Summits

Nice Ride Minnesota

I had an opportunity to visit the St. Paul Transportation Summit over lunch the other day. They gave the scoop on the projects, programs and policies impacting commuters in St. Paul, and it was actually a very interesting event. I had been feeling a little envious of those that were attending the 2013 National Bike Summit and had even looked to see if there would be online webinar offerings of the national Summit. Unfortunately, there weren’t any that I could find. But it was nice to be able to attend a short local version during the same week. (My favorite moment was when the Frogtown Neighborhoods program was acknowledged; all of the staff from the program stood and started waving and pointing to audience members like they were rock stars walking up to receive a Grammy. It still gives me a smile thinking about it.)

 

Full parking at the St. Paul Transportation Summit

To be clear, the St. Paul Summit was not about biking. Biking is just one ("key cog") component of what is needed in an integrated transportation system. What struck me is that the importance of building a seamlessly integrated system was a theme through each short talk held over the lunch hour (St. Paul Smart Trips did a nice job of lining up the speakers and orchestrating the event and this message).

I think it mirrored nicely one of the highlights that I read from the National Bike Summit that bicycling should no longer be considered a fringe activity. Douglas Meyer, who spoke on the Perceptions of Biking on Capitol Hill suggested that bike advocates tone down the message that “cycling is going to save the world” and that this type of promotion risks becoming “the equivalent of selling snake-oil.” (If you read my blog from February 28 you would see that I agree with him.)

Overflow Parking

The final speaker from the St. Paul Summit, MNDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle, underlined that transit and roads are not separate systems, and that we need to maximize our investment in roads for the use of all. Agreed.

But between the rah-rah of the first and last speaker, there was a lot of talk on ways to justify raising regional sales taxes to be able to pay for improvements to the system. There is proposed legislation at the State Capitol (different from the Governor’s current budget proposal) that audience members were asked to buy into. A few days removed from the event, I wonder what the culmination of possible raised taxes for each special interest (from education and health to transportation and the arts) will leave me with.

This is too much thinking for this blog. I think I will just get out and ride.

Minneapolis Bike Mecca

I have been thinking a lot about the bike culture in Minneapolis. Where I live in Nordeast, the “urban” cyclist projects a strong cultural identity. I was in a bike studio downtown the other day that even sells Levi's skinny jeans instead of spandex. You see bike messengers and artists mixing into a “bohemian” bicycle sub-culture around here. I like to check out these types of places because I like bikes, I like art, and I like the vibe when they mix. But I don’t fit in. I am the guy that these bohemian bicyclists never talk to because when I do stop by the elitist bike studios, I often stand out wearing a neck-tie and khakis (I would normally stop in during a break, and skinny jeans are not yet dress-code compliant at my job). But when I do get a listening ear, it is fun to swap stories. Homer, my brother-in-law, worked as a designer in Minneapolis across the street from One on One Bicycle Studio for several years, and I have heard him complain that they don’t have time for you there unless you are a Bike Messenger or the like.

You also see a bit of the Green movement claiming some serious turf in the Minneapolis bike scene. Mix reducing your carbon footprint, expanding green spaces, and limiting urban sprawl and you have some effective leveraging for bike legislation. Add in public health advocates and you bring in added weight to increasing the number who bike commute and ride for health. And it has paid off in the form of some nice bike lanes, trails, and bike share programs around town. So I thank them for that, and hope to contribute in a small way to the cause.

However, I am not one to say that the bicycle will solve our social ills, and I certainly don’t claim to bleed pedal grease when cut. As anyone reading this blog can see, I am a casual cyclist who just likes to get out and ride and talk about it on the side -- not that anyone is listening.

I suppose cycling takes me back to care-free summer as a kid, when biking was our primary mode of transportation. For my brothers and me and our neighborhood group of friends, an endurance race was riding our BMX bikes 3 miles to the Civic Center in Brooklyn Center and back on a sunny afternoon (probably not something I would allow my boys to do in those same neighborhoods these days; it is unfortunate how things have changed). I remember each summer, being one with my bike and riding all over the area for my baseball practices and games. I never owned a bike lock, and my bike was always there when I needed it.

I still have a scar and a small lump on my forehead, which I got popping a wheelie when the front tire of my older brother’s red Schwinn wasn’t correctly attached. I remember seeing the wheel rolling away while I was midair and then feeling the sting of my forehead as it hit the speedometer and handlebars when I came crashing to the ground. I shook it off, put the tire back on without the help of a wrench, and almost repeated the same blunder a block later (Riding wheelies was my favorite).

My point is, that I like to idolize the bike messengers for their grit, green folks for their passion, and competitive cyclists for their discipline and determination. But I really just wish I could pull out that old BMX and go for a sunny ride with my old buddies, ball gloves hanging from our handle bars and bats on our shoulders on our way to an empty lot. 

Crashed Ice

I have been biking up and down Cathedral Hill quite a bit lately, and
got the see the different stages of Red Bull Crashed Ice – St. Paul
that took place the last week of January this year, from building the
track to test runs to tare-down. My favorite was climbing the hill
during a sound check with Coldplay’s “Paradise” blaring in the
background. Coldplay should accompany those bitter cold rides more
often (it was for sure below zero on that day).

There were daredevils doing test runs of the ice course on their skates, which included a start ramp that dropped 4 stories at a 45 degree angle. As I was
riding by someone hollered out to me to try my luck on the course on my bike. I called back that it sounded like fun.

Well, I got a chance for my own version of crashed ice last Friday; it didn’t hold a candle to what those guys were doing on the track, and ended much more embarrassing for me. I took a nasty spill after hitting a patch of ice, cracked and bruised a few ribs, and spent part of the evening in urgent care assessing the damage and getting some meds to take the edge off the pain every time I breathed.



A friendly couple passing-by stopped to make sure I was okay while I lay collapsed in a snow bank. Through gritted teeth I thanked them for their thoughtfulness and assured them I was fine, just had the wind knocked out of me and some bruised pride. Few times have I felt more paint though… and I am sure I am a wimp compared to those crashed ice guys who love to slam into the boards at full speed. Riding the Red Bull Course doesn’t sound like so much fun anymore; I’ll remain content to watch from the sidelines.

I’m going to borrow and share some sage advice just received from
Freewheel Bike:

“This year the road ice has been playing peek-a-boo with our tires.
First you see the ice, then it's gone...then BAM! it's back again in a
place you never expected it!
Stay safe. Stay upright. Ride studded tires.”

I am taking this advice and am accepting pity from a friend who is donating some lightly used studded tires, telling me I should not be walking on, let alone riding on ice without that added safety measure. It is definitely not fun seeing the ice below your wheels, and then the wheels out from under you as you crash onto the ice.

Snow Ride

Hommage to Geoff

I was trying to channel my friend Geoff this morning as he began riding the Arrowhead Ultra, a 135 mile fatbike race + ultra-marathon from International Falls to Lake Vermillion in northern Minnesota. Lots of deep snow, cold temps and crazy folks. 

I was starting my morning commute from Minneapolis to St. Paul at about the same time (ok, probably a couple hours after he started), on freshly fallen snow and unplowed trails and roads for much of the way. I had a total blast, and for about the first mile could picture myself riding the ultra with him next year, until reality hit and I was just pooped out after a couple of miles. I could barely do 10 miles in two inches of snow.

So this whole post goes out to you, Geoff Archibald. You are more of a man than I, and I hope you survive the night. You better send pictures that I can post for my one adoring fan to see. It would sure beat the pathetic photos of my little  Raleigh packed with snow.

It’s almost 11pm as I write this, and Geoff is still riding while it continues to snow up there. His wife posted a status update that he would keep going in order to finish before it becomes a full blown winter storm (which I understand is in the forecast). Good luck!

I keep reading this as "Biking in Minnesota" and I see a cyclist in the logo.

Winter Bike

I stopped in to REI recently for some winter gear and a friendly gal at the checkout told me to embrace the ice and snow, it is Minnesota after all. Thanks, Rachel, I've been trying to get out. It is -9 Ferinheight now, and might get up to -4 today. Since I always have the holiday off, my wife and I have made a tradition of honoring MLK with a cross country ski outing. It is usually below zero, with the woods so still that all you hear is your breath and the snow squeaking beneath you as you glide through it.

I have been trying to keep pedaling though, and have been able to get some in most days of the week, in some form or another. When conditions got too sloppy to feel comfortable on my road bike, I dug out the old Raleigh EX mountain bike (circa 1993) out of the garage. I "inherited" it form my older brother when I needed a bike during college and he was living out of state.

It served me well and is old and ugly enough to remain with me after spending lots of time on a busy urban campus where bike theft abounds. I have promised to give it back to my brother, to whom it still holds a lot of sentimental value because he rode it every day for two years as a Mormon missionary. So I have to take care of it.

Still, it is essentially a fixed gear bike because I haven't had the time to spend on cable replacement and tune up, and the shifters are so putsy that it is not worth it to change gears. I also have put tires on to handle in the snow that are so fat they rub the front derailleur when on the inner gear.

I've been wanting to take it out in more snow, and have been itching to ride on the new light-rail tracks running from Minneapolis to Saint Paul that are not yet in use. I had my chance the other day after a fresh snowfall to do just that, for a stretch anyway , and it was a lot of fun.

My other winter bike this year has been at the YMCA in Saint Paul. One that Lance Armstrong would be proud of PEDs sold separately). I miss the wind in my face on those days that it is my only source of pedaling, but not so much on days like today.

Cross Country Skiing with Sarah

Bike Shopping With Homer

The roads have been too frozen to be slushy (making for not much fun out there for this guy), so what to do when you can't (or don’t want to) get out on the bike? Shop for a new one! About a month ago, my sister told me of her intention to buy her husband a new bike for Christmas, and that she wanted my help. Awesome. I went to work immediately at providing some solid options. He will use it as a commuter so I started asking questions about his ride. A respectable 15 miles or so that includes a couple of miles of dirt trail (by his choice). Cool. He has been riding an old Bianchi mountain bike that he got second hand (and that doesn’t fit him) for years, and he just loves getting out on the bike. With the right bike, he is going to love it even more.

It’s fun spending other people's money, but the bike had to fall within a certain “normal-people” budget for a bike (my sister naively thought it would be a few hundred dollars). I have been in love with All-City Cycles this year, and made a quick convert of Homer (my brother-in-law), who is a graphic designer and someone I would describe as legitimately "cool" (unlike myself). He was totally fired up about the Macho Man, and I think it would fit his riding style... but then there was the bit about price-tag. There are a few shops in Minneapolis that carry All-City (it is a MPLS based company after all) so I checked around on price. I even looked on the internet, and everything I saw was in the $1,500 – 1,600 range. Behind Bars, a bike shop in my neighborhood, had an “up to” 25% off sale advertised, so I popped in for a gander.

They had a Macho Man in his size just before Christmas, and the guy I talked to at the shop (without confirming) said it was on sale for 25% off. When Homer and I went back there the day after Christmas, another guy verified that it was only 15% off. Hang-up. It originally would have been a doable budget stretch, but that put it just out of reach. In the heat of the moment I concluded that the Macho Man is really less bike than what you pay for (although that may not be totally fair). Still, I think some of that price on a 105 steel-frame bike goes to the All-City “coolness” factor. I told Homer he could get a great bike that is comparable and still within his budget.

So I got to shop around a little more. Another local bike shop that I frequent is County Cycles in Roseville, and I have been eying a Felt F85 road bike that they had on closeout for $800. I warned Homer that it might not perform on the dirt trail but was a lot of bike for the money. Super tempting (mostly to me). I tried to resolve his concern of not having heard of Felt Bikes before, but to no avail. I also looked at some other cyclocross bikes that I think would suit his ride better.

I remembered test-riding a Bianchi Volpe about a year ago when I was shopping for myself, and confirmed that County had one in stock on closeout that would fit him. When I emailed Homer a list of suitable bikes from different manufacturers, he quickly responded calling it out, “I think I am in love with that Bianchi!”

So we spent last Saturday morning, a bright and balmy 25 degree day, having fun checking out bikes doing some test rides. Homer was stunned by Felt, but the test ride confirmed his love for the Volpe. Brand loyalty often wins.

In the end, with a bit a haggling, he was able to get it within budget for $1099 with a bunch of extras thrown-in. Watch out Macho Man! (Next time you see us we will be wearing Macho Man cycling caps with coolness envy).