St. Pat's Day Cruise

Last weekend we seemed to get our first real break from the madness that has been this year's midwestern winter. Saturday morning I suited up, grabbed the ol' Nature Boy and headed out towards the lake for a cruise. It was my first time on a bike this year without a winter hat, and I couldn't be happier. As I passed through Lakeview, I quickly noticed the hoards of green-clad, seemingly intoxicated folks stumbling through the streets. It was only early afternoon. It was then that I realized that it was St. Patrick's day, or rather, the weekend prior to the drinking holiday. I have really no interest in celebrating, and in fact, usually make a point to avoid wearing green on the weekend of. However, after realizing this, I glanced down and found that I fit right in, atop the greenest bike out on the street. After that, I made a point of riding to the Chicago River to take an ironic photo of the Ol' Boy next to the river that had been filled with celebratory green dye.

It ended up being a fun ride. It was cold out, but tolerable, and it was nice to be on the bike without feeling complete misery. At the end of the ride, I was kinda beat. It's been a while since I've really gone out and rode for hours. Motivation has been minimal, in part due to the horrendous season, and in part due to the fact that I'm living in a new area, away from my usual group of riding buds and regular routes. Having friends to ride with is probably the single most motivating thing to get on the bike. When you make plans to ride, it's much easier to back out and turn yourself down rather than turning your friends down. Things are looking up though, and so are the temps. I'll be getting out more often now, and getting back up to speed shouldn't be too difficult.

Excursions Into the Wild of Suburbia

When I initially moved back to the northwest burbs of Chicago, I was actually kind of worried that I wouldn't have access to all of the wooded areas and land ripe with nature that I had gotten so accustomed to in DeKalb. I know I've spent most of my life in this area, so I should have known what to expect, but I guess when I lived out here before, I wasn't really a "cyclist". I rode bikes, but I was more interested in discovering a new skatepark in a nearby town, or checking out the raddest ledges or stair sets. Currently, I'd prefer to wander through the woods, or tear up some singletrack on my cross bike (or 29er), and so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that here in Chicago-Land, I am literally surrounded by relatively dense wooded areas. There are forest preserves everywhere, the DesPlaines River Trail is very near, and I've seen more wildlife in the last couple weeks of being here than I probably ever did in the many years I spent living in DeKalb. The only downside really, is that you pretty much have to get in a car and drive to get to any of these fun places. This may be one of the least bike-friendly areas I've witnessed, and commuting by bike is pretty damn hard. Oh well, here are some photos from a few of my latest excursions into the wild of suburbia:

Lakeside chillin' with da Boy.

Many deer.

Green

Swampy

They really don't fear people. This guy came right up to me.

Found some singletrack and did a bit of #casualcross. I shoulda bunny hopped that.

Hey bro.

The Nature Boy in it's natural habitat.

T.J. The Macho Man

T.J. is an insane person, and that's why we love him. All-City makes rad bikes, and that's why he loves them. After falling in love with his "go-to" "hop-on-and-ride" "haul-stuff-around-town" "ride-a-hundred-miles" bike, the All-City Spacehorse, he realized he also wanted something a bit more quick and aggressive, preferably with disc brakes that he could race and beat the hell out of. And so T.J. decided to fill that void with yet another All-City - The Macho Man Disc.



He pre-ordered one to ensure that he'd get it the second it came out, and as soon as it was delivered, I built it up. I took my time with this build because, like I said earlier, he planned to "beat the hell out of it". I chased every thread and greased every bolt, pre-stretched the cables, adjusted everything to perfection, and finished it off with some white Cinelli Caleido bartape and Velox bar plugs. I chose the white Caleido because I thought the color complimented the frame well, and the subtle pop of color that shows through the perforations just looks awesome. I like the Velox bar plugs because they're a classic choice and the stay where you put 'em. Other than that, the build is totally stock (for now).



All-City spec'd this bike really well actually, with 105 levers and rear derailleur, Salsa Cowbell bars, and some heavy-duty Alex rims (sans decals) with Formula hubs. It's certainly not a lightweight build, but it's bomb-proof, and weight has never been a concern for T.J.



The attention to detail that the folks at All-City put into their frames is pretty crazy. I think they really do make some of the most elegant and well designed production bikes available.

Take a look at a few more photos below:

New Bikes at the Shop

North Central Cyclery is now an official dealer of All-City bicycles and I'm really excited about it. I own an All-City Nature Boy and can't say enough good about it. I believe they are an awesome brand that makes very well-designed, aesthetically beautiful, and really quite affordable bicycles. We've got the Spacehorse, Macho Man, and Nature Boy in stock right now ready to be test ridden.

Oh, we're also a Jones dealer now too. We've been busy. 

More photos below...

Bandit Cross: Ruining It for Everybody

There are so many good things about this.