Saturday, April 30, 2005

Winning essay in contest to be bicycle shop owner

Winning essay

Ohio News has published the winning essay in the contest I wrote about the other day. It's short but if guys like this take ownership of 90% of the shops here in Stockholm i'm a happy guy.

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Friday, April 29, 2005

Espresso "Big Swede" Style

Add to Basket!


Magnus Bäckstedt a.k.a. "The Big Swede", winner of 2004 Paris-Roubaix, has launched his own brand of coffee. The brand is called MAGNUS MAXIMUS and you can get a hold of it over at Trackcycling.co.uk

As this is serious coffee, from a serious coffee drinker, you'll get a bag of beans so you can enjoy it fresh from the grinder.

All profits are going to the youth section of Team TrackCycling.co.uk.

Want to know more about The Big Swede? Check out his home page.

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Blue Collar and How To Commute

Blue Collar Mountain Biking � How to Commute with your Bike

Celebrating National Bike Month (May), Blue Collar Mountain Biking has put together a manual for you folks that has been thinking about beginning to commute to work but still haven't got your thumbs out.

Judging from the tips on Personal Hygiene some of the peps over at Blue Collar must definitely be White Collar people ;o)

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Thursday, April 28, 2005

Thursday Club Ride

Great ride today. Weather was good around +10c and sunny.
I switched group and joined the "Middle Group" who aim at an average speed of 30 km/h.

Major part of the ride was just riding at 30 km/h but in the middle they threw in some faster sections. Before halftime break we rode +35 km/h switching drafter every 10 second for about 5.5 km. With 15 riders i was up about 3 or 4 times. This felt great and after the break we agreed to bump up the speed to 37.5 km/h. At first this felt great but after a sharp corner with lots of really big scary gravel (more like small stones) i split the group in half by lowering my speed. This resulted in major legwork for me trying to catch up with the group. And when i finally managed to catch up we rode up a short hill and then it was my time to draft. I was pretty exhausted by then and should have backed down the chain a bit but as the newbie i am i followed through and as a result, bonked out. Luckily this was at the end section so i managed to recover pretty quickly and the rest of the ride was good.

Lesson learned: Stay in the back of the pack if you are tired.

Stats including warmup and recovery transfer

Total distance: 62 km
Ride time: 2h 11min
Average speed: 28.2 km/h
Max speed: 51 km/h

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50 Ways To Say: No Bicycles #7

50 Ways To Say: No Bicycles!

Martin Reis has finally updated his running list with nr 7 after a lengthy break.

Also pay a visit to Martin Reis excellent photoblog Martinos Bike Lane Diary.

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You Better Be Quick!

fi’zi:k team saddles sell out fast


If you want to have one of the Team Issue Arione saddles from fi’zi:k. Only 6000 are produced and all of em are already booked by bike shops.

Read more over at BikeBiz

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Wrote Essay. Won Bike Shop

Mechanic wins US bike shop

Dennis Hudson entered a essay writing competition and won a Bike Shop.

Read more over at BikeBiz

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Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Nr 1 on My Wish List


Good God i want one! This one is high on my wish list. A winter/spring/autumn trainer jacket from Woolistic in 100% Merino wool. Well as soon as i'm back to work after my paternaty leave, making money again, I'll get one. The price of the one above is 205$.

Sceptical about wool? Read more here...

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

2nd Degree Encounter with a Recumbent

Tonight, when riding home from the introductory meeting for new members of my new bicycle club, Fredrikshofs IF, a Low Unidentified Flying Object (LUFO) flew past me at an intersection in the dark heading for my way home.

Wanting to have a closer look i switched to heavy gears and sprinted away. Boy these machines are fast downhill and on the flat. I stood no chance to overtake it. Luckily, along the way the bike path turned to uphill and halfway up the hill i managed to get broad side with it.

Both me and the guy in the recumbent was pretty exhausted by now but i managed to shout "Respect!" when going past him. The smile and look on that guys face made me, again, wish for further development in photographic implants.

I really long for the moment when i can get a test ride in one of these magnificent flying machines.

Luckily the Bicycle Testing Day (only in Swedish) is getting closer and according to rumors there will be recumbents there, available for test rides.

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Sunday, April 24, 2005

Sunday Solo Ride

Got some time over between birthday parties and swimming school for my kids and went out on a solo ride today. Nice weather 7 degrees Celsius and a warming sun.

Switched tires between the speed bike and road bike today since my visit in a pot hole on the first Club Ride had damaged the side walls on the front tire. Can't afford a pair of new Conti GP 3000 at the moment so the WTB Camino Altos are now mounted on my Cannondale. Couldn't tell any difference in how the bike performed or felt so i guess they are OK.

Total distance: 41 km
Total time: 1:30
Avg Speed: 27.2 km/h
Max Speed: 44.8 km/h

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Thursday, April 21, 2005

Thursday Club Ride

Colder than a Well Diggers Ass as Tom Waits sang was a good description of tonight's ride. I rode with the slow group since i still have to practice my group riding skills. A couple of times we had to slow down to wait for people in the back. During these periods it got even colder. I guess it would have been better if we could have held the group together but the captains had a hard time with that tonight.

We had rain and snow today but the snow disappeared as soon as it hit the ground. The sun broke through at the start of the ride but we had light showers and even some hail.

The bike was a mess since some parts of town hasn't cleaned up the gravel yet. I managed to stay on the bike although i experienced a front wheel skid on the aforementioned Gravel of Doom. Really scary. In all, it felt good though so i will go next week even if the weather sucks. Wool underwear and long johns with windstopper shell on top works great.

Total distance: 55 km
Total time: 2:19
Avg Speed: 24 km/h
Max Speed: 46 km/h

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005

It's official x2

First: Lance Armstrong quits after TdF 2005. Go get the seventh Lance!

Second: Tyler Hamilton banned two years for blood doping. He got two years for "First-time doping offence". In my opinion, The First Should Be the Last.

Read more over at BikeBiz.

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Saturday, April 16, 2005

Saturday Ride with Elisabeth

My parents are visiting so we got a couple of hours of babysitting that we used for going out on a ride togheter. Elisabeth, my girlfriend, was a bit rusty as this was her first ride for the season so we took it pretty slow and easy.

Nice sunny weather and 7 degrees celcius made a pleasant ride.

Distance: 34 km
Time: 1 hour and 28 minutes
Avg Speed: 23 km/h
Max Speed: 42 km/h

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Thursday, April 14, 2005

Neck and Back Pain in Bicycling

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Book Recommendations

Being a novice road cyclist I had lots of questions that needed answers. Browsing the web is good if you want to check up something specific but when you want the larger picture nothing beats a Good Book.

Questions that needed answers was for example:
  • When, why and how should i ride?
  • Why does my penis fall asleep?
  • Why does my back hurt?
  • How does this fantastic machine really work?
  • Are you really supposed to go commando in your bike shorts?
  • How does my Shimano STI-Levers work.
  • How do you nutritionally prepare yourself for a ride?
  • etc. etc.
I aimed my browser for Amazon.com and with a little help of the review system i bought three books that i would like to recommend.


Smart Cycling
, by Arnie Baker

Smart Cycling covers a lot of topics for people at all levels and ambitions. Basic tips for finding a road bike that fits you. How to set up training schedules. A twelve-week stationary trainer workout plan that helped me a lot during the winter months.

Handling of the bike is covered really good. Learn how to do basic stuff like ascending, descending, breaking and cornering the right way.

Medicinal and nutritional aspects of riding is also covered in this book but you'll find even more in the book "Bicycle Medicine" below.

If you are race beginner you'll find race tactics and tips on how group riding works.

Bicycle Medicine, by Arnie Baker

If You want to dig deeper into bicycle medicine, nutrition and physiology than "Smart Cycling" provides, this is the book for you.

Covers both men's and women's health. This is the book where you can find out why you are suffering from "Penile Numbness" without having to ask the question out loud, and suggestions on how you can prevent it.

Learn how to prevent and treat injuries and check up on different medical conditions that are common among riders.

Learn how your "motor" works and how to optimize it through diet and nutrition.


Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, by Lennard Zinn

This book has been a real saver both mentally and economically.

Through simple and clear illustrations and instructions Zinn guides you on almost every aspect of building, maintaining and fixing your bike.

Zinn managed to dispel my misconception that fixing your bike is hard and better left to a professional. This book will make you want to do it yourself.

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Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Betty Karnette Repairs Hole in Head

BikeBiz reports that Assemblywoman Betty Karnette backs down from her proposal to impose a 7$ tax on bicycles in sunny California.

Read more over att BikeBiz.com.

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Sunday, April 10, 2005

It Takes Two to Tandem

Hehe, Google Ads bring you to the strangest places sometimes. Reading my News Alerts from Google this AdSense link caught my attention.

Hearts Like Wheels
Single cyclists portal (free). Articles, forums, links
heartslikewheels.net


It's an online dating service for single cyclist. Talk about finding your niche.

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Saturday, April 09, 2005

Saturday Ride

A bit chilly but clear skies made the trip fantastic. We did a wooping 77 km i 3 hours and 11 minutes. Now i'm very tired and all i want to do i slide down in my confy chair .)

Avg speed : 24.4 km/h
Max speed: 53 km/h

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Friday, April 08, 2005

First ride with Fredrikshof IF Cykel



Went on my first club ride yesterday with Fredrikshofs IF Cykel ( Short Swedish lesson: IF = idrottsförening, idrottsförening = sports club, Cykel = Bicycle).

After riding mostly alone or with a small number of friends riding with a pack was really fun. I'm already looking forward to next weeks Thursday Ride.

today's ride was short, 30-35 km + 15 km transport to and from the starting location. Forgot to reset my computer so the numbers are approximate. Usually the ride is 65 km long but since we live pretty close to the polar circle the sun set at 19:44 today and the ride started at 18:15. However the days are getting longer and longer an in about two, three weeks i guess we can ride the whole distance.

The weather today was +7 c and overcast. The morning started with light rain that continued until 16:00 so i was prepared to use my fender equipped Kona. But the good weather kicked bad weather's butt and i could finally dismount my Cannondale from the trainer for some serious road work.

About 12-15 people showed up and two of them were newbies like me. Usually they split the riders in a slow, medium and fast group but since this was the premiere ride and peoples skills were a bit rusty they decided to form just one group and go easy.

Riding in a pack was a new experience for me. They didn't hold any introductory lessons at start so me and the other newbies just tagged along and learned during the ride. Learning the different hand signals was not so hard. Our winter battered roads are full of potholes so you learned the obstacle signals pretty quickly. I missed one though and hit a hole but managed to stay on the bike.

Hardest part was "Do Not Stare at the Back Wheel in Front of you". Keep your vision high so you can see the signals early and react in a more controlled manner. I guess it will come with more practice and experience.

Arggh 6 days and counting. I already long for next Thursday!

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Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Blue Collar Interviews Surly

Blue Collar Mountain Biking � Interview: Surly Bikes

Head over to Blue Collar Mountain Biking and read their excellent interview with the people over at Surly. Among other things, learn more about the making of Pugsley, Surlys latest creation.

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Armstrong's Tips for Chicks

Professional cyclist Kristin Armstrong, member of the T-Mobile Professional Cycling Team, gives some tips and encouragement for women who want to ride with mixed packs.

Read more in the Billings Gazette
.

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Tuesday, April 05, 2005

TRUE Storys by Don True

TRUE Storys by Don True



Maybe you have been there already. Then I can recommend You to go back there again. I just did today and the stories are for sure worth a re-read. Hell I'm still laughing :-)

If you haven't been there yet I kind of envy you.

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Monday, April 04, 2005

Painless Bike Cleaning

Recently i shared a tip about how to clean your bike when living in an apartment to a friend. He tried it and was thrilled about it so i thought i might share it here as well.

I live in an apartment and had my small private hell every time i decided to clean my bike. I tried putting it in the bathtub which worked but left the bathroom in a mess. During the summers i could fill a 10 liters bucket of water and go outside but it usually required a trip or two back up to the apartment refilling water since there are no water taps near.

Both methods took a lot of time and often i took the easy way out riding a messy bike instead. Since i commute during the winter the wear and tear of chain and cassette was unacceptable.

When browsing our local hardware store i found the solution. A pressure sprayer for garden use.


I bought a 5 liters model from Gardena on the spot but i have found cheaper models later on. I paid like 30$ for this one. I guess you could get one for 15$ if you look around. The great thing about it is that 5 liters is more than enough for cleaning one bike. I guess you would need a refill if you did two bikes. Just fill it up (i use warm water), pump up the pressure and spray away. The nozzle on the one i bought could be adjusted from a solid spray to a gentle fog, this is great since you don't want to spray that hard on certain parts of the bike.

Begone! Messy Bike, Begone!

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Sunday, April 03, 2005

Congratulations Susanne Ljungskog

Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) finished 2nd in the 2nd Women's Ronde van Vlaanderen



Swedish Susanne Ljungskog riding for Buitenpoort-Flexpoint Team finished second today after her team mate Mirjam Melchers (Ned). Monia Baccaille from Italy took the third place.

Go Susanne Go!

Get more info over at cyclingnews.com

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Saturday, April 02, 2005

I was sure this was an April fools day spoof....

Compulsory helmets first, mouthguards next?

How fooled i was...

Read more at BikeBiz

Again, the late Frank Zappa fills the gap.

"Stupidity has a certain charm - ignorance does not."

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