Tire lever warranty?

I was shopping for some tire levers. You know, for repairing flat tires.

I found some on the Amazon.com. $3.75... not too bad.

Optionally they offer a "2-Year Replacement Plan" for $5.99. Is it worth $6, to have the peace of mind? (Hahahaha!)



(I ended up getting some Pedro's levers - very sturdy looking - at the REI. Guaranteed forever.)

"Bike" Movie Recommendations

Are you trying to find a unique gift for the cyclist in your life? Or are you, perhaps, holed up in your hovel, waiting for weather to break so you can get out on your bike again? In either case, here are three of my favorite movies that have a "bicycle theme."

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

I hope you've already seen it. I was mesmerized by it in the movie theater, and every viewing since has been enjoyable.

The plot, in a nutshell: "Ageless child-man" Pee-Wee Herman is living his idyllic life in his child's-fondest-dream home, making trips to the magic store, the bike shop, etc., on his classic pimped-out cruiser bike. But alas - the bike is stolen! Innocence lost! Pee-Wee embarks on a road-trip detective quest to bring the bike home. Classic happy ending.

Directed by the inimitable Tim Burton. Sight gags and hilarious dialogue at every turn. Music by Danny Elfman ("The Simpsons").

Totally suitable for all ages.

Breaking Away

I hope you've already seen it.


The plot, in a nutshell: Local kids in Bloomington, Indiana, have just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. They've been best of friends, and are trying to keep the posse together, despite their paths which seem to be going in different directions. Dave is totally engrossed in European-style cycling, from posters of his racing idols, to speaking with a faux-Italian accent, to shaving his legs. Because they are locals, they are spurned by the college kids, who dismiss them as "cutters." (A mainstay of the local economy is stone-cutting, on account of the limestone quarries.) The conflict between the "cutters" and the imported college boys escalates, and ultimately a judge orders them to settle their differences on the bike-racing track. Which is fine... except three of the four are totally incompetent as cyclists. Yet, they rise to the occasion.

Simple but engrossing story, fine acting, particularly by Paul Dooley, who plays Dave's stressed-out car-salesman dad.

Suitable for all ages.

The Triplets of Belleville

(I had not seen this until perhaps two months ago. My daughter recommended it and I love it!)


This is a full-length cartoon, but it's not Disney. It's in French, but it really doesn't matter; there's very little dialogue and the images tell the story nicely.

The plot, in a nutshell: "Champion" is a young boy being raised by his doting grandma. She's concerned because he seems totally bored with life... until she finds it hidden under his mattress. "It" is Champion's scrapbook of bike-racing heroes. So, she does what any doting grandma would do - begins training him to be a bike-racing great. During a bike race, he is kidnapped by some mysterious mafia-types, who enslave him in their bike-race gambling operation. (He and others ride stationary bikes, which are attached to an elaborate "virtual bike race" contraption.) Grandma follows the clues, and crosses paths with the Triplets of Belleville. Generations earlier, the "Triplets" had been the "French Andrews Sisters," but have settled into a life of obscurity and poverty. The four feisty old gals rescue Champion... Yea! Another happy ending.

Rated PG-13, and strangely, the cartoon is the one that might not be suitable for all ages. Young children might be disturbed by some rather grotesque (in a comical sort of way) imagery. (Frog stew!)

Christmas card riding!

Sometimes I think I'm riding through the scenery on a Christmas card!

We woke up to below-zero temperatures this morning. First time since '98 that it's dropped below zero in Boise. (Which leads me to believe the climate is indeed changing; when I was a kid, my recollection is that almost every year it got into the negative temperatures for at least a few days.)

The "bike garage" was pretty bare this morning.

When it gets so cold, it can actually get dangerous if you're not properly equipped. My gloves are marginal... my fingers got pretty numb, and my "pinkies" complained bitterly as they warmed back up again after the morning commute. (I've got some newer gloves that I haven't used yet; maybe it's time.)

Since the snow hadn't melted from yesterday (and subsequently refrozen) the riding wasn't too bad.

My correspondents have put on their studded snow tires; I'm anxious to get some riding reports. (Frankly, I'm always much more concerned about somebody in a motor vehicle sliding out-of-control into me, than I am about slipping and falling.)

We need to be aware of the additional hazards, and do our best to mitigate them.

I do more Greenbelt riding in the winter. Not only does it allow me to get away from motor traffic... typically there are also very few pedestrians and cyclists. Makes for some lovely solitude.

I snapped some photos yesterday, on a little loop I did. These were all taken within 15 minutes of downtown. (The geese were snapped on the homebound commute, late yesterday afternoon.)

Powder Cycling!

We woke up to 2-3 inches of snow in these parts this morning... the first meaningful snow of the year.

Of course, it put the motorists into Pure Panic Mode, and the guy on the traffic report said, "Just stay in the left lane of the Interstate this morning, to avoid most of the accidents and slide-offs."

I gave the NEW bicycle a much-deserved day off, and aired up the tires on the "clunker." Other than the escalated concern about what some irresponsible motorist might do, the ride to the office was truly "winter wonderland"!

Pushing through powdery, fresh-fallen snow on fat bike tires is a beautiful thing. For much of the route, I was making my own trail in the snow off to the right of the main traffic lane. (Striped bike lanes become meaningless, of course, when covered by snow. And typically the cars occupy the bike lanes as they cower away from the center of the roadway.) Wherever the road wasn't straight, I took to the sidewalks, etc., just in case of sliding-out-of-control motor vehicles.

Once the snow melts and re-freezes, it's not nearly so fun. Especially if it lasts a few days due to a weather inversion, and goes from white to dirty gray. But we'll roll with the punches, huh?

I LOVE to live within "self-power distance" of the office! (If it gets really bad, of course... 5 minutes' walk to the bus stop. Worst-case scenario; I could walk to work in less than an hour. I'm lucky.)

Transportation Cyclist Christmas List

What are you asking Santa for this year? Santa told me he's FLAT BROKE, but maybe something modest might come my way.

These are some relatively inexpensive items that I have and enjoy, and perhaps you, or your favorite road-going bicyclist might enjoy. Enjoy!

Rearview Mirror

I've got a couple suggestions.

The CycleAware Reflex mirror sticks onto a helmet. (An eyeglass-mount model is also available.) It's relatively sturdy - an important consideration. I've tried mirrors with hard plastic components, and have snapped off the mirror, rendering them useless. The Reflex is built of "Gumby" stuff - a wire enclosed in rubbery plastic.

The "Take a Look" mirror is my current model. It can mount either on eyeglasses, or on a helmet visor. It is constructed of metal - stainless steel and brass - and should be durable. The mirror itself is excellent - better than the Reflex. Mine is on my helmet, and I've got to figure out some way to make the attachment more permanent. If I bump it, it falls off. So far I've been lucky and have quickly noticed. (I'm thinking I might drill a small hole in the helmet visor, so I can zip-tie it in place.)

Both should be available online, or at your LBS (local bike shop). Expect to pay $15 or so.

Taillight

I've been VERY pleased with my Planet Bike SuperFlash. It's more expensive ($25) than other models, but is extraordinarily noticeable... and ain't that what it's all about? Runs in blinky mode or on-constantly mode. Uses 2 AAA batteries, included.

Headlight

I blogged recently about my Akoray flashlight, from DealExtreme. It is awesome. I'm on the 2nd AA battery now. I might start using rechargeable batteries, but when a 30-cent battery lasts for 2 weeks, you can't complain. (Bob T uses rechargeables, but he rides with his light on, both night and day.) Mine cost about $14, including shipping.

Be sure to get some kind of mounting device - several are available at DealExtreme.

NOTE: Order now for Christmas - and HURRY! (DealExtreme ships from Hong Kong, so it takes a couple weeks to arrive.)

Winter Wear

I've got a balaclava and gloves, to keep my extremeties (fingers and ears) from falling off on those really brisk days. You don't need expensive bike-specific stuff, but find something that isn't so thick that you can't squeeze your helmet on over it. Mine is "open face" - the "Jackson's Convenience Store robbery" model tends to trap condensation and cause fogging on glasses. My gloves aren't too thick, either, and have a rubbery palm for good gripping.

I also have some yellow-lens glasses for riding when lighting conditions are marginal. Light yellow or clear works fine. (You want to protect those eyes - replacements are hard to come by!) I tried a set that has interchangeable lenses - dark, yellow, and clear. But for me, it's more hassle than it's worth to change the lenses, clean the fingerprints off, store the lenses, etc., when you can buy separate glasses for $6 or $8.

Seat Bag

I have a permanently-attached seat bag, to carry a spare tube, patch kit, light batteries, chap stick, and a couple small tools. I got the Avenir Bigmouth in size medium, for the new ride. It's quite nice. May not be totally waterproof, but looks very water-resistant. Opens without removing. And it has a zip-open expander, so you can stuff your cellphone and a couple granola bars in. (I ordered it online. $12 and change.)

Fanny Pack

I carry my sack lunch, checkbook, pocket planner, a couple pens, glasses, and a big ol' freakin' knife (just in case!) in a fanny pack. Some folks use a messenger bag, but I prefer to economize on what I need to carry.

My choice is the Kelty Cardinal, for
a very specific reason... it can expand into a little daypack! So if I end up needing additional carrying capacity along the way, I'm not stuck. It has a little MP3-player-size zipper pocket, and stretchy nets for 2 water bottles. (I use the bottle holders for my digital camera, sunglasses, gloves, etc. The pack comes with 2 bottles, however.) If you shop around, you can find it for around $40.

(I plan on writing more extensive reviews of some of this stuff... just wanted to slap together a Santa list while it still matters...)

New bike review on Epinions.com

I celebrated the 500-mile mark by writing a review of my new bike, and posted it on the Epinions.com website - HERE.

I like Epinions, because it's real reviews by real consumers. I've gotten valuable information there. (Of course, reviews by "real consumers" are a mixed bag. I'd say a large percentage of the reviews posted at Amazon.com range between grammatically flawed and unreadable. But... I better be careful! After all, I may be inviting readers to read my review with a particularly critical eye!)

Is 500 miles enough experience to write an in-depth review? Probably not. But it's probably enough to give me a very accurate first impression of the product... and I can always go back and add some notes a year or two later if it turns out the new bike is a real lemon!

New bike - new motivation!

There's nothing like some shiny new wheels to knock a cyclist out of the doldrums. Especially after a month-and-a-half of riding the clunker.

In the 24 November days since my new ride arrived... I rode all 24 days and accumulated 464 miles. Several of those days were in the rain. At least one was in the rain, with 35-degree temperature, at night. (I rode over to my mother's place to watch the BSU-Utah State football game on her cable TV. Mom loves college football. She worries about me when I'm out there on the mean streets... but I'd feel bad if she didn't, I s'pose.)

November turned out to be one of my 2 or 3 highest-mileage months of 2009.


(Bike with flock of seagulls in the background, Fairgrounds)