Hypocrite!

My wife called me out this last week on a little "me"-cycling that I engage in.  My apologies.

She was taking out the trash and noticed a yogurt container.  She's lactose intolerant, and the kids aren't yogurt eaters. Caught!

David Brancaccio, avid cyclist.  Who would have thought?

In my defense, the recycling system here on the East Coast is a lot different from the recycling I did growing up.  I know, I know, I need to get with the times and start looking at the recycling symbol/number on the bottom, but I still haven't gotten used to it.  Hence the yogurt container in the trash.

On a more interesting note, I ran into David Brancaccio this last week.  If you're like me, you probably know him from NPR marketplace.  I didn't realize that he was a cyclist!  I guess I should have assumed that any wildly successful person like that probably is a cyclist, it just never occurred to me that he would be.

We swapped cycling stories for a while (it was a professional encounter, not a cycling one), and he passed on a pretty funny one.  Apparently he's participated in the Dempsey Challenge, a race to end cancer sponsored by the famous actor Patrick Dempsey up in Maine.  The bicycle portion of the race is a century, and while he admitted his century time was a little slow, he was very surprised to see Patrick waiting for him at the finish line (they had started rather close to each other).  When pressed, Dempsey admitted that he only rode about 50 miles (couching it in language like that makes me think it was even less), and then was driven the rest of the way in.  The gall!  At your own challenge, too!

I harbor no ill-will, but it does make me chuckle.

Me-cycling and Other Failed Green Efforts

A little something I like to call "me"-cycling...

I just got finished reading an article in the New York Times about the opposition to so-called "green" initiatives like bike lanes, wind power and improved mass-transit systems.  It's a malady I like to call "me"-cycling.  If it doesn't directly benefit the people involved, they want no part in it.

Windmills become "ugly" instead of "chiche."  Bike lanes are "incovenient" instead of "heaven-sent."  As Jack Nicholson would say "something's gotta give."

I see both sides of the issue, but that doesn't make it any easier to resolve it.  The key, according to the article, anyway, is that a perceived critical mass needs to be achieved.  People have to think that everybody else is already doing it (not working for the bike lane in Brooklyn--studies show that 75% of the population favors it, with a mere 10% dissenting) and enjoying it.

Makes me think of Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation."  The key thing that made that pre-WWII generation great was their selfless willingness to sacrifice for us.  Different times, some people would argue.  Post-modernism makes us consumers that are issue oriented on every issue under the sun.  Whatever the case, I think it's largely mental and something we can get over.

Personally I wouldn't be opposed to my children growing up with the silhouette of windmills on the sunset skyline...

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Clark Kent

A lot of people tell me that I remind them of Clark Kent.  I think it has to do with the way that I wear my hair and the fact that I am so inconsistent about my glasses and my contacts.  I'll wear glasses for a month straight and then suddenly wear contacts one day.

Personally I think I'm more like Batman because I don't have a lot of inherent abilities (nor does the presence of Kryptonite make me go weak in the knees, if anything, it makes me more confident that my bike is secure), but I do get to try out a lot of cool stuff.

Something that came my way this last month was the Timbuk2 Covert Messenger bag.  Unfortunately it is discontinued (with one TINY exception here, and I'm not keeping that link updated, so when it's gone, it's gone).  I talked to the guys down at Timbuk2 and they told me that the Covert fabric is difficult to work with (it's made of glass, so that doesn't surprise me).  But they had one last one kicking around so they sent it my way.

This bag is awesome.  During the day it looks like a normal bag--none of the tacky reflective striping that you see on other bags.  It really looks like a brown and gold bag.  But when you're riding at night, and are car blasts up behind you, it's more reflective than those goofy reflective vests you see people wearing.  Blindingly reflective.  Awesome. (should have just left it at that)

Furthermore, the Covert fabric is just as tough as their regular ballistic nylon material.  If you're unfamiliar with Timbuk2 bags, they are THE answer to stylish, convenient and durable bags.  Ask anyone who has one and they'll tell you "it holds everything I need."  I'm not kidding.  That's what they all say.

Timbuk2 handmakes all their bags in the USA (good old San Fran), so you pay a premium, but it's basically the last bag you're going to buy.  Seriously.  I haven't worked my way through on in 8 years.  It's survived countless trips, daily commutes, college (a whole lotta textbooks gettin hauled from one end of campus to another), New York Pickpockets, etc.  Nothing beats them.

And if something does get the better of you, send it back.  They'll either honor their lifetime warranty or give you 20% off your next bag.

On top of that, they encourage sustainability.  All of their retail filler material (like hanging straps) are printed with a suggestion for how to reuse them.

It's a shame it's a discontinued product, but if you see one on eBay, scoop it up.

Well worth the investment.

Not alone anymore (but maybe it was better that way)

I just finished reading an article in The New Yorker online talking about changing perceptions toward cyclists in New York.  I learned something along the way, and thought I'd pass it along.

Mayor John Lindsay may not have done well against JFK in a presidential bid (but who could've--the man stole America's heart), but he did wonders in New York City for cyclists (among others).

Perhaps his most lasting act was to forbid automobile traffic in Central Park on the weekend.

To those of you who have moved to New York since, can you imagine what Central Park would be like on the weekend with cars?

Newark, NJ has a comparable park to Central Park (designed by Frederick Olmstead as well, I'm told) called Branch Brook Park.  It is incredible.  Heaven knows I've gone riding there enough times with enough friends.  The only problem is that all of the pedestrians for both directions of traffic are crowded onto a little path not much wider than a single sidewalk, while cars cutting through (and I'll admit, there are very few of them on the loop) swing dangerously close.

I imagine Branch Brook Park without cars on the weekend (and it isn't hard, when the police are paid the park is closed to cars for the famous Cherry Blossom Cycling Challenge) and think of  another perfect haven for cyclists (why Branch Brook Park cut out an eighth of their velodrome, I'll never understand).

Regardless, without the action of people like Lindsay, the City would be a very different place for cyclists.  Malcolm might even call that act the tipping point that has made New York into what it is today: a veritable haven for city cyclists.

Hats off to you Mayor Lindsay--the White House wouldn't have suited you anyway.

The funny thing about trainers...

The weather has actually cleared up a lot over the past few days--I've been out for a number of awesome rides both on my single-speed and my Tarmac (I converted an old Podium 2 into a single speed with bullbars for my quiet commute in the morning). But that didn't stop one of my concerned neighbors from hooking me up with a CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer (branded Trek for some odd reason).

Okay, so it wasn't actually one of my neighbors that caved. Nor was it my lovely wife (even if she caved, the budget wouldn't allow it). It was Craigslist that came to the rescue. And somebody else's wife. Apparently he wasn't using it enough and it was taking up a whole room downstairs (big house, if you ask me--trainer's a pretty small thing). He told me he wasn't sure if it worked (and I still haven't tested it) so he didn't feel like he could charge me (not the typical east coast mentality), but that I was welcome to it.

Which brings me to the funny thing about trainers. Selling trainers--like a lot of exercise equipment--is really selling an idea more than a product. A lot of people buy them with the good intention to use them, and then they never do. Or they use it once and realize that it is outrageously boring/exhausting and never manage to get their bike back onto it again. Or they use it too early in the season, then switch their rear wheel out for a ride when it warms up slightly (or even more inconvenient, just the rear tire) and never bother to switch back, and by the time they think about using their trainer they're already exhausted by the idea of having to get everything set up (whew! I'm breaking a sweat just thinking about it...) Maybe having a room dedicated to a trainer (and a spare bike for that matter) is a good idea...except that the guy who gave me this one never used it...so maybe not.

Exercising, like a lot of things we do, requires us to develop a habit (somebody told me it takes 30 days to start a habit and 1 to lose it--my experience confirms that). Habits are notoriously hard to form. As a result, a lot of exercise advice tells people to make extremely small changes to their routine to get in the recommended levels of exercise (ie. take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the grocery store instead of driving two blocks, etc.). I don't buy it. I'd be overweight for sure if that's all I did. Maybe it works for some people, but those kinds of things don't even raise my heart rate most of the time--and I'm pretty sure that's the definition of exercise.

So if you're thinking about getting a trainer, start like this: ride every morning 6 days a week (Sunday being your "day of rest"). EVERY morning. If you do that every day of the spring and summer, then get yourself a trainer and leave your bike on it and you'll keep riding it every day.

Otherwise, it'll end up on Craigslist for someone like me.

Not that I mind, of course.

Freezing Rain

So I was talking to my wife this last week about the weather forecast (not because we didn't have anything else to talk about--that's why you talk about the weather with old people and people you don't know) because neither of us knew what "freezing rain" was. I was convinced that it was a fancy name for "hail" though I couldn't understand why the weather guy would waste two words instead of one unless he was trying to fill air time (which I am convinced is the case on a lot of other cable channels--there's just too many of them! You get that much specificity on TV and you run out of things to say), which couldn't have been the case because a huge "weather system" (read: "storm") was sweeping up from Texas to Maine. He had a lot of cities to cover and a lot of cool YouTube videos to show of the storm's progress.

Well I found out that it wasn't hail and it wasn't snow (my wife's idea). It's waaay more miserable than hail. Well, maybe if you own a car hail can do more permanent damage to your paint job, but it's hard to beat the miserableness of freezing rain.

If you're from a warmer climate (and I thought Texas fell in that category, but I guess not), and you don't know what freezing rain is, picture this: It's raining.

I know, sounds pretty ordinary, right?

Okay, not imagine that a city water main burst and flooded the town with water during a flash freeze. EVERYTHING is encased in ice. EVERYTHING. Even the snow on the ground is encased in ice. You want a visual? Different story, similar result.

It finally thawed enough on the roads yesterday that I was able to get out for a short ride, but it was the trainer until then.

I'm thinking more seriously about upgrading to a fluid trainer. I've put a collection jar out for my neighbors to contribute. Shouldn't be long now!

Winter Wonderland (on a trainer)

The East coast has been rocked by these massive snowstorms lately--makes for pretty crummy riding if you're not a clearsky cranker (football's equivalent of a fairweather fan). For the rest of us palesky peddlers it means waiting until the streets get cleared (which in my town takes A WHILE) or hopping on the trainer for a few hours.

I inherited a magnetic trainer from Tito when he moved out West, and my wife won't let me use it indoors--and you can imagine why if you've ever used one before. It sounds like a cross between the chainsaw from the movie 'Saw' and the whirring of the broken robot from 'Wally.' Every time I'm on it I make sure I've got my mp3 player cranked waaay up. Anyway, I put the trainer out on the back porch (telling myself and my friends that I did it because I prefer to train in the elements--married men will understand my real reasoning) and hopped on it for a few hours this past week, taking a break every hour or so to call my city councilman to ask when the shoulder was going to be clear again. It was an experience.

First of all, if you do purchase a trainer, DON'T get a magnetic one. I've demoed the fluid ones every year at my local bike shop, I just can't ever save up my allowance far enough to buy one, something more appealing always seems to cast itself in my path (remind me to talk about my new Tarmac SL3) before I save up enough money (okay, the Tarmac was a special gift to myself financed outside my allowance--I don't know any trainer that costs that much) to get one. Fluid trainers are (for the most part) quieter, smoother, easier to maintain and just a better experience overall.

Secondly, however, understand that the trainer is a mental game to the extreme. I've done spin classes before--totally different experience. There's something about having other people there even if you're used to riding alone. I've been told by some people that you can psych yourself out to get in more time on the trainer, but as yet, I've had a hard time breaking an hour on it. It's not difficult, but it is mind numbing.

Now there are some trainers out there (like the one that I demoed at the shop that was closer in price to my Tarmac) that are a full virtual reality experience. You sit in front of your big screen at home and steer the little guy on the screen. When your RPMs go to low, the guy on the screen falls off his bike. There are road AND mountain courses (the mountain course lets you play around a little more--exploring off the trails and knocking things over in the warehouses, even jumping ramps!) making it the ideal cross-training tool. But for the rest of us, it's a goofy DVD, or a classic movie like 'Fletch' to keep us going.

Well I did it. An hour on the trainer every day for this last week. The shoulders aren't clear but I'm back on the road. Hopefully that car puttering impatiently behind me is my councilman. If it is I should be back on my shoulder in no time--or fighting anti-bike legislation in my town council.