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. 

 

 

 

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!

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!

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.

Start your day off with some hotness!

Here is a picture of the perfect breakfast!  Well perfect for me maybe not everyone.

Place an iron skillet on the oven on medium heat add extra virgin olive oil, then three thinly slicked "hot" banana peppers to one side of the skillet.  Next place an egg on the other side of the skillet add generous amounts of the following spices; ground red pepper, cumin, time, and curry.  Add a thinly slicked garlic clove to the top of the egg as well.  Cook egg on both sides stirring the peppers along the way.  Toast two pieces of whole grain bread and place a fresh sliced tomato on top of one of the slices.  Before removing the egg add a slice of America cheese the white cheese and let it melt with the heat off.

The end result will be a great tasting sandwich that is loaded with protein, antioxidants and all kinds of other healthy things to get your engine revved up and ready to ride. 

Just a few bike pics I stumbled across.

 

 

Wish I was there!


Hope your riding your butt off everyday!  Cheers

Peace 

Pedal Strong

Whats your opinion on global warming and oil/coal?

I know those questions always start some kind of war between the "friends of coal/oil" and the environmentalist.  It's always the same the environmentalist tend to bash the hell out of what the oil and coal companies are doing to the environment and the friends of coal/oil throw comments like "so do you drive a car?" do you enjoy those roads your riding on? Do you use plastic in your life? Like your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer?.  There are loaded questions of course most of us will undoubtedly answer yes to all or most of them.

In my opinion I lean toward the environmentalist but with common sense thoughts in mind.  Of course I use roads and yes I have a car but do I believe we can create less waste through higher fuel efficiency standards?  Hell yes!  Do we all need trucks and SUV's that get 15 miles to the gallon to take one person on most or all daily commutes? No!  Can't we take a stand against oil and coal companies and polices but still agree that most of us are stuck using their products until we can find a better solution in the near future?  But while we wait can't we reduce the amount of oil and coal we use in our everyday lives through common sense?  I believe the answer to this question is YES!

Whats the fastest way to reduce the amount of gas Americans use everyday?  Easy raise the price of gas!  Suddenly everyone's scrambling to dump their suv and old truck for a Honda or other eco friendly car.  People start talking about car pooling and making less trips to town and yes Riding a Bike!  The only way to break America's dependance on gas is to raise the price it creates a path of resistance and the majority will find a way to better live their lives without the excessive waste.  And of course you can make part of the people happy part of the time and some of the people happy some of the time but your never going to make all of the people happy all of the time.

Have you seen the license plates that say "friends of coal"?  What the fuck?  Is what I"m thinking.  Really so your friends with coal do you too hang out on dates?  Do you talk to your friend about the high concentration of mercury in the rivers, creaks, and streams that is created by burning coal?  How about the  Sulfer Oxide emissions or the Nitrogen Oxide emissions placed into the air we breath when we use your "friend" to create energy?  Is anyone saddened by the limit of fish that can be taken from the OH river due to the amount of mercury from the burning of coal?  We are poising the water we drink and the air we breath when a cleaner option is available Natural Gas.  It is 90% cleaner burning than coal 90% less pollution that our kids children will have to deal with in the future.  To me this sounds like a great idea but don't ask a "friends of coal" person they will run you out of town.  Of course they work in the coal industry and as long as they are making lots of money they will remain "friends of coal" forever.  Sad but true.  Shot term a cleaner burning  fuel source long term wind, sun, Geo thermal.  Small steps to obtain a cleaner tomorrow small enough we can all take them but lets keep heading in the path of sustainability. 


Pictures of coal.

 

Future energy source?

 

Peace
Pedal Strong 
  

Look at this anonymous email someone sent me.

 Sorry just venting "a pissed off bicycle post"

Why is it always the 300 pound 8th grade educated rusted out farm truck driving cunts that always try to run me off the fucking road?  It's like in their little heads attached to their fat asses they're saying if I can't be skinny no one can!  Remember this you fat fucking bitches I carry a nine so if you ever make it to actually hitting my ass I'll fucking cap your large target of a ass on the way down then shit down your throat at the crash site.
     concealed and carry looking scary to to now bitch, bet you wish you'd a dished that crap ass attitude now huh
but you can't cuz you wanted to show off now I'm pissed off blowing off on this nine till your mine
that feels better really bitter was this rhyme
    but I wasn't bothering you minding my own now was I on my way home now your on your own seeing lights I had my rights and I used em.  You broke the law now that's all cuz we're done with yah
another ignorant ass bitch off the road so I'm told was the way it went down that's my town.

 Posted by anonymous.

  Do you ever need to vent about how drivers treat you on the road?  If so leave your comments below and I'll add them to this post as an expression of our love to road raged drivers.



Thanks and as always
Peace
Pedal Strong.

And keep in mind my personal views might match or completely disagree with those posted on this "venting" post.  The views expressed are those of the persons that send me the emails or comments to post. 

Mike from OH sent me this venting post.

     So get this I'm pedaling up a steep incline about 3 miles long at the 3/4 way to the top is a traffic light.  I pedal up to the light slow way down almost completely stopped no one's coming.  A huge guy on a motorcycle sits with the street lights reflecting off his bald head waiting to turn at the light adjacent from me.  After looking both ways sweet pouring from me every where I proceed through the light.  I pedal another 1/4 mile down the road when the motorcycle guy shouts out "learn how to fucking drive".  I wanted so bad to beat the fuck out of him what the hell was he tripping on did he think I was supposed to sit at a red light waiting for it to change green.  That never happens on a bike you dumb ass lights don't change for bikes at least not the ones in Ohio I come across!

Just thought I'd add my story to the venting post!

Thanks Mike

Thank you Mike for sharing that with us!

I went biking over the weekend here are some shots from the road.

 

Well that's all I have for now tired today been working to much!

Peace
Pedal Strong!

It feels so good to sweat it out on a good strong ride!

I'm now at 115 miles ridden since I first decided to ditch the o'll car and ride my custom built bike to work and back everyday.  Today was another one of those days when after shopping with the wife and kids all day and driving in a car around 2 hours I was dead tired and kept yawning.  My mind had second guesses as to wither or not I was going to ride today but when I saw my bike sitting there it has finally become habit.  If I want to get to work I'm going to ride my bike no questions to ask myself. 

Getting into a routine is key!  You may skip group rides sometimes you might not ride when you don't feel up to it but if you get into a routine that your bike is your main form of transportation then not riding seems strange and this is a good thing!  Changing one's path is a hard habit to break we get into this mindset of going a certain way at a certain time and that is hard to break.  But once you get over the fear and just make it happen you will see amazing things come to life within you.  Now taking a car is the strange thing and riding my bike is the normal way of life for me.

I feel more alive like I am part of the world around me and not just passing through it.  I feel connected to things around me.  Just last night while riding home through the mist of the land cooling I could see moon rays breaking through the cloud cover just like sun rays during the day time.  I know this happens all of the time but in a car going to fast to really "see" live around you it is easy to miss these things.

Get reconnected to your bike, your world, your life and feel the excitement again trust me it's all around us.






   






Peace
 Pedal Strong! 

Oh what pride we all used to take in bike ownership.

 Yes that's me on my bike as a youth. lol