I recently received some winter riding gear from Nashbar with the hopes of putting it to use on the 22nd (anyone interested in a November ride through the PA grand canyon?).  Bib pants, a base layer shirt, and a warm cycling jacket were the order of the day.

But also in the package were three sample packets of Excedrin Back & Body.  The included insert shows two women riding a tandem bike with the words “Keep pain off your horizon” floating just over the front tire.

While I’m all for free pharmaceuticals, I have to admit that I laughed over the fact that back pain is so prevalent in Nashbar’s clientele that they (and Excedrin) feel that their customer base has a high likelihood of purchasing back pain medicine.

I can’t think of a time that I’ve had back pain after riding my recumbents.  I must be doing this cycling thing wrong.

I have no animosity toward upright bikes, but I do think it’s funny that they sent a recumbent guy back pain pills.

bikephilly2008

Originally uploaded by ratsinis

Got back from Bike Philly on Sunday. It’s an awfully enjoyable ride, highly recommended even if it does require a bit of a drive.

Photos are available.

Oh, and on the way home, I picked up Rock Band 2. There goes my week.

Rob @ RBR must be getting tired of me whining about my Speedmachine.  He yesterday handed me the info of a guy in Missouri who is looking to purchase a Speedmachine.

So why would I think of selling it after endeavoring to purchase it and having my wife kick in a big chunk of change as a father’s day gift?  The thing is shaky at slow speeds.  I mentioned that in the pros/cons list in a post back when I was trying to decide between it and the Grasshopper.  It’s fantastic at higher speeds, but I don’t always get an opportunity to go riding for 30 miles at a stretch.  Sometimes, it has to be rides on the bike path with plenty of stop/go traffic.

I’ve been taking test rides on a variety of bikes at RBR, many of which feel much more stable at low speed than the Speedmachine.  Every successful ride makes me think that the Speedmachine was perhaps a bad purchase.  But then I look at it and think, “God damn that bike looks badass.”

So, my options are: sell it for enough money that I can get a different bike; actually ride the thing more so I get used to it - I’ve had almost no riding time this summer; convert the Speedmachine to under seat steering and see if that helps.

I think I’d rather try options 2 and 3.  I know I shouldn’t like a bike because of its looks more than its function, but that’s exactly where I am with the Speedmachine.  Plus, I don’t think I’ve given it enough of a chance.  I’m going to try to get it out for some rides next week since I won’t be spending time at the shop (RBR is closed next week).  Maybe I’ll feel differently after that.

I’ve complained in the past about a certain photo contest for a certain bike ride in a certain city of brotherly love.

Well, found out. I won.

Now we just need to figure out how Fuji is going to get a Shangri-La LX cruiser to me.

The CDT Online has a few more shots, one of which is me. It also states that the reason I rode with AAA was because of Gareth, which, while true, isn’t the whole story. I was there representing BikeAble, but BikeAble wouldn’t exist without Gare.

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A while back, Gareth and I were in the CDT … somewhere between the legs of a circus elephant.

Well, today, I was in the CDT myself.  Or at least the two front wheels and the flag of my trike were.  I’m on the right, hidden behind Joe.

Believe me, I’m not angry.  The ride wasn’t about me.  I just thought it funny to once again almost be in the paper.

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’ve been invited to ride a short stretch with Amputees Across America on Monday, followed by demos at the HealthSouth rehab hospital and then a luncheon with their department heads and lead therapists during which time I will give a 5-10 minute talk about accessible cycling and do a short Q&A.

Not a bad way to spend a Monday morning.

The 99 Designs experiment was interesting, and I did walk away with a logo that I mostly liked, but it doesn’t really compare to what a professional graphic designer can pump out.  With that, here is the new and final BikeAble logo as created by Shannon Lake of Lake Creative Communications:

To say I’m happy with this design would be an understatement.  Now I need to rush an order of new business cards in order to have them for the WCD Expo next week.

And then I need to erase all mention of BikeAble from this site so that nobody comes here by accident when looking up info on it.  No offense to myself, but I hardly think the contents of this blog are suitable for a disability organization.

Well, except for that entry on disabilities and masturbation.  No no, even that’s pushing it.  Oh well.

Last September, I submitted three photos to the Bike Philly photo contest.  They’ve never announced the winners (first prize was a Fuji bike).

But that doesn’t mean they haven’t used the photos.

One of my submissions first showed up in an official Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia document.  Then it showed up on their blog.  And now?  Now it’s the header graphic of their registration page for Bike Philly 2008.

So did I win the contest?  No clue.  They’ve also never said when they would be announcing the winners.  There was some mention that they would reveal the winners at a volunteer meeting, but I didn’t have time to drive to Philly to attend just that meeting.

I was out on a bit of ride today and nearly got plowed by a driver who couldn’t be bothered to look to see if anyone was crossing the intersection.

Fortunately, I was also playing with a new acquisition: an Oregon Scientific ATC2K helmet cam (though mounted to the front of my bike, not my helmet). There’s nothing entertaining about some shaky video of me nearly getting hit, so here’s a slightly modified version: