A Brisk morning ride in Michigan

This was taken just after I dropped Grant off at school. The roads were free of ice and mostly dry. With snow it helps with the traction even if there is ice the snow will give you some stability, how ever it does enhance your rolling resistance I do run a little lower pressure in my tires also.

It was a beautiful day over all. I can remember when I would say I could handle winter all year? I recently told my wife that I would have to retract that statement. I have pretty bad arthritis and the cold is pretty bad with it. My hands are more sensitive to the cold. Its hard to ride with mittens on but I do not do a lot of shifting anyways. Layering is a must and I find that the best method is to dress that went you are standing and just start out it is a little chilly because you will warm up. Just be careful of extremities , ears, finger toes.

get out and ride, A body in motion stays in motion.

My journey back into cycling, My old vintage Bianchi road bike (That is not me in the Pic Ha,)

I did most of my cycling in the late 70's through the 80's it consisted mostly commuting to the LBS where I worked. Also commuting to my high school, I lived in a different school district than I attended so that meant that I either was driven to school by my father at 5:30am on his way to work or ride my bike. So summer months I road my bike and winter months I got to school real early. Touring the great state of Michigan, riding along the Great Lakes has incredible memories. From the late 80's my cycling went dormant with my Bianchi going into storage not to come out of "hibernation" until 2008 that was about 23 years.When my youngest son Grant the second half of the "biped-alist" team showed an never ending interest in cycling I knew it was time to wake her up. Cycling with your children I can not talk enough about this. When cycling with your family it seems like before you get your first mile in you are talking about things you would never discuss if you asked them out right, they just seem to open up and talk about school, their friends, what they want to be, and what makes the world go round.

I wish that I would not taken that time off of cycling.

Ride your bike, it will make you smarter

Our trip to Tennessee to vist our " Big Sissy"

The trip was very nice. The weather could have been a little nicer. It was about the same as back home in Michigan. The grand children are growing up to fast. Grant is still not keen on being an uncle. When we got there and were unloading the bikes Adelyn was so excited. I think that it might have been possible to take her for a "short ride" only if mom remains in sight. I can't wait until I can build the bike that I want so I can take them for rides.

Grant and I did our daily rides to the park, his "brother in law" Craig took him for a ride one day and taught him some so called "tricks," that was quite something. We did manage to get to some mountain bike trails at Montgomery Bell state park. They were beautiful. The state of TN. is very beautiful, with the mountains and rolling hills. There are some very large hills that Grant is not use to climbing on his bike I told him "son always remember that for every hill we go up we get to go down the other side. Before I knew it he was saying come on dad this hill isn't that bad just a little further and we get to go down the other side.

There were some dangerous obstacles like an open sewer grate. We have some tools to fix a flat if we have to, on one ride there was an earth mover who had a flat tire and Grant suggested that we stop and help him with his flat tire, what a big heart.

We also did a ride in old down town Dickson TN. while everyone else was shopping we were exploring. When all of a sudden we heard some loud popping sounds so we went in the direction the sounds were coming from. Guess what we found in the town square or park they were having a Veterans Day weapon demonstration wow Grant was in his glory, he is a Call of Duty nut he loved the military weapons.

He was so excited that he got to collect the blank cartridges.

It was an awesome trip.

Stone Hinge Ride

Fall ride through some trails close to where we live . As you can see just about all the leaves are off of the trees. I am not sure which leaves are more slippery wet fresh fallen or old dry leaves. I think that they both are very slippery. This fall and winter I am running a very aggressive mountain tire , having that tire helps on the trails and is a added form of security.

Today something happened that has not happened to me in quite a long time I got lost. Well lost is a temporary term even at that it still will increase your heart rate and make you very conscious of the time. In the area I was in I knew that with in about 30 minutes in any direction that I would go I would hit a road. I knew that I had about 4hours before I had to pic up the Gman. so I was not too worried.

With the amount of leaves on the "so called trail" it was hard to follow if you do not pay attention you can get side tracked which is what happened to me. Backtracking is also and adventure that is when paying attention to landmarks is important so thank goodness for Grand Blanc Stone Hinge. Remember always keep your eyes open.

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Oct. 28th ride another hidden jewel of Grand Blanc.

So this morning I woke up to 32 degrees out side and sunshine, and after my morning responsibilities I said cant let this sunshine go to waste. So I decided to for a ride on the trails behind our Library. They are very nice they are not two wide in some spots but they are maintained rather nice with bridges over wetlands and good trail markers they are more for foot traffic. The trails wind around an nice creek and the colors were still pretty good, I seen several deer. There were quite a few trees down over the trails , we have had some pretty good size storms lately. They probably wont be taken care of until spring not a problem for me. just some small obstacles.

The trails are fairly flat and i would consider a rating of beginner. The single track was very narrow and not been used in a while, some of the trails there were not even single track just very soft grass which offers a lot of rolling resistance. I would estimate that one loop would be about 2.5 miles.

October 25 ride at Holdridge MBT

It has been awhile since I have been out on the trails. I felt real good this morning so after dropping the "Gman" off at school me and "Lucky" our Akita headed for the trails. It started to sprinkle a little on the way there so I checked the weather on my phone and it still said a chance of showers , who cares!. I have contemplated the east loop or maybe I should say "dreamed about it many times before but have never done it". The east loop is 15.5 miles and is rated intermediate to advanced level . So I text ed my wife where I was and my plan I left a trail map on my windshield wiper with east loop circled and off I went.

It was an amazing ride , you can do cardio in the gym on bikes and it does not come close to a 20 degree grade to 25 degree for maybe 100 yards in wet soil. It took about 3 miles before i really got warmed up I took my first break at 5 miles now when I say break I mean break off the bike on a bench break. Believe you me there were many walking my bike up a steep incline right after a switch back it still is pretty nerve racking the leaves are covering a lot of the roots and rocks on the trail so 2 hands on the bars are a requirement. I am running 50 lbs, of pressure in my tires even with a hardtail that lower pressure helps with the obstacles.

At about the half way point I did say the same thing I said on the west loop when I had Street tires still on ( what have I gotten myself in too) . So I stopped took off my helmet and wiped my face and said this trail is 3 times as long as the west loop and "You can do it Duffymoon" that is a saying that my wifes grand father said while teaching. I did meet a friend along the way a stuffed animal "Scoby Doo" have no idea how he got back there.

Once I got back there my other buddy was sure glad to see me she (lucky) said where were you dad you were gone longer than you usually are.

Ps. there is nothing like being outside on your bike.

Solo ride with out the G-man the second half of the Bipedal-alist

Today was another Indian summer day Grant was in school and I could not let the nice day go by and not get out on the trails. I try to get out as much as possible even if the weather is not so nice, so today being in the high 50's I dropped "G" offf at school and went to the gym and did my therapy routine and then hit the trails.

The last time is was there the leaves posed a problem, being slippery and covering the rocks and roots making the route very slow and cautious.This morning I decided to take off the 100psi, 1.25 street tires that I have ran all summer and the last time I was at Hold Bridge I said to my self that I have to change tires so I put my aggressive tread 2.215 mountain bike tires rated at 55psi.

Boy how the proper equipment makes a difference the same trip today with the different tires was the difference of night and day the first loop was 5 miles and it took me half the time with the new tires than the street tires. The lower pressure was awesome with the obstacles the tread helped with the traction and the climbs. It was a much more enjoyable ride. I was able to glide over most of the obstacles ever though my bike is a hard tail with no suspension at all its amazing how much the tires alone absorb most of the obstacles.

We should have a lot of great fall rides , I cant wait to get on the trails with the G-man .

Solo ride Holdridge MBT Holly MI. 10/13/11

Today I did a solo ride at Holdridge with out the G man. This morning it looked like rain so I was not sure if I would be able to get a ride in. By the time i got back from taking Grant to school the sun started to peek through the clouds so I said to my self I am going to go for it. I thought that I would try to get hopefully at least one more color ride in this fall the leaves have turned and are falling very fast.

At the trail I felt really good and decided to do the whole West Loop Which is 6 miles it is rated beginner to intermediate. Grant and I have always done the North loop before. So off I went I got the first mile in and It started to get pretty technical thats not to bad in its self but last night we got a little rain and the trails were covered in damp leaves which makes the roots of the trees and the rocks on the trails hard to see the damp leaves made cornering hazardous . My bike is a hard tail with no front suspension so it was very slow going I said to my self what have i gotten my self in to.

It did smooth out after I got into my grove, and I had a good ride besides any time I am out on my bike is a good day , but I must say I did miss my best buddy the G man .

Our first cycling clubs meeting and ride

Sunday was our clubs first mee ting and ride. I think we had a pretty good turn out there were about 15 riders at the meeting. There were a lot of experienced riders as well as beginners Grant is the youngest rider. The meeting went well with some very good questions , we discussed what the members wanted in a club and what type of rides do we want. Sad to say we will not meet again until spring.

After the meeting we did go on a short ride, We were limited do to time. The ride was to one of Grand Blanc's hidden jewels , Grant was excited to find out what the jewel was, he kept asking if it was a treasure and were was it. After quite a few "are we there yets" we reached the treasure it was the Grand Blanc historical museum at first I thought Grant was going to be bored but much to my disbelief he was the one to keep the tour guides on their toes with many questions . He learned how to use an antique typewriter, and he got to play a player Piano that was almost 100 years old. He very much liked it and did not want to leave.

It was a very nice day and nice ride.

Ride # 9 loop around Genesys Hospital

Today after school we decided to finish the ride we started last night that was cut short because of darkness. Today was a beautiful fall day you could call it an indian summer day here in Michigan, it was in the mid 70's full sunshine. The ride was beautiful . Our pit stop is just another reason to leave the car at home. He spent some time chasing a frog around the water fall.

Some videos below

Night ride at the gym

Tonight we went on a night ride around the bike paths at the athletic club we belong to. The distance around the whole set of paths is 5 K. We lasted about 3/4 of the way around.It started to get pretty dark quick there were a lot trails that went through the woods making it hard to see.

Before it got dark we did see some wild life we saw a large crane landing in one of the ponds on our route we also saw a very large musk rat Grant thought it was a beaver.

Today was a beautiful fall day the temp was in the mid 70's with bright sunshine.

Grants (The second half of Biped-alist) Bike

His Bike is a Trek MTB 2200 21 speed. He loves it we had thought about a 20" but they had so many limits. With this bike he can keep you with adults and faster riders. He has just started to use and learn the gear range. With the frame design he should be able to ride this bike into his teens.

We highly recommend this bike.

My Bikes

This is my main commuter bike it is a 1990 Nishiki Manitoba with up graded shimano parts over the years with 1.5 inch street tires at a 100psi. helps with road friction. The mileage is unknown. The first bike i started my touring on was a Nishiki International that was 1979 it was a tour of lake Michigan around the lake it was a two week trip.

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The matriarch of the fleet my vintage 1980 Bianchi Campione D'italia I bought it brand new. Its real steel columbus Sl tubing full Campy record and Super record. The mileage is all so unknown back then for me the miles were not important we just spent time on our bikes. wow what memories.

Solo Ride with out The "G"man the second half of the Bipedalist.

Well G man is in school and yesterday I graduated from my physical therapy program for my neck and back issues. I started out on my ride with intentions on riding to the gym where we are all members. To start back swimming and to continue the foundation that my PT therapist and I had done for the past three months. I feel great no more pain meds at all. My program is a series of stretches , Qi gong (chi gong), and a program called Flow Fit.

Well back to the ride here in Mi. it is about 50 degrees which is'nt to bad but i forgot my gloves and the wind picked up and the wind chilled dropped. The trip to the gym is about five miles , i made it about 3/4 of the way there and it started to rain and got colder. so i modified my ride to the trails behind the library with a pit stop at the library.

It was just after my neck surgery ( cage fusion) that my hands have become very sensitive to cold ( and we live in MI.) my left hand still is numb , doc says that it might not come back.

Well even with poor weather conditions and with out the G man and my route being modified it still felt so good to be out on the road again.

thats it for now.

A park near where we live

I believe this entry is from ride #4 in Grand Blanc , this park is a very nice attribute to the city where we live it has a series of bike trails , play structures, ball courts and fields. it has a medium size creek running through the middle of it and it also has a community garden. We manage to take advantage of it about once a week on our rides . This particular ride we picked i was the worst day for misquotes,we could barely stop riding and they would swarm us . It was very hard to get his photograph.

During our ride through the park we found ourselves swerving back and forth swatting at the pests we could barley keep our bikes on the path.

But it still was an excellent ride over all.

Rewards for riding your bike

This is one of just many good reasons for riding and commuting on your bike. We were on our weekly rides to the farmers market. We had just arrived at the market when a nice lady ask us if this was our first time ridding our bikes to the market. We said no and she said great! she was asking if we were interested in information on a cycling club here in town. She then said since we were riding our bikes to the market she gave us a coupon for five bicycling bucks that we could us anywhere in the market.

We were excited about her gesture , and we shopped for quite some time but we could not find any thing that we needed at that time.

so we saved it for next time.

First sept ride to the market

Today for some reason it was hard to get grant motivated to go on our ride. He lost his tooth at his cousins house yesterday and the tooth fairy came last night so he had some money and the five dollar coupon from riding his bike to the market. So I suggested that we go to the market and we could buy something.

Well once we got to the market he was excited , we decided to look for some candles for mom it was so busy there. We looked up and down both sides of the market with no luck finding any candles. He did not want to buy anything for himself just for his mom.
So we decided to go to the park. where it took him no time to make friends , we had to lock our bikes even though they were right next to us.

I love to go on our adventures , sometimes it is hard to get you children to open up and talk to you, when ever we go for a ride it is just a few minutes and he is talking up a storm , about his friends ,school, questions about things you would never imagine.

It is some of the best quality time

Our first ride home from Grants school.

Grants has been asking me to ride home from school with him ever since he has got his new bike. We had talked about it last year when i used to ride to his school to see him off in the morning. He has been very excited about it.

Working on the logistics of the ride with him was a little work because of the major road crossing. We had just a few detours, I had to show him some of my secret trails that now one knows about, his eyes were as wide as saucers. His riding skills are developing more and more with each ride we go on. Its about 5 miles each way .

well thats it for now.

Grants new bike

My sons new bike.

This was ride number #4 at Holdridge MT bike trail in Holly MI. He is getting use to the new bike.

Just waiting for spring to get here. It is so hard to get motivated here in Michigan