Fifteen Bucks!

I am a big fan of recycling, found objects, dumpster diving, and of course, used bike sales. This past weekend was no exception. With kids in tow we came upon a blue Nishiki Blazer for $15! Frame is in excellent shape, although bottom bracket, while still functional, will soon need an overhaul. We swapped its worn tires with those on my son's now seriously damaged Diamondback and voilà -- very nice bike!

Recent February Rides

 I saw this cyclist heading west earlier this week as my son and I were stopped at a red light on the "Pike." It was very windy that day, and this guy was catching a lot of it given his cumbersome clothing. Presumably his duds are warm but not aerodynamic. But he was moving steadily, and probably safe to assume with more purpose than folks who need to just push a plastic accelerator to the floor to move ahead. Or maybe he was headed for a cigarette. 

A few days later I take a ride with my son. We traverse a simple route to the nearby shopping center using residential roads and parking lots hiding behind commercial buildings that together stitch a no-traffic pathway that avoids the Pike. He can handle busy streets well, and easily picked up the brief riding in traffic that we had to do. In the process we build another piece of our mental maps that make biking more possible: the pathway behind Wicker East, a small dirt trail behind Five Guys, where an avoidable stream of traffic enters from the main road. I also spy interesting bits of graffiti along the way, suggesting there is more diversity here than would meet the township code!