Somewhere in the Santa Monicas
There has been some confusion (mostly on my part) about where exactly in California I went back in March. There has also been some confusion (again on my part) about where the Pacific Ocean is and which way is North,…
The Guerciotti Project – Phase 1: Booze, Blowtorches & a Bunch of Hammering
The Guerciotti has arrived! Lyle (the Big Frame) brought it in from the wilds of Altona and confirmed that this is indeed a frame worthy of a rebuild. Coincidentally, it is also a big frame, with a dead horizontal top…
Dos for Women on Bikes – 2013 Edition
Back in 1895, the New York World published a list of 41 Don’t for Women on Bicycles. It made the rounds on the interwebs thanks to the ever clever Brain Pickings blog and included sage wisdoms like: “Don’t wear a…
Milan, Altona and Beyond
After an exhaustive search, I think I have found the perfect frame for Operation Commuter Bike! It is an exotic Italian racing steed, coming to me from the equally exotic wilds of Altona, Manitoba via our country cousins the ABES…
Bike Helmets 101 – The Video
Like most people, when I’m not riding around in a lycra skin suit with a picture of a chicken on the back, I have a real job. In addition to fulfilling its primary purpose of providing the means to purchase…
Operation Commuter Bike – A Plan Emerges
We interrupt this self-indulgent vacation report for an important bulletin, brought to you by my Attention Deficit Disorder. So I went to my nearest LBS last night for a fender. I came back with a project I am so excited…
Finding Lake Casitas
I have begun to realize that while travelling, sometimes the best plan is to have no plan at all. The absence of a plan can open the door to all manner of experiences which would otherwise have gone unexperienced, bounded…
An Epic Day of Rest
After the century in Solvang, Ben and I decided (or rather our legs decided) a day of recovery might not be a bad idea. Among other things, this included a breakfast of trucker proportions at the amazing Cold Spring Tavern,…
Solvang Century: Welcome to Whine Country
Starting off the spring riding season with a one hundred mile ride might be considered imprudent by some. But when that one hundred miles happens to be through the beautiful Santa Ynez valley in Southern California, prudence is probably something…