Betzi Standing Guard

When the ole girl hears that wonderful sound that only synthetic cycling shorts can make she comes upstairs and stations herself at the door. She let's it be known that she expects to go with me or I ain't getting out.

Titanium Cup

Not all water drinking fountains are created equal. When my water bottle can't successfully negotiate the drinking fountain I break out my handy dandy light weight titanium cup.

Another Day...

...Another Ride with Betzi.

Our routine two to three times a week. Sundays, and an occasional Friday, are my day to go solo on the 700 but the rest of the time it's usually the ole girl and me.

Top 20 Bike Friendly Cities

Just released by Copenhagenize Design  Co. The Top Twenty Bike Friendly Cities. No American cities in the top 20...oh well. Read here what the Business Insider has to say about What Americans Don't Get About Cycling.

Chain Line

I've messed around with the chain line on my Expedition and 700 long enough to know what I like. The driving reason for eliminating as much tube as possible is the ease of repair. Chain repair or replacement doesn't happen often but when it does the tubes make working with the chain a bear. Once I had a chain break while on a ride, threading the chain back through the tubes while swearing at the sun beating on my head was a dirty and tedious affair. I find it easier to repair, clean and inspect the chain without the tubes in the way. Under normal sober riding conditions I never get tagged by grease.

Expedition

I put a patch of tough rubber self adhering tread material on top of the crossbar to protect against chain slap.  When under tension the drive chain has plenty of room.

I added a Terracycle return idler. A portion of bottom tube is necessary to guide the return chain under the crossbar. I attach the tube to the crossbar with two DiNotte large O rings and a zip tie. The other two lines seen along the crossbar are part of my electronics.

700

On my 700 I removed the top chain tube and left the return chain configuration unchanged. 

Unlike my Expedition there is no return idler just the lower tube attached to the power idler...don't want the extra ounces of a return idler. 

Bikeability

How bike friendly is your State and where does it fit in?
Rankings from the League of American Bicyclists
(Thanks to Rails To Trails for providing the State Ranking link.)



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Floating Cycle Roundabout

 Awesome Floating Cycle Roundabout  in the Netherlands. What...did you expect it to be built in the United States? 

The complete story here.