The Blog

April – 30 Days of Biking

By andy On March 30, 2012 In Event, From Andy, Fun Trails, Group Ride With No Comments Permanent Link to April – 30 Days of BikingPermalink

Thirty days of biking. To some, this sounds like a hellish commitment resulting in a very sore and chapped rump. To others, this equates to an absolutely perfect way to spend a month of life. The beauty of this event, started by Minneapolis residents Patrick Stephenson and Zachariah Schaap in 2010, is that its requirements are relatively minimal: bike somewhere every day for the thirty days of April. This could be biking to the corner market for groceries, or biking a Saturday century. Whatever the distance, this is simply an appeal to get on your bike every day in April.

Another beautiful aspect of this event is that for most cyclists who don’t ride through the winter, committing to Thirty Days of Biking is a great way to break out of the winter stiffness. Sometimes the hardest part of getting on your bike every day is not having some sort of commitment of accountability. This event provides just that. Over two thousand cyclists from around the world have already registered for this year’s event. Registration is free, and the online community (tweeting their experiences using #30DaysOfBiking) will be providing necessary inspiration.  Click here for more info.

So, consider this your invitation: get outside, enjoy nature awakening from its hibernation, and ride your cycle every day in April! You won’t regret it.

Paved – Great Cycling Magazine

By josh On March 21, 2012 In From Josh, Local Hero With No Comments Permanent Link to Paved – Great Cycling MagazinePermalink

I was on the way home from a tradeshow in Las Vegas and while looking for something to read I ran across Paved.  Paved is, well, the best cycling magazine I have come across ever.  Now, I will say that I am a fan of all bike magazines, I enjoy being updated on races, teams, and new gear.  I love looking at cool new bikes and finding out new workouts etc.

That said, Paved is awesome.  The thing that draws me to cycling is the culture behind it.  I think that is why I love the scene here in Minneapolis, it is full of riders from all walks of life and all cycling persuasions.  Paved does exactly that, its most recent edition looks at the life of an amateur cyclist, provides a photo journalist’s view of cycle races, and interviews a mover and shaker in the bicycle manufacturing scene.  The best part is that the focus is on the people.  The people behind, in,  and around the sport.

So, if you are at all interested in the sport and the hobby of cycling, and are looking for something to read, go out and get this dang magazine.  You can get a taste of the publication at their website.

I should note, the editor is from Minneapolis.

MPLS Print

By josh On March 11, 2012 In Art, From Josh With No Comments Permanent Link to MPLS PrintPermalink

As anyone that reads this blog on a semi-regular basis knows, I like print art and any art that is Minneapolis based.  Naturally, I enjoy this print by Lisa Babero.

You can buy this at etsy.com here.

On The Road Again

By josh On March 11, 2012 In Bike Ride, Bike Shop, From Josh With No Comments Permanent Link to On The Road AgainPermalink

As many people did yesterday I took advantage of the wonderful weather to climb out of hibernation and hop on my bike with my friend, and regular blog contributor Karl, to log some miles on our bikes. The weather was great, the company was good, but my chain tensioner was not and our 10mph average was a little embarrassing. That said, we got out and enjoyed the weather.

Now some heartier friends of mine will poke fun at me for not riding during the winter, specially this winter, but to them I say bah.  Bah! I say!  At least I got on the bike when I could.  And that is why I, and my friends that contribute, write this blog.  We want to share our experiences when we bike to encourage you to get out when you can.  Let it be clear, we are not hardcore cyclists.  And while we want to work on logging more miles and enjoy more rides we know that we can’t always get out and that people reading can’t always get out.

So as Spring approaches we want to encourage you to get out when you can.  Enjoy the weather, enjoy your surroundings, and if at all possible come to Minneapolis to enjoy everything it has to offer.

The Ride

Karl and I rode through the city and on the Cedar Lake Regional Trail.  We logged 20 miles and slopped through water and ice, it was awesome.  There were tons of cyclists out and since my bike was breaking every mile we got to chat with many riders that lent me tools for me to fix my bike.

Towards the end of our ride we stopped at One on One Bike Studio to get my bike fixed (Loctite rules!) and enjoy some macchiattos.

We had the chance to chat with Geno who, with his wife, owns the bike shop.  He, along with the rest of the staff, is a pleasant and interesting guy to chat with.  A stop at One on One is always a good time.

On our way out we met a couple who rolled in on a bicycle built for two.  I asked to take a photo of the bike and they were happy to oblige, they then told us that they are the second set of owners of this 68 Schiwnn.  It still has its original Penn bike shop sticker so Penn still honors the 15% discount for  the new owners.

The rest of the ride was great.  The sun was out as it had been and the wind was to our backs so we flew on our way to the end of the ride.  I am excited to get back on the road.

How I spent my winter…

By karl On February 23, 2012 In From Karl, MPLS With No Comments Permanent Link to How I spent my winter…Permalink

…drinking beer and gaining weight.

I, like the blog, have spent most of the winter hibernating – even though this winter has been quite pleasant.  For me it’s not the cold, it’s the sunlight.  When it’s dark and wet outside, I can’t manage to force myself to head out on my bike.  I do however, thoroughly enjoy watching what my favorite pro riders are doing during the off season.

Garmin released this gorgeous video of Christophe Le Mevel training during the winter.  It has a couple obligatory advertisements but it’s fun to watch. You’ll be able to see if his training has paid off in this year’s Paris-Nice race on March 4th.

I’m getting antsy for spring.  Getting out in the sun and on my bike.  I still love this place.

By the way… if you want to buy that print, you can do so here.

Enjoy It While You Can

By karl On October 31, 2011 In Uncategorized With No Comments Permanent Link to Enjoy It While You CanPermalink

At some point in time every kid shares the same fantasy:  The one where you’re  alone in an amusement park.  You can go on whatever ride you want, eating whatever you want.

Well, at least I always had that fantasy…

I would think about it as the park began closing for the night.  The crowd would empty out and I would scramble to get a couple more rides in.  I would finish a roller coaster and then turn right around and get on again.  There were no lines, or obstacles.  I was free to pick whatever I wanted to do.

Sometimes riding in October feels like that.

Part of the charm of biking in Minnneapolis is that you’re rarely alone.  This city loves cycling and no matter where you head, you’ll meet other cyclists.  But now the season is coming to a close and most people have hunkered down for the winter.

The parks are empty.  The paths are clear.  The amusement park is closing, and there’s little time left to enjoy it.

But for now, the rides are free and there’s no waiting.

Mr. Rogers Time – How Leather Saddles Are Made

By josh On October 27, 2011 In Bikes, From Josh With No Comments Permanent Link to Mr. Rogers Time – How Leather Saddles Are MadePermalink

So my favorite episodes of Mr. Rogers were the episodes where he would show how something was made.  I still remember the crayon factory.  Anyway, I ran into this two part video on Brooks leather saddles and thought is was cool (though, a bit corny).


Lost Bike

By josh On October 25, 2011 In From Josh, MPLS With 1 Comment Permanent Link to Lost BikePermalink

So a fellow rider, Derek, let me know that his bike was stolen.  While I don’t plan on listing stolen bikes regularly I thought I would post his and provide some resources for people that have either lost or found a bike.

Reporting a stolen bike in MPLS? Click Here
Reporting a stolen bike in St. Paul? Call 651-291-1111
List a lost or found bike on Craigslist. Click Here

The team at Bike Shepard, where you can list a stolen bike, had a good idea:

If you don’t already have one, sign up for an eBay account and create a saved search on the make and model of the bike (example: Cannondale, Six) which will provide you with automatic daily emails for any new bikes posted that match your make/model (Cannondale, Six). That way you can keep an eye on eBay. If you see your bike on eBay, report this to the police.

Below is the stolen bike, it is a Leaders frame which are fairly common so if you see someone on one don’t go jumping on them.  However, the all black setup the owner did is pretty custom so if you see something that looks a lot like this one maybe you should report something.

Oh, and if someone at a bike shop or manufacture by chance reads this blog and wants some good free press you could maybe hook Derek up.

Guest Post – Thomas Yang From Singapore

By josh On October 11, 2011 In Guest Post With No Comments Permanent Link to Guest Post – Thomas Yang From SingaporePermalink

So I just posted some art by Thomas Yang from Singapore.  I asked if he would be willing to do a guest post about the cycling culture in Singapore.  He was very kind to say yes and send a post and photos, thanks Thomas for contributing. I would have to say it sounds a lot like Minneapolis.  Here is what he had to say:

As you may know, Singapore is a very tiny island but we are known as a clean and green city.  It is also one of the most congested city in the world, so the big question is how do we get around the city with our bicycle?  Cycling is getting more popular down here for both road and off road cyclist so something had to be done.  We have a lot of parks so  the government is trying to link up all the parks together by laying cycling tracks from one end to another, you can see a map of it here.

As for mountain biking, we have trails in different parts of the island. The best know trails are Bukit Timah and Pulau Ubin trails where the tracks are more technical, here is a map of the trails (scroll down a bit).

There are a few well known cycling group in Singapore like Joy Riders, CYCLEWORX, and ANZA Cycling.

I do both road cycling and mountain biking. I started the group call DIRTY CREW a few years back where we do cycling every weekend. This group consist of advertising creatives, designers, photographers and other related professionals for the benefit of us getting fitter.

Bike Art – From Singapore

By josh On October 10, 2011 In Bike Art, From Josh With No Comments Permanent Link to Bike Art – From SingaporePermalink

Thomas Yang, a Creative Director in Singapore, contacted us wanting to let us know about an art project of his.  His project is called 100 Copies (www.100copies.net) and the art that he is creating is available for purchase here, 100 Copies.

Here is what he had to say about his project:

As an avid cyclist, I have combined two of my passions – bicycles and art – into a series of posters and T-shirts call 100copies. All of the products you see here are original designs created by me and are limited to, as the name suggests, 100 copies. Each piece of work will be watermarked, labeled with the title and edition number. As such, no two copies are ever completely identical.

I think what I like most about these posters is how full of color they are.  Many of the posters that I see, and enjoy, are often white paper with some color on them. Yang’s posters are super saturated with color which is a cool change.  As I have said many times before, poster art is great, but it is hand crafted; like Yang’s is limited; and adds some great color to your space.

 

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