A Short Rant

"I have my own bag, thanks," I said to the cashier.

"I'm sorry, we have to put all items in little petroleum derived bags. It's store policy."

Bad policy if you ask me. I had my item and my receipt. How could anyone have a problem or think I was stealing something? I know, I know, it's the long hair again.

In Utah, there are many people who are told exactly what to say, do, and think. For them the world is black and white. For them, they need to tell others what to do. It all flows downhill.

The world is gray. Rant over.

A Short Post

I'm back in Utah. I even went for a ride this morning. The shop is busy. Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles are back in stock in all sizes. The Redline r540's are all gone and the Redline r550's are almost gone. I still have a medium, a medium-large, and a small left. Only $599 while supplies last.

New fitness and comfort bicycles are drying up, so call me if you want a new Redline. I still have 29er d440's that can do it all, and a Monocog 29er in medium. Cyclocross bikes are now available. Can I order you one?

Remember: Cheap shoes cost more than Wal Mart Bicycles. They have no moving parts and less rubber. So, do you really expect $89 to get you a bicycle?

At Last, A New Post

I'm on vacation. I'm back home in north Florida for the weekend, for my sister Lynn's 50th birthday. I've slowed down a little. I needed a break. My mind and body are still tired from working seven days a week for the last four months, but I'm strong enough to finally post. I'm sorry for staying quiet for so long; I know my sisters have missed an up to date blog. Perhaps, some have even missed the poetry.

Like still black water
Spanish moss on the live oaks
My life moves slower

I've missed the lake
Panicum, green, wet, and tall
Meadowbeauty, pink

Running Recycled & New Bicycles has been hard as of late, a product of my own success, a control freak completely out of control. I've become another in a long line of jaded bike shop owners, my emotions constantly changing between exuberance, anger, depression, and giddiness. All or nothing, I've allowed myself to become consumed. I've made a lot of people happy, and I've even changed a few lives. Last week as I pedaled to Smith's, I saw three people on Redline Bicycles. A few days before that, I was passed by a customer on a Conquest Sport. She was flying.

I've also made people angry. I've even lost a few friends. I've been flamed on my own blog. There are customers who have been waiting for over a month to get their bikes worked on. These things I truly regret. If I have hurt your feelings or pissed you off, I am sorry. If I cussed you and told you to "get the hell out of my shop" that was uncalled for and I was wrong. Nothing is worth losing friends.

That said, there will be some changes at the shop. I'm not sure what these changes will entail. I don't know if I will be selling new or used bikes next year, or running a bicycle cooperative, or operating a mobile repair service. Who knows? I may even be a wildlife ecologist again. I do know that there have been many days standing in the shop juggling tools, customers, invoices, tubes, and cog sets, and asking myself, "for this, I earned a graduate degree?" I also know I can not go for weeks without a real bike ride. My heart and mind wont allow it. Palpitations and depression are unacceptable. Saturdays with my family and evening meals before 8:00 pm are pretty important too. I may even keep a regular blog. Like a long ride on a fixed gear bicycle, putting my feelings into words for the world to see is cheap therapy. Thanks for reading.

There's Plenty...

...to blog about, bicycles, life, and the shop. There's just no time. So, my blog will remain static for the near future. Computers are nothing but a time suck anyway.

A Short Update

Build
Repair
Order
Sell
Repeat

Yes, it is still the busy season. I got in a short ride on Sunday (thank you Patty, it was your day). I am scheduled to go again in the morning at 6:45. That's dedication.

I will blog more in the Fall. I promise.

It's the busy season. What can I say? There is no time to post and no time to ride. People are buying bicycles and getting repairs done. Thank you customers.

I did get in a ride today. The weather was beautiful. I met up with Cody and Erin on the way down the River Trail. I took them through "the tube", did some hike-a-bike, and made them follow me along the canal leading to the golf course. Cody went to the house with me where we feasted on Patty's enchiladas and gogi berry tea. Delicious.

On my bike, a slug
Overworked, old, and slow
New pri0rities?

The Answer (Well, One Answer At Least)

Yesterday oil was up to $115 per barrel. Before we went to Iraq it was twenty-something dollars per barrel, but that is not the point of this post. My point is this:

This is the Redline R540, a fender compatible, lightweight, fast, flat-bar road bike. I just ordered a size run of these. I got a good deal on them and will pass the savings on to you. Ride one to work and for your errands for the next two months and it will pay for itself. You'll have nothing to loose but blood pressure and 10 pounds.

Bike Shop Owners Ride A Lot And Work On Their Bikes A Lot

Sunday and Monday were the most beautiful days of 2008. Yesterday was actually hot. I never did get a ride in either day. There are no new baiku (I know several of you are reading this just for the poetry). There is still so much to do; It may take another six months just to move in to our new house. Sunday was spent working on the "to do" list. Yesterday, I paid my Utah Sales Tax for the first quarter and sent the US Treasury my quarterly estimated tax for 2008. Like my sister, Bonnie, I now work on my day off. I also worked on ordering more R.E. Load messenger bags, more bicycles. and various parts. The Redline 925's are finally available.
Lee R. and Lee M. have been waiting for a long time. Thanks for your patience, guys. There will also be two Redline d660's in the shop this week. Both may already be sold, but come on buy and look (drool) at them.

The bars on my beater bike have been creaking. Yesterday a stem bolt gave up the ghost. Who knows when I will get the chance to work on my own bike?

The price of oil is now $112 per barrel. Gas is well over $3 per gallon, soon to reach $4 per gallon. These prices are stirring a wave of change that is clearly visible. The two-wheeled revolution is beginning to churn. There are more lycra-clad, carbon-frame mounted riders on the streets of Logan. There are more hipsters on fixed gear bikes (and any old 10 speed that will roll, it's like 1972 all over again). There are more university types commuting on their early 90's rigid steel MTB's (when biopace was king). I had to stand yesterday on the bus, all the seats were taken. The stroller pushing Mommy Brigade has seen their ranks swell. The time is right. bikecoop.org. Stay tuned.

Busy

The week has zipped by. The shop has been very busy. Yesterday was a thirteen hour day. Four bikes went out the door, and three or more others are scheduled to go out. Two were Recycled Bicycles, and that is a good thing. I have a lot of great news about used bicycles, but it will have to wait. Let's just say that I am going to be involved in the future Cache Bicycle Cooperative. Today, I am heading out for a ride, my first in more than two weeks. When I get back, I may even post a baiku.

Logan Alley Cat

There was supposed to be an unofficially disorganized Alley Cat last night. No one showed up. It just goes to show that if it's not on the internet, it does not exist. That said, I hear there will be another on Saturday May 3 at 10:30 pm at the Logan Post Office. That's what I hear.

There were prizes/treasure set up at each location last night. Patty and I pedaled around this morning and collected the booty. I gave a lot of it away during brunch at the Ibis.

"Where's Blaa Blaa Blaa," She Said

Well, my sister Bonnie, and everyone else, here you go. It's funny, there are actually a lot of people reading my blog. Some days I get more than 25 visits. When I fail to post, people let me know. It's just that life of late has been quite complicated and busy. I have the flu. We bought a house last Monday and are still moving in today. There are boxes all over the floors, and we are quickly "knocking off the new" in several places. Why didn't they leave me some touch up paint? Now that we have a house here, Logan is taking on a more special meaning. We are in town, close to everything. Recycled & New Bicycles is only two blocks away.

Normal shop hours should resume next week, as long as I don't get pneumonia. I am getting busy. I'm ordering more Redline Bicycles on Thursday. Call me if you want to add one to the list.

R.E. Load Baggage

I only have two R.E. Load messenger bags left. So, I am putting together another order. If you want custom colors and options, let me know. These bags are the best I have ever seen. I did a lot of research. There is not a better bag out there.

I Opened The Box

I opened Pandora's Box today (thanks Christy and Lisa). I wont say anything more than this; I finally have a "radio station" that plays the music I like. It's free and there are no commercials. Try it.

Ah....Amsterdam

I saw this video on my friend Jim B.'s blog. This video is great. We have a lot to learn it seems.

The Snow Is Gone

The snow pile in front of Recycled & New Bicycles melted this week. It all officially disappeared on March 24. That means I win the "Guess The Day The Snow Pile Melts" game. My guess was March 23. Justin guessed April 4, and Anonymous guessed March 31. It's not fair, really. I've always been a careful observer of nature. Like Thoreau and Leopold, I've been known to record the dates when certain plants bloom and leaf out, and when the sand hill cranes depart and return (in case you have never noticed, the sand hill crane is my animal spirit guide).

It's in our genes, if we just listen hard enough. Humans evolved as a hyper-vigilant species. As our earliest ancestors walked the African savannas looking for their next meal, they were also looking over their shoulders for lions and other predators, looking for their next meal. Early humans knew where to find food, water, and shelter in each season. They knew when each fruit ripened and when each water hole dried up. They knew which plants were good to eat and which had medicinal properties. They knew when the rains would begin and end. They knew the phase of the moon, and what it meant when the wind blew hard out of the southwest. The actions of other animals in their world had direct meaning (see animal spirit guide above). In short, they were directly connected to the natural world, and hyper-vigilant about their surroundings.

What does it all mean for us? Well, we are still hyper-vigilant. We love stimulation. Again, it's genetic. Responding to changes in our environment (stimuli) allowed us to survive and our brains to grow. The problem is that we have replaced the natural world with artificial stimuli: the automobile, TV, Hollywood, fast food, Dancing With The Stars, drugs, consumer goods, sex, and computers.

So, get outside. Ride you bike or go for a hike. The direction of the wind, the sound of running water, the phase of the moon, that bird singing in the tree, the purple flower, the sound of the wind in the trees, they all have an something very important to tell you. There is more stimuli out there than one could ever process. Global warming is not something you read about. It's something you see, hear, and feel. When I first began recording the departure of sand hill cranes from north Florida in the early 1980's it was always the first week of March (right around my birthday). Today, 25 years later, they consistently leave two to three weeks earlier, in mid to late February.

Enough. I'm hungry and I do not know where my next meal is coming from. Good thing I know the location of both Burger Kings.

A View From The Top

This was the view from the top of Cache Valley's Meridian Road on Sunday's ride with Ike. That's Idaho, 40 miles to the north. We ride every Sunday from Caffe Ibis at 9:00 am if anyone reading this wants to come along. No, Jimbo Smartypants, that's not your Meridian Road, snow and live oaks just don't mix. But, check out the jersey. Thank you Jimbo! I love it because it has a zippered pocket. When it's cold out, a zippered collar is not necessary. The air temperature at the start of Sunday's ride was 22. Burr.

Photo by Ike. The Hound Dog saw this photo and wrote this baiku. Thanks, Chip.

Leagues of iced gravel
Flat equals frozen carcass
Must...reach...Idaho

Just for comparison purposes, here is a picture of Jimbo's Meridian Road, located in Tallahassee, Florida.

Tour De G'ville Roll Out

Here is a video of the roll out from the 08 Tour De G'ville. I sure wish I could have been there. It's 100k of Gainesville, Florida's trails. Just wait until next year.

Too Busy To Blog

The madness begins. Four bikes went out the door yesterday, one went out today, and three go out tomorrow (one of which is not done yet). Thank you customers. I truly appreciate your business.

Today's Baiku, I Guess It Really Is Spring

As we pedaled
The rattle of sand hill cranes
Returning again

A Testimonial

Two bikes went out the door yesterday. Thank you customers! Two more should go out on Thursday. I will be in the shop late tonight building them. Here is Trey's Testimonial with a lot of pictures of his New Baby. Thanks Trey.