Although riding season doesn't exactly stop around here despite approximately 5 months of very long, very cold winter, it is not without some sense of relief that locals look forward to the warmer temperatures which are only now beginning to stir.
Some of us couldn't wait and headed to Fruita, Colorado, for the annual Fruita Fat Tire Fest, where the trails call your name and the sun shines almost daily. I was not among that group this year, however, and will let them recover and then (hopefully) regale you all with stories of high times and epic rides.
The rest of us will have to keep our eyes open for coffin jockeys and dream about upcoming nourishment for our cycling selves.




While you're dreaming your little dreams and planning all your summer daze, consider that the organizers of the LynLake Festival in uptown MPLS request the honour of your presence. They highly encourage bike use in and around their section of the planet, both for the event and in general, and this is something I think we can all agree is a good idea. If you have tried to drive in uptown any time in the last decade, you will appreciate why this is a worthy goal.


For you art lovers out there, a little birdy told me recently that world class art museum the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is planning a shindig mid-summer involving a group ride to the museum, followed by drinks and movies. And of course you are encouraged to stop in and feed your soul by perusing their collection of staggeringly beautiful works of fine art, an experience you should try and work into your regular routine. The more you see it, the more you understand it. The more you understand it, the more parallels you will find in explaining your own existence. Not bad. More on this as developments warrant.

And don't forget the Bicycle Film Fest, which promises not only many new and kick ass bicycle related movies, but also the chance to show your colors at one of the most comprehensive cyclist gatherings in these parts, drawing everyone from casual cyclists to hardcores of all stripes. In itself, this is beautiful to see and be part of. Local dates not yet announced, but again you will find details right here as we know them. Stay tuned.

Soon, my chickadees, soon.

Friday’s warm temperature prompted me to take most of the day off to pack up the Pug with camping gear, ride kilometers of dirt trails, and set up camp at a stealth shoreline spot as the sun set behind the trees shrouding the trail.





I like fire when I camp. It’s one of the things that creates an enjoyable night in the woods. But it’s dry here. So I brought the paintcan stove to keep my fire in check. The stove was set up near my hammock, in a wet area, to further diminish the chances of starting grass or brush on fire. In addition to reducing the risk of starting an unwanted blaze, the stove heats water in my Klean Kanteen. It allows me to use less firewood, while enjoying more focused heat and sucking in less smoke than I normally would with an open fire. When properly elevated, the stove doesn’t leave burn marks on the ground. And the ashes are easily spread or buried, so I can leave the campsite looking like it did before I arrived.



As my evening meal (Mountain House seafood chowder) was rehydrating in its foil pouch, I searched my cooking kit to discover that I’d neglected to repack my folding Ti spork after I’d washed it that morning. The thought of eating dinner and Saturday’s breakfast without a spoon pushed me to find a replacement for the missing utensil. While combing the site for a piece of wood that could potentially become a spoon…with a bit of whittling, I glanced over at the empty Boddingtons beer can lying on the ground in front of the Pug. From that can came this…



I folded the sharp edges over and crimped them down with my Leatherman pliers to avoid tongue and lip lacerations. The finished product isn’t pretty, but it worked. No spoon-induced mouth injuries to report.

Other than the lack of a spoon, my cooking kit served me well again. The 500ml pot holds everything I need to boil water for a couple of meals. I can include 3 additional Esbit solid fuel tabs inside the pot, if the handkerchief lives outside of the pot. 6 Esbit tabs will typically boil enough water to make 4-6 meals, depending on my entrée choices and my desire for tea or coffee with my meals. Of course, I heat water in the Klean Kanteen, if there’s a fire ablazin’. More often than not, I use less than 50% of my allotted fuel on a trip. I’m not limited to Esbit with this kit. A small alcohol stove and 150ml of alcohol fit inside the pot in place of the solid fuel tabs and stove. Alcohol is cleaner and faster than Esbit, but it’s more temperature-sensitive. Esbit is less prone to flare-ups, and it won’t spill...a plus when one is forced to cook in a vestibule due to unfavorable weather conditions.







One key to low-hassle, impromptu overnight camping trips is knowing the limitations of your gear. After years of refinement, my cooking kit is a known quantity. It rarely changes, and if it does, the change is a subtle upgrade. Plus, it’s physically small, so I can always find a spot for it in a backpack, frame bag, or pannier. Down the road, I hope to build the same confidence in the rest of my gear.

Get up. Get on up.

Ah, Tuesday. It's been a long, fat, cold, long, fat, long, cold, long winter and spring has taken its own sweet time getting here, resulting in even angrier drivers than normal around these parts. We're in Hit-N-Run season now, with drivers getting too close, clipping cyclists, and then scampering off without checking the damage. 612 pals Wrex, Nate, and Mark are still with us no thanks to the unchecked anger of people stuck in their coffins and in their own minds.
Corollary to that, Elliot M. found this story from his hometown newspaper. Angry driver bites off biker's ear? Jebus that's dark.
There are in fact far more considerate parties than not in cars and on bikes, and yet the bad side seems to grow ever angrier and more aggressive.

Nate, Wrex, and Mark ,this one's for you (and Johnny, too, even though he didn't get creamed by a car). Nate knows why:



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Hello God It's Me Johnny sent a story this morning entitled
FBI database links long-haul truckers, serial killings
"My gut feeling," Jennings said, "is that it's a trucker."
I think they're on to us.

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I can't remember if this has been mentioned or not. I'm sure it must have, but it's worth repeating. Have you any of our Junk Straps? They are extra long toe straps, basically like those straps used with now-retro toeclips except really long. They secure all kinds of stuff in all kinds of places. They can be cinched tight and hold fast. They make great handcuffs, should you encounter, for example, an unruly driver attempting to molest or batter your person. You can wear them like a belt if you're skinny. Bender inexplicably ignored the ready availability of regular length toe straps, not to mention the whole point of the Junk Strap's length, and cut his short like a regular toe strap to use as a cuff-keeper when riding in pants. They store small and hold big, and can be fastened together for even more holdingness. I keep some with my Big Dummy, in the bags, and I use them often. I keep them in my backback and they find plenty of use because they're there when I need them. I sent some to Martha Stewart, who finds them useful for holding up sapplings and splinting the broken forelegs of her horses Mob Gangsta and Bobby Kneecaps.

The originals were a giveaway at a tradeshow and we had extras, but we got enough requets for them that we made some improvements and now offer them for sale. They are 120cm long (the giveaways were 90cm), and the buckles are now stainless steel. They're in stock now. Visit your local bike shop if you'd like to get some.

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Last for today, this one goes out as editorial commentary to all the people -and there has been a vocal outpouring of them lately- who just don't get it. You don't know who you are.