Monday, October 29, 2012

No cycling today please

Hurricane Sandy is currently bashing the Tri State area (and beyond) so it was a work from home day today, whoop.

No cycling - just lots of eating and watching Elemental on CBS (which shows a surprisingly high number of NRA anti Obama adverts).

Here is a quick picture from out of the window... very light traffic and some rain. I have seen a couple of brave cyclists out there (delivery guys!) but not for me.



Maybe back to biking towards the end of the week. (Before I put on 10 lbs)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Gear Whore


So what else have I been doing in the last 4 or 5 weeks. Going nuts on amazon, bananas in REI and spazzy in bicycle habitat thats what... so far I have purchased the following:

From Amazon:
1 x Pace twill riding cap (seems a little small for my big head but good under the helmet)
1 x Skull cap (for when its chilly)
1 x Ten way spanner hand tool (to fit my mud guards - see below)
1 x 'Adventure cycle touring handbook' for light reading on the subway when it snows
1 x pair of Tenn lightweight waterproof trousers ($30! what a bargain)
1 x pair of Gore Mens overshoes (part two of my lower half waterproof outfit)
(approx $142 for this lot, gulp)

From REI:
1 x 24 oz Polar insulated water bottle
1 x set of front and rear 'planet bike' hardcore fenders (to keep my butt clean and dry in the rain)
(approx $50)

From Bicycle Habitat:
1 x set of two blue Ortlieb panniers 
1 x Bontrager pannier cargo netting
(approx $165 for panniers, $15 for netting, $40 to Port Jervis on the metro north)

I actually got the panniers back in July and they have been awesome every time I've used them. Totally waterproof and so easy to hook onto the rack. I bought these when I went on a cycle/camping trip with the boys to Port Jervis in NJ. 

The Bontrager rack netting thing works like a set of bungies and was very useful for holding down my tent and sleeping bag... heres some quick pics from that trip as I didnt write a post for that (I was in lazy mode):












Alleycats in NYC

So... I've only just become aware of alleycat races. POW - its eye opening - these guys are bonkers! Check out these vids on vimeo and youtube...

http://vimeo.com/17197113 (picture below taken as a still from this race vid!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNgJrfgXijg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VcgURiQH9c



Takes real skill and nerve to be able to ride around a city like NYC, especially on a fixie and at that speed.

Apparently there is going to be a short race next Wednesday in the LES, if I get time I will try to go over and take some photos (no racing for me).


For more updates on when NYC messenger races happen keep a look out on this blog: http://www.bikeblognyc.com/category/alleycat-race/

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Homework

The ride is more than 6 months away but increasingly I am putting in some hours scanning other peoples past blogs on the trans am. The great thing is that so many people have done it over the past 20 years or so and detailed their trips. Makes my homework task pretty easy!

So far here are some of my top sites that I've been browsing this week and that I will be referencing in the coming months...

http://travellingtwo.com/
A fantastic site about a Canadian couple that travelled the world. Really solid tips on packing and equipment.

http://www.transamericatrailcycle.com/
Another great blog - same trip as me but by a guy called Andy a couple of years ago. Good read and decent tips (can't read too much as I dont want to spoil any surprises!)

http://bikeacrossamerica.org/
A decent site with some good testimonials. Some of the videos are a little on the long side but the advice is earnest and the tips helpful.

http://cycleacrossamerica.co.uk/
Another good blog by an Englishman on the TransAm.

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/index.htm
A treasure trove of information. Very heavy to read in one go (think text book) but amazing that this guy Ken has put in over 40 years of experience into this site.

Definitely gets the mind going. I think the next thing is to start looking into putting some decent training  runs in.



p.s. Cool graphic total lifted from this site :)