Tour de Ed - a great excuse to come to Chico

My friend, and the leader of Chico Velo for nearly as long as I've been alive, Ed McLaughlin sustained a severe spinal cord injury a little over a month ago during a regular group ride, and is currently in the spinal cord rehab unit in Santa Clara. If you've ever heard of the Chico Wildflower, or ridden it, Ed is the brains and brawn behind that spectacular ride.

The cycling community here in Chico is putting on a ride, called Tour de Ed (February 23rd), to raise money to help with his recovery. So, if you're in the area, you might consider coming to Chico for this ride.

The Tour De Ed follows the same course as the old Almond Blossom ride. It takes you on an easy 20 or so mile ride on quiet country roads through the almond orchards when the trees are in full bloom (spring comes early in Chico!).

The farmer's market is rocking the same morning, and the ride starts late (10am) so you can chow down at one of the local eateries (or at the market) before the ride. If there is enough interest, a few of us have talked about heading out for an S24O later that same afternoon to Woodson Bridge SRA, and back Sunday morning.

Do what Ed would do, and get on your bike!

Here are the links:
Tour de Ed info, and
Ed's status updates.

If you think you want to come out, let me know. It'll be a good day (or possibly weekend) of riding, and any excuse is a good excuse to camp out for a night.

Cheers,
Gino

It's summer in the other hemisphere

'White Peugeot Mixte with Saddlebag' by Chainring Transit Authority

During the North American winter, our friends at Chainring Transit Authority in Sydney get to remind us of sunny and warm days elsewhere in the world. Winter is also a good time to reflect on those long comfortable days out, where one is able to become intimately consumed by her environs.

For me, one of the most enjoyable part of cold dark nights is sitting with a pile of maps and books, both planning and simply dreaming of trips I might take under my own power in the coming year. 2008 is shaping up to be juicy; at least another Cycle Oregon, Tour of the Unknown Coast, Chico Wildflower, and hopefully, if all goes as planned, a bicycle tour of Ireland's west coast. Oh, and at least one brevet. And aside from the big rides, I'm looking forward to the countless miles and adventures with my buddies and my lady.

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle."

-- Ernest Hemingway

Turn a key, melt a glacier. Turn a pedal, melt some fat.

Below is a little public service announcement from my friends at Chico Velo. I'm not sure who produced it, but maybe one of you out in the world wide internet can say.

I'm quite proud to live in a little town with such a passion for cycling. Thanks, Chico. And while I don't really subscribe to the cars=glaciers melting theories, the core message is still a good one: get out and ride your bike, fatty!

How to spot a redneck with a DUI conviction

Alternative fuels

I received an email from NateArm today, in which he pointed out the striking similarity between the fellow in the advert below, and my father-in-law in the photo below that. The video is from Errol Morris, and the original is available here. Thanks Nate, this was fantastic and hilarious!

Once again, Chico needs to fight down Wal-Mart

Last June, I wrote a somewhat impassioned post about Wal-Mart sniffing around in north
Chico, looking for a new place to pave. In today's paper, I came across a new article that states that they are still fighting to lay waste to the beauty that is the rural cycling haven north of town. Why have we not defeated this yet?

I'll say it again. Half a million square feet of China-made disposable goods, parking lots full of obese people in their giant trucks, and 168 acres of land is going to absolutely destroy what makes the northern areas of Chico and Butte county a wonderful place.

I have seen this type of unplanned growth completely wreck the town in which I grew up. I watched in happen outside of Boulder, Colorado. And now, I'm currently wondering what the residents of Chico are going to do.

Are you going to allow completely unplanned growth and traffic to consume what is left of Chico, so that there are no low-traffic places left to ride?

Wal-mart already has a football field-sized store five miles from this proposed site. They are also going to expand that existing store to 250,000 square feet. I'd say for a town of 100,000, that's more than enough.

Aside from destroying what are currently amazing cycling areas, the roads in the north simply can't support the type of automobile traffic that a Wal-Mart and strip malls would bring to the area. The auto traffic would be horrendous. And who do you think will pay, if they actually do build new roads to support the strip mall lifestyle?

Look at your paycheck stub next time. Look at the local taxes that are taken from you. And then ask yourself if you want those taxes going to support roads that will 1) wreck much of the area that you ride in north Chico and 2) support yet another Wal-mart in a small town that simply doesn't need another Wal-mart.

Chico Velo and Chico Corsa need to step up to the plate on this issue, and we need to do everything in our power to, with civility and constructiveness, defeat it. You can start by emailing these people of the City Council:

Email city council

Email Mayor Andy Holcombe

Email Vice Mayor Ann Schwab

Email the city manager

Email the Editor of the Chico Enterprise Record

The Bay Area has done a good job of beating back Wal-mart. We should as well.

This isn't just about the character and charm of Chico, or even cycling. This is much more about quality of life we have right now, and actively planning the future of what might be the last great small town in California.

Product Review: Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 700x27c Kevlar tires

Update: I have had FIVE SIX flats on the GB Cypres 650b tires in approxmiately 5-600 miles of mostly road riding. Not a good track record so far.

Also, in the first mile and a half of riding the Grand Bois Cerf 700x28 tire, the tire was punctured by a mystery object and rendered useless. These results don't bode well for Big Wood, my friends.

Carry on, and the original post is below.

--

The Rivendell-designed and Panaracer-made Ruffy Tuffy might be the best 700c tire in the world for sub-28mm-width reliability and, um, tuffness. Today, I reluctantly pulled my first pair off the rims of my Rivendell Rambouillet after 3,000 miles of hard use on and off road. I could have easily asked another 1,000 or more miles out of them, but I like to test products, and I was tired of looking down at the squared-off rolling surface of the front tire (which used to be the back tire).

Most remarkable is that in those 3,000 miles of riding northern California's goathead-laden roads and trails, I never had a single flat tire. I've pulled out countless goatheads, glass shards and other pointy bits; the kevlar belt is doing its job. The tire casing is shredded, but never a flat.



Ride Quality and Handling
When new, the tire is lovely, round and bulbous, like any good-and-fast tire should be. Compared to any 23-25c tire, the Ruffy Tuffy is legions above in terms of comfort. The only speed concern I've faced whilst riding this tire had to do with the engine turning it, and not the tire itself. I've read reviews and "scientific articles" on blogs and various publications that talk about how the Ruffy Tuffy's ride is harsh or slow, but to that I ask: What are you comparing it to? Please.

The tire has a fun checkerboardy pattern, which, while it does not add ridable value, it is certainly nice to look at when you're at the coffee shop or brewery after your ride (or before your ride!). On the other hand, the über-round aforementioned bulbousness of the tire inspires confidence, and even when bombing down steep and twisty roads (like Chico's Centerville Rd.) at 40mph, I never once felt trepidation to lay the bike down as far as I could to dig into any corners. In fact, I felt more comfortable going through sandy/gravely patches in turns than I ever did on smaller tires. Is bigger better? Maybe, to a point.

What's next? Well, I have Big Wood.
At the risk of falling into the Frenchy-frenchy fad that is currently underway in certain factions of the cycling community, I am going to try the Grand Bois Cyprés 700x32c tire. I like testing products, and until I absolutely stick on something (like the Brooks B17 Champion Special), I like to test out different products and setups until I find what's right for me. I'm excited to give the 700c model of the Grand Bois, which by the way in English means Big Wood, a go.

I have the Grand Bois Cyprés 650b tires on my Blériot, and thus far my results have been mixed. In short, the ride quality is quite great and handling is superb, but I've flatted twice in about 500 miles. I like to not worry about flatting when I ride, and I'll even take a little bit of weight in exchange for durability. But maybe I've hit a spot of bad tire luck on that bike, so I'm not casting judgement quite yet. More miles will tell.

One thing I've already noticed with the 700x32 Grand Bois is that it will not fit with a fender on my Rambouillet. It is a true 32mm, so they say, and on the Rambo, there isn't quite enough clearance for such a big tire. Come rainy season here in Northern California, the fenders and new Ruffy Tuffies will be reunited with the Rambouillet, and the Big Wood will be flaccid and shelved for the winter...

Polar does not understand bicycle fit

I've been surfing around looking at various training programs to both increase my base fitness level, and to increase my fast-twitch muscle strength and endurance. So far, I haven't found anything great, so if you know of a good training program that includes weight training, core strength training, and smart bike training let me know, won't you?

It so happens that I somtimes use a Polar heartrate monitor that I have from my triathlon days, and whilst on the Polar site, I came across this hilarious intro to 'Choosing a bike', which offers up the following "sage advice":

Road bikes work well for long distances and by riding one you will be able to exercise for long periods. A drawback is the hunched-over position which could feel uncomfortable in the beginning. You will get used to it quickly, of course, and then you will be able to cycle long distances effortlessly.

People at Polar, don't quit your day jobs!

Paintings of bikes

A few weeks ago, a fellow named Tim Goss emailed me about this photo of my Blériot, which he found on Flickr. He asked permission to paint a watercolor rendering of the photo, to which I (of course) said SURE!

Well, the painting is finished, and it is in fact lovely (and for sale). Check out Gino's New Bike and Tim's other beautiful watercolors.

Building the Long Distance Bicycle

I was recently honored to receive a pre-release copy of an e-book entitled A Rider's Guide to Building the Long Distance Bicycle, by David Rowe. And now that life has given me a tiny free moment, I had the chance to sit down and enjoy it. I didn't have the opportunity to make it to the Handmade Bike Show in San Jose this year, but after reading this book, I'd certainly like to attend the next.

More than a book in which one person gives opinions based on his experience, this PDF e-book is a transcript of a panel that took place at the bike show, and includes the knowledge of four long distance veterans. Rowe (the author) was the host/moderator of the panel, and the participants were Terry Zmrhal, Matt Eames, Matt Bracken and Steve Rex.

The four distinct viewpoints on what goes into designing and building (and using) a good long-distance bike were a lovely read, and not surprisingly, certain common agreements and ideals emerge as the conversation carries on. Being a bona fide bike nerd myself, I can say that I didn't learn TONS of new information, but to have all this knowledge in one place certainly earns a spot on my digital bookshelf.

If I were new to longer riding, curious about the sport of randonneuring, or wanting a solid half hour read about the philosophy of long distance bike design and usage, this is one place I'd want to start. The beauty of this book is that approximately 99.478% of the ideas espoused in the book SHOULD carry over into 99% of the bikes people ride on a daily basis. This notion might be best summarized on p.51, where Rowe poses to the panelists:

"Having a bicycle that is comfortable and one where the rider is able to fix a problem and finish that event, or just get back home, that's the key to a great long distance bike, isn't it?"

I'd argue that David's words apply to a much larger audience than he intended. Simplicity, reliability and maintainability; those are the core virtues of any good bicycle, and especially bikes that will be ridden for many miles. Building on that foundation, there are a heck of a lot of ideas per dollar, and at the $9.95 price tag you really can't go wrong.

Roid Landis and pro cycling continue to disappoint

Last July, I quipped on this very blog that I was sickened by the drug-induced mayhem that is professional cycling.

Sadly, it looks as if my first feelings were correct. I won't rant anymore; instead I'll point you to these two articles:

• In Cycling, a Race to the Bottom
• The Dark Side of American Cycling is on Display Now

All this pro cycling garbage makes me even happier that I'm headed out in the morning to go bicycle camping with the Rivendell fellas at Rivendell Weekend III.

Roid Landis, you still make me sick.

Blériot is finished

Seven months later, he's all together. Yay!

Girlie cycle sticker

Girlie cycle sticker
from: homepage.mac.com/isaetterry/pagescountries/pagenewzealand...

new Flickr Slideshow + cycling

Today, we (Flickr) released a spankin' new slideshow. You can read about it over on the Flickr blog.

Some fun cycling-related slideshows:

650b bicycles
Randonneur Group
and
Bicycle Friendly

National Bike Month

This came through in my issue of Bike Bits today:

"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There's something wrong with a society that drives a car to work out in a gym.

-- Bill Nye, The Science Guy

Amen, Bill.

As I've said before, my neighbor drives his V-8 truck less than 2 flat miles to work. He also owns a new bicycle. What am I getting at?

You may not know that May is National Bike Month in the United States. So, what do you say? Put that car away and ride somewhere. Get groceries on your bicycle. Skip the gym and ride the bike. Or, ride the bike to the gym! Or, *gasp*, ride to work. Let's stop being the fattest nation on Earth.

MacArthur Maze collapse: don't believe the media

Originally uploaded by Scott Jones.

I wish I could get more coverage on this post.

Over the weekend we all heard the horror stories predicting traffic mayhem due to the collapse of a span of the Macarthur maze in Oakland. Reality is this: I commuted in the casual carpool, the same as I do every morning. The only difference today is that I had a glimpse into How Much Better the bay area could be if people would stop driving and start taking public transportation, riding bicycles, or carpooling.

Apparently, everyone WAS doing those things today, because it took me 12, yes TWELVE minutes to get from Elmwood to San Francisco. Yep, 11 miles to San Francisco in 12 minutes at 8:30am on a Monday.

There were literally zero cars at the Bay Bridge toll booths. It was as if the bridge traffic went back to its not-so-humble beginnings in 1937:


I chose to take the carpool this morning because I wanted to see the damage first hand; I was willing to take the horrible traffic that had been predicted. And I have to say, as we were whizzing by at 60mph it was a fantastic site, to see such a large piece of Modern Construction lying in ruin. CalTrans already had their heavy equipment out tearing down the scorched remains, and otherwise things were better than normal.

I've also heard many stories at this point about companies allowing employees to telecommute during this Time of Crisis. Why can't tech companies just accept that many people are better at their jobs when not wasting their time commuting and sitting around in an office? Why save it for times of crisis? Hey employers, why not back up your Green Charade, and start practicing what you preach? Get more employees to telecommute. It's good for the employee, good for traffic, good for the environment.

The Chico Wildflower: some notes

Gino riding in the Wildflower
Originally uploaded by jnkochs.

• This was my first Wildflower. I'd intended to ride it last year, but I had a nasty chronic sinus infection and was about half way through a Prednisone and antibiotic treatment. Yay! This winter I've been what I'd call full blown paranoid about touching people and things, and washing my hands. Shake someone's hand? Wash. Touch a door knob? Wash. About to eat? Wash. Apparently it worked - I've not been sick.

• I didn't drink coffee before the ride, whereas most days I have two cups. This was a mistake. I totally blew apart on the third climb of the day (Table Mountain) with a splitting headache, which I'm chalking up to caffeine addiction. Luckily my buddy Tony was still at the top when I arrived; he gave me Advil, which saved the day. The rest stop at the bottom of Table Mountain had shabby coffee, and it was the best two cups of coffee I've ever tasted. Headache gone.

• I'm not willing to give up coffee. I love it!

• I absolutely love my Rivendell Rambouillet, and my Brooks B17 Champion Special. I was never in pain, other than said headache. That wasn't the bike's fault.

• Mudflaps and fenders in the rain rule. The extra weight, in my opinion, is so worth it.

• In contrast with what I've read in various publications, the food at the Wildflower is overrated. All sandwiches were laden with mayonnaise and onions, which for me, couldn't be worse when riding all day. There were also far too many cakes, muffins and junk calories. Maybe I'm just a hippie health nut, but I'd have liked to see more homemade energy bar type things, more fruit, less cookies and cake.

• REI's Novara Stratos cycling jacket is actually a great value. It's not *quite* as lightweight as the Showers Pass jacket, but it performed as well as I could've wanted. The ventilation is excellent, the pockets are sealed and well-placed, and it packs up small enough to stick into my little saddle bag with other bits of clothing when not in use. Oh, and it's totally waterproof, and on sale as I write this.

• The event was really well run. I highly recommend anyone with an interest in Chico do this ride. It's a great way to see Butte county.

• Tony not only saved my ass with ibuprofen, but he also pulled me the last 20 miles of the ride. And to top it off, he bought me a beer at the end of the day! I owe Tony some lovin'.

• I volunteered to work the registration tables the Saturday before the ride. In doing so, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the country. Folks from as far as Germany rode the Wildflower this year. Four people that rode this year have done it every single year since its inception in 1981. There were tons of people from Nevada, at least in my line. Welcome to Chico! Please don't stay too long. ;-)

• Ruffy Tuffy kevlar tires, while not the fastest, are possibly the toughest (ahem) tires I've ever ridden. I'm approaching 3,000 miles on this set, and I've never had a flat. I figure I'll get another 500 miles out of them, at least.

• This year on the Wildflower course I saw no less than 50 flats - so many, in fact, that people were pondering the possibility of sabotage.

• Riding with a front mini rack with a small load is quite different than no load. It steadies the front end of my bike in descents, making it even faster. However, after nearly 90 miles and 4300 feet of climbing, I felt like I'd worked harder to steer over the course of the day. Steering response isn't as snappy as without the rack. This isn't a surprise... I'm just sayin'.

• I like riding long distances with wool against my skin. By the end of the day I still felt great. Long rides in plastic always make me feel clammy, sticky, and give me that not-so-fresh feeling. That said, in hot weather I still take plastic jerseys over wool! Luckily the Wildflower was rainy and cool nearly all day. Perhaps I really would enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest.

• True to form, Jeff blasted off after lunch, only to be seen briefly on the last 1/3 of the course.

• I'll be back next year!

Chico Wildflower century and the Chico Enterprise Record

Perhaps I'll write up a report on my experience in this year's Chico Wildflower Century, but for now, I'll share this tidbit.

This morning, I "opened" the local paper to this article. The article then prompted me to write the editor of the Chico ER. Here is what I said:

Subject: Pedal vs. Peddle

Dear Editor,

This is in response to the following article that covered the Chico Wildflower:
http://www.chicoer.com/newshome/ci_5730070

Your staff writer, Sarah Kingsbury, made the embarrassing mistake of using the word "peddle" in every instance that she should have used "pedal."

One does not peddle a bicycle, unless that person is in business to sell bicycles. If a person is on a bicycle, he has his feet on the pedals, and is therefore pedaling.

Edit your news! The Wildflower is Chico's largest event of the year, and this article represents our town. With writing of this caliber, people will think that Chico's journalists do not know how to write.

Sincerely,
Gino Zahnd
Chico, CA

Perhaps the Chico ER will hire me to cover the Wildflower story next year. I have a journalism degree from a highly acclaimed journalism school, and I can certainly write more compelling cycling stories than this.

Update: The Editor wrote me back.

Yes, you are correct. The writer and copy editor on Sunday have already been reprimanded.

David Little, editor
Chico Enterprise-Record
400 E. Park Ave.
Chico, CA 95928

April Fools Day

For my non-American friends, there is a "holiday" on April 1st of each year called April Fools' Day, in which pranks, jokes and hoaxes are played. The whole bit about me quitting cycling was a joke!

I didn't quit cycling, and have no intent to ever quit. I rode about 120 miles this past weekend (Friday-Sunday), and I am stoked about the upcoming Chico Wildflower century, followed by a few bicycle camping trips in May and June, followed by another century in September.

Get on your bikes and ride!

Tailwinds,
Gino

I've decided to quit cycling

Cycling, it's not you, it's me. Well, it might be you too.

I've been in love with cycling and bicycles since the day I received my first Diamond Back BMX bike when I was seven years old. It has been a fun run, these past 25 years since then, but I'm frankly fed up with the whole "transportation under my own power" thing. You know? It's just much easier to hop in my truck and drive wherever I want to go. If I want to get somewhere on two wheels, I'll buy a nice BMW or Yamaha motorcycle, and get there in a reasonable amount of time. Bicycles just take too long, and honestly, I'm sick of the muscular pain and tweaks in my legs. Who needs it?

So there you have it. I guess this means it's also time to sell off all my bicycles and gear. I have two Rivendells (a 58cm Rambouillet and a 57cm Bleriot), a Schwinn Le Tour III, a 17" Schwinn Homegrown Factory mtb, pedals, tires, handlebars, and all sorts of other crap that I now feel is clogging up my garage, and my life.

If you want early dibs on any of it before I put it all on eBay and Craigslist, just leave a comment and I'll get in touch.

It's been a good quarter century. I like that. 1/4th of 100 years. That's enough time spent on a bicycle if you ask me.

Oh, and I guess that also means the end of this blog. So long, and thanks for all the fun. It's time to do something better than waste my time on something that kids and bums ride.

-Gino