Welcome to NY: Where Dreams are Made Of

Hello there.

For most of us, New York is kind of a bucket list item. Seeing the Statue of Liberty, the Freedom Tower, Times Square, Central Park, and the list could go on and on. As a cyclist, or even as a non-cyclist, riding the approximately 6 mile long loop around Central Park on a Citi Bike is definitely on the bucket list.

Now, the past week for me was spent in Mahwah, NJ for work meetings, and Mahwah is about an hour outside of New York City. And given the fact that I am widely considered the world’s worst bike blogger, and that I receive absolutely no compensation for said blogulations, I decided to shirk my actual work responsibilities for which I do receive compensation in favor of that bucket list ride in Central Park. I figure I owe it to my readers (hi, babe!).

The Ride

Without wasting any more words, let me tell you about the ride.

The taxi dropped me near Times Square and Central Park. During the trip to the city, I downloaded the Citi Bike app from the iTunes store, for free. The app installed in less than a minute. I selected the $12 daily pass option. Then off I went. I must say, the entire Citi Bike system worked flawlessly.

I was soon emerged into a sea of hundreds, or thousands, of New Yorkers blissfully smiling and riding through Central Park. Much to my surprise, Citi Bike was very widely used, and not just by tourists. There were many other users, most of whom appeared to be out for a leisurely ride or on their way home from work. It was Friday afternoon on a perfect May day, with the sun peeking out from behind a few sparse clouds and a gentle breeze blowing through the air.

Instead of getting caught up by the stress of being in the city, confined to streets barricaded by skyscrapers and filled with angry motorists honking violently at one another, I was transferred into tranquility. Here in the middle of Manhattan, I was surrounded by fellow cyclists, pedestrians, and joggers in a setting of beautiful blooming flowers, trees, and lush green vegetation.

The terrain was gentle and rolling, and I was swept away in the moment – giddy with excitement and with a constant smile like that of a child. If you prefer, we can call it my “bike face.”

Before I knew it, I had covered the full 6 miles. Despite my desire for more, I had a plane to catch. So I said a brief goodbye and re-docked my Citi Bike as I was grimly and abruptly welcomed back to reality.

As much as I enjoy long rides with thousands of feet of elevation, I must say this was a first class ride, worthy of any bucket list.

The Reality

At least that is how I pictured my day happening.

The above story is really just a novel work of fiction. Here’s what really happened:

Our team meetings wrapped up around 2pm as planned. So I didn’t actually skip any work because I’m not really that cool. My flight wasn’t leaving from Newark / EWR until 9:30pm. That gave me about a 7 hour window to get to the city, ride a quick loop, then go to the airport.

So I hopped in a taxi with a few other co-workers to go down to Times Square / Central Park. As one of my co-workers had a hotel in this area for the night, we could drop our bags at the hotel and go from there.

We departed by 2:15 or 2:30pm. The taxi was slightly warm at the time of our entrance, so we requested some A/C. And that is right about when the traffic hit. 1 hour passed, then 1.5 hours, then close to 2 hours later we arrived in the city at our destination. By this time, my fingers were completely numb due to the frigid AC temperatures, and my bladder was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

Nevertheless, we made it to the hotel with dry pants, and dropped our bags. Just in case you are wondering, $250/night in New York City gets you a bed, and that's basically it. I'd estimate the hotel costs start right around $1 per square foot.

Unfortunately, one of our other co-workers was continuing on the taxi journey to JFK airport, for which the driver quoted a time of approximately 25 minutes, but no more than 2 hours…we’re still not sure how the rest of that journey went.

By now, we had enough time to get coffee (ok…Carmel Macchiato) at Starbucks, then a quick drink and dinner prior to picking up our bags and heading to the airport. To be exact(ly), I had a Carmel Macchiato, a wheat beer, and buffalo wings…if that sounds like an odd combination, it is. But more on my bad judgement later.

We wrapped up dinner and headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Then it was back out to the concrete jungle to revel in the experience of hailing a cab in New York City.

No bike ride. No Central Park. Not this time.

As I left the hotel, I asked the front desk if they could call a cab for me to Newark airport. They said their rates were about $95 for a cab, but that I could just use Uber, right? 

Of course I nodded along, smugly, giving off sort of a chuckle before heading out to the streets. But they did not realize they were speaking to a 68 year old, stuck in a 31 year old's body. And despite my many adventures and travels, I have thus far in my life refused to participate in the Uber business. 

So I hit the streets. I assumed Friday at rush hour wouldn't be the easiest time to catch a cab, but there seemed to be plenty of them buzzing around the streets. So there I stood, hailing away unsuccessfully for at least 15 minutes. To me, this experience was about as comfortable as most people find sitting on a bike seat for the first time.

So I gave up. Not only did I give up, I completely abandoned my value system. So there I was, one out of millions of people in New York City, standing next to my baggage in the bus lane, searching for Uber on the app store. 

Then, out of nowhere, a cab pulls up next to me and asks me where I am going. So there you have it - the best way to hail a cab in New York City is to basically stand in the road with your bags, while staring mindlessly at your phone. 

I told the cabbie I was headed to Newark. He told me to jump in and quoted me a cool $130. At this point, I was in no position to bargain. And I just rode along assuming this was an absolute rip off. Like I said, not my best day in the wise judgement department. But I was finally on my way home. Despite missing out on my bike ride, I was glad to finally be heading out of the city and to the airport. 

So there you have it: I paid $315 for round-trip airfare from Grand Rapids, MI to Newark, NJ. And I just spent the same amount of money getting into New York City and out of New York City to the airport. But if you think about it, the cab rides basically took up the same amount of time, and I must admit it was much more comfortable being sprawled out in the back of a Lincoln by myself than jammed into a sardine can with a sweaty middle-aged man, who I can only hope is not looking over my shoulder as I recap my day. Plus, I didn't have to put away my large electronics or put my phone in airplane mode for the ride. 

At least I managed to take a nice selfie while I was in the city:

 - Clay

Friday Rainy Day Giveaway

Welcome to the weekend (almost)!

I know I started a Commuter Series a while back, and I promise to get back to that eventually. Just in case someone may have actually found it useful.

For those who missed it, I also posted about my dad recently. It's a little more on the serious, non-cycling related, note. But it's out there if you want to follow along with my life.

Earlier this week, I made an appointment to take our automobile in to the shop for some routine business. I made the appointment this week, because next week I have to travel to the awful(est) state of New Jersey for work. And being the nice husband I am, I wanted to make sure the car was running blissfully for my wonderful wife during my absence. My wife has requested that I mention her at least once in all my posts, so there you go, babe :)

Now, I made the appointment for Friday because I typically work from home on Friday's, and there wasn't anything on my calendar at the time. I say there wasn't anything on my calendar at the time, because apparently I didn't actually check my calendar. Had I checked my calendar, I would have discovered that I am getting things straightened out with the Chiropractor this very morning. Then, my presence is required at work since we are bringing someone into the office for an interview. So now my day looks like this:

- Wake up as usual around 5am
- Sit around reading the news until 5:30am
- Fold some laundry and pack work clothes until 6am
- Make breakfast, eat breakfast, and devotional reading until 7am
- Write a terrible blog post about my day, in advance
- Drive car to the shop around 8am
- Ride bike to the Chiro at 8:45am
- Ride bike to work 9:30am...ish. Yes, that's amish time.
- Drink coffee
- Interview some guy from Egypt, that married some girl in Otsego, MI, and now wants to work at Stryker about why he is from Egypt and then married some girl in Otsego and now wants to work at Stryker.
- Work like an idiot until 4:30pm (because it's Friday, and I came in late, so I'm leaving early)
- Ride bike to get the car
- Drive car home
- Do something fun with my family

And I should also mention, the weather looks like this:

But at least I'm not doing anything crazy like re-roofing my house this weekend (that one's for the Bergren's, if you happen to be reading this):

And finally, to make you totally jealous that I work for an employer that cares about my health and well being, I was recently rewarded with a $200 gift card. As such, I would like to pay it forward, in the form of a $10 Starbucks gift card. I don't actually have the gift card yet, but I plan to purchase a pack of them soon for future giveaways. Or more likely my wife and I will keep them for ourselves:

Here are the rules: It's Friday, it's raining, post a comment, any comment, the funnier, the better. It can be about your day, a bike-related incident, or really anything. Since it is my blog, I will choose the winner at random, or depending on who I can get a gift card to the easiest, or who makes me laugh the most...or something like that.

That's all for now - have a great weekend - hug your Mom and tell her you love her. Talk to you again soon.

-Clay

Dear Dad

Hello everyone...is anyone out there? Hello...is this thing on?!?

Well, anyway, welcome to May, which is better known as National Bike Month. And just in time, things are really beginning to heat up out there. Yesterday was downright hot (is it too early to start complaining?).

Now, the increase in temperature is directly related to the number of miles cycled. However, the number of miles cycled is inversely related to the quality of writing in this blog. Therefore, as the weather gets warmer, you should expect a significant decline in the quality of writing.

I know what you are thinking..."the quality of writing in this blog was already very poor."

But here's the thing: I don't care.

I also don't care that this is apparently a blog about cycling. Because I'm here today to share a few things that are somewhat unrelated to cycling. I say "somewhat unrelated" because in fact they are related in that doing them results in less cycling...or something like that. Everything is ultimately related to cycling in some way, we all know that. So now we can move on.

Raised Garden Beds

This past weekend was spent mostly building raised garden beds. Because cyclists need to eat carbs, and apparently vegetables are a good source of carbs. Similar to white bread.

I am beginning to get a little skeptical that we will be successful in growing any vegetables, though. This is because the kids seem to love playing in their newly constructed dirt-boxes (pictured below).

The neighbors think they look great, so I guess it's a success either way. At least that's what they told me.

Dear Dad

Moving on to what was originally the main topic of this post...my Dad. For those of you who may not know, my Dad has Frontotemporal Dementia. And if you don't know what that is...below is an article from 2014 that we found recently that I thought was helpful, and accurately portrays the behavior of someone with this disease.

Here is the article: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/a-lesser-known-dementia-that-steals-personality/282661/

It's a fairly long read, so I don't anticipate most of you to read it all. Here are a few snippets:

It took many months, and some Internet research, for the family to get a diagnosis. Her mother’s change in behavior was caused by a little-known disease called frontotemporal dementia, a neurological disorder centered in the frontal lobe of the brain, the part responsible for our behavior and emotions. While Alzheimer’s usually affects older people, and is detected as a person begins to lose memory, frontotemporal dementia causes people to lose their personalities first, and usually hits in the prime of their lives — the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Frontotemporal dementia patients with the greatest deterioration in the “affiliation network,” (involved in motivating a person to connect with others and generating rewarding feelings during social interactions) exhibited the most severe social and emotional detachment, and patients with the greatest damage to the “aversion network” (involved in detecting and avoiding untrustworthy or threatening individuals) became more willing to trust strangers, and in some cases gave away private personal information despite negative consequences.

There are moments now when all Nicole can do is laugh at how simultaneously tragic and hilarious her mother’s illness is. She sees absurdity in situations that her mother can no longer grasp. Lately, Kathy has been obsessed with opening people’s mailboxes. “We keep telling her it’s a federal offense,” said Nicole.

Then, Kathy will open another. 

“Mom what is that?” 

“Federal offense,” she will reply in a monotone. “Federal offense.” 

Oddly enough, Dad did the exact same thing - opening mail boxes while he was out on a walk or bike ride. Or there was the time I took him out to Subway and he asked the lady in line next to us if she worked out, then asked where she lived, and then told her that Clay (who's Clay?) went to Notre Dame. Then there was the time, I think it was for Mom's birthday a while back that we went out to Texas Corral, that on his way back from the bathroom he sat down in a booth with a younger couple and refused to leave. That is, until my lovely and creative wife said, "Hey Dad, we have cookies at home if you want to go get some!" And upon hearing that, he popped right up out of the booth and we were on our way.

As the article points out, these are laughable memories that are simultaneously tragic and hilarious. It's been a couple years, at least, since those memories. And it's hard to believe that it's probably been close to 10 years since the whole thing started, when we started noticing differences in Dad's behavior. Sometimes, it's difficult to remember back to when Dad was "normal."

So anyway, my beautiful wife sent me this newsletter recently, and the paragraph below really stuck out to me, and spurred on all these thoughts:

Beloved author and professor, Dr. Howard Hendricks, once asked his grown children what they remembered most fondly from their childhood. Was it the vacations they took or the trips to theme parks or the zoo? "No," they answered. It was when Dad got on the floor and wrestled with them. That's the way children think. It is especially the way boys think. The most meaningful activities in the family are often those simple interactions that build lasting connections between generations. 

Now, here's the thing - my brother, Caleb, has always had an impeccable memory. He seems to remember every detail of our childhood(s), vacations, family outings, etc. I shall submit to you one example: We had arrived under the cover of darkness to a cabin in TN that we had previously rented with our Uncle & Aunt & cousins. The adults were struggling to locate the cabin on the mountain road, so much so that my Dad and Uncle had gotten out of the car and were searching for any signs of the road / driveway leading to the cabin. This is when Caleb chimes in from the back of the car, saying something like, "Isn't it just right over there?" Pointing off into the distance...It's also important to note that it had been at least a year or two since our prior visit. Nevertheless, Caleb was of course correct, and totally saved the day.

Then there's me...I'm a pretty simple guy, with a more average (ok...below average) memory. But that's why that paragraph above really stuck out to me, because here is what I remember most about Dad: I remember him laying on the floor when we were kids so we could climb and jump over him, I remember him chasing us around the house and wrestling, I remember him taking us out as a family almost every Saturday for lunch, I remember watching Notre Dame games and playing catch for hours, I remember him coaching my basketball team in high school, and I remember that he hand wrote letters to us every week in college - often with newspaper clippings from the local paper, and $10, always $10. Yes, that's right, a hand written letter, every week from 2005-2009.

There are also great memories from our childhood vacations. Like the time Dad was calling out waves when we were boogie boarding (yes, it's a thing...) saying, "Here it comes, babe-oh!" However, he grossly miss timed one wave and all he got out was "Here it comes, b!#$%#%!!" (Gurgle, gurgle...)

But, as the article points out, it's those simple - daily, regular, weekly - interactions that I remember most. And I think the reason I enjoy doing the same things with my kids, and why it comes naturally for me, is because of Dad.

So, other than ripping at your heart strings with this incredibly serious post on a mostly non-serious "cycling" blog, I guess I've just been thinking a lot about that lately and wanted to write down those memories before I forget.

And mostly, I just want to say - thanks, Dad. We love you.

Clay 

It is not good for man to workout alone

Hello friends,

This past Sunday, I went for a ride with my brother-in-law, David, who also happens to be my wife's brother. We've ridden together quite a bit. We've done the DALMAC ride in Michigan (Lansing to Mackinaw city), Ride Idaho (400 or so miles around the state), all across Southwest Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Utah...anyway, you get the point.

As we were riding, quite fastly I might add, David commented that we always seem to push a little harder when we are riding together, as opposed to riding individually. Of course, I agreed.

In cycling there is an obvious benefit to taking turns "pulling." We'll each take a couple miles in front pushing hard, and then rotate to the back for a little break while the other person pulls. This provides a surprisingly nice benefit. So as you might imagine, if we work together well, we can go faster together than individually.

But could there be more to it than that?

Indeed, I was inside today browsing the Outside columns and saw this article that just came in:

How Your Workout Partner Boosts Your Performance: A new study explores why we're stronger and faster when someone is watching

In the new study, Sparks and his colleagues asked 12 volunteers, all with at least a year of weight-training experience, to perform three sets of bench presses at 60 percent of their one-rep max, all to failure and with two minutes of rest between each set. They did this test twice, on two separate days, once with two spotters on either side of the bar and once with no spotters visible. (The spotters were actually still there but were hidden behind a screen so the volunteers couldn’t see them while lifting.)

As expected, the volunteers managed to squeeze out more reps when they knew the spotters were watching than when they didn’t know, lifting a total of 11.2 percent more weight.

 And the article concludes:

In other words, we’re wired to respond to the presence of other people. They can help you dig deeper, or, conversely, they can help make a given level of exertion feel easier. That’s something many of us discover intuitively from training with a group... And as Sparks’ study reminds us, those other people don’t have to yell at us, offer technical guidance, or even say anything at all. All they have to do is show up.

 So there you have it. Aside from the wind benefit, your cycling buddies can help improve your performance just by showing up.

In other news, it's time to stop wasting your time doing regular pushups. To summarize, doing regular pushups is like having lutefisk at your family holiday gatherings. It may be of some benefit, but it's mostly just an outdated tradition. Thankfully, I stopped doing pushups years ago.

The article goes on to provides five alternatives - from Marco Sanchez, the assistant strength and conditioning coach of the San Jose Sharks.

Basically, instead of looking like your current self, you could look like this:

(Tattoo not included)

Here is a closer look:

Apparently, doing these variations of the standard pushup could also cause spontaneous loss of frontal teeth. We can only assume this is a direct result of kicking yourself in the face while performing a "Spiderman Pushup":

But really, that's just an added benefit. Without your front teeth, you will be about 0.2 lbs. lighter on your bike, and this will also likely increase your breathing capacity / oxygen intake.


Until next time,
Clay

Post Tax Day Recap

Hello again, and happy Wednesday.

Just dropping by to give you a quick recap of some events that transpired over the course of yesterday. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you may have already received a preview. But, I did not share with you the favorite part of my story.

As a cyclist, it is imperative to intake a significant amount of calories on a daily basis. Therefore, when I saw this come across my inbox the other day, you can bet I blocked my calendar.

Yes, 1,040 bonus points at Qdoba, and basically all you have to do is eat Qdoba. And if you are not a cyclist and don't eat at Qdoba, 1,040 points is approximately 1/3 of a burrito.

So I was delightfully pedaling down the street for lunch when I came across a car with it's flashers on, in the middle of the road. And just so you don't think I'm a total jerk, my first thought was to ask if they needed any help. Further inspection of the vehicle; however, identified that it was unoccupied. So I proceeded on my route...

Then it occurred to me as I took one more backwards glance...how ironic that this car broke down, ran out of gas, or whatever, in front of a bike shop. Of course, I had to return to the scene and capture this special moment:

That is when it happened...

As I was standing there on the sidewalk admiring my photography skills, an irate person in their car pulled into the turning lane behind this abandoned car. Subsequently, this person laid on their horn multiple times in increasing increments. After a while, I can only presume said person began to realize this car was not moving. Maybe it was the flashing flashers, or maybe it was the fact that the car was not moving. Either way, this person then maneuvered around the broken down car, all the while angrily glaring into what they would soon discover was unoccupied space. I should also share that this persons final destination was Sonic - America's drive-in.

You really can't make this stuff up. 

The entire time I just stood there quiet. Or is it quietly? Or should I say, I just stood there, quiet? You never really know sometimes...

And finally, the weather outlook for the next 5 days is really looking up. Or is it uply? 

Sincerely,

Clay 

Commuter Series - part 2 - The Gear

Now that you have a bike, it's time to talk about the gear you need.

Wait...you didn't buy a bike yet?!? In that case, I'm not sure what you are still doing reading this.

But if you are still reading, I'll tell you what you need, regardless. Let's start with the essentials.

Helmet

Bicycle helmets are basically foam hats that are designed to protect your head in the event of a collision between a rapidly moving metal box and/or the pavement. If this sounds like propaganda from the federal government and automotive industry to disgrace people on bikes, you may be correct:

(I will wear a helmet,

I will stay in the bike lane,

I will not cross the solid white line,

I will be good.

I will wear a helmet...)

Furthermore, the federal government has promoted the fact that bicycle helmets prevent 85% of head injuries.

In 1989, a study in Seattle estimated that helmets prevent 85% of head injuries. Later efforts to replicate those results found a weaker connection between helmets and head injuries, but public health advocates, government web sites, and the news media often present it as fact. 

If you consider the entire body of research rather than just one study, and look at both head and neck injuries, helmets only reduce the risk of injury by about 15% to 45% . 

While it is highly unethical to experiment on people, as the article notes, we are almost certain that helmets do still reduce the risk of injury to some extent. At the end of the day, that is enough for me. And unless I'm schlepping the kids down to the neighborhood park, you will find me wearing a helmet. But I wouldn't spend $250 on something like this:

When you can get the something like this, that looks exactly the same, for $65 (or less):

Ironically, a study in Australia for car occupants found, "In about 44 percent of cases of occupant head injury, a protective headband...would have provided some benefit." We can only assume a full helmet would provide an even greater benefit, except for your hair, but you still don't see too many of these around...

Lights

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to climb down from my soapbox on helmets. And let me introduce this next category by telling you a story. Around the time I purchased my first bike, I also purchased this headlight:

At 100 lumens, this light functions well for being seen. However, this light does not function very well to see the road in front of you. Come mid-September-ish, this starts to present itself as a problem. Without the ability to see further than 5 feet or so of the road ahead, I was tossed over the handlebars by potholes, rattled by unseen roadkill and thrown on my side by trash receptacles occupying the bike lanes. And, while none of the these things actually happened, it was clear that these events would be in my near future if I did not upgrade to a headlight that allowed me to see as well as be seen.

So, here is a helpful article with their recommendations, which are pictured, and linked, below.

(Link)

(Link)

Also, below are the upgraded lights that I have used on my bikes for the past couple years. I would highly recommend them, although they are slightly more expensive. My headlight is brighter than the one recommended above at the highest setting (800 lumens). But I typically have it on the second setting when I'm commuting, which is 450 lumens. So the headlight above should serve you justice at 500 lumens. Each of the lights should have a steady setting for use at night or a blinky option for use during the day.

It's also a good idea to throw a second cheap taillight ($10-20) on your backpack, helmet, etc. Here's what it looks like in action: 

Fenders

Ahh, fenders. Another true essential for commuters. Unless of course you want to arrive at the office looking like this guy:

In fact, I was so excited after my first ride with fenders that I took this picture:

Well...that was a bit awkward...

Regardless, fenders are essential for keeping you, and your drivetrain, clean in wet conditions. Even if you don't plan to ride in the rain, at least in southwest Michigan, it tends to rain and storm overnight. Then you will wake up to a beautiful, clear morning with completely wet pavement. On that day, you will not want your decision to ride to come down to whether or not you want to arrive at the office with a stripe up your back like Pepe Le Pew. 

Now, for my recommendations. First, you will want full length mudguards. And SKS is a great brand. The first set of fenders that I had were SKS Bluemels. 

They come in plenty of shapes and sizes depending on your tires. But there is a catch. At least for those of you who may be as mechanically inept as I am. 

That's right. "Mark the appropriate length and cut the stays with a hacksaw." My experience with SKS Bluemels ended after a couple hours of frustration with a return box full of hacksawed and bent metal pieces. Then I ended up getting these:

You read correctly, "No-Cut-Strut fenders allow quick, easy, and precise installation." Idiot proof fenders. Installation involved tightening a few screws and some slight adjustments with the allen key. I've had these on my commuter for close to 2 years now with no issues.

And for those of you with road bikes or other bikes with no fender or rack mounts, here is an option for you. I haven't actually used these, although they are in my Amazon wish list, so I will let you know what I think if I decide to make the purchase. These do appear relatively easy to mount, and do not involve the use of a hacksaw. 

Apparently it looks something like this when you get it all set up:

Go get a set, and then get a set for your favorite bike blogger too (assuming that it's me).

Rack, Pannier, Backpack

This should be relatively easy. Considering the average American household has 2.3 backpacks per person in the house (completely made up statistic), you shouldn't have to spend any money here. At the same time I put fenders on my bike, about 2 years ago, I put a rack on the back and purchased a waterproof pannier (Ortlieb is also a great brand if you are looking to go this route), like so:

However, for the first three years or so, I relied solely on my vast arsenal of backpacks. I still use a backpack whenever I ride my road bike to work as well. So if you can save some money in this category and use what you have, do it.

If you are still insisting on my product recommendations...well...here you go. I would look for (1) high visibility colors (2) reflectivity, and (3) waterproofness. There's probably something I'm missing. But from there, just decide how much room you need.

Small: Timbuk2 Raider Pack. I think it's about 18L, but it weighs in under one pound. And it's still big enough to carry a change of shoes and clothes. Starts getting pretty tight if I need to carry my laptop though. It's reflective, there are plenty of colors, and it has a loop to attach a light (pictured above, about 8 pictures ago).

Medium / Large: I'm just going to recommend anything Osprey sells. They sell some nice cycling specific bags in the 25-35L range, or probably larger if you are still commuting with a desktop computer. You can also get a high vis rain cover:

Accessories

And finally, if you still happen to be reading, here's what you need to carry with you:

 - Tire levers
 - Patch kit
 - Spare tube (for when the patch kit doesn't work)
 - Spare tube #2 (for when you blow up the first tube with CO2)
 - CO2 inflator
 - CO2 cartridge
 - Mini pump / frame pump (for when the CO2 cartridge doesn't work)
 - Multi-tool
 - Cash / Credit card (for when you get hungry)
 - Cell phone (for when all else fails)

But seriously, here is what I carry: tire levers ($5), spare tube, or 2 for longer rides ($7-8 each), mini pump (my recommendation here, but you can definitely go cheaper - starting around $20), multi-tool (this one is cool - $25). And then I do almost always have a credit card and cell phone with me.

You can get a seat bag to carry everything but the pump, which you can mount to the frame or water bottle bolts. Or you can throw it all in your bag or jersey pockets, like me. In the second method, you do increase the likelihood of forgetting or misplacing something, especially if you have multiple bags. At least that's what people say, it's certainly never happened to me....

And with that, I urge you to go enjoy the weekend. I'll see you next time.

-Clay

Commuter Series - part 1 - The Bike

So you've decided to ride your bike to work? Or maybe you've just decided to get a bike to hit some local trails, bike paths, roads, etc.

Either way, congratulations!

Your life is about to improve by drastic measures.

In order to assist you along in your journey, this is the beginning of what I'll call the commuter series. And without further delay, I present to you part 1 - the bike.

The Bike

Before I get ahead of myself recommending bikes that you don't need, you may already own a bike, or maybe there is an old steel bike gathering cobwebs in the corner of your parents garage. Mountain bike, road bike, cruiser, hybrid, etc. it doesn't really matter, if you have a bike - ride it. Unless you bike looks something like this, you should be able to ride it to work:

Now, if your only bike resembles that pictured above, or if you don't currently own a bike, or if you are just looking to upgrade, continue reading.

New or Used

The first thing you may want to decide is whether you plan to buy a new or used bike. If you are buying a used bike, here is a helpful link to Bike Snob NYC's Used Bicycle Buyers Guide. You can definitely save money buying used, or simply get more bike for the money you have budgeted to spend. But there can also be a lot of value in buying new from a bike shop. Here are a few advantages:

 - You can try multiple bikes to determine which one you like the best
 - Most bike shops include at least a basic fitting, so you can ensure you are getting the right size bike
 - Most shops also include at least one free service / tune-up (my favorite-ist local shop, Pedal, includes free service within the first year!)
 - Discounts on accessories
 - Building a relationship with the people you may need to service your bike in the future

The decision is yours. Just please do not spend hours riding and testing bikes at your local shop, only to get a used bike the next day on craigslist. Also, if you are newer to the business, don't be too nervous about buying used. You can typically replace most low to mid-range components (chain, cassette, chainrings / crank, brake / derailleur cables) for close to $200.

In fact, to give some more support to the local shop, it's not a bad idea to budget $100-200 to have your used bike serviced prior to riding. You'll still be saving money and end up with a great bike.

Frame Material

In my reviews, I'm going to stay mainly in the sub-$1,000 categories. So your options are going to be steel or aluminum. Steel is steel, or something like that. But seriously, steel is probably going to result in a heavier bike, but it is also more flexible, which results in a more comfortable ride. Aluminum is lightweight but less flexible.

Just like we would all expect a professional quarterback to notice if a football he was throwing was deflated, the more experienced and professional cyclists would easily notice the differences in frame material. Well...you will actually notice some differences riding a steel vs. aluminum bike; however, more likely than not either one will be fine. And either one will likely outlive us.

Also, most of the aluminum bikes I recommend below have more relaxed geometry and wider tires (I run 32-35mm tires on my commuter, 25mm on my road bike, currently). Assuming you get a proper fit, you will be plenty comfortable.

Just to note some other materials you may find out there: carbon fiber, titanium, and wood...apparently?!?

(Only hardwoods have the ability to provide structural stiffness rivaling carbon fiber while smoothing vibration through the structure of the material itself. In 2016 we began testing wood for a new and exciting project, now available as the product of an unusual partnership between ourselves and Glenmorangie scotch whisky. Renovo has collaborated with Glenmorangie, creators of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, to create the world’s first bicycle made from whisky casks.)

Who knew?

So if you have $7k laying around, I guess you can ride atop a bicycle made from whisky casks. 

Type of Bike

Moving on...if you go to the website of pretty much any major bicycle company, you will notice there are approximately 17 different types of bikes. For simplicity, these types of bikes basically fall into what I consider 3 categories: road, mountain, and hybrid.

In the road bike category, I generally group anything with drop bars. So we might as well call this the drop bar category.

In the mountain bike category, this includes anything with wide, knobby tires and bikes with front and/or rear suspension, in most cases.

As you might have guessed, hybrid bikes fall in between. Hybrids are basically a road bike frame with entry-level components, flat handle bars, and clearance for slightly wider tires.

Before I move on to my picks of the litter, let me explain my methodology. Unless you happen to have off-road trails leading from your house to the office, a mountain bike is probably not an ideal commuter. So I will spend most of my time in the hybrid / road bike categories. I'll include hybrid options at the entry-level price point; however, I highly recommend spending a little more to get an entry-level drop bar bike.

Here's why: When hybrids came out, the main advantages were wider tires on a light weight frame, with a more relaxed geometry (more upright body position on the bike). In the past years, almost every bike company is offering an entry level drop bar bike with the same features: ability to run wider tires, light weight frames, relaxed geometry, plus the drop bar and slightly upgraded components.

While most people may only think of a drop bar as having aerodynamic advantages, which it does, it offers numerous hand positions. As opposed to one hand position on flat bars, which can literally be numbing on longer rides.

You can pretty much put your hands anywhere there is bar tape. Like this (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/handlebars.html):

Note: This is also why my recommendations work for commuters or anyone else (especially in the Kalamazoo area) looking for an entry-level-ish bike. Drop bar bikes with wider tires are perfect for commuting, trail riding (since most of the Kalamazoo area trails are paved or gravel), group rides, your first cross or gravel race, etc. The possibilities are endless...not to mention these bikes also have eyelets for rack mounts and fenders. But more on the accessories later.

My Picks

Without further ado, below are my highly anticipated selections. Here are my top 3 road bikes in the $800-$1,000 range:

 Kona Rove - starting at $849, aluminum frame & fork with Shimano Claris components, runs up to 38mm tires: "The Rove is Kona's essential drop bar all-rounder. Comfortable fit and stable geometry, the ability to take rack and fenders, and a no-nonsense spec make the Rove a great choice for commuting, weekend adventuring, or the occasional 'cross or gravel race."

Or for $1,099, you get Shimano Sora components (9 speed), fenders, plus it's orange:

Salsa Journeyman - starting at $899, aluminum frame & fork with Shimano Claris components (Sora upgrade is $1,099 similar to Kona), runs up to 50mm tires. This might be a little much if you only plan to ride on pavement, but I like the option to run wide tires especially if you plan to commute in winter. "Journeyman is our all road bike designed with the versatility to fulfill a wide variety of missions, from backroad wandering to bikepacking to riding or racing gravel."

Trek CrossRip - The CrossRip 1 is currently on sale for $909, aluminum frame and fork with Shimano Sora components and the ability to run up to 38mm tires. This is a pretty good deal:

  

The CrossRip 2 comes in at $1,259 currently, but you get a carbon fiber fork and Shimano Tiagra 10 speed components. I have Tiagra on my road bike and really like this package:

Honorable mentions within this category: (1) Specialized Diverge - I really like these bikes; however, they tend to offer the same components as the above models at a slightly higher price. (2) Jamis Renegade

If you don't want to bother with the gravel, a couple straight road bikes for your consideration would be the Specialized Allez (starting at $750 for aluminum frame, carbon fork, and Shimano Claris) and the Cannondale CAAD Optimo (starting at $950 for aluminum frame, carbon fork, and Shimano Sora). One thing to keep in mind is you do lose the rack mounts, so if you are looking for a commuter you will be backpacking it. I did this for 2-3 years and still do when I ride my road bike to work, but it's worth consideration.

If $800-$1,000 (or more) seems a little steep for you, here are my picks of some hybrid / road bikes around the $500 price point:

The "Big 3," Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale, all offer worthy options if you are looking for a hybrid. These usually start in the $400-500 range, and personally, I wouldn't pay much more than that for a flat bar hybrid. The models are Trek FX, Specialized Sirrus, and Cannondale Quick. The Trek FX 2 was the first real bike I bought 5 or 6 years ago and mine currently has about 6,000 miles on it. This model is currently listed at $439, here it is:

It's also important to know that you will typically find close to new hybrid bikes on Craigslist. I believe this is the default recommendation for people looking to start riding paved / gravel trails, at least in Kalamazoo. Then the people that don't ride them decide to sell after 1-2 years. Personally, I wouldn't go much over $200 to $250 if you are buying used in this segment. Here is one example:

They also noted the bike was purchased for $700, and they have it "priced to sell" at $450...but as I said, I would offer a solid $200 or so:

Hey, it's not my fault they didn't ride their bike.

Finally, here is a straight forward, steel road machine if $500 is your budget.

Pure Cycles Drop Bar Road Bike - Steel frame and fork, Shimano Claris components, 28mm tires, rack and fender compatible, and 3 color options:

Starting at $699, you can also get a steel version with wider tires (38mm) and disc brakes, still with Shimano Claris, or Shimano Sora for $799:

Now stop reading, and go buy a bike. Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions. Happy shopping, and happy Friday!

- Clay

April Fool's...for Cyclists

April Fool's Day is right around the corner: Sunday, April 1.

So, as mentioned previously, this is a very special edition of the Kalamazoo Cyclist. I have searched the vast offerings of the inter-web and will now attempt to re-blogulate the best, worst, and forbidden (in my opinion) April Fool's...for cyclists.

The ground rules are as follows: faking death is strictly prohibited. This should really apply to April Fool's in general. However, if you are a cyclist, you understand how much your friends and family worry about your lifestyle, and the very real fact that you could someday be run down by a texting adolescent in a two-ton metal box. Don't do it...everything else is on the table.

For the special someone in your life

Let's face it - cycling can be an expensive sport. All the gas, car insurance, and other monies you are "saving," are all likely being spent on bikes and gear. Also, despite your best efforts to hide it, your spouse also likely knows that you are always searching Craigslist and other websites for your next bike.

So here's what you do.

Borrow the nicest bike that you can from a friend. Place it near or around your current fleet of bikes (assuming you store your bikes in a visible location, such as the living room). Odds are, the new addition to your fleet will be noticed immediately.

You will the casually say something like, "Oh yeah, I picked that up at the bike shop this week. You know, I really needed more of a performance road bike as opposed to my other road bikes."

This will likely elicit one of three responses, if my calculation are correct:
1. Your spouse has read my blog (not likely), or is otherwise aware that it is April Fool's Day. She tells you to return the bike to your friend.
2. Anger. This would then be a good time to lighten the mood by exclaiming, "April Fool's!!"
3. A condescending, but understanding and ultimately approving of the purchase, such as "Another bike?? How much did you spend on this one?" (obviously this is a rhetorical question) or "That looks like a nice bike, next time please just talk to me before making any big purchases."

In the case of scenario 3, consider yourself lucky. Say nothing about April Fool's. Return your friends bike on the way to the local bike shop. You have just been authorized to purchase a new bike.

For the special cyclist in your life

Now that you have a new bike, it's time to ride. If you are riding with someone you like, this may be better to try pre-ride or post-ride. If you are rather indifferent to your riding partners, mid-ride is ok.

When your riding buddy is not looking, quickly let the air out of the rear tire. This person will then immediately snap into flat fix mode. They will be somewhat perplexed as they unsuccessfully search the tire and tube for signs of debris. They will conclude that they must've gotten a pinch flat. The tube will be changed and you will be back on the road in minutes.

As an added bonus, offer to hold on to the tube for your friend. "I can throw that away for you." Or, "I have a patch kit so I'll hold on to it just in case."

If they comply, you have yourself a perfectly good tube, hopefully to go along with your brand new bike.

This has potential to be a great day.

One other solid idea is to replace the water in their bottles with beer, soda, red bull, etc. You be the judge:

(photo used without permission)

Finally, there are a lot of mediocre to bad April Fool's ideas out there for cyclists, including filling tires with water or placing objects in or on the seat tube or handlebars. These pranks may be well and fine, but in general seem to require more effort with no benefit to the prankster. If it were me, I would stick with the ideas above.

Happy April Fool's!

-Clay

First Group Ride of 2018

I'm just dropping in to give you a quick update on the first group ride of this year. More importantly, I also think you should stay tuned for a special edition of the Kalamazoo Cyclist: April Fool's Day for Cyclists. I'll try to have it posted tomorrow, and within will be a summary of my favorite April Fool's Day ideas...for cyclists...I guess the title is fairly straightforward.

So, back to the ride:

The weather was slightly above 50 degrees, with the wind out of the southeast, or mostly south.

The first 7 miles were basically straight east from work to the meeting place, so far so good.

Then there was a group of six of us that went on the "Lawton ride" also known as the fast group...or something like that.

We started out with the wind and pedaling at an easy pace. So I'm about 20 miles in to the ride and my legs, lungs, and brain are all feeling pretty good.

That is when I made my first mistake.

As we started heading south (into the wind) I took over for a few turns "pulling" the group. By the time we turned back east, still into the wind, I was definitely starting to wear down. For those of you new to cycling, it's important to remember: In a group ride, NEVER take the lead position, ALWAYS stay in the middle-back drafting from the other riders.

Finally, I made my way to the middle-back and settled in.

Now here is my second mistake.

Water. During the decision making process prior to the ride, I determined that it was a one bottle day. However, when the weather is cool and you are feeling good, you don't realize that you are thirsty. Even if you have been pedaling in circles for over an hour.

By the time we made the turn north, there was probably only 10-12 ounces of water missing from my bottle. I'm pretty sure that's what the nutritionists recommend, right?

Now, if you remember, this is also the final stretch and the wind is at our backs. So the group is taking off and averaging about 25-26 mph. At least that's what I think they were averaging.

I hung on the back for about half of the 6 mile home stretch and then slowly backed off to 23 mph or so to finish out. My first excuse is that my hamstring tightened up, likely due to a lack of water. However, it is quite likely that my lungs would have given out either way.

I count it a success that I hung on enough to finish in sight of the rest of the group. Some people have told me they've been completely dropped...out of sight...and that, of course, has never happened to me.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back for more punishment next week.

-Clay