Bike Culture in Key West

My wife and I are celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary in Key West Fl.

Here are some photos of bike culture. Here, the beach cruiser rules and the pedicab cruise.

Words and Photos by Ray Heinsman

Defining Inspiration

I just found Mike's blog and I want to share it with you. After the firm he worked for was purchased by another; he wondered "what am I going to do now?" His answer was to visit Bruce Gordan in Northern California, purchase a touring bike, and ride it from Florida to California. Now of course many people have ridden their bike across the country, but Mike's blog is something special. He posted everyday about his experiences on this epic journey. Starting in February 2010 and ending in May, he rode, wrote and photographed about mostly great and some not so great things that happened along the way. I encourage everyone to check it out.

http://mikedillon.wordpress.com/

Bike Portraits

Special Thanks to my coworker Maria for her recommendation to look at this site:

http://www.dayonepublications.com/Bicycle_Portraits/Index.html

Because the FIFA World Cup is happening now in South Africa I think it only appropriate to also show some South African Bicycle Culture

 Quote from the site:

The Bicycle Portraits project was initiated by Stan Engelbrecht (Cape Town, South Africa) and Nic Grobler (Johannesburg, South Africa) early in 2010. Whenever they can, together or separately, they’re on the lookout for fellow commuters, and people who use bicycles as part of their everyday work, to meet and photograph. They’re finding out who rides bicycles, why they ride bicycles, if and why they love their bicycles, and of course why so few South Africans choose bicycles as a transport option. There is no specific range of questions asked, they'd rather just establish a conversation around the rider’s life and where his or her bicycle fits into it. 

Please bear in mind that these recordings were transcribed verbatim and that english is not the first language of many of the characters they met. Being avid cyclists themselves, this project is as much an investigation into South African bicycle culture as it is an excuse for them to ride their bikes and take photographs. Follow the project on Twitter or contact us at dayone@me.com

Bike to Work in Work Clothes; Why Not?

Article:http://www.boston.com/yourtown/arlington/articles/2010/06/13/more_cyclists_forgo_special_garb_commute_in_heels_and_suits/

Today's article, in Boston.com, discusses how more people are riding to work in their "street" clothes. For years when commuting in Buffalo NY I did this. Then I moved to DC and my commute got considerably longer. I would wear shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt and change into my work clothes when I got to work because sweating is bad when in an office environment, but never spandex. Now that I ride a short distance, and I may sweat a little, I am back to riding in my work attire. Why Not? I have shoes with rubber bottoms that hold the pedal nicely. I look professional where-ever I go. This is the way they do things in the rest of the world and it is becoming popular here. Check out my first rider of the day.

If you want to ride in your "gear"; go for it. It is comfortable and performance oriented. If I take a ride for sport I wear sporty gear.

On the other hand, If I am just using a bike for transportation; changing requires a lot of extra work........Its a simple task - get somewhere in a few minutes to do something. I think it is easier to drive and park in a garage then it is to get changed at the beginning and end of every little jaunt. Some people have even infused cycle into their style. Check out http://velovogue.blogspot.com/.

Unless it is raining or snowing, you won't ruin anything to ride a couple of miles and get some ice cream......mmmmmmm     Ice Cream.....that sounds good.

Ride on

Words By Ray Heinsman

Rider Of The Day 22

Todays Rider of the day was photographed crossing Colesville going south on Georgia Ave in front of the Discovery Communications building in downtown DC.

It was a bright sunny day at noon.

Keep Riding

Words and Photos by Ray Heinsman

Becoming One With Nature

Making great rides happen requires preparation. 

1) Eat well - check

- ate a banana, a breakfast sandwich, a sandwich at lunch with lots of veggies on it, and a bagel 1 hr. before the ride. I also took the endurolytes which really seem to be working,

2) good nights sleep - check

- got a solid 8 hours the night before with vivid dreams and no mid-night wake-ups.

3) reduced alcohol and caffeine consumption - check

- had a couple of beers and 1 cup of coffee the previous few days before the ride.

4) lots of water - check

- had 6 pints of water on Wednesday and 5 pints on Thursday before riding.

5) Clean riding gear - check

- well my gloves were a little stinky - but a clean jersey and shorts!

6) Arrive on time - check

- got to the trail head 20 minutes before launch even in heavy traffic - which took some paying attention to the traffic report before leaving - in DC  - a necessity

7) Bike in Good Working Order - Check

- My bikes tires were just right and the chain was well lubed.

8) Good Spirits- check

-there are two types of spirits - a. anytime I go riding I feel happy and b. Scott brought more Raging Bitch Ale by Flying Dog for an after ride thirst quencher.

9) Be ready  - check

- I had just found my multi-tool which was good becaseu the new guy had some headset trouble, I also had cold water, a tube and a pump in my bag, my phone was fully charged and I had my ID and keys in my bag.

10) Ride with good people- check

- Today's ride was led by James. He took us on the two larger loops at a great pace that was both challenging and fun but didn't destroy me. I found my second wind a third and forth time. We also had a new guy who's positive attitude went a long way to helping me find that little extra when it was needed.

What does all this have to do with the title? Just now I felt a little itch on top of my head. I reached for it and there was a little bump which felt like a scab. I picked at it and it came right off in my finger nails. Holding it in front of my eyes I looked at it and it was a TICK! Evidently my head was a great place to start a new family but that didn't happen. Ah bringing a little trail back to the office the next day.

Ride on

Words and bike Photos By Ray Heinsman

Tick photo courtesy of the website in the TICK link

Rider of the day #21

Today's rider of the day post is someone I saw while on the bridge over Rock Creek Park on my way to my mountain bike ride. This railroad bridge converted to pedestrian bridge sits high above the Rock Creek and provides a great view of the valley. As was waited for the clouds to move so the sun would hit my bike, this cyclist came riding up and I quickly adjusted to take the photo.

Ride Hard, Rock on

Words and Photo by Ray Heinsman

Bridges - Connecting Neighborhoods

I had a great ride yesterday that was relaxing, challenging and scenic. I was asked by Bert at Griffin Cycle to go mountain-biking with himself as well as another Griffin employee, Alex and an employee of Silver Cycles, Tim. To get to the meetup point I had to ride to the shop in Bethesda from my house in Silver Spring. This was a ride I was used to doing.

Before January of this year, I commuted by bicycle from Silver Spring MD to Bethesda MD everyday. It is a 6.5 mile ride that consists of many types of infrastructure. When I commuted I didn't blog yet, so I took this opportunity to share some of these wonderful paths and structures connecting these beautiful Maryland towns.

The first path I took leaving my neighborhood is Sligo Creek Path. In one of my first blog posts, I wrote about this trail system. It is a quaint park setting that straddles the Sligo Creek with soccer fields, playgrounds, golf courses and baseball diamonds. In many places one side of the creek has an unpaved path and the other has a paved path. These two paths are connected by a series of steel and wood foot bridges. The particular path I take on my route also includes a series of graphic rails that discuss information about the watershed duties of the creek.

After the park, I enter into a quiet neighborhood and climb a huge hill that crosses a couple of major streets. To get to the next path I need to cross an old wooden bridge over the train tracks that carry DCs Metro, the MARC train and Amtrack. This bridge can be quite slippery when it rains, but it is one way and the local streets speed bumps keep car speeds respectable and safe. This bridge drops you into a neighborhood that borders an industrial area with a lot of little manufacturing businesses. They make canolli, custom furniture, tire installation, marble countertops, etc.

The next path, the georgetown branch trail (or Capital Crescent) is a rail bed conversion. Being gravel and nearly flat it is deceiving how tiring it can be. This is the path that makes commuting between these two areas difficult. Fat tires make it smooth but add resistance, skinny tires reduce resistance but increase vibration. I was never comfortable with this portion of the ride, but it is beautiful. As you pass neighborhoods which are across the woods lining the path in the distance, you come upon little discoveries. One of those discoveries is a long high RR bridge that has been converted for pedestrian use. I stopped and took a few pictures here because the sun was setting and the colors were beautiful.

After I left the bridge I met a guy that I used to see everyday on my commute. He was a die-hard commuter like me, riding in all weather and loving every minute of it. We had a nice chat and I hope to do an interview with him soon about his experiences on the bike.

Finally I arrived a Griffin and the 4 of us packed up the car and headed to the trail-head. We did a 10 mile ride in Cabin John Park that was a rocky rooty technical challenge. Once again the others I rode with had way more endurance then I. All in all it was a great ride; I really enjoyed the challenge; and I look forward to the next one.

Keep riding everyone.

Words and Photos by Ray Heinsman

Rider #20 - Repeat

Rider of the day #20 is a repeat. We saw this lady riding her bicycle to work a few weeks ago as rider #7. Although she wasn't looking as joyful today, it was exciting to see someone that I recognized for the first time. Keep riding everyone.

Words and photo By Ray Heinsman

Cyclist Killed In DC Traffic

Article:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/DC-Cyclist-Killed--95700399.html#comments


My comment in the comments section:
Bicyclists, bikers and automobile drivers should feel equally safe using the street. I am aware that this is not the case. That is unfortunate. Just because some people are not capable of sharing the road, we should not discourage shared use. The attitude on this topic is usually one that enables aggressive drivers by advocating non-drivers to avoid the situation. Using a bicycle for transportation in the city of DC makes good sense. It is a shame that our society cannot embrace a more supportive attitude for cycling and discourage aggressive driving.


Ride on everyone.

Rider of the day 19

Riding at high noon in downtown DC.

Get Big Balls

Hilarious video promoting women in Mountain Biking.
Enjoy

Disappointment

What is disappointment? It is a feeling that results when your expectations are not realized. Expectations are awful. If your expectations are met, great. When you have none, surprise! When you have expectations though, usually they are accompanied with some kind of disappointment.  Defeated and unsuccessful are acknowledged synonyms. To the list of synonyms I would like to add rain.

I had gotten quite used to going on my Thursday Mountain-bike rides. Even started structuring a few days of my week around them. But yesterday, Thursday, June 3; rain. 

It wouldn't have been so bad, except that I was well on my way to the trail when the skies opened up. If any of you have driven in DC traffic, you will understand how much worse that can make the feeling of disappointment. I had driven almost an hour upon realizing that I was not going riding. I may as well turn around and try to salvage the rest of the afternoon. The drive back was during the height of rush hour. (Why they call it rush hour I do not know, no one is rushing anywhere.) I ended up sitting in the car for 2 1/2 hours in the rain.

So what is the lesson here? As long as there are expectations, there will be disappointment. The greater the expectations, the greater the potential for disappointment is. Have you ever been in a situation and afterwards said to yourself, "wow, I never expected to have such a great time!"  

Surprise. 

If you reduce your expectations, you will have this feeling more often. Also, before leaving to go ride your bike; look at that darn weather radar map and see if there are any green dots coming your way. If they are, don't get in the car during rush hour leaving you to waste your afternoon driving nowhere in the rain.

words by Ray Heinsman

Sprocket Clocks

Each Year, I try to create a product that I produce 30-40 of to give away as Christmas gifts. Some were successful, others failed. 

One of my favorite products made was the Sprocket Clock in 2005. Made from used sprockets laying around the bike shop, each one was different. 

The first photo is one I made for my (then girlfriend) wife, Erica. I chose this one because the pattern resembles a series of hearts rotated about each other at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. 

The second one I made for myself from a 43t Profile Imperial Sprocket after Christmas when I upgraded my BMX bike from a freewheel to a cassette hub significantly reducing the size of my drive-train. 

Enjoy

Words Products and Photos By Ray Heinsman

Sunday Bikes

Eric L, Hold On! from SundayBikes.com

Jim Cielinski is one of the most talented BMX riders I have ever met. Upon returning to Buffalo after many years of touring, he openned a little store off Elmwood Ave and created his own line of bikes called "Sunday". Here is the latest video release.

Griffin Cycle Gets New Awning

Stopped at my old shop, Griffin Cycle, in Bethesda on Memorial Day to say hi. I love going in there. Its like coming home. Everyone was happy and the shop was really busy. It was a big day for Bethesda cycling yesterday.

The new awning was a big improvement over the ragged old blue one. Its yellow color punctuated the little shopping plaza and you could see it from the end of the block. Pretty soon their website will also be updated to reflect the new branding.

If you are in Bethesda and want to get some info, have that old bike repaired, or get a nice new shiny Trek to cruise the many bike paths in the DC area; stop in and say hi to Nick, Bert and the gang at:

Griffin Cycle, 

4949 Bethesda Ave, 

Bethesda MD, 20814. 

301-656-6188.

Words and Photos By Ray Heinsman

Rider of the Day 18 - Memorial Day Contest

Bicycling was alive and well in Bethesda on Memorial Day. My wife Erica and I went to Louisiana Kitchen for brunch and then walked to the Apple Store. On the way we passed at least 100 bicyclists. Families, enthusiasts, casual riders and kids were out enjoying their bicycles in 90+ degree  heat. It was wonderful to see.

Because there was such a showing,  I decided that todays official rider of the day would be this smooth BMX rider I captured just after he gracefully hopped up the curve; but I also included a picture showing the volume of cyclists that were enjoying downtown Bethesda today. This picture is larger if you click on it so you can count how many bicycles you can find. Write your guess in the comments section along with a way to contact you which I will delete before publishing. The first correct answer will get 1 free bicycle tube of any size.

Keep riding!

Words and Photos by Ray Heinsman