The Incidental Cyclist

The 4th annual Ride for Hope & housing put on by the Davidson Housing Coalition will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2008. Enjoy a fantastic ride through the beautiful back roads of Mecklenburg, Iredell, Rowan, and Cabarrus counties. All routes will be fully supported with rest stops and SAG vehicles. The ride will begin and end at Davidson United Methodist Church, 233 South Main Street in Davidson, NC.

The last post spoke about most of the drive train components this time we are going to discuss some of the other parts that go into building a bike, particularly wheels.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that knows Nicole and I that we always look at performance first, then light weight, then ease of maintenance when it comes to wheel choices. You might also be aware of the fact that although I have a few clincher wheel sets in my possession that I ride and love tubular tires. This tandem will be shod with tubular wheels.

About 2 months ago I bought myself a singlespeed mountain bike. I haven’t had a chance to ride it too much, but I’ve really enjoyed the simplicity of the bike. Earlier this week, I finally got around to riding it on a real trail. We went to Sherman Branch for a bit of riding, and I learned a few things about SS, riding a trail for the first time, and 29ers, as my SS is a Cannondale F29.

Thursday September 11, 2008, I arrive at a milestone. Hopefully I will be alive for half a century. In honor of that milestone I would like to invite anyone willing to join me on a fifty plus mile journey through rural Union County. I do not celebrate birthdays so this is not a birthday ride, that is why I am calling it a “Milestone Ride.” Here is the proposed route, starting at Colonel Francis Beatty Park, in front of Lake Pointe Hall:

Ok, so I have taken many rides now on my single speed/fixed gear and I just don’t get it. All fixed gear riders eventually hear how riding fixed transcends any other bike experience they may have ever had. This is usually accompanied by the remark that goes: “It’s a Zen thing, dude… you’re at one with the bike and the road and traffic…”