New Outside Column, And More!

As a semi-professional bike blogger and semi-competent parent I'm in a strange place at the moment: summer is, practically speaking, over, and yet school has not yet begun, which means I'm in a sort of limbo.  This is by way of explaining why I have not yet formally announced the rules for my upcoming Jones SWB Bike Giveaway Extravaganza.  But I will be doing so shortly.

In the meantime, here's my latest column for Outside, which is about why you shouldn't ride like an asshole:

Sure it's annoying when people step out into the bike lane, but shouting "Bike lane!" at them instead of, like, feathering your brakes and altering your path slightly is really the pinnacle of douchery.

Speaking of summer, as I mentioned I ended up bringing my new-to-me "forever bike" along with me on vacation, and I'm pleased that I did:

Not only was it ideal for this sort of thing:

But was also sufficient for bacon portaging:

And for some gravel road exploration:

Though at one point I did get in over my head and had to turn around:

We've been vacationing in this same spot for the past four years, but we're never there for very long so while I'm learning my way around it's a slow process akin to picking up "Moby Dick" once a year and reading it for a few hours.  Certainly the Jones would have allowed me to press further, and the more familiar I become with the area the more likely it is I'll choose that bike to accompany me.

Still, as I mentioned, I've grown extremely fond of my vintage Fred sled, and our time away together only served to strengthen the relationship.  Indeed, my only regret is not replacing the worn Campagnolo Ergo hoods before I left, as they were beginning to hang off the levers like oversized hoodies.  Instead, I installed new ones immediately upon my return, and it's like riding a new bike.  So I guess what I'm saying is, if you've been pining for a new bike, just get some new brake hoods and you'll be 90% of the way there.

Of course, the ultimate would have been taking both the Fred sled and the Jones, but I was on vacation and I wanted to keep it simple.  Also, I brought the kids' bikes with me, even though they invariably (and understandably) choose lake time over saddle time.  The Saris SuperClamp EX handled two bikes out back with no problem:

And the runt of the litter rode up top:

Getting the roof rack to work with the tiny bike wasn't as straightforward as it looks, but by reversing a few things I made it happen--though the two (2) bells and the penguin horn made mincemeat of my fuel economy.

I should also mention that on one rainy day we did take a day trip to the New York State Museum in Albany, our glorious capital, which was even more interesting than I expected it to be--and it even had some token bike content!

I actually set off the alarm when I leaned in for a closer look:

Hey, it's no Classic Cycle, but what New Yorker wouldn't dork out over a historical century ride rest stop list?

Here's a closer look:

Roughly five seconds of popular search engine jockeying reveals what at least one of those establishments looked like at the time:

And just think, they did it all without gravel bikes.

And that wasn't the only museum we visited, either.  Did you know there's a replica of the Star Trek set in Ticonderoga?  Well we didn't, but we stumbled upon it while availing ourselves of the local laundromat:

I'm not even remotely a Trekkie, but my elder son and I took the tour anyway, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it:

Sure, I could have taken my son to visit Fort Ticonderoga right down the road, but Star Trek is obviously a more significant component of our national identity.

Anyway, upon returning to the city I pivoted to my plastic bike and partook in the final club race of the season, which I'm pleased to report I passed:

This bike has just a fraction of the personality of the "forever bike" (though that could be because, apart from a longer stem, it's set up exactly the way it emerged from the box), and when I'm setting out for a road ride I choose the latter almost exclusively.  Nevertheless, the plastic bike is a truly stupendous park racer.  I doubt that it's meaningfully faster than the "forever bike," but when you hop onto a bike that's probably four pounds lighter it sure feels that way.  Also, while I adore the ker-THUNK of Campagnolo 10 speed (not sure the 11 and 12 speed groups have the same ker-THUNK, I have yet to try them), batting at a brand-new Dura Ace shifter is so fast and smooth it leaves you wondering what the point of electronic shifting is.  (I loved the Di2 on the Tan Tenovo, but I also don't miss it at all.)

Then, after reading James Huang's story on Engin in CyclingTips, I hopped aboard my own:

Apart from the builder, this bike has virtually nothing in common with the bike in the story.  Also, what with its primitive 135mm spacing and QR axles, "narrow" tires, rigid fork, and one-speed drivetrain, it's hopelessly dated and wildly off-trend.

In other words, it's perfect.