Chilly B-cycle ride this morning

The intrepid three-speeds of the Denver B-cycle system are going strong through the winter.

It's been unseasonably warm here for several days. That changed last night with dropping temperatures and several inches of fresh powder this morning. Change is good, and we need the snow.

Bike picnic at the park over the past weekend. 

Our cowgirls at the National Western Stock Show.

Denver B-cycle Broncos bike

This one's for you, JPop.

I rode one of the Denver B-cycle Broncos bikes this morning. They painted two of the 700 bikes in the system an iconic orange with blue fenders, a color combo that is popular around these parts. Although I ride Denver B-cycle frequently, this is the first time that I've landed on one of the special bikes.

Denver B-cycle now open all year

Denver B-cycle number 365; an appropriate integer to signify year-round operation.

That's right. Denver B-cycle will now be open 365 days a year. This is the fourth year of operation for Denver's bike sharing system, but the first in which it will not close during the winter months. As of today, Denver B-cycle begins winter operating hours of 6:30 am to 9:30 pm. I'm looking forward to riding the bikes all winter long.

A couple of photos from my B-cycle ride earlier today:

Bike rack in front of Randy's Recycled Cycles on Champa Street.

Mural detail from the side of Randy's.

First snow

No, this is actually not snow. We went camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park last weekend, just ahead of the government shutdown.

We awoke to a smattering of snow this morning, the first of the season. Snow is not unanticipated this time of year, but it always requires a bit of adjustment. On my way to the office, I checked out a Denver B-cycle bike for a somewhat chilly but pleasant ride. The snow had all but stopped by the time I got to my office. The great thing is that Denver B-cycle will remain open all winter this year, so I'll have many more snowy commutes capped off with a B-cycle ride.

No, this is not a fatbike, but a B-cycle has quite acceptable snow riding capability.

Impromptu bon voyage three-speed ride

Well-traveled biking couple, Gypsy Nicholas and Globe Lael, hit town today on their way to another adventure, after spending the last half year in Albuquerque. I first met them last year on their way through to ride the Colorado Trail. This time, our fair city serves as launch point for them again, though the trails they'll be hitting are half a world away.

As I write this, they're headed to the wild and wooly continent of Europe. There, they plan to rewrite the book on what it means to do a European bike tour, by seeking out off road and mountain bike routes wherever possible. I, as an avid armchair traveler, am eager to follow along. I've already put in my request that they sample pickled herring sandwiches (or any other interesting local cuisine) wherever they go.

I met up with them long enough to get a glimpse of their updated touring equipment and to have an impromptu three-speed ride aboard a few of the bikes of the Denver B-cycle fleet. As card-carrying members of the Society of Three Speeds, we called to order the ride and commenced forthwith. The ride objective was lunch at the Butcher Block Cafe, a nice little hole in the wall eatery that came recommended by Phil of Denver B-cycle. It didn't disappoint. If you go, don't miss out on a cinnamon roll.

Nicholas' new ride is an impeccably outfitted, geared Raleigh XXIX. Very nice. I don't need another bike. I don't need another bike.

The two were busy fitting their bikes into luxuriously huge Trek B-cycle boxes when I encountered them. 

He's ingeniously installed a dynamo light by drilling and tapping the crown of the Raleigh's suspension fork. 

Lael was sporting a new pair of her iconic Clarks cycling boots. Perfect footwear for the tour.

Happy trails, you two. You're welcome back any time.

Other people's bikes: Unexpected Bridgestone edition

A 1993 Bridgestone MB-1. Crappy phone-cam pics to follow, this one with the saddle artfully cut off. 

Fair warning: the following may only be appreciated and/or comprehended by extreme bike nerds. Proceed at your own risk.

Few bike brands stoke devotion to such a rarefied degree that a loyal following remains dogmatic nearly two decades after going defunct. Indeed, it may only be Bridgestone that fits this description. I admit that I have long been within the spectrum of Bridgestone devotees, though certainly not as close to ideological purity as I once may have been. Yet, I still have an ingrained ability to spot and identify a Bridgestone bike with even a fleeting glimpse.

At the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building today, a 1993 Bridgestone MB-1 drew my focus from a block away. In its day, this was the top of the line off road machine Bridgestone offered, during its penultimate year. As I approached, it was clear that this particular bike had few, if any, parts original to the frame. In fact, the bike exhibited many of the characteristics of a cast-off frame turned ignominious workhorse; a semi-abused daily commuting mongrel, cast to a lot in life more typically assigned to much "lesser" models and/or brands. Such bikes often have the outward appearance of having been flogged to within an inch of life, but are generally in fairly honed operational condition. In an urban setting, such a bike is not appealing enough to steal, but well suited for transportation.

Please note that the following comments are not meant to be disparaging, but are merely a processing of the incongruity of the sighting with which I am apparently still struggling.

Its solitary shifter predates the bike by about a decade: a Shimano Deer Head (XT) unit, circa 1984. The circa '88 Ritchey stem looks to have been painted with bronze-colored nail polish.

A rider too tall: the modern cheap-ish saddle is jacked up high on what I'm estimating to be a 49cm frame. The bike is locked with a cheap cable lock, almost as an afterthought.

Inexpensive chromed replacement fork with ill-fitting fender, sans brakes. Originally, the bike would've had a revived Ritchey biplane fork; bewildering to all but the devoted during the suspension boom of '93, but now highly sought.

Off-kilter rear rack and fender with a custom mounted rear light, courtesy of about half a roll of tape.

Neglected drivetrain features an era-inconsistent XT derailleur, a 7-speed freewheel, and a yellowed pie plate.

While the case is strong that Bridgestone made good bikes, in a time of explosive technological bike development, the company seemingly became too esoteric for its own good. Exhibit A in this argument are the company's entertaining, yet increasingly ethereal catalogs. That's not to say that many of the concepts embodied by Bridgestone weren't correct, as many of its best ideas have found renewed, strong affirmation since the company's demise. However, as a too-small-to-be-large-but-too-large-to-be-small, and perhaps too fundamentally serious bike company, it couldn't control the growing industrial beast that its innovation initially helped to create. In the end, Bridgestone's undoing was its dependence on the stolid rationality of its artisanal analog instruments, in the midst of an increasingly disposable digital world. Though the model didn't work at the desired scale, its proponents, most obviously Grant Peterson, have established residence in more viable climes.

It is within this context that I was oddly struck with the application put to this particular MB-1. I'm not exactly sure why I perceived the encounter as being so strange, as within my own general philosophy, a bike serving a useful transportation purpose is the best kind of bike. The cumulative nonchalance of the construction of this brute indicates a utilitarian survivor in the most positive sense; the polar opposite of a garage queen. Yet, my gut reaction reveals something about my psyche. To see a revered upper-echelon Bridgestone frame so mundanely and apathetically outfitted is unsettling, regardless of its usefulness. Something to ponder.

Congrats if you've made it this far, bike nerd. Continuing gratitude to Shawn (who also happens to be a newly minted Bridgestone owner) for putting the term "other people's bikes" out there, aptly describing the bike gawking activity in which I have been participating for decades.

For the record, only trace amounts of snow from yesterday's storm remained in the basket of this Denver B-cycle during my evening commute.

Spring break

Little sister is happy about her first real ride on the Big Dummy.

As per usual, we didn't end up going anywhere for spring break this year. We had some tentative plans for a quick trip, but the girls of the household each ended up getting sick, so we decided to take it easy and stick close to home. The week started out similarly to many past spring breaks of my experience: with a snow storm. Though the storm was heavy at times, the snow it left was typical wet spring snow, and melted quickly. This has made for copious mud, which kept us off dirt trails for the most part.

This snow fort had a well-constructed foundation, but was no match for the onslaught of the sun. 

For a time, it was chilly enough to warrant the boots, but the snow didn't stick around long.

We stopped in to see some people at Denver Bike Sharing, and she sampled some of the newest members of the Denver B-cycle fleet. Those with a tri-geared fetish may be happy to know that all B-cycle bikes are 3-speeds.

At the History Colorado Center museum, she took me for a drive in a Model T Ford. It was the best type of car: non-emitting, simulated, immobile, and with spoked wheels.

Experiencing what it might be like to be a clothing-challenged super fan, also at the museum.

We did a little hiking at Daniels Park to enjoy the view.

Today, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. After a nice meal, we all saddled up and took a ride through the neighborhood and local park. It was lil' sis's first real ride on the back of the Big Dummy, and she seemed to enjoy the experience quite a bit. She spent much of the time giggling and babbling, while intermittently drinking from her new water bottle and pointing to scenery along the way. I have a few modifications in mind to revamp my homebuilt Xtracycle-based kid seat, which are of high priority in order to meet the needs of upcoming rides. I'm starting to piece together an overnight bike camping trip to include all of us; kids, dog, and parents.

Getting the hang of drinking on the move.

Oma was along for the ride.

Back seat passengers on my Surly Big Dummy.

Scout, my faithful riding buddy.

By midway through the ride, she had mastered the use of the bottle cage.

We took a riding break for some waterfowl spectating and walking practice. 

Proud of her newly installed BaileyWorks handlebar bag. It's pink, of course. 

The riding of the green... and the red

Rolling on my green Surly Cross-Check.

Scout and I started off the day with a ride, per usual. It was only a bit more than coincidence that today, St. Patrick's Day, I was on a green bike. My Bean Green Cross-Check happened to be the closest bike to the door of the bike barn, so it was most convenient to be pressed into service.

A bit later, I was off for the fourth annual distribution ride to shuttle Denver B-cycle bikes into the system. About 300 people signed up to deliver bikes from the Denver Bike Sharing office North of downtown to the 56 stations currently operating in the city. While waiting for the official signal to go, I hung out with a lot of local bike people, took in some fine entertainment, and had some excellent food and drink, including the best kind of breakfast burrito: hot, tasty, serendipitous, and free.

Phil, Denver B-cycle's head mechanic, is always hard at work wrangling bikes

Proud B-cycle riders lined up for a photo.

Jared is an intrepid Denver B-cycle mechanic, elite bike polo player, and prodigious facial follicle cultivator.

This Worksman brand three-wheeled hauler is equipment for a new pedal-powered entrepreneurial enterprise, and owned by Jeff, another fine Denver B-cycle mechanic. 

This lucky lady was the winner of three hefty packs of high quality bacon as a door prize. 

After a while, everyone had been assigned a bike and a station to which it should be delivered. Following a bit of fanfare and some posing for the official photographers, we were off in a sea of dinging bells. The system opens for business tomorrow at 5:00 am. I, for one, am extremely happy to have the red bikes out and about once again.

If you live in the Denver area, get a membership here for a reduced rate until April 22nd. If you're going to visit Denver, a 24-hour subscription is simple to buy, and there is no better way to see the city. I hope to see you out there!

A crowd of people in red shirts on red bikes.

Yep. That's me.

Nearly under way.

Eric from Fort Collins, my riding buddy for the day, and I were the first ever check-ins at the brand-new Auraria Campus station. Along with many others, I've been working for nearly seven years to help Auraria become more bike friendly, so this station is a big achievement. 

Docked and ready for the next rider.

Lucky Number 234 was my steed for the ride. 

Unrelated extra photo: On the way home I saw this social media inspired sticker graffito.

81 days and counting

My Pugsley sporting a borrowed 29er wheel on the front for a test fitting.

I haven't had much time for the old blog as of recent, but that doesn't mean that I haven't had time to ride. In fact, I've now ridden a bike every day consecutively for the past 81 days. I don't have an established record of consecutive days of riding, as I've never previously kept track. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have by far surpassed this number, like this guy, but keeping up the streak has become enough of a game that I'm now angling to hit 100+ days in a row. This all started with the TSBC challenge toward the end of last year, which has, at least for me, been ongoing and wildly successful. Thanks again, Tarik!

As for the photo above, I have not yet jumped to acquisition of a set of 29er wheels for my Pugsley, but continue to weigh the possibilities as I gather funds. As the photo shows, I test fitted a symmetrical rear 29er wheel on the Moonlander fork of my Pugsley, and am happy to report that it all fit perfectly. By extension, I can also report that there is a new-to-us bike in the family. Nope, it's not mine. Julie enjoyed riding on dirt and gravel last year enough that she asked me to help her find a more suitable off-road machine than her venerable, but pavement-centric Breezer mommy bike. As you may have guessed, the new bike is a 29er, details of which are to follow in a subsequent post. As you may have also guessed, I'm probably even more excited than she is about the prospect of a future filled with dirt biking family rides.

Until next time, enjoy a few random images of things that I've seen or encountered since I last posted here.

I made a trip to Boulder, where their B-cycle system remains open year-around. It was nice to be back on the red bikes. 

Bike gawking opportunities abound in Boulder, where I spotted this ship-shape Kona Ute at a grocery store.

I was a fan of Peugeot mountain bikes in the old days, so I enjoyed seeing this one in Boulder, which is a cobbled together survivor with a 700c front wheel.

This is a bike blog, but there are a few motorized rigs I enjoy enough to include. I spotted this circa-mid '70s era International Scout during a ride.

I've long admired the simple utility of International four-wheel drives. I've written before about the lost prowess of quality American manufacturing of days gone by, of which vehicles like this are an enduring monument.  

Yesterday, I took part in a Denver B-cycle event to celebrate the opening of two new stations at the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Here, Mayor Hancock speaks just before the ride.

My inaugural Denver B-cycle ride of the season was on Number 045. The system officially opens for the year next Monday.

Here are some of the VIPs riding B-cycles to the event. Believe it or not, I'm one of them. Not shown: me in a suit. You'll have to take my word for it.