More Snow...

Last day of February, and unless we get a few more inches today (it's forecasting for some light snow tonight), this month will go in the books with just more than 20 inches of the stuff, more than double our average. I don't mind riding in the snow too much, but driving on the expressways to clinical sites hours away has gotten tiring. And shoveling the driveway has gotten very tedious to say the least. Enjoy these photos of the snow, hopefully we'll have some signs of life from spring soon. I'm not holding my breath though.





(If you don't remember what April was like last year):

New Job!

Technically I've been working there for a couple months, but I haven't mentioned it here. I'm working at the Michigan State University's Bike Shop on campus as a mechanic. It's a bunch of fun, learning about how to polish and fix up old and rusty frames and make them usable, if not beautiful in many cases. We operate a cool rental bike unit, where students and faculty can rent bikes for unreasonably low rates, and have them serviced by us for free. It's a great service, and it's nice to see how well-used it is on campus. Many of these bikes are abandoned at the end of the semester, and the Bike Shop gets to pick over the pile that the police impounds for rentals.



We also accept donations from folks, which we either turn into rentals or sell to support the store. Some people have gifted MSU Bikes some incredibly beautiful bikes, Like a Bianchi track frame that was entirely unridden, a Tommasini road frame (also unridden), many cool three-speeds, and most recently a Peugeot PX-10 that needed a lot of work, but has turned out very well:





Finally, we do repairs, sell parts and accessories, and generally try to support the campus bike community in activism, get-togethers, races, or whatever else on two wheels that might be going on locally. If you've yet to check it out, go down to Bessey Hall on campus - the shop is on the riverfront side. It's a great resource run by caring people.

Can I ride in the wintertime?

If you live and work in Lansing or East Lansing, you've probably got pretty decent bicycling routes, and the roads are usually clear enough to ride in. Roads like Farm Lane, Forest, and other lightly traveled roads are a joy to ride on, and you can't beat the scenery. But even a dedicated summertime cyclist will sometimes balk at the idea of going out in any weather below 40 degrees, which doesn't make any real sense to me.

So why not ride in the winter? Here are some common things I hear.

1) It's too cold out!



Have you ever noticed that you can get hot and sweaty while exercising? Believe me, this is true on a bicycle, even in the winter. Sometimes especially in the winter. If you layer your clothing, you'll never be cold except for maybe the first minute you walk out the door. It's a lot warmer than walking to and from the car in a parking lot, because of the heat your body is putting out from all that aerobic exercise.

You don't need to spend a ton of money on winter cycling gear either. I usually wear a pair of long underwear on the bottom with jeans over top, hiking boots over wool socks, a long-sleeved wool shirt or sweater, gloves with glove liners, and some sort of ear warmers. On the very coldest days, you might need full face protection like a balaclava, but really I've only found that necessary in temps below 15 degrees, or in a lot of wind. The local Playmakers store has some awesome Smartwool gear that I swear by - the light wool wicks sweat, never smells bad, and looks good.

2) It's too icy out!

It rarely is. In Michigan, the streets are cleared pretty quickly in main travel areas of any deep snow, and if it's safe for a car to travel on, then it's safe enough for a bike. Bikes have narrow tires that cut through slush and light snow pretty well, and a set of knobby tires makes things even easier.

As for ice, I don't really run into it very much, and the few times I do, nothing bad comes of it. Just slow down around turns, walk the bike across railroad crossings, and Bob's your uncle. If ice really scares you, there are plenty of studded tires on the market made specifically for riding on ice, or you can even make your own. Personally I've not fallen due to icy conditions (knock on wood), and I ride on regular knobby mountain bike tires.

Lots of people make the mistake of riding on the shoulder or sidewalk, which are rarely cleared enough to ride in. Just invest in some lights, ride in the cleared sections (yes, on the road), and you'll find it's a lot easier to stay upright. The road is actually quite a bit safer to ride on than the sidewalks, but that's a whole other blog post.

3) I don't have the right equipment!

You might actually. Winter biking doesn't take a fancy bike or clothing, you can do it pretty cheaply. I bought a used cheap mountain bike at the MSU Surplus Store for $15. It needed a new front wheel, chain, and a tune-up, but even with all that work and parts it was less than $100. If doing tune-ups isn't your thing, then you could pop over to MSU's Bike Shop and spring for a freshly tuned used bike, or even rent one for a season cheaply. (Disclaimer: I work at the Bike Shop)

If you are serious about commuting, you'll want a set of fenders for your bike to keep the snow from jamming up your components and messing up your clothes. An absolute MUST HAVE is a decent set of front and rear lights, and you should run them day and night for visibility. I prefer Planet Bike's Superflash for the rear, and for the front their new Blaze 2 watt. A blinky mode with a bright LED light helps cars see you for safety, but the cold can drain batteries quickly, so bring an extra set of batteries just in case. Lights seem to be getting better every year, and cheaper too.

4) I still think you're crazy...

Well, I'm not. Winter cycling is a great way to get yourself outside and exercising in these cold bleak months, and it really doesn't take a silly amount of money or expertise to do it. Just invest in some lights, get your bike set up, and wear some layers. For maintenance, the most important thing is to keep your chain well-lubed on a weekly basis with a heavier grade of lube, like Pedro's Syn Lube.



If you decide winter commuting or riding is for you after trying it, you can spring for some accessories to make your ride easier:

- Goggles - nice to have for rainy or windy days. Buy a cheap set of snowboarding or even lab goggles.
- Rear rack and Panniers - I have a set of waterproof Ortlieb Panniers, and they're incredibly useful. Gets the load off your back, and holds a ton of stuff in a waterproof environment.
- Studded tires - as mentioned above, they're not truly necessary, and they're expensive, but some people swear by them. They can't hurt.

So give it a try, and maybe you'll like it. I do - it gets me outside, gives a good workout, and saves a lot of money on gas and parking fees, especially on MSU's campus.

New Issue Out

The commute has gotten extra wintery this week - it's about 13 degrees outside this morning, and a wind of 15 mph is coming out of the West. Luckily, I was headed East this morning, but that still leaves the ride home. I've found so far that the cold is never really a big deal, but that wind can just cut right through my gloves. Another couple tips - batteries go dead extra quickly, so bring a couple extra pairs if you're running lights (which you should be!), and water bottles, especially metal ones, can freeze pretty quickly.

In other news, the new issue of Dreamboat cyclist should be just hitting the news stands today. This one looks like it focuses on the new fusion of skeet shooting and cyclocross, or summer duathlon. Personally, I'll be buying my copy just to get that sweet poster of Mike Woods holding a chicken.

Chilly Commute in Photos

Black and white goes well with the weather around here. In my photography, especially digital, I've found that I prefer black and white photos in places where color doesn't really matter all that much. Snow, portraits, and architecture are all examples of subjects where the lighting and composition matter much more than a bright showy splash of color. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule - bright red berries poking through the snow surely wouldn't be very picturesque without color. My commute has been mostly colorless lately, and I pass few fellow bikers on the road as well. It's a nice peaceful time to be out, and before you ask, I'm pretty rarely cold - about 10 minutes into the ride I'm already unzipping the jacket because I'm overheating.

Lots of friends think Holly and I are nuts to be out biking this time of year, but in many ways, this is the best time of year to be out. If I wasn't biking, I know I wouldn't have the gumption to be out in the cold just to take photos. But being outside, getting some fresh air, and not noticing the chill so much - these are all great reasons to head out, even on some of the worst days.

Road Trip Part 2: New Orleans

From St. Louis we packed up and headed towards the gulf coast. We rolled into New Orleans pretty late, making good time up until a traffic jam entering the city. The one-ways and side streets made finding our hostel interesting to say the least, and some of the neighborhoods we passed through didn't look that promising. Eventually we found the right street and checked in, right behind a couple of girls in from Texas and France.

The hostel itself was in a great neighborhood, with plenty of street parking, a safe location near a Wal-Mart and right down the street from the scenic Garden District. I'd go again, but the next time I'll be sure to bring along some earplugs and eye shades for sleeping. It was a nice place to hang out, with free breakfast, internet, parking, and a ton of friendly faces, but not everyone goes to sleep at the same time, and sound deadening can't be expected to be up to Hilton standards. Certainly not a big deal for the price paid.



Most of the trip centered around food, which I'll get to in another post, but I'll preface it by saying that the South, and New Orleans in particular, has a tremendous amount of good food, particularly if you love seafood as we do. We look forward to the time we can visit again when it's crawfish season.

As for sight-seeing, the first day we ambled up and down Magazine street uptown, which is the main touristy shopping district. Lots of semi-interesting antique stores, and even more not-so-interesting stores that sell antique-themed junk. This was our first taste of how football-crazy New Orleans is, as everyone had on their favorite Saints outfit, jersey, or whatever, and most of the signs had something to the effect of "Geaux Saints" or "Who Dat?" which was cute, at first anyway.

We met up with my old College room mate Alex, who has made a home in the city, and watched the Saints game with him at a local pizza place. We later went a few doors down to a bar, and were greeted by a massive crowd inside, probably 10 deep at both bars, and standing room only. To say it was surprising understates the situation by quite a bit from a Lions fan's perspective.



On another day, we decided to check out what was going on over in the French Quarter. Not much apparently - the area is home to the sleaziest of strip-clubs and sex shows, bars upon bars upon bars, and silly little Jackson Square, where the area's worst artists and musicians come to hock their wares, apparently. The place may have seemed cute in the evening or at night, when you have a few pints in you, but in the light of day it just looked like it was trying too hard, like the Carney sideshow that has overrun Niagara Falls.





We took the streetcar back to the Hostel. The streetcar thing would be quite the public transportation option if it went more places - as it is the city only has the St. Charles Ave line running as far as I know. It's cheap, seems reliable, and the center lane that they take up makes for a nice spot to jog for locals too. Plus, they give the area a feel of history and provide a good way for tourists to see the incredible Mansions that line St. Charles.





Just as we packed up, we met a fellow who was just stopping in the Hostel for some much-deserved R & R after biking 9000 miles from Canada, through California and Texas. His friend had continued on to Mexico, but this guy wanted to check out New Orleans first. His setup was odd to say the least - a mountain bike frame with flat handlebars, internal-geared hub, and drum brakes. He and his partner had also done most of the trip so far offroad, on singletrack. Impressive, no? His advice rang true to me - use what you know works, and when you're ready to go, just go. Don't overanalyze things, just start riding. He found no reason to train at all; he just started to ride 30-40 miles a day at first, and eventually got to a good rhythm where he was averaging 90 miles a day or so. Their plan was eventually to get down to Argentina, so if you see a British guy riding this down Latin America way, buy him a beer.





Our last bit of New Orleans was a Christmas light show outside of town, undoubtedly the highlight of the trip (besides the food). An entire park was lit up, a high school band was playing Christmas carols, and beautiful greenhouses were filled with decorations to help you get in the spirit. If that didn't do it, the Hot Buttered Rum they sold at the concessions did. Mmm.

Road Trip! St. Louis...

Holly and I went on a recent road trip with Holly and I brought along the GF1+20mm combo. First stop: St. Louis, MO.


Obligatory arch shot - left exposure comp on (whoops)




St. Louis is famously home to Anheuser-Busch breweries, who until recently employed the most people in the city. They were recently bought out by InBev, a foreign brewery most famous stateside for its beer Stella Artois. The locals are still a bit touchy about it, so don't be surprised if you get an odd look from the guy at the brewery when you ask him to pour you a glass of Stella.



The tour itself is free, and comes with two free beers at the end. That alone is an amazing deal anywhere - free beer - but when you actually see the amazing clydesdale facilities, the huge brewhouses, and the awe-inspiring miles of pipes and huge vats of beer, it is quite overwhelming to say the least. Turns out, we drink a LOT of beer.











For our second stop, we checked out something incredible in the truest sense of the word - it's hard to believe it exists in this day and age. I highly recommend anyone within driving distance to St. Louis check out their City Museum - it's basically a giant recycled shoe factory with tons of caverns made out of concrete that look like caves and mouths etc, a bunch of recycled steel bits to form railings and slides:

















The City Museum also has a lot of sculptures outside the place too, like turrets, planes, and metal hoops and railings you can climb through to check it all out. A bit of a tight fit for adults, but it's doable.







Word of advice if you crawl through these places: secure your belongings! Holly dropped her phone from about 50 feet up (it survived), and I nearly dropped my camera from my coat pocket when descending through one of those slinky-style tubes. I heard a clink, looked down, and there's the GF1 cradled between the railings. Yikes! This is one of the few places a Fanny Pack would be really advisable.

The City museum would be a great place to take your kids or to act like one yourself. I only wish I had the chance to check out all those tunnels when I was about 7 or 8 years old.

We finished up St Louis by going to the Zoo. It's free, and this time of year there really is no crowd at all. Quite a good Zoo actually, especially considering the price!