That was the process for my last bike, the Gunnar. I originally was going to build it as the ultimate 700c commuter. Then I remembered that I originally originally purchased the frame for straight road use. Having always wanted  a classic steel road racing machine that decided it’s final outcome.

“I’ve added a new-found love for cargo bikes and velo-utilitarianism to my already well-rounded bike lust.”

I’ve been staring at some absolutely gorgeous, full-on cargo bikes from Metrofiets and Joe Bike. But living in an apartment and the $3K+ price tags pretty much kill those dreams. So the next option naturally was an XtraCycle. I have a not-used-in-a-long-time GT Zaskar that was my first choice for the extension operation. Unfortunately, my leaving the job and the price of the equipment made that a decision for the near future. Plus, there’s a small (very small) chance that I might ride off-road again… But wait, I have a recently retired Bridgestone MB-4 that might do the trick! It’ll need some help, but with a nice rack system, some fenders, and a new rigid fork with tabs, this things will be a grocery gettin’ machine! As this project comes together I’ll make sure to post some updates. I’ll be adding images to Flickr, and notifying through Twitter if you need to indulge in some Boredom!

Guess I have to get some bags and panniers as well though…

Velo-Utilitarian Parts List

Minoura Gamoh Front Rack (my favorite part!)

Portland Design Works Payload Rear Rack

SKS Commuter Fenders 26″

Bontrager Satellite Trekking Bars

Wald #867 Cruiser Bar

Coming from the Revolution and the efforts we’ve put forth there in advancing the cause of cyclist, I’ve become hyper-aware of any public interactions with dealing with bikes. Whether it be car v. bike, runner v. bike, or bike v. bike, you become attuned to how we as cyclists act in the variety of situations we’re thrown into. Needless to say, I’ve shifted into the “beyond reproach” phase of my public cycling. For us to battle the hostility we face from motorists, and just about anyone that comes into contact with us these days, we need to take the high road. But we also need to take the high road when it comes to interacting with ourselves, within our own burgeoning community here in DC/VA.

What kind of message are we sending to the infrequent cyclists who attended this past Hub Spin when they’re barked at by aggressively riding pathletes trying to get in a race workout on a congested bike path? Why would they want to ride the Mt. Vernon trail again if they’re afraid that they’ll be yelled at for going “to slow” on a recreational, multi-use path? Those riders acting like it’s the end of the freaking world that they’ve had to use their brakes to slow down for a more casual cyclist are no different than the driver who gets bent out of shape when they find themselves behind a cyclist on the road.

I was brushed myself by one of these douchebags during our ride while rolling along the Potomac on Gravelly Point. He gave me a sharp, “ON YOUR LEFT!!!“, then braked suddenly to avoid the oncoming biker from the other direction. He and his close-following friend were visually upset that they were inconvenienced by our large group. They were pissed that we were enjoying cycling on a bike path!? It’s that kind of mentality that will keep our cycling community in the dark-ages because casual riders will never want to battle with the DC Metro area pathlete. I on the other hand, want to throw a tree branch into your spokes and flip you onto your giant, inconvenienced head!

If we want out community to grow so we can have a larger collective group in order to make the DC Metro area safer for all of us out there we have to respect each other first. The site of 50+ people in casual clothing riding bikes into DC to see a Nationals baseball game should be an incredibly positive one; not an eye-roll inducing roadblock. It means good things are happening. If you can’t see that and celebrate with the rest of us, get off the path.

The interaction with the bike station couldn’t have been any simpler. Insert your membership key into the slot designated for the bike you chose and a yellow indicator light blinks while it’s thinking. Once it’s verified that you’re good to go, you get a green light and the lock mechanism releases the bike; smooth and simple. It’s interesting to note that the triangular part that the station lock clamps onto also houses the GPS device to track your bike’s usage and location. Each full station is solar powered which in turn means no need to be tied down to the local power grid. The benefit of not being tied to the grid means they can be transported relatively easily and placed where the need is greatest.

There’s not much more than that to the system. It’s remarkably simple and straightforward. Which hopefully translates to more usage from those who normally wouldn’t seek to access bikeshare.

Stop by and check the Capital Bikeshare bike and bike station at the Arlington County Fair through the end of this weekend.

Obviously I’m changing things here visually, but I’ll be adding some new flavors to the Boredom mix. During my time at the Revolution, I picked up a new side of cycling that I really wasn’t focused on before-advocacy. Whether it’s promoting a car free/car light lifestyle, or writing about the lack of North-South connectors in Arlington, you’ll start seeing it alongside all the other nonsensical rambling I’m known for. Those of you that have followed me on the @RevCycles Twitter account may be accustomed to my non-denominational style postings. That was due to working in a retail shop where it’s bad business to piss off your customers/following. Here I don’t give a ****. There’s a lot of crazy **** going on out there from alternative transportation budget cuts to angry vindictive motorists; and I aim to take that on.

In the near future I have a few more changes and additions to the Boredom media conglomerate. Those will stay safely under my hat.

Friday bore witness to the final act of a ridiculous 5 year saga—Pinkey at Revolution built my Gunnar Roadie. Why is this ridiculous you ask? It’s ridiculous because I bought the frame 5 years ago. It’s also ridiculous because it’s built with parts that’ve seen their 8th birthday. Finally, this entire build is ridiculous because I only needed to buy a chain and some new tires. Everything else I had “in stock”, so to say.

Here’s rundown of components:

• Bontrager carbon cranks
• Bontrager xXx Light fork
• Deda Black Stick post
• Fizik Arionne saddle
• 3t Less stem
• Deda 215 bar
• Bontrager Aero wheelset
• Time RXS Titan pedals
• Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur (from Giant)
• Shimano 105 front derailleur
• Shimano 105 Black shifters
• Shimano 105 brakes

Not a bad bunch of parts. Especially since they were sitting in storage.

Originally thought the Tour of California being scheduled simultaneously with the Giro would have been a fail of catastrophic proportions. It turns out it wasn’t. Today’s stage 1 finish was crazy, chaotic, and exciting. The field was huge, lots of big stars pushing their teams, and the crowds were massive! Cav took it in the end, but JJ looked to have a little juice in the tank to make it interesting. Sad to see Boonen go down, as well as Chris Horner and Stuey O’Grady.

Epicness

In the Giro we’re witnessing some of the more exciting stages I’ve witnessed in a Grand Tour in a long time. Stage 7 traversing the strade bianche could only be summed up with the overused word, epic. It was a day that legends are born. The fact that Cadel Evans took the stage wearing the rainbow stripes of the World Champion took it over the top in its epicness. Yes, epicness.

Needless to say I’m back to being full of amore for the sport of cycling. I’m able to cheer riders again, albeit with reservation as we can never be sure that they’re clean. But at least I’m actively rooting again.

Personal Bici

On the personal bike side, I’m actually riding regularly. Right now it’s been 2 days a week at best, but that’s the best it’s been for a long time. Soon enough I’ll schedule a few days a week to commute as well, so that should keep the process of decreasing my waistline in proper order. Unfortunately for me, I’m getting older and my recovery time is longer than it was 2 years ago. Legs feel stuffed longer, but I’m hoping that will change as I gain more form. I’m guessing that I completely atrophied at one point so my legs were at a feeble level of strength when I started Spring ’09.

I started yet another Tumblr account, this time for this site. The official Cycleboredom Tumblr is live, and I’ve done no HTML/CSS customization (except for some font families). I’ve been wanting to just post images, and other randomness that doesn’t need a full blown WP post like this. So I cooked one up for meself!

If everything goes well, sometime next month I should have my Gunnar built. Can’t believe it’s taken so long. I have 9 speed 105 ready for it if you can believe that, but I’m in no position to buy anything new. In those 2 years off from cycling, I managed to acquire a daughter. That’s where all our money goes now. Occasionally I’m able to get something for the bici collection. Lately, everything has gone to clothing considering I’m wearing some kits from 2001! If I have time, I’ll document the build and the outcome. I’m sure the report on how 105 works will be exhilarating to say the least.

Please visit the Giro presentation gallery on Cyclingnews.com.

Please visit Roberto Bettini’s image gallery on Cyclingnews.com!

Note: This post was originally written 10/31/09. I’ve been busy.

Cross-country flight with a 16 month-old? I love this plan! I’m excited to be a part of it! LET’S DO IT!!

In September we flew out to Portland for some friends wedding. I was dreading the flight, and for part of the DCA-PHX my fears were realized. We were *that* family with the uncontrollable crying baby. It also turns out that I’m *that* father that stares right back at you with eyes saying, “Watch your back in the parking lot.” For the most part people were pretty understanding and in some cases helpful. So that was a nice change from the normal human interactions I experience. Okay, flight over.

Portland straight tripped me the **** out! It literally was every lifestyle I’ve ever been, everywhere, at all times. From punks, to skaters, artists, deadheads, outdoors gear hippies, and most of all cyclists, they were all there, co-mingling in their perpetual states of über-hipness. I’m pretty sure that we’d move out there if it wasn’t for family on the East Coast.

It was the bike culture that touched me the most. Cycling was everywhere. From the moment we entered the outskirts of Portland you saw it everywhere. Fixies locked to signs, people carting their groceries on cruisers, commuters keeping up with cars, and bike shops nearly on every corner set the tone for our stay. Once in the city proper, witnessing the bike lanes with designated bicycle stopping areas ahead of vehicles nearly brought a tear to my eye. I was already aware that Portland was bicycle friendly, but I wasn’t aware of the extent that it was ingrained into its culture.

You may be passing me, but I still look good!

The riding is going well, but I’m still horribly out of shape. And for some reason I’ve recently acquired a Toblerone addiction. I totally didn’t see that one coming. At least it’s a Euro-style addiction, so I can write it off as roadie-hipster. Speaking of roadie hipster, my dormant inner-sartorialist is finally emerging. But I’m saving that goodness for another post.

Back with the Revolution!

The real reason for the break in posts is I gots me a new job! I’m back in the inner-circle. I began working as an Assistant Buyer & Marketing Manager for Revolution Cycles here in DC/VA/MD. I originally worked for them starting back in 2000 until late 2004. We were just one location back in 2000, and by the time I left we had opened 3 more. Just a few weeks ago we announced plans for our 5th location, a bike share, rental, and commuter shop in Crystal City, VA.

My position is basically a combination of everything I love right now: bikes, bike parts, accessories, web + graphic design, and social marketing. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s an incredible opportunity. We’ve got big plans in the works and I’ll release some tidbits from time to time when I can. Of course, you’ll be much more up to date if you follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr. Just saying.

How else do they get up those mountains?

So most of our heroes doped. Who cares! Everyone was doping then! The battles were epic. The climbers had wings. The sprinters were demons. And the rouleurs just ruled. But to keep the UCI vampires off our backs, we added an asterisk to show we don’t condone doping.

Team PDM – Ultima

This shirt celebrates the legendary Dutch PDM team who notoriously pulled out of the ’91 Tour de France with “food poisoning”. Turns out it was a rotten nutritional aid they were injected with. Oh those wacky team doctors! The riders implicated were: Eric Breukink, Nico Verhoeven, Raul Alcala, Sean Kelly and Joes Van Aert. Those are NOT small names in the world of cycling.

The shirt

Out of all the logo editions I’ve created, this is the only one that is altered to this extent. I’ve changed from Avant Garde to Helvetica to match the PDM jersey more closely. I liked the typo treatment of the PDM logo so I thought it would convey the message better if changed. The colors are as close as I can get without the vector being a sublimation on spandex. It’s not perfect, but neither were they! Available in the Cycleboredom gift shop. Although Spreadshirt displays the image strangely I’ve been assured that they print correctly.