Beyond 1200

Why is it that people’s first reaction to a lot of my riding or any suggestions about riding is “you can’t do that”. There are unspoken preconceptions of what you can and cannot do on a bike, and even what is “normal” to do on a bike.
In general, riding more than 5km is not “normal” [...]

The wild west. A small and dusty town. A bar.  A derivative walks into the bar. All the functions scatter. In a dark corner, a lone function dares to stand his ground. The derivative walks up to the lone function and asks, “Who the hell do you think you are?” Without skipping a beat, the [...]

When my wife originally wanted to go riding with me and needed a new bike, the Giant Hello Kitty caught her attention.
Its first major ride was a 70km ride from Yonghe to Fulong even though she had never been a cyclist and had not done training of any kind. She threw her bag on the [...]

The morning sunlight can make anything look good and shiny.
On my way back home along the riverside path, the morning sun was shining down, piercing through the slight chill in the air.
Here’s a few shots I took of the Dahon. I had been waiting for good, strong sunlight and I got it.

Yep, that’s me below. [...]

photo credit: richardmasoner
After two rides that ended up in total darkness it’s about time I took a look at lights.
Lights have become an accessory for bikes. Years ago it wasn’t like that.
When you buy a car or motorbike no-one says, “Would you like lights with that?” Somehow it has fallen out of fashion to [...]

On Tuesday morning I went on the coldest ride I have ever done, at the point where I finally gave up and headed home I was actually feeling a bit scared. So how did I get into this mess?
Not So Good Preparation
Continuing with my efforts to make myself weather-proof I went to the motorbike store [...]

They beat me to the ground, kicked me aside and called me a “wuss”, but inside I was warm and smiling.
As far back as I can remember there has been a stigma against certain bike parts. Bits of bicycle artillery that through poor development, genetic disposition, social stigma or just plain bad luck, have permanently [...]

My Shimano cycling shoes have taken quite a beating over the years. A month or so ago the hard, plastic sole started breaking from the leather uppers.
I was a little disheartened, but decided that the simplest fix would probably be the best. I had some electrical tape wrapped around my shoes for a few days [...]

There are some products that I just can’t help but endorse. The oldest stuff on my bike are usually those parts that have served me so well that there is no need to replace them.
After a decade of use, my Cateye Cordless 2 bike computer is still going pretty strong.
Now it doesn’t include the huge [...]

While stumbling around the Internet, looking for interesting cycling stuff I stumbled upon this blog here.
The blog is about a family in the US who completely gave up their car and attempted to live with bicycles as their sole form of transport. A pretty lofty goal in a country which is not particularly designed for [...]