Zac
This week was not marked by any specifically amazing rides with the exception of a nice ride down to the lake with some friends (I am going to let you report on that Pippi don’t let me down). This week was really just a string of comfortable smooth sailing commutes punctuated with a few midnight treat runs. I had the chance to build myself up a great new (old) city bike that I am very excited about. All the gears are internal and it has a hub powered light system on it. It is really great for cruising around town, running errands, and getting to work. It is nice to have a reliable bike that sits me upright and has some cargo capacity.
One thing from my riding that I noticed this week is that I really enjoy riding my commute with other people from time to time. It is nice to have someone to talk to about the routes you commonly use and why (thanks Spencer). I hope last week some of you got out and were able to do some exploring. I am excited to hear the rides that this beautiful weather has been inspiring. Ride fast, ride safe but, most importantly have fun.
Since Zac is continually begging me to write a comment on these posts, I’m going to oblige him once again. This is about a ride that my daughter did, and it was nothing short of Epic. The background is that she is a quite tall 6yr old, and just learned to ride this spring. She has been a bit hesitant to really go for it, and so this last week we took her to the park where there is a nice smooth 1/2 mile track for her to ride on free of cars. She did it with her little legs pumping on the bike she has quite obviously outgrown, and went around four times for a total of two miles. That was pretty impressive to me. A few days later, she is asking us if she can ride to school, 1 mile away, and over to the Library, 3 miles away. No fear. I wish the streets were as safe as they were when I was a kid so I could say yes. I know she could do it. Perhaps someday they will be safe again.
Boy Zac & Jamie, either I am the only one who reads this blog, or I am the only one who reads this blog who really rides a bike. That must be it. Everyone else is a pretender.
My favorite ride last week was actually a mountain bike ride I did on Wednesday. Between work, school, and the many grown up responsibilities involved with daily survival; the only riding I typically have time for during the week is my daily commute. My birthday was last week and I knew that I had a busy weekend at work ahead of me, so I decided to neglect some of my “grown up” responsibilities on my day off and ride the Provo race loop that is above Timp. park in Provo canyon. Mountain biking is what initially got me into cycling so it was refreshing to scratch that itch again. The canyon was beautiful and the view of the valley was spectacular from the top of the loop. One of my favorite things about riding bikes is that there are so many opportunities for inspiring experiences while cycling, regardless of the particular discipline(s) one chooses to pursue.
My interesting bike adventure happened just this morning on the way to work. I ride a fixed gear bike with front brake, and sometimes the front brake is a bit stiff. Today while biking downtown the lever felt really tight and I noticed that the nob on the end of the cable had popped out of the socket and was barely holding on. A few seconds later, it came out completely, leaving me with a loose cable not attached to my hand lever. 🙂 Fortunately for my fixed rear gear I was able to stop easily and finish my commute without a hitch. I carry a few tools with me at all times and I will be using them after work today to correct the problem. Have fun and be safe!