April Snow brings NO PANTS!

It's a beautiful weekend in Saskatoon... last weekend..? Whole different story!


Yeah, you read that right WINTER STORM WARNING!?

Undeterred, I refused to were pants...


I did however break out the wooly knickers!

Need New Bar Tape!

I'm finally having to admit that the useful service life of my bar tape is coming to an end.


It was in an even more appalling looking state earlier in the week - tape on the tops pushed aside, exposed handlebar... I tried re-wrapping, and it doesn't look quite so bad... but it's totally shredded in places and only held together by a wad of electricians tape. I am going to need to replace it soon.

So what to replace it with...?

I've really loved those stripes and I seem to recall looking through some catalogues last year and thinking it's no longer available... but according to the the Cinelli website it still is...? So I guess that IS possibly an option. Have to hassle the local bike shops and see if anyone can get it. If not, maybe some solid colour - NOT BLACK (boring!) and not white (DIRTY! and boring).

Last year when I had to replace the tape on my fixey I tried some Soma Thick and Zesty bar tape...


It's alright I guess... Generally speaking I hate mottled bar tape - but Soma's made a couple that look like camouflage and actually look kind of cool. Took some getting used to. I think I prefer plain old cork though... (the thick and zesty tape is some sort of "special formulation of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate)resin").

I've always wondered about Brooks Leather Bar Tape...? I wonder how it holds up to rain...? It must - the first time Iever read about it was in a book or article about touring and the author claimed that leather bar tape was a must for touring cyclists - and, obviously, touring cyclists are exposed to nasty weather conditions...

Hmmmmm... something to think about...

That First Road Ride of the Year

I love the first skinny-tire-on-clear-road ride of the year. Up until that point it’s been months of fat and knobby on snow and ice and/or towing kid(S)…and you get on your bike and you feel like your going warp factor seven without even trying. No matter what your frame or what kind of kit you’re lugging along or how many pounds you’ve added during hibernation you just feel like your riding on air…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


I had one of those rides this morning.

I love that.

Clears the head of all that doubt and depression and despondence and revitalizes and rejuvenates and makes one realize things aren’t so bad…


It’s also good to get out of the city and do some distance! Makes the shorter trips seem like less of an effort… when I haven’t gone for a long ride for a while that 15Km return trip with the kids to violin group lessons on Thursday evenings starts to feel longer and longer and more and more daunting every trip.

A good little 50+Km roll in the countryside puts things all back into perspective.

15Km to group lessons towing two kids and three violins..? Pffft! That’s nothin’!


I need to start working in those 100Km Sunday Morning rides to Delisle out Valley Road again…

Hard to do when Amanda’s running longer and longer distances every Sunday to train for her marathon in June…


Thanks to Susan my riding buddy for getting me off my ass and out on the road again!

It's March...

...and I'm tired of walking... and pants!


So I took The Youngster to his clay handbuilding class this morning on our bike. Next week I'm going to have to hook up the trailer to bring home all his treasures!

Also got to try out my new Bern Brentwood helmet (thanks to Ryan over at Bicycle Smile!). Finally a helmet that fits my GARGANTUAN melon (XXL-baby!)!! So nice to get to where I'm going and NOT have a headache and/or strange red patterned marks on my forehead!

Ice Cycle 2010

Today was Ice Cycle 2010 a winter bike parade which was part of the Saskatoon Winter Shines festival.

It was pretty cold…


When I got up and saw the Environment Canada forecast I wondered if there’d be much of a turn-out… Then I though again and realized there’s plenty enough nut-cases out there that think nothing of riding in -35°C…

I had to swap a tire and a little hub adjustment out in the (unheated) Bicycle Storage Facility, which was a little frosty on the fingers…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Rolling out to Ice Cycle 2010 with the family. I don’t ride much with the kids once there’s a lot of snow and ice – gets a little sketchy with the bike-train… (we walk or bus when we can't ride...). The ride, however, started and finished at the Farmer's Market, which is just a couple block form our house – and the route of the ride was just through downtown which is relatively clear of ice and mostly level.


Yup… all the usual crazies… and then some!!


Gerald from the Bike Doctor chatting with a couple of Saskatoon’s Finest – who came along for the ride too!


Doctor Matt and his daughter Aura.


I think that’s Tom in the orange…

So many people wandered up to me and started chatting at me and it would take me a minute to recognize the voice – because everyone looks so different in their winter riding kit… When you ride with people enough you learn to recognize them by their kit… but I haven’t been riding with people much lately.

For example…


That’s Corey Neufeld (from The Better Good) under that mask!


No helmet... not even a toque! and no brakes…!! Yikes!!




I hears someone saying there was about 190 cyclists out... at this point I think I was in about the middle of the pack...




That’s Jamison in that funny hat – from the City of Saskatoon Infrastructure Services – transportation… making the city just a little more bicycle friendly!




Mr. Dixon


Stopped at a stop light.


Though sometime we didn’t have to…






Jan and Ken.


At the end of the ride there was Hot Chocolate and other stuff going on but we had to roll on to other activities later in the afternoon..






The three Browns on the bike train… or the “unschool not-so-bus” as we sometimes call it…

Big thanks to all the organizers! I hope this turns out to be an annual event!!

First ride of the New Year

Amanda and I rolled out to our friend Darrin's for a New Years get together.


It's a good 6-7Km to his house.

It was -33°C (with a windchill that made if feel closer to -40°C...).

I probably wasn't quite so well dressed as I could have been. I can't remember the last time I felt so cold. Oi!

Touring Camel

SSSSSHHHHHHHHH!

Don't tell Amanda! (I just finished her Xmas present - I know, cutting it a bit close, but that's how I roll!)



Happy Holidays everyone! Stay warm - for those of you residing in cooler climes (like me)... or... stay cool - for those in more tropical climes (so not me!). I hope you all have a joyful and prosperous new year, free of tire punctures (I said "hope", we can always HOPE!).