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Arctic
Looking back, I see it’s been just about a year since I started blogging regularly about my bike commutes to work. One thing is for sure: Winter is the most interesting time of year to ride, because the varying weather conditions give each ride its own set of challenges. That starts with figuring out what…
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Forté Classic Saddle
Thought I’d put a plug in for my favorite commuter saddle, the Forté Classic, available at Performance Bike for around $40-50. I bought one of these in 2002 when I initially bought my road bike, because the racing saddle that came with it wasn’t working for me. The Forté Classic seems “just right” in almost…
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15 Riding Days ’til Christmas
After not working a single 5-day work week in November, I have 3 straight full weeks of work between now and the extended Christmas break, starting today. Weather (and health) permitting, I’m hoping to turn that into 15 rides. This morning was my first ride of the season that truly felt like winter. It was…
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Fixed Gear Comfort
I’m beginning to notice a trend. The more often I ride my fixed-gear bike, the more comfortable it seems to get. Last week I took my first ride on it in about 3 weeks, and my shoulders and wrists were bothering me after the first half hour. Now, a week and about 5 rides later,…
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Single Track
I rode on single track Sunday for the first time in around 15 years. I had forgotten how different it was from road biking. I woke up Sunday morning with a bit of an upset stomach, so I didn’t want to do anything too strenuous, but I wanted to get out and test-ride my newly…
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Warm November
November hasn’t been a very prolific month for riding to work. Looks like I’m on pace to top February, but that’s not saying much. I was out the first 2 weeks of the month, and it’s already a shortened month due to the Thanksgiving holiday. As a matter of fact, weather permitting, I may actually…
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Mountain Bike Almost Ready
Got my old ’93 Rockhopper almost to the point where I’m ready to ride it. To recap, I’ve replaced the fork, headset, stem, chain, brake shoes, and brake cables, and cleaned and adjusted the hubs, derailleurs and brakes. I also put a rear rack on it. This weekend I’m hoping to take it out for…
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Back in the saddle
After 2 weeks of business trips, I’m ready to get back into the riding routine. I managed to sneak in a quick ride around the BWI trail on Monday. I have today and Friday scheduled as vacation days, but I decided to go in today because it was a good excuse to ride my bike…
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Catonsville Route Tweak
Today was my last day at the office, and my last bike commute, until November 15. Lest I go into serious withdrawal, I’m going to try to work a couple of recreational rides in over the next couple of weeks. Come the 15th, my afternoon rides will be in the dark again, so I’ll need…
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Saddles for Fixed Gear
Faithful readers (all 6 of you) may recall that I’m still trying to get the fit right on my fixed-gear commuter bike (a Masi Speciale Fixed). The initial problem was that I was leaning too hard on my wrists, and they were falling asleep after about 1/2 hour of riding. Raising the bars 1/4″ or…