I know we're the BeatBikeBlog, but I want to mention something bike-related that's happening in New Haven on Monday that everyone should check out:

Laura McCargar is a professional associate and friend of mine, and also a kick-ass individual. She runs Youth Rights Media, a non-profit in the Elm City that teaches local teenagers how to make movies, videos, and other media as a way to effect change in their area (their slogan is "Making Media, Making Change"). They've made some great movies about interactions between young people and police in New Haven and are very active in the area of juvenile justice reform, among many other cool projects. (Seriously, you should check out their website, which, in addition to everything else, has great design.)

With the warm weather here again, a lot of the kids at Youth Rights Media have been getting harassed by New Haven Police when riding bikes, stopped on dubious traffic violations and searched without cause. So on Monday, a bunch of the YRM crew is going to meet at the flagpole on the green and have a Critical Mass-style ride through New Haven to take back the streets for young people on bikes. As the flyer above says, they're meeting on the green at noon, so if you're in the area on a bike, definitely join them and lend support. (And don't click on "read more," 'cause there is no more.)

And here is the rest of it. Read more!

Ride of Silence. May 16th. 2008

Ride of Silence.



Lightening, thunder and downpours of cold rain didn’t deter nine riders from meeting in Elizabeth Park yesterday and riding together to honor and remember fellow cyclists who have been killed or injured on the public roads as part of the international Ride of Silence. The worst of the weather occurred just before the ride as Rachel, who rode all the way from New Britain, got to experience in all its wet glory! And DANG! Did it rain! I think it started just as I left my house and continued for a while after I got to the park.

We all certainly enjoyed the ever-changing weather. The ride left Elizabeth Park in a light sprinkle and retuned with sun shining between brooding clouds. All went well. No issues with downpours, motorists or flat tires.

We rode down Asylum Avenue into downtown, under the arch, around the Capitol Building, down Capitol Avenue, down Boulevard in West Hartford, right onto Raymond Rd, past the Police Station, meandered through Blue Black Square and its live and rockin’ 50’s band and returned east along Farmington Avenue and down a side road back into the park. wow. Can you say that all in one breath?

I kept stopping myself from talking, which was hard, as part of the ride. It was also hard as I am sure there were things other people wanted to say or share as well. It was weird not talking at all and knowing there was a line of people behind me! But it did force me to think and ponder much more, which was interesting. A few times I felt more celebratory than somber and wanted to smile and shout…but didn’t.

Though we all knew what we were doing, nobody watching us ride by had any idea of what was going on; we were just nine people on bicycles. The Ride of Silence idea wasn’t clear. Next year I will certainly make a pair of signs to put on my rear rack and will encourage others to make signs as well. “Ride of Silence” or remember “Joe Smith” or “share the road” would all be great messages.

I did make a sign incase we needed to block traffic that said “Thank You For Waiting” on one side. The other side is for people who feel the need to honk their horns and reads, “Honk If You Love Bicycles.” I never got to use the sign on the ride, but I did later on by accident at The Half Door. I was showing it to Rachel, Rich H (the cool eyeglass case dude) and Steve Tizzle when another table must have seen it and a young woman gave us a “HONK” later as she left. Good times. Good Times.

Well, I have no idea who everyone was and I was a bit nervous, but I think it all turned out well and I am super happy so many people braved the weather and came out to support something important. Thank you to everyone. Keep riding safe and see you next year.



one last photo, and what a great one too! i think i really captured the essence of everyone's shoulder.


Read more!

A random picture for our dear readers

Apropos of nothing, here is a picture of an old tandem that used to live in my yard. Enjoy! Read more!

this week in the beat. may 20-23

grease your chains y’all cuz its gonna be a wet week and there’s much going on in the city.

Progressive Happy hour at Kenny’s (red rock) 9:30 pm til close usually! Corner of capitol and Lawrence street. Look for the outdoor patio with lots of bicycles locked up to it! There’s more iron fence to lock a bicycle to than you can shake a stick at! Or a lock! Or just come inside and shake it! There’s Karoake! Join a bunch of progressive thinking, veggie growing, meat eating (well, some of us!), bicycling, political debating, beer drinking, curly fry eating boys and girls! The nickel and dimers that make it happen! The true best and brightest of Hartford!

The Ride of Silence will begin at Elizabeth Park at 7pm on Wednesday, May 21st. The Hartford ride will be about 12 miles and is expected to take just over an hour. This is one of 277 rides being done on the same day in 17 countries around the world. It is a memorial ride to remember and honor fellow bicyclists who have been killed or injured on public roads. Please check the Ride of Silence website for more information. The ride will be led by Dave Rinquest of the CCBA.

Thursday, May 22, the Farmers’ Market at Billings Forge opens with many vendors, live music, picnic tables and a grand ‘ol time from 11am to 2pm. Its fresh! The market is located in the Firebox parking lot on Broad street only a few buildings south of Capitol Ave. (Shell station) You can pay with EBT/Foodstamps, credit card, debit card and they even take US cash! Bring your own reusable bag and buy fruits, vegetables, honey, locally roasted coffee, salsa, local beef, fresh ice cream, arts and crafts, falafel and empanadas ready to eat! Dang I’m getting hungry. Mad props to the Market Master Hanna Grant!

The market will be open Mondays and Thursdays though the month of October, 11am to 2pm. Its Fresh!


Friday House Happy Hour @ the Tiki Bar @ sully’s! yeah baby! get down with dj mike Johnson keepin’ the house beats bouncin’ outside and dj darkman inside with old school hiphop and r&b early and the band sirsy later on. $5 donation requested.
Free pizza, drink specials, chair massages and the usual chill vibe. lots of fence to lock to, but harass chris and rob to make it easier for bicycles to lock to it!! Also check the new waterfall, its super mad ridiculously chill there now.


it says READ MORE!

but there ain't no more to read suckas!


HEY! i said there wasn't no mo to read fool!

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This Car-Loving Nation of Ours

In yesterday's New York Times, beard-having liberal Paul Krugman mused about why we Americans can't give up our cars: He says it's because we all live in suburbs and exurbs that were built with cars in mind. He compares this state of affairs to some neighborhood in Berlin (Germany, not Connecticut) where he's hanging out: "a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping."

Krugman says that there aren't enough such places in the U.S. of A., but here's the thing: I live in such a place - it's called West Hartford (well, not so many four- and five-story buildings, but otherwise similar). And you know what? People still drive everywhere. I live about six blocks from the grocery store, and I am the only person I ever see walking to get groceries. My house is under a mile from West Hartford center, but none of our neighbors ever walk there. There is a bus stop at the end of our block, but I have not seen anyone take the bus from there in the eight months since I moved in. Frankly, the only people I ever see on foot in my neighborhood are (a) children, (b) people walking dogs, and (c) joggers.

Ken had a recent post on this here blog about the American love affair with cars and he called it "Americans Still Stupid . . . or Trapped." In the comments, Caitlynne took issue with the title, saying, Krugman-style, "It's not us- people are great! It's the SYSTEM, man!" The example of West Hartford (and of so many other close, accessible, walkable suburbs) makes me want to throw my lot in with Ken and say that dumb Americans are in the grip of some deep foolishness. Paul Krugman's beard (and, to a certain degree, his eloquence) and Caitlynne's earnestness make me want to throw my lot in with them and blame years of bad planning (and more than a little racism and classism, which have encouraged people to flee the cities whenever possible). So I ask you, dear readers, who's right?

(Don't click on "read more" below. There's no more to read, but "read more" shows up automatically.) Read more!

Sponsors Wanted

(Photo by Meaglin, of WikiMedia Commons.)

As the post below this one makes clear, I am lately deprived of the pleasure of my folding bicycle. My insurance deductible is $1,000, which exceeds the value of said whip, so that's that - it's the road bike or nothing. Clearly, this is not the end of the world; people are undergoing far greater suffering as we speak. But I do want a new folder, because strapping my road bike to the roof of my Corolla, although it works, makes me nervous and distracts me from safe driving. (You know what else distracts me? The roaring wind through my broken fucking window! Waterbury car burglar, I will kill you!) And while I am a lawyer, I am a public interest lawyer with two kids and a mountain of debt, so I can't really buy a new bike right now. Which leads me to the following brilliant idea . . .

I need a company to sponsor me. The company will provide free gear (bike, t-shirts, bag) and I will provide ceaseless, high-profile endorsement. I realize that usually, people who get sponsorships participate in some sort of sporting activity that other people care about (Nascar, basketball, etc.). But let me suggest something: Bicycle commuting is the new, um, thing that is hot. Look - everywhere we see news stories about the skyrocketing cost of gas, about people showing renewed interest in alternative transportation, about bike week. Bicycle companies are making more models aimed at commuters. So clearly, this is a market that needs a spokesperson.

And really, who better than me? While I'm not terribly attractive (I've been told I have a face that's perfect for radio), I'm not too ugly, and if nothing else, I'm tall. I have a crazy, multi-modal commute, which shows off the benefits of a folding bike. I work with poor children, so I have that do-gooder appeal. And I speak Spanish, so I could reach the ever-growing Hispanic immigrant population!

Seriously, folding bike companies, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. As it is, I have frequently sung the praises of my (now stolen) Dahon folder to other commuters, who were always interested in the bike when I took it on the train, and I have documented my bike travels and exploits on this blog, which has been seen by hundreds of people, including one in Poland! If you would just set me up with a new bike, I would tirelessly spread the gospel of bike commuting, folding bikes, and maybe also human beatboxing, because that is fast becoming a lost art. I would take the train to New York and show up at high-profile bike events there. I would go up to Boston for stuff there. I would, of course, keep the Beat on lock. If you wanted, I would hobnob with the rich and famous, or host charity events, or star in a series of television ads. Just set me up with a new bike! (Dahon, I'm especially looking at you. That Cadenza with the 8-speed, internally geared hub and the disc brakes is the hotness, and I will make that bike a star if you will just give me one for free.)

And bike accessory companies, you can get in on the act too! Kryptonite, I already love you guys for that one time you replaced my lock with no questions asked after it started seizing up in the cold. Let's talk! BaileyWorks, I love your shit too (but Timbuk2, Manhattan Portage, Chrome, ReLoad, you guys are doing good work too, and I will totally work with you (especially ReLoad!)). Helmet makers, light makers, companies that make stylish bike clothes, you guys can all get in on this act (and by stylish, I'm thinking Swobo, not all that spandex business, you feel me?).

So basically, I need stuff but I don't have money (or shame). Let's talk.
Read more!

Stolen!

Sad but true. I drove to Waterbury on Saturday with my beloved folder in the trunk, planning to take the bike on Metro-North down to NYC so I could ride to my 10-year-college reunion and get around in the city. But I stupidly left my lock home, so I left the bike folded up in the trunk of the car and traversed New York by subway. And today when I returned, some miscreant had broken a window, ransacked the car, and made off with the bike and my ipod shuffle. It was a black Dahon Jack, which is a folding bike with 26" wheels. It had swept-back, touring style handlebars, a grip shifter attached to a bar end (see this post for a picture of the handlebars), a rear rack, and big BMX-style pedals. It also had many stickers. If you see this bike, or if someone tries to sell you this bike, or if you happened to be in the parking lot of the Waterbury Metro-North station in the middle of the night on Saturday night and saw the dastardly act take place, do the following two things:

(1) Leave a comment with details.

(2) If the offender is within arm's length, kindly provide him/her with a judicious punch in the neck on my behalf.

Also, before all (six) of you loyal readers organize the Replacement Bikes For Public Interest Lawyers fundraising concert, know that I've filed both a police report and an insurance claim (both for the broken glass and the stolen items), so I may just weather this great calamity without financial hardship. But if you decide to organize the concert anyway, can you make sure Ghostface Killa is on the bill? Because that would be hot. Read more!

Bike Everywhere! (to Happy Hour)

CCBA Bike Everywhere Bike to Happy Hour. friday, may 16th


I’m going to cut to the chase here, and give props ASAP to the core group that laughed at the rain and rode their bikes to the Bike Everywhere Happy Hour at the Corner Pug today. Big ups to Steve Tudisco, Ben Bare, ChillWillme!), Rich H, Matt Spader, Kevin Sullivan and Robyn Baena. Good on y’all mates! Well done! ‘nuff respect.

All in all, we were 11 strong, with most people biking or walking, and only three or four drivers. Long commutes (from Enfield etc) and massive bicycle tire and clothing issues resulting in wide spread wetness and bandaged fingers all get free passes...this time! Its great to see people putting the B of the CCBA to good use! Woo-haa!

So what happened? Well, what happens at CCBA happy hours stay at CCBA happy hours. I can say many wings and nachos were consumed and washed down by rounds of pints of frothy, beautiful beer. mmmm…beeeer! Flyers were passed out, stories shared, plots schemed and other things occurred as well. The club even bought the first few rounds of brew and noshes. Good lookin’ out CCBA!

Expect another CCBA Happy Hour next month and we shall welcome the weather no matter what mother nature feels like sharing with us! Rain, sleet, snow, heat, river mud or locusts, we shall ride on. Hopefully in June we will be sitting outside in the late evening sun; plotting a late night ride through Bushnell Park, snaking through downtown and down the stairs and along the riverfront and across the river. Bridges! Hells yeah! Y’alls know what I’m talking about.

Always bring your lights and spares/tools etc cuz ya never know what might happen.

Also this summer: Bike to Jazz in the Park. Live jazz in Bushnell Park Monday Evenings. Picnic blanket republics form and establish pot-luck trade routes of noshes and wine under summer night skies. Enjoy the city, the music, the people, the entire vibe of the park. This annual series is always an evening my city shines and I am super happy to live and work here.

more photos after the jump:
(hey! that means click READ MORE!)




Rich (seen in the backgroung looking quite amused) has the most amazing eyeglass case. take a good look at him. if you ever see him out at a party, perhaps enjoying happy hour or about to sit down and enjoy the theater … make a point of saying hey, hello, hi, how ya doing and ask to see his eyeglass case. Its brilliant!



Ha! Double B leaving “coincidently” right after the CCBA tab runs out. hmm….






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Americans Still Stupid...or Trapped

$65 tanks of gas, every week. Boy it hurts. But the sprawling suburban country is not giving up its addiction to the car without a fight.

According to this reuters piece, Americans are still in love with the car.

"It’s U.S. National Bike to Work Day on Friday and Americans are facing record high gasoline prices, but most commuters will stick to their cars." Wrote John Hurdle.

What can be done? Maybe $100 tanks of gas. Or better bicycle infrastructure. Or people moving into the cities.
Read more!

bike week in da beat

bike week in da beat. its on and poppin’. been mad busy. no time for sleep.

check the bike everywhere BIKE TO HAPPY HOUR event today, Friday, at the corner pug in west Hartford. 5:30 til yer done.


last night was creative cocktail hour at real art ways and, as usual, the bike rack was full…and then some. hopefully will will put in more bicycle parking. ha! i said will twice. there was lots more art this month than the last few CCH's and I was super happy about that. I like the party aspect, no doubt, but i really do enjoy getting there before it gets crowded and spending time time checking out the art. I really liked a few of the pieces. the hanging plexiglass installation was fun to wonder through and I did like the wall of old photos. it was like a peak into someone’s life, their past, and I thought of my own old family photos. the headphone/video/interview pieces weren’t making it happen for me. perhaps on a non-party night and some time to willingly invest, I might like it.

great food too from barca on park street. Jamie gave me a card good for a glass of wine. and then more good food. mmm…..food.

more photos way below after the jump.


this morning was Bike to Work at the old state house sponsored by the CCBA and several state departments. juice and bagels and some crazy bikes too! check ben bare’s ride. two crates! dang that’s sweet. i don’t find the front basket overkill either and I heard some talk about a trailer being attached. I think its just missing a cupholder.



el presidente de china and his folding bike were in the house. check the shifter. WTF? the man is a crazed, unelected, out of control madman with a finger on the button and a beer in his other hand. this is the bike that rides dikes, rides stairs and rode to the dirty water.


Wednesday night about a dozen CCBA members and a few new heads met up at Lena’s for the bike everywhere! bike to dinner dinner. ha! I said dinner twice. we sat outside in the back patio near the new waterfall and enjoyed $2 drafts from the tiki bar. The CCBA kicked in for the pizza and I believe somewhere out there exists a photo of everyone. if a second photo of me flashing ever surfaces, please understand, its just a photoshop job, trust me. it’s a fake I tell you!

want more? click on the read more button for the rest of the story:






i don't remember how we got those to stick to people. thanks for the exposure tj.



the george keller hood was well rep'd. hollerrrrrrr.



there was a really good reason for taking this photo...i think...but i don't remember.



sweet boots! i really wish i got more of the boots in the photo! what was i thinking? what are they thinking?



and what are they thinking? every time i take a photo of three people it comes out strange. i initially just thought it was the staten island ferry, but perhaps its far more wide spread.



i have no idea why we are smiling. we were hungry and walked across the street from the spigot to get wings from wings, but it was closed. but we were there. and happy. but hungry. but happy. the post CCH party at the spigot was in celebration of the birthdays of maura and johnny. happy birthday again y'all!


i think this photo speaks for itself. but i have no idea what its saying.












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Take Your Daughter's Bike To Work Day

Well, I was excited to be the first to post about Bike To Work Day (I mean, the official one; y'all know that e'ery day is Bike To Work day for the BBB crew), but stupid flickr wouldn't let me upload my pictures, and a blog post without pictures is like, um, a thing without the other thing that makes it better. Anyway, chillwill beat me to the punch, but now I have a few more pictures. So, click on "read more" to see the post I boldly penned this morning, and the pictures I boldly took.

Yes, it's true. Drunk off the heady, alternative transportation optimism spawned by a week of bike-related events, tens of bike commuters gathered in the shadow of the Old State House (where our Connecticut forefathers signed the Fundamental Orders after riding their bikes to work back in 1639) to eat bagels, drink coffee, and revel in the Boston accent of D.E.P. Commissioner Gina McCarthy and the bold proclamation that May 16 would once again be known as Bike to Work day in Hartford. (City Council Prez. Calixto Torres read the proclamation, which Mayor Eddie Perez had lovingly composed at an earlier date.) Chillwill and I were there, repping the BBB to the fullest. Naturally, I took some pictures:



I don't know if it's a lack of good publicity on the part of the organizers or a testament to just how autocentric Central Connecticut is, but you sure couldn't tell that it was a special day for riding bikes to work. This photo is representative of the number of bikes I saw on my way from West Hartford.



Of the thirty-odd people present, those in street clothes may actually have constituted the minority. Understand me: I have nothing against matching spandex outfits, but if you're biking to work and you have to carry a whole set of clean clothes and keep them from getting wrinkled, isn't that, like, a pain? And what if you're on your way home and you get a call saying, "Come meet us at this bar!" ('cause that's what it's all about, right? Bike Everywhere, you know?) Are you going to chill at the bar dressed like a safety-conscious superhero? Not hatin', just statin'.



The unassuming leaders of the bike rebellion, Gina McCarthy and Calixto Torres, read their proclamation dissolving city government and declaring the two-wheeled dictatorship. Their loyal footsoldiers look on with approval.



As with all good bike advocacy events, there were freebies. These included stainless steel waterbottles, tape measures (I guess they couldn't afford cyclocomputers, so they went for a cheaper distance measurement tool), and lots of stickers. There were some day-glo ones that said "BE SAFE, BE SEEN," and back at the office I was able to rearrange them into "YA SABES," which is much better.

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Its Bike Week of Bike Month!

its sooo nice outside! don't be a fool...ride a bike!

Wednesday, May 14: Bike to Dinner Lena's at 5:30pm.
2053 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06106

arrive early to drink beer at the tiki bar in back!
and be sure to harass rob about a bike rack!
Lena's / Sully's is the freakin' spot.
come meet fellow bicyclists.
what more could you want!?!?!?

BIKE to WORK. friday, may 16th, Old State House. 7am-9am
bike to work is this friday...not the last friday!
come enjoy a free breakfast and 100 of your newest friends.
its free! even i can afford that.


Friday, May 16: Happy Hour- Corner Pug at 5:30pm
Bicycles and Happy Hour! Celebrate if the weather is good! Drown your weather sorrows in beer if its not so good!
Corner Pug is on the corner of New Britiain Ave and New Park Ave.
they'll have a bike rack out for us!

ps! get famous! help the cause.
this an email forward from Adam Bulger, a writer at the advocate:

I'm a writer for the Advocate, working on a story about different ways of getting around the Hartford area without resorting to cars. I'm looking for comments from people who ride bikes instead of cars (I'd like to emphasize commuting to work, but this will not be the entirety of the article). This will be quick, non-intrusive questions, like why and when did you start riding bikes, what do you like/dislike about it, if you have any interesting stories or experiences or if you have any other observations. I'm happy to hear any criticism about how municipalities/drivers don't respect bike riders, so if you've got axes, grind away.

chillwill was nice enough to forward this on my behalf. If you'd like to respond via email, you can contact me at abulger@hartfordadvocate.com, or if you'd prefer speaking with me, my direct line is (860) 548-9300.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Adam

pps. if you ask nicely, he will also ask long intrusive questions. Read more!

Gross!

A nasty thing has happened on the past two days on the way to work. Yesterday, I watched a woman vomit while crossing Marshall Street and today I watched a different woman vomit on to the grass in front of the Hartford Children's Theater.

Is there a plague ravaging Asylum Hill?

Be careful, Joel.

----

Also, I came in third in the race on Sunday and received a giant container of HEED as a prize. It's funny, according to that website selling HEED, that jar I got costs $45. I have not had any HEED yet and I'm actually sort of frightened of it. Second place got $5 cash and first got $10. I'm unsure who made out the best in this deal.

Read more!

The Scruffy Peloton rides again!

The Mark Twain House to the Spigot, a 25 mile ride? yep, if you do it Brendan's way via Avon's Rails to Trails! Check the ROUTE.

Our group shrunk to four riders for last thursday's ride, Brendan, Johanna, Joel and ChillWill. The ride over the mountain through Talcott Notch wasn't bad. The twisty road by Avon Old Farms was fun and cars couldn't pass you due to the width of the road, so they had to go slow. No worries. No honking. The Rails to Trails path was mostly empty and flat and enabled lots of conversing, scheming and planning. I bunny hopped over a speed bump in some randomn parking lot off Hopmeadow. Yes! I am no longer a virgin thanks to pedal cages!


Ahhhh.....bridges and bikes! We should maybe rename this blog!

Some jack-ass in Porche hooked Johanna and missed her by a few feet on rt. 185. Jerk!!!

The wings from Wings and the pitchers at the Spigot were delightful after the ride.

i am looking forward to the next ride of the Scruffy Peloton. Read more!

Can't We All Just Roll Along?

From San Fran - the bike capital of America, I post this treat:

From Matt Smith's SF Weekly Piece about sharing the road:

"What I think is interesting is the threshold after which it becomes common knowledge that bicycling is safe, responsible, and comfortable transportation," says SPUR's transportation policy director, Dave Snyder. "There will be a point when enough people ride bikes that the idea that we're a bunch of freaks, and that we're better off without bicycles because it's dangerous, will be forgotten."

Dave Snyder, a long time bicycle guru, has come to Hartford before to discuss building great bicycle organizations.

Peace,
Ken K.
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bike racks

I know that this is something interests many of us:

I'm invited to a meeting next Wednesday to discuss where the City is going to use its grant money to put bicycle racks downtown. This money is only for public land/right of ways, so that presents a problem for State House Square. Apart from that, any suggestions on rack locations?

Read more!

Movie Night Tonight! Free! Critical Mass movies.

Critical Mass Movie Night at Alchemy/The Green Vibration
The CCBA Bike Everywhere Program and Alchemy Present:

Movie Night tonight at 7pm.

FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! even i can afford it!

we're showing three short movies about Critical Mass.

Join us in celebration of the Bike to Work Week (May 12th - 15th) sponsored by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance

The movies being shown:

We Are Traffic (1999, 50 min.) chronicles the history of the Critical Mass bicycle movement, now a monthly ritual in over 100 different cities in 14 different countries since its genesis in San Francisco in 1992. The movie tracks this leaderless, grassroots movement, which has brought together complete strangers in an exuberant, commercial-free public space filled with creativity and unpredictability.


Return of the Scorcher (1992, 28 min.) discovers an inspired and evolving bicycle renaissance. Filled with inspiring scenes of bike use filmed in China, The Netherlands, Denmark and the USA, this is the movie that gave us the term "Critical Mass".


Still We Ride! (2005, 37 min.) This action-packed documentary is a glimpse into the shocking showdown between the monthly Critical Mass bike ride and New York City police in the months after the Republican National Convention in August 2004.


http://www. thegreenvibration. com/calendar/fridayfreefilmbike/

www. beatbikeblog. blogspot. com
riding in hartford
And here is the rest of it. Read more!

28-year old track bike virgin gets some

Ever been blown away by a track bike? My first ride on a track bike recently flipped my lid, kid.

I'm going to mix some metaphors here, because it's fun and sometimes humorous. If my Raleigh M-80 with a chain that needs lube, brake pads that need a deglazing, a broken shifter for the rear derailleur and some heavy hard-case semi-slick tires is a 93 Chevy Blazer, then my boy TJ's track bike is a hot knife. This thing transfers energy from your body to forward motion so cleanly that you'd think you were riding your bike in outerspace in a vacuum-sealed chamber. Well, maybe I just made up the vacuum chamber thing is a stretch I made for this post, but I did think of the hot knife when I was trying out TJ's bike.

So what happens when you get so nice and then go out riding with a courier on his off-hours? You get blown away, and you make sure the ride is just a short jaunt to sit down and continue to get nice in the neighborhood park.

Abstinence is not the answer, my mountain and roadie friends.





Read more!

More 5-Borough Pictures

OK, so technically it was the Four-Borough Bike Tour for me, because I broke from Team Hartbeat and joined with Team Brooknam (me, Chris, and Mike D.) to go meet up with our boy Ming, have some beers, and go to a Mexican joint. After that, I knew that rejoining the procession would result in my missing the 4:07 train to Waterbury, which would, in turn, result in my eventual death at the hands of my wife. So I headed back to Grand Central. Pictures and a little bit of text are after the jump.



I started the day in Bed-Stuy at my boy Chris's house. Here's his very fast bike getting ready to leave the house.




Riding with Chris to the rendezvous point at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
(Chris doesn't need to trouble himself with silly things like paying to participate in the ride or wearing a silly little blue vest. In the New York bike world, Chris always has the hook-up, and today was no different - he made a call just as we started the ride and someone met him at Canal Street with a VIP bracelet.)




The meet-up went off without a hitch. Bagels were eaten and coffee was drunk.




Will eloquently expressed what it feels like to meet up with people at 6:45 after a night on the town.




This guy had a folding bike that was way goofier than mine.




Will, Chris, and Dan cross the Brooklyn Bridge in the deadly "Flying V" formation. Hartford + Brooklyn + Ann Arbor = Bicycle Kung Fu.




We waited at Church and Vesey for a long while before getting started.




A deli near the start on the ride was mobbed. I bought Brendan a tallboy of Heineken, and a cop who was there congratulated me for starting so early in the morning.










The crew waits for the ride to get started.




Were there transvestites on tricycles? You bet!




Dag. There were a lot of people.




Eventually, we got moving.




But things slowed to a crawl at the entrance to Central Park, so Chris and I detoured around the park and made a pit stop on 3rd Ave.








Between the top of the park (where Chris and I rejoined the ride) and Astoria Park there were many fine views. That last pic is of some cool-looking project rooftops on the Queens side of the Queensborough Bridge.




In Astoria Park, we were joined by Mike D., Chris's friend and business partner, who is a sociopath and a hilarious person. I unfortunately failed to get a shot of his awesome Bilenky cargo bike.




Eventually, we reached the best Borough, Brooklyn. That was the cue for me, Mike, and Chris to leave the route and show up unannounced at Ming's house. Ming is a crazy shut-in who plays World of Warcraft, shoots nerf darts at his cats, and builds little models of giant fighting robots. He also tucks his belly in under his belt. He seemed completely unsurprised to see us, provided us with beers, and suggested we get food at the Mexican joint across the street, which we did, although I failed to make any photographic record of any of it. Something else I failed to photograph was the Honduran guy with whom I had a lengthy conversation on many topics while traveling from Bridgeport to Waterbury. He lamented the strict enforcement of DUI laws in this country (he has one charge in New York and one in Connecticut), drank six tallboys of Coors (he offered me one but I declined), and generally made the ride entertaining.
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