Pedal to Peril this Saturday

via @LordRocktober

Don't forget your helmet!

Do you like to ride bikes on Friday nights?

via LordRocktober

I bet you've been sitting around saying, "Man, those MOB Rides are always on Saturday nights. I'm always busy with [insert lame excuse] on Saturdays."

We'll see you on Friday.

MOB RIDE! TONIGHT! TACOMA!

C'mon CyclePunx!

Troll Crank II

via Lordrocktober

Nothing says the holidays like staying out late riding bikes with friends. Who's with me?

Gobble-Gobble, Crank!

Q: If April Showers bring May Flowers, what do May Flowers bring?

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A: Pilgrims, you turkeys! Now c'mon and crank your tail-feathers!

You can reach your goals; I'm living proof

I usually don't set goals.  Maybe something obtuse like, "Read more books!"  But last December I realized that after a full year of stay-at-home-dadding, I had become overweight.  I kept thinking that the trips to the playground with a bucket bike fully of pre-schoolers would do the trick, but it apparently did not.

When I started riding bikes (again) in 2005, I was training for STP and bike commuting, so I started a mileage log which I continued diligently as my bike commuting habit grew stronger.  During that time, my body hit a sweet spot and stayed the same size and shape most of the year.  Yay cycling!  2009 marked the first year where I wasn't counting every mile, which is probably why I was surprised when I got on the scale after Christmas and saw a much larger number than normal.  It was resolution time, and figuring that I had only ridden about 1200 miles in 2009, I set out to ride 2010 miles in 2010.

I don't own any cyclometers, but wanted my data to be relatively accurate.  Most of my bike trips are to/from home, so I made a reference table with distances to places I frequently ride.  The occasional long ride usually gets googlemapped post-ride.  I broke everything out by bike, taking care to separate cargo vs. solo miles.  Cargo miles are almost always transportational, while solo miles are often recreational, but not always.

This method of data logging is helpful when I'm trying to justify why I keep certain bikes or why I should be willing to spend money on maintenance.  My Xtracycle has a ridiculous number of miles on it, but I haven't so much as changed the chain.  Even if I have to replace the entire inexpensively equipped drivetrain for $150 at mile 3000, I'll know that was money well spent since all those miles replaced car trips.

I did so many charity rides this summer, and led enough short weekly training rides, that I met my 2010 goal in early September.  I never reached my weight-loss goal, but I did figure out about how many miles per month it takes for me to break even with my nutella toast and beer consumption habits.  And that's the key folks: finding balance.

The really interesting thing about these stats is that I've racked up 800 miles on cargo bikes alone.  These are the short day-to-day trips that most purely recreational cyclists would probably ignore, or just simply drive a car.

Xtracycle: 335 miles (average trip length: 4.3 miles)

Madsen:   425 miles (average trip length: 3.7 miles)

The best part is that the year isn't over!  There are still plenty of opportunities to pedal to my destination and burn off all of those holiday goodies.

Do you track your cycling miles?  Do you find it motivates you to ride more?  What kind of cycling goals do you have?

TCBF 2010

I promised a full review of the 2010 Tacoma Craft Beer Festival, which happened back in October.  This second annual event was bigger than last year, featuring more brewers, more firkins, more food, and more days.  It also seemed to feature shorter lines and a excellent shuttle system, which made getting in the door easier.  Overall, an even better event than last year.

I biked to the Foss Waterway Seaport on Friday night to volunteer pouring samples.  I had a blast talking to locals about beer, meeting many interesting folks, including quite a few local restaurant and bar owners who were on the prowl for tasty local brews to put on tap.  I wore a Tacoma Public Libraries hat, thinking that librarians probably like to drink beer, too.  Turns out, they do.

I took my wife to the festival on Saturday so that I could see things from the other side of the booth.  We had a fun time, ran into lots of friends, made some new friends, and tasted some good beer.  There was live music most of the afternoon.  Some guys were making a batch of homebrew out on the dock.  Lots going on.  If you didn't go, pay attention next year and plan to attend.

We only had Sarah's camera phone, but here's what I told her to take pictures of:

Anniversary MOB Ride Comin' Up!

Via Lordrocktober Himself...

REAPER RIDE - 2010

1st Anniversary of the Ride that started it all!

Costume (its Halloween!) - Bicycle Booze Cruz

Saturday, October 23rd, 7:00pm

Meet up at: THE ACME GRUB CAGE

We'll be stopping at various watering holes throughout the night.
We'll be there wet stuff or dry and clear.
21+ and biking is at your own risk so don't fall down

Spread the word!  -  We Own the Streets!!!

TCBF Tips

The Tacoma Craft Beer Festival starts in just three hours!  Now would be a good time to make sure you're ready.

Step 1. Get There and Get Home: Safely

If you're planning to have a great time drinking beer at a beer festival, plan also on not driving home.  There's a shuttle service running from the Tacoma Dome Station, which links to local and regional buses and the LINK Rail.  And the railing around the dock is basically a giant bike rack, so why not ride there?  (Last year I arrived early and they let me lock up indoors to a boat trailer.  I understand that boat has now been removed to make room for more brewers. YES!)

If possible, you may want to ride a bike with a back seat.  You never know who else may need a safe ride home after last call.  (Yes, that's my bike. No, that's not me.)

Step 2: Bring a Snack

The standard for beer festivals is the pretzel necklace.  It's cheap, effective, and virtually hands-free.  However, there's still time to whip up a batch of Matt's Favorite Cookies.

Hint: Tape the recipe card inside your cabinet by the oven.

These pair well with most ales and are quite tasty.  I always recommend making a double batch to share with your friends.  Or to trade them for beer tasting tokens.

Step 3. Show Your Colors

C'mon,it's a beer festival! We're celebrating one of the most amazing inventions of all time, so put on some lederhosen or a toga or a funny hat...

This ancient form of haberdashery dates back nearly four decades.  I had Grandma train me in the Ways of the Can Hat and now it is time to unleash their awesome power!  Expect to see a few of these in the Canned Beer Garden at TCBF on Saturday.  BTW, if you haven't tried craft beer in a can, now is the time.  There are some great beers available now in cans, including those made by our local boys 7 Seas Brewing from Gig Harbor.

I'll be posting more pictures and a full review after the festival.  Any other tips to share?

MOB Ride: Pedal to Peril

Via lordrocktober

PEDAL TO PERIL 2010

Bicycle Booze Cruz

Saturday, August 28th

7:00pm

Meet up at: THE RED HOT

We'll be stopping at various watering holes throughout the night. 

We'll be there wet stuff or dry and clear. 

21+ and biking is at your own risk so don't fall down

Spread the word!  -  We Own the Streets!!!

Courage Classic Weekend Redux

My Courage Classic weekend actually started on Friday when I took the whole family to the weekly Frost Park Chalk-Off to do a little shameless self-promotion.  It took the rest of the day to ready the van and assemble my gear.  Getting three guys, their bikes, their camping gear and their driver into one minivan required some planning, but worked well.

DAY 1

Ready to Roll!

We rendezvoused early Saturday morning in the town of Snoqualmie, WA, with some other friends from the Harmon Bike Club.  After loading our overnight gear on the UPS delivery trucks bound for the campsite at the Suncadia Resort, we hit the road.  Just a few miles later, John had what would be the only flat of the 3-day ride.

We gradually broke up into smaller groups as we climbed through the Denny Creek area and approached the summit of Snoqualmie Pass, where the temperature was a balmy 54°F.  Gig Harbor Rotary put on an excellent spaghetti feed for lunch, then we were shuttled by coach bus and moving truck (riders and bikes, respectively) through the I-90 construction around Lake Kaches which is currently off-limits to bicycle traffic.

Denny Creek Switchback Panda

For me, the biggest change this year was that I rode a road bike instead of my 50 pound Xtracycle, which allowed me to complete each day's course about two hours faster than in previous years.  We finished Day 1 in Cle Elum around 1:30pm, giving us plenty of time to setup tents, clean-up in the mobile shower trailer, and enjoy a few cold-ones in the Redhook beer garden.  A huge buffet dinner was held later in a light rain, but those of us who weathered the heat of last year's event knew better than to complain.

DAY 2

Rotarians at Work!

After riding this event three times, I can positively say that the ride from Suncadia to the Blewitt Pass summit is my favorite part.  You break camp and ride a few miles into Cle Elum, eat a great breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe, then traverse the countryside with the sun coming up over the mountains.  It's a quiet and breathtakingly beautiful ride with very little traffic, other than your fellow riders.  I always linger at the Tacoma North Rotary rest stop because it seems everyone is always there.  I spend time catching up with riders and volunteers I've met in years past, and meeting plenty of new folks as well.  It's great to see so many people having fun together.

The Blewitt Paceline Crew

As a group of us left the rest stop, someone shouted out "9:03!" and we soon realized that there was a friendly time-trial taking place en route to the summit.  We charged our five-man pace-line up the mountain at a strong clip and stayed together for most of the 7 mile climb, each finishing about 1 minute apart.  It was awesome!  I enjoyed a light brunch of tomato basil soup, a turkey sandwich, and fresh fruit.  The food stops are great, especially when you consider that these Rotarians are feeding nearly 800 riders and volunteers every meal and snack.

Once camped in Leavenworth, we headed for the Icicle River to soak our legs before a bbq dinner in the park.  Too much fun was had in Redhook beer garden, where DJ Shelda played some great tunes and we all enjoyed each others company.

DAY 3

Are we having fun yet?
Photo courtesy of Kimi. Taken by one
of the many enthusiastic Rotarians.

Monday brings the longest climbing route of the weekend.  After a brisk ride along the Chumstick Highway to the first rest stop in Plain, WA, the route hooks up with WA-2 and heads up Stevens Pass.  There are actually 4 or 5 separate climbs on the way to the summit, each with its own small descent, necessitating that the dessert stop (that is reserved for after lunch on Days 1 and 2) needs to be located pre-lunch.  It's Hawaiian themed and features root beer floats, Oreos, fig bars, beef jerkey, organic bunny grahams, and a hula hoop competition.  I bested three others with the hoop and won a sweet "Rotary Rest-Stop Survivor" t-shirt that I'm sporting as I type.  

Iron Goat Trail

All of this food and fun prepares you mentally and physically for the last 10-15 challenging miles of climbing.  Even so, the potato bar at the summit was exactly what I needed to perk me back up for the descent down the west side of Stevens.  The low clouds and damp wind combined for a fast and freezing run down the mountain.  The main highway portion of the descent is a nailbiter at high speed and lots of crosswinds, but near the bottom is the turn-off for the Iron Goat Trail, a refurbished section of the Old Stevens Highway that is smooth, lively, stunning, and magical.  My friend Mike, a Courage Classic rookie, said that "it might be the best 15 minutes I've ever spent on a bike."     

The finish line was busy, but still full of all the amenities we'd seen along the way: snacks, showers, massage tables, smiling Rotarians, and even a piece of commemorative hardware.  I've heard many folks joke about how it's very possible to gain weight on this ride, despite all of the miles and elevation.  After my fourth or fifth slice of bread pudding at the Day 1 dinner, I can understand why some would think that.  This year, I weighed myself before and after.  The result: -1 pound.  Maybe I didn't drink my fair share of ESB?  I promise to try harder next year!

There simply aren't many supported rides out there that leave you feeling like you've been on a vacation rather than just a bike ride.  If you're thinking about doing your first organized tour, I'd certainly recommend that you start with this one.  Helping a great cause while having a great time?  It's hard to top that.

Thanks again to everyone who sponsored me and my ride to Stop the Cycle of Child Abuse!

I'm keeping this swag!

Hills, Glorious Hills

There's an article in The News Tribune today about the benefits of training on hills.  I found the article interesting because I absolutely love riding hilly routes.

One of my favorite hills to climb in Tacoma is North Carr Street.  The view from the top looks like this:

View Larger Map

It's a short climb, but quite steep.  (Turn sideways with streetview above and you can get an idea of the pitch.)  The road surface has a brick pattern which gives it an Old World feel.  It's a total lung-buster on any bike, especially this one:

Yes, I really did it and I had a witness.  This is a recently-acquired Worksman Cycles Industrial Newsboy that's maybe a few decades old.  You can stand up and pump the pedals really well with those tall bars.  Admittedly, it's not the best bike for climbing hills, but the feeling of accomplishment when you reach the top on a simple machine like this is one comparable to climbing Everest (I'm guessing.)  

[I might have been on my way home from a Tacoma MOB Ride when I did this and I might have Yahoo!'d loud enough at the top to wake a few neighbors.  Beer is a very powerful bicycle fuel.]

Speaking of conquering mountains, I'm riding the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour this weekend to raise money for child abuse intervention.  You can DONATE HERE and be entered to win some sweet Tacoma swag.  Just a $5 donation gets your name in the hat.

The Freedom to Ride

The Tacoma MOB Riders took over the streets once again last night for the Freedom Ride.  Mrs. TBR and I could only stick around for a few stops, but we had a blast!  

If you haven't been on a MOB ride yet, there will certainly be more to follow.  Anyone and any bike is always welcome.  I've heard that custom t-shirts are in the works, too!

Freedom Ride

The Tacoma MOB Riders are taking over the Tacoma streets once again...

via lordrocktober

Another Tacoma MOB Ride!

Watch out! These Tacoma MOB Riders are getting organized...

Cabin Fever Grindout - April 24

A cryptic message was received on the wires today:

CABIN FEVER GRINDOUT

Bicycle Booze Cruz

Saturday, April 24th

7:00pm

Meet up at: MAGOO’S

Spread the word! 

We Own the Streets!!!

I think by now you all know what to do...Get Thy Velosteeds Ready!  Meanwhile...

Joy Ride

This should be fun.  Find a sitter.

Hat tip to SPEW for the heads-up.

Idle Hands are the Devil's Playground

When winter rolls around, I usually find myself out in the garage on cold nights playing bikes. Once the over-due maintenance is done, I start to tinker. Here are some of the project that I've been working on.

Photos
I never seem to have my camera around when I want it, especially when I'm biking, so I'm making a camera mount for my handlebars. That way I can also take decent low-res videos of my epic rides.  Instructions are here and the bits cost about $2 from the hardware store. (Note: The Ace Hardware at S. 12th and Sprague carries all of the bike-sized metric bolts that you could ever need.)

Tires
I've wanted to upgrade the rear tire on our Madsen, but no local shop stocks a 20" Marathon. Well last Saturday the Mrs. and I found ourselves in Seattle, volunteering at the Winter Beer Festival. We had parked at a B&B called Inn of Twin Gables*, where we would be staying the night, then walked over the Ballard bridge to Hale's for the event.

About half-way over the bridge, we spotted the Dutch Bicycle Company of Seattle.  What luck!  We checked out their awesome selection of Dutch bikes and they happened to have just one 20" Big Apple burried up in the rafters.  I strapped it to my bag and we continued to the festival where we poured tastes from Schooner EXACT Brewing.  They took home the second place people's choice prize for their Hoppy the Woodman barrel-aged winter ale.  The beer was great and we had an awesome time.

*I highly recommend the Inn of Twin Gables.  Katie, the innkeeper, was an excellent host (a story of her grandmother provided the title of this post.)  And she made us a very tasty and healthy breakfast.  Possibly the best night I've ever had away from home, and at a very reasonable price.

Rain Cover

The kid's don't mind getting a little cold and wet, but the downpours in November and the sub-freezing temps of December are extremes that I'm not always comfortable biking in with children.

I'd seen pictures of Madsen's prototype rain cover, but have heard it's been shelved for a different design.  Being cheap and not wanting to wait for a produciton model, I'm making my own.  The frame is made of 1/2" EMT electrical conduit.  It's super light and easy to form, plus the frame disassembles into two pieces for summer storage.   The cover itself will be made from outdoor canvas and clear plastic.  A drawcord at the bottom will go under the lip of the bucket and hold the frame down.  This is where I am so far.  You'll have to imagine the rest.

This should work fine for low-speed, winter kid hauling.  I'll post more photos and a how-to when it's done.

Tacoma Craft Beer Festival 2009

The first annual Tacoma Craft Beer Festival was awesome! There was live music, raffle prizes, a fun vibe, and plenty of tasty beer.

There was quite a buzz about cans. Can coating technology has improved recently and many craft breweries are embracing the can as a better way to deliver their beer to the masses. 21st Amendment Brewing was pouring their IPA straight from the can and had paperboard 6-pack packaging that seemed far superior to those plastic rings that kill dolphins. 7 Seas Brewing of Gig Harbor is/will be canning as well, and they have can-shaped glassware for their taproom that opens October 15.

Beers I really enjoyed (and remembered the next day!):
Hoppy Holidays and 3 Grid IPA from Schooner EXACT
Hoptober from New Belgium
British Pale Ale from 7 Seas

I liked the tasting mug with the handle - I saw no one drop their cup. The 4 oz. taste seemed like too much beer for a person like me that can only handle a few pints. There seemed to be a good number of food vendors (with vegetarian options) and no/short lines for toilets. I don't recall seeing a water fountain. Event shirts sold-out quickly (in my size). Next year will simply have to be bigger. I can't wait for next year.

If you went, what did you like? How can the festival be even better next year?

TCBF

photo by The Red Hot

The fine folks at The Red Hot are spearheading the first (hopefully annual) TACOMA CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL. It's happening today, Saturday, October 3rd, and runs from noon until 9pm. It's an indoor event with live music, food vendors, and plenty of unique, quality beers to taste. Bonus points if you bike there. Don't forget your pretzel necklace and your ID (you must be 21 to attend.)

The News Tribune did an article on Wednesday that highlighted a few of the brewers that will be there. Do yourself a favor and visit the Schooner EXACT booth. Good stuff.

Cheers!