Another Long Haul

49 Miles today. I had a map and a plan. I lost the map along the way. I found out the first time I needed it. I pieced this ride together anyhow. The mile-long gravel/dirt/granite decent on Mountain Rd. on Mt. Agamenticus wasn't by choice. But it wasn't that bad either. I can't recommend Specialized Armadillo Elite tires enough. They are well worth the price of $60/each.HERE'S A LINK TO THE COMPLETE MAP AND DIRECTIONS...
View Larger Map

60 Miles and 6 Hours in the Saddle

View Larger MapI was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and today. But with the autumn weather so sweet right now, I had to go. This loop described from my place in Kittery Point is about 45 miles. I took 4 hours to do it. Long, slow miles. That's what the doc ordered. I timed it just right to get home for a few bites, change riding clothes, and head to Portsmouth Critical Mass. With the addition of those miles/hours, I was 6 hours in the saddle for about 60 miles with 4 stops in there to eat. I feel pretty good still. Think I might add on 30 more tomorrow... If you want to check out this ride, CLICK HERE to see the larger map plus directions. You can print those and get rolling...

Why Buy at a Bike Shop

I've worked in bike shops since the beginning of the Millennium. So I've been around to experience the damage on line stores have had on retailers. It's a cut throat world of commerce out there. Lots of new venues pop up daily vying for the consumer's dollar and trying to under bid the existing competition. Many people succumb to the lure of a cheap deal and purchase their goods online instead of seeking the same product locally. This sends money to communities outside our own, leaving local businesses to wither. This is the moral argument for shopping locally instead of online. Another argument is what you get for your money. Somebody can save $15 per tire if they order their tires online. But what if the casing has some irregularity or the bead is warped or bent. The purchaser will have to send it back and hope the online source is good and quick with their warranty service. But how does the consumer know? They just google searched the item they were looking for, clicked on a result, looked at a shiny pretty web site for a minute and hit 'check out'. The consumer really has no idea who they are buying from and won't have any idea if the seller has their best interest at heart or not. This becomes increasingly troubling with the introduction of many counterfeit fakes entering the market. Cinelli has posted a warning regarding counterfeit seat posts imitating their product that fail dramatically. Chris King has also become aware of counterfeit look alike components on the market. These are leading names in component manufacturing. I won't even get into all the "no name" products flooding the web stores. In a bike shop a consumer will meet the staff and get a sense of their fields of expertise in the bicycling world. The customer can choose a shop that fits their personality and type of riding. From that initial visit to the shop, relationships develop. It's a place where everyone there is into bikes. Otherwise they wouldn't be in a bike shop. Perhaps a consumer purchases their bike components online and then brings their purchases to a bike shop to be installed. Although the customer's business is very welcome anytime, this is the equivalent of bringing your own fish, grains, and vegetables to a restaurant and asking the cooks to make a meal out of it for you. Most restaurants would kick that person out on their ass. Often a person who has purchased their components online, will end up with parts that are not compatible with each other or with the frame in question. Because a web store doesn't have the presence to see the situation and advise on the best combination of components or accessories for the application.
All of this said, I have myself purchased bike related things online. There does come a time when, especially living in rural areas or small communities, the local bike shop doesn't carry or have access to that PINK anodized brake caliper or that leather saddle with the gold plated rivets and magnesium hollow rails. But before you click "Check Out", its always better to check the local shops first. And when purchasing online, one can at least be sure to purchase from a site connected to a retail outlet. That way, the money spent is still supporting a struggling bike shop in a community somewhere.

In THe Beginning...

Bikes didnt' even have gears. They were a perch with two wheels you propelled by pushing along like you would on a skateboard. This was long before skateboards. Before Nascar, racing fixed gears on velodromes was the hot sport to see, wager on, and otherwise be a part of. Velodromes could be found in every major city around the world. Kids grew up dreaming of flying along the wooden track at speeds faster than the motorized vehicles of the time. This was before football, TV, remote controls and all the evils that came with that stuff. Velodrome racing, freestyle riding, urban messengers, commuters; the fixed gear bicycle is a machine that has found a home under many cyclists.
This is the place where I will disperse with information regarding fixed gear only group bicycle rides through the countryside around the Southern NH/Maine landscape. My aim is to bring together a community of people who love riding the fixies on longer distance rides. These rides will be at least 30 miles, with the goal of working up to a fixed gear century. Sound easy? We'll see. These rides won't be races, more like "easy" miles with lunch/espresso stops along the way. Or at least as easy as pushing a 49/18 gear up and spinning down the other side of this glacier torn terrain can be!
The first ride will be scheduled sometime in October before Halloween. My goal is to organize two rides a month, one shorter, one a bit longer. Like a 30 than a 50 miler or some such thing.
So check in regularly, keep in touch, and get some tension on that chain. Soon we'll be rollin'.