Year: 2005

Biking in Astoria

The Nexus 8—a mighty fine hub

Getting back to the original purpose of this blog. A man asks the following question in a comment below: Hi, I am from across the globe, Singapore. Came across your blog while searching for more information on Nexus 8 hub. Have a Nexus 8 sitting around. So how’s the ride the nexus?By the way, really…
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Working That Rear

I bought a rear rack for my Bianchi bike. The problem with rear racks, as opposed to baskets or bags, is that you have to tie-down whatever you want to carry. But this is still my road bike and not my packhorse. I don’t want anything flopping around when I ride. But it’s so nice…
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Transit Strike 2005

Last day of the transit strike. It doesn’t really affect me too much, since I bike everywhere. But it’s kind of a pain when, say, you have to get your wife to the hospital. There wasn’t really any problem in Manhattan. There were plenty of cabs. But getting to and from the City was close…
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Did you know…

…that your new hip looks like a kickstand!

One bike. One lamb. No problem.

We had another lamb roast. The butcher, an older man whose parents are also from Northern Epirus, assured me that though he has sold many lambs, he has never had one carried away on a bike. A 70-pound lamb seems like a lot when you’re buying a lamb. But in truth, it’s not hard to…
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Bike friendly Toronto

I was Toronto over the weekend. Kind of underwhelmed by the city, but it’s a bike friendly town. A lot of bikes. It’s pretty far North. But to be honest, not really much further North than Boston or Chicago. There are a fair number of bike paths. And bike racks everywhere! The same kind they…
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If only they all were so nice

I was biking my slow bike under the tracks on 31st Street last Saturday night. I was rather enjoying the weekend congestion, life, and hustle-bustle of our dear neighborhood, Astoria. A car pulled up on my left and from the rear passenger-side seat, a woman, relatively attractive, started yelling at me. “Uh oh,” I’m thinking.…
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Fixed-Gear 101

The only thing weird is that it’s sponsored by Puma. Fixed-gear 101 makes great bathroom reading. Download the pdf version.

The killer pothole… avoided

The normal problem with New York City roads is all the minor bumps and divots. But there are the occasional killer potholes. The kind that must be avoided because it will simply will eat up your bike. I was biking back home tonight just after midnight, cruising on 56th Street on a mild downhill at…
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More on the Croissant

P. Lynn Miller writes: The “croissant” is a work bike, I just added a picture to the web-page showing a picture of my work rig. As a work bike it does not get the care and attention it deserves, so little things like over-long cables do not get attended to. But I do love my…
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