1. When he rides his bike, the earth spins faster. Or slower, depending on which direction he’s going.
2. When he crashes, it can be measured on the Richter scale. Then he gets up.
3. He doesn’t attack the Peloton, he rides it into submission.
4. After finishing the Tour de France, he rode it again. Backwards.
5. He doesn’t ride up a mountain, he takes the express elevator to heaven.
6. It’s rumored he wins races he doesn’t even participate in.
7. When he says ‘Shut Up’, his legs listen.

Jens Voigt. The Most Interesting Cyclist In The World.

Jens Voigt (Image Courtesy of Velonation.com:Jered Gruber)

Just a short post to let you know that I appreciate everyone being patient with the site yesterday. You all know that I’m always tweaking the site, trying to make it better for what I want to do and for your experience here. One of the things I had used to tweak the look was using a plugin called Disqus. I liked it because it gave commentors multiple options to sign in. It was never perfect though so yesterday I thought I would give another, but similar, plugin called Intense Debate a try.

About an hour after turning the new plugin on, I got notice from my hosting provider that they had to suspend my site due to excess server load. Apparently, Intense Debate put a huge load on the server as it imported all my comments into their system. They shut me down in order to keep the server online. I made some changes my host recommended and tried again. It looked like everything was working OK. At about 6 PM last night I checked the site and it was down again and may have been down all afternoon (nobody told me it was down so I don’t know for sure). At that point I decided to just go back to the standard commenting system and drop both plugins. Since doing so I haven’t been shutdown again and the site looks to be loading faster (maybe my readers can confirm that). You won’t get the same amount of comment options as before but I think using the standard theme comment options looks cleaner. Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

The How To Start Cycling Ebook is 90% done. I have just a few things left to do and it’ll be ready for release. I had every intention of releasing it this week but am going to hold off one more week. That’ll give me time to make sure it’s polished and can make some changes to the site before releasing it. I’ll also be out of town this weekend which also influenced my decision to delay it. I didn’t want to launch it and not be able to do anything if there were problems over the weekend.

My riding is coming along nicely. I’m still just putting in base miles right now as I continue to get time in the saddle and get my fit dialed in. Victor over at Bicycle Lab has been doing wonders and this weekend we made some small changes. We moved my saddle forward 1cm, raised the saddle 1cm, and tilted the bars up about 5 degrees. It’s amazing what those small changes can do. My ride this morning was really good with my average speed up about 1.5 mph from what it was before we started making changes. Granted, 14.6 mph isn’t fast but I’m moving in the right direction.

Thumbnail Photoc: Leonard John Matthews

I’m preparing an article and would like you to vote in the poll below so I can get a feel for when my readers like to ride their bikes. I believe I’ve got the major time periods covered but there is a spot for you to write something in.

I’d love to get your comments on this topic as well. If you prefer to ride in the middle of the afternoon, or are constrained to riding at a particular time, please share it with us in the comments below.

PHOTOc: secretlondon123

Greetings faithful blog readers. You may have noticed that it’s been well over two months since my last post (except for the 2010 Tour de France Contests post). In other words, I’ve neglected my blog, my riding, my readers, and so on. I’ve been busy though.

The ‘E’ word…Excuses

Most of you knew that I was moving back to Florida at the end of May. That was only the start of the journey as the last two months have been a whirlwind of events. I’m not going to bore you with the details but some of the highlights include:

• Driving from Texas to Florida.
• Starting back at my old job.
• Moving into a new place.
• Getting re-acclimated with living with the family again. Living apart for 18 months tends to make it strange.
• Getting our oldest graduated from high school and the associated drama.
• Spending time with the family.
• Enjoying saltwater fishing again. You wouldn’t believe the fish story from this weekend. And we didn’t even land the fish!
• Two significant medical emergencies. One in my wife’s family and one in mine. Thankfully both family members are doing much better.

While a few of the excuses above are very good, a few are a stretch. But who wouldn’t be happy about kicking one of the kids out of the house? Just kidding. Seriously though, the past two months have been a whirlwind of activity and has really taken a toll on us. Some days it felt good just to be able to sit down. But I think we’ve turned a corner and I’m ready to start riding again.

Even though we’ve moved to a new place, I still have access to the good roads/routes I had from our old house. That’s a good thing. It also looks like I’ll be moving back to riding in the morning before traffic gets bad because in the evenings the traffic just doesn’t subside until really late. Our new location will also allow me multiple route options so I shouldn’t have any problems with routes getting ‘stale’ either.

The ‘C’ Word….Commuting (by bike)

I’m also seriously considering converting my hybrid into a commuter rig. I’ve even mapped out, and driven, a potential route to/from work. One-way is a very manageable 10.5 miles which would make it 21 miles for the daily round-trip. We’ve got shower facilities and secure bike storage here at work so those two large obstacles are taken care of. I have looked at some bike rack/pannier options as well since I’ll need those. I could probably make do with a backpack at first if I wanted to. I’m still early in the planning of this but I do believe it’s something I want to do. Back in my early Navy days I rode my bike to/from work for a period of time. It was only 8 miles round-trip but it felt great to do it.

Thanks for the Emails

Since I’ve been away several of you have sent emails asking how I was doing. I really appreciate those emails. I think it’s awesome how these blogs help us grow a good network of friends even though we may not live in the same city, state, or country.

Photo courtesy of tonyhall.

Well, after spending 15 months working in Dallas, Tx while my family was in Florida, I can now officially say that I’m going home.

This has been in the works for about three months but it wasn’t until today that I received an offer for employment that’s going to take me back to Florida and my family.

I’d like to thank all my readers who have lent their support and words of encouragement over these past 15 months. It meant a lot.

I’ll miss the cycling here in Dallas because I really enjoyed my time riding around White Rock Lake. It’s a jewel in this city and I don’t think enough people realize that. One thing I won’t miss is the hills. I know they’re an important part of cycling, and they helped in my training last year, but I can’t say that I’ll miss them that much. I’ll have to really turn up my flatland workouts in Florida in order to get even a portion of the training benefits that the hills provided me here. I’ll deal with it though.

Over the next two weeks I’ll continue to ride here in Dallas. I’m sure I’ll miss a few days in the saddle before I leave and upon my return to Florida but the training will continue in my old stomping grounds. In fact, look for a post from me next week where we’ll discuss the idea of a virtual cycling group to train for a century ride.

Again, thanks for everything.

Cliff, we’ll need to make plans to get your trainer back to you at some point before I leave. I really appreciate you letting me borrow it.

Now I really need to find a bike rack.

Image courtesy of taberandrew.

I’ve been searching for a bike rack on Craigslist for a while now. I know what I want (Saris Bones) but finding a used one at a good price can be difficult and the timing has to be right (they sell quickly).

Yesterday I found a Saris Guardian on there for $40. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I was OK with it. I emailed the person last night asking it it was still available. In order to make this as impartial as possible, below is the time line of emails quoted exactly.

Me:

“Hi,

Do you still have the bike rack for sale?

Thanks.

Bryan”

Notice how I open with a greeting, use a complete sentence, and use a closing with my name? I’m a firm believer that our correspondence is a direct reflection of ourselves. This includes emails.

Response:

“yes, the rack is still for sale.”

Me:

“That’s great news. I’d like to buy it. Just let me know when it’s a good time to pick it up and if you’d like to meet somewhere. I live in Dallas near the Plano Rd/635 exit. I work until 5 so it would have to be after six or so.

Thanks.

Bryan”

I’d like to point out here that I committed to buying the bike rack in this email with the words “I’d like to buy it.”

Response:

“There is a starbucks just south of george bush and west of 75 where I could meet you.

710 West Renner Road, Richardson, TX?

My number is XXX XXX XXXX (number removed for privacy)

How about 6:15?”

This is where I may have gotten into trouble. Because the guy setup a time/place to meet, and gave me his phone number, I took this as a commitment by him to meet and let me buy it. Obviously I was mistaken.

Me:

“Sounds like a plan. My number is XXX-XXX-XXXX (number removed for privacy).

Thanks.

Bryan”

I just confirmed the meeting place/time.

Response (7 hours later):

“change of plan, someone was able to meet me near my home earlier today. Thanks for your interest”

I was kinda floored as I thought he and I had a done deal. Then he goes and sells it to someone else?

Me:

“You sold it after I told you I would buy it?”

I admit I was lax in this email. I did capitalize the first letter of the sentence though.

Response:

“yes, it worked out better for me to do a closer quicker sale. sorry for your dissapointment.”

What he’s really saying is that it was more convenient for him.

Me:

“Am I disappointed? Sure, I would have liked the bike rack but what really bothers me is you committing to me and then selling it to someone else. I just want to leave you with one piece of advice, a man is only as good as his word.

Take care.

Bryan”

Response:

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but unlike ebay, there are no contractual obligations on CL. Please consider my email alerting you to the fact that I would not be showing up as a sign of decency. I don’t recall saying ” I promise to sell this to you on oath of death”. I don’t sell things on craigslist for other people’s convenience. I know that will make sense to you after you cool off a little bit.”

I read this last reply from him and just shook my head. To me, a sign of decency would have been following through on the commitment he made to me to meet. He doesn’t recall saying “I promise to sell this to you on oath of death” (oath of death is kinda overboard isn’t it?) but I wonder if he recalled setting up the time/place to meet after I committed to buying it?

There was no point in replying to his last email. I knew it was a lost cause and I would just be wasting my time. He wouldn’t understand. Or maybe I’ve lost the big picture here. Set me straight if any of you think I’m in the wrong here thinking that it was inappropriate for the guy to sell it to someone after committing to meet me and after I told him I would buy it.

I’m off to search for another bike rack.

Image courtesy of Mel B.

Today I spent a few hours cleaning up my new bike and have some pics to show you below. I was really blown away by how clean it came and, again, stunned by how good a shape it’s in.

I also had one of my Dallas readers, Cliff, loan me a trainer today so that I can start riding right away and be able to train when the weather is inclement. Thanks Cliff.

Click any pic to enlarge.

This evening I was able to look at and ride the Specialized Allez Elite I talked about yesterday. The guy was kind enough to bring it to me because I didn’t have a bike rack to bring it back home in the event I did buy it. He even cleaned it up some before bringing it over.

He was selling it because his girlfriend basically said he has too many bikes (four) and needed to get rid of one. I jokingly told him he should get used to those kinds of demands if he intends to marry the chick. He hadn’t even listed it on Craigslist yet but saw the ad I posted a couple of days ago describing what I was looking for in a bike.

You all saw the pics in my bicycle comparison chart post but let me fill you in on the components. It’s an Allez Elite Double with a 53/39 crankset and 9 speed 12-26 cogs. The front derailleur is Tiagra while the rear is 105. The shifters are Tiagra STI. It’s also got the Zertz inserts in the carbon fork and seatpost along with carbon seat stays.

Overall I was very impressed with the bike when I rode it. It’s a huge difference from my Cannondale. It was quick on the pickup and braking. Shifting was awesome. I admit it. I was in love.

So, once I get it totally cleaned up I’ll take some more pics of it to post.

Thanks to everyone who listened to me moan and bellyache over the last few months about not having a bike. No excuses now.

Most of you know I’m searching for a new bike. My price point is right in the neighborhood of $800 which doesn’t let me get to the 105 component level I want unless I can find me a good deal used (which I’m open to) or buy online (I’m skeptical of doing). I do know that I want at least a 9 speed rear cog set and would like STI. I’m open for compromises such as considering a triple chainwheel set instead of a double. After finally concluding that I won’t be challenging Lance or Levi in the Tour De France I’ve decided that I can probably forgo my 105 requirement. At most I’ll be doing the organized ride which would be more for distance riding rather than placing. The number one priority of my new bike is, as it always has been, to help me lose weight.

I decided to make myself a handy-dandy chart to help me along and to show you what I’m looking at (the real reason for the chart is because I’m an Excel geek that can’t help myself). I did get an email from a guy who has a 2007 Specialized Allez Elite Triple that sounds promising. He’s sending me pics tonight to look at.

Those bikes in the chart below labeled as ‘local’ are available at a Local Bike Shop while the ‘online’ bikes are available at Bikes Direct. There are advantages and disadvantages to buying at either place. I wish there was a Bikes Direct store here in Dallas that I could go look at some of their bikes. We have one back home in Florida but, alas, I’m not there right now. I didn’t include any bikes from Performance Bikes but those are options too. In fact, I’m thinking of hitting their store tonight just to see what they have since it’s been so long since I’ve been in there.

Bicycle Comparison Chart (click to enlarge)

Update:

I mentioned earlier about a guy with a 2007 Allez Elite. It’s actually a double not a triple. Pics of it are below. My initial thoughts are that it looks to have been ridden hard which isn’t necessarily bad. The cogs do look pretty grimy to me and the entire bike needs a cleaning. I’m not sure about the cranks. On the plus size, he wants $500 for it which seems like a great deal. I’d value my readers opinions.

I downsize the pics he sent me since they were around 2mb each.

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Ok, a quick update here since I’ve neglected this blog for so long (not much to write about since I couldn’t ride). Anyway, I’m now officially in the search for a bike. I know I’ve been searching before but now I’m ready to pull the trigger if I find what I want.

I won’t be able to get exactly what I want (105 components) brand new but I’m happy with a used bike if I can find a good deal. I could buy new in the Sora component range (to get at least a 9-speed cassette) but am open to used bikes if I can find the right one. I had myself fitted on Sunday to verify exactly what size I need (52cm) so I know to shoot for that.

For some ready, the picking on Craigs List here in Dallas seem to be really slim (I’ve been watching it for months) and a bike my size, with what I want, is rare. I actually posted an ad today stating exactly what I want to see if that generates any sellers for me.

We’ll see how it goes.