Greening Up Quite Nicely

Odd Wheels

Taking flight with these wheels.

I've seen this bike around town a few times, but finally got to chat with the owner, yesterday. He got the bike from a friend who passed away and has been fixing it up. These are airplane tires which don't have tubes. They are the tube.

A nice low rider.

Up Above It All: Time To Ponder

I will dare!

He may be a member of the dreaded Black Label Bike Club. I say dreaded, because I think they'd like it that way. There's a documentary B.I.K.E about the NY chapter of Black Label. I found it to be a fascinating movie, even though it's not my scene. Bike Jousting!

In the documentary, they make a road trip to the headquarters, which is Mpls. What was interesting was how different the New Yorkers were from the locals. The New Yorkers all seemed to see the club as an artistic expression and perhaps also way to get famous. The Mpls. members were rough and tumble punk rockers, who while they'd like to get some attention, don't want really want to be famous. Which makes sense to me. NY is a natural draw for people who want to "make it!", or die trying. While Mpls. is the home of the Replacements. A band that really loved to get your attention, but at the same time, really wanted to fuck it all up. They did leave a beautiful corpse, though.

BTW~ There is supposedly an ordinance against these types of bikes in Mpls.

Bikes and Flower Gardens Do Go Together

The Midtown Greenway is still a work in progress, but every year more gardens spring up along it's route. Take some time, to take in the scenery on your rides. The Chai Cyclist is back.

Happy Spring!

Okay, One Last Post for the Winter

Gotta get the kitty litter!

Plus, I picked up groceries and a pizza, putting them on the front rack. Frankie rides so stable when loaded down. The bike doesn't even feel like it could fall down, __but I'm sure it could.

Imagining Winter at Iciclebicycle

Becomes Reality

After blog hiatus, it's time to move over to iciclebicycle. Winter is a whole different world, but that does stop me from riding my bikes. It just means you have to be a little bit smarter, a little bit braver and put some long underwear on so you don't freeze your ass off.

Long Shadow Time

Bike path Hazard.

Long shadows mean hurry up and gather some food for these guys.

Shadows, leaves and bike.

Shadow time is a time for me to have fun shooting dramatic pictures.

Superman for a Day

Whizing past Lake Calhoun on Midtown Greenway.

Ever have those days where riding your bike is too easy? Where you're in higher gears than normal and doing it with ease? Or the ability to kick it up a notch and make that light?

Well, that was my Monday. For whatever reason(Light riding on Sunday or a good nights rest?) I had all the energy needed and the drive I wanted, which made riding effortless. It made for a pleasant ride to work, especially on the hilly part of my ride. Not downshifting until halfway up a hill is unusual, but welcome. I normally avoid trying to put the hammer down on my ride out, because I'll sweat too much and freeze on the windier second half of my trip. Luckly, there wasn't much wind that morning and I could go as fast as my Dutch would let me.

As if things couldn't get much better, a strong wind picked up from the Northwest in the afternoon and blew me all the way to Uptown on my ride to dinner. Gotta love the wind at your back. I start to think maybe it could be this way all the time, but thought I'd better just chalk it up to a good day. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Much empathy for this poor soul riding against the gale.

This morning it was back to reality. The hills were steeper and my legs were burning. But it was still a nice ride, just slower.

Did They Have Bikes in Charles Dickens Day?

Tweed, Frankie and suitcase?

For me, Halloween is a lot of fun, if I get motivated to figure out something fun to wear ahead of time. The hardest part for me is starting with nothing and getting to something cool. I often put off the costume hunt until the last moment and have to scramble for something, anything decent. This year, having the Dutch bike helped things out a lot. I knew I'd be riding Frankie wherever I went, so going Tweed was the obvious choice. It ended up being a very good choice, considering the rain and snow of Friday night. I was almost over dressed. Too bad I couldn't convince anybody else to ride with me this year. They don't know what they were missing.

I am finding that Frankie, my bike of 3 months, has been shaping the clothes that I wear out around town. It just doesn't feel right putting sporty, cycle wear on when riding Frankie. It's much funner to putting something interesting on. As the temperature drops wool will be perfect.

Oh, what's the case on the front rack for? Mostly decoration. I just think it looks cool on Frankie. I did get a lot of questions about it, but I just made that part of the fun, by not answering. The case may end up being practical, because it's a projector case and is insulated. I may end up using it for carrying things that need protection from the cold, such as my laptop, or even hot food.