WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT
Bikes
How to's and what not to do's, how you don't need to spend 5000.00 dollars on a bike. Although don't tell my wife that I said that. Still trying to get her to let me buy one.
November 8, 2011
Hello all. I was anticipating updating with how much I had become a very unpopular individual in the Kitsap County Cycling Community due to a suggestion that I had posted on the local paper, happily there are no haters. See as cyclist we have two options. One be in the road and in theory be hit by a car. I say in theory because I have been riding on road for a long time now and with the few exceptions I have found motorist to be considerate and give me plenty of room. Can I get hit. Oh god yes but as long as I am responsible and being predictable I mesh fairly well in traffic. Option number two is jump up on the sidewalk. I don't like this option for two reasons. One because there are pedestrians and I believe that the sidewalks are their domain. Two you really can't get into a good rythm on the sidewalk because you are either jumping up and off curbs or your having to slow down because of cars in the intersection. So we need more bike lanes. Agreed. But we should not be passing the bill onto someone else. We are the ones in the bike lanes, we are requesting and sometimes demanding them. So we should be the ones to pay for them. Now depending upon your area this can be an easy thing or a hard thing. In Bremerton, it would be a hard thing. We have two options at the moment. We eliminate a traffic lane or we eliminate a sidewalk and to be honest neither one of those work for me. Yes we need the lanes but staying with the major motor ways in Bremerton are at their capacity, so what is the solution. Patience and creative thinking. We have a new bridge opening up in two days. So we have a route from West Bremerton to East Bremerton and the other direction. Also the Warren Ave. Bridge is wide enough to put a bike lane on it. So for those going east and west in Bremerton you have Lower Wheaton Way on the east side and 5th St. on the West Side that you can utilize to access the new Manette Bridge with the new Bike/ Pedestrian path. Also could be utilized as Bicycle motor ways. Yes that would mean that the city would have to give up some parking in the residential areas (Here's the thing most homes have off street parking at their disposal) I know now I am cutting into the cities revenue that they would loose with the absence of those parking spaces.) On the East Side of Bremerton Lower Wheaton way appears to be wide enough to accomadate bike lanes. I know their not on major motor ways but that is the point. We are off the major motor ways and our chances of getting hit are reduced. For those North Bound in Bremerton we dump them on Park Ave. Again I'm eliminating public parking for which I am sorry for (Not really) but I am eliminating the cyclist on Warren Ave. Park Ave curves around at the far north end and dumps out on Warren Ave. Bridge. For those South Bound and this would require state approval once off of Warren Ave. Bridge cut thru Olympic College up by the High School and bingo you are on High Ave. Which you can take all the way to the shipyard. Again wide enough for a bike lane. I know you may have to go to Kitsap way, thats ok, Uncle Mezzy has you covered. High all the way to 6th St. 6th St. has a downhill slope to it. when that road is full with traffic I have to hit my brakes because I can go faster than the Auto's can legally on that street. 6th dumps onto Lower Kitsap way which is what? Wide enough for a bike lane and here's the funny part. Once your on Kitsap Way "Proper" your already riding on a nice wide shoulder. How would we get all this you may ask. Easy. All riders who utilize Bremerton's Cycling motor would be required to pay 5 dollars for bike registration. The city of Bremerton would collect the money and use that money for the Bremerton Bicycle Expressway. You would have to re-register every year. Also the registration would be per bike. So I have 4 possible bikes that I ride to work, so I would pay 20 dollars a year. Which I feel is totally worth it. As always any questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact me at cblackman@mezagog.com.
November 5, 2011
Greetings and yes I am still alive and as you can tell. I have a computer again. So here's the deal. May 25th I was on my laptop and spilled a fresh steeped cup of Irish Tea all over the keyboard. True story, stop rolling your eyes. Well I just was never in a postition to replace it until recently and this computer isn't just mine its mine and the kids and since they have homework requirements as well as the whole face book, you tube and whatever else, I am usually one of the last ones on. My employer allowed me to check my email from work, which is how I was able to answer your questions and respond to your comments, but I was not able to update this site. This of course is the short version, there have been tons of changes that include, family medical problems, a crooked landlord that has forced me go house hunting yet again because the house we were renting went into foreclosure, pet changes, a whole gambit of things. Also I have to change the age on top of this page sometime today, because now I am 41. I am sorry that I disappeared for so long this time. I truly am. I was asked if I wanted my own computer or a really knarly set of wet weather gear WITH a rechargable headlight and I am still thinking about that one. Well thats all for now. I will be most likely updating this page quite a bit this weekend trying to update everyone on what has been happening since May 24th, or maybe not. Anywho as always any questions comments or concerns please feel free to contact me via the contact us tab. or email me at cblackman@mezagog.com
May 24, 2011
Oh the weather has been so good around here lately. So much so that I have officially torched my legs. Oh yeah they are screaming right now. So today I am a pedestrian just to give the legs a littel break. Every year I set mileage goals for walking, running and cycling. Yes I am that strange. So I am on track'ish. Yeah whatever, your just as guilty as I am. Ok there may be a few of you who are reading this are on track, but everyone else. Yeah your just as guilty as I am. Which funny enough is what I wanted to talk about. Yes we all have plans and training goals and we begin deligant, but then there is a slight stumble and then we are right back on track and then maybe another little stumble and then we get back on track'ish, the key point here is not to A. be to hard on yourself. We are not paid atheletes, some are beginners, some are weekend warriors and others are elite amatures, Its ok and perfectly understandable, B. when you get off track it is not the end of your season. Just phase back into it, depending on how long it has been since you were on track. Don't give up on yourself, you have time to recover and you may surprise yourself. Ok I am done. As always blah blah blah blah, cblackman@mezagog.com.
May 19, 2011
You know some days you look around and realize that things are going good? Oh my god things are going great. Family is healthy, Work thinks I am doing wonderful and the Y cycling group is got great momentum. Things are going great. If it wasn't for the fact of the bills of life. I would be thinking that I was dreaming. So I have paperwork submitted to continue on Group at the YMCA and another to grow into another group at a neighboring Y. Its Bike Month and Bike Week of Bike Month (No wait it get sillier) and tomorrow is Bike to Work Day of Bike week of the famous Bike Month. Confused? Don't be. Just get on the bike and ride. I have taken my office Green. I do any and all office related business on my bike. The company is benefiting from a tax credit and I get to ride my bike more and get paid for part of it. How cool is that. Well need to get going for now. As always any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to drop me a line. cblackman@mezagog.com.
May 9, 2011
It is with a very heavy heart that I announce to my readers that the professional peleton has suffered a massive loss. Wouter has passed away on a decent during the Giro d'Italia today in Italy. He was a great sprinter and his loss will be felt not only in the professional world but also in the recreational world. I am asking that if possible get on your bike and ride. I have preached those words for years now. Wouter was the same way. He loved racing, but he also enjoyed the casual rides. So while your on the bike if you could say a little prayer for Wouters family as well as his Leopard-Trek teammates as they deal with the passing of a great cyclist.
April 24, 2011
Greetings, so I have received a few emails about what the status of Betty is. For the new people to the Website. Betty is the name of the Karlkoff that was given to me by my wifes Aunt in Fresno. So the status of Betty is that she will be a single speed cyclocross bike. Although she is still waiting for the fresh powder coating. Been spending quite a bit of time researching types of cyclocross wheels and what the preferred gearing will be. See when I was in Fresno it would have been a simple 53-17 set up. Although I am not living in a valley in anymore. Its the hilley and mountainous Pacific Northwest, so things aren't as cut and dry. So Betty is still around and will be for a very long time, as soon as I get her back on the road I will be posting photos. If there are any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Later
April 14, 2011
What a great week. Truly. YMCA Cycling group is going like gang busters. I have been impressed with this group. They have been out every week, and this is with wetter than normal weather, and we are in the Pacific Northwest. Thats saying alot. Been riding to and from work again, sometimes I take my 2 mile route and turn it into a 20 mile route. My motivation and inspiration is thru the roof. Been throwing in a 3 mile run at lunch. The joys of a hour long lunch. So remember to start those core excersizes. Its still early in the cycling season and if your core is not up for the challenge you may be very limited on your schedule. So remember crunches, crunches and a few more crunches. Get that core back in shape. Summer is around the corner and the bikini's will be out and do you really want that spare tire to be the first thing that people notice and yes that goes both ways boys and girls. Questions, comments or concerns feel free to drop me a line at cblackman@mezagog.com. Later
April 7, 2011
Good Morning from the weird Pacific Northwest. Why weird, well because its snowing as I am typing. Two weeks into Spring and I need to drop 20 pounds of pressure on my road bike for traction. Odd. Anywho, so 1 week into the formal cycling season. Got the bike tuned up? Tires inspected? Bar tap? If you have put your stead away for the winter and just pulled it out. Those three things need to be at a minimum to be checked. The reason why I brought them up is yestserday on my lunch time bike ride I ran across a stranded cyclist who had not inspected his bike before he brought it outside for the first time. I helped him out the best I could and got him going again although as I told him that if you do not get that stuff looked at and or replaced you are setting yourself up for a very dangerous situation. Especially in the Pacific Northwest. We don't have flats. We are either climbing or decending. Ok well I guess that all for now. Hope all are well. As always any questions, comments or conerns feel free to email me.
April 2, 2011
Well looks like my first race will be in Spokane. ROAD TRIP!!!!! Spokane is about five hours away from Bremerton. So things have been going good around here. Ramona is now sporting the Shimano RS-20 Wheelset with a SRAM cassette and wow what a difference. Now the wheelset is not the reason for the racing schedule I have. Actually between Fatherhood, Work and YMCA as well as the part time job thingy. Well things are a little on the busy side. The YMCA group is progressing extremely well. I could not be prouder of this group. They are maturing as cyclist beautifully. Well I guess that all for now. As always any questions comments or concerns feel free to let me know.
March 24, 2011
Good evening campers, how is everyone? Good I hope. So things are moving right along. Not only with the YMCA but with me personally as well. So with the Y I have been approached to do an intermediate group with a neighboring YMCA which I have agreed so there will be another tab to the left soon enough. Yeah for the Cycling community in the Kitsap County area. Truly. This is funny because I have had a series of email come in this month from beginners all over the nation about how to make their communities more cycling friendly. Well this is how. Most cities don't think about cyclist until, well they see cyclist out and about. How do you get cyclist out and about. Well you start a group. Whether that it is through an organization or running an ad in your paper. Once your city officials start seeing cyclist then they start putting them into their city plans. I know it stinks but it is true. The really bad news about this is the fact that it can be a long process. If you stay active with it. You will see progress. Remember even baby steps forward is still forward progress. As always any questions comments or concerns then feel free to let me know. I do read every email that I am sent and the ones requesting a response. I respond. Have a great weekend.
March 17, 2011
Good evening everyone in Cyber Cycling World. Things have been going great around here. Have talked to several friends of mine from Fresno so that was great. I really miss those guys at times. YMCA group is starting off really great. Seriously, these folks are so motivated and enthusiastic it is motivating me even more and we all know how much of a bike geek I am. So still doing the Gatorade commercial commute. Was reminded of the two types of lighting systems since the spring forward. So you may be asking what are the two types of lighting systems. Take all of the lights on the market and they actually only fall into one of two catagories. Lights to be seen and Lights to see. I have lights to be seen, so I may actually go back to a direct commute until the Sun is a little higher in the mornings. Nothing like a pitch black commute to remind you of how many potholes are out there on the roads. So I guess thats all for now. Stop reading what I am writing and go have an adventure. Grab you bike whether it is Mountain, Road, Cyclo, Beach or Comfort and go see something. The days are longer and I can garuntee you that something has changed since the last time you were on your bike. Go Ride and look around. Because on our bikes we can do that. Later. Oh real quick. As always any questions, comments or concerns feel free to drop me a line. Later part II.
March 11, 2011
Wow it has just been great around here. So I have modified my commute. So I am now a Gatorade commerical. My office is 2 miles from my front door, although it takes me a hour to get to work because I have it looped going the other way. I have gone back to riding no matter what. I got so wet yesterday. Yeah still no wet weather gear. My shoes never dried out at work. It was awesome. So lets see Ramona (My Centerion Road Bike (Yes I name them)) is my primary ride at the moment. Thanks to a friend of mine I was able to get the necessary parts to get her up and running again. Betty (Kalkoff Road Bike) is actually going to be re-worked during the spring and summer for the cyclocross season. So she is going to be out for a little while. She is getting a complete overhaul, but when the cyclocross season starts off she will be a rockin little vixen and then there is Mezzy the mountain bike. Mezzy is down due to a catastrophic failure, so he is on the sideline as well until I can get the proper build kit and get him up and going again. Although Mezzy will be used the Xterra's and back up commuter. Lets see what else is going on? Oh I have the YMCA group starting tomorrow with the meet and great and the tune ups. Yep I am doing free tune ups for the YMCA riders to make sure that everything is in sound working order. So yeah its been crazy, but a great crazy. As always any questions comments or concerns feel free to contact me.
Feb 25, 2011
Sorry I haven't been around in a while, but things have been both exciting and busy. Excitiing due to the reason of I am officially leading an Outdoor Cycling Group here in Kitsap County. If you are reading this for the first time and your with the Bremerton YMCA then your tab is on the top of the left hand side of this website. It will serve as a communication portal for our group. I sincerely look forward to working with you great folks and opening up the world of Cycling to you. So that is part of it. Other part is well anyone who has moved knows that you have the initial move and then a ton of "What are we doing with this box and I am not liking the way that the living room is looking" and of course work and the other job and kids and and and. So it is the time of the year that we look at our two wheeled beasties and realize that soon the dust will be coming off. So let me talk a little about that first ride of the year. First, yes you will be slower than the last time that you were on the bike. Second, you need to wipe down beasties. To include but not limited to wiping down the frame. Grab the oil. Not the crisco, motor or WD 40. The chain oil. Wipe down the wheels, pay particular attention to your braking surface, check the cables. As it pertains to the cables if your see fraying your cable needs to be replaced. You do not want to risk loosing a cable on a ride. The results could be catastrophic. On a happier note as always any questions, comments or concerns don't hesitate to drop me a line at cblackman@mezagog.com or click on the Contact Us tabs at either on the left navigation bar or at the bottom of this page.
Feb 5, 2011
So I am now a licensed racer officially with the USA Cycling organization. Yeah me and about damn time. So lots been going on around here. Moving into a house. Oh can I get a hell yeah. Apartments work for some. I am not one of them. Also getting ready for the Pacific Northwest Touring season. With my new work schedule everything is open for possibility. Gotta love "Bankers" Hours. Also working with the local YMCA to create a beginners road group, which is a first for any of the Western Washington YMCA's appearantly. So the common theme for the group of emails were about bikes themselves. So to break down to the simplicest component I will answer yes. All bikes are viable. Yes you will have those who have the means to afford the latest, greatest and lightest bikes on the market. I am not one of them. Here is the nasty little secret. Most of us fall into that catagory. We all have other financial commitments. I ride around on steel frame bikes. The only bike that I own that is not steel framed is my Gary Fisher mountain bike. Truth be told I have ridden all types of frames and to be honest with you I really couldn't tell a difference. So if all you have access to is a 30 year old steel frame bike. Ride it. My Karlkoff is a 42 year old steel frame and once I am done overhauling it guess what. I will be ridding that one. Yeah its complete with 27 inch wheels and everything. Now the one really cool side benefit is yes our bikes are heavier but when you jump on one of the lighter bikes. Yeah you get a little more speed, so while your saving your pennies trying to get a lighter bike, look at your current bike as a training bike and embrace the fact that one day you will be on a lighter bike and you will make others look like a fool, especially if your keeping up with said lighter bikes on your heavier bike. I know sounds snooty and that truly is not my intention, but I do on occasion think to myself as I do occasionally get ridiculed about my bikes that one I will be on a lighter bike and the others better watch out because I will be a force to be reconded with because I am keeping up with them on my 10 to 15 pound heavier bike. Ok I guess I will jump off my soap box now. Love your steelie. As always any questions, comments or concerns feel free to drop me a line. I will be posting more frequent once things calm down some. Later.
January 25, 2011
Wow this is an exciting time of the year. Beginning of the season. New Year, New Possibilities. So I have been fielding a lot of questions about resolutions. Start small. What do you mean Mezzy. Well if you start small you can always build up. If you come out of the gate with "I am going to re shape my body to (insert your favorite star)" you are going to be on your butt buy ol' the middle of next month. Everything big started small. My 70 Pound weight loss started an ounce at a time. I just resoluted to be more active, nothing more. By June I had dropped 30 pounds, just by riding a bike and walking. Point is your can always start with a small resolution and have it turn into something huge. It is difficult to stay on track when you have started huge and burned out. Will write more later on this week. As always any questions, comments or concerns feel free to drop me a line. Later.
January 3, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! Sorry I haven't been around, but as you can imagine with the events of 2010, I was all kinds of mentally fried. If your new to the site and wondering what on god's green earth is Mezzy talking about on the left hand tabs I have moved everything to the 2010 tab. So I will be getting back on the bike tomorrow, which will be the first time since my little brother passed away unexpectantly. Will be posting about the first ride tomorrow. Hope that everyone is well. I would like to thank all of the well wishes that everyone had sent out. I am back, so please feel free to email me any questions, comments or concerns contact me via the Contact Us tab on the left, the contact box at the bottom of this page or at cblackman@mezagog.com. Later.