Quick Question

Has there ever been a major pro bike race where someone said, "It's totally cool to just sit at the back of the peloton." What do athletes even say crap like this, "It's really important to be in the lead group."

On Bikes (again)

My friend Anthony has a great blog about his travels around the world studying bicycle cultures. I find it truly amazing that he gets to spend a year doing such a cool and admirable goal. I don't say lucky b/c I know that kid busts his ass, and works hard to do things like this. I just felt like more people should be pointed in his blogs direction.

One quick thought on one of his recent posts. It seems in the city of Memphis we travel an average of 26 miles by car a day. Now, I have not read all of this report, but I gotta say only traveling 26 miles a day in this city is not a very hard* thing to accomplish in my humble opinion. Now I am sure, that is part of his point, but I question how we are ever going to drop that number when the largest employer in the city has offices that are no where near the city center.

*I usually shatter this number with ease and style.

Photos

I have been a huge slacker in the photography department this summer. I think the biking obsession got in the way a bit. Plus at my core I can only have so many hobbies that I am really pursuing, and since I will continue to play guitar constantly, either the biking or the photography will suffer.

Well this past Saturday, there were some Cyclocross races down in Harbor Town. I figured it would be a nice chance to take some photos. I was a bit suprised to see so many of my friends competing. My friend Charlie was sporting his new team colors.

Anyways, here some photos from that day.

I do think about other things

So it seems I talk about bikes a lot lately. I promise other things are on my mind as well. However, this video should be seen. This is anything but the type of bike riding I wish to do, but the old skateboarder side of me couldn't respect this more if he tried. Also the music ain't half bad.

A Thought For The Weekend.

Over the course of the last year or so I have really started to take my bike riding a bit more serious. I don't have any plans to race or anything of that ilk, but I am spending a good amount of time on top of a bicycle lately. It has gotten to the point that I don't like riding my road bike when I am out with friends, because I think it's over kill. I mean lets not kid ourselves, Memphis is a very flat town. You don't really have to have a ton of gears to get around.

These thoughts and various other motivations* are leading me down a path to get a second bike. Now I am certain the new bike will be a single speed. there is no doubt about that at all. However the only question left is whether or not it will be a fixed gear. I have friends on both sides of this, but everyday I lean more and more towards a single speed. I don't really see the point in fix gears. I mean there cool, but I don't really see them as all that practical. If I was to get into doing tricks and such mayhaps, but I don't really see that happening either.

Is there something I am missing as to why fix gear bikes are so cool? Is it because you can run them without traditional brakes thus creating a much cleaner looking headset? If so I get that, but I just don't think it's worth it. I dunno maybe I am over thinking this whole thing.


*Frankly I just love pretty bikes. What Can I say.

On bikes

This article is by no means the end all be all authority on the topic, but I want to use it as a launching point for a larger discussion.

How hard would it really be for the city of Memphis to add bike lanes to a few of the more used routes bikes travel on. I am not saying they must be added to Poplar and Union, but why not Madison, Peabody, Central, and Vance?

Oh and while we're at it, Making the trolley's run faster and expanding the routes through more of midtown wouldn't exactly be the worst thing in the world.

My point isn't to start a campaign that try's to change the culture of the city all at once, but more to simply give the city something that is good that a portion of the culture already wants. Why not embrace that?

Was in which I am idiot

That 3 miles into a semi long bike I realize that I have forgotten my water bottle at home and that it is in fact 96 degrees outside and that the thermometer in the car was not lying.