Cycle Ti Thunder

My bike right after getting it from Cycle World  bike shop.  I had a new taller seat post and had my rear rack mounted. This rear  Expedition Rear Rack Tall Boy - 29er by Jandd was purchased in 2002. Rated for 75 pounds Here is my bike with the Ortliebs  Back-Roller Classic. These were purchased in 2002 in Portland, OR The well worn product label Rear view of the bike. Today I completed my commuter bike build.  I am not going to be doing my normal 15 mile loop through the countryside bike commute for a while.  riding my road bike for a short commute takes too much time to put on the extra gear.  This bike allows me to quickly get on it in street clothes and take a short ride to work rather slowly without breaking a sweat. My goal has always been to keep one less car on the road.  So this bike,, while it will not be my choice for riding 50 miles, it certainly is a bike that I will use on short trips to work and to the store.  I can easily carry plenty of stuff

Today after the my 10 minute commute home I decided to ride my road bike.  My orthopedic surgeon , Dr. Pilcher, told me this week during my check up that I could ride my big boy bike.  For the past few weeks I have been riding my cruiser.  I love my cruiser, but it does not give me the special feeling that I get when I ride my road bike. I wanted to see how much power I had left in my hip.  I wanted to see if I could stand up and pedal without any problems.  The only problems that I am having with my hip is that the joint takes a while to warm up and get loose.  My  surgeon told me that I would experience this feeling for about a year.  In any event it took about 5 miles before I really felt like i was riding without being lopsided. I had fun.  This ride was a shake down to prepare for my bike commute tomorrow morning.  I am going to take the road bike to work for bike commute number two in 2017.

Almost near perfect weather for my short ride to work.  Feet first bikes are lousy hill climbers.  I guess I should not complain since I am use to road bikes for taking hills. Almost 53 degrees at 7:30 AM, almost too warm for a jacket, but I wore one anyway. I just had to wear the BCC colors today. My new parking lot for my bike. I am going to follow  +Aixe Djelal  lead and name my bike.  I have named my mountain bikes, the bike color followed by Thumper.  not sure waht to call this bike.

Ride Data Ride Description Today I wanted to ride one of the routes that I use to consider boring and easy.  The Flint Riverfront Trail is a short 3 mile paved trail that runs from downtown Albany to Cox Landing.  I say that I use to consider this boring because today it was the most exciting ride that I have had in a long time.  I have written this about my Blog before, but I will state it again, I write this Blog to inspire me.  I have been through a lot of things that have prevented me from riding my bike in the past.  When I have been injured or I am in a depressed mood for some reason, I read my Blog and get inspired by my own words of inspiration about cycling. Broad Street Bridge My bike on the Broad Street Bridge I took a picture similar to this one with my road bike on one of my 25 mile bike commutes. Here is my cockpit.  Once again I have a rear view mirror mounted on my handlebars.  the last time I had a handlebar mounted mirror was last century.

I have reinvented myself several times during the course of my life.  If I could leave one bit of advice to my children and any other young person that will listen it is this, Whatever you are doing today, it most like will not what you will be doing tomorrow.  You can either wait until someone else decides your fate or you can choose the path that you want to take. I have always thought of myself as an artist and a cyclist.  I have had other roles in my life, son, brother, husband, dad, and a coworker at a few companies.  Some of those roles I was born into and others I sort of stumbled into with the exception of being an artist and cyclist.  I chose and continue to strive to be an artist and a cyclist as a way of allowing me to be the best that I can be in my other roles that I have. Lately I have been struggling to maintain my role as a cyclist.  I am coming out of my second major bicycling accident that I have had in the last two years.  Bouncing back after being hit b