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Momentum Mag: Rockin' the Bike
May 06, 2013 - The new issue of Mo Mag is supposedly their Buyer's Guide but it's also jampacked with Bike Culture and reports on Safe Streets politics. It's awesome.
They have a fairly long profile of Mark Gorton, a multi-talented biz whiz who's behind a lot of NYC's recent safe streets projects. It's inspiring. Lots of good quotes that seemed ...
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CX Your Roadbike for Better Summer Fun!
April 29, 2013 - I just had fun doing a little underbiking in the true CX style. What's that, you ask? Well, nowadays a lot of CX bikes are just that CX bikes. But back in the day, CX is what roadies did in the winter. On their road bikes. You know what that did for them? Well, they had winter fun but they also got to know their road bikes a LOT be...
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Cyclocross Mag #20: Worlds + Gravel
April 25, 2013 - Just got the new issue of CX Mag. It has a lot of background on the Worlds. It's neat how they don't try to cover the event 'as it happened' -- that's what their website does. Instead, they go deep.
And they include a cute pic that includes Ol' Antler Helmet! : )
More at http://www.cxmagazine.com -- a sub is only $20, so c'mo...
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S24O Rose Lake: My First S24O!
April 23, 2013 - I've been hankering to do a Sub 24 Hour Overnight bikecamping trip for years now. It's been hilariously frustrating trying to find an evening that's free and with nice weather -- and we aren't even busy people.
The Midwest is complicated in a way for this kind of camping, since the best seasons for it are spring and fall -- ske...
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Nudging CX to the Next Level: Nearly There!
April 22, 2013 - I think the CX scene is *almost* there in terms of rebuilding a new core in US sport cycling. Only a few more pieces in the puzzle are needed. I'm no expert -- it's just a hunch.
To show you how close CX is, right now it has the sport, and the mayhem, and the silliness that's needed (new issue #20 of CX Mag has a good silliness ...
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Cyclocross Magazine: Gilly the Superfan, Issue #19
April 13, 2013 - I just got Issue #19 of Cyclocross magazine. And there I find yet another reason why I'm digging CX so much. The darn thing just blew me away yet again. Usually it's the events themselves that blow me away but this time it's the mag! Very cool!
There's a big article about this superfan, Gilly. He dresses in a Ghillie suit and h...
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Barry-Roubaix 2013: WOW! We Survived!
March 24, 2013 - Wow, what a day! I did the 36-mile Barry-Roubaix and had a dandy time.
Here's my report...
So, I didn't go too hard and kept my wits and could smile and chat. And I didn't crash on all the ice and I found folks to draft on the road. I really enjoyed the chances for fun bike handling. I was cool and didn't scare anyone but I g...
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Barry-Roubaix: Craziness on the Way!
March 13, 2013 - Barry-Roubaix is coming! Are you getting ready? I've gone out a couple times now. Whenever we get our melts I try to grab a bit of pedal time.
I'm still just awed by the turnout. Where do they come from?
...3,000 entries for likely nasty weather and conditions on a brutal course for which few will be prepared. We only have a...
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Barry-Roubaix: Biggest Bike Boom Yet?
February 20, 2013 - Barry-Roubaix is becoming crazy big even by bike-crazy standards. What's going on? In 4 yrs it's up to 3000 RIDERS???!!!
And it's a HARD dirt ride. It'll break yer legs off. Where do these people come from?
As far as I know the promotion is a one-man show, to boot! -- Ol' Rick Plite! Go, Rick!
It's not quite as big as...
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Team OYB at Louisville World Cyclocross Champs!
February 06, 2013 - Well, my brother Tim, friend Robert and I went and watched the Cyclocross World Championships last weekend, down in Louisville. It was the first time they'd come to the US!
We stayed with friends of ours in their cheery, art-filled house in a picturesque old neighborhood in the hills -- and where we had bigtime breakfasts!
...
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Project Reports: Roadbike works for CX! ...Tufo repair success!
February 06, 2013 - ROADBIKE CX:
So last week it was finally time to test my new CX conversion bike project! Actually, it had been raining for a day or so, so it wasn't THAT great of timing, but whatever.
Late last fall I happily realized that my old 28mm sewup CX tires will fit the clearances of my '00 Giant TCR Aluxx gofast frame! I ...
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1st Mackinac Island Bike Culture story in US Bike Media! ...courtesy OYB!
February 01, 2013 - I just got 2 stories in the new issue of "Bicycle Times"!
The main news item would be that one of the stories is the first profile of Mackinac Island bike culture in a US bike mag!
Man, it's satisfying to paying my props to my roots! It's been a long time coming. But I've tried quite a bit over the years. And I've posted...
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Vintage Extreme Cyclocross
January 14, 2013 - The CX Worlds are coming to Louisville!
For inspiration here's how they did it back in the day...
More at: http://www.blackbirdsf.org/cx/2007_01.html
I'd like to see more of this in today's courses. Keep it in a park but get it nastier than usual. Make it crazy but then ... still possible to do with some flow ... hmm, mi...
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New "Rene Herse"
January 12, 2013 - Jan Heine just released his new bike book, which was a huge labor of love. It's the complete story of Rene Herse, the premier French bike maker and designer, the father of the light cyclotouring scene and concept. It's 400+ pages and full of bikes and historic cycling pics dedicting the Herse era and legend, both socially and tec...
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CX Races: Party Time!
December 14, 2012 - Whenever there's a guy in a sombrero at your race, watch out!
I did the Detroit Invitational a couple weeks ago at the old Dorais velodrome and had a blast. ("DICX" for short.)
...But they had a Tequila Shortcut. Ouch.
This CX stuff has the right idea for fun, popular outdoor action. The unpredictable variety of the sp...
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"No Sport for Young Men": Old Bike Works Fine at CX Race
November 19, 2012 - Well, I did a CX race yesterday on my new old bike, a 36-yr-old Nishiki Comp.
I wore the green'n'white iBOB jersey for the first time in an event! (Subhead: "Leather, wool, steel." With OYB sewn on the back.)
(Wool jersies, esp SS, don't have a great slot in my seasonality line-up. But once it gets cold I'm all wool tee's,...
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CX < > XC !
October 28, 2012 - I've been getting into the Cyclocross riding lately and recently realized how much it's like XC skiing. --Both give me a similar smooth-flow grin.
For instance, CX is livelier and more nimble, lighter, than mt-biking -- at least with MY heavy old rigid mt-bike.
I love how I just float along the trails and around the corner...
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Arc of the Parks: Great Triangle ... a Success!
October 22, 2012 - Whew, I made it! 200 miles in 2 days.
I'd long been planning the Arc of the Parks Bike Tour. It's been a concept I wanted to try out: 100 miles along a unique geologic feature of SE MI that crosses 8 major parks.
In these days when Detroit gets both a bad rap and a rep for renewal it's nice to consider that long ago they ...
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Epic Mt-Bike Weekend on the North Country Trail
October 21, 2012 - A couple weeks ago a posse of pals headed north for a weekend of trail action. The weather was totally sketchy. I keep forgetting just how dicey our autumn weather is. Really, one just shouldn't try to plan things in the fall. Ya just gotta Grab'n'Go. If it's pretty out, hit it! Tomorrow it's gonna be cold, dark, rainy and windy....
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Arc of Parks Tour is *ON*! 10/13 & 14!
October 10, 2012 - I've been remiss in updating, in case anyone is interested. (I've been running the show from FB which some aren't on.)
So the Arc IS ON. It's Oct 13 and 14 with an overnight near mid-point.
50 miles a day. Going thru 8 major parks. 4000 ft total elevation gain. Lots of dirt roads, I think.
We'll save the Gran Fondo fo...
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Arc of Parks Tour is *ON* for Oct 14!
September 27, 2012 - Epic all-day bike tour of 90 miles is set for Oct 14.
Going thru 8 major parks in SE MI. Partially dirt.
Never heard of anyone else doing this route.
Selfpaced selfsupported shuttled.
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Group Biking Skills: Gotta Learn 'Em to Be a Roadie
September 27, 2012 - I just read the following article as reposted on the Beatthetrain.org forum. (Here's the original link. Check out the comments: 350+! http://carolinacyclingnews.com/2011/09/01/lost-art-of-the-group-ride/#comments)
(They're a Detroit bike club that puts on an intense regular urban ride plus the Mad Anthony Cyclocross race at ...
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RIP, Sweet Trek 614 of 30 Years...
September 25, 2012 - After 30 years of loyal service, my sweet old Trek 614 met its glorious finale at the Swamp Thing cyclocross race last Sunday.
(Play "Taps"...)
Some have hinted that putting a touring bike to cyclocross duty was foul mistreatment. I deny it! Cyclocross has long been a fun break from the routine for touring and racing bike...
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Caution on the 'Cross! USAC vs. Fun League
September 25, 2012 - Just a little tip: the Eurostyle national-points cyclocross leagues that have jacketed officials do things at a full notch more intense of a level than the fun leagues like Kisscross ("racing for beer").
So if you race B's in Kisscross, that means C's in the USAC.
I thought that maybe B's were B's but when I saw "Cat 2/3"...
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What's Fun about Cyclocross?
September 25, 2012 - It's bouncy but old farts can excel at it.
Trickiness with equipment can even take some of the bounce out -- via sewups and maybe a cushy frame.
It's SKILL oriented. There's a knack to it, technique. All the time. You need a feel for the corners. You need to know how to ride corners. Once you figure that out you get the t...
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Pics from Swamp Thing CX Cyclocross
September 25, 2012 - Here are a few pics from the first Swamp Thing race in Lansing, Sept. 23. Hosted by Stomach of Anger bike fashion.
https://picasaweb.google.com/104110048140101006653/SwampThingCXSept232012
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SwampThingCX: Cyclocross in Lansing! --Sept. 23 (this Sunday!)
September 19, 2012 - More cowbell! It's fun to do and fun to watch. See the racers go round and round in the mud and get off their bikes and clear the hurdles then get back on. Watch them pace themselves then set up for the pass. Who can take the smoother line thru the tricky off-camber corners?
Located at the old golf course just south of Frand...
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Trail Riding Time of Year, Ahoy!
September 05, 2012 - The bugs are down. The heat is off. The weeds are dying. It's time to hit the trails!
It's also CYCLOCROSS season! Now this is truly a fun way to play on bikes. If I can just remember not to go out too hard. What's neat is when the courses are set up to be really tricky and short with lots of obstacles. What this does is giv...
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More Bikes of Mackinac
September 05, 2012 - We visited Mackinac Island this summer. I'm a big fan of the bike culture there. No cars allowed. I worked there once and then lived in Breckenridge, CO, with a posse of Islanders. Some good old time pals live there or worked there. Anyway, the dock porters who haul luggage to and from the ferry docks haul the heaviest loads of...
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"Just Ride": Fave Tip in New Book by Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bikes
September 05, 2012 - "Just Ride" is a dandy new bike book showing that there's are whole other ways of skinning the bike cat. ...Than the Racer-Wannabe cat, specifically. It's about the casual fun biking cat.
One of my fave tips in this tip-packed book is about finding the right seat height. He suggests starting definitely way too high then lowe...
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Video of the UNBike Trip: Takin' It Easy, NOT Riding Hard
August 23, 2012 - Layne Cameron, Nick Werner, and Kyle Johnson created their own bike tour in Northern Michigan. It's called UNBike Trip, short for Up North Bike Trip. But it's also UN-like many of the other bike trips they've ever organized. Instead of gobbling up miles, they stopped early and often at wineries, breweries, beaches, coffee shops, a...
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Next Big Race Innovation: TEAM Self-Supported Racing!
August 01, 2012 - It's a-comin'!
Solo self-supported racing seems a bit sketchy to me, especially in wilderness areas, but also when dealing with heavy paved road traffic.
Two or more would seem naturally safer, faster, lighter, funner.
...The buddy system!
I see a big future for teams in both Tour Divide and a self-sup RAAM, that is, ...
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Messy vs. Tidy Bike Tourers
July 15, 2012 - Messy bike tourers give touring a bad name. A bad looking name, that is. A bad fashion name, perhaps?
It's like if every convertible you ever saw parked was full of trash and junk. You might start thinking that this cool type of vehicle was actually kinda dorky.
Bike touring is probably a bit foreign or exotic to most people....
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Team OYB Visits the Bike Museum of America
July 15, 2012 - I thought I posted this link here last spring along with my other Ohio Roadtrip links.
Well, better late than never!
Here are some pics from our tour of this wonderful Museum.
There are details of the visit in my main Ohio Roadtrip report.
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Team OYB at Detroit Critical Mass & Vintage Bike Fest!
July 04, 2012 - Last Saturday was the annual Americane' Vintage Track & Road Bike Festival at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, near Detroit, MI.
The evening before was the Detroit Critical Mass.
I was lucky enough to attend both for the first time!
The Vintage Fest was combined with the state track TT champs which started near the end of th...
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A Day at the Races: Lansing's First Crit in Years!
June 24, 2012 - Lansing had its 1st bike race in many years, at the once-glorious campus of the School for the Blind near Old Town.
It was the first race put on by CFT Racing, the area's first team to be formed in a long time (just this year) -- and the racing itself was handled totally pro -- so kudos to the new gang! There were at least a hund...
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Tour Divide: Blue Dot Fever!
June 21, 2012 - I got the Fever! ...Two guys are dukin' it out at the front of Tour Divide. Smashin' the record. Only a couple days to go! How will it end? Makes it hard to do anything but rote work, like shipping orders. (3 women are smashing the women's record!)
An interesting thing is that one of the leaders is riding a Rohloff with Belt. ......
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Tour Divide Starts Tomorrow!
June 07, 2012 - Get ready to follow a truly captivating sports experience.
This year it's even more barebones than ever, as it seems like the officials and their website haven't been active since last year.
The racers are ready to roll anyway! This race is personal. It doesn't need any structure at all.
So, most riders have rented SPOTS a...
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The Media Roots of the Tour Divide...
June 07, 2012 - [BUMP FROM 6/22/11]
A dose of backgrounding is always a helpful supplement to the "live" reports of any race. You get a lot more out of the info when you have some "set & setting."
Racers and spectators both go through challenges in a race like the TD. Yes, racers aren't the only ones provoked, inspired ... changed ... by a r...
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Get Fitter: Ride a Heavier Bike
May 31, 2012 - People usually think that a lighter bike is better if you're after fitness and fun. But, really, that's not the case. If you're after fitness, heavier is always better: in any group of riders going a particular pace the one riding the heaviest bike is the fittest. If you're after fun the bike simply needs to work well and fit you. (A...
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If You Do Sport: a Gap Calculator
May 28, 2012 - If you do racesport, like bike racing, it seems like a gap calculator is a handy thing. I think it would be possible to develop your own simplified method to get useful info. You have to be able to do it while in oxygen debt. Or have a coach or trailside helper who can do it.
The idea is that if you're behind someone by a certain ...
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Lansing Tweed Ride & Croquet, 2012
May 17, 2012 - Last Friday was this Spring's Tweed Ride and Croquet at the Capitol.
A bunch of us had a dandy time.
I'm always amazed at how good we all look. "Tweed" only means no lycra, jeans, tee's, or plastic bikes. Vintage road and citybikes preferred -- bikes of a classic design, anyway.
It's amazing how bad bike-specific stuff loo...
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RadNord and Roger Succeed with Big Push
May 12, 2012 - This pic and telegraph just in from Radnord: "3 days, just shy of 140 miles. All but about 23 on actual [...] trail. 7 hrs 1st day, 12 hrs 2nd, 10 hrs 3rd. Huge, relentlezs hllls.. Very cool."
Dang! Self-supported downstaters doing a HUGE upnorth push! ...Camping out on the trailbikes, doing big days in the big hills. Congrats!
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Commuting: a Funny, Thoughtful, Macro/Micro Book on It
May 05, 2012 - It's not just about the bike.
In the Bike Snob's second book he does better than in his debut book, I think, because here he really knows what he's talking about.
I'm a ways into it and I've also hopped around in it quite a bit. Offhand it seems far better than his first. He knows commuting and that's what he's covering here, w...
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New Rick Plite event: "Trifecta" -- 42-mile Tour Fundraiser
April 24, 2012 - Rick promotes all sorts of neat bike events, the kind that include microbrew sponsors and have a mellow style.
Here's his latest: the Trifecta. It's a 42-mile tour of 3 SW MI trail systems, covering mixed terrain -- trails, 2-track and dirt roads.
May 20, 2012.
It's $35 to register -- all proceeds go to the "50 in 5" plan...
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Gravel Grinders A-comin'!
March 02, 2012 - Two dirt road bike races are coming up in West Michigan in March!
The infamous Barry Roubaix held around Yankee Springs on 3/24 is already full, with 1500 entries, but you should still keep tabs on it if you're not entered. Maybe go spectate. There's a big microkeg party afterward. http://barry-roubaix.com
The next Saturday a...
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Thrifty Rackless Bike Luggage from Military Surplus!
January 09, 2012 - So didja know that a dozen different new and old-style military bags make great bike bags?
Here's a big report on what I've discovered along these lines... (If you know a magazine that would like to publish it, lemme know! I've tried a bunch. No bites. Seems like a cool, original topic to me, though. You know, none else like ...
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We Like Nite Bike Ride
December 12, 2011 - [UPDATE from 11/24/11. I finally made a picture of a memorable scene I saw when I looked back down the trail during our night ride. Nobody had a camera, so I had to make an oldschool to provide some art.]
We've been having a local neighborhood Tuesday Nite mtbike trail ride this fall. But last night I wandered an hour away a...
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OYB Customer: Uses OYB Pannier Creatively on a Nice Bike
December 08, 2011 - Here are a few pics of nifty ways to mount the OYB Classy Retro Pannier, courtesy of customer Paul Carlberg of Grand Rapids, MI.
If you want to do this with a pannier, let me know when you order and I'll install the clips appropriately. Or, you can request strap-slots instead which come with 3 leather straps for a more common...
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Motorized Bicycles: a Big Scene!
October 05, 2011 - I've long thought that more could be done with bikes and little motors than the standard scooters and mopeds I've seen around. Actually, I haven't seen many mopeds. ...Saw one at a museum the other day -- a neat black 1960's-type item with the motor over the front wheel. I remember those! Seemed like a great idea. Our neighbor ha...
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Original RAAM Racers Reunite for Big Race! 10/7
October 03, 2011 - The four founding fathers of ultra cycling are getting together for yet another big race! It'll be their first together in a long time, I bet.
Lon Haldeman, John Howard, Michael Shermer, and John Marino did the first race across America in 1982. And these dudes have been active cyclists ever since.
Chris Kostman set up th...
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Mtbike Session Tasting
September 27, 2011 - Here's a highlight of a recent mtbike outing. Captures it just right! It was a bit like skiing wild trees in powder, somehow. There's really not a trail there. It's not all about hardpack. Afterward, we had BBQ and guitars. Lucky us! A multidimensional outing is tops, I think. Although there's also a place for purity and focus.
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Bike Thrill! ...Brewers on Tour!
September 10, 2011 - I just had my bike thrill of the summer! We were driving to visit the inlaws in Battle Creek -- from one desert of bike culture to another -- when we came around a bend and I saw a posse of bikes ahead. As I got nearer I became confused. My first thought was "Non-English speaking."
The inputs were frying my circuitry: *they...
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DALMAC! --Best cheap vacation!
August 22, 2011 - So it's a bad economy and nobody has money, they say. (Except the 1%-ers.) Here's a getaway that's light on the wallet. 5 days with food/tent-space for $240. (4-day and other routes, too.) Aug 31 - Sept 4. You can still sign up, it looks like! If you've been riding and are in shape, hey, check it out!
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Arc of the Parks Bike Tour?
August 17, 2011 - [bump from May] What about a "Arc of Parks Tour" big day for SE Michigan? There's a string of parks that runs 70 miles from Chelsea to Holly. I haven't been to even half of them, but I'd like to visit them all. Why not do it in a day? (Or an overnighter.)
UPDATE: Maybe this would be a great autumn tour idea?
It looks like th...
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50 Velomobiles Touring the USA
August 12, 2011 - 50 velomobiles are presently on tour across the USA. Many are from Europe. They're in the Midwest right now. See their route map on their website and go check 'em out if you're in the area!
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Forget "Up North," Here's "Pure Michigan"...
July 21, 2011 - by Rick Oberle (longtime Michigan roadie)
If anybody is looking for a great ride in southern Michigan, this is it: Van Buren County!
I was there for the 20th Michigander bike tour but wanted to ride more than the 25 or so miles routed, so I pointed my front wheel to points unknown and followed it. It was a fantasti...
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Tandem Liberation!
July 18, 2011 - Nowadays it seems that nearly all tandems are ridden with a guy in front and a gal in back. This seems silly.
I see photos in Jan Heine's "Bicycle Quarterly" magazine showing 2 guys on a tandem about half the time. This seems very sensible.
In tandem canoeing or tandem kayaking, anyone fits anywhere.
It seems to me that it ...
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A Dirt Road Self-Supported RAAM
July 18, 2011 - I've posted about this several times before, but it sticks with me.
I see big bike events best done as self-supported. And little ones, too!
Major events are showing how reasonable this is. Well, they're major in the culture, anyway, if not in dollars. Like the Tour Divide. Or like the new breed of Gravel Grinders, some of w...
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Cool TdF Column from OYBer Kurt...
July 07, 2011 - Wondering why to follow the Tour de France? Here's a nifty column with 7 Reasons Why up on an San Francisco website, as written by longtime OYBer Kurt Martin.
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Our Eyes 'n' Ears of the Tour de France
July 04, 2011 - If you want a great way to follow the Tour this year, check out George's blog.
He's in his late 60's and has been riding along with each day's Tour stage for many years now. He camps along the way, self-supported. Every day he gets up and rides the whole stage before the racers come through. He gives great insights into the condi...
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Revive Your Ride! -- Making an Old MtBike New Again
June 13, 2011 - My old MB1 was becoming nasty to ride. It was harsh. I was starting to consider getting a new (old) bike.
Thankfully, I gave it another shot.
I studied up a bit on tires and realized that maybe my old-school tires were messing me up. So I bought a pair of new-type small-knob tires -- Specialized Fast Track's. The idea is that ...
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Hilarious Story about a Non-Doping Tour de France (Oh, that Onion...)
May 24, 2011 - [Timely bump from 2007...] Onion did a spin on what might happen if the Tour had a new division for clean riders. A new blue jersey, *maillot propre*, would go to the best clean rider... and there'd be a whole contingent going for the *lanterne naturelle*. What's it like to race the Tour clean, with no drugs, doping, EPO, etc.? Find ...
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Waterloo Ramble this Saturday! May 14
May 12, 2011 - Well, I'm going to do the Ramble this Saturday! I suppose I'll start at the McClure Rd. parking lot at 10am. Martha might come along. We'll be starting from Ann Arbor (we're going there Fri nite). We'll do some kind of lush dirt road ride with a snack stop for a couple hours then we'll do an hour hike (nosing around for morels) then ...
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Sic Transit: Vintage Bike Shop in Ann Arbor, MI
April 10, 2011 - Visited a cool bike shop in Ann Arbor: Sic Transit. They sell, restore and repair cool vintage bikes. Lotsa gems from the 80's there! Good service in every sense of the word.
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Barry-Roubaix 2011: My First (a Dirt Road Race Report)
March 27, 2011 - So I did a bike race. Haven't done oneathose in forever. 6 years? Whups, I did my first cyclocross race over a year ago and that hurt, too, so it counts. My base was XC ski touring. This was a test of how well skiing works for biking. Then, too, I have my ancient brain-dead muscle memory of racing every which way.
It was the Bar...
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Barry Roubaix! -- Coming soon! -- Sat., March 26
March 16, 2011 - The first big road event of the season is coming right up!
And it has the bold-yet-fun style of all Rick Plite's promotions (see KissCross and the Lumberjack 100). "Racing for Beer" fully crosses over from KissCross, I'm thinking. Especially since Founder's brewery is the title sponsor and afterparty host.
C'mon, nobody is in...
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MMBA Annual Expo this Sun, 1/30
January 26, 2011 - Annual Mich. Mt-bike Assoc. Expo with lots of exhibitors and presentations. At the MSU Pavilion. FREE admission. At a glance it looks like the IMBA boss will be speaking. This Sunday. 9-5pm. OYB will have a table! : ) I'll be pushing the gospel of singletrack skiing as ideal winter fun for mtbikers.
http://www.mmba.org
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Michigan Mountain Mayhem: June 11
January 04, 2011 - 10,000 feet of climbing in northern Michigan.
200km.
Can you handle it?
Limited registration opens Jan. 22.
$45.
Chip timed.
Now, there are several other routes to choose---all shorter. But all hilly! You can adjust on the fly.
There's a 50K teaser, a 100K metric century, a 160K (100 mile century).
So Mic...
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"Lovely Bike": A Gal's Thoughts on Citybikes
November 18, 2010 - The ladies' point of view of cycling doesn't get much coverage. I don't mean the burgeoning "hip chicks on bikes" snapshot blogs -- fine as they are. I mean the thought, experience, testing and druthers of a gal. I really like finding that. So here's a gal who shares citybike ideas and experience. Lots of rigorous bike and produ...
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This Year's Halloween...
November 02, 2010 - OK, my birthday is along about Halloween.
I'm happy about that.
I claim all the colors of October.
I claim all parties that I attend.
I try to get to 3 good costume parties each year.
Apple and pumpkin are my pies.
But I also claim all local cider...and any donuts offered on their premises.
I try to get ou...
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Vintage Cyclocross Action!
October 28, 2010 - It's the CX time of year! That is, cyclocross.
It's like mtbiking only with mounting/dismounting and some running and jumping. It's usually done on a light'n'flimsy road bike with plumper tires. But many around here use mtbikes just fine. I suppose there's rules against fat tires some places, but not in the Kisscross series ra...
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Silver Bells in the City: Bikes on Parade in Lansing!
October 19, 2010 - I love the idea of bikes in parades. Around here it's tractors and hot-rods that get the attention. My hunch is it would really help bikers improve community relations -- everyone in the small towns comes out for our parades -- and if you're in the parade, you're cool, you're solid, you're in. And, of course, it's fun for riders,...
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Helzerfest! -- Groovy Group Mtbike Ride & Party
October 07, 2010 - What: Helzerfest! Group mtbike ride on dirt road, trails, portions of the Poto near Chelsea, MI. Groovy pace, no race. Afterward: BBQ, bonfire, music/guitars, cider, donuts... So, if you're a rider or musician or just a local nut, come! Feel free to bring a dish to pass. Non-riders can show up at 6 -- skip the ride, get the food ...
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Thunderdrome! -- Bike Party in Detroit
October 06, 2010 - On Oct. 16 the destroyed old Dorais Velodrome in Detroit will come BACK FROM THE DEAD!
Local dudes are fixing up the abandoned bike race track and hosting a crazed race party for ALL kinds of bikes and interesting vehicles.
Costumes allowed, I think.
There are classes for mtbike, road, track ... moped... motorscooter.
...
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Livin' the Life...
September 24, 2010 - Near the end of a get-together last night a friend said, "This is what I always imagined it would be like. We're living the dream."
But anyone can do it, right?
The thing is you gotta take a stand for what your dream is.
I've posted about the situation before. In this particular case, there was a famous old weekly mtbi...
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DIY Tubeless? --a New Way to do Mtbike Tires
September 16, 2010 - Tubeless bike tires with anti-flat self-sealing sealants -- it seems to be the way to go, especially in the big-tire mtbike and commuter scenes.
Now, it does maybe weigh a bit more than going tubed, so road-racers aren't doing it. But everyone else is, so it seems.
A huge bonus in all this is that you can run LOWER PRESSU...
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DALMAC Starts Today!
September 01, 2010 - DALMAC starts today. OK, so I should've posted about it in February when the sign-up happens, but, whatever, here's props to the coolest bike event in Michigan!
It's a decades-old multi-day tour that starts from Lansing and ends in Mackinaw City. It's affordable and it's been around forever. I wish I coulda been there. (I've...
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Bicycle Times #7: Worksman "USA Made" Industrial Bikes Interview
August 31, 2010 - The #7 issue of BT just arrived. Cover stories are: the making of a commuter bike and an interview with America's oldest bike company, Worksman.
This here's a mag about everyday biking. Indeed, the cover features a lively young lady in t-shirt and jeans on a low-budget utility bike (with a rear rack and downtube shifters, no l...
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My Heroes of the Tour Divide
August 06, 2010 - My heroes of the TD are...
Deana Adams
and
Blaine Nester
Why?
Sure, there are lots of stand-outs in this race. But those two stick with me.
Deana did it in 2009 with a homebuilt road bike conversion fixie with 'cross tires and a big gear and slapdash equipment. She was 20 years old. And a vegan. Come on! ...She ...
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