Category Archives: Uncategorized

More than hills, rain, rough road or anything else, wind can make a huge difference in what kind of ride you have.  If it’s at your back, you can enjoy high speeds with minimal effort.  When it’s in your face or at your side, it can make an ordinarily fun ride miserable, feeling like you’reContinue reading “Different riding styles to match conditions–Part 3, Wind”

If you live in the Pacific NW like me, a typical year contains 5 to 8 months where the weather consists of varying degrees of gross. It’s raining, sleeting, snowing, windy, foggy, wet ground, cold, dark, damp, or some combination of these. For some folks, this means either staying inside or switching to more wintry outdoorContinue reading “Different riding styles to match conditions–Part 2, Winter”

Dear Everyone, I will start by saying that I ‘ve thought about writing this letter for a long time, but have hesitated until now because I was so afraid that it would be taken as a “fat guy whining about his problem instead of getting off his butt and doing something.” I realize now that,Continue reading “An Open Letter to Family, Friends and Strangers, from an XL-sized Cyclist”

image courtesy of istockphoto.comOnce you have ridden a bicycle for a while, you may begin to notice that you avoid certain kinds of rides or routes because they are particularly difficult.  Alternatively, you may notice yourself adjusting your riding style in certain areas to make the ride a little easier.  You can do a lotContinue reading “Different riding styles to match conditions–Part 1, Uphill”

I was recently asked by a friend new to cycling to post some of the things that I do and take for granted, but that initially took me a while to figure out.  Enjoy! Hold the bike at a 45-degree angle when mounting & dismounting.  There is no law or rule (that I know of)Continue reading “Tips that Seem Simple, Once You Know Them”

Photo courtesy of nowtoronto.com Almost every single time, it happens.  I am engaged in conversation with folks, the fact that I am into cycling comes up, and it happens, “it” being one of three things.  (1) “You’re not one of those rude cyclists that thinks he owns the whole road, are you?”; (2) “There wasContinue reading “Cycling Etiquette”

Photo courtesy of the Robert Axle Project Disc brakes:  do ya need ’em?  No, you don’t.  Are they nice?  Oh yes, they are.  How nice?  It depends on the brakes, where you ride, and what kind of riding you do.  Here are the pros and cons to having decent disc brakes.  Pros–both the brake padContinue reading “More Fancy Stuff”

Short answer: No. There you go!!! However, if you’d like more details, as well as some exceptions to my short answer, read on. First I’m going to introduce yet more bike-jock (or is it bike-nerd? and is there a difference?) terminology: Quick Release (QR) versus Thru Axle (TA): Before the middle of the 20th century,Continue reading “Fancy Stuff–Worth the Dough?”

I actually haven’t cared much about what people thought of me based on the terminology I used, and this was never so true as when I started biking. I didn’t want to become one of those spandex-wearing, car-hating bike jocks, so it really wasn’t a priority for me to talk like them. With the benefitContinue reading “How to Talk Like a Not-Newbie”

So you know what your frame size is, what general type of bike you want, and how much you are willing to spend. Now you have some choices to make: where/how to buy the bike, what to look for in terms of frame material and components, and what your “hard line” criteria will be versusContinue reading “Finding a Bike, Part 2”