February 24th, 2010
Who would’ve thought a year ago I wouldn’t own a car? I certainly didn’t. I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could get by without a car.
Well, two days ago I sold my car. The 1988 Subaru RX. It was a great little car for the period I had it. The last couple months, it barely was driven. Just sat out on the side of Downing St looking very lonely. Yes, it had cars in front and behind it to keep company, but it wanted to be driven.
Note, I’m not completely car-free. Niki let’s me borrow her car. We actually have both our names on the insurance policy now (yikes! commitment!).
Also, I recently signed up for a car sharing program called Occasional Car. If you actually sign up now, you can even get a free membership. I haven’t used the service yet, though I plan to eventually. There’s a Toyota Yaris within walking distance from the apartment. Expect a review once I have a need for it.
Its amazing where one can go with relatively little effort using a bicycle and public transportation in Denver.
Tags: bicycle, car free, commuting, occasional car, rx
Posted in Bicycle, Cars, General | No Comments »
February 1st, 2010
I just got a nice old steel vintage ride for a pretty darn good deal. A Raleigh Grand Prix. Per the serial number, it was built in Worksop, Nottingham, England on the sixteenth fortnight of 1978.
She’s all original, with the Raleigh branded Suntour V-GT components, Wienmann brakes, Raleigh branded SR aluminum crankset and Brook CR3 vinyl seat. She’s a beaut.
It may get new components and such put on it, but I will keep all the original pieces should I decide to later restore it.
Some pictures:
1978 Raleigh Grand Prix
Raleigh Chainline
Raleigh Head Badge
View the whole set of photos on Flickr
Tags: bicycle, raleigh grand prix, vintage
Posted in Bicycle | No Comments »
January 14th, 2010
There are a number of myths perpetuated about bicycle commuting. Some people seem to think the idea of riding a bicycle to and from work is such a daunting task, what with all the preparation that is involved.
One common concern people have is that you need special clothing to ride a bicycle. This can be true if you have a long a commute. However, as I’m discovering, if your commute is short enough, say five miles or less, you really don’t need special clothing. I used to regularly commute to my work, which was 6.2 miles, by bicycle with blue jeans and a shirt, which would be normal work attire.
Today, I rode roughly three miles to a job thingy wearing business clothing: a dress shirt, dress pants and a tie. Apart from shoving the end of my tie into my shirt, this clothing choice was not a problem.
Worried about your pant leg getting all greased up? A pant leg strap, small bungee cord, or rubber band work well to keep the pant leg off the chain. Got none of that? Its also possible to just shove the end of the leg into your sock. (Thanks Nathan for pointing out that I missed that on facebook)
Worried about getting your work clothes all sweaty? You can commute in just some regular athletic clothing. Similar to what you would wear at a gym. While spandex clothing does have its usefulness on a bicycle, it just is not necessary for commuting.
Tags: bicycle, clothes, commuting
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December 14th, 2009
I know its a bit late, but I just read an article on BikeDenver’s blog about Denver’s new bicycle ordinances.
Alot was changed to reflect state law, but there’s a couple new ordinances that I like:
Riding on Sidewalks for the Purpose of Parking: Denver law will now allow bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk not in excess of 6 miles per hour if they are within one block of the location where they plan to park their bike.
Finally, a sensible sidewalk solution. FYI: Its a terrible idea to ride from point A to point B using sidewalks. However, what about parking? Previously, to be legal, you’d have to dismount and walk your bicycle. Now, you can ride to your parking location if you do it slowly as any good cyclist should do when on sidewalks.
Right to Ride on Roadways: Language requiring bicyclists to ride on adjacent pathways if available was eliminated from the City code. This makes it legal to ride a bike on any Denver roadway, including Speer Boulevard.
I am so glad to see them get rid of the mandatory adjacent side path rule. Thanks to the rule, all of Speer Blvd and a few other roads were off limits to cyclists due to the adjacent paths. Unfortunately, these paths are not always ideal for cycling, and their on/off ramps don’t always occur often enough to be useful. Now, you can legally make use of the adjacent road ways.
Read the whole article on BikeDenver’s website.
Tags: bicycle, denver, laws, safety
Posted in Bicycle | No Comments »
October 29th, 2009
Here’s a short list of tips for riding in the snow:
- Layer up. You want to be cold when you first step out, but not too cold. Your body will generate its own heat.
- Get some full coverage fenders. Your bicycle will kick up a lot of crap and you don’t want that on your components or your person.
- Give yourself ample time. At least twice if not three times as long of time to get from A to B. You will go much, much slower.
- Light your bike up like a Christmas tree.
- Studded tires aren’t exactly necessary, but they help.
Keep some of this in mind, and you too can have fun in the snow.
Check out the guys at IceBike.org. They have some great tips and stories.
Above all, stay safe!
Trek in the Snow
Tags: bicycle, commuting, snow, trek 820, winter
Posted in Bicycle | 2 Comments »
October 22nd, 2009
Tags: bicycle, lights, safety
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October 8th, 2009
… and it looks like we’re going to get a little today!
Source: NOAA
Tags: snow, Weather
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October 6th, 2009
Got some slick tires, size 26×1.9, for the Trek. These are great for the road. They’re nice and fat which makes for a coushy ride.
Also of note: 34/12 makes for a really high gearing.
Tags: bicycle, tires, trek 820
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September 30th, 2009
I came into possession recently of an old Trek 820. (Actually, it was too big for Niki and when she upgraded bicycles she never got rid of it, so I annexed it.) I decided I would try and have some fun with this bicycle. It will turn into my winter beater.
I decided I would make it a single speed. The old 21 speeds never did work too well, and single speed just sounded fun.
I went to Performance Bicycle off of Colorado as the last time I was in there I saw a fancy conversion kit.
The Forte Single Speed Conversion Kit comes with all you need to single speed goodness. Includes some cogs, spacers, chain tensioner and a lock ring.
Forte SS Kit - From °Florian's Flickr account
The kit is cheap too, got it for $25.
Also needed a new chain, got a nice SRAM single speed chain – $10.
After examining the front triple crankset, determining the rings are riveted on and won’t come apart. So, I just left ‘em there. Decided on using the 34T middle ring with the 18T cog from the kit.
For about $35, the Trek went from being 21 speeds to a single speed. Took it for a brief spin. My impressions are great. Single speed is significantly different that multi-geared. The urge to shift is a hoot. I kept trying to reach for some shifters, but none were there. The big wide knobby tires though must go!
Now the bike just needs some fenders and possible studded tires and it’ll be ready to cruise down the streets of Denver in snow!
Tags: bicycle, single speed, trek 820, winter
Posted in Bicycle | 1 Comment »
