Lee’s Cyclery Blog

A few weeks ago you might recall I made a commitment to try and hang with one of the more spirited group rides in the area before Stuart Culp’s return to the peloton.  Well, if you’ve seen the updates of Stuart’s recovery you know he’s making gains everyday and I have my work cut out for me! The days of anyone cutting anything for me are long gone and the wind the peloton cuts seems to close faster than a clap of thunder.  To hang on in this group you must ride a knife’s edge between LT and AT and a difference of just 4 heart beats per minute can mean making the cut or cutting loose.  With each attack, a strand is cut from the rope that ties you to the group and riders in the front seem to have enough rope to pull a cruise ship.  Those of us in the back just get faster at tying knots.  With each knot that is tied, the rope is shortened just a bit until it’s easier to hang on to the group instead of the rope!

Last night the city council of Fort Collins met and one of the items brought to their attention was the allocation of a $38,000.00 grant from the Colorado Dept. of Transportation for the Safe Routes to School Program.  Compared to the $192,500.00 for the FCBikes enrichment program and $100,000.00 for the bike library program, which are both great programs in their own right, this number seems rather small.  I must say, however, that I was really delighted to see the support the city council members have for bicycling in our community as a whole, and how they listened to those who spoke on the matter.  Thanks to all in attendance.

And now for some karma…Do you believe in karma?  Good or bad?…..Well, listen to this.  During the silent auction fund raiser for Stuart Culp’s recovery, Feedback Sports donated a mechanic’s bike stand on his behalf.  Since I had commandeered my neighbor’s bike stand for way too long, I placed some bids on the stand, only to be outbid in the closing minutes.  This past weekend, the Winter Park mountain bike series ended followed by their end of season raffle and….. I am now the lucky owner of a new Feedback Sports mechanics work stand which, by the way, rocks!  Thank you very much!  By the way, if you need a nice foldable work stand, I suggest you check the models Feedback Sports has to offer!

Did someone say foldable?……take a look at this new concept foldable bike.  It doesn’t quite have all the stop and go problems solved, but it looks to be on the right track and sports 26″ tires to boot.  Awesome! Watch the video.

OK, time for this week’s tip.  When riding in a group, avoid sudden changes in speed or direction to help the group stay together.  Any actions at the front of the group get magnified by the time they reach the back. It’s a little like a ripple effect, or chaos theory, which ever you prefer to think about!

So remember to watch out for cyclists and they’ll watch out for you!

Steve Lacey