Watch For Fallen Rocks

Now this is not a sign you see everyday. Unless of course, the New River Trail makes up a part of your daily commute. I had the pleasure of riding this very trail this past weekend.

It turns out, this sign won't placed for mere amusement. For speckled here and there among the trail were small rocks that had rolled down the adjacent cliffs.They weren't anything to cause great alarm, but it wouldn't do the trueness of your wheels any good to ignore them. Then I happened upon this monstrosity.The disconcerting thing about this rock is that it wasn't there the day before. Had I the misfortune of being in this exact spot sometime between yesterday and today, when this mother decided to leave it's home on high. Well, I guess it would have been my time to move to my home on high. As I climbed on my bike and rode away, I couldn't help pondering just how tenuous life is.

This being largely a light hearted blog, I hate to end this post in such a deep and somewhat macabre way. On a lighter note - if the truth be known, there was a greater and more frequent danger that a bike rider on this "multi-use" trail must contend with.

Cargo Bikes Carry More Beer

Count it and weep (for joy).4 cases of beer = 96 cans of beer = 9 gallons of beer = 75 lbs of beer

...and, there's room for more!!!

"Cargo Bikes are my friend!"

There's No Such Thing as a Bad Bike Ride

"There's no such thing as a bad bike ride!" That's a quote I've been very fond of using when anyone asked me how my ride was. It was just my way of saying to folks that it doesn't matter if it's raining or shining, windy or still, freezing or scorching - if I'm on the bike, it is a good thing. It was my subtle way of suggesting that I'm made of tough stuff.

After my ride home yesterday afternoon, I have but two words for that flippant quote. It is one, great big, humongous, smelly pile of "BS".

After more than 20 years of serious bike riding, I finally experienced a bad, really bad, ride. I work for a large manufacturing company. As such, there are a lot of employees at the facility. At quitting time, the masses rush out the gates, jump in their cars and jostle for position. Typically, I avoid this fray by waiting at least a half hour before leaving work. Unfortunately yesterday, I had someplace I needed to be that necessitated my taking part in this maddening, rush hour dance. To make matters worse, a massive thunderstorm descended on the dance floor just as the music reached it's peak. I found myself slap dab in the middle of a Mosh Pit.

I will spare you the harrowing details of that ride. Suffice it to say, I was squeezed, cut off and almost run over more times in that 15 minute interval, than a person should endure in a lifetime. I arrived at my destination unharmed physically, but mentally and emotionally spent. My hands shook as I locked up my bike. I leaned against the light pole, breathed deeply and attempted to compose myself. If someone had approached me at that inopportune moment and asked my how was my ride, I would have stared at them in wide eyed wonderment and exclaimed, "IT F***ING SUCKS - I HATE IT!!!"

Cargo Bike - Part 3

With the idea conceived, the plan developed and the new components dutifully installed on my old Schwinn, there was but one hurdle standing between me and a new Cargo bike.

Cargo bikes carry stuff. How do I outfit the old Schwinn to carry stuff? This minor difficulty was easily surmounted, thanks to the kind folks at xtracycle.com. While they sell a complete longtail style bike, they also sell a conversion kit called a Free Radical designed to transform any bike into a longtail cargo bike. A few clicks of the mouse and like magic a giant box shows up at my front door.
I wasted no time installing the kit on my old Schwinn.Before I knew it, I was the proud owner of my very own Cargo Bike.I opened the fridge, took out a beer, took a long, satisfying sip. My harem was now complete. I have all the bikes I will ever need.

Earth Day - I Like to Ride My Bike

In celebration of Earth Day, I thought I'd link to this awesome video. It of course is not one of my making, but it captures perfectly my reason for riding a bike.