In praise of Dinotte lights

I've had a Dinotte 200L light for several months now and love it. I have it mounted on my helmet. It draws odd looks during the day, but in the early morning when I need it, it's fantastic. I recently added another to my handlebars and one of their tail lights as well. I can now see so much better when commuting and know that there's really no excuse to not see me from the rear. I'll edit this later to add either photos or some brief video clips.

Funny thing happened on the way to my blog

A while back, I posted a review of my Dinotte headlight to REI.com. At least I thought I did. As I was completing it, they offered me the chance to post my review to my blog. I chose to do so, then pushed the "publish" button and, "Presto!" it appeared on my blog, but not on the REI site. Go figure. See my review above for the real deal.

Stripping

So, Carol and I are now most of the way through stripping down the Bianchi. I'm stuck with a crank that won't come off - the dustcap threads are slightly stripped on the Left side and I can't get the puller to properly set. Back to work on that tomorrow.

New from old

We picked up a well used Bianchi mixte style frame today. It's at least 22 years old, but in reasonable shape. This one will be for Carol, who misses her old Miata. I'll strip it down with help from Eric, then have the frame sent out for sandblasting and painting. I'll strip off the components from my several year old Specialized Ground Control and use them for the Bianchi. Most of the current components are rusty. I'll try and bust the rust off what seems reasonable. Whatever, it will be an adventure!

Overdue

So, I've been busy! There's lots going on over at Goshen Bikes and Bike Michiana these days. I've been fairly active in the Goshen Bikes group and admire the Bike Michiana efforts. We're networking with that group in the effort to work more efficiently

Personally, I'm excited by my new (old) ride: a Trek Singletrack 930. I replaced the super knobby tires with some Bontrager Select Inverts and feel like some kind of sprinter when I'm on this thing. Of course, all the miles on the X pulling loads and commuting probably help a wee bit...

I'm happy to say I'm getting much closer to commuting by bike five days a week. I've got the gear, there's no excuse, it's time to just do it. Some neighbors across the street recently sold their second car and he now rides to work every day. Now that's inspiring! It reminds me of the Xtracycle stickers that reads:

I lost

3500 lbs

in one day.

Ask me how.

1-800-SELL-CAR.

The Chain Reaction Bicycle Project (Goshen, IN) is holding its first workshop Saturday July 12, 2008. The workshop is titled Road 1: Safe Cycling and will be taught by League of American Bicyclists licensed instructor John Yoder. The Road 1 course is designed for current or prospective bicycle commuters, recreational riders, touring or club cyclists, parents that ride with their family, or people that just want to get around town. Both beginners and more experienced riders will learn how to safely and confidently use their bicycle for transportation in all types of road, traffic and weather conditions. The course includes several hours of on-bike experience, practicing the techniques that are taught.

For more information visit

http://crbp.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=75

or contact Eric Saner, director of the Chain Reaction Bicycle Project. 574-903-3056 or info@crbp.org .

The Eyes Have It

--- protection that is. A while back, I mentioned wearing eye protection for riding. Here's another example of good reasons to wear such gear.

Sometime last week I was riding home afterwork. I was moving along at an average clip (about 15 mph) on that sunny day when, WHAP! Out of nowhere, a bee suddenly came into view and bounced off my eye wear. I had a split second's awareness that a bee was suddenly in front of me before it hit. There was no time to react, only hindsight (so to speak) to recognize what had just occurred. The bee would've been a direct hit on my right eye ball (bullseye on my eyeball?) with out time to even try and blink. Lord knows how bad that could've been if I'd been stung, too. I'm simply relieved to know I can write about it as a close call, not an accident.

So, please wear protective eye wear. You don't have to spend lots of cash on brand name eyewear. You can find decent, inexpensive protective eye wear at hardware stores or Big Box staores if it fits your budget.