Redline d440 09

I have the Redline d440 29er in stock in all sizes. This bike can do it all: mountain, commute, and tour. There are very few 29ers out there with a steel frame and lowrider front rack mounts. Did I mention "affordable?"

I have been seeing hits from all over on this site. So, yes, I will be happy to ship you a bike if you do not have a LBS (local bike shop). Call me.

Recycled & New Bicycles Now Open For 09

I am back in Utah. Recycled & New Bicycles will be open tomorrow. Come on by.

Lunch Time Yet?

We will be eating lunch here. We found this place on our way to Florida in December. The food is really good.

The Latest

We'll be in Utah
Before sunset tomorrow
The rain turns to snow

We are in Las Cruces, NM tonight. Here is the plan for tomorrow. Goodnight.



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A Quick Report From The Road

Here is the update:

After waiting in Jacksonville for most of Tuesday, Lucky the cat finally returned smelling like my sister's neighbor's perfume (he arrived in the arms of another woman). We hit the road and made Tallahassee before midnight.

On Wednesday we waited all day for the cat again. I found him by the rail road tracks, hiding under a brush pile. We finally started driving about 5 and arrived in Pensacola around 8. No, I don't want to talk about it.

Yesterday we drove all the way to San Antonio. We are still here this morning. The cat is locked in the car, yowling. We are going to see the Alamo and the River Walk. The Starbucks across the street is down. They have no water. It was a riot scene, but I got out with my life and without my espresso drink.

What I really need, is a bike ride. When we left the Florida house I thought it would be a really great idea to leave bicycles there so we would never have to strap them on the car for future cross country drives. So, there they stayed. I wonder if I can remember how to go for a run.

How to Pedal. Really

Where's Lucky?

Well, it's finally happened. Lucky (our cat) ran away last night from my sister Lynn's house in Jacksonville, his second attempt at an escape. He also jumped out the car window before we could get out of our driveway. He is hiding because he does not want to be in the car for five long days. We should have been as far as Tallahassee last night, but we just could not get it (all the stuff, both cats, and the dog) together. I always thought we would lose Lucky somewhere in he middle of Texas.

How long do you have to wait for a cat to come back, one that you really love? Patty says three days. I say, if he wants to stay in Florida, let him say. I wish someone would let me stay. Perhaps I will jump out of the window before we cross the state line into Alabama. Oh well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

"Here Lucky. Come back!"
Lost cats are mixed blessings, no?
Can't we just leave him?

Crazy

Santos to Dunnellon, Yesterday's Cross Florida Greenway Ride

Actually, I rode all the way from Santos to Crystal River, 50 miles in about 4 hours. Dunnellon to Crystal River was on narrow county roads, flapping away for 20 miles in a 52 inch gear, getting run off the road and honked at by little rednecks in big trucks, so I'm not going to talk about that part.

Santos to Dunnellon was about 30 miles of singletrack. Here is a link to the Cross Florida Greenway Trails site where you can look at maps of each section. The trails west of I-75 are fantastic. These trails go up and down, in and out, twisty but flowy, through the "diggings." For 2 hours on a Saturday, I never saw another human.

What are "diggings?" Here is the story. Crazy humans. I don't think the Cross Florida Barge Canal was ever a shovel-ready project.

Fuji Finest 2.0, Women's Specific

Recycled & New Bicycles now has the full line of Fuji Bicycles, including Women's Specific models. This if the Fuji Finest 2.0. If you are a woman looking for a road bike, are 5' 8" or shorter, come talk to me, call me, email me, or come test ride this bike.

Redline Conquest Sport 09

I should have the Conquest Sports ready in a couple of weeks too. These bicycles are already in stock in all sizes, waiting in the basement. I like this bike because it has front and rear rack mounts. Cross, Commute, and Tour!

Update: 3-7-09
I have a few ready to test ride. I can also ship. Call, email, or come on in.

Redline Metro 9

I should have some of these built and ready to test ride in a couple of weeks. The Redline Metro 9 is the 9.2.5 with a 9 speed in the rear. Steel, steel, steel! I think this may end up being my best seller this year. We will see.

The Economy

Today's version of The Diane Rehm Show is pretty good. The title is The Global Economic Crisis. World global output was projected at about 2.5%, but is now down to 0.5%. This is good news. I wrote the following last year at this time (like yesterday, I am forcing you to read it again):

I know for sure that our economy can not and will not continue to grow. A fossil fuel, consumer-based economy is a dying economy. My question is, why is growth the goal? Why grow? To what end? Aren't our leaders smarter than that? All they can think of is a tax cut so we can take the extra cash and buy more unnecessary plastic items. This is smart? I look forward to the day when a reporter says "the economy shrank last year...less houses, less cars, less corporations, less sprawl, and less items purchased from Wal Mart." Sure, when this happens my life will be hard. I am OK with that. My life is hard already, hard by choice.

So, we only have 0.5% to go! Everyone, slow down.

Annual Rhythms, Rides, And Migrations

I went on a long ride last night, the "Tour of Bardin" I would call it: Bellamy Road, George's Lake, Bardin, Caraway Church Road, and Etoniah State Forest. I looked long and hard for the Bardin Booger, but did not see him (I know you want more information on this, just google it for yourself). Long rides open my mind and allow a lot of time to think about a lot of things. Last night the thoughts were familiar. I observed Chickasaw plum in bloom and thought about the drive back to Utah. I tried to compose a haiku, but remembered that I did that last year at this time. Annual rhythms coming full circle, these are proof of middle age (reading glasses, Ctrl +, too). This morning I looked at a blog post from January 30, 2008. I've copy/pasted it below to force you to re-read it. "Welcome to Redundancy Theater, again."

There is a great article about Matsuo Basho in February's National Geographic. Basho was a haiku poet in 17th century Japan. A Zen Buddhist, he embarked on spiritual journeys walking around Honshu "shedding all worldly belongings and casting fate to the winds...paying heed to nature's modest drama." I started reading Basho's poetry and prose in 1988. My poetry here in this blog is inspired by his work. Riding a bicycle is a spiritual journey for me, my Buddhist path, slow enough to observe the fleeting ephemeral essence of the natural world and my own life.

We begin another journey today. We are packing up to head back to Logan. We should be on the road for 6 or 7 days. Leaving my Florida home rips me right in half. This place is in my heart; it is part of me. More than just familiar, it is what I know. Florida's ecosystems have become deeply rooted in my soul.

Our journey begins
As the Chickasaw plums bloom
There's sand in my shoes

The blog posts from last January were all really good. Here is a post worth re-reading. The part about the economy is quite prophetic.

Yes, I still owe you a rant about our autocentric world. Stay tuned.

Fixed Gear Cyclocross Dismount

Just because people always ask "how?".

More Cross Pictures

Lupine Cramer, the Girls 9 and Under State Champ.

Lupine's Dad, old and slow.

Where'd I Park My Bike????

Could you imagine a Wal-Mart parking lot full of bicycles? These videos are so great, I just had to post one more. If you are into the video thing, try some of these by Nicholas Whitaker.


Sinfonia Cyclissimo from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

Not Logan, UT

But, it could be. It will be, some day. I borrowed this video from Biking Brits. Enjoy.

Yes, I am still composing in my head the soap box rant on the automobile as a short failed experiment, that I promised last month. Just wait.

Ride & Glide from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

Florida State Champion?

No, not me. Jimbo, Kristin, and Lupine are the racers wearing gold medals around their necks. We had fun though. For me, fun is defined as suffering and humiliation. Lupine is the Girl's champ, Kristin is the Women's champ, and Jimbo is the Men's 35+ champ (and Men's runner up). Congratulations!

Here is a picture of me at my best. This was taken right after my shorts fell off. I had to ride most of a lap with one hand to the pits to get another pair of shorts. Thanks, Jimbo, for loaning me your best shorts.

TT Ride

My two wheels drifted
On the oak leaf covered trails
It was a great ride

I did a Tuesday/Thursday ride last night in Gainesville with the crew. There were 14 riders at the start and four at the end. Parts of the ride were pretty fast. It was a fantastic ride; I started remembering how to ride on north Florida single-track. Thanks to Steve for the light.

The Tour De Felasco is next on Saturday morning. Like I said yesterday, I can't wait.