A return to cycling in your 50's or tips for getting back on the saddle.

Time spent away from this blog is equal to time spent away from cycling. My new found passion for photography makes me walk a lot and brings me to use public transport more than pedalling my way around the city. I still managed to put in 4 good rides a year but weather and a back injury has kept me away from more than a year...until today.

I always ride back home on my first day of vacation. It gives me an opportunity to unwind and gets the work bugs out of my mind. Today's ride was an eye opener after such a long time off the pedals and getting close to the big 50. I got a rude reminder from my muscles that they had been idle for too long and the message was delivered by an insane amount of lactic acid in them. That one ride brought a bunch of things to the surface and hopefully these tips can help a few of you out there who are considering getting back in the saddle for a ride.

1.  Prepare.

Get your stuff together ahead of time. Don't wait at the last minute, your ageing mind will forget where you left that thing when you last used it years ago. Do a serious once over mechanical verification on your bike. The longer it's been parked the worst it can get. Even if it was pristine the last time you used it, time can still take its toll especially if it wasn't stored properly.

2. Plan your route and time table.

Try to avoid busy roads and look for low traffic alternatives. You don't forget how to ride a bike but the hazards of the road are many and you want to give yourself some room. You also want to give yourself some room time wise. Plan for more time than you think you might need to get to your destination. This way, you'll avoid pushing yourself too hard for nothing and you'll have wiggle room in case something unexpected happens.

3. Be aware and anticipate.

It's easy to get lost in the pain or the exhilaration of flying downhill. Keep your eyes open and anticipate all those things that can hurt or kill you like opening car doors, volcano crater sized potholes, loose gravel and texting idiots behind the wheel. Always ride as if you were invisible, not invincible. Wear a helmet, the older we get the more we hurt.

4. Don't ride hard

Get a feel for your bike before you start leaning hard into turns or zig zag between cars. Your reflexes might be a bit slower and your muscle memory might be a bit faded as well. Slowly get back in your old groove to avoid crashing.

5. Have a plan "B"

In case of a mechanical failure or your body decides to give up on you because it thought you were just joking, have a contingency plan to get you back home. Money for a cab or asking a loved one for a lift for the price of a "I told you so." and a slightly bruised ego is a lot better than walking.

Cycling is very good for us even when done with moderate effort. You don't have to start long distances right away, a bit every so often is very good and you'll just go further with time as your endurance improves. I'll be doing at least an hour a week from now on. I swear!

For those wondering, I did make it.

Until next time, Godspeed and ride safe.

Gerry :)

Fixie Bike fix Montreal

I don't think that the majority of my readers are into this but I cannot go and not mention the fixie bike in this blog. A recent bike ride organized by the Starley Rover Society here in Montreal provide me with the oppotunity to capture on camera some fine examples of the breed.

The fixie bike is the purest form of the bicycle. The bike is about the same as a track bike. Fixed rear hub, so the pedals always turn if the bike moves, no accessories and no brakes. Braking is done by the rider shifting his/her weight on the front of the bike and locking the legs on the frame. This puts the bike into a skid. You need to be a very good rider to mix with traffic here in Montreal where things that can kill you can pop up at any given time.

An interesting fact is that in a lot of jurisdictions, such has Montreal, it is illegal to ride without at least one working brake mechanism on the rear wheel. The offender faces a $37 fine here!

Fixies are also a fashion accessory for hipsters but I think they are on the way out since they are getting too mainstream. Courrier riders have been riding fixies for a very long time. Although very simple, some of these bikes can cost as much as my car. Check out the orange one made out of carbon fiber. I hear the rider/owner is sponsored. Others are old vintage road frames brought back to life, my favorite kind.

Here's proof that messengers have been riding fixie for a while. Pictures were found at Shorpy's.

I love looking at these bikes and I admire the people that are crazy enough to ride them but I will never ride one myself. I'm more than happy with my single speed coaster hub.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles post

and download my free bike maintenance book if you haven't already.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

The real Bike Bums

Bike Bum noun. Definition: devoted bicyclist or enthusiast, somebody who spends most of the time bicycling. Uses the bicycle as a primary means of transportation by choice. (Source: http://howtofixbikes.ca)

In my previous post I was blabbing about my one week wannabe bike bum experience. The most important part of that experience was the great people I had the chance to hang out with. Some reader feedback suggested elaborating more on those subjects, what a fantastic idea. I decided not to limit this post about some awesome bike friends that I know to that week in May, but I also figured it would be cool to present a few other great folks I met and rode with thanks to this blog here in Montreal in the past 4 years.

Riley

He's the tall dude on the right (I'm the shorty on the left). I met Riley at my first Critical Mass in April 2007. Actually his bike trailer hitch caught my attention. I was looking at it and found it looked really familiar. I asked him where he got the idea for it and his response was: "Are you Gerry from the website?" . We've been good friends from that moment on. Riley was the one who introduced me to Community Bike shops and he is the link to all the other people I know in Montreal bike circles. Riley rides 12 months a year, doesn't have a car and believes in sustainable living. He once spent an entire summer riding on the US West Coast. I'm sure that adventure could fill a book. Riley is also a very good carpenter, he built a few shelves and the bike stands at the old Mile End community bike shop location.

Jeff

Jeff is from Portland Oregon and one day he got tired of the scene there and got on a train to Montreal(That's what he told me anyways). He stayed here for a little over a year and I had the chance to work with him at the Mile End bike shop. Jeff would jump on his bike and go for a ride to Ottawa to meet up some friends, taking the scenic route back and forth! He worked has a courrier and rode in this city 12 months a year. Jeff is one of the calmest and coolest guys I have ever met. I miss you Man.

Hanna


The Queen Bee of the Mile End bike shop of old. She came from BC and was one of the fastest women on a bike in Montreal. Hanna is a fearless rider and a dedicated organizer. How can I say anything bad about somebody who rides a vintage Raleigh Sports? I remember that she would have her wheels in the truing stand at least once a week. A perfectionist at heart.

Pat

Pat is a local that I met at Critical Mass. A true year round commuter, he rides a no nonsense flat black earth cruiser. That beast runs 12 months a year and it is equipped to survive the elements. Pat is not afraid to show off is true colors by various stickers on his bike like "One less car". Although you would never guess it if you met this mild mannered individual off the saddle.

Max

Max is one of the most hardcore riders that I ever had the pleasure to ride with. From New Brunswick, Max can and does ride anything hard. I do mean anything, he owns an old folding bike and he rides it the same he does all of his other mounts. Skidding, bunny hops and popping wheelies is part of any ride whatever the bike. Last May while bombing down St-Urbain at midnight, I saw Max pull a wheelie from his fixie at 30 mph. He held it for at a least a quarter mile and in that distance he went off the road to zoom through the underground entrance of a hospital! That little clip is etched in my brain until the day I die.

Vlad

Me-"Vlad where are you from?" Vlad-"I'm from Lithuania, it's a small island in the Pacific." Me-"You're shitting me right?" Vlad-"Most people usually believe it since they have no clue where Lithuania is." I knew where Lithuania was but I was still nowhere near decoding this mysterious 20 something with stunning good looks (Sorry ladies, I don't have a  picture). Vlad has been all over the world from his homeland to riding in Los Angeles. He's even spent some time at Burning Man. If you ever meet Vlad, you'll want to be Vlad. Although mysterious, he is still a very down to earth guy and an intense rider. I truly enjoyed his company back in May.

Kelly

I don't know much about Kelly since I only met her last May and recognized her from this shot that I took at an annual Montreal Winter race. You'll notice that she has a big grin in that picture. Just imagine how miserable those conditions were, wet, muddy and cold. Despite that she smiles and that's the way Kelly is all the time. Last May she was actually riding her bike with a sprained ankle and she was still smiling. 

Ritchie

I saved the best for last. Ritchie is a local Master Bike mechanic in his 60's but despite a heart attack, reduced lung capacity from years of chain smoking, you wouldn't give him a day over 55. Ritchie doesn't own a phone, so if you get a voice mail message from him, he'll make sure to mention that you just cost him $0.50 for nothing. He's also a Wheel-smith and an excellent one. I mean I build wheels, but this guy creates them. Ritchie rides year round on a few bikes that he built himself from the ground up, of course. Ritchie will pop up at Critical Mass every so often and I'm always happy to see him, not everybody shares that opinion. His knowledge of bike mechanics is unmatched, not even I can hold a candle to that. But sometimes he can be a little patronizing and people can take it the wrong way. I've heard from reliable sources that he even managed to make a douche cry once(I got it from the ex-girlfriend of the douche). This man might have a few missing elements in the people skill department, but he makes it up big time in mechanical skills. Ritchie is a rich man, not because he has a lot of money, but because he lives the way he wants to and doesn't give a damn about any complicated nonsense. I envy him. I don't have a picture of Ritchie, but if you ever meet him, you'll know right away who you have in front of you.

There are tons of other people that I have cross tire threads with out there. If you haven't seen yourself in this article, don't feel bad. I can't make this article too long, I don't remember your name, I don't have a picture of you or I don't feel like sharing you with the rest of the world. The most important part is the joy of riding together and sharing our love for the ride. Here's hoping to meeting you out there and for you to make the acquaintance of other bike bums.

Ride safe and free. Godspeed.

Gerry :) 

So you wanna be a Bike Bum?

This past Summer I took a week's vacation in late May while the rest of the family was still out working. The goal, to be a Bike Bum for a week.

Stuck in the modern trappings of a wife, 2.5 kids, a mortgage and a demanding job, I have always envied those free spirits on wheels that I see cruising along the streets of Montreal. Fortunately for me, I happen to know a few of those young free riding spirits.

So the idea was to get myself on the bike every morning and just go somewhere. I also decided to take on any group ride that happen to come my way. In a great stroke of luck, I had fantastic weather all week and I was able to ride out every day, not that rain was going to be a problem.

I must say that I had amazing experiences with all those that I had the privilege to ride with. In spite of having ridden most of this City, I still managed to find new places I hadn't seen yet. I rode next to crazy and daring riders who gave me a show in riding prowess that should belong in one of those rock videos. I rode myself to bicycle overdose! I never taught that could be possible...it was.

At the end of the week, I had lived an amazing chapter in my life but came to a sad conclusion. Being a Bike Bum is not just riding your bike everyday, it is a life style. At this stage in my life I can only hope to be a wannabe in the face of all those fantastic free spirits who live it everyday. I shall envy them to the grave and love them forever.

Ride free and safe. Godspeed

Gerry :)

MORE BICYCLE DRIFTING

This time in Saudi Arabia. At the urging of one of my readers, I share this with you. Although he gets pulled by a car to get momentum, it is still pretty amazing how he smokes that rear tire drifting his bike. Mind you that the roads in Saudi Arabia are as smooth as glass from what I'm told.



Gerry:)

Japanese bicycle drift King?

Now some say this is not drifting but sliding. I don't care, it's pretty amazing. Watch this crazy rider drift is way through some pretty tight Japanese streets while drifting on his pretty simple commuter bicycle. I guess the smooth roads in Japan must help a lot in being able to pull those power slides like that on a bicycle.

Enjoy



Gerry :)

BEST RIDE EVER! MONTREAL CRITICAL MASS

I always wondered what it was like to ride in a critical mass. Critical mass was created 15 years ago in San Francisco when a bunch of cyclist decided to reclaim the streets on their own by just getting on the streets once a month and taking as much space as possible. Now there are critical masses all over the world, including Montreal. I was contacted this winter to check out there site and this Friday I decided to join in.

Now these rides are notorious for being very unorganised affairs in some places. The one in New York City is, from what I hear, a monthly clash between cyclist and the very well manned NYPD. The Montreal ride as also it's extremist elements, but being Montreal it's in a civilized manner. The morning before the ride I was watching the weather on a regular basis and I was hoping for the rain to vanish so I would be able to take part. Mother nature decided otherwise!

I was about to call it at around 3 O'clock and it made me realise that I was getting soft. I used to ride to work 12 months a year in way worst weather and here I was being held back by a little rain. Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. Out came the high-vis raincoat and I headed downtown with the 45 lbs cruiser. The ride down to Phillips Square was a blast and when I got there I was surprised to find at least 50 people who had gathered in spite of the rain. I even met a reader of this blog who put together a trailer from one of my articles. Riley used the trailer to carry the music for the ride, sweet!

With no Police escort, we took to the street and rode for at least 30 minutes without any trouble. The rain was on and off but that didn't affect our spirits. Pedestrians on the sidewalks cheered us on and motorists were cursing the very fact that we were alive! Then somewhere on Park Avenue, we crossed a Police car that was waiting in the oncoming lane and by the look on the officers face, I knew we had just ruined what must have been a very quiet shift.

We had three Police cars join us after that in no time. We were intercepted at the corner of St-Laurent and Mont-Royal were they tried to escort us. One car was preparing to open the ride up front, but the mass decided to turn on the street before on Drolet to start a game of cat and mouse. The cruisers caught on pretty fast and the mass was boxed in within 2 minutes. The officers from station 38 were pretty ticked off. You could see it in their face, body language and deployed straight batons! They really didn't won't to mess around. But station 37 came behind us and the sargeant on duty from that station managed to calm things down on both sides. Great work on his part prevented things to go ugly. The ride was over, this was confirmed once we were advised that it was an illegal demonstration. The Police took down the names of 4 people without advising them of why I was told. The group broke up and we ended up at the Mont-Royal metro station for chat and snacks. I rode back home at around 8H30 pm and that ride was a blast.

What made this ride enjoyable for me was not the mere fact of riding in the streets in a spate of what might be interpreted as civil disobedience. The people I met there, the ride-in in traffic, the ride-out in the darkness were even more fun. Meeting a reader of this blog that actually put together one of my crazy ideas was also a great kick I must admit. Almost as exciting as a brush with the law.

So if your bike riding or your life is getting too boring, get to Union and Ste-Catherine at 5H30pm every last Friday of the month and go for it. For the readers of this blog that are out there in the world, just google critical mass to see if there is one in your town. If not, start one.

Til next time, ride safe and Godspeed.

Gerry