I'm still around

Great things have happened for me career-wise, despite a layoff in March of 2011. I am earning much less than I was in a prior position but the good news is I have a killer-long bike commute (24-25 miles one-way) and I am working within a very bike-positive community and workplace.

I'll reveal more eventually, but just wanted to let folks know I am doing OK and intend to blog more.

The past year has been a very up and down year for me on a personal note and career-wise. Cycling has consistently, along with other aspects I may choose to reveal at some point, the better part of my transitional period.

I am down to four bicycles now - two nice road bikes (carbon Roubaix and an aluminum Cannondale) and two steel less-nice bikes (27" wheeled road bike and a department store MT bike). If I had space to do so, I'd set up another home workshop and maybe build a few more project bikes, but I've been busy in the job search lately, so maybe that is a winter project for me.

More soon... which might be late 2011, but who knows?

~ NJ

it took a cold to get me to pause to post

I think I've been going full-tilt all summer long with so many activities, as posted before, I did some camping trips this summer, toting a bicycle along whenever I could. I was a bit disappointed it looks like I won't do a charity ride this summer or a longer-distance event, however, sometimes I did get out for a 11-12 mile ride solo or with my wife... it has been that difficult to get away to cycle this summer.

Finally, a cold that hit me this week - less than a week after the kids started back to school - got me to slow down enough to write an update on what I've been doing lately bicycle-wise.

I might be considered by my friends and neighbors to be the "Harold LeMay" of bicycles. I think I have eight currently, though not all of them are keepers. The most recent purchase was a pair of Japanese Tange double-butted cro-mo steel-framed 18-speed Shogun touring bicycles, both converted to mustache style bars when new. Both were taken care of really well and ride like new.



I am planning to sell one and keep the other at this point. The springy Schwinn seats and upright position make for a very enjoyable ride on an asphalt paved trail.

Another bicycle I've been toying with is a Schwinn BMX bike pulled together from parts handed down from a friend of mine. Originally, I thought this'd be the bike to tote along to the camp grounds, but that idea was tossed in favor of my mountain bicycle, since we'd be riding greater distances.



I've fooled around on this bike with the kids on their bikes but I have a feeling I'll eventually sell this too. For me it's just a curiousity. Watching MTV's show SCARRED has pretty much took away my interest in doing wild bicycle tricks and plywood jumps.

This'd be me on a jump... from the film Napoleon Dynamite... at about 30-something seconds into the clip.


For my birthday this year, the kids painted me a painting of these bicycles. They were inspired by another artist's work, however, I think they did a pretty good interpretation of bicycles - not bad for 5 and 6 years-old.



The week of my birthday in August, we went camping at Lake Easton in WA State. Here are a couple pics during a ride along the John Wayne Trail with me and my friend, Bill.





I'm still bicycle commuting 2-3 times a week in general and will continue to do so as long as there isn't ice in the morning. My commute might be slightly affected by a highway construction job, but I have a few work-arounds for that I've explored. Last year, I rode until December and stopped until February - using an indoor bicycle trainer during that period.

Until I post again - keep the rubber side down! :)

I've still been bicycling!

I realize it has been forever since I last updated this blog. I cannot recall if I even posted any updates about this past bike to work month. I think it's because bicycling has wrapped itself into a daily or weekly routine for me so I don't really change much of my behavior like I used to when May rolled around.

I just wanted to let everyone who might be interested know that I've still been biking - mostly for commuting (2-3x a week) and sometimes 3-5 mile rides for fitness and recreation, usually with my kids (youngest just started riding without training wheels this week!)

Me with a bunch of kids (ours and friends children) riding around the cabins at Cama Beach on Camano Island, WA. This was in July 2009.


Also from July (might be early August) me with a 1990s Specialized Allez I "rescued" from a free pile in our neighborhood. It's all low-end Campy equipped (Veloce) and I just needed to replace the left crank arm (I replaced both crank L and R plus chain rings with a NOS Veloce crankset I found on e-Bay for $40) added Shimano SPD road pedals and swapped out the weathered but hardly-used stock Specialized brand tires for Serfas Seca II tires.


I'm still using a REI Novara brand commuter bike (Transfer) for my daily commutes though for fun (and practicality) I will sometimes ride in a older Schwinn cross bike or Giant hardtail MT bike as both are equipped with platform pedals. This is especially for when there are farmers' market Tuesdays where I'll ride from work to the market and not want to roam around in crowds while wearing shoes with cleats.

My health has improved - I dropped 22 pounds from a doctor visit in fall of 2008 to a check-up in the spring. I continue to drop weight and improve my commute times home.

Happy and safe riding everyone!

update

I have had a chance to get out and ride 4-9 miles a couple times each week for the past couple weeks. Due to a minor outpatient surgery, I'll be off the bike or trainer for a week or two. Better to do it in the winter than the spring or summer, I guess.

I did get a few nice things for Christmas in addition to the indoor bicycle trainer, such as the red Novara brand (REI) jacket I'm wearing in this photo. I also got the socks and the under helmet head cover (beanie?) as gifts too. The shoes are new-to-me slightly used SIDI brand shoes. Regular price new is $135 and I found a guy who was selling them for only $35! I suspect he was getting out of road biking entirely.


A pic of me and the bike at the end of the Cedar River where it joins Lake Washington. Roughly the half way point in a 9 mile round-trip ride from my house, roughly the last 2 miles is uphill the whole way.


Pausing near the Cedar River (up river from the mouth) at a bench dedicated to my deceased great uncle, who was a former police chief in our town in the 1950s and 1960s. Impossible to read the small plaque, but it has his name and dedicates the bench to his memory.


Can't wait for more improved weather and health so I can get back to riding again.