Works for me

Bike Specialties Bridgestone I spotted at Supermarket

 A few, many moons ago we would get the real Chicago winters around here. I’d be cooped up inside going nuts. We had dumb trainers with a fan or magnets to create the resistance needed. So, we bundled up and tried hiding in the woods or on trails. We rode the so called “heavy cruisers”. Basically 26” wheeled mountain bikes with smoother tires, fenders, a rack and primitive lights. 

We rode those beasts everywhere. We froze on them and then would stop at the white hen pantry for coffees and doughnuts. Nowadays the roads are pretty empty of winter riders. Indoor training is a lot more convenient and efficient . 

I used to have this rule back then. 1,000 miles would loosen up the legs. 1,000 miles would get me some fitness and get rid of that heavy feeling on the saddle. It really isn’t the saddle that causes the saddle pain. It’s one’s weak legs, not strong enough to support one’s weight. We also used quill stems on our bikes and it was customary to raise up the bars a bit in the winter. 

And… my theory still works for me. It’s almost the middle of May and I’m hovering around 750 miles. I feel a twinge of fitness. But that kind of mileage for this time of the year is pretty poor. 

We’ll see how I fix that. In the meantime I gotta hit that 1,000 mile mark. 

Thanks for reading, 

Ari

Looks like we made it

 Good morning to all. Yesterday I was really thankful that our Chicago weather decided to change. We had been in this dark, cold, rainy pattern for weeks. Yesterday, being Mother’s Day, was beautiful. I awoke at 448 am and plowed thru the day. I walked , barbecued , walked, cut the grass and filled the day. I didn’t want it to end. 

I guess the nasty weather really made me realize to not waste the good days. I even found a nice Cannondale mountain bike in the trash. 

I guess it’s gonna be a great summer. Take advantage and feel good about it. 

Ari

Another post in May

 Yes, it’s nice to remember the good old days but some might be wondering: what now? I think at this point everyone is trying to find some kind of normality . This epidemic has really done a lot of damage in so many ways. Friends and family that were introverted became even more so. Nobody has time anymore?? What the heck? Doesn’t make sense to me. 

So, I’ve been hoping to literally drag people outside. I will be persistent cause I know that outside is the right thing. Calling a family member/friend is important. In a world of texting maybe give a shot to actually talk to that person. Something has to give. 

I’ve been working quite a bit as usual and transporting our daughter to school. I have been commuting to work by bike or tandem with my daughter. I have been doing longer rides on the weekends and my day off on Thursdays. We walk the dog almost every night if it’s not raining. Trying to hit 20k steps a day. If you have any ideas please leave them in the comments. I’d love to read them. 

Keep rolling, 

Ari

Fruit Loop photos found !!!!

Thanks for your patience on this blog. Whatever happened to having time to write stuff? I don't have an answer to something I have been thinking about for a long time. The days and weeks just keep flowing like a creek. I was communicating with Slender Fungus member Sucharski asking whether he had any Fruit Loop photos he hadn't shared. 

After a few days I get a massive email full of images I had not seen. I was really happy that he found them. The fruit loop was a ride we did a long time ago. Over 10 years now. We started the ride out of my then house in Sycamore. The group was great and featured a lot of people who have now moved out of state. We basically left Sycamore, rode to the Mississippi river, up to Galena, north along Wisconsin border, down back towards RTE 64 and back to Sycamore. About 255 miles worth of riding. 

Hills, more hills, lots of heat and humidity and more hills. A good time was had and its a ride we often reminisce about. With further ado, here are the images. Thank you for reading and I hope to ride with you again. There is so much more to say. Too bad the words don't come out. Maybe next time.

ari 

February 27th, 2022

 Sunday morning and the end days of a long February. It's sunny, the birds are chirping and the snow is starting to melt early morning. It seems like we have turned a corner. This past Friday I finally went in for that eye surgery. The cataract had formed right over my left iris making it impossible to see anything out of that eye. It also taxed the other eye and gave me headaches all the time. It was nearly impossible to get on a computer or laptop and do any sort of typing. 

This is my first try at typing, just a couple of days later, and it is amazing how different it is. I'm thankful to everyone for the support and well wishes. 

I had not made any goals because of this situation. No races or rides planned yet. As usual my main focus will be commuting to work and everywhere else when the weather gets decent. Tandem rides with my wife and my daughter. Gathering and riding with friends I have not seen in a while. Visits with friends I have missed in the couple of past years. 

The shop will start to get busy as soon as the weather cracks. I have preordered and received some essentials. We still have a hard time getting a lot of shimano parts like chains and cassettes and shifting components. It will be a while until this market straightens out. So,if you have a running bike be happy. Keep your drivetrain clean and lubed. Keep your bike clean and make things last. We are not out of the woods yet. 

Ari

Thanks for reading. I will keep posting more as things improve visually. 

long overdue post. yes, it's 2/19/22

 Believe me I have had all good intentions to give this old blog an update. We are all well and have survived the infectious virus so far. A lot of stress and a lot of isolation at times but here we are. Now on to the next subject. That has been my left eye. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving holiday a pesky cataract that was creeping around my eye decided to land on the bullseye of my iris. So one day I awoke and thought I had something in there. No I didn't. The cataract had covered the iris rendering my left eye useless. In a few days I will go under some super duper laser thing and they will break up the cataract, and install a shiny new lens. I hope it all works out like the science says it should. For Thanksgiving I ate a lot and was so thankful that we are born with 2 eyes. Brilliant idea. 

I rode the rollers for almost all the days in January. Balancing and watching the euro cross races on the  telly. Starting february that came to a halt. Things got crazy with work and such and I decided to take a break. I started cleaning and getting my film cameras running again. I took a lot of photos with my one good eye and taught it to focus since prior focusing was always done with my left one. I guess I could have used the autofocus mode but that's another story. We will see what happens soon enough. I see a lot of plans, races, bikes starting to show up. The new Surly Ghost Machine? has caught my attention. Not that I need it but I think it's kinda neat. I just don't see so many people having the time to go bikepacking. But what do I know. If you still read this old blog I thank you. You are very kind. 

Ari