Well I'm getting excited again! It's getting cold here in Kentucky but I'm dieing to get back into the saddle again. You know I was thinking yesterday as I was cleaning up my old J.C Higgins steel bike about what a treasure these old bikes really are. You see I also have a Motobecane Immortal Pro it's not old oh no it's carbon fiber light as a feather and a true blast to ride. I got the bike from Bikes Direct and absolutely LOVE IT. But......what if I have been on this bike when I got hit instead of my 50 pound (at least that's what it feels like) steal 1950's beast? I don't think I would have survived nearly as well.
I got a little lower back pain still but it gets better every day! I also played my cards right and got a check for $3200 dollars from the insurance company. No I did not sue I simply settled and negotiated fairly well my settlement all by myself. So my first 300 miles commuting via bike saved me lots in gas not to mention wear and tear on a car also helped me get into shape as well as netted me $3200 not bad fellow cyclist not bad at all.
I'm working to get back into the grove slowly right now I am working on adding a light to my seat post to light up my entire body. I also bought a reflective vest from Walmart to add to the safety factor. Once I have finished some smaller posts I will be back to riding again hopefully very soon.
Peace to All
Pedal Strong
And if/when you get hit get back on and Ride like Hell
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
WTF happened to you Bike man?
Are you wondering why I went from passionately posting daily or at least weekly to not at all? There is in fact a sad but true story. You see on August 25, 2012 at around 8:45PM while riding my beloved custom self built bike home from work I was struck by a car............Yeah that still sucks just saying it. Well my bike sustained about $1,000.00 dollars worth of damage but can and will be put back to original shape within the next few week if not sooner. I went to the emergency room but suffered no broken bones just whiplash type injuries mainly on my back which came into contact with the side mirror and broke it off of the car.
So you might be wondering if I will ride again? Well here is your answer HELL YES! I still love biking I still hate CARS, but am forced to not only live with them but drive one every now and then when I get knocked off my bike by a car. I can smell the irony lol. I'm hoping to wrap up my last chiropractor appointment in the next few weeks and finally settle on the entire claim and hopeful put this mess behind me for awhile. Here is the worst part of getting hit by the car......Now my father and wife are all over my case never to ride my bike on the road at least not until my children are older. Personally I feel like this answer sucks but I am the sole bread winner for the entire family. So I kinda see there point but hate like hell giving up my work commute via bike. I'd ride everyday all the time were it not for cars! Errr the only other option I can think of also sucks but it is this pay for a life insurance policy that will protect my family in the event I die doing what I love by the hands of some dumb ass driver not paying attention to the road.
I'm still working out all of the details and will keep you up to date when I finally figure out a solution that works for my wife my family and for me. But with all of this and work I have just not had time to keep this site up to date. I can't as of yet say for sure I can get into typing about bikes while driving a car everyday.
If you can relate or have been in this situation before then holla back at me and let me know what the hell to do!
Thanks
Pedal Strong and if in America watch for cars!
Peace
So you might be wondering if I will ride again? Well here is your answer HELL YES! I still love biking I still hate CARS, but am forced to not only live with them but drive one every now and then when I get knocked off my bike by a car. I can smell the irony lol. I'm hoping to wrap up my last chiropractor appointment in the next few weeks and finally settle on the entire claim and hopeful put this mess behind me for awhile. Here is the worst part of getting hit by the car......Now my father and wife are all over my case never to ride my bike on the road at least not until my children are older. Personally I feel like this answer sucks but I am the sole bread winner for the entire family. So I kinda see there point but hate like hell giving up my work commute via bike. I'd ride everyday all the time were it not for cars! Errr the only other option I can think of also sucks but it is this pay for a life insurance policy that will protect my family in the event I die doing what I love by the hands of some dumb ass driver not paying attention to the road.
I'm still working out all of the details and will keep you up to date when I finally figure out a solution that works for my wife my family and for me. But with all of this and work I have just not had time to keep this site up to date. I can't as of yet say for sure I can get into typing about bikes while driving a car everyday.
If you can relate or have been in this situation before then holla back at me and let me know what the hell to do!
Thanks
Pedal Strong and if in America watch for cars!
Peace
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Just having some fun around town here are the Pictures.
My bike at the local fire station before getting caught!
I had to pedal hard to get up to fifth street looking out over the city.
Bike at old hospital once featured on Ghost Hunters!
Still at hospital it was a great place to take unique pictures.
Still looking for ghost!
Ok I just had to go inside!
Last one I was on the inside looking out.
This is a underground railroad monument erected in Maysville KY.
The stained glass look so good.
Great sand artist came to town I hope we don't get any rain soon.
Peace
Pedal Strong.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Brooks Roll Up Panniers do I like them?
Absolutely am I happy with the price I paid for them well...come on no! But you can't always find a cheap version of what you are looking for and I had a classic bike to outfit into a commuter bike. I wanted them to be hidden when not in use and this holds to be true. I wanted them to look classic and as old as the bike so to speak and they do. I wanted them to be water proof sometimes I carry a laptop and they are. I wanted a large compartment that I could put work cloths in and food and it is perfectly large enough for all my stuff. In sort they are everything I wanted and I would change almost nothing.
Here's the almost part. The magnets that hold the flaps down are not big enough and the flaps flap with the wind while you ride down the road. So if I was going to redesign these bags I would place bigger stronger magnets inside the cotton material to better secure the flaps when going down the road. Besides that I might lower the price that would be nice. But did I get exactly what I wanted for the money I paid, well close enough to make me very happy.
In short if your looking to outfit a classic bike and want to keep a classic look you just can't go wrong with these panniers. Also they are strong, water resistant, hold well to the bike and even have a elastic cord on top to secure objects to the top rack plus all of the room inside the panniers themselves. I would definitely recommend them to a friend and yes I would also buy them again if I had another classic bike to outfit.
Hope this helps someone like me looking for panniers.
Peace
Pedal Strong.
With summer coming to a close don't miss the chance to go Beach Biking!
Stay cool
Peace
Pedal Strong!
Friday, August 17, 2012
The Butterfly Effect
Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect? According to Wikipedia this is a cliff noted version of what the butterfly effect is;
The butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before.
Have you ever wondered what your own actions on this earth will have on someone else or something else? The simplest steps you might take one day could effect a bunch of people or no one at all or just one person. It's impossible to understand it entirely given the depth of the processes taking place at any one point in time but you just being you can have profound effects on others.
For example I stared riding my bike to work in an effort to become healthier, save some money, and make the environment a cleaner safer place to live. I wanted to set a good example for my children, myself and anyone else wanting to see someone break the ice of work commuting via bike.
I could have gone to anyone of a hundred bike stores and bought a bike to ride to work but I wanted to make the experience truly unique to me by building my own bike from a rusted out bike left for junk. After months of toiling with it and lots of frustration fitting parts and painting then repainting I finally finished my bike. And OMG was it worth it you see not only do I have the thrill of the ride too and back from work each day but I have the pride of looking down at my own creation, my own sweat and creativity getting me down the road. It is a powerful feeling let me tell you.
I did such a good job on my bike that alot of people notice it also it stands out because you can't "buy" it to get the look I created I had to build it. I have probably had some where around 50 people stop me to ask about it and this in turn gets them thinking about riding a bike themselves or fixing an old one up that they have been looking at in their back yard for years. Maybe for themselves maybe for someone else but none the less it equals more riders, healthier people, and a happier world within the riding community at least.
Next I'll show you about a case in point. I have a coworker who asked me to send him some pictures of my bike I sent them, then he told me he had some old bikes in the weeds I believe either at his house or his parents house. Now he is contemplating fixing one of them up for his daughter and maybe fixing the other one up for his son or to sell to another rider. This is what creating positive emotions in people is all about.
Wither you know it or not the way you go about your everyday life has an effect a "butterfly effect" on others around you. Creating a positive environment around you will rub off on others the effect can be endless. Lets say this person fixes up one of these bikes for his daughter and she rides it everyday. Now other kids want to know where it came from maybe one or two of them builds or buys a bike to ride.
Be the change you want to see in the world!
Below are the pics of my coworkers two possible project bikes.
Peace
Pedal Strong!
The butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before.
Have you ever wondered what your own actions on this earth will have on someone else or something else? The simplest steps you might take one day could effect a bunch of people or no one at all or just one person. It's impossible to understand it entirely given the depth of the processes taking place at any one point in time but you just being you can have profound effects on others.
For example I stared riding my bike to work in an effort to become healthier, save some money, and make the environment a cleaner safer place to live. I wanted to set a good example for my children, myself and anyone else wanting to see someone break the ice of work commuting via bike.
I could have gone to anyone of a hundred bike stores and bought a bike to ride to work but I wanted to make the experience truly unique to me by building my own bike from a rusted out bike left for junk. After months of toiling with it and lots of frustration fitting parts and painting then repainting I finally finished my bike. And OMG was it worth it you see not only do I have the thrill of the ride too and back from work each day but I have the pride of looking down at my own creation, my own sweat and creativity getting me down the road. It is a powerful feeling let me tell you.
I did such a good job on my bike that alot of people notice it also it stands out because you can't "buy" it to get the look I created I had to build it. I have probably had some where around 50 people stop me to ask about it and this in turn gets them thinking about riding a bike themselves or fixing an old one up that they have been looking at in their back yard for years. Maybe for themselves maybe for someone else but none the less it equals more riders, healthier people, and a happier world within the riding community at least.
Next I'll show you about a case in point. I have a coworker who asked me to send him some pictures of my bike I sent them, then he told me he had some old bikes in the weeds I believe either at his house or his parents house. Now he is contemplating fixing one of them up for his daughter and maybe fixing the other one up for his son or to sell to another rider. This is what creating positive emotions in people is all about.
Wither you know it or not the way you go about your everyday life has an effect a "butterfly effect" on others around you. Creating a positive environment around you will rub off on others the effect can be endless. Lets say this person fixes up one of these bikes for his daughter and she rides it everyday. Now other kids want to know where it came from maybe one or two of them builds or buys a bike to ride.
Be the change you want to see in the world!
Below are the pics of my coworkers two possible project bikes.
Peace
Pedal Strong!
Some stunt bike Pics!
Casey Groves of Canada competes in the Red Bull Joyride qualifying during Crankworx 2012 mountain bike competition in Whistler, British Columbia August 17, 2012.
Tyler McCaul of the U.S. competes in the Red Bull Joyride qualifying during Crankworx 2012 mountain bike competition in Whistler, British Columbia August 17, 2012
Andrew Taylor of the U.S. competes in the Red Bull Joyride qualifying during Crankworx 2012 mountain bike competition in Whistler, British Columbia August 17, 2012.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)