Early Morning Fun Ride Crew of AWESOME

We are awesome be ready to ride.

Bike Fu is strong.

Two thieves on a motor-scooter flew by and snatched a womans purse on a street in Wenzhou, China. Surveillance video shows a man riding a bicycle. As he was passing by the front of a hotel near where the thievery happened, he stopped, calmly got off his bicycle, picked it up, and then threw it at the thieves. The bicycle hit them, they lost control, and crashed to the ground.

Easy riding

push it to the limit

all in one day

fun video

its that cold....

yeah its cold again.

cold

Race video

My second race..... was more fun then the first. I planned my attacks and picked my targets. I had some fun battles and enjoyed a way more technical course. the pics were lifted from these to websites. www.tenmilemedia.smugmug.com
and http://www.tuckerbikes.com. good shots of fun races. i am laid up for a week due to a bike accident on my way to work. there was construction and got clotheslined ridin to work cause someone thought putting rope across the sidewalk at neck height would be cool. I hate people. and Realized that if i was not wearing my helmet i would be a vegetable right now. Thanks helmet. Ya did good. oh and i hate Beaumont Hospital In Royal Oak MI. the doc i had was a butt pirate.
anyway my computer time is limited due to increase in eyestrain.
happy Pre-Turkey day!

race day!!!

yeah it was race day!!!!
i was not the fastest. But i Had a good time. and guess what....a week to my next race.

AM training ride...

it dont get better then this some days...

Keep on riding....keep on riding

That has been the mantra the last couple of weeks for i have begun the process of taking the thing that i love to do (biking) and adding a competitive aspect to it. I Have joined the league of roadies ad mountain bikers and general men and women of mayhem ad decided to race cyclocross this winter. I have begun my prep work with ten mile death hikes... i mean training rides with vary off and on road with hills too climb and run up and barriers to jump. i have made sacrifices too....Rosa was offered up to the craigslist demi gods for the needs of a steel beast.... let us have a moment for Rosa the Kona

now with Rosa Gone the need for a bike to handle my new sport so i turned to SURLY to help... and my new Ride the CROSSCHECK. steel and gears and just a pure bike....luv it!



i have been riding everyday to work and have had some epic sunrises as of late







So i will keep on ridin and bring more detail of my first cyclocross race.... which by the way is November 15th.... like in 9 days..... oh man..... kinda freaked out.... better get my domo coffee and prep the Surly for domination

Oh where have you been charming Billy?

Out Riding. all the time.
so its been awhile and i have good reason. Baby number 2 was born and she is awesome. i'll have her riding in no time. She is a Princess and i am wrapped around her little hand..
But that is as soft as i get because guess what.... winter is just around the corner and my friends we must prepare. take a look at this..




yup under 40 on my night ride Sunday. and let me tell you how unprepared i was. no gloves light layers and thin socks. i was frozen, that was until i scared the living snot out of a raccoon. then all was good and i had a cup of tea to warm my insides. So in prep for the cold..and dare i say SNOW i will begin the final steps of winter bike completion. last year was hard on Lucille (my SE Draft Single Speed) the salt and the snow ate away at her finish. so enter.... Miss. Behavin my Franken bike



This is the complete winter ride ready to destroy the Michigan Winter which will be coming faster then you want.
so with a little more work i will be safe to ride the wicked winter commute again, and maybe this year ride down some of those massive mounds of snow.
Time to rest but get ready for our next topic... Cyclocross.

watch this..... its cool

easy post

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
—Albert Einstein

Its summer and i"m playing outside. I am moving forward.

its catching on....

this was yesterday at work. all of the bikes in the picture are ones that work at the apple store with me.
Its awesome how may people are riding to work or even just riding in general. It seems that there is a shift in the way people are looking at their bikes. More people i know are saying to me " i think i'll pull my bike out and go for a ride today". now it may not be because of me but i feel that i have some influence.

I tell people just ride. if you have a bike i'll help you fix it to make it work for you, if you dont have a bike avoid the walmart lure of the cheap hunk of crap. because that will not be a bike it will be a headache and another hinderance to your awesome riding experience.
Go to your local shop, look at the bikes, if you dont see any under three hundred it not a shop for one starting out.
I feel that a shop should encourage every rider with every price point in mind. you dont have to spend $1200 or even $700 to find your new steed. A shop should fit you with what is right for you to encourage your love of the two wheel machine. fancy bikes come later when you know what you want to do and how you like to ride. so lets do this together, lets go for a ride.

i had a good day... rode to work back and forth...9.6 miles.
rode to a buddies bachelor party.... 8 miles round trip. all together saved about 8 bucks in gas, ad burned some calories. i will be setting up my bike this week with a new toy. the most awesome riding light. i will do a before and after shot with comparison on the light brightness.
Much thanks to my sis and bro-inlaw for the most amazing hook up!!!! i owe you pizza when you get up to Detroit.
much love and to Papa. kick cancer in the balls, you can do it! you are Michigan Tough Papa!!!!!!

peace

On a day like this how can you not ride

Yup this was the view from my casa. I love summer and i get lost in the rides and adventures that summer brings. I see no reason a persons life can't be full when they have the will to live.
I got to go on a night ride yesterday and it was fun all together it was about 8 miles plus my normal bike commute. putting me at a lovely 56 miles in the last week and a half.
The amount of people riding outside these days seems to be on the rise.
When we go to the farmers market on Saturdays there is no more room in the four bike racks they have!
I hope everyone who i am riding with does not get scared of the winter that will be coming at the end of September.
Keep it tough Michigan

Dude...new relams of pain...

two words....
KIDNEY STONES
yup i gots them.
did it keep me off my bike you ask? No sir...no it did not.
I rode to get the breakfast for my morning crew. The pain that radiates from my lower back was relieved once i sat on the seat and began to pedal. So after Doctors and cats scans and all the medicine. i must wait for it to pass.
In brighter news....i was here

i got to watch a very relaxing game eat a lot of really good (but bad for you food) and watch the Detroit Firework. ( As seen here)


saw many people with their bikes, saw some pretty bikes and saw some that looked like they had been to war. Some for pleasure riding and others were riding just to survive. How can one machine ( the bike) be a symbol of leisure and poverty, how can one see the man who lays his head on the street with his thrift store special and the dude whose bike cost more then my car next to each other. i dont get it. Detroit is said to be dying. And yes it is on the ropes but we are a tough place...we will bust through this. there is no other choice.
So this is my rant today...maybe its more intense due to the fact i am urinating blood but hey what ever i do this for me.

so this is me @ work today. Thanks to dave for taking the pic. this is the window display at work. i like the bikes in the background it makes me feel like the knights of the round wheel are storming the castle of the gas guzzling car warriors. so i struck the epic pose. Also my HR person at work has been emailing with me to find a way to present the bike commuter tax incentive , it would be a good way for me to get some cover minor costs that happen with riding ( tubes/tires/maintenance,new wheels.... lycra jump suits) and really put bailout money to good use ! ( thanks big government!!!!)
I deiced to ride today to work. for the most part i drive on sundays so i can stay at church longer before i start at noon, but in the preparation of having one car i decided to start biking on sundays. it was a nice ride. i have to start wearing lighter clothes ( shorts/socks/sandals ... mankini's) due to MI humidity.
Any who i left about ten minutes before i would leave by car and i still got there in plenty of time. had i gotten a flat it would have been close but fine. so i think next week i will leave even later. ( pushing the boundaries lolz )

what i save by riding to work

so i found this nifty little gadget online today. it a calculator that tells you how much money you save by biking to work. Now i am no math whiz and i don't know what they use to back the data but from me counting on my fingers and toes i am going to agree with its estimate.
here is the link
http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/bike/index.php
i save $124 a month
thats a lot of coffee ad burritos.

the power of the bell

i wish it were that easy here in MI... but plowing through the peoples on the street like the running of the bulls is what make me MICHIGAN TOUGH!

a simple no frills ride

got up today thought i would go for a ride ... and about ten minutes into it i had to come to a sudden stop due to a cat deciding to jump right in front of me..... so in honor of that... here are some videos of animals getting in the way


and another

glad this is not my ride!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=137_1243454879&p=1
just like a michigan pothole.

just a heads up too.
I went 10 days with no car. I LOVED IT.
So when the lease is up...its down to one.

cleaning house

so in an effort to try be able and turn around in my shed i pulled all bikes, kayaks and other winter junk piles out and began the task of cleaning.
8 bikes.....8 bikes came out of my shed. some put together some in various states of dissemble, but 8 bikes. i have begun the process of giving away the ones that can be ridden. they need to help someone else catch the fever! once i am down to a more manageable number i'll start all over again. but last night i got to help a buddy set up a rescued ride ( one i pulled from the trash) and watched him as he enjoyed a bike that was free. all the bike needed was a seat, air in the tires and grease on the chain. But we have plans for that one...big plans. Also i am getting another personal project bike ready... the winter mean machine, my SE had the displeasure of riding thru a whole michigan winter... it killed alot of the parts on the SE ( tires, cracnks, pedals, me ) so this year i will have a winter cycle. Old Schwinn LeTour, that will be getting a major overhaul. We are talking a BRIGHT RED paint job, and black accents ( bars, pedals and pinstripping)
so more picks to come.
PREPARE FOR MAJOR RANTING IN 5...4...3..2...1 we have go on rant:
also there has been talk of helmets not making a difference in bike accidents and what not, even bloggers i read talk about not always wearing helmets WHEN THEY PULL THEIR KIDS IN A BIKE TRAILER.... they are morons and retards. helmets save lives, the best rider can make a mistake... a curb will not say to you" hey i know you forgot your helmet today so i'll become soft." no... head will hit curb skull will crack and for the rest of your life diapers will be worn.
wear a helmet. eat drink and be merry
peace

caught spring fever and never looked back

Oh where have you been billy boy...billy boy
I've bee riding every day so bugger off!!!!
Oh man let me tell you the joy of a finely built set of wheels. Eric at cycleworks has really out done himself, these wheels are smooth and tuned. They are a truly awesome. I have ridden pretty much every day since i got them, i had to get new tires cause i wore thru them.
I have doe a couple of other upgrades on my steed. First new Pedals Primo Tenderizers i ca keep my foot vertical almost and not slip off. however i have increased the bear trap rate of injury but thats the price of the pure plat form pedal. i also got a new crank set, old school set from an old Schwinn.
I have biked to work over a year now its been a fun year. I have had some amazing exercise and experiences. i love riding and wish everyone would try it for three months.
to get started try this
get your self a bike mulit tool check out parks website for that, find the one you want ad we'll go to cycleworks and get it.
stuff you should carry
- bike hand pump
- extra tube ( the size you need is on the side of your tire it should be 2X-XX the x's are the size of your tire)
- tire levers! makes changing the tube so much faster.
- multi tool
- duct tape ( wrap it around a pen the keep it i your bag .... it fixes everything)
also once its gets crazy hot ride with a change of clothes for when you get to work its cool to be the guy that rides its not cool to be the stinky guy that rides ; )
hope this helps a little,
peace
bill

new wheels are almost here!

Its almost time for new wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am very excited. almost giddy.

just riding along with a hop in the wheel

Life is going by very fast. i find myself behind not only in the blog realm but in the way of chores and correspondence. I have had some good rides over the last month. and i have had a couple of crashes. my worst one yet was about a week ago and got me some nice road rash on the arms ad legs. but i am healing nice and clean.

Also i am getting a new wheel set. ready for this .... Surly flip flop hubs , wheel smith spokes, and salsa delgado rims... Wheels as tough as the cold hard pavement. it will be done this week and the SE will look slick and black and clean.
I needed to get new wheels due to the fact michigan sidewalks are as bad as the roads. And the wheels on the SE now not so nice. so thanks to Cycleworks of Clawson MI for all they do to keep my fat butt riding. so thats it expect pics when the new wheel comes
I am keeping track of my miles a little better, and this week alone i am at 35.6 miles just riding to and from work and just riding for fun.
peace
bill

Back to MI.. and have a cold

So after a few days off in the sun ( people said i got tan? ) I am back and rode today.
it was 32 out and the roads had black ice. Boy did it take me out.
Slid across ad intersection and broke a spoke.
Taking the day off tomorrow to heal the wounds and fix the bike.
The trip was good saw lots of people riding, wish i could have too. they had bike lanes all the way to Disney. which was pretty cool. I wonder if you have to pay the 12 dollars to park if you ride.

peace

its so cold in the "D"

yup its so cold.... time to RUN AWAY ( to florida for a week)
current temp for my ride home from Good ol' Apple Somerset


It was a interesting ride.... Got pulled over... by a cop... was kinda weird. He asked me questions like " why was my back pack so large and dark?" And " why am i riding a bike in the winter" my response i don't know to both.
ehhh whatever, Lame.

I get to go somewhere warm tomorrow life is good.

what makes my 15 minute ride...45...

This is why..... leg burning, sweat inducing, snow laden paths. Its been weeks of cold with snow with more cold with more snow. and to that is say " screw this i'm going to florida to thaw out for a week."

this is my bike on a mound of snow in a parking lot on my ride home. I mean really... it half a city block long and easily two stories high.

But i will still ride to work. I smile as i ride... i guess i'm nuts.

more for ya

Ahh here are some more shots of the project bike it various stages.

project bike 3....

A couple of months ago i got a chance to do a complete redo a mass produced piece of steel... this is my victim....


now when i got the bike it was in pretty bad shape. There was rust... rust and more rust. the Bike was purchased from a a yard sale and was left out i the Wonderful Michigan weather ( which we all know to be mostly dry and warm... not really). The bike had a worn chain runt in the fenders and the brakes were hosed and it was in desperate need of a tune up. The wheel had a nasty hop in it and needed to be straightened. It needed new grips and cables the shifters were shot. It was perfect.

So i began the tear apart. Now i have heard about the Zen of Motorcycle repair and the peace of a mechanic working on a hot rod i the confines of his or her Garage but there is something to be said about late nights and early mornings working on a bike. The click of a free wheel as you tru the wheel. The smell of Grease and fast food. The knowing that there is now one else but you responsible for the compete care of this bike.
Albert Einstein once said that any-man ca take an idea and make it bigger ad more complex, but it takes true Genius to amke something smaller, and less complex. So in my eyes you don't need 21 speeds, you dont need grip shifters you don't need disc brakes on a Bicycle. Keep it simple.
I dot have time to finish now... but i will post the finished Bike soon.

First commute of the new year...2009

So it is January in Michigan and it is a whopping 27 degrees outside.
AND i rode home from work.
I Loved IT.
There is something to be said for a brisk ride on a cold as snot day. But the coldest day on your bike pretty much beats anything else. Plus much thanks to my wife for the lift to work and getting Mr. Pita ( Hawaiian Jumbo Pita is the bee's knees) for lunch. i even got to use my new commuter mug which attaches to my bike handle bars is way awesome. Check out this website to see the cup in all of its glory. http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html
its pretty snazzy.
So this blog has been dormant for a long while. well thats the curse of the internet. Its a living breathing thing thats needs constant attention. So i will try my best to stay up to date and blog after each day i ride to work.
So I got my new bike awhile back and have it setup now for my ride. SE Draft. Frame size 38. Single Speed. Planet Bike Fenders Coffee Cup Holder and re-con 0.1 lights.

(the grass is long gone...old pic)
i love this bike... its really my first new bike since i bought a bmx bike in highschool most of my Bikes including my mountain bike (Rosa) have bee pieced together.It was nice to get everything new (thanks to all that helped make it possible). I named him Floyd. He is tough yet kind on bumps of the michigan rode.
thats all i got from a late night at the Genii Bar to the commute home
peace