The Friday Connection

A few months ago we had a post on a cool clock made of bicycle parts that was for sale on Etsy. This was inspiring and propelled the purchase of some inexpensive clock parts. (Let's make our own clock shall we?)

Well, months later the parts are still sitting on the craft table awaiting some inspiration. That is where today's Friday Connection comes into play.

The Hipster Home [http://thehipsterh.me] site shows us just how to make a cool clock from bike parts for a fraction of the cost to purchase one. You could also deviate from the tutorial, making use of any number of parts—the possibilities are endless!

The only catch? If you make a clock you've got to email us, [stpexperiment@gmail.com] so we can share your craftiness with others. We'll post it here!

You show us yours and we'll show you ours (clocks that is)!

Happy Friday STP Experiment friends!

A Brooks Saddle: Riding in Comfort and Style

As we have discussed before, stock saddles are the pits. If you ever want any comfort on your bike you will need to invest in a decent saddle. And if you are riding over 30 miles, or 200, you are going to need to love your seat.

After doing research online to see what touring cyclists were getting to upgrade their saddles, I kept running into positive feedback on the Brooks saddle. I did a little more research and found the success of these beauties is in their shape—your shape, that is. They form to the cyclist's body. That beats hard plastic any day, right? And, if taken care of properly, they will last for years. Now that is an investment I can live with!

Looking for the best price I searched and searched online. I found a shop out of Utah that peddles the classic saddles and got a heck of a deal. My saddle arrived in three days! Can I tell you how excited I was today to find the package on my doorstep?



If being impressed with the quality of the saddle wasn't enough, Brooks' design and attention to detail in the presentation of this product sealed the deal for me. The design is completely old school with a modern, clean flair.

In my box I got a saddle, a saddle wrench to tighten the tension, The Brooks Bugle newspaper, and a maintenance brochure (one cent stamp of J.B. Brooks included on the envelope). Frankly, this is some graphic designer's dream job!

In the brochure it describes the B17 saddle like this:

"The B17 is the most popular saddle in the BROOKS Classic range. It is certainly the oldest Brooks model and longest living saddle in cycling history. This icon has been sold as far back as 1896 and for over a century never went out of production."


I will need to condition the saddle with Brooks Proofide conditioner. This will keep it soft and protect it from the elements. I'm so excited to test it out I am heading out the door right now . . . well, almost.

One more thing . . . I found these great videos online that show the factory where these lovelies are made. It's really interesting to see the craftsmanship that goes into making them.

The Friday Connection

Hello Friends!

It is that time of week again where we look at fun, informative, or helpful links. This week's link is a fun one.

Can you imagine swiping your card and out pops a bicycle? It's like a redbox, but for bikes! It's a bike rental unit that dispenses a bike for $3.75 for 24 hours of use. It is currently being used overseas.

If a Bike Dispenser was in your neighborhood do you think you would use it? 

Here is a video showing it being used: http://www.bikedispenser.com/clip-nosjournaal.mov



The Bike Dispenser
http://www.bikedispenser.com/home-en.html

Have a fabulous weekend! Until next time . . . 

New Wheels

Boise City Council Meeting: As the Wheel Turns

It was Tuesday night—Biggest Loser night. Rain was pouring and I was running later than expected. I was headed to the third floor of City Hall to hear the verdict for some bicycle ordinances up for debate.

I was surprised to see such a massive turn out (who knew cycling was such a hot topic). The room was literally humming with activity. Two news crews were on hand to record the goings on and people from all walks of life were present.

I found a seat near the back where I could observe the crowd. As I was looking over the agenda I heard someone behind me ask their neighbor why there were so many people at the meeting.

"Oh, it's that bike thing. I think that it is all politically driven."

I could feel my eyes rolling back in my head. Last time I checked three Boise cyclists lost their lives due to bike/car collisions—last summer. These tragic events were the reason for the push for new ordinances.

I was disappointed to see my favorite Schwinn rider, Mayor Dave, gone from the line-up, but the meeting started off with a bang. Pledge of Allgiance, roll call, special business, consent agenda, new business . . . BAM!!

Traffic jam.

One issue slowed transit for an hour and a half. People started leaving. I was getting hungry. But all the diehard cycling enthusiasts and friends of lost riders stayed put. I was able to see Boise's "who's who" of cycling. And as much as I wanted to get my grub on I couldn't leave. I had to see what happened. "What happened?" you ask.

The new ordinances are as follows:

—Drivers are now expected to yield to cyclists at intersections.

—Drivers need to leave at least three feet of distance between themselves and bikes. If they don't have three feet to get around the bike they need to wait until there is the correct amount of clearance.

—Motorists are not to cut bicycles off when turning.

—Cyclists are legally required to give an audible warning before passing someone on the sidewalk.

—Cyclists are to dismount in crowded pedestrian areas.

—Cyclists cannot ride recklessly (think swerving onto sidewalks and then jumping into roadways).

—Harassment and intimidation of cyclists is prohibited, as well as, throwing objects at bikes and attempting to disrupt their path.

Violation of these ordinances carries a hefty $1.000 fine and a max penalty of six months in jail. Oh, and did I mention they are misdemeanors?

Wow.

The bike portion of the meeting wrapped up around 10:30 p.m. It felt pretty good to see positive change in the making, but really it will be up to all of us, drivers and cyclists alike, to make the roads a safer place. So, when taking off those Greenbelt training wheels and heading out on the mean streets of B-Town, arm yourself with the rules of the road. 

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I was going to save the following link for a Friday Connection, but at the council meeting I saw two guys wearing shirts with this logo on them. About a month or so ago I picked up this sticker up at George's Cycles and have been waiting for the website to go live. I suggest saving it to your favorites and checking back in a few weeks.

http://looksavealife.com/

Spinning Around Town

Image of the Clocktower Pond along the Greenbelt


This weekend I decided to get out on the bike and ride, rain or shine. Off to the Flicks I headed for a little movie action and then tooled on down to my Brother's place in northwest Boise to deliver a note. The weather behaved pretty nicely. As dreary as it had been earlier in the day the rain held off for the ride.

It was a great ride. I took the Greenbelt all the way to Collister, meandering through the neighborhoods until I reached my Brother's place. On the way back home I began making a list in my head of things to note for the next time.


A few things I learned or was reminded of on this trip:

* Messenger bags are better left at home. Yeah, they're cool looking and all and it's easy to get your belongings out of them, but they shift and slide, making it a pain traveling down the road. Next time I am taking my backpack.

* Headlamps rock. I bought one in the morning, knowing I could be riding in the dark. (See picture below.) This lamp is truly the bombDOTcom! It's brighter than any bike mounted light I have ever had. And the lamp is adjustable with eight lighting settings.




* Stock seats suck. Of course this is a no brainer, but after 18 miles in jeans it is painfully apparent. I immediately switched out saddles when I got home.

* Spinning in a class and on a bike are totally different. This is another "seems obvious" point, but it is really true. Not only do you get to see great scenery and feel the wind in your face, but it is a different workout altogether.

* Get your glasses on. When I got home and looked in the mirror I felt like one of those vampires from Twilight. My eyes were solidly blood shot from the ride. Wearing glasses (sunglasses or those with clear lenses) might help cut down on this a bit.



With that, I hope you have had a great weekend. I am off for another adventure, so I better get my cycling shoes on.

The Friday Connection: Large Fella on a Bike

A few weeks ago I shared a link to an inspiring story about a guy who literally saved his life by getting on a bicycle. Last weekend, as I was devouring an issue of Bicycling Magazine, I stumbled on the article Five Hundred & One Pounds about Scott Cutshall. Same guy.

There isn't any story better than the one with a good, strong ending. His story ends strong. He went from weighing over 500 pounds to transforming into a svelte 178 pound cyclist, riding over 6900 miles in 2008.  He just got on his bike and rode it . . . and is still riding it.


Can you imagine riding your bike year round? Wow.

The point of all this? He has a blog, or rather, had a blog. He isn't blogging any longer, but he was documenting his journey. If you can spare a couple of minutes and are looking for a little inspiration take a gander at: http://istanbultea.typepad.com/

Happy Friday friends!

City Council Meeting-TOMORROW

Join Mayor Bieter and Boise City Council tomorrow night at  6 p.m. (Tuesday, January 12th) on the 3rd floor of City Hall for a public hearing regarding new and revised ordinances concerning safety for bicycle riders in Boise.

Do you want to know what new laws are  trying to be passed to help both motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians? This is your chance to get involved!

You can also watch the meeting streaming live at www.cityofboise.org.

Spinning Class

If you've never been to a spinning class you should go. Memories might take you back to days of that old, creaky stationary bike collecting dust in your grandmother's basement, but this is not the spin bike of the present. It is a whole different animal.

I had always been intrigued by the class' popularity—people were burning calories in these classes at an amazing rate. I wanted to, too! (Although, I wasn't certain I really wanted to work that hard.)

About a year ago Linzi and I dragged ourselves to a 6 a.m. spin class with Martha. It was awesome. We were sweaty and breathing hard and awake. We had also completed our workout for the day before we even had gone to work. You can't beat that.

Fast forward to last Thursday. Determined to get my training off to a good start I set my alarm, got up, and got ready for spinning with Martha. You know that saying, "If you snooze, you lose?" It really applies when trying to getting a bike in spinning class. You might think you're the only crazy person up that early in the morning. You're not. You've got to hustle in early to get a good seat.

I was lucky to get a bike in the back (my preferred location) between a couple of serious looking male riders, both of which were wearing cycling shoes, one of which was wearing cycling gloves. The lights dimmed, the fans cranked on, and the music began pumping. The great thing about the morning class is you can just zone out and wake up at your own pace. It's dark minus the Christmas lights on the wall. And with the exception of the occasion "Whoop. Whoooop!!" from the overzealous guy in the back who shouts every time Martha does, it's a pretty singular group experience, if that makes sense.

I wore my heart rate monitor just to see how much of a workout I was getting my first day back. Let's just say, my heart was pumping. I uploaded the data to get a clear snapshot of just how good it was. My maximum heart rate is 187. (This is determined by subtracting my age from 220.) My target heart rate zone is anywhere from 131 to 159. From this image I was living within targeted zone during class. Thanks, Martha!



I survived spinning.

And I loved every minute of it.

It made the rest of my day rock. I had energy and I had accomplished something worthwhile before 7 a.m. Next week I will be there again with my cycling shoes and bandanna, ready to sweat it out. Maybe I will see you there?

Whoop. Whoooop!!

If you're interested in learning more about your heart rate visit americanheart.org or the heart rate calculator at mayoclinic.com for more information.

The Friday Connection

With a new year can come a new you.  Surfing bicycling.com I came across the article  Your Best Year Starts Now. Each section of this article is filled with great tips, a few I have highlighted below. So, if you're looking for a little inspiration you definitely want to add this to your "to read" list. The sections titles are: commuting, eating, starting over, finding time, weight loss, style, climbing, descending, balance, and motivation.



FAVORITE TIPS for 2010

Commuting
"On a bike, look for a road that parallels the highway, but with slower traffic (drivers will avoid it), timed traffic lights and a wide shoulder."

Nutrition
"The basic mantra is don't eat stuff you simply pull out of a bag and eat," says Lim. "If you have to prepare it and cook it, it's going to be better for you because it's not processed with preservatives, extra sugar and extra salt."

Motivation
"When you feel like your fitness has a long way to go, stop comparing yourself with other cyclists. Go to the mall and compare yourself to the average American. You feel better now, right?"

"Cycling is a sport of momentum: The more you ride, the more you'll ride."




Click here for the print version of the article (much easier to read).

And the training begins . . .

The season of the gym rat (or New Year Lemming) has arrived. I too have headed back to the gym, mostly with treadmill time, putting one foot in front of the other, reminding myself what it is like to sweat again. I even took my bike for a spin, which puts everything in a different, mellower perspective.

I have mapped out the spinning classes, trying to figure out what is going to work best with my schedule. As I see it, I will need to participate in at least three spinning classes a week--to start. I will also need to get some bike time in on the road along with some weight training. The good news is . . . the snow has melted.

I will be joining Martha's 6 a.m. spin class tomorrow, that is if I can drag myself out of bed. She is a great instructor. She's very positive and zen like (she's a yoga instructor so she's good at reminding her spinners to breathe). Can we say stoked?

What is your favorite time to take a spinning class? Are you a morning person or an evening person? Is it more important to get some zZZZZs or to get it out of the way?

Resolutions

Another year begins, actually another decade and we gaze forward, pondering the future. Did you make a resolution or two this year?

Sometimes the idea of resolutions causes an eye roll or two, but they are great way to set up goals, especially if they are challenging ones. They can give us an opportunity to test our limits.

This year I made a couple resolutions myself. (Yeah, I cheated. I picked a couple easy ones. Or are they?) This year I decided to vow to get more sleep. This means I have to go to bed earlier or kick the cat out of the house to obtain a straight eight. This will be a task in itself, but it will be vital to successfully training.

Also, I have sworn off alcohol for a month. Yes, a whole month. That means no wine nights. No socializing with booze. I'm curious to see the difference it makes in my training and hopefully my waistline.

And, of course, Seattle to Portland. (This would be the "testing our limits" goal that we, Debbie and I, share.)

What were your resolutions this year? Where do you see yourself going this year? Where do you see yourself headed in the next ten years?