There is always time to hop off the bike and enjoy a good book.

I don’t like when people ask me what kind of bicycle they should get. They usually don’t know what kind of riding they want to do. There is a lot of thought process on deciding what kind of bike they want to ride. When I ask them what kind of riding they are doing the answer is, “I don’t know.”

Mostly I just want to say go to Wal-Mart and by a cheap bike and ride it and see what kind of rider they morph in to. Another easy way out is tell them to get a hybrid bike.  They blend the characteristics of a mountain and road bike for a comfortable and fast ride.

Sometimes a bike rider will go through different bikes during their riding life. Some will have a different bike for each mood.

The thing that irritates me the most is someone who spends money on a bike and it hangs in the garage like a piece of art work or collecting dirt while sitting on flat tires.

I don’t worry about chip paint or if my handle bar tape is wrapped perfect. I just want to ride.

My riding style is a long and slow ride and plenty of stops to take pictures and read a book. If it takes a road bike rider to ride a route in two hours it will probably take me five hours. I don’t knock the roadies, but not my thing.

Love my Novara Safari. Yeah it is heavy, thirty pounds, a tank of a bike. But it can giddy up if I’m feeling good. The Safari goes where I want to go. I fear no dirt trail. Love that it is made of steel, absorbs the bumps of the road.

Just ride and have a good time.

My Top 10 for Now:

1. Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number-One Way

2. Baby-Larry Graham

3. Ode To Billie Joe-Bobbie Gentry

4. Hangin’ On-Al Green

5. Venus Strut-MALTA

6. I Ain’t Going Peacefully-Hank Williams Jr

7. Fantasy Man-Alice Cooper

8. Ballad of Louise-Jeannie C. Riley

9. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah-O.G. Funk

10. You Don’t Exist Anymore-Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials

“With the factory located far from residential districts and without suitable public transit, driving was their only option for getting to work. In many of America’s new sprawling developments (for example, suburban residential areas), car ownership wasn’t a luxury, it was practically mandatory.” From In the City of Bikes by Pete Jordan.

Car ownership is becoming more expensive and public transportation becoming more expensive the best way to keep your money is to live as close as possible to the job and commute by bike.

Pedestrians have not changed. Account in 1906 in Amsterdam:

“If there is one category of people who still need to be educated on matters of traffic, then those are the pedestrians. Not conscious that they are in a busy traffic corridor, nor taking into account all that is moving around them, they go on their way with their heads in the clouds. They ignore sidewalks, preferring the middle of the street. Yes, indeed! They cross without looking…Entire families socialize in the streets.” From In the City of Bikes by Pete Jordan

It is worth the 16 mile bike ride to Orinda to have a Kasper’s hotdog. Then stop at the Orinda Library to do a little reading. Then the 16 mile bike ride back. Makes for a good day.

It has been a slow year on the bicycle. I haven’t even rode 600 miles. This is so sad. But the Cannondale was out of service for over a month. In the end I got rid of it and bought  my Novara Safari a month later. The weather has been crazy. The Brompton needs work so I haven’t been riding that. Getting ready to go to the bike shop for repairs. Enough of excuses the riding must begin.

Always nice to see people get on their bikes to ride. But amateur hour that is Bike to Work is kind of rough. People riding on sidewalks because they are not comfortable riding on the streets or riding the wrong way can be rough. I have a feeling most are riding to get free stuff. But hopefully more people will start riding either to work or running errands or recreational riding.

Not a bad day walking around the Presidio in San Francisco.

Cruise ship and the Golden Gate Bridge.

My little buddy having her head rubbed. She is one spoiled bird. She is also a good bird.

A nice ride to Briones. The wind was brutal and it didn’t help that I had hills to climb. But there is always a time for a nap before heading home.

It is taking some time to get use to the Safari. I went from a bike that weighed nineteen pounds to a bike that weighs thirty pounds. My legs are feeling it especially on the climbs.

I like the old cars but when they pass me on a bike ride not a big fan. The smell of gas is more than I can take.

My Top 10 for Now:

1. Where Do We Go From Here-Bobby Womack

2. Let’s Get It On-Marvin Gaye

3. Call Me-Skyye

4. Have A Drink On Me-AC/DC

5. I Ain’t Drunk-Albert Collins

6. Just To See Her-Smokey Robinson

7. Disposable Teens-Marilyn Manson

8. Woman-John Lennon

9. Just Because You Are Mine-Teddy Pendergrass

10. You-One Way

I tried riding a friends fixie and he had shoe straps on his pedals. Ended up not using them. I’m use to twisting my shoes out of my clipless pedals. Couldn’t get use to pulling my shoes out of the straps. I’ll stick to the clipless pedals.

The fixie was fun to ride though. Liked the idea that the pedals keep moving. Makes for a great workout. But I won’t go out and get one. I have my Safari and Brompton and that is enough.

Looks like the rain is done for the year and the hot weather is moving in. Not a fan of riding in hot weather. Like it cool and cloudy. But it still beats riding in the rain.

It is good to be on a steel bike again. This is my old Specialized that I had before I got rid of it. A great bike and plenty of adventures.

A steel bike may be heavier but it takes pot holes and bumps on the road better.

I have had my Safari for a couple of weeks and I love the ride. At 30lbs it is not light. Going up hills is rough, but I suck at hills anyway. But on flats once I get going the Safari can get moving. Love the palm shifters. Shifting is pretty smooth. The one complaint is the bar tape. The tape has come loose by the left shifter. Not that I didn’t know the tape is cheap, but I thought it would last more than four rides. But over all the Safari is a great bike.

My new ride. A Novara Safari. This is a touring bike and more of the type of riding I like to do. It is has a smooth ride and love the palm shifters. The trekking bars are great too.