Good News

I just saw this over at the Bike Pittsburgh blog. Yet another tasty place to eat has been upgraded with a kick ass bike corral. This is the second Bike Corral to be placed in Pittsburgh, the first one is in front of OTB bicycle cafe in the Southside (My favorite place to eat). This corral serves double duty since it  takes over what used to be a no parking zone that was frequently ignored. So when car-holes complain about losing parking spaces in Shadyside (a place well known for to little parking) you can point out that if you parked there you were breaking the law.

Mini Rant Begin

You know kind of like the way car-holes complain about cyclists going through stop signs and the way that cyclist slow them down and keep them from ignoring the speed limit signs on the road. 

Mini Rant End

Still this is a great thing to see going into Shadyside. We need the infrastructure more than ever. The popularity of cycling is growing and more people are taking to their bikes as an option to their cars. The only way that people will continue to do this is if we can make it easy and convenient for them to do this. I am not talking about the hardcore fixie riding twenty something who doesn't own a car or see a reason to own a car. I'm talking about the people who just want to go out for a evening grab some food and maybe a drink or two and don't want to have to use a car, find parking, and pay for parking.

Remember these are the people who could be in that car behind you tomorrow morning.

Wheel Mill

I got this photo from the facebook page of The Wheel Mill, an indoor biking facility that I hope opens soon. I am really looking forward to trying my non existent skills and thrashing my bike and body this winter (on the beginner areas)

I have been invited many times to the casual friday mountian bike ride in frick park but have yet to make it to one of the rides. (partly because it is difficult to get from work to frick park in time and partly because I'm just a little afraid of hurting myself.) Having something like the wheel mill that I can go ride at and gain some confidence in working my way through different degrees of difficulty seems like the perfect solution to me.

Now if they would just open.

Chrome Subfloor Circut

found over at Urban Velo and loved what I saw.

Thanksgiving, - family - otherstuff

Thanksgiving was yesterday here in the States and as usual I got together with my Family (most of them) and had the requisite Turkey, Stuffing, Wine, and Pie.It was all tasty and I am thankful that I could spend that time with my Family (most of them). But as you can , no doubt, tell from the first couple sentences I miss the members of my family that couldn't make it. A comedy of errors and a little bit of mis-communication on my part led to me not getting to see my daughters yesterday, as well as some hurt feelings. So while I did have a good time the night was, for me at least, bitter-sweet. 

It would have been easy for me to allow this to ruin my thanksgiving. I am thankful that wasn't the case. Something happened that refocused me away from feeling sorry for myself and back to being thankful. A friend of mine whom I have gotten to know through Flock of Cycles and Bike Pittsburgh posted on face book (and had been posting on Facebook all month that she was cooking a huge thanksgiving meal and anyone who didn't have family to share thanksgiving with were welcome to come over and join her for thanksgiving.

Yes this made me appreciate my family even more

Yes it took some of the sting out of not being able to see my daughters.

I also wished I could have been there as well. I didn't exactly want to ditch my family but the idea of sharing a meal with what would of been the friends I have found through cycling was tempting.I found that this made me remember yet another group of people in my life that I needed to be thankful for, and a little ashamed that I had forgotten them

So dear readers, for you I am also very thankful for, I hope you will take a moment now that turkey,stuffing,pie, and wine have passed and think of those you may have forgotten. We all are guilty of this and so we are all forgiven as well. 

Thank you.

FatGuy