Another First Ride

Amanda has become a bit more of a fair weather rider over the last couple years. After a couple of nasty wipe-outs on ice she totally gave up winter riding and started walking the 6km to work and then takes the bus home – or visa versa…

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


Due to some misplaced keys she missed her bus this morning and so decided to take the bike. Luckily, I had given it a brief spring tune up on the weekend (though I’m sure there will be complaints when she gets home and I’ll be out doing a proper tune up on the weekend again)…


Keira was so pumped to see her mom on a bike she chanted “MOM! BIKE! GO! MOM! BIKE! GO! MOM! BIKE GO!” for at least five minutes after she had rolled out of sight!

First Rides…

A couple of first rides for the year…

While I continued to ride through the winter on my winter beater I abandoned hauling the kids behind the bike in November. Once it got snowy and cold it was just too hard pulling the both of them. Also once we got places – like the library or gymnastics – having to keep track of three helmets - in addition to three jackets, pairs of mitts, boots, and snow pants – was a bit much…. I didn’t run out and buy a car or anything… we just walked everywhere. Well I walked everywhere – they still rode in the Chariot….

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


On Friday the third of March it warmed up a touch and we’d all been cooped up in the house sick for the previous three WEEKS it was time to get out. The girl was SO pumped to go out for a ride she did nothing but scream “ BIKE! BIKE! BIKE! BIKE! BIKE!” for the twenty minutes or so that elapsed from when I suggested the idea to when I actually got her into the chariot. Of course it was mid-afternoon so she fell asleep within a block of our house and slept until we got to wherever we were going. I think it was Steep Hill… it’s all a blur…

Looking forward to lots of excursions this year. Things will be so much asier now the the girl walks.


Last Friday I pumped up the air in the tires on the Surly and went out for my first fixed ride of the year. (Despite what Sheldon Brown may have said about fixed gears being great for winter – winter in Saskatchewan is a whole different kettle of fish – and even I have to admit riding fixed here through the winter is a bit mad…). It was fun. Refreshing. I’ll have the road-fixie out next week when more of the ice is gone.

I rode about 10km and didn’t have a single brain fart – you know when you haven’t ridden fixed for a while and your brain sort of forgets about that whole can’t-stop-pedaling-thing and you relax and for a microsecond try to stop and you almost go over the handlebars and skip a heartbeat then recover and have to pay a bit more attention to what you are doing….? You know that feeling? Well didn’t happen this year. I am one with the fixed bike.

What Would Buddha Drive?

So I was stuck behind a Jeep SUV of some sort at a red light on 20th the other day and I noticed it had a bumper sticker that said "What would Buddha do?" I so totally wanted to write on the bumper with a big fat black felt marker; "Well I don't think he'd drive an SUV!"

Keira and bikes

Been a while. Here's a cute pic of Keira and a couple of our bikes.

It isn't all going to be pics of my kids and my bikes... I just havent' had the time... you know how it is...

New Hat(s)!

OOOOOOOOHHHH! I just ordered a spiffy new cycling hat from Walz Caps. I’m so excited I just had to post….

Pictures and full review when they arrive!

Huzzah!

Have a snoop around that site... can anyone guess which ones Tim ordered...?!

Post your guesses as a comment we shall see who is the closest when they arrive!

Sunday Morning Breakfast Club Ride

Ryan from the M.O.B. (Maniacs on Bicycles) organized a Sunday morning “Breakfast Club” ride this past Sunday (same guy that organized the Midnight Ride).

(on a side note: I went on another midnight ride last weekend. While they’re good fun…. There’s still a few annoying gits on the roads in automobiles, and it’s waaaaaaaaay past my bed time, AND I was thinking I should start doing some long distance rides on Sunday mornings… so I’m not sure if I’ll be going out on those again… we shall see…)

This ride I decided to drag the family out. Ryan and his partner Emily were the only others that showed. We kicked off at City Hall at 9AM and tooled our way across the traffic (Victoria) bridge, along lower Sask cresent then up along 7th to Jerry’s Gourmet Food Emporium (Gourmet… heh… yeah…. Sems to me like it ought to be "Jerry's Glorified Fast Food Emporium"... but what do I know..?). I think we got there before ten, and a good 10 minutes of the ride was everyone waiting around for me to change a flat.

We had breakfast, which was okay. The kids liked it. Then we went our separate ways; Ryan and Emily to go grocery shopping, me and the family made our way home.

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


Everyone eating their breakfast.


Ryan and his sweet, old Supercycle folder. I had a similar one ages ago but it was grey and not nearly in as good of shape as Ryan’s. I think it’s currently in The Pile


Emily on her pink bike. I’m not entirely sure what make it is.


Amanda. The kids. Amanda took her commuter.

Good fun! Thanks again, Ryan!

Yo! Is anybody reading these? Does it rock or does it SUCK? Feel free to leave comments below….

Parking on Broadway

Bike parking was at a premium on Broadway when I went for groceries this afternoon. (Click on the picture above for a bigger version).