For 10 years I lived in the Washington DC area. I had my folding bike, an account with a car-sharing service, and I lived near the DC Metro system. Life was good. But something was missing. So I fell in love, moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, and got married. I realize now that what was really…
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Urbana Bikes: Serious Fun
Many people wonder why racing cyclists train on ludicrously expensive bikes and wheels. Theoretically, a racing cyclist must work harder riding a heavy clunker, getting more benefit from this harder workout. The secret lies in the psychology of motivation: it’s simple stupid fun to go fast and to push yourself to new personal bests. I’m…
Best Ride of Janurary
This January has been a tough one to get out on good rides, I mean it is January after all. Yes those of us that are lucky enough to live in Flagstaff Arizona are spoiled, in the summer we get to ride some of the best alpine single track in the world and in the…
Top 5 Winter Commuting Tires (Non Stud)
It is that time of year, you take off your slicks and add a tire to your bike that will grip in the rainy or icy conditions. There are a good amount of tires out there that I highly recommend but for now. I’ll look at you all to give me feedback for studded tires…
Pearl Izumi Sprint Shoes : Long Term
When we left off with the Pearl Izumi Sprint Shoes back in October I was using this shoe as my daily commuter shoe 3-5 times a week. The thread and sneaker look made it very easy to climb on to buses, walk on slick interior floors and still have a stiff sole for pedaling and…
Cycling on ice
It looks like many cyclists have discovered studded bicycle tires this winter. Here’s a very brief post about them. After several years of year round commuting on a skinny tire road bike, I purchased a single studded tire for my mountain bike from Nashbar a few years ago. While it’s very possible to cycle across…
Interbike: Salsa Fargo, adventure touring (and commuting?)
A lot of people are having trouble categorizing the new Salsa Cycles Fargo. They’re labeling it an “adventure touring” bike. It has all the comfort for long distances of a touring bike while built as a mountain bike. It looks to be the perfect bike for long gravel roads and perhaps some adventure commuting.
Commuting 101: Dealing with Road Rash
I had a rainy commute a few mornings ago. It was the light rain that’s heavier than mist but not quite a shower. Temperatures were pleasantly in the high 50’s. I’m usually careful of slick spots when it’s raining. Particularly, metal surfaces (manhole covers, steel plates and railroad crossings) and painted road stripes are quite…
Q&A: What gearing should I use on a singlespeed mountain bike?
Ed. – This question came in from a reader who needs some advice. If you’ve got an answer and/or opinion, please leave it in the comments. Also, if you have a question you’d like answered, email diggers@commutebybike.com. From Anthony: I’m going to give commuting a go and need some advice. I’m a singlespeed mountain biker…
Product Review: Cannondale Doubletrack shorts
I bought a pair of Cannondale Doubletrack mountain bike shorts on March 24, 2007. The Cannondale Doubletrack mountain bike shorts consist of a mesh inner short with a padded chamois and a separate durable outer short. Last Monday (exactly a year after I bought them), the fabric finally wore through in the crotchal area. I…
Strida 5.0: The Shakedown
I’ve had a chance to ride the Strida for a full week of commuting. My bike commute is usually a 3 mile ride from the train station to my office, though last night I took it about seven miles across Silicon Valley. The single speed and light weight Strida 5.0 is perfect for short commutes…
XYZ Bike – Inaugural Ride
It is hard to believe that it has been almost three weeks since I took the XYZ Bikes Men’s Cruiser out of the box. Since that time a couple nasty ice storms, a week-long trip for work and Christmas preparations and celebrations have taken me out of the saddle. I had the day after Christmas…
How to ride on ice
With temperatures dipping below freezing in the northern portions of North America, Europe and Asia, bike commuters who want to continue riding are learning to negotiate the icy patches and snow on their routes. Here’s how it’s done. Watch for black ice. These are the almost invisible patches of thin ice on shaded sections of…
Dutch & other Euro bikes @ Interbike
There was quite a bit of response when Seattle Bike Supply began importing the Dutch Batavus bikes into the United States. Seattle Bike Supply had a huge display at Interbike 2007 with a large portion devoted to the Batavus Dutch Bikes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to ask how much interest there’s been in…
Raleigh One Way: Singlespeed love child
He is a sturdy, hard-working cyclocross bicycle who’s retired from racing and works for a living. She’s a slim and beautiful fixed-gear track bike. Put them together and the offspring might be what Raleigh calls “our idea of a perfect single speed commuter.” My quick, initial impression of the One Way is that they’re not…
Mendota Meets Mud
It has been raining for days in my area and the streets and the path I ride were wet and had several patches of thin, slick mud on them. I figured this would be a great opportunity to test the Mendota on wet pavement. According to their website, the Mendota is “fender-ready for utility,” but…
Commuting 101: How to stop the bike
This may seem like a silly topic, but one of the skills taught in the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) is the “Quick Stop.” Most of the time, simply squeezing the brake levers (on most bikes) will slow and stop you adequately. There are times, though, when you need to stop on a dime. Knowing…
Don't Need It 'Til You Need It
20 years ago I thought bike helmets were silly and didn’t wear one. Back then I only commuted by bike occasionally, about a 20 miles round-trip, in traffic, and I never worried about safety issues. 17 years ago my wife convinced me that since my children were getting bike helmets, I should too in order…
Should I Ride Today? Flip A Coin…
My Slicks and Ice really don’t like each other. I was considering Fritz’s idea about using the zip ties, but haven’t gotten the chance to work on it … yet. I agree with kimbofo — “Most people have a general interest in the weather … when you become a cyclist you develop a more specific…
Manzella Silk Weight Windstopper Gloves
Positives: Lightweight, comfortable, works as advertised (windproof, water resistant). Removable fleece liner lets you adjust the insulation depending on conditions. Excellent manual dexterity and feel lets you operate zippers, helmet buckles, lights and locks. Negatives: Missing cycling-specific features: no reinforced fabric on palm side, slick grip, no snot wiper, no padding. The Manzella Silk Weight…
Cycletote
The folks of Cycletote just sent us a very neat trailer to review. They sent us the Touring model. You’re wondering how does this become a trailer? Well with my magical mechanic hands, anything is possible! Here are some of the specs: Standard Equipment The Touring Model, Covered Wagon, Woody, and Bare Trailer come equipped…
KHS F20-R First Impression
Here’s a picture of the ‘mystery bike’, its a 2006 KHS F20-R. This bike is what I like to call, a High Performance foldable. What do I mean by ‘High Performance’? At about 18 lbs, it’s ultralight, the Shimano Tiagra Sti drivetrain shifts fast, precise and smoothly, the rear is equipped with a .5″ shock,…
Rain Tires?
The other day it rained in Sunny Southern California. I was hesitant to ride my bike on the rain so I opted to drive. One of the reasons I was hesitant was due to the fear of losing traction on the rain slick streets. I ‘googled’ bike rain tires but the results were inconclusive. So,…
Early Morning Rain
With it raining and having to get up so early this morning reminded me of an old cadence we had to sing in Basic Training. “In the early morning rain, life is good ready to train… At 5:30 this morning a couple of my buddies and I met to ride out to City Island. I…