissfully ignorant of the language of a typical bike shop customer. Last year I had a guy talk to me extensively about the most suitable mountain bike for jumping out of helicopters. He apparently thought I was from a Mountain Dew commercial. I was bored so I played along, suggesting various overbuilt downhill bikes that might be up to the task. Once he'd decided that we were the best of friends he suggested that I might also like to discuss changing our credit card processing service. Party on, man. On another occasion a beautiful young lady strolled in and asked blindly into the shop area whether any of the three nineteen to twenty-six year old gentlemen in the shop area wished to purchase perfume from the back of her Mazda. I informed her that there was a sign at the front of the store explaining our stance on unwanted solicitations. She explained that she was not soliciting, only walking around asking people if they wanted to buy perfume. More recently a kid smelling strongly of marijuana and cigarettes offered to sell me a promotional D.A.R.E. calendar. Once I had declined that offer he quickly moved on to discount oil changes. I explained that I did not own a car. He didn't believe me. A few months ago someone was kind enough to stop by and check on my supply of frozen steaks. If it had been running low he had plenty in the back of his pickup truck that he could sell me at an exceptional discount. It's a little known fact, but meat from the back of a pickup truck is the best kind of meat that money can buy. These are just a few examples. There have been worse that I've simply blocked out of my mind for the moment. I fail to understand the logic in trying to sell something at a place that is trying to sell stuff. I feel like writing this was even a better use of time.
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