North American Handmade Bicycle Show comes to Denver

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is in Denver this weekend, and I am here to ogle and dream. The show runs Friday to Sunday, and I volunteered at the registration desk on Friday in exchange for a free ticket on Saturday, a nice deal.  I went to the show once before when it was in Richmond, VA, so I knew it was a wonderful place to see the best in custom bicycles.  I would highly recommend you go if you can, you'll see some phenomenally beautiful bikes, and get to talk to the builders directly.  I'm heading back upstairs at the Denver Convention Center, but wanted to post some pictures from what I've seen so far:

Awesome lug work on a bike by Bilenky Cycle Works of Philadelphia

Classic Italian Steel

The Hero Bicycle Project teaches you how to build your own bamboo bike, and the money raised goes directly to  support youth initiatives in Alabama.

Wow, OK this is a curved titanium frame created by welding a "bend" in the downtube.   Very cool.

The Wonder Woman bicycle by Bilenky Cycle Works

Boo Bicycles of Fort Collins showed up with a lot of great bikes, including this super-fatty with bamboo tubes, carbon fiber lugs, and a titanium fork by Black Sheep Cycles.

Lots of wooden bikes including this beauty by Owen

Errandonnee Forever

Because that's what I do.  Really.  Every day is the Errandonnee in Fort Collins, the #2 city in our fair country for bike commuting (according to The Atlantic Magazine: )

Since I don't work at a regular job, my daily life doesn't really involve a "commute", but I do have a sort of regular schedule, things to do, and biking is the way to go.  Since moving to Fort Collins in December 2012, there have been many days when my wife's car and my truck have gone nowhere, since it is so easy to get around here by bike.  In my old hometown of Worcester, MA, (which didn't even make the list :-(  there weren't as many bikes on the road, but the opportunities for biking instead of driving were abundant.  There is really not much difference between the two cities, except Fort Collins makes the little bit of effort it takes to be bike friendly - bike trails, bike lanes, and aggressive enforcement of traffic laws for both bikes and motor vehicles.  As I've always said: more bikes on the road = even more bikes on the road.  We're #2 because biking is the new normal thanks to a shift in infrastructure that recognizes bicycles as belonging to the regular flow of traffic.  This is what sustainability looks like!

This is how we rock the trip to the grocery store in a bike friendly town.

Errandonnee Complete!

I've been obsessed with "The Winter Challenge: Errandonee" for the past week, and today I think I have completed it.  So far I've done 12 errands while biking 40.6 miles since Feb. 12.  I have gone on 8 out of 11 possible different kinds of errands (lunch, coffee, grocery store, bike shop, etc.) and the rules only ask for 7 different kinds.  I've also gone out twice after dark (check!),  and not used any category more than twice.  I have documented my trips with pictures, filled out the control card, and done and done!  Here are some take-aways on the experience:
My only regret?  Haven't had time to go to the library.
Coldest night ride? Tonight, coming home from the bike coop it was 18 degrees. Chilly.
Longest ride? Out and back to the grocery store at the corner of Drake and Timberline, a 6 mile round-trip.
Lesson learned?  OK, I already knew this - most of the stuff you do every day you can do on a bike!

Here are some more pictures from my adventures errandonneering:

Part of my lighting setup for night riding: the USB rechargeable Vis 360 helmet system from Light and Motion.  I also use an old Niterider LED rear light (non-blinky) and a Cygolite Hotshot (super bright blinky).  I will be seen!

At the Fort Collins Bike Coop, hard at work making earn-a-bikes with John.

Coffee to go from Crankenstein. (Small Americano with soy milk)

At Ace Hardware to get a plastic drop cloth and some masking tape.

Unloading groceries (most of them were already inside before I remembered to take the picture)

Errandonneering

As soon as I saw the word, I knew it was for me.  Errandonnee.  I love bikes: working on them, riding them, reading about them, what have you.  If it has to do with bicycles, I'm there.  The bottom line though, is that I see the bicycle as the ultimate utility tool.  Need to go get something at the grocery store? Hop on the bike.  Gotta go to class?  Bike it.  Want to get out of the house and chill at the coffee shop?  No better way to get there.  So despite my love of all things bike, and my participation in all sorts of bicycling events, I am, above all, attracted to the pure practicality of bicycling as the most efficient mode of getting where I need to go.  The errand enabler!

Thanks to the wonderful Lovely Bicycle! blog, I recently heard about a "Winter Challenge" from fellow bicyclist/blogger Chasing Mailboxes D.C.  The authors have concocted an enticing way to inspire us to get out on our bikes despite the cold weather and possible snow on the ground.  They call it the Errandonnee: "complete 12 errands in 12 days and ride a total of 30 miles by bike between February 9-20."  OK, I know it's already the 17th, but other people have done the whole thing in one or two days, and you can too.

In a nutshell, you keep track of your errands (they have a shared document you can use), you prove your various exploits by taking pictures, and you have to do more than, say, just go to the coffee shop every day.  So hey, check it out and have some fun, and let me know how you're doing.  Right now I've gotta go - biking over to a brunch potluck meeting to find out how I can get involved with using bicyles for food rescue with Fort Collins Food Rescue.  (Community Meeting, #4 on the list for the Winter Challenge :-)

Here are some pics from my recent errandonnes:

On a trip to the coffee/beer/bike shop (Yes, Crankenstein is all that and more) I saw this cool custom keg delivery bike from Equinox Brewing Company.

On a trip to the grocery store I saw a beautiful Yuba Mundo setup.  This is some serious errandonneering!

My sister lives on the other side of town, and sometimes needs some help taking care of her dog, Dooley, during the day.  A bike ride, a little frisbee, and both Dooley and I get some exercise.

A new life in Bicycle Paradise

Lots to say here, it's been awhile...  I retired from 20 years of teaching last June, spent almost 5 blissful months living the retired lifestyle: coffee, computers, and bicycles, all while getting prepared for our big move from Worcester, MA to Fort Collins, CO.  We arrived at our new home on Dec. 20, 2012, survived the Mayan apocalypse the following day, and have proceeded to settle in.  Lots to talk about, Fort Collins is a fabulous place to be a bicyclist, but for right now I just want to promote the Errandonnee, a fun way to get out on your bike despite the cold weather!  More updates soon!

On my way to the Fort Collins Club, tire tracks in the dusting of new snow.

A Change in Lifestyle

June 21, 2012 was my last day as a public school employee.  As of my birthday on July 3, I will be officially retired from teaching after 20 years.  Ironically, I haven't had a day off since then, but today I can finally relax! My hat goes off to those teachers who love their schools so much that they spend 30 or 35 years working with youth, but for me, 20 years in the public school arena was enough.  I want to spend my time now promoting bicycling and other ways of living a low impact life, as we may have precious few years of profligate consumer living left unless we can radically alter our lifestyles.  Thanks to the Mundo, I am able to drive a lot less - I only filled up the tank once in June, and then again today.  If I'm careful I hope this tank of fuel can last until the end of August.

So, what has the Mundo been doing?  Going to the REC Farmers Market every Saturday from 10am - 1pm with the mobile bike repair kit.  This past Saturday, 6/30, was proclaimed "Farmers Market Day" by the Mayor of Worcester, Joe Petty.  Also in attendance were U.S. Congressman James McGovern and local city councilor Sarai Rivera.

James McGovern getting some fresh Veggies from our friends at Luna's Garden

Another big thing last week was having 3 teenage interns at Worcester Earn-a-Bike.  The interns are part of a program called Upward Bound that provides lots of after-school and summer opportunities for Worcester youth to help their community while preparing academically for college.  I was lucky to host Joseph, Immanuel, and Brittany who worked 6 hours a day in the shop from Monday through Thursday last week.  The major project was to build 3 workstations where we used to store bikes, move the bike storage, rearrange the tools, and generally reorganize the shop.  They really worked hard and not only did we get the shop fixed up better than ever, we also totally tuned-up Brittany's bike and built a bike for Immanuel to earn during regular hours.

Painting the new tool boards and workbenches

All finished with the new workstations

Anyway, a super busy week after the craziness of finishing up my last school year, and now I'm able to relax, think, and plan for the next phase of my life.

The Mundo goes to School

Here in Worcester (2nd biggest city in New England doncha know) there are a lot of very cool things going on.  We've blogged here about some of them: The Co-op Caravan, the REC Farmers Market, the Firehouse, and plenty more.  One of the groups that is making things happen is the Worcester Freeschool, a sort of school without walls that connects people and the community with stuff they can learn to help them become.... Everything: Independent, aware, inspired, and able to build a more sustainable future.  On Sunday the 24th we had a bicycle maintenance skill-share at Crystal Park on a beautiful early summer day.  The Mundo was enlisted to bring all the tools, parts, workstands, and training aids (old wheels to practice fixing flats).  Hooked up the trailer with the new, improved hitch, loaded up and headed over to the park.

Modified some 1" square pipe to fit the Burley trailer flex connector

The Burley on it's new hitch

Spent about 2 1/2 hours talking bikes, tools, and the what and why of Earn-a-Bike.  Everyone who brought a bike got a chance to fix whatever needed fixing or adjusting, everyone learned a lot, and I think we all went home feeling great about why we love bikes!

The Mundo arrives at Crystal Park with everything needed for the skill-share

The bliss of a good floor pump and proper tire pressure!

The power of having a workstand to help get all your neglected maintenance done

Going through the safety checklist on a new-to-her bicycle

Thanks to Dana and Liz from the freeschool for putting this together and inviting Worcester Earn-a-Bike to be a part of all the classes and workshops they are arranging this year.  We loved it!