From Copehnagenize. She looks like a stoic, I'd be crying
It’s the middle of winter and my cycling habits and enthusiasm have taken a hit. I was driving out to Lyons last weekend, which is north of Boulder, and watched as the strong, die-hards wrestled and leaned into the wind. A couple of stoics had called “uncle” and were walking along side their bikes up the steep hill back into boulder. I did not blame them one bit.
But how do you regain your cycling passion when gravel-caked shoulders, wind burn and grey skies greet you as you wheel out of the garage? I read about all the amazing adventures and stories other people post:
Path Less Pedaled -I’ve been following the adventures of these two over the past year or so. They’re now in New Zealand and having a mixed-bad of it, I think. But a great read and will leave you inspired!
Momentum Blog – Checking out what’s new and exciting in cycling culture and advocacy. The most recent post – Urban Cycling Book – looks awesome.
Girl Bike Love – THE cycling site for women. (I also help them out a bit, so nuff said:-))
The Ride Journal - Think of the type of journal you would want to create to capture your cycling adventures and then check out the great writing is this magazine devoted to cyclists.
You know you’ve got an ingrained view of how things work when you swing your leg over a step-thru bike. Being a sad creature of habit that is just what I did on the first day I rode my new Globe up to work. It was the first Monday back after the new year. I was super excited to ride and the first thing I did was swing my leg over the wonderfully-designed step-thru. sigh.
I didn’t really need another bike but I was also tired of limiting my wardrobe to jeans and such when I rode. It’s hard if not impossible to wear a skirt and mount a regular bike without a lot of maneuvering or careful bike placement and emerge with any sort of dignity. I’m sure more graceful women can pull it off – I am not one of those women.
Christmas, an observant hubby and a great friend from Specialized all came together to
Soon this will have flair
provide me with a gorgeous, red, single-speed Globe! It’s perfect. The front-end basket relieves my weary back of the burden of carrying a laptop, lunch and extra clothing. The included bungee cords, one of which I have lost already, allows you to cinch everything down snugly. The bike glides along pretty effortlessly and braking is easy if a bit noisy; the coaster brake screams efficiently that you are stopping and the hand brake is as efficient if quieter. The bike is unexpectedly light considering the huge basket and full fenders, which is great since it is a single speed. Fortunately, there aren’t really any lung-burning hills I have to climb on my commute, like 9th st.
The only problem is me. I can’t seem to get the hang of stepping-thru the bike. I expect once the temps warm up a bit and I’m wearing a skirt that the movement will come pretty naturally. In the meantime, if you’re interested in a easy to ride, step-thru, with tons of carrying capacity and a place to put your fav picture, check out the Specialized Globes.
I love the idea behind The Denver Bike Cafe . A coffee shop that allows you to sip a brew, get your bike tuned and bring your own snacks is a place I can see myself hanging out. I realize there’s only a tentative link to the concept of a coffee shop ride because we drove rather than rode to Denver but I made an exception because I think this concept is great. Because it was the day after new year’s eve and I was not nursing an early morning hangover like most of the Boulder, the drive to Denver was pretty quick. I may be admitting mee-maw (granny) status but to my defense a truck-load of congestion had been deposited into my sinuses a couple of days before making feel like my head was 3x larger than normal and everything tasting like wet cardboard.
The first thing we noticed when we walked into the cafe was that there were a lot of chairs. I mean. a. lot. And, sadly, not
Lots of chairs
many people siting at them but I really think that’s because it was new year’s day. The place was huge and divided into two areas: one side containing a number of patio tables strung together; the other side featuring the bike tune-up area. We ordered a couple of americanos, which weren’t bad but noticed pretty quickly the large selection of Colorado brews. A large outdoor seating area (remember, I said there were a lot of chairs) would be the perfect place to enjoy an Upslope after an urban ride.
Yes, we could have ridden and probably will try to this summer but sometimes cycling culture can be enjoyed off the bike, too. Denver Bike Cafe could have used a few more cycling-inspired posters and images but the music was great and the baristas were really friendly. I can’t complain about my start to 2012.
Recently, I was chatting over coffee with a young woman about cycling in Boulder. We were talking about the various trails around town, our commutes, and our fear of getting our bikes stolen from downtown. She went onto to describe a new fear she was experiencing; she was becoming more nervous about riding in town due to the increase in the number of aggressive riders. Cycling, for her, was simply not fun anymore. Sadly, I understood what she was saying. Although Boulder is probably one of the most cycling-friendly places in the U.S. (and yes, I have lived elsewhere, namely San Antonio & Austin, which when I left were probably ranked 150 and 151 respectively out of a group of 151 friendliest places to ride a bike), it’s also packed. Whether you are riding, driving or walking in town, Boulder is a busy little town. I don’t think Boulder has an inordinate number of aggressive drivers. I just think the chance of a cyclist and a driver having a negative encounter is probably a little greater simply due to the number of people getting around using lots of different forms of transportation (i.e skate boarding, roller-blading, etc).
Later, what concerned me more than my friend’s fear was that she was considering giving up commuting by bike. And that’s when I realized this is how it begins. Young women, who may have been commuting for some time, weary of the conditions of the road, the interactions with drivers and begin to abandon cycling. It’s not just that there is one less commuter on the road but what that change in perception means for her and our community over the long term. If people, especially women, begin to abandon cycling as an option for getting around then our hopes for more significant transportation changes will be an even greater struggle.
This point was further expanded on in a great article titled, Women in Cycling: Why We Matter, written by Sarai Snyder over at GirlBikeLove. I recommend checking it out because if you are interested in seeing cycling expand in our communities then it’s critical to have women’s continued involvement and support. Can you imagine how much further along cycling adoption and commuting support there would be if more women were involved? I think we’ll move the needle that much more quickly if both men and women are part of the solution.
A couple of weeks ago, hubby and I caught a tail wind and landed on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. I’m not trying to be cute about the tail wind, the wind was absolutely, chillingly brutal! (Yes, I am prone to exaggeration but it’s a birth right. I’m Texan) As I tried to pry my eyes open against the wind and swirling sand and debris I could just make out the Lake and it was stunning. I can imagine that Lake Tahoe is overrun with holiday makers during the spring and summer; it was actually quite pleasant the day we left. Nevertheless, we had a great time checking out the little towns that dot Hwy 50. I fell in love (I think) with Truckee. I write ‘I think’ because we essentially darted from the car to the nearest shelter to get a glimpse of the main street, then satisfied, darted back to the car.
One place we hunkered down in was Rosies Cafe. We could do much outside and there weren’t too many bike shops to explore so Rosie’s was the next best thing. Not only was lunch really good, they had all these antique bikes hanging from the ceiling.
Recently, I had the great opportunity to sit down with Sarai of GirlBikeLove to talk about how I might be able to contribute to her goal of making GirlBikeLove a resource for women cyclists. GirlBikeLove does not have an exclusive focus on racers, commuters or mtb, although it has tons of great articles on those topics. It’s focus is on women in cycling and finding the best grub, trails, gear, emerging cycling stars, etc to help more women feel comfortable getting back onto their bikes or simply riding with more confidence.
Since that meeting, I’ve met other members of the GBL team and am so impressed with the range of experience and knowledge of those involved. From an event organizer to a bike builder to an expert on nutrition, Sarai seems to have gathered together a dynamic group of women. I’m really excited to be involved.
So, what does the image have to do with GirlBikeLove. Nothing, really. But this girl is waiting for the wind to die down so I can go for a ride.
Why can’t I be like everyone else? You would think a lovely, black, squishy gel flow saddle would be the perfect fit for someone who likes long rides, up hill. But for some reason, the sella Italia and I have never had a compatible relationship. But this post isn’t about criticizing a product that didn’t work for me because it certainly works for many other people.
It’s about the amazing experience of unpacking and installing a Brooks saddle. I actually didn’t purchase it, my hubby did. But I got to unpack it and what an unexpected delight; not only did it come with a beautiful saddle but with a tool to immediately install it and a newsletter that immersed me in the Brooks culture.
Brooks Saddle Unpacking
Look at the packaging and the great reads when I first received it I didn’t know whether to stay inside and read or take a few spins. Of course, I went for a couple of rides and aside from feeling a bit like I might slip from the saddle, I was so much more comfortable. Don’t know why hard leather would be more comfortable for me than cushioned luxury but I suspect it may have do with the fact that I was applying uneven pressure to my pedals and maybe this uneven pressure was throwing my leg extension off causing some discomfort.
Check out this great video on the making of Brooks Saddles
Momentum Magazine was on it, as was Copenhagenize, who wrote a great article on it and the PathLessTraveled, each sounding the alarm about GM’s tone-deaf ad trying to persuade an already in-debt audience (students) to get further into debt and out of shape by buying car to save face. Here’s the ad:
Outdated and I'm not talking about the bike
There’s been so many great responses to the ad and even Giant got into the act with a super ad in response that I don’t think I have anything to add. Well, maybe just one question. What do GM and (and now) Zipcar know about the emerging commuter culture that has them on the defense like this? Are they responding to a shift in the market or just trying to appeal to the next generation of car owners? If you believe in the product marketing maxim that if you get them early, you get them for life then maybe it’s the latter. But maybe, just maybe we are beginning to see a shift from perceiving commuters as outliers and recognizing the real health and financial benefits of cycling over driving. Perhaps the misconception of a sweat-drenched, hemp-wearing, Huffy-riding commuter on their way to work at a co-op is changing to be one of everyday folks: office workers, parents, kids, educators, students, etc using a cleaner, cheaper, healthier way to get around. I’m not suggesting that cars will be replaced by bikes anytime soon but it’s refreshing to see that an alternative way of getting around is being perceived as less alternative.
A couple weekends past, it was a beautiful Fall day with perfect temperatures, leaves slowly beginning to change and there was the sweet prospect of a ride up a quiet canyon road. In short, it was a perfect cycling moment, which makes this admission that much more difficult. Our goal for the ride was to cycle to Gold Hill, which is about an hours drive from Boulder. It’s a stunningly beautiful ride because the road bends and curves along a tree-lined street. Staring out it’s a gentle roll up Canyon Rd and even when you begin ascending up Four-Mile Canyon the grade is manageable. However, anytime there is a road labeled Suicide Rd. you know that you probably don’t have enough gears on your bike.
We started the day’s ride from our house, which is east of downtown. Boulder is awesome in that you can ride virtually from one end of town to the other strictly along bike paths, which we did. We took Boulder Creek Path which runs parallel all along Canyon Rd until you are forced to quickly (very) cross Canyon to catch up with Four Mile Canyon. (I say quickly because cars are moving pretty quickly up and down this road, so there’s no time to fiddle with your pedals.)
There was a fire up in Four Mile this year and you don’t fully comprehend the devastation until you come upon both the sensory and physical manifestations of a fire like that. There were points along the road where we smelled the charred trees and vegetation before seeing it.
You could smell the burned out trees before seeing them
I hadn’t realized how horrific the fire must have been and was saddened to see whole sections of trees along the road charred and blackened. But I was relieved to see many homes had survived and some were even rebuilding.
Despite the damage, it was still a beautiful ride. Well, it was until I was forced to do an inglorious dismount. As you can tell from the picture above the road turns to dirt and about 1/2 mile into the off-road my dreams of reaching Gold Hill and having a bevvie at Gold Hill Inn quickly turned to dust, as well. I just couldn’t turn the pedals. To be fair I hadn’t ridden much in the mountains this summer for a variety of reasons and I’m still sporting a double crank instead of the more age-appropriate triple or compact crank. But still. This was first time in a very long time I’ve had to stop and dismount. The only face saving relief from the ordeal was that I dismounted before I was unable to completely turn the pedals and unclick from them. It would have been quite humiliating to have hubby and his friend lift the bike off of me.
Why can’t I be like everyone else? You would think a lovely, black, squishy gel flow saddle would be the perfect fit for someone who likes long rides, up hill. But for some reason, the sella Italia and I have never had a compatible relationship. But this post isn’t about criticizing a product that didn’t work for me because it certainly works for many other people.
