CicLAvia
CicLAvia is happening again this Sunday, the 9th of August. I am looking forward to seeing you all there.
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Assos T.rallyShorts_s7
The Assos T.rallyShorts_s7 are the company’s first foray into the mountain biking domain. The line consists of one pair of shorts and two jerseys. I received the shorts some time ago, and it’s time to give some insight into this top end offering from Assos. To begin, I admit I no longer have a mountain bike, but I do have a wonderful gravel grinder, as they seem to be called these days. In other words, a road bike that can handle just about any fire road you can point it down. I figured these shorts would be ideal for this type of ride, so off I went in search of the dirt roads of the Santa Monica Mountains. (more…)
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Hiplok Gold
Hiplok is an English company specializing in bicycle security. As the name suggests, these are locks meant to be carried around the waist. The newest offering from the company is the Hiplok Gold. This is their highest rated lock, with a secure gold rating. The chain is 10mm hardened steel while the padlock is 12mm hardened steel. The lock weighs 5.3 pounds, and ships with three replaceable coded keys. This is serious security for those wanting to keep their rides safe from the hands of bike thieves.
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Therm-a-Rest
The cross country trip afforded the opportunity to try out several different products, and now that I seem to have settled back into life in LA, I thought I would begin highlighting a few that were standouts. At the top of the list is the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double Down blanket. As we are fortunate to have the VW Camper, a full bore sleeping bag is not really necessary. Instead, I had wanted some sort of blanket that would work well in the van, and that would suit a variety of temperatures. The Vela is that blanket. The first night of camping in Arizona was on the cool side, and the blanket was perfect. (more…)
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Onomichi U2
A repurposed warehouse built in 1943 near the city of Hiroshima now serves as a 28 room hotel catering to the cyclist. Hooks on the wall of each room accommodate bicycles, and there is even a bike shop built into the complex. The project was designed by the Suppose Design Office headed by Makoto Tanijiri. He is an avid cyclist, so many of the design features in the hotel are based on firsthand wants and desires. Now we need to get something like this going in the States. Head over to Architectural Record for more information and photos. (more…)
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Calfee & Effeto Mariposa
The road trip has ended, and last weekend I had to face up to the effects of not having ridden for over 5 weeks. At just shy of half a century old, I find that it gets more difficult to rebound from bouts of inactivity. Sunday’s ride would be the test, and just to make it more interesting, I threw in a very late night prior to my morning ride. So, with little sleep, no riding in over a month, and various other excuses, I hopped aboard the Calfee and headed up to Nichols Canyon. (more…)
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And We Are Back!
The trip across the country has come to an end and now we have an amazing collection of memories that will last a lifetime. The kids gained a much better understanding of the scope and breadth of this country. Strangely, cycling didn’t come up often during the trip, with the exception of visits to a few shops in a few cities. Instead, this was the chance to experience a multitude of new things with my family, and escape the computer, work, and the usual daily routine.
I’ve compiled a short list of trip trivia: (more…)
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NYC, Red Beard Bikes, and More
We arrived in New York City, specifically DUMBO, and the first thing I spotted after parking the Eurovan in its perfect spot, was Red Beard Bikes. I am no expert on what NYC has to offer, and I thought I was pretty up on all the bike shops in town, but this was a new and wonderful discovery. The shop is a small affair carrying bikes from the likes of Parlee and Giant. It is a beautifully designed space with a robust inventory. The business card offers a small and pointed description of the shop: “Purveyor of Fine Bicycles and Gear and a Damn Good Bike Fitter”. So, the first stop in NY, and bikes came to rule the day. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring all that NYC has to offer, and thanks to a heads up from my sister, we were able to go to the Bicycle Film Festival later that evening. (more…)
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An Unusual Sight
The cross country trip is now halfway complete. We have seen so much, and I will go into more detail later on some of our favorite sights. In the meantime I wanted to post the above photo of something I had never seen before: a semi truck driving on the New Jersey Turnpike with a road bike strapped to the back of the cab. The bike looked as if it might have been a big box brand, but nonetheless it looked as if it were there on purpose, and that it probably gets ridden. Even truckers like to ride bikes it seems.
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Memphis
Yesterday we reached Memphis, Tennessee. We spent the day touring the National Civil Rights Museum as well as wandering the city a bit before heading south to Clarksdale, Mississippi. I remember liking Memphis from my trip back in the late 80s, and after yesterday’s wanderings, I like it even more now. It’s a wonderful place to visit, and there’s so much to see that you would need several days to do it justice. Now we are in Clarksdale, the town known as the birthplace of the blues. We had dinner at Ramon’s, loved by the locals for their absolutely scrumptious deep fried shrimp, and the side of pasta swimming in butter couldn’t have been more delicious. This is the part of the trip I have really been looking forward to, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. Next stops are Vicksburg, then Natchez, and down to New Orleans.
Photo above of the original home of WDIA Radio – “The Heart and Soul of Memphis”. (more…)
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