Websites of Note: Men of Steel

And now I’d like to bring your attention to the Men of Steel website celebrating the “steel is real” ethic with steel bike race info, the Men of Steel racing club, news, videos, photos, and the 2010 All Steel Racing Team.

From their mission statement:

The mission of Men of Steel Racing is to get as many steel frame bikes of the walls, out of the attics and basements and back on the race course. We’re also a sanctioned USA Cyling Club with the goal of getting more riders of all abilities and ages on the road, and a special emphasis on developing junior racers.
We offer a friendly team environment to gain race experience and benefit from the knowledge
of our members.  We strive to promote great cycling events and lend our support and expertise
to other clubs.  We hope you’ll join us for the ride!

Tales of the Tag a Long

My number one cycling partner, Henry, and I have been rocking the tag a long bike as of late. Now that’s a fun way to spend an afternoon. We spun it around Austin for the first time a few weeks back and the quote of the day was, “Dad, how come everybody’s smiling at us?” Nice.

Alison dolled us up for the Hyde Park Fire Station’s Halloween Parade and Festival and Henry took home first prize in the Best Wheels category. Sweet.

Last week we were up in the Texas Cross Timbers and hit the Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway for a sixteen mile day of mellow crushed gravel. We sighted a number of deer and a flock of turkeys along the way and Henry had his first bout of saddle soreness. Just a tinge but it made his father smile just the same. Get used to it boy. Arriving back at the ranch we spotted a bald eagle sitting in the top of an old cottonwood tree above the lower lake. A first for us in this area. Yes.

As Seen On The Internets: Velo Cult Gallery.

While killing some time checking out the Rough Riders website I found this link to a gallery of camping photos from San Diego’s Velo Cult bike shop. These guys look like they know how to have fun. Black and white pics of killer gravel roads, steel bikes, wool jerseys, old school cleats, ect.  Such nice goggles too!

The store site has a peck of sweet looking vintage rides for sale also including a Mercian, a couple of Nobilettes, Gitanes, an old Masi and more. Dear Santa…

Click the pic and check it out.

The Heavy Metal Fitness Ride. Version 22.0.

Anyone up for a cold, wet Heavy Metal Fitness Ride in the dark hills of west Austin?

Uhhhh, anyone?

Hmmmm.

Well, regardless, the Metal Ride must rock on. This Monday we’ll forgo our newly established ritual of breaking up into groups. That’d just be too damn lonely. Expect a B to C pace with “no drop” this week. Thus, despite the likelihood of inclement weather, the ride will be a bit more mellow.

The temperatures are predicted to be in the low 50’s, high 40’s with a 50% chance of rain. Think rain gear.

We’ll depart from the Plfuger Pedestrian Bridge at 7:30 pm sharp.

Here’s the route map:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Heavy-Metal-Hills-Version-4-1

The usual lowdown follows with a special emphasis on helmets, lights and the large west Austin rodents we know as deer.

It’ll be slick as a whistle out there so helmets are VERY STRONGLY recommended. We had a rider crack his helmet in dry weather three weeks ago so this week’s wetness could make it even more important to protect yourself. I’d rather not attend to any head injuries in the rain and cold. Ok?

With the potential of reduced visibility comes the increased importance of good front and rear lights. You know how Austin motorists get when the weather turns…

Watch out for deer! I try to ride the west route a couple of time a week and I don’t think there’s been a ride in the last couple of years without seeing at least one, two or ten. Please slow down for the deer. It’s much quicker than hitting one.

Ride what brung ya. Road, mountain, bmx, cruzer, fixie, whatever. Metal Fitness is an equal opportunity ride and not limited to roadies.

You’ll need to bring water, LIGHTS, tube changing necessities, a lock, your id and TIP MONEY if you’re into quaffing free beer post ride.

See you there!

Gravel Rides of Note. The Almanzo 100.

Another installment in the series “Gravel Rides of Note” or “Why Doesn’t Texas Have More Shit Like This?”.

The Almanzo 100. Southern Minnesota, middle of May, 100 miles of gravel.

I’ll let Almanzo tell you the rest:

Look for more info on the Almanzo 100 blog where you can also find such promotional gems as the following video.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is coming to a close but, before it does, I’d like to give thanks… I’m thankful for not hearing “Go Lance” or “Say Hi to Lance” or “Faster, Lance” yelled by a passing motorist in the last three times I’ve hit the road.

And you thought we were lucky to share the city with Mellow Johnny…

"Go lance."

And my response...

Time To Work Some Of That Halloween Candy Off.

Cheers to those of you braving the weather last week to show up and ride with us. As it was, despite somewhat cool temperatures, the storms passed leaving us nice and dry. Which is good because, as you may know, when there’s lightning, it always brings me down. Cause it’s free and I see that it’s me who’s lost and never found. Wait… Where was I? Oh yeah. The Heavy Metal Fitness Ride… Yes. We’ll be riding the lightning (or not) this Monday evening once again.

Hope to see you there!

The Heavy Metal Fitness Ride departs the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge, Monday’s at 7:30 pm. Sharp. Expect a reasonably fast pace, covering 20 – 25 miles on an urban route in the dark.  Afterwards, it’s to the Jackalope to enjoy free beer, heavy metal madness, half-priced pizza and happy hour ($2.00 wells) all damn night.

Ride what brung ya. Road, mountain, bmx, cruzer, fixie, whatever. Metal Fitness is an equal opportunity ride and not limited to roadies.

Last time I heard, you’re mother won’t be attending, so you’ll need to bring water, lights, tube changing necessities, a lock, your id and TIP MONEY if you’re drinking. You might even check the route map. I wear a helmet as the ride is fast, urban and in the dark. Yes, it’s a Heavy Metal ride but we rather you didn’t bang your head. Remember. Head injuries slow rides. And you don’t want to slow down a Heavy Metal Fitness ride. Now do you?