I’ll just come out and say it—I like to write. Writing is like having a conversation, but with a chance to stay on topic and to consider my words before saying them . A real conversation—you know, where you speak with someone—is hard work for me. It’s multi-tasking, and I don’t like multi-tasking. I like to enjoy what I’m doing, not
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March 25th 2010 That’s the day West Trails Bicycles sheepishly opened its doors for business. The storefront glass had been covered in white-wash during the previous three weeks spent renovating the space, which had been vacant (other than storing a huge collection of junk) for more than half a decade. Most of the glass was still covered on that Thursday
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In the early 1980s I saw a mountain bike (MTB) for the first time and I bought it immediately. It was great fun, at least theoretically. But there really was nowhere near me to ride it to take advantage of its rugged design, so after a few years I sold it. In the years that followed, mountain bikes became more
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After the paper route (yes I actually delivered newspapers by bike), my first job with a boss that I could see was as a bike mechanic for Jim’s Bicycle shop. I can proudly say that I was Jim’s first mechanic (thanks Jim!). I was a clueless, arrogant, road bike snob. Old people would come to the shop (in their 20’s
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I’ve gotten used to people reacting in amazement when they learn that I’ve ridden my bike some distance. Almost any distance seems to be enough to cause disbelief; “You commute every day on your bike to the bike shop… and on Harrison Ave.!?!” or, “You rode 80 miles this morning before you opened the shop!?!” or, “you rode 50 miles
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