Minnecycle 2011

Minnesota's version of a handmade bicycle show, Minnecycle, happened this weekend.  The show featured the work of a dozen different framebuilders, and highlighted the diversity of styles and techniques of some of the area's best bicycle craftsmen.  This was the 3rd year for Minnecycle.  I missed it last year, and didn't want that to happen again, so I headed over Friday evening to hang out with the opening night crowd.

My favorite bike of the night was the A-Train fatbike, equipped with Big Fat Larrys and a White Bros fork...

Joel from Clockwork Bikes was there again with some really cool bikes.  I like his style... that's an old Manitou 700c suspension fork.

This completely chromed Speedhound was probably the most eye-catching bike there...

There were a couple builders I had never heard of at the show, including a custom carbon fiber builder, Appleman...

It is always interesting to see the products of a framebuilder's imagination.  The really cool things are often in the details, like custom racks, small decorations, or creative cable routing.  Some of the pics are kind of crappy... I brought my point-and-shoot camera and didn't want to use the flash.  The fact that I was holding a keg cup and a bunch of cycling gear while I took the pics didn't help either.

Minnecycle was a good time this year... it's tough to beat cool bikes, beer, and conversations with bike friends.

It wasn't just the show bikes that were worth checking out.  There are a lot of cool bikes being ridden around this town.  This awesome contraption was parked outside the showroom last night...

I had to do inventory Saturday morning, so I ended up skipping the Friday night ride I've been going on lately.  It sucked to miss the group ride, but I figured since I biked over to Minnecycle that sort of made up for it.  While I was riding home along the Mississippi River trail, I thought to myself, "I wonder if the Friday night crew will ride this trail tonight... I'll have to pay attention to any well lit riders I see."  Less than a minute later, guess who came biking the other way?  And they even had an extra beer for me.


Stopping can be as much fun as riding...

Friday Night Lights

Work is starting to hit full speed, so not much biking this week.  I did make it a point to get out for a Friday night group ride though.  It's a perfect way to end a long week...

Definitely starting to feel like fall.  I wore pants (over bike shorts), two long-sleeve layers (synthetic shirt and thin wool sweater), and by the end of the night, my windproof vest.  It felt great to be cruising through the cool night air.

I have a significantly longer work week coming up, so again I probably won't be riding much.  September is a busy time for me, but next month should allow for more time in the saddle.  October also brings the initial steps toward some exciting, new bike-related projects...


Stopping can be as much fun as riding...

Murphy Video

I hadn't planned on riding yesterday, but it was just too nice... possibly the last weekend of summer weather here in Minnesota.  This was only the 2nd time I'd ridden Murphy all year, which is kind of crazy given the amount of time I used to spend out in those woods.  The trail was rock solid and in great shape... dry, but not too dusty.  My thanks go out to the Three Rivers staff and the volunteer trailworkers for maintaining such a fun trail.

Below is video of one of my favorite sections of the Murphy-Hanrehan singletrack...


Murphy from Fat Tire MN on Vimeo.

The video was taken with a handlebar-mounted camera, so it's pretty rough.  Enjoy feeling dizzy?  Watch it on fullscreen mode.  I have a helmet mount on its way, which I hope will allow me to get smoother video while riding singletrack.


Stopping can be as much fun as riding...

Summer's End

Being Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, I tried to make the most of it by going on a variety of different rides... a road group ride on Friday night, a singletrack group ride on Saturday, and a solo ride along the MN River on Sunday.

The night ride on Friday has become a fairly regular event.  Usually consists of 5-7 guys riding 20-30 miles on the local bike paths, with a few beer stops along the way.  It's a great way to spend a Friday night...

On Saturday I met some guys at Theo Wirth for a couple laps.  The humidity was a bit much, but it was fun to get out on the trails with other riders.  The plan is to make this a regular ride too.  It'll be nice to change it up a bit... I almost always ride alone.  The one trade-off of riding with a group is that I don't take many photos.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon riding the trails along the Minnesota River.  This route is truly one of my favorites...

The heat and humidity of the last few days was completely gone.  It was breezy with temps in the 60s and a good mix of clouds and sun... it even started to feel a bit like fall.  I have been waiting for weather like this for the last 3 months.  It was a perfect afternoon on the bike; gorgeous weather and a beautiful trail.

I made a couple cockpit changes on the PMP before my ride... I installed a taller stem and a setback seatpost.  While they look a little weird, I think both changes were an improvement over the previous set-up.  Higher handlebars and being further behind the pedals put me in a nice, comfortable riding position.

I also tried something new with my camera.  I'd been meaning to use the macro focus setting for a while now, but I kept forgetting.  I finally remembered to give it a try on my Sunday ride.  I got a few cool pics of the flowers and bees... this is my favorite of the bunch.

I'll miss all the free time of summer, but I'm ready for the change.  After all the heat and humidity of the last couple months, plus the fact that I didn't do any riding last fall (broken hand, surgery, etc.), I'm really looking forward to the fall riding season this year.

Hope your summer is also wrapping up nicely.


Stopping can be as much fun as riding...